Writers Notebook

Archived Messages from December 18, 2001 to January 24, 2002

Hi Everybody,

Sorrrry to hear about the sickness all over the countries. We're having wierd weather here. This morning at about 8:00am it was 70f. Within two hours it was down to 47f. It has stayed there and added a good bit of wind that lowers the wind-chill to levels I don't acknowledge. These up and down temps. are giving everyone fits, health wise.

JERRY,
If you're not caughing up anything with a color you can name and you can breathe fairly easily with or without nasal spray, you'll probably make it two weeks. A rattling in the chest is a bad sign. But, the good news is that pneumonia can "usually" be cured.

I'm currently reading a book of collected columns by a writer that I will name later, (the book is at the other end of the house and my program is coming on TV.) Anyway, the essays remind me of RANDALL's and JERRY's stories. Really great stories of early days of his life with terribly poor parents. A lot of humor in them. Also a lot of humorous stories about hunting.

Gotta go,
Byeeeee

Rosemary 1-24-2002 20:04

Wait - before I'm comatose...

Hobbit names not allowed! In this state I'm too easily confused.

Tina, is that you?

Heather 1-24-2002 16:41

Mary - still thinking about the Cookie Monster!
I haven't come up with any title worth mention, yet.

Barely able to sit up, (still dedicated to the NB!)

off to bed.

Heather 1-24-2002 16:40

Evening all,
Hmmpfff! Litter.......Where are you?
Hope everything is ok with you just now.
Please drop in and say hi.
I'm just a bit worried because I would have thought that Litter would have had something to say today. Maybe he will post tomorrow, on the actual day.
Later,
Ed

Eddie 1-24-2002 14:34

Okay now, where DID I put that bottle of WRATH???

Oh, the muse is sniffing it.

Never mind! (*in a sweet, little Roseanna Roseanna Danna voice*)

Tigerlily 1-24-2002 14:09

Pgr: Write the articles they want for the newsletter, and take note of the time it takes you, and the amount of research/interviewing time as well. Since it's a non-profit organization, charge them for the article itself, and the time you spent researching and interviewing (if necessary) can be a donation. Ask for 10 cents a word, and see if that adds up to be what you would consider 'too much' for an article. I wouldn't sell them the articles for less than 5 cents a word. I'm going by what I've read in Writer's Market - I don't write articles myself. Please take this advice with a few grains of salt!
If you still want to be compensated for your time, over top of the article itself, work it out using $5 an hour and see what that adds up to be. If this is only a bi-annual newsletter, they may be more willing to pay a higher price than for a monthly or bi-monthly newsletter.
Let us know how things go!

Heather 1-24-2002 13:37

Morgan - you're welcome! Just wanted to give you a hand, and protect your 'investment'. :oD

Heather 1-24-2002 13:30

Debra - I have a similar chest-head-cold-sinus thing. It's not bacterial. It's viral. Antibiotics won't do a thing for it.
What you were talking about - the mutation of bacteria - happens when people dump unused antibiotics down the drain instead of taking the medication until it's finished. You also mentioned what's called a super-infection. When the antibiotic is wide-spectrum, it will kill benificial bacteria as well as malficient bacteria, sometimes leaving the body open to a second infection, and no beneficial bacteria to fight it. This is why it's much better to prescribe target specific antibiotics.
Doctors do not always prescribe the more specific antibiotics if the infection is full-blown, and the lab tests are going to take a long time to get back. They will prescribe a wide-spectrum at first, and when the tests are back, they'll change the Rx if needed, to a more specific antibiotic.
There's no reason to panic. Sinusitis is rarely, if ever fatal. It just sucks having it for the 4 or so days it rocks the system. Trust your immune system to hunt down the viral bodies and annihilate them without added help. The body will remember that specific virus, and you shouldn't be infected by it twice. Mind you, there are many, many viruses out there.

With sinus/head colds, sometimes it is bacterial, but most of the time they're viral, and you just have to sleep them out. With a lot of liquids, and someone to tuck you in. :o)

Heather 1-24-2002 13:27

Jerry:

All I'm trying to say is this. If you were to feel like you do now and have a doctor's app. next week, it might be all right.

But

If you were to feel like you do right now and have a doctor's app. next week and have already taken antiboitics that didn't knock out the bug, then they actually made the bug stronger. Antibiotics work this way. They go through your body and kill all antibodies. They get the good the bad and the ugly. If they don't get all the bad and the ugly and they got all the good too, which they did, then the bad and the ugly take over, which they are. When the bad and the ugly take over you are at risk, high risk for serious problems, fast moving ones.

See?

Next week bad!

Today Good!

That's caveman talk for go now and run like the wind.

Debra 1-24-2002 12:54

Jerry:

Get yourself down to the ER rgith now. You have to. I think you have something serious brewing. Two weeks from now we are all going to be wondering why you haven't posted and it might be because you are gravely ill.

PLEEEEEEEESE!

One afternoon and you could save yourself months or loose everything.

I'm begging!

Debra 1-24-2002 12:23

Debra - I have an appointment with my Doc the first week of next month, that would be the earliest I could get in anyhow, so think I'll wait till then. The wife just called for an appointment, they made one for next week, then called today and told her two weeks, as the doc's are booked solid.

I'll live, so don't worry, thanks for your concern.

Jerry 1-24-2002 11:55

Heather: Cheers for the advice, after speaking to my partner in crime, we're not going to be posting anymore samples from the book online. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Take care. A

Morgan Limpit Muskin 1-24-2002 9:49

Pgr:

Show them the paper work for your out of pocket expense and ask for that. You will get more of a good feeling than anything the xtra money could buy. It will look spectacular on your resume. Any company would want a person of that calabur working for them. Win! Win!

Debra 1-24-2002 9:17

I have been asked to write and produce a newletter for a non-profit agency. They are looking for a research based, article filled set up that would come out 2x/year. They want me to name a price & I have NO idea! I am passionate about the work this agency does & know they have little money, but I also want to make this worth my wild...any help???
thank you

pgr 1-24-2002 8:51

The wrong antibiotic gives the bug the home court advantage.

Debra 1-24-2002 8:49

Don't MAKE me come down there!

Debra 1-24-2002 8:39

Jerry:

YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR NOW! I MEAN NOW. Do not give me any lip. The dentist did try to help you, but you obviously need a different antibiotic. Not only that with the penecillian not working it actually made thing worse in your favor.

NOW GO!

I mean it. This is just how Jim Henson started he's gone now. So are you in the car and on your way.

TODAY!

Debra 1-24-2002 8:37

slo-mo
hard to go
which end up?
hard to know

everyone's sick
yick...blyck...
even the muses
have no kick

tock...
tick...
clock...
sick...

ick

Mel 1-24-2002 7:45

Now I know that viruses can jump onto your computer and spread like wildfire, but cold viruses?

Ok, so I had this sinus infection that the dentist gave me copious amounts of penicillin to kill, but it seems to have done absolutely no good. My sinus infection has gone on to be a full head cold. Oh and seems to have spread a bit to my lungs. Maybe that's why I was so down yesterday.

Oh well no matter.

Jerry 1-23-2002 23:38

Heather:

No I'm pretty sure they are nationwide.

We have a sick house here too. Not good.

There are six people in this house counting me and they are all helpless except me.

So I have two choices hope they all get sick together by which I will black out and come too sometime in February or they get sick one at a time and I never close my eyes and live on straight suspense until March.

What to do, what to do!

Famous typos. I do hope that's not title that sticks.

Ya know when I win some prize for writing.

Geez one responsibilitits and you're marked for life.

Debra 1-23-2002 12:56

Oh, I don't suppose putting a Cd on either end of the toilet paper roll would serve any purpose, but it would be kinda pretty....

oh, I'm ill all right.

Heather 1-23-2002 12:34

Morgan - read a bit of chapter one, and your writing reminds me of Douglas Adams a bit! The only thing is, if I were you I wouldn't post any more of your book on the internet. Publishers won't want to publish a book that's already been read by masses of people rushing to your site! They will consider it e-published. But, DON'T PANIC (heh heh): Chapter one should be okay to have up.
Oh, and welcome to the Notebook!

Debra - there you go again with your famous typos. Genunises? Is that a local breed?

Sorry, I'm a smart ass on Sinutab.
My head feels rather buoyant at the moment. That paper cut idea for deflation might really not be good right now. There's nobody tall enough at home to catch me, should I reach high altitude.
Then again, whatever's in this Sinutab has me high by my standards. I consider a half glass of red wine my uppermost limit.

Removing the dust from my house should be an interesting achievement today. I might get a little creative and make patterns in it. Then maybe my husband will believe me that I'm really quite ill.
He has a problem with me whenever I catch a cold or the flu. He somehow gets it into his head that I'm some academy award actress, and I'm not really as sick as I make out to be. I suppose draining my sinuses onto his dinner plate wouldn't be the nicest way to give proof, hmmm?
I'll have to just forget it. No other ideas are forthcoming.

Keep your quills in motion, my friends!

Heather 1-23-2002 12:32

Yep, looking real smart those survivalists.

More uses for blown CD's when the burn fails:

Drill small holes in the top if them, then hang from a stick by fishing line, makes great wind chimes, also they reflect the light and keep birds from eating your apples.

Obvious - use for coasters

Put them on a stick and drive the stick in the ground on either side of your drive way, the light from your headlights will reflect from them and show you where to turn at night.

Frisbees

Put a hole in top and bottom, run fishing line through one hole, a fish hook on the other, makes great fishing lure for those big fish.

Tie several together with fishing line, attach line to a cat's tail, watch the fun as the can tries to get away from them.

Have a friend toss them up in the air, shoot the disks with your 12 gauge shotgun, wonderful way to relieve stress when you have been trying to burn that perfect CD from those MP3's that you downloaded from Kazaa.

Wash them, put a broom stick through the hole in the center, use the stick as a handle while you clean the storm gutters with the CD (May have to carve down the CD's a bit to make them fit)

Sharpen the edge, throw like a Frisbee at your enemies, like that big dude in 007 movies!

Attach to pieces of dowel about six inches across, tape to your shoes and skate down the street with them.

Paint swirl on them and tape to a fan blade, use to hypnotise your friends.

Put them under furniture keeps the legs from poking holes in the carpet also makes it easier to move.

Well that's about all I can think of off hand but there's got to be more.

Jerry 1-23-2002 11:54

Jerry:

You and me both think too much.

Boy those survivalists are starting to look like genunises. Aren't they?

Debra 1-23-2002 7:33

Christi: Cheers for the welcome! I hope you'll forward something you've written for me to read in my direction.

Rachel: Thanks again, it's really not a problem, email me a sample of your work and I'll take a pew when I'm having lunch!

Big 'Hello' from the UK to everyone else…

Morgan Limpit Muskin 1-23-2002 3:52

***Taylor***

I'm here again... How you all doing?
Haven't been on for awhile, been creating certain folderlike things for my main characters.

Teekay: So far I love "Ice Station" more than half way through it... It's so suspenseful.

Not much to say here, bye for now

Taylor 1-23-2002 3:47

Hey, Mary! Sorry you're feeling like crap. Only a few days left until the appointment. XOXOXO HANG IN THERE! (((HUG)))
I'm going to check out the new necklace now!

Heather 1-23-2002 2:47

Thanks, Jerry. Now I know what to do with all those cheap, buggered up blank CD's that won't work in my CDwriter.
Wish I could record over stuff like I used to with music cassettes! Don't like Depeche Mode any more? Smear two bits of masking tape over the slots in the cassette, jam it into your funkadelic 70's tape recorder, and hit the buttons. Of course, there will be a whirring noise in the background, loud snapping and crunching sounds coming from the internal workings of those depressed buttons and into the mic, and you, crooning at top volume before realizing you're being recorded along with the radio. I should have kept some of those 'homemades' just for a really hearty laugh about now.

Sorry to whinge on and on. But that's the purpose of sinusitis, isn't it? Haven't whined about my predicament enough lately. I've been sent another reason. :o]

Heather 1-23-2002 2:45

Hi guys.

New necklace posted if you wanna see it. I feel like crap. Bye.

Mary new jewelry 1-23-2002 2:44

Hebbo, freds,
My head is like the Hindenberg right now - if I look in the mirror, I'm afraid I'd find the mirror too small.
Sinutab night time bonus triple your money's worth nuclear strength sinus missiles are working... but I think my head is too big for the dosage. Need twelve hundred more.

Rachel - congrats to Sebastian! He's now a teeter toddler. :o)

Christi - heyyy, girl. I could use some brightness for this indigo funk; anything to dilute this mood. It doesn't help that my neck is a bit skinny for my cranium. If it lasts a long time, I might get a shunt installed in my upper sinus cavities. It was my little brother's birthday yesterday, and my best friend's birthday today. I left them phone messages: "Habby birt-dey doo yoo..." which will likely need translations tomorrow, when I hope to find them both home.
This head cold thing must have been coming on for a day or two - I sent my best friend in Florida a parcel for her birthday, and got it back today. I'd forgotten to write her street address on it. I've never done that in my life!

Carol - don't worry if you miss the first round robin shortie - I was hoping it might turn into another NB institution, like shortie nights are, so you can join in next weekend if you like. NB institution. Now that's an interesting thought. Those of us here the longest will get the private padded cells. The only drawback to that is there's no medication-swapping that way.
:oD

I am going to begin the process of editing/proofreading all of our P/LT contributions, and will send each one back to the author with any suggestions/edits in the mss. I will only be sending back the stories that have made the cut, of course.

Got a rejection from Glimmertrain today. Yay. It was a virtual one, so I'll have to print it out and keep it. What for, well, shit. If my head gets any bigger, I might be able to give myself a papercut with the rejection page, and deflate myself a bit.
So long as I don't go puttering about the room balloon fashion, it should be a good thing.

Human whoopie cushion, anyone?

*Sickclaimer Dis* edy ub de abub might be rung. Und I'm weezlig out ove it by zaying ebreethig in code code. Sinutab, I ode yoo.

Heather 1-23-2002 2:37

A tidbit of news from the great frozen north country:

A freight train carrying tons of Anhydrous Ammonia derailed three days ago on the outskirts of the City of Minot ND. One of the cars broke open, covering North Dakota's third largest city with a cloud of deadly ammonia gas. Because of the cold and the late hour only one person died from the exposure, however over two hundred were hospitalized.

We used to go to Minot all the time for their flea markets held at the State Fair Grounds, it is a nice City, but you know I never heard a word about this accident on the national news, the local stations are full of interviews with the firemen, police officers, one of who lost the sight in one eye from exposure, and citizens who say that not enough was done to get them out of the danger. I guess this is the price we pay for the isolation we live in.

We are still in the midst of a temperature roller coaster today it was nearly forty degrees here, but up where we used to live is below zero. That weather is supposed to be here tomorrow, but then a warm front will chase it from here and raise our temps again. Sure glad I don't have to work in it anymore.

Found another virus in my stupid computer today as I was reinstalling some of the software, guess I'll have to toss that CD too. The wife has found a new usage for those CD's that didn't quite turn out as I intended. She sets them under the hundred or so candles that she has all over the house, they make nice reflectors of the light, and serve to catch the wax as it runs down, keeping it off the furniture.

Didn't go to the casino, just didn't have the extra money to donate to the Native Americans who run the joint. Instead, I went in the back room and took a bunch of parts that were laying around, and built a 486 computer. Put a 120 meg hard drive in it, and installed DOS. It did make me feel a bit more use full although I have no idea why I built it, nobody wants 486's anymore, so I will probably tear it apart one day and replace the motherboard with a Pentium, if I can find a cheap MB and processor.

Well back to King and The Dream Catcher. It has been a long read, I just can't seem concentrate enough to read, don't know why. The book is good enough, I should have been done with it a month ago when I first opened it, yet I just don't seem to be able to stay interested in it.

The wife tells me that I have been having nightmares, these past few days, bad enough where I cry out in the night. Kind of glad that I don't remember those.

Been thinking though, they showed a special on the History Channel a while back, before 9/11, about the Spanish Flu. You may have heard of the epidemic, it was so bad that they had to call WW 1 because too many were dead from the flu. Dad used to tell tales of the bodies stacked like cord wood beside the undertakers office as they just couldn't keep up with all the dead.

Anyhow, some scientist were going up to the Artic to dig up remains of those who died of this flu, seems that if they were buried in the perma-frost that the germ responsible for all that death would survive all this time in those bodies, and can be revived now in labs. - If we have the technology to do this, don't others? What if old Sadam gets his hands on that germ and decides it would make a nice weapon, or maybe bin Laudin? Can you imagine another bout of that horror?

I guess I think to much some times.

Jerry 1-23-2002 0:54

Is that all there is? Is that all there is my friend?

You give me fever!

Peggy Lee - dead today of a heart attack in her home.

North Dakota will long remember her name and her fame.

May she rest in peace.

Jerry 1-22-2002 23:33

Hi All :)

Christi -- awww, I don mind. I wikes laffs. Tank you. :)

Mary -- ummmm -- "AAAAHHH! I just got this face framed. You want to wash it???!!!" Your "carrot" of a prize made me look at that picture immediately -- how adorable! That's a picture to keep for boyfriend blackmail some day. hehehe

Suzy Homemaker came in handy today. I've gotten most of my main work done. A few odds and ends can be done in the morning -- the rest, well, this is home, what can he expect? His chocolate chip cookies will be ready for him at least. The kid will be 30 in a few months, but since we see him so rarely, I tend to spoil him rotten when he is here.

Off to pick up a few things. I think I better pass on the round robin for the time being. Maybe I can pick it up later when the visit is over and I can stick to my schedule better.

Carol 1-22-2002 22:12

Carol, What I said to you sounded so condescending. And I totally didn't mean to talk to you in baby talk. HEE! What I meant to say was that I laughed when I read your poem. What could be better than that? :D

Christi 1-22-2002 20:59

++Christi++

Rachel, I'm so glad you're posting for real! It's great to hear what's going on with you. I know everyone's going to say this, but holy cow, how can Sebastion be walking already??? Man do they ever grow up fast.

Aysha, Hey there, and good luck! Sorry, but most writers aren't going to be able to give you a lot of advice about getting a publisher; most are either writing or are trying to find their own publisher/agent. I'll just say the typical thing and say, get Writer's Market or subscribe to WM online; it's so much easier to do it online and narrow your search within a matter of seconds. Best money I've ever spent. Just research your little heart out and then submit, submit, submit!

Welcome, Morgan! I'd like to check your writing out as soon as I have the time.

Heather, Love the idea for your shortie night round robin! I'm game! And Heather, don't be sad. :D Maybe I can catch you on chat tonight and joke you out of that funk.

Howword, That one was really nice. ((((HUGS)))))

Hey, Tina, bambina! My mom just LOVES Jack Whyte. I'm reading about six books right now, and I've got about fifteen more on my shelves that need my attention after that. THEN I'm on to Jack Whyte, and Ice Station (Can't remember the author, TEEK), and whatever else my fellow NBers recommend. I've been in this odd reading frenzy for about three months now.
BTW, apparently I'm totally, completely and utterly insane. Like you all didn't know that. I howled for about ten minutes, maybe more. Rrrrrrrrrummmmmmmumumumumumumum! My two year old thought it was pretty darn funny too.

Carol, I thought you poem was so cute! :D

Hey JERRY, They keep wanting to increase the size of MY penis as well. Nothing like a good old penis enlargement offer to make a woman feel like a woman.

Teekay, Come baaaaack!

I'm leaving now. You can all stop sucking in your stomachs. HAHAHAHAHA!

Love and caffeine,

Christi 1-22-2002 19:10

Mary, That was the cutest picture in the world! My two-year-old son saw it and made monster sounds and said, "Cute!"

I say you call the picture, "Sugar Hi!" HEE! Ain't that sugar just dandy?

Gotta catch up on the rest, but I couldn't resist jumping right in. BTW, I think "Cookie Monster" should win the prize.

Christi 1-22-2002 18:48

Mary:
I'm not worried about the prize but that PICTURE! What a giggle. I'm going to play with ideas all week in my mind.
Hope you don't mind multiple entries. Here's what first came to mind to place under that picture.

The Scream, 1893

Tempera and pastel on board. 91 x 73.5 cm.
Signed lower left: E. Munch 1893
Presented in 1910 by Olaf Schou
NG.M.00939

Viv 1-22-2002 18:03

Rachael:
Have your husband or another child distract the new walker, stand quietly at the edge of the room and take the picture. He'll be alerted to the noise turn and come at you WALKING and SMILING! At least that is how it worked with our little ham. It's a new trick, it's adorable, and those little guys know it. Have FUN!

On that class, don't thank me for being interested. It's something I'm REALLY excited about and can't wait to do again. I love a Lit survey course. The one you are taking is the absolute best! Those are the neatest books to study because you can actually see the English Language develop. You learn so many things from a class like that, Linguistics, History, and you can figure out how to write the strangest poetry. I'm looking forward to hearing about what you learn because even if you take that class once, another person knows another weird and strange set of facts and makes the class completely different. I wish we could go together. I cannot wait to get back to school. I don't mind teaching but I need a class too, and you know, this gets me all excited about getting back to America. My husband did not get extended, so maybe we'll get picked up in America this year. If not...well, maybe they'll buy him out and let him retire early.

Viv 1-22-2002 17:56

It is chocolate cookie shrapnel all over her face, if that helps.

Mary 1-22-2002 17:43

Hi guys!

I uploaded a picture of my daughter that I just snapped about an hour ago. It has inspired a contest.

Whoever comes up with the best caption for this picture wins a prize that I haven't decided on yet, but will be very good. I don't give crappy prizes! ;-)

You have until this coming Friday at midnight. Good luck.

Mary Cookie Monster 1-22-2002 17:40

RACHEL: By all means, have your friend get those pearls appraised by a jeweler. They will be able to discern whether they are dyed or natural color. Having held both in my hands, it is very difficult for me to tell the difference when you are dealing with high-quality dyed pearls. If they are verified natural, I wouldn't be surprised if the jeweler himself were interested in acquiring them or at least know of someone who would. I for one, wouldn't let such a once in a lifetime piece of jewelry pass me by, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and good, life-changing things could be done with money made from them. Good luck to your friend.

Mary 1-22-2002 17:26

I am new to the system and am looking for a publists.
If anyone can help me, please feel free to e-mail me at Enthusaim 1@ hotmail.com. Thanks a million Aysha.

Aysha 1-22-2002 14:51

*****Rachel*****

Andi - Thanks for offering to read my work. It's okay though. I know how busy it can be with writing. You keep at it. Head down, pencil moving, keys flying. That's a good way to be (smiles). As for looking at you work I was happy to do it. I know how it can be to want somebody, anybody to look at what you've done. It can bite the big one to ask and have people seem to brush you off. That isn't much fun.

Viv - It is really amazing to watch Seb grow. He is a new adventure each day. I adore him! We will need to get a picture of him walking. Right now it happens so quickly that in order to catch him at it we would need to follow him with a camera. He is such a camera hound that he wouldn't walk. Every time we pull out a camera he stops what he is doing, turns towards it and puts on a smile and pose. He is a total ham!

The readings we are doing in my class are of; Chaucer, Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Swift and Pope. We might get to do some Marlowe but he isn't set in the course at this point. I am really enjoying myself. Thanks for asking (smiles and hugs to you).

By all.

1-22-2002 14:01

Heather - sounds like a blast, count me in on your shorty round robin.

The link below shows the damage that can be done by a typo, this is reportedly a true story that just happened in Florida. Guess we need not wonder any longer at the election mix up with folks like that setting stuff up.

Jerry Typo? 1-22-2002 12:29

Heather: I like the idea of a shortie round robin and will enjoy celebrating my first Monday off with it.

Rachael: Congratulations! Those amazing first steps. Quick get out the camera. Take a picture and stick it in your favorite cookbook. I have one of Sarah there and it's been 19 years since she took that wobbly first step. Isn't it wonderful the way the hands are held so high.

A big congratulations on your first step too. Back to school! Another person to envy. You get to study English? Lucky! Whatcha' reading?

Viv again 1-22-2002 9:33

Ooooh boy, Mary, what prices. I had no idea. Sorry, I thought we were talking in the $50.00 per pearl range. I thought for a big splurge it might be fun to add one or two to a piece you intended for special. A $600.00 item isn't much fun is it? You'd spend all your time worrying you'd drop one. Well, we'll drool together. It sounds like I ought to get those pearls appraised before we move. Yuck, now I have to worry about them. Better not to have too much and then you don't have worries.

Yikes Heather, what a shortie theme! Wrath. It scares me to think about what I might come up with. I still need to work on my dog revision. Sorry to be slow. I've got a little flu bug.

Howard, LUCKY! I envy you! You get to work on a degree. Don't worry about the unemployment check, you'll be back working but on a higher level. I'll be following along behind you because when we get to America I'm going back to school too. I need to keep my brain cells active or I'm going to be a dotty senile old person by the age of 50.
Nice Poem. Hope your learning stimulates a lot more poetry and makes you feel SMART. It should.

Carol, hope your house is full of happiness today!

Viv 1-22-2002 9:24

**Rachel** Just read you post on my site, thanks for your comments, makes all the hard work worth while! Let me know if you would like me to read anything you may have written. Thanks again! Andi (aka Morgan)

Morgan Limpit Muskin 1-22-2002 9:24

*****Rachel*****

Hi all - Wanted to drop in to tell you that Sebastian has begun to walk! He took his first steps two days ago. He hasn't worked up to a full run yet (winks). He however has taken steps more and more. It is so amazing to watch him grow. He will soon be eleven months old. His first birthday will be very soon. I am all ready excited!

I've not been around much these days. I have been kept busy with the children, reading, writing and school. Yes, I returned to school. I've decided to study English. I am enjoying myself very much.

Mary - I have a girlfriend who was just given a string of black pearls. They belonged to her mother. She has decided she is not going to keep them, but look at selling them. It sounds as if that could go quite nicely for her. You can't imagine how surprised I was to find talk of black pearls on the page after speaking of them so recently with a friend. It was kind of weird.

All - Hope you are all happy and well. Hope that your muse or your mind, or what ever it is that gives you inspiration is doing its job well.

Hugs to all!

1-22-2002 8:57

Hi there, totally new to this sort of thing, so forgive my petulance… need feedback on a book I'm working on (no surprise there) - anyhow the work is on www.limpitmuskin.com any thoughts would be appreciated… if there is anything of yours you want me to look at… let me know… Thanks!

Morgan Limpit Muskin 1-22-2002 5:19

By the way, Oyster - I love the line you wrote, '...Shouldn't look a gift Chinook in the mouth.'
!

And thank you, for saying I'm warm! (((Hugs)))

Carol - have fun with your stepchild! Hoping to send chapter 4 your way soon, so long as you're still willing to read and critique for me?

I did SOME writing today - just have to transcribe it now, from the envelope I used to jot on. Found it in the glove compartment, just when I needed it!

Heather 1-22-2002 3:09

Anyone like the idea of a shortie round robin (posted in the NB of course)?
Each person could/would add 1-2 sentences.
I was thinking this might be an interesting exercise for one of the more boring periods of the week when most of us pop into the NB, read yesterday's posts over again, and then switch off the computer for the day -- Sunday evening.

The trick is, once the round robin starts, (topic UNKNOWN!)
each contributor must write the existing sentences before adding, so it makes sense, and can be read as a paragraph or more.
The idea isn't to replace shortie night on Thursdays by any means. I was thinking more along the lines of 'warmup for Monday morning' fun drill.

That's the first time I've ever written 'fun' and 'drill' in the same sentence.

Whatch'all think?

Heather 1-22-2002 3:04

Hey everyone...

Nice to see some cheerful people here, though I think Jerry, that you might have the virus blues.
I think my blues are frozen solid. It's so cold my eyes have decided to give up producing salt water. It's frozen too.

All right, I'll try to be cheerful. If Mary can be cheerful with a toothache like a grand piano with every key hammering, then I can surely raise my face into a semblance of a grin.

I had a thought when the talk was of black pearls. I think the Japanese do not like black pearls because they symbolize something - something the rest of us haven't heard about. Perhaps it's just a superstition.
I thought of 'black sheep' equating with black pearls.

Well, if that truly does equate, all of the black sheep on this board can celebrate! We'll be very sought after. I wonder if we'll be considered odd but rare?

There have been daydreams lately, that are so vivid that time stands still. If I sit in the same place that I had a daydream, I can return to the same daydream.
The million dollar question: Okay, so the only question I would say is truly a million dollar question is this: "Would you like this million dollars?"
That wasn't the daydream. The point's here... Somewhere.

That's the way tangents are -- when you go off on them, you don't usually meet up with the original streetcar of thought until much later. Especially if my Dad's driving.

I, on the other hand, have an innate sense of direction. I use a map, if I'm really lost. :o)

This Thursday's SHORTIE THEME IS:

WRATH

Heather 1-22-2002 2:58

Been one of those days; well maybe it's been all week, I can't say for sure. I don't know why but I have been in the worst of moods, every thing I write is so depressing that I don't even want to read it myself. Guess I need to take some time off, from time off or something. Found another damn virus on my computer today, then when I rebooted, the damn boot disk had a virus. I reformatted the boot disk, and I think it's clean now.

Problem is that this is the boot disk I use on all the computers I work on, so there's a 50/50 chance that all the computers I worked on in the past few weeks have the same stupid virus on them.

It's the same virus that was on my sister's machine, now I have one of those chicken/egg questions running through my head, which came first the virus or the crash?

Have my system cleaned anyhow, the last virus check says it's clean anyhow, and I ran the fdisk /mbr on it, that should have killed any and all boot sector viruses, or at least Norton says it will.

Maybe a trip to the casino is in order, supposed to get up in the 50's tomorrow and the roads are all clear. Have to check with the wife and see if she's up for throwing away forty bucks in search of some relaxation.

Of course, I may be able to write some real scary stuff if I just sit here and let my fingers do my talking.

Speaking of pearls, I picked up some pearl ear rings and a matching necklace on my way home from Nam. Got them when we stopped over in Tokyo. They are pearls in a silver cage, kind of neat looking. Wonder if they're worth anything? Have to check ebay or something, I know the wife would never part with them, but if they are worth anything, maybe we should put a bit more insurance on them, or at least list them in the policy. I know the pearls were genuine, or at least that's what the gal at the PX said when I bought them.

And I ramble on, what with the notebook so full it can barley hold another "I".

Write on!

Jerry 1-22-2002 0:33

I just saw a natural color black pearl strand for $31,000.00 retail. It wasn't even that spectacular peacock color that is the most expensive. It was a classy, light gray.

Mary 1-21-2002 22:58

VIV: Hey! I checked out that link. Thank you very much, I bookmarked it, but only for drooling purposes. $950 for a pair of simple pearl stud earrings? Holy shnikies, that is more than my diamonds cost! They have some imperfect pearl pendants fairly low priced. I like their odd shapes.

They have a bracelet on there, with just two pearls for something like $650. Put the 60-70 together that it would take to make a whole strand necklace. OY!

Mary 1-21-2002 22:34

I'm drooling now ... black pearls in Viv's hands.

Thanks for the explanation on Daughter, there, Teekay.

And Randall, thanks for the tip on young Tolstoi.

And Carol, thanks for the tip on 21 Steps of Merlin.

And ... I'm running out of memory here, is our notebook out yet? Will it be the next time I post, telling me "this thread is way too long, come back later"??

Tina, you got snow? We got snow. More snow. More cold, I want Jerry's El Nino now, but I shouldn't look a gift Chinook in the mouth, we just had one. Getting greedy will get me into trouble.

Randall, did you say Merlin went mad? Oish! A little voice in my head said "That's what you get for messing with dark magic." Except Merlin was a Druid, and they were, according to lore and history Earth Magick practitioners!

Or was that Howard that did the Merlin speil? And Tina, too?

I give up, I'm confused. My short term memory is shot. I'm actually reading an Elizabethan Mystery about a theatre troup based in London around the time of The Bard (I think) called "Devil's Apprentice". It figures, doesn't it? The name of the Witch Character in the play featured in the Book is Mad Joan.

When I told Bwitch that bit this morning she howled with laughter and said "See, everything is connected!" We know a Mad Joan or two. And none of them are witches, just ... nuts!

Anyway, I've been so busy with 'other things' I can barely think straight to write anything to anyone here. Sorry!

I only remember that "Heater" (LOL, Mary what a good nickname for Heather, she's warm and makes me feel nice and snug!)is doing ShortyNite.

And can someone teach me how to Haiku-too? I flunked poetry in school. And you can so teach an old dog new tricks, I figure if I can learn to do emails, I can learn to do Haiku. Pointers, anyone?

Oyster 1-21-2002 21:58

Can't get this silence thing out of my mind (thanks a lot, Mary! :-))

Answers without questions.
Questions without answers.
Hear the busy-ness,
the invasive sounds
of a world gone mad.

No resolution
in the cheers
of the living,
or the hilarity
of the dying.

Deafened by the noise.
The incessant clamor
of empty minds
choking on
raw decibels of
manufactured platitudes.
Rationalizations,
Capitulations.

But under it all
a whisper.
Pleading.
Reasoning
with those beyond reason.
Hoping,
Calling.

Under it all
a still small voice.
-------------

May not be around much for a while -- school starts tomorrow, and I'll be going evenings and one class online, in case I do get a job offer. Living from check to check is even worse when it's an unemployment check! :-)
Gotta keep going though, and gotta keep telling myself that retirement is for older folks!

howard 1-21-2002 21:49

Mary,
I found a site where you can get quotes on loose pearls out of Okinawa. It's interesting. I think if you were designing something specific it could come in handy to have in your links.

http://www.wholesale-blackpearls.com/retail/retailLoose.htm

Viv again 1-21-2002 21:36

Mary: I don't know. Maybe the pinkish variety go better with their skin tones and hair color. I have a strand of very old black pearls that I love. My friends wrinkle their noses and say, "Humm, not so good."

I love them though. I also have some misshapen old black pearls and I think they are the best. I think I like odd things. I have very little jewelry, but those are special for me. I don't let what others think affect what I like.

The reason I mentioned this is maybe they aren't considered as valuable in Japan and might be cheaper. I don't know a thing about how to buy pearls but I'll check on line. Right now the yen rate is 129-130 to the dollar which makes price a little better for everything if you are using US currency.

I'll go now and check.

Viv 1-21-2002 21:23

VIV: Why don't Japanese like black pearls? What's not to like?

Mary 1-21-2002 21:12

*Tina*

Hey Howard, and everyone else who likes Merlin/Arthur, have you read any of Jack Whyte's novels? The series is 'A Dream of Eagles', and the first novel is 'The Sky Stone'. It's strongly historical look at the myth/story/truth, beginning long before Arthur when Rome began to withdraw from England. Very well written, although a bit long/slow in a few bits. I think it goes by a different name in the US; he's a Canadian author.
Hey, in fact, I'd happily put it up for the Great Book Exchange if you'd like to check it out! We need more books on the Exchange. (BTW For anyone relatively new, the Great Book Exchange is when we offer a book for exchange between notebookers, and mail it around to whomever wants to read it. A copy of 'Ender's Game' went around the world! It's fun.)

Must go do dinner. Chinese, with pork dumplings. :-D
TTFN

Tina 1-21-2002 20:57

Hi All :)

Oyster - I think I mentined the 21 Lessons of Merlin -- I know I've got in on my shelves. I'm glad you got an idea from it -- sounds like a good idea too!

Mel -- waaaay back, you mentioned the muse. Yes, I believe you're right. She sits quietly at times absorbing the details of life. When its jelled enough, she sends it out. I've been getting some real short pieces done lately. They've been different than my normal work. They are "rants" of everyday life. Some funny, some sad. I'm going to let them collect for a while and see what happens.

There are so many posts! It took me close to an hour to read them all. My congrats to all who wrote on this weeks shortie. All of them were very well written and evoked emotions.

Mary -- a special congrats! The news of your interview is exciting. This should bring even more people to your website and more buyers of your jewelry. Yippee!

I'll pop in as I can over the next week. My stepson is coming home on his vacation and the week looks to be busy. But I insist on some writing time. Which will cut on time here -- again! Pooh!

Round and
Round she
goes
Pieces of
Life
through glass
whirl in heat
Mesmerizing silence
Ohh, to pull
a shirt
put it on
warm and fragrant
I love the
laudromat

Ok - so it's terrible.... Guess I better try again ...

Carol 1-21-2002 19:39

RANDALL -- Edison Marshall has an interesting treatment of Merlin (and Art-tyr) in his "The Pagan King." I enjoyed Steven Lawhead's "Pendragon Cycle also, but got more of a feeling of authenticity from Marshall.

howard 1-21-2002 16:32

Hi all!

Gee, did I start something with the skydiving haiku? BTW Howard, some dogs love to skydive. More wind in their face than driving down a freeway at 110k/h.

Viv, do it! Do it! Do it!
And I think the nastiness of our commercials depends on the time slot, but overall Canada has tighter restrictions on advertising. We get stuck with US advertising, though, since half of our channels are US, so there's no avoiding it.

TTFN

Tina 1-21-2002 11:00

Teekay: Isn't it funny that guys with strict standards marry women with not strict standards? Maybe you are supposed to do it, and say it for him!

Tina: It's good to see you back. Someday I'm going to try jumping out of an airplane. It's that or hang gliding.

Heather: How's the toe? And the snow?

Mary: How's the tooth? Congradulations on the interview and I agree with you on black pearls. They are the only ones worth owning, but the Japanese don't like them.

Jerry: How strange to get such racy ads on television. Ours are pretty tame except for sanitary products. Those always get a little too obvious. How about Canada, Australia and South America?

Viv 1-21-2002 9:30

OK, FFoF, back atcha!

They were much surprised
Me, a blind man skydiving?
Damn! It scared my dog!

howard 1-21-2002 3:40

And now for an entirely frivilous link. If you need a laugh (or not), check it out.

http://www.essbasetools.com/instest.htm

And yes, it proved what I already knew about myself. I'm just a wee touch nutso.

Tina insanity test 1-21-2002 0:19

I keep seeing these sites that pop up when you least expect them, and like many of the spam messages, want me to enlarge my penis. Now on the internet, I guess I can understand running into stuff like that, as it has been shown that over sixty percent of the folks on the www are seeking out porn. But I don't expect to see stuff like that on prime time TV. It happened tonight, we were watching The Practice when this add ran for some herbal remedy that increases the size and stamina of the male organ.

I guess, much like Chicken Man, It's everywhere It's everywhere.

Write ON!

Jerry 1-20-2002 23:47

Had a big breakup here in town. The fellow who came to town, and breezed his way into all our lives with a reasonably speedy internet connection (only 56K but hey, all the others were offereing was 28.8), who started another newspaper, who started a new computerized printshop, who assisted in bringing revival meetings to town, has split the sheets with his wife.

Seems she took the newspaper, and all the cash she could get her hands on and moved across the street.

We are unsure what will happen next, must wait and see, but any faster high speed service may be shit-canned, in fact it some fear we may loose our service with him completely.

We hope not, I get along with him nicely, however many here don't as he likes to get technical with those who have no understanding of technology, and that seems to offend them for some reason.

At any rate, the weather is getting warmer and warmer again. The weatherman has, at long last told us that it is another El Neno (SP) year. I think most of us knew that before his lecture. Another day of pinochle and family bonding. A good time was had by all.

My old grand-dad came over from the old country (Germany), and for some reason couldn't get this English language down all that well. He used to tell his boys to "go out to the barn and throw the cows over the fence some hay!"

Nite all.

Jerry

Jerry 1-20-2002 22:32

I found a missing skydiving haiku:

Like a hawk swooping
Mastering the winter skies
Splat! No parachute.

Fickle Finger of Fate 1-20-2002 22:03

**Teekay**

VIV: Nope, I don't even think beans'd do it. Unlike me, hubby has standards he abides by :-)

OYSTER: It's hormones and that's just the way it is *sigh*, I think it's natures way for preparing them for the time they leave the nest - it doesn't make the process quite so heart rendering when it's time to spread their wings and fly, and in some case mother's are packing the daughters bags and waving them merrily off at the door.
I always wonder what it was like back in the 1700 & 1800's, were girls tamer then or were they just potrayed that way in the history books.

Quiet today, not much to say,
think I shall just slink away.

:-D

Teekay 1-20-2002 21:15

**BURRRRP!**

Notebook 1-20-2002 18:12

Had comments ... notebook too huge ... it's appetite is ... aaaaaah! *GULP*

Christi 1-20-2002 18:12

I have to agree with Tina - the notebook is up to 747592 bytes, which is a large mouthful even for a cable modem.

howard 1-20-2002 16:14

Randall

Hey!

Many thanks for you guys trying to help me with the glass percolator coffee pot and coffee grinder search... I have an avenue or two I can sniff out here...pun intended.

Oyster ... The sound you hear is me rubbing my hands together in glee. I love all things related to Merlin! Without a doubt, the best book on Merlin, well, in my mind, is Nikolai Tolstoy, THE QUEST FOR MERLIN. Yes, Mr. Tolstoy is the grandnephew of Leo, a writer of some merit. (GRIN!) Nikki explores the myth and legend of King Arthur's prophet and was featured on the Discovery channel a few weeks ago. It was a special about prophets, no doubt influenced by the success of LOTR.

I missed out on the conversation (par usual) but I believe you guys were discussing Merlin as Gandalf in the LORD OF THE RINGS. As you know, the story of Merlin has come down to us from Geoffrey of Monmouth's, HISTORY OF THE KINGS OF BRITAIN, through Malory and Tennyson, to the hip 50's novel and 60's movie THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING and, lets not forget, LOTR. Tolstoy explores the complex, mischievous Merlin, who may have been a real historical figure in the sixth century AD. Ah, a druid, living in the lowlands of Scotland. Druids at that time where under heavy pressure from religious newcomers, Christianity, and anyone possessing supernatural powers would have been notable, feared and shunned. As was Jesus when he went against the prevailing political and religious dogma of His times.

Mr. Tolstoy includes a photocopy of a page from "... Welsh annals from a copy of the Domesday Book in the Public Record Office ... are references to Arthur's victory at Badon and death at Camlann ... ‘The year [573]; The Battle of Arderydd between the sons of elifer and Gwenddolau the son of Ceidio, in which battle Gwenddolau was killed; Merlin was driven mad.' "

WOW! Driven mad!!! Heavy, huh? Chills going up and down my spine!

In another photocopy reference Tolstoy adds "... from the Book of Aneirin, containing verses from the sixth-century poem Gododdin. Halfway down (the page) is what may be the earliest reference to Merlin: ‘amuc moryen gwenwawt mirdyn'; Morien defended the blessed inspiration of Myrddin.' "

Merlin is spelled Myrddin or Merlinus in ancient texts and this could be his first or last name.... and in this context, the term ‘inspiration' needs no definition from me.

In a stunning work of analysis Nikolai Tolstoy identified and located a spring where Merlin lived (fled) ... Chalybeate spring at Hartfell Spa, after his patron (King Arthur?) was killed. Tracked down and identified the area, "The point where the River Pausail flows into the Tweed..." where according to tradition Merlin was killed ... A la, the Threefold Death, which I have referenced before ... "beaten and stoned (by shepards) ... impaled on a stake ... drowned as his head passed beneath the water."

Merlin (I referenced a lot of Tolstoys work in my own novel) is known as a Trickster and his archetype character has parallels...ready for this...even in the life of our Lord Jesus. The Threefold Death can be linked to Jesus dying on the cross, but it is a stretch...(Oh boy! No pun intended there for sure!)

A lot of what I posted is included in Tolstoy's book, so I have given credit where credit is due. It is a great work, very deep and requires more than one reading. But then, so did LOTR!

Adios!

Randall

Randall "Hob" 1-20-2002 12:56

Some skydiving haiku...

Blue sky is the gift
Tempting me beyond my fear
I step into joy

and

Low clouds, white with snow
Falling, as I dream to fly
Drifting to the ground.

Snowflakes own the sky
Briefly, until spring returns
To paint the land green.

Over verdant hills
I will join the birds in flight
Free to touch the sky.

Tina 1-20-2002 12:46

Hi all! What a lovely snowy Sunday. Yay!

Just an observation for Jack if he's lurking; the page is getting kinda big. My computer is gagging on it, and that is rare.

TTFN

Tina 1-20-2002 11:59

I checked out the voices net thing too. It is very busy-looking, but you can tell hard work went into it. I agree with Howard, it is worth a look-see and periodic read, but I can't see myself joining up.

JJ: I wish you all the luck.

Mary 1-20-2002 11:48

Hi everyone!

Haven't heard back yet from the writer who did my interview. It was completely via email, she sent me a list of questions I was supposed to expound upon.

I am now a proud member of the International Jewelry Designer's Guild. Sounds impressive, doesn't it? HA!

Heather is picking the shortie topic again for this coming Thursday. Good luck Heater!

Gotta run.

Mary 1-20-2002 11:26

I checked that voices net thingie and it's a bit to "themepark-ish" if you take my meaning... maybe nice for a visit, but here is home...

howard 1-20-2002 8:47

For some reason the link gets scragged when you do that -- the url is www.voicesnet.com if anyone wants a look

howard 1-20-2002 8:41

WWW.VOICESNET.COM - Voices Network - For Writers and Poets of all Ages

Please try out our NEW website.

Submit poetry and short stories to our "Voices" Publications, enter contests, play free games, use our free forum and ads, buy books and videos and much more...

Thanks,

JJ Namcap

ps Also, read my regular editorial articles.

JJ Voices Network 1-20-2002 5:21

Hi Everyone,

Mary: Congrats on your interview (you deserve it) and thanks for explaining about black lipped oysters and black pearls. Sitting here imagining myself with black lips ... a Gothic Oyster. Uh, not hardly!

Oh, and thanks for the shortie inspirations, too. I've been practising shorties, sneaking them in emails to friends, trying really, really hard to get here for Thursday nights, but Spouse's been hogging the computer most nights with his 'work-work' and I've been in the Dungeon pecking away on That Story!

Carol? Heather? Was it you who mentioned 21 Lessons of Merlin? Well, I finally got it from the Library today and varoom, instant chapter idea ... a college professor who decides to write a book on Merlin and his son move to Salmon Arm!

Jerry, I glimpsed you and Viv and Literary Litter (of the four novels ...yes I have been reading, just no time to post) and everyone else seems to be back on track, and my eyes are aching from a new project. I have to transcribe my own handrwiting. Ick. From meetings of the Fine Arts Committee at the Kids' School.

I love music, art and writing, but guess what? No writing in the Fine Arts at our school. And ergh, fundraising seems to be the primary focus. I hate fundraising. But I hate sewing worse. There were murmurs about doing some of that, too! I think I'll stick with the notetaking for now.

Anyone else think Writing is a Fine Art?

Teekay, Mel, question: Do girl-children turn into little (very bad word here) as early as nine? Whoa, the Daughter is giving me a run for my money! She's on full self-absorption and self-centered mode. She had the nerve to tell me she was embarrassed by my car and demanded I get a new one because mine smells funny! And the almost-as-tall-as-me Ms. Charisma was in a tear because she was tired form a not-sleepover, wanted lunch out, didn't want to put away her clothes, and, and, and! All at full volume with words she shouldn't be using until adulthood. And the eye rolling and the lip!

Terrible, punitive images flow through my mind when girl-child acts like this. And there are times when I walk away, girl-child follows me! Blink, blink!

Even Spouse is getting a bit 'peeved' at the 'tude. Now we're at the point where we let her go on the sleepover because (rather cruelly) I said "Who wants a Daughter free night tonight" and everyone including me raised their hand! Even her brother has tried to reason with her and she ravages him, too!

I don't even want to think about teenagehood! Please, someone tell me that Katie Kaboom calms down for a least a day ... oh, if not a day, an hour would be good!

Thinking it be time for a Writer's Retreat here. Hmm. How far can I get on $12.00 (canadian)?

Oyster 1-20-2002 3:27

Hi Everyone - nice shorties on silence! Interesting that most folks equate silence with negative things. Me too. Mine was so negative I didn't post it.

Mary-congratulations. I want to read that interview. They are right, you are a remarkable lady.

Teekay - Serve enough beans and your husband might learn to say the word, "fart". Mine says the dog's name in a disgusted voice. The dog generally gives him one of those all suffering Jesus looks. (Well, if you need to blame it on me...ok, just add another nail there, buddy. I love you too.)

Howard: Thanks for the silence and the angels combined.

Viv 1-20-2002 2:08

Did my interview today. I hope that all goes well, it is out of my hands now!

Mary 1-20-2002 2:03

Randall - had you asked for a glass coffee perculator before we moved down here, I could have sent one, but those idiots who moved us down here broke it, along with about everything else breakable. It was the movers from hell, I swear. They left town about an hour before we did, but I drive fast, so when we hit the interstate, (A fifty mile drive) and I saw an Allied Van Lines truck, I figured it was them. When they arrived here, I asked if it was them. The driver replied that I must have been driving over a hundred to catch them, as he never slowed under 70 all the way to Bismarck. Now that road between where I lived and Bismarck was rough as hell due to constant flooding. When he told me that, I had visions of unpacking everything broken.

Well it wasn't that bad, the wife's china made it intact, as did her antique depression glass, but the our daughter's tea pot collection suffered the worst with over half them broken, as were hundreds of other things.

In the end, the insurance company paid for the move plus, but that doesn't bring back the antiques that were lost to those idiots.

Never thought about lighting our kerosene lamps to heat the house, not a bad idea, we have about a half dozen that we have picked up since we moved down, and four or five that survived. We only use them when the electricty goes out.

Well we got our meat and it filled the deep freeze to the top. Shouldn't have to buy beef now for about eight months, and at $1.59 a pound cut, wrapped and frozen, the price was right too. The fellow we buy it from raises them just for his friends and neighbors to buy, so they are pampered, and raised seperatly from his herd. The meat is so tender it sort of melts in your mouth. Great stuff.

We ate two of the phesants that our good neighbor John brought over during hunting season, boy were they good, took them to mom's and played cards after, she enjoyed them as much as I did. She hadn't had phesant since dad died back in 73.

Our cold snap broke, the temps got back up in the thirtys again today.

Turned on my computer this morning, and it came up in black and white, 640 x 480 with no mouse or sound. Worked till dinner time and got the picture right and the mouse working but couldn't get the sound for the life of me. When we got home, I worked another hour, but to no avail, so I did the big FORMAT C: /Q thing and started fresh. I now have it up and running, but still have a ton of software to put back on. Back to work.

May your paper stay dry and your pen never run out of ink, may the words flow forth smooth as cream. May your stories reflect that dream.

Good night John Boy.

Write ON!

Jerry 1-19-2002 23:59

**Teekay**

SHHHHHREEIIIIIIKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!

Hubby just came in and I thought he was going to read the 'you know what post'.

That would have been it!

He would have realised I'm not the delicate, subdued, nice, gentle refined ladylike person I think he thinks I am.:-^

Lucky I was quick witted enough to minimise the page HAHAHAHAHAHAH OOPS, I mean :-D

~pouf~

Teekay 1-19-2002 19:15

**Teekay**

My hubby absolutely cringes at the word 'farting'. It's so good to be able to say it without fear of discrimination. I wonder what he'd like me to call it.
Pop off; I don't theeeenk so.
Fluff; hardly, people call their cats that.
Can't think of anything else, except maybe vile wind from the nether regions - but that's wa-a-a-a-a-ay too long.

As Shakespeare might have said, and probably did as he flapped the bedsheets up and down as he laughed at Flavio (his bedmate): 'A fart, by any other name t'would smell as foul.'

To be honest, I do feel a little devlish after saying it, but it's rather a delicious type of rebellious thrill.
Tee hee.

Tee hee's make me think of insipid little school girls with grey tunics and come hither eyes.

Hyuks, make me think of Archie comics.

I hope I don't hate myself in the morning - again.

What?

Oh yeah..........

~pouf~

Teekay 1-19-2002 19:11

**Teekay**

CHRISTI: Forgot to say I think donkeys are gorgeous.
HAHAHHAHAH's make me think of cheap raunchy sluts leaning across the counters at sleazy bars, reeking with the potent smell of whisky and stale sex.

HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA aaaaaaaaah HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHZHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA, what the.....? How did that z get in there? Is someone sleeping on the job???

really going now.

I mean it.

Gone.

~pouf~

Teekay 1-19-2002 19:03

**Teekay**

HOWARD: I'm pretty sure that happens to quite a lot of people.
Oooooooooooooooooooo don't it always seem to go that you don't know wacha got till it's gone.
Okay, you can stop cringeing now, I've finished :-)

CHRISTI: You punished your dog for farting?!?!?!??! Well then, if anybody needs the benefits of meditation it's you.
Perhaps Brambles does suit after all :-D
Poor doggy. :-(
Poor poor kitty.
BTW: Haw haw's always make me think of a donkey.

HOWARD: Or...silence is the echoing roar of an empty heart.
Too much?

TAYLOR: Now you're scaring me. I'm sure you will love it. The person who told me about it raved on no end about it and I told them to stop because they would build it up so much that it was bound to fall short. (this happened with the movie 'Pretty Woman' who everyone raved about, but I thought was a dud. Hearing all the high reviews had it built up to an unreachable level in my head, and of course it failed to meet standards) This didn't happen with 'Ice Station'.
Kick of your soppy shoes, make a nice hot cup of tea, settle back in your favourite chair and prepare to lose yourself :-)
I'll look at the book you recommend and let you know waht I thought of it.

MARY: A 'dookie bag' what a fantastic idea. Your family seems to have so many traditions, which is wonderful. Tradition is the thread in the patchwork quilt of life. It holds families together, wether they be near or far.

RANDALL: Well shooeet, if only you'd asked for that coffee percolater 2 weeks ago, before I finally got around to giving the bag of 'I can't stand this stuff lying around the house any more' to St. Vincent De Paul (charity shop)
A family friend gave it to us, but we don't like the taste of that coffee, plus we don't drink that much of it, so after sitting around for about 2 months I finally took a deep breath and got rid of it. This is a true story. Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, (what the mind doesn't know - the heart doesn't grieve) but my sadist streak is winning over.
Good news, I didn't have a coffee bean grinder :-D.

BTW: I was reading somewhere that it's perfectly normal for publishers to ask that imformation from you, which is pretty sucky.

Sunday - Lunch at MIL's day. Novel has reached chapter 15.

Going.

Teekay 1-19-2002 18:50

Randall - I think my mother may still have the old coffee percolator with the glass intact; we used to use it at the cottage, where we didn't have any electricity. We left a number of things at the cottage for the new owner, but I'm certain I've seen that perc at her house in Michigan long since we sold the cottage. I'll ask her via email and see. She might not want to part with it, however. My mom is very efficient - if it has no use or purpose, it's GONE. Out in the garbage, or given away. The only reason she never gave away our lego and some of our childhood toys is because her brother had kids a year or two after we grew out of the toys, and then he gave them back when his 4 kids were finished with them. Then she hung onto them for her grandkids. There wasn't too long a span when there weren't young kids visiting over holidays to play with the toys. Otherwise, they'd have been long gone!
I had to cordon off my hope chest when I moved away - I didn't have room for it, but I figured she'd throw everything inside it into the garbage or give it away if I didn't mount a huge Keep Away sign on it, and wrap it in Police tape. You know the kind: Police Line - Do Not Cross!

You should see my mother's attic. Not even a bat in there. :o)

Heather 1-19-2002 18:28

Randall

Hey!

Thanks Mary, sounds like what you had was exactly what I wanted. Just my luck, a day late and a dollar short! Perhaps somebody else will come through. I will trade antique for antique if necessary. BTW...I am also looking for a glass coffee perculator. Larger that a 2 cup. My parents had one when I was young. I have the guts to it, but the glass container is long gone. I remember as a child watching the water filtering down through the grounds, turning brown. I am interested in anything that does not require electriticy. I have had enough of utility companies to last me two lifetimes.

We have been using eight kersone lamps when it is really cold at night. Which isn't that often, but they help offset the cost of electriticy. A single lamp will raise the temperature in our bedroom 10 degrees F.

I have access to "core" 12 volt car batteries through the store where I work. A "core" is what the buyer turns in when purchasing a new battery. It is stunning that people will bring in a battery that is fully functional and trade it in for only 4.00! We have one now on the core shelf that needed only a complete charge to bring it up. Good battery! The problem was not the battery but something in the cars charging system. What I'm trying to say is a bank of 12 volt batteries and solar panels could make one independant of utility companies.

My cab overcamper has 4, 12 volt, Group 65 batteries hooked together.These batteries are usually on Ford SUV's where a lot of electrical power is needed, to run onboard computers and added luxury accesories. They are, oh, about 80 to 100 bucks each. I purchased these good "core" batteries through the store for $4.00 each! People had turned them in as non-functional, where all the problem was someone left an interior light on overnight, or the alternator failed or a bad connection would not allow a full battery charge! A Group 65 battery will have close to 900 cold cranking amps each. I have access to 3600 amps of 12 volt power. That is, I can run the campers 12 volt system for 40 to 60 hours without recharging. Probably longer if conserving power.

Ain't this just like a writer Mary? Expand a simple thank you to a full post!

:-)

Randall

Randall 1-19-2002 15:51

DEBRA: It is Wire Artist magazine. The writer also writes for Lapidary Journal, and has features in both current issues. Both magazines have websites, LJ's is more generous, but the subscription price to Wire Artist is pretty expensive. You might check out there Newstand Link to see where you could buy a monthly copy. If you look that up, please let me know. I don't want to sink $50 into this, but I would like to have one extra copy to give to my Mom. I have even considered just waiting til later in the year and ordering it as a back-issue, but I don't know if that is any cheaper or not! Boy, that sounds really cheap! OY.

Mary 1-19-2002 14:49

RANDALL: Boy do I wish you had asked for that coffee grinder a week sooner. I bought a box full of stuff at a yard sale this past summer and stuck it in the basement. When I went through the box, at the very bottom was an antique coffee grinder. It was a wooden box, with an iron, hand-cranked grinder on the top. There was a little drawer on the bottom that you would pull out to retrieve the ground coffee after putting the beans in the top. It still worked and everything, and was very cool looking, but I am not functional enough in the morning to grind coffee beans, and if you are doing it the night before and letting it sit all night, you might as well grind it in the store and vacuum seal it, which is what I do. Anyhow, to make a short story even longer, I gave the coffee grinder to my Mother-in-law in a 'Dookie Bag'. It is a bag of stuff that I don't want, but is perfectly good that I give to my MIL when she comes over. The next time she comes over, she will bring me a dookie bag full of stuff and maybe I will take what I want and pass the rest to my sister-in-law who takes what she wants, adds to the bag and sends it to her cousin. Round and round it goes. The term dookie bag originated from my Great-grandmother on my mother's side who, when we were kids, would send us off with little lunch bags full of cookies, candy, yoyo's and small toys to dig through in the car on the way home. As I grew older it evolved into a traveling yard sale. Way too much information, I know, but you got me started! ;-)

Enjoy your weekends!

Mary 1-19-2002 14:45

Mary"

I only need the name of the magazine and I can order it on the internet.

Let's have it!

Debra 1-19-2002 14:09

RANDALL

Hey!

Happy Saturday!

For those who work Monday through Friday, Saturday is a GOOD day. Saturday morning, perhaps the best. Its when friends gather at the local car wash to shine up the vehicle for perhaps a Saturday night on the town. There is always a crowd at local auto parts stores, hogging the stools discussing hi performance motors, paint codes, who was doing what and what his wife thought about the new "friend." Usually negative in that aspect! Sometimes one can pick up tantalizing bits of info at George's Welding and Repair Emporium. Hear the latest from Red Britches. As Red operates on the fringes of every group, at every level of society in town he picks up a lot of information. The CIA should plant Red in Afghanistan. He would sniff out whats-his-names hiding place real quick.

I was up early today. As I get older my bladder seems to shrink. Down to about a thimble size I reckon. I soaked two cups of Pinto beans during the night. Got them cooking after a quick trip for bacon (we add bacon to the beans) that is after circling the car wash, then buzzing by the parts store to hear the latest. Didn't stay to long at Georges. Red was still under the influence of a slight over indulgence last night. Wanted to discuss the downfall in world economy and the possible effects related to grape production in California, Texas and France.

"Uh, gotta go Red. On an errand for my wife."

Ground coffee beans when back home. Checked to see if we had all we needed to make cornbread later. Didn't. Was headed out the door for a quick supply run when my wife halted me. She has this knack of verbally grabbing the back of my shirt collar, from ten feet away.

"Oh no you don't Buster Brown. That last "quick trip" took an hour and one half. This time I'll go."

Women, huh? Guess you girls know all about the quick trip for groceries. Oh, the coffees done! Gotta go.

Randall

BTW...anyone have an old, manual coffee bean grinder...laying around...that you don't use?

Randall 1-19-2002 12:45

It's never too late to post a shortie, Taylor!

Snowed three inches last night. Yay! I love snow.
TTFN

Tina 1-19-2002 10:42

***Taylor***

Teekay: I have that Ice Station book... It came in today at the book store.
It better be worth it... There was a slight thunderstorm, but I walked there anyway, it got worse the closer I got, I was wet, my shoes wet, crossing the road, part of my trousers legs got wet because I couldnt avoid the puddle on the side of the road.
But I have the book!
Teekay, may I recommend to you, Tom Clancy's "Executive Orders" That is one of my favourites. I will let you know what I think about Ice Station when I'm through with it.

Working on shortie... but is it too late?

Taylor 1-19-2002 7:11

This just woke me up!

Silence is the awful emptiness felt
when one denies the singing
of angels.

howard 1-19-2002 1:28

Christi - never had a dog do that to me, however when I was but a boy, my brother-in-law once took me down and did that. I have never forgiven him for that

Mary - congrats! Do we have the beginnings of our first dot com millionaire here?

Shorty night went a bit overtime, but it did produce some great work.

Well we made the trip up to pick up our meat. I drove my old chevy pickup there for the chore. Just a round trip with no stops to visit or anything as the weather was threatening, but we made it home OK. The temps have dropped to below zero and the snow has been flying. I knew a warm winter was to much to hope for, but I welcome the cold, makes it seem more like home.

Got a letter today from my old high school. Seems they are planning an all school reunion. I was never all that close to my classmates in High School, but I may drop by and say hello anyhow. I do keep running into the old home coming queen and she insists on visiting. Back when we were in School, she wouldn't have given me the time of day. Maybe I hold a grudge too long. Her hubby is the richest fellow in town, owning a large jewelry factory that employs more folks here about then all the other businesses put together. He was in our class too, but again, he was a jock, and I wasn't. No, I ran with the rough crowd, who would rather party then anything else, got in a bit of trouble back then, but I guess it was good to get it out of my system before I grew up.

I have run into a few others from my class, all seem to want to catch up. The sad part is that many of them have never left town, never traveled, in fact several of them have never been out of town and we are all over fifty now.

Jerry 1-19-2002 0:45

Mary - CONGRATS!!! :D That's really cool!

Allein Peachick's Gallery 1-19-2002 0:15

Mary! I think the real jerks are those who tout that they're all that (plus a small package of potato crisps)
when they're actually mediocre at prime.
You're definitely NOT a jerk. :o>

I certainly don't plan to be one, either. 8-}

I'd love to order the magazine in which the article on you and your jewelry work will be featured!

I think taking some down time after your teeth are out is a good idea, to prep your site for the after-effects of the article. Just remember to take into account you'll be healing physically at the same time! (((HUGS)))

Heather 1-19-2002 0:07

Thanks everyone for the well wishes and congratulations! It feels great!

DEBRA: I wish that the magazine that will carry the article had an online version, but they don't. They said that I will receive a copy of the printed magazine when it is published, maybe then I can scan it to pass around. I am sure that is against some copyright laws, but heck, it isn't like I can just come over to your house and show you the copy, now can I? I don't plan on republishing it anywhere or anything. ;-)

TEEKAY: Actually business is slow right now, which I didn't expect to be grateful for, but am. I just placed a raw materials order tonight, so until that gets here, I am going to take a mini-vacation from jewelry making. When all my new sterling wire and beads arrive, I will be well rested. I can spend this time designing in my head and on paper, sleeping, getting rid of some teeth and working on my website so that it is ready for the visitors that the interview will send my way. I don't expect the influx to last very long, so I had better take full advantage. Most of the people who buy this magazine are jewelry artists themselves, so even though I don't expect many orders from the thing, I should at least look professional to my peers.

CHRISTI: Yes! I did receive your email today and I am very relieved. I am glad to hear that you are still loving your bracelet, wear it in good health.

LITTER: Okie dokie, hon. I just wanted to make sure that I had sent it to the correct address after all the troubles you have had with your servers lately. No rush on that reply, but when you do, I have a translation I need you to do. I think it is a bit rude, but in all honesty I can't understand half of what the guy is saying. I think that if I could catch even a few more words I would be too embarassed to ask you what he is saying. For now, I will hide behind my ignorance and beg your forgiveness if it is too raunchy.

HEATHER: I have put a call into Snow White to see if she will loan me her magic mirror mirror on the wall. It would be great to feel as good as everyone is making me out to be! Maybe not, people with big heads aren't usually well-liked. Is it possible to know you are 'all that' without acting like a jerk? I wonder. I love the work of Georgia O'Keefe, and she was very humble, at least what I know of her, so maybe NOT KNOWING is the way to go! ;-)

Well, I am off for now...it's Tylenol time!

Mary 1-18-2002 22:53

Oh, and I didn't plan on that shortie for the Silences theme. I had been thinking about

something completely different.

You're welcome, Litter! *giggle*

Heather 1-18-2002 22:47

Ewwww, Christi! As my husband sometimes says after someone's let one loose, "Did you get any on ya?"
Ha ha ha ha! I know, the dog fart happened to someone else... it was funny to me, regardless!
Of course, there's no telling for someone's sense of humour.

And our chat the other night gave way to my shortie, the first time I've really been ready, I think, to write it in a way that gives the whole setting and prelude.
I had to fictionalize small parts of the dialogue, because I don't actually remember the exact words exchanged.
But the rest? Real. Right down to the lab rat.

Sorry if I bummed anyone out, to coin a Californian phrase.
It must be the 'Sandybanks' in me. :oP

Heather 1-18-2002 22:45

All of the shorties were so insightful and a pleasure to read. Heather, Jerry, Tina, Teekay, Ben, and Howard; thanks, you guys! Very sad but grand.

Howard, You just keep crankin' em out. I laughed so hard I hurt myself, with the one about the sewing machine lady (I can still picture it), and now the news anchor. My guffaw-o-meter is going off the charts. My husband may not let me sleep in the same bed with him tonight; he's giving me that 'I married a psycho' look.

Mary, That is just wonderful. You know when you're doing the right thing for you when things happen like they have been for you (minus the broken toe, of course). :D I think you deserve it; your beading is the best I've seen. And PS, I suppose you know by now that I got your email. Did you get my email? :(

Litter, That's horrible! Those parents should be shot, and most likely will be when their kids enter teendom. Imagine, they'll have to live with it even in death, as their tombstones proclaim, 'Here lies Vagina,' and RIP St. John's Wort.

Teekay, I don't know quite what to say! You say the nicest things. But I kind of like brambles! Especially when they're attached to my hubby. XOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXO.

This is really pathetic, but then so am I sometimes. I can't believe I'm going to post this. On silences:

Of Kings and Queens and ...
by me

I sat in lotus position, muttering to myself. How was this meditation stuff supposed to work, anyway?
Ooooohhhhhmmmm.
Ooooohhhhhmmmm.
My thoughts wandered ... I stopped them.
My stomach growled ... I ignored it.
Was that my watch ticking? No, it was my brain, buzzing.
Finally I stopped all the exterior noise and interior thoughts from creeping in, and felt myself begin to enter a place I've never been before; a place where all is calm and focused and 'one.' I tried to fight off the excitement, as I knew my experience would end with it. And then it happened ... I went into the place of unconsciousness without having to be unconscious
... until, that is, I was jerked out with the sound of FFFFFFPPPPPPPTTTTTT, followed by a bushy blonde tail wapping me upside the face and poking me right in the eye.
My eyes flew open. "Princess! You gross thing!" I yelled, as I choked on fumes. My haughty golden retriever was positioned in front of me with her posterior in my face. Maybe dogs don't care much for meditation. All I know is, Princess went to bed without her supper and with a sore posterior.

The End

The above really happened, but not to me, though my Grandma's cat once sat on my face while I was sleeping at her house. I couldn't help what happened, it was gut reaction and I wasn't even awake yet. I drop-kicked that cat and she hit the wall, yowling to wake the dead. If ever a cat deserved the wall treatment, that one did. I don't feel a twinge of remorse.

Hi ya'll and by ya'll, must get back to (back to??? she says?) my writing. Pray for me. Haw haw haw. Haws are so ladylike, don't you think? HAW HAW HAW! I think there's something wrong with my brain tonight. Somebody flipped the switch to 'off.'

Christi 1-18-2002 21:35

TEEKAY -- the process is slow, it's the realization that can sneak up and catch one by surprise. That sudden shock of realizing that you've missed something important, and now it's too late. It didn't happen to me, but a friend who climbed that corporate ladder once opened up to me (in tears, actually) that he'd spent so much time concentrating on the wrong things that he missed seeing his kids grow up, and that realization was awful.

howard 1-18-2002 21:19

**Teekay**

MARY: That's Brilliant! You'll probably be totally inundated with orders after that interview - you probably already are, but what a boost.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!

HOWARD: Thankee, but I fail to see much in my poem, no false modesty here, but I was just sitting and knitting my 'smelly belly dolly' and I took each letter of the word silence and just sort of put words to it. I guess it's true that you really only appreciate something you've done if you've put some effort into it.
Now, with your poem I got the feeling that it wasn't just a matter of getting old and having the family move away because of the lines:
'but something is wrong
Oh God
Please come back'
Which led me to believe that things had changed suddenly and had not followed their natural path.
Which just goes to show that poetry is what you read into it :-)

HEATHER: Thanks :-). No messy divorce - messy kitchen, but.
Woah Dude! Just read your story: Fa-a-a-antastic! What an ending , it was all so real. Very well written, wonderful use of words particularly:

>I'd be sitting at the end of the cold black table in biology, waiting to dissect another stinking rodent carcass, stiff with death and yellowed with formaldehyde.<

The entire story was like a three dimensional photograph. Or is that 2 dimensional I mean? Or 4? Anyway, very vivid, touched most of the senses and very memorable with a shocker end to make it stick around and play on the mind.
Not just saying this coz you liked my poem either :-D (Just thought I should let you know incase your the paranoid type - like me)

LITTER: You certainly have a way with silence. Spoke volumes without saying a word.

Saturday here folks, and I haven't rally got a clue what to do today - no plans, but I have another shorty idea I thought of and so I might get that out of the way.

The novel is crawling along, sometimes it'll get a breath of energy and rush off, but mostly it just plods.
My quota is a page a day though, I figure that's not too much to cope with, and usually once I get my head down I can fill a page and then some.

Be well all.

Teekay 1-18-2002 19:48

Well, my PC’s fixed, faster and meaner than ever. New motherboard and processor, and some extra RAM and a new modem (freebie) just for good measure. Now if I can only sort out the chaos that is my writing life, I’d be happy.

MARY – Yup, I got it and will reply soonest. (seems I’ve been fixing things ever since Christmas. (But my radio controlled car still works!)

HEATER -- Another award, oh my... And for best form too! Strange though, I don’t remember submitting a form? Some messages, the odd few verses of poetry and/or doggerel, a story or two, but no forms…

MEL – Didn’t know about STOMP. What a turn up!

Hope I haven’t forgotten to answer anybody? Probably have, I have a crappy memory…

Now, a belated shorty.

Silence
, , ? , : ; ; .
, , ? -- , , .
. ? ! …
“ , ! , .”

End

Thank you very much.

Oh, one last thing – Hobbit names! Welcome Ponto Hamwich and Peony Hamwich of Buckleberry Fern.

That’s it! Now I have to play catch-up all over again.

All good things,

But, talking of naming children after plants, I thought it was bad enough when one of the locals (ex-mining community, lots of inbreeding, etc., etc.…) said that she planned to call her first daughter, Vagina, because she thought it sounded nice. (True story, she was interviewed for local tv for a news snippet about changing trends in names!) But when I heard about the name given to our villages latest population increase, I had to say no, enough! Welcome St John’s Wort McLaughlin to the world. (helped her through her pregnancy, apparently…)

Litter 1-18-2002 18:23

Mary! That is beyond exciting!
You deserve to have an article all about you! I know exactly why she chose to interview you. :o} You have amazing talent! It's just hard to see it yourself.
I'm not sure what kind of mirror it takes, but someday you'll know what all the fuss is about!
((((HUGS)))))))
7 days until your teeth are gone - oooh, I'm 'pullin' for you'! Hang in there.

Heather 1-18-2002 17:42

Mary:

Where will this issue be?

I'd love to see it.

You know you are worth a hell of a lot more than 2000 words. You are and amazing women and person.

I can't wait to learn more about you.

Debra 1-18-2002 14:59

Whew! I am finally able to post a message! I was getting an 'internal server error' page every time I tried to post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How Long Is A Second?
(c) Heather Myles, 2002

The day is bright, fragrant. The ditch grass reaches my knees, and the bottom's marshy, but my boots are tall enough I can muck around in it and not get squishy socks.
The culvert is a perch, and a row of my friends sit along it, each pair of feet digging a small trench. Cigarette butts sizzle out in the echoing length of culvert, laughter reverberates all the way out to the other side. Someone yells through the culvert, and we all laugh as kids on the other side of the street, sitting on the school lawn turn at the sound.
Someone jumps on another's back, and they amble around at the edge of the empty field. The friend on the bottom breaks into a loping run, and they bounce together, like horse and rider, until they reach the fence. When they fall, the laughter echoes all the way down in the metal culvert again.
"You skipping science?" I ask Jennifer, as she and her boyfriend Dave pick themselves up from the grass, and Jennifer is grabbing at the seat of her black jeans. The grass is a bit swampish, too.
"I'm skipping everything!" she says, her laughter like birds in flight.
Her boyfriend had just transferred to our highschool.
I nodded my head, but it was more of a shake, and I nibbled at my bottom lip, thinking. Some people could get away with skipping a day of school. I wasn't one of them.
"I'll get a copy of the handouts, if you want," I offered.
"Don't worry about it!" She giggles, vaulting herself onto Dave's back again. He flicked his cigarette butt into the growing puddle at my feet. I gave him a look of vapid disdain, but he had already looked away. Cheerlessly I sit down between Trevor and John on the curve of culvert, and light up another smoke.
Lunch hour was going to be over all too soon, and I'd be sitting at the end of the cold black table in biology, waiting to dissect another stinking rodent carcass, stiff with death and yellowed with formaldehyde. Much more distasteful than drumming my toes here, and watching as my time with Jenn evaporated. It had been evaporating steadily since Dave.
They were down the end of the ditch now, probably twenty yards off. Back they barrel, laughing and screeching toward us. When they reach us, they're out of breath, and Jenn slides from his back. She waits until her breath slows to light her Dumaurier.
She stands in front of me, and when I finish my smoke, I flick it headlong into the open mouth of the culvert, and then I stand up. "Jenn, I'm going to be late."
"Skip, too, Heather, c'mon!"
I shake my head noticeably this time. I'd like to, very much so, but she and Dave would hardly notice me, and that's not how I felt like spending another hour and fifteen minutes. I'd had enough nicotine to tranquilize myself already.
Suddenly Dave was behind her, grabbing her around the waist. I got talking to John, agreeing to meet him back at the ditch between next classes. Trevor was moaning about something, and before I knew it, Jenn and Dave were calling me. "C'mon! We've got to go in for a bit anyway," she said.
They turned around together, and stepped out onto the asphalt. All time stretched out, all sounds turned off, as if there were a mute button for life. My breath caught - all of our breaths caught. There they were, all slow-motion, walking out onto the road, their faces flushed with exhilaration, infatuation. There seemed a hush, and an uplift of air, where birds never flew. How long is one second of silence?

The next sound was the bellow of air brakes. And then my world seemed silent for an awfully long time.

Heather 1-18-2002 14:30

Just went through the posts to make sure I hadn't missed anything and somewhere way down there someone asked about black pearls. I am fairly certain it was OYSTER.

Well! Black pearls are my absolute favorite and I don't see myself ever being wealthy enough to buy a strand of them. Natural black pearls are extremely, extremely rare. They cannot be cultured with any amount of reliability. Only one type of oyster (the black-lipped oyster) can produce a black pearl and even then sometimes the color can be muddy, or too light or have imperfections which reduce its value. Oyster farmers and pearl cultivators can 'suggest' a color by implanting irritants of dark shades into the oysters, but even then results are sketchy.

Because of the beauty and rarity of these pearls and the demand for them in the market, most black pearls you see in jewelry stores are dyed. So much so that you can assume they are dyed unless otherwise specified, and the cost itself would indicate that. I could buy a strand of black dyed cultured pearls for probably $100-$300. A comparable strand of natural black pearls could be upwards of $3,000.00-$4,000.00, depending on size and grade.

QVC had some lower grade natural black pearls showcased one time and I couldn't even afford those.

Hope that answered your question!

Mary again 1-18-2002 14:29

Hi guys.

Hope you all have a productive day of writing or brainstorming or whatever you need to do.

I had sent a list of questions to that writer who wants to interview me about whether or not I would be interviewed as part of a larger article, what pictures they would want and so on. I received a response back this morning letting me know that the whole entire article would feature me, my work and my favorite tools. This is so unbearably exciting.

I just don't get it. Here I am, little old me, cranking out jewelry in Nowhereville and somebody thinks I am worthy of a 2000 word article. I just started doing this for crying out loud! Some people have been doing this stuff for years and don't get articles written about them. Quite honestly, I don't think I am all that great, so it is hard for me to understand their interest in my work. That isn't mock humility either, I really don't understand it.

Because this writer has an actual assignment, I am assuming it is a pretty sure thing that the article will be published (she says in the May issue), but even if it isn't I am elated that she thought I was worth the effort. What a major compliment. Thus far, it has been mostly friends and friends of friends that I get feedback from with the occasional comment from strangers. It is quite validating artistically to be going through something like this. (If I could find my dictionary I would check if I spelled artistically correctly, but I guess it looks ok!)

OK, enough about me. You will all be sick of hearing about it by May if you aren't already! ;-)

Seven more days 'til the teeth come out...I can't wait. I wish I could just go to sleep until then.

Take care!

Mary 1-18-2002 13:56

DOH!! I forgot the title to my story: SILENCE, IN AN OTHERWISE EMPTY ROOM

Ben 1-18-2002 12:32

Mark: I apologize to you if my story hit any exposed nerves. I just got back here and didn't know you were in Buffalo attending a funeral. Had I known that, or at least read the posts before I wrote it instead of after, I wouldn't have posted it.

Ben 1-18-2002 12:23

Ben, you hit that bang on. Wow. I've sat there in all three of those roles and you nailed every one. Very moving, you got me all misty.

Mary, congrats! That's way cool. Have fun. :-)

Thanks Mark! There are more changes on the way, once I get all the pictures the same width so it all sits better, nicer fonts in the captions, and just plain more stuff. Thank you for your super help. And I LOL at your awards. :-D

Great Shorties, all!
TTFN

Tina 1-18-2002 12:17

Here's my shortie subject. I wrote it last night on the river in my spare time, but then had to work late and so didn't get a chance to post it when I got home. Of course the fact that I'm up after four hours sleep would get me killed by my wife and kids...but, they were so noisy leaving for school and work this morning. Sheesh...

Derrick stepped into the funeral parlour with the same sense of nervous apprehension he felt whenever he stepped into a hospital room for a visit. God, he hated funerals. Instead of the antiseptic smell that assaulted him though, it was the strange hush of silence that seemed to echo in his mind. Then he heard the music--and it started the moment they walked in through the huge portico, as if they were playing it just for him--the soft, melodic voice of Vera Lynn lamenting about the White Cliffs of Dover.

He held onto Katherine's arm gently in spite of himself, standing in the shuffling line that led to the coffin. There were aunts, uncles, cousins; nieces and nephews along with her brothers and sisters, and all the while he kept thinking about the eleven o'clock tee-off time he'd had to give up.

It wasn't that he was callous, or shallow, or even insensitive to the feelings of everyone here--you weren't in sales for fifteen years and not learn something about people. He was here for Katherine, and no one else. She needed him, and said she couldn't bear the idea of showing up for the funeral alone. He was here because she wanted him. There was no other reason. He told himself he should have been here willingly--a willing participant in a ritual he wanted no part of. Afterall, the man meant nothing to him. He was Katherine's grandfather, and Derrick had only met him three times in the last seven years he and Katherine had been together.

They made their way to one of the pews--and he asked himself if the benches in a funeral home were actually called that, or was that strictly a church word? Katherine took a tissue out of her sleeve and wiped the tears away gently, careful not to ruin her mascara. He wondered why a woman would put make-up on if she knew she was going to a funeral. He looked at the others seated around him--the aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews; the friends, and colleagues, and acquaintances--and tried to find a comfortable position, something where he might look like he was concerned, even though he was not. He thought about taking Katherine's hand, but again, did nothing. He sat in silence as Katherine's grandfather was eulogized by a parade of friends and relatives, and wondered what hole he'd be on right now, and what sort of approach he would be making.

When the young girl stood up to make her speech, he held back a groan, wondering what sort of parents would make a child stand up and make a speech at a funeral. He almost breathed a sigh of relief when the girl refused to take the microphone. She was a tiny girl, probably no older than seven or eight, dressed in a long black dress that ended well below her knees, leaving just a hint of her snow white stockings and bright, polished, black shoes.

"I won't need that," the girl said firmly, and looked out over the crowd of friends and relatives. "I'm sure everyone can hear me.

"Poppy was my hero. He was my friend. I loved him more than anything in the world. But I can't let myself be sad now that he's gone. He's with the angels now, and he's watching over me, just like he's watching over each and every one of us. He loved us all, as much as we loved him, and as long as we remember the smile he had everytime we visited him, and the mints he carried in his pockets for us--the love he seemed to have so much of--he'll always be with us."

Derrick saw the tears come to Katherine's eyes and looked away from her. He saw the others around him, and the tears they all spilled so easily, and closed his eyes, trying to escape into the silence of his own mind. But there was no hiding there. He reached out for Katherine's hand. She latched onto him like a drowning woman desperate for rescue. He listened, amazed, silent, while Vera Lynn crooned about seeing him in all the old familiar places. He felt the tears coming. He found himself thinking about his own father's funeral ten years ago, and his grandfather's when he was no older than the girl in front of him, and wished he'd been able to stand up in front of a room full of people and profess the love he'd felt for the man. God, he told himself, this is why I hate funerals, and he let the tears slide down his face in silence.

That's it! Now maybe I should try and have a nap...or maybe just go for it and sleep later--or at work...

ben 1-18-2002 11:59

Howard:

I really wish I had seen that! I'm just writing the response to this story twenty times removed. So I can imagine how funny it was at the epicenter.

Debra 1-18-2002 11:37

-ponto-

MARY - That's great! You'll have to point us to the article when it's published. Be sure to put a link to it from your web page too!

TINA -- Very nice! Like Heather said, I can see the place too.

TEEKAY -- WOW! You can do it all, it seems! Very good poem!
By the way - they didn't go for milk either - the idea was really that the speaker spent all that time telling everyone to leave him/her alone, be quiet, etc, and now they're grown and gone, and there's no one there, and he's missed it all.

A friend just sent me this, and whether it's true or not it's too funny:

> This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days and a very
embarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future, likely think
before she speaks.

What happens when you predict snow but don't get any....

True story... they had a female news anchor who, the day after it was
supposed to have snowed and didn't, turned to the weatherman and asked
"So Bob, where's that 8 inches you promised me last night?"

Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too they
were laughing so hard!

howard 1-18-2002 8:21

Ooops! I almost missed Teekay's awesome poem!
Very very cool. You know how to get to the point, and rip a few hearts out in the process. ;o<
Ouch!
If I didn't know you, I'd think you just went through a nasty divorce!

Heather 1-18-2002 3:05

Mary - CONGRATULATIONS!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW~!!!!!!!!!!!

Tina, that is beautiful! Now, just have to give it a title!
I really got a great picture of the rocky outcropping where you sat to take in the stars. (You, meaning the main character... though from the way you wrote it, I can tell you've camped in a similar spot!)

I have to come back and write my shortie tomorrow. Just had a GREAT chat with Christi!!!!!!
And now I'm a lot pooped out. I had a good idea in mind for my shortie, but I think I'll get some sleep first, or I might botch it with my impatience.

Mark!!!!! Great to see you're back. I was worried about you. Sorry about the cold, though. Looks like the cold hasn't worn out your hormones!

Okay, okay, so I wasn't very imaginitive when writing the awards. I'll have to think of some more interesting.

Heather 1-18-2002 3:03

Here's my 'I don't know what to call this one' shortie about silence.

When I turned my back on Todd, he didn’t say a word. The trail branched, I took the one leading to Penny Lake, and he followed the one heading down the valley. The audacity of my choice to continue alone resounded with every crunch of my boots on the rocky trail, the same boots he’d criticised because they gave me a blister on my heel and squeaked when wet. But I had the tent, and the clear weather and bird calls beckoned me upwards. He left, making enough noise to scare away the mosquitoes.

The cliffs around Penny Lake act as a natural amphitheatre, echoing every small sound. No other campers were there, and I found solemn breezes rustling through my preferred campsite. My annual pilgrimage to the lake had become a solitary quest, and as I set up my camp I thought about Todd. He’d have reached the trucks, cranked his music, and be roaring down the forestry road by now. I tried not to care.

I lit a small, crackling fire, but used my campstove to cook. I’d remembered my fuel, not left it in the truck. When he’d realised his error, Todd’s foul cursing had drowned out the nearby waterfall. I’d known right then that bringing him along had been a mistake. A gentle rainfall had proven my theory; Todd refused to be quiet, refused to find silence here in the woods surrounded by the music of rain on leaves. But silence was what I’d come in search of. Silence as loud as fish jumping and ravens crying and squirrels chattering impudently. My soul had known that I couldn’t find stillness while in human company, but fear had spoken loudly and so I’d invited Todd.

Louder, though, was my need for space. As night fell, I climbed up to an open ledge and welcomed the stars. They danced to celestial music, and my heart thrilled as a distant howl brought every hair on my body erect. Such passion almost made me weep, and I longed for the song to continue. It faded and did not repeat, though I strained to hear. And in that straining, I found that I could hear the perfect peace of silence. The ever-present hum of society had faded from my over-stimulated ears, letting the whisper of wind through creaking trees and the tiny chirps of night animals reach past my wailing self-doubt and snivelling negativity. My nagging anger at perceived insults, my pounding drive for success, my ticking internal clock that said I needed to find a man; they all faded away in the pureness of a mountain evening. The lesson was renewed for another year; the trials of life will not win, when a seed of silence whispers in your heart.

© Tina Chambers

Bramblerose 1-18-2002 2:25

Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but as usual, that feeling lasted a whole three minutes. (About the same amount of time it took my browser to get me here from my email box.)

I received an email from a writer at Wire Artist Magazine and Lapidary Journal, asking me if I would be interested in doing an interview for her. She writes a monthly feature for those two magazines, saw some of my jewelry and said she would be thrilled if I would work with her on this.

At first, I wanted to instantly write her back saying YES YES YES, then I figured I had better check her out. So, I went through back issues of both magazines and sure enough there she was. Very professional, charming, informative. So I wrote her back and gave her a very sedate yes.

I might just be getting my first 15 minutes of fame. Or maybe it is my first two minutes and the other 13 are coming later. Hehe. I am pretty excited about this, but I have a lot of work to do. They will want some photographs of my work, and they will mention my site, which right now looks like crap, so I have to pull that together. OY.

I am glad to see everyone having such a good time with the Hobbit name generator. I thought it was awfully cute and knew I had to share it.

CHRISTI: I sent you an email yesterday...did you get it? I just wanted to make sure it went where it was supposed to because it got sent back to me once.

HEATHER: Big hugs for all you do. Thank you!

LITTER: I sent you an email too a few days ago. Did you get that?

Now I am starting to sound like I send hundreds of people emails and nobody ever answers me. Hehehe.

Later folks.

Mary 1-18-2002 1:40

Short huh. Well I ain't exactly short, in fact I used to be considered tall, but not any more. Not that I've shrunk all that much, only lost about an inch with my surgery, its just that all the youngsters are growing taller all the time.

Now I grew taller then dad by an inch, and topped out at 6'1" and a half to get accurate. Used to tip the scales at 225 but since I became very sedentary, I have now grown up to 265, and I now measure in at about 6'0" and a half.

The wife was 5'1" when I married her and she weighed in at around 105. Since then she has grown another two inches, and her weight is not allowed to be discussed revealed, or even spoken of.

The kids are both shorter then I, taking after their mom's side of the family. Funny, the in-laws were just the opposite, she was over six feet tall, he around five foot five. She was the dominant one in the family, that was very clear, but she really was a sweetheart once you got over the shock of her size, she must have tipped the scales around the 260's somewhere. She was one huge woman.

I will never forget the first time I met her, well both of them. It was around the 4th of July in 1969, and I had spent the night with my then girlfriend. In fact we were still in bed, quite naked, as it was hot in her second story apartment. There was a knock at the door, and the door opened. I think the wife mentioned something like "Oh my God my parents!" in a hushed scream.

We jumped from bed, and dressed as quickly as we could, we heard them coming down the hallway that led from the kitchen to the living room, in seconds they would be at the bedroom door.

I managed to get my pants on, the wife slipped into her dress (they actually wore them back then you know) and when they got to our bedroom door, we looked almost presentable.

I was buttoning my shirt when I first saw them. My first thought (I'm a dead man!) but they were so very nice about it. I know they knew what was going on.

After a short visit, they left to visit with Aunt Mabel and that afternoon we spent at the lake having a super time at a family picnic.

Jerry 1-18-2002 0:51

BRAMBLEROSE -- I see you made some web changes. Yup, improvement.

HOB BRANDYBUCK of BUCKLAND ?? Well, well. I wonder how we're related?
Let me see. Let me see. Texas. Alcohol. Writerly pursuits. (the first two of those are past tense for me now).
My, my. There is probably more, as well as less. Probably.

HEATHER -- Spent several days down with a cold. Not bad enough to stay in bed and stay home from work . . . but bad enough to make me flop listlessly in front of TV for several nights. I think the trip to Buffalo for the funeral did it. Between the Hot and Cold cycles of the truck heating system and my own sense of nerves at the whole family gathering, well, I been down. Thanks for the essay award (was there anyone else in the category?)

I need to toot my own horn more, get noticed for things like "Best Hands in the Darkroom" Award, or "Best Leg to Feel on My Hip" Award. Or maybe "Most Likely to Think a Horny Thought Before the End of a Paragraph" Award.

It's such a struggle.

Mark 1-18-2002 0:19

**Teekay**

DEBRA: HAHAHHAHAHAHHAHA of course I was trying for a feel good feeling, but you need to have something to compare it to, it makes the highs so much higher :-D

HOWARD: tsk, what a shame, it would have been so much more poignant with a car accident.
Doesn't have the same effect if they've just gone to the corner shop for milk.

Got it!
Shorty on Silence:

Since you've been gone
I've
Learnt that a day can seem
Endless and
Nights,
Can be
Eternal.

Teekay 1-17-2002 23:47

TEEKAY -- Car accident? No, I wasn't thinking that at all. They just went away. That was one of those flashes that kind of put itself together. Glad you liked it.

I had a very strange Email today - from a person I knew in school, actually since age 5. It was an apology for a Halloween prank 45 years ago, when our windows got painted a beautiful shade of blue! My folks knew who did it, but since I promised to clean it up they didn't file any complaints about it with police or parents. Now an apology for that, and for the way they treated me when I was a kid in school. Will wonders never cease!

howard 1-17-2002 21:31

Tina:

Thank you for that.

Actually although I do hate being short, I am long waisted and have shorter legs. My husband is 6 3 and when we are sitting down we are nearly eye to eye.

So no problem there and other places if you know what I mean. "Nasty chuckle"

Then again when I have on heels with short legs it (to the eye)almost looks normal. Have you ever seen someone with extremely long, "sigh" beautiful legs WITH heels. Well you feel like a good climb. Don't you?

I don't mean that in a dirty way. Most of the time.

So thank you!

That center of gravity thing reminded me of one more thing. My hands and feet are always rather on the hot side. They are always like ovens.

Can tall people do that?

I really don't know. My husband can't. That's all I've got to go on.

Debra 1-17-2002 21:19

Hi all!

Allein, send on the chapters!
Actually, anyone looking for some input, send it on! I find myself critiquingless. I'll gladly give my slow two cents worth.

Heather, the best self-confidence booster I've found lately involves airplanes and parachutes. When I'm doubting myself, I remind myself, 'I've jumped out of an airplane at 3500feet, trusting my instructors and a nylon canopy to keep me alive, while my heart topped 200 beats/minute. If I can do that, I can do anything!'

Debra, the trick to 'short' is to remind tall people about your advantages. Like, it's way easier to throw people when you're short. I can dump someone 6' tall a lot easier than they can toss me! No risk of hitting your head on doorways because you forgot to double check the height, and your legs always fit in the small space they provide on buses and airplanes. You may have to hem the legs of the long pants you buy, but they can't extend the legs on the short pants they buy. Your center of gravity is lower, so it's harder to fall on icy/slippery surfaces. See, short is wonderful!

Gotta run,
Blue skies!

Tina/Bramblerose 1-17-2002 21:02

Hob Brandybuck of Buckland

Hey!

This is a name?

"Oh Hob," Bubbles sighed. "I just love to run my fingers through your hair. If we get married we will be Hob and Bubbles Brandybuck! Isn't that romantic?"

Well, in Texas there is a saying."Played Hob with that!" It usually means a foul up.

My oldest daughters name is Brandy. And at one time I was a mighty hunter of whitetail deer. And I believe Texas has the highest population of deer in the US (in excess of 3 million) conversely there would be a large percentage of bucks, soooooooooo I could be from Buckland?

Nah!

The publishing company had my novel all of one night. At 9:30AM the following morning (Time track on the e-mail) a nice lady thanked me for the "Query letter" and requested the rest of the novel. Huh? Three chapters, a query letter? Wanted me to OUTLINE why the book was marketable? Also wanted a "bio."

Now, I am a fast reader, but unless that person worked all night or arises long before sunrise, I don't know how she could have digested 80,000 plus words.

I'm sorry, but I don't trust on-line publishing companies. There are simply too many opportunities for mis-management. I e-mailed her back and said, well, requested she read the three chapters I sent. Bio can wait. Marketing is their busisness, not mine. If they feel it is good enough to be published, it should be "marketable" Right? Whether the book has merit or not should be apparent in the first 80,000 words. Or so I would believe.

No reply as of now. Guess they do not want input from lippy authors. A shame.

See ya

Randall "Played Hob with that submission"

Randall 1-17-2002 19:32

Teekay"

Are you trying to make me feel good or bad?

First you say this.

DEBRA: When they get you up on stage to interview you about your best selling book, I'M HAPPY.

Then you say this.

they'll have to give you a crate to stand on, and only use special angles. NOW I'M SAD.

Then you say this.
just like they do with Tom Cruise :-D WELL HAPPY/SAD. I'M NOT HIS BIGGEST FAN A LITTLE ONE, BUT THERE ARE OTHERS I LIKE BETTER.

They you say this.
Don't worry about it too much though I'M BACK TO HAPPY AGAIN.

Then this.
my extra tall girlfriend told me I was short BACK TO SAD EXTRA TALL ALWAYS MAKES ME A LITTLE SAD.

and I thought I was average. STILL SAD. IMAGINE WHAT SHE THINKS UPON SEEING ME.

You're killing me.

Didn't you say you used to be a nurse?
Heeeeheeeee!

Debra 1-17-2002 19:07

I'm sorry! Did I pick a real bungjungler of a shortie topic?

Too bad!

Ha ha hah aha hah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Just kidding.

Why, thank you, Teek! But really now, I'm all tarnish and abrasives. I don't know about nicest anything!

And I have the rotten job of deciding which ghosties to keep, and which ones have to land on the cutting room floor. Everyone, please relax. This job is harder on me than it will be on you... wait, no, ummmm
didn't someone say that just before they were beheaded?

Not Marie Antoinette... somebody (headless) else.

Oh well. If that's not a 'guillotine day' quote, that's okay by me.

Heather 1-17-2002 18:39

**Teekay**

DEBRA: When they get you up on stage to interview you about your best selling book, they'll have to give you a crate to stand on, and only use special angles, just like they do with Tom Cruise :-D
Don't worry about it too much though, my extra tall girlfriend told me I was short - and I thought I was average.
BTW: I didn't bring up my conceit, HEATHER did. She gave me an award for it
She's sooooooo nice :-D

MEL: Good news, you have no need to worry. It will only take you 32 years. I bet you're relieved huh? :-D

CHRISTI: Your Hobbit names suits you perfectly, except maybe not the Bramble-burr bit, it's a little too prickly! But you are definitely a daisy, all lovely, sunny and bright without pretensions. And Gambee-Took does you justice, unique and interesting with no hard edges - I recommend a divorce.
If I could design my own out of all I've seen on offer so far, I'm going for Bramblerose Goodbody of Lake-by-downs. It always does to have a nice address :-D
Makes me sound like a Hobbit Hooker.

RRRRRRRRRANDALL aka Hoooooooooooob (breathily, like Marilyn Monroe or the Hobbit Hooker might do): Hey! It's great to see you posting. Hope you stay around.

TIGERLILLY: I roll my eyes at you. Don't you know RANDALL is pronounced RRRRRRRRRANDALL??????

HEATHER: Geez, you have me feeling rather guilty about snatching that award off you, here, I'm giving it back and here's a packet of Cadbury's 'roses' to go with it.
Aaaaaaaaaaand here's the award for best shorties,
and the one for nicest hair,
and the one for best manners.
BUT, that's all, I'm keeping the rest.

JERRY: HAHAHHAHHAH I wonder how many deaf people you've depressed no end with your shorty.

HOWARD: *sigh* for fear of repeating myself I will not tell you your poem is fantastic.
Nor how you always know how to get under the skin to reach the deeper places.
The way I read your poem is that they all went out and got themselves killed in a car accident - maybe I'm morbid too.

Be well all,
shall mull over silence and see what happens.

Teekay 1-17-2002 18:26

Wait - Howard - you have to tell them to come back IN AN HOUR! Tee hee.

Flora Sandybanks 1-17-2002 17:20

Hey! If I were raised with my birth name, my Hobbit name would be Flora Sandybanks!

*guffaw*

My daughter is Cora Tighfield of Tookbank
And my son is Popo!
Ha ha ha! Winnie the Popo.

I'm really enjoying that Hobbit Name Generator.
Thanks again, Mary!
You find the neatest sites.

Ah, and since I've spent so much time today shovelling snow, I think it's hot chocolate time!
In just half an hour outside, and it's not even that cold, nor is it windy, my wee son had white spots on his cheeks the size of dollar coins. Poor wee guy. He's now being tortured by a scarf. Little children always think they're being suffocated by scarves, when in fact, once they get used to breathing through cloth, it sure helps prevent a painful face.
I hope he gets used to it, or it'll be a balaclava next.
:o>

Scribbles on sheets of pressed tree guts to all,

Heather 1-17-2002 17:18

Howard: I sent you an email, but for some reason it didn't go through. I think it was working on an old server or something like that. I don't have time to figure it out right now because I have to walk to the store and get some milk before the kids get home from school. I have to mail Mel her copy of Tarot Cards And Tea Leaves as well. So send me a quick email--say anything you want--and I'll be able to respond that way.

ben 1-17-2002 16:33

Heather - sorry bout that, just the kind of mood I've been in lately

Jerry 1-17-2002 16:27

Leave me alone, I said
Can’t hear myself think.
Too much noise
Distractions
Running,
playing
fighting
I wish you’d shut up!
Work to do
don’t bother me
no interruptions
Can’t you be quiet?
So they did.
Quiet.
peaceful
I can think now.
listen,
but something is wrong
O God,
please come back!

howard 1-17-2002 15:40

BEN -- Email me your address and I'll pack up a floppy drive and send it to you. I've got several just lying around collecting dust. Won't cost you a cent!

howard 1-17-2002 15:25

Jerry: I did go to ebay to look around. I don't want a box of parts...what, I don't have enough junk cluttering things up around here? :-)

Anyway, it's never been a big issue for me. I don't miss it, because I print everything up right away. I'll get it fixed eventually. People have been telling me to get it fixed for a while now. But it's not a priority for me.

Tonight's shortie night? I've been thinking about it, and might even have something later.

Hey RRRamon, nice to see you, kid.

Christie: My days are always sunny, even when it rains. But that's because I like the rain too.

Oh yeah, I checked out my name some time after that link showed up. I'm Todo Foxburr of Loamsdown. My wife is Marigold, my daughter is Dimple, and my son is Bingo. My son wasn't too impressed--not as much as my daughter was--but that's because he's sixteen now, and ain't that a surprise to everyone. Gee? A teenager who thinks it's silly? Nah...

ben 1-17-2002 13:44

Oh, Jerry, you're so morbid!
:o>

Heather 1-17-2002 13:38

Well since you explained it so well, I shall take a shot at the silence thing, here it is:

Silence is Black
By Jerry A.G. Ericsson

Whoever the hell said that silence is golden should be shot. Yes, I think if that son of a bitch were here right now, I’d shoot him myself. He surely never spent a day on Andromeda Three.

I have been here for these past four years, and during that time I haven’t heard a single word, not the sound of thunder, or the rain falling on my roof. I haven’t heard a baby cry, or giggle, or fart.

When we landed, I thought I was deaf, yes I was sure of it, but now I know better. Something much more sinister is going on here. I speak to myself, yet I cannot hear my speech, in fact I doubt that I could speak now even if I could hear it, simply because I am out of practice.

There seems to be something on the surface of this planet that absorbs sound. Well absorb isn’t the right word, it simply isn’t strong enough. No, the thing in the soil, in the very air that I breath simply stops sounds before they can be heard.

Oh you may think that I simply haven’t tried to make sounds, but I assure you, I have. My first attempts were simple, speaking, yet not hearing. Then I thought to smash two rocks together, and when I did, there was no sound.

My next experiment was simple, yet conclusive, I took the survival firearm, a .44 Magnum pistol, and shot a bullet into a stone at five yards. Nothing, oh there was fire, and a violent recoil from the small handgun in fact I could feel the pressure, the heat, the concussion of the impact of that bullet, but not a sound.

Well, I though maybe that simply wasn’t loud enough, maybe something larger was needed. I returned to the survival pod that lowered me to this hell, and there I found several pounds of C-4 plastic explosives. I took two pounds, enough to blow up a small sky scraper on earth, and dug under the largest boulder I could find. I fixed a blasting cap, with a small radio receiver, and backed off behind a larger boulder. Then I set off the charge. I felt the earth shake, bits and pieces of gravel sized dinner plates fell around me, rained down on me the very fabric of my pants flew away from that blast as if a huge wind was driving them back. Oh it was violent, but not one sound, no boom, no sounds of the small stones that beat all over my body, that fell to the hard earth, and would surely have echoed off the surrounding hills anywhere but this hell hole.

There are plenty of plants, that bear wonderful tasting fruit, and the animal life around me is plentiful, the climate seems to be almost tropical, yes indeed this could well be a tropical paradise, were it not for the unbearable silence.

I have made my decision, at midnight tonight, I shall take my life, I leave this document in the very slight case that a rescue ship ever finds this planet. I must explain why I have taken my own life, why I can no longer stand the silence. Oh, I am sure that the deaf who read this will have no pity on me, yet to have all your faculties, and not be able to use them, that’s the whole of my problem.

I can only hope that with the muzzle of that handgun against my ear that for one millisecond, I can hear the shot that takes me out of this horror.

Jerry 1-17-2002 13:25

***Heather***

Hey, there, Christi!
I'll send on chapter 4 as soon as it passes the scrutiny test. So, give me at least a month... kidding! :oD
Glad to hear you like it. For someone who lacks confidence, boosts from you and Teek and Mary, and everybody really help. Yeah, that's what I want for my birthday, confidence booster rockets.
But you know I'd never accept them!
Ha ha hah

Like that huge boost from Americo *ahem, sorry* Jon. I had to read it over twice just for it to sink in slightly. I thought - ME? Will I ever write too well? Is there such a thing?
If I'm writing too well, would I personally grade my own writing as a C+?

Anyone have any tried and true ways for all of us to improve our self-confidence?
A Pat-On-The-Back Machine?

Mary, could you make a beaded one?

Shortie night tonight, topic, just to remind everyone, is:

SILENCES

Jerry - there may be only one or two types of silence, but many reasons for that silence. It can mean so many different things - that's what I'd like the topic to inspire.
So set your stories down, and make them come alive.

Gee, what a small thing I'm asking! :oP

RRRRAMON! Nice to see you comin' around! Christi stole my joke!

The best of inspiration to all,

Prisca Tighfield of Tookbank 1-17-2002 12:35

Mel honey bun?

I knew you were kidding. You can kid with me it's safe.

I'm not one of those people who fool around and fool around then it gets high energy and get insulted.

never happen.

Worry about nothing.

Debra 1-17-2002 11:55

"Roll my rrrrrrs?" she said, "must be these new shoes!"

ponto 1-17-2002 11:50

You know, new lurkers aren't going to know who anyone is - hee hee hee!

PONTO: You're too funny!!!

DAISY: Thanks. You're missed too when you're too long gone, doggone it!

HOBBBB: Hiya! :-) I should really check the archives and find out why you trill your R's...!?

Back to my hobbit hole. It must be nearly lunchtime. Or snacktime. Whichever comes first, to a hobbit, you know.

Tigerlily 1-17-2002 11:29

Drogo, You conjure up all kinds of mysteries, you dapper dan, you.

1-17-2002 11:12

++Daisy Brambleburr++

Who am I, who am I? No fair paging down. It should become obvious once you factor in the overuse of exclaimation points and question marks. Oh, and don't forget the smileys! :D

Mary, How much fun was THAT??? Brockenboring, that's sooooooo hilarious!

Welcome back, Ben! May your days be sunny.

Mel, I'm so glad you're back. You were definitely missed.

Tina, Your site looks fab! I love the shorter 'do' on you. It's very energetic looking; I think it fits you perfectly.

Teekay, Your name is gorgeous, just like you.

Heatherific, I'm loving Chapter three! Have you sent Chapter four yet? I don't believe I have it yet, hint hint.

Hullo, Rrrrrramon! It's nice to see a guy with a goodbody any old day, har har har. I sound like a dirty old lady today.

Turns out I'm Daisy Brambleburr of Bindbale Wood (formerly Miss Daisy Gamgee-Took). My hubby is Marmadas Brambleburr, and my son is Falco Brambleburr. Looooooove it!

Off to the bookstore after some ghastly errands,

Christi 1-17-2002 11:08

DEB -- Just remember one thing -
1 - Your feet come just as close to the floor as anyone else's!
2 - You're not considered "short" until we can see your feet on your driver's license picture!
okay, two things...

ponto 1-17-2002 11:05

Tina - I got the e-mail, there was no attachment or anything. I'll send more chapters though if you want. :)

Allein Peachick's Gallery 1-17-2002 10:45

Mel,
I just have to face it....There is no mystery to me at all!

Drogo 1-17-2002 10:38

Well hello to you all from someone who hasn't dropped in for some time - work is a killer at the moment and my writing has stopped in its tracks to make way for stress and frustration as well as the need to murder one's boss and studying.

My hobbit name is Hob Goodbody of Brokenborings

How odd.

I shall try to visit more often. Hi to those who know my name.

RRRRAMON

Ramon 1-17-2002 8:45

**Mel**

Hi, everyone! There's got to be some warm sunshine in Somebody's backyard today - it's not in mine!!!

DEBRA: Sometimes I feel as pouty being tall as you feel being short. God made us a variety on purpose, whatever the heck reasons He has, only He knows! Meanwhile, I'm CERTAIN you will NEVER be obsolete. Someone once said "The best things come in small packages." (Did I make up for yesterday's playful insult? I hope?) :-D Here's to friendship! :-D

TEEKAY: The 3-year writer's rule? Um, I hope that doesn't multiply itself proportionately...uh, lessee--30 years to write it, another 30 years to send it out, and then another 30 years to see it in print...Geez, I'll be 136 years old before I can expect to see my first novel in print! We won't even calculate the sequel novels...My balloon deflates...

Hi, EDDIE! Or, should I say, DROGO? :-)

Fast pens and hot words today, folks!!!

Be back later, I hope, with a shorty. [Silent pause here for contemplation... ]

Mel 1-17-2002 8:27

Wee! I've been working on my web page and it's actually going okay. Thank you Mark ((BIG kiss on the cheek)) for helping me out. I still have to refine it, but now I know how. I'm so happy! http://members.shaw.ca/kaizen/index.htm

Allein, I sent you an e-mail, did you get it? Hope I still have the right e-address. Take it easy; everyone is allowed a lazy day. :-)

The Hobbit names are a blast.

Blue Skies!

Tina/Bramblerose My home page 1-17-2002 2:35

It's my day off of work and I tried to write but I've had a headache most of the day and it's also been one of those days where I feel like doing absolutely nothing - y'know one of those lazy days. I'm working on a short story about some of my characters from Mali and Azol. I might post it in the workbook, maybe not. It's not very good. I'm gonna write this weekend for sure though! :D
Happy days!!

Allein Peachick's Gallery 1-17-2002 1:30

Milo Brandybuck of Buckland, married to the former Miss Daisy Knotwise of Michel Delving.

Mark 1-16-2002 23:12

Oh My...
My Hobbit name is Drogo Maggot
Who am I?

Drogo 1-16-2002 18:02

I know i before e except after c. Jack can we get a spellcheck?

1-16-2002 17:43

Teekay:

Since you brought up your conciet, I've never seen it. I really haven't. You can have "most typos" if you want that one instead.

Debra 1-16-2002 17:42

Teekay:

I'm pretty sure money from a bestseller would soften the blow!

Debra 1-16-2002 17:40

I've been found out!

Ponto 1-16-2002 17:40

Teekay:

That's just more bad news for me. Isn't it!

Debra 1-16-2002 17:37

**Teekay**

Morning all;

TAYLOR: Hubby sent that to me in an email. I've been dying to use it :-D

HEATHER: Another two awards!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY. But in all hoensty I don't know that I can accept 'Best Emoticon Enthusiast'. I think that one must have been rigged :-D
Except for smiley face ones that is, but that doesn't really count does it?
It does.
Well blow me down, another two awards YEEEEEHAW!
I'd like to thank my Mum and Dad and all my beautiful fans who really know a good thing when they see it.
WHAT?!?!?!?!??! I have to wait for next year!!! Excuse me, but evidence of my conceit has been apparent ever since I began posting!!!

RANDALL: The best luck in the world to you. Is this the book you've completed? So if they like it you have the whole thing to send them?
GO FOR IT!!!!!!!! How exciting!
And do what RHODA says, send it out everywhere. There is a 3 years writers rule I heard about somewhere, it goes; 1 year to write it, 1 year to send it out, then 1 year to see it in print.
Now just imagine how long you'd have to wait if you sent it to one publisher at a time.

TINA: Tee hee.

MARY: Bramblerose Goldworthy of Michel Delving - I like it!
Did you see the guys/girls copyright notice at the bottom? So cute.

ROSEMARY: Lake - by- downs - I like that soooo much better.

MEL: Can't take credit for the AntTracks post. Actually plagiarised it from an email and did a bit of surgery on it to make it apply.

MEL & DEBRA: It's common knowledge that you shrink with old age.
*titter*

Back to it you lot, next time I check in I want to see lots and lots of posts.

Bramblerose Goldworthy 1-16-2002 17:31

Mel:

It's a good thing we're friends. I would've given you the old "It could be worse I could be boring!" That one always leaves a mark!

Debra 1-16-2002 15:46

Wow! That's cold. I'm short. I hate it.

But now you've done it. You're getting the pretend I don't mind being short speech.

God made women in many shapes and sizes. I'm a small.

Sorry I had to do that. But you made me!

heeeeheeeee!

No my kids won't be that tall. It's true.

Mabe my grandkids. Then I'll be obsolete!

Debra 1-16-2002 15:35

DEBRA: Eldest daughter grew through her childhood at a rate of 4 inches nearly every year, until she was 12 or so, then slowed to one or two inches growth per year for a few more years - she's about 6 feet 1 inch now (I think she's stopped!). At 12, she was probably around 5 feet 7 inches (can't remember for sure). Mind you, my husband and I are both tall. Still, you're going to feel like a bush in the forest pretty soon. Enjoy the ground-cover plants while you're down there - somebody's got to do it! ;-]

Mel 1-16-2002 15:13

Mel:

That's slada kids.

Dare I find out what might be awaiting me. How tall was she at 12 years and one day?

Debra 1-16-2002 14:39

DEBRA: Eldest daughter (20) is taller than me. Eldest son (18) is taller than me. Second son is my 14-year-old - he's looking me in the eye but not for long. Two kids still much shorter than me, but the 11-yr-old son is gaining fast. I think they eat growing pills when I'm not looking. Same problem with the wash. Um-hum. Not shrunken pants, just expanding children!!! 8-}

Mel 1-16-2002 14:27

Mel:

Your daughter is 5 10? Wow. She must be stunning!

You know now that we are talking about this, I KNEW I WASN'T SHRINKING HER PANTS!

She kept accusing me of doint that.

I'm doing the laundry the same way I always have.

I'm going to speak to her about that. She should apologize.

Debra 1-16-2002 14:16

Mel:

I was just nominated typos queen. I'm going to work really hard to hang on to that crown.

It couldn't be jealousy. I'm happy for her. So it must be envy. I do hope it passes. She got her hair cut for her birthday like Rachael's on Friends. I sat there as the locks dropped to the floor and watched my long haired baby turn into a young beautiful woman.

I do have little feet. In fact you might just have given me the help I asked for. I not only have small feet they are my only claim to fame. I could make any foot fetish man drool. I make sure they are always soft with perfect nails and easy on the eye. In the middle of winter I sit around bare foot at home just so my hubby can view them at all times. The other day he actually forbad me from wearing my open toed platforms out of the house until spring. We live in the Northeast. With them on I'm 5'4". Better? My feet never get cold thank goodness. Other than that, I've got nadda.

My mother-in-law just bought me for Christmas the hottest pair of black leather knee high five inch boots so I can make it till then.

Debra 1-16-2002 14:10

DEBRA: It's a scary thing, but my 14-year-old is now looking ME in the eye (5'10") - I guess we should be glad they're growing healthfully! :-] (And someone else can now reach that item needed off the top shelf...!)

Mel again 1-16-2002 13:59

And, BTW, DEBRA, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your 13-year-old daughter! :-)

Mel 1-16-2002 13:51

DEBRA: Now calm down and reinsert your tiny jealous feet into those platform shoes! And heavens to Betsy (whoever she is!), DO WATCH your typo's - you've made yourself 5 inches tall (" for inches) and your hubby only 3 feet 6 inches tall (' for feet)!!! (Either that or I'm talking to the teeniest midget known to RIPLEY'S BELIEVE IT OR NOT!)

Mel 1-16-2002 13:49

Guys! Guys! Oh my gosh Guys!

The day has finally come that I have been dreading. I don't know if any one remembers that I am short. Yes 5"0'. Who cares!

That's not the problem. My husband is 6"3' and my daughter just thirteen yesterday. It has come to my attention in the past 24 hours that she is in fact taller than me now. I walk past her room at night and I can hear her growing in her sleep.

I'm glad she is not going to be short since I hate it, but what am I feeling that does't feel like joy?

Help!

Debra 1-16-2002 13:07

Apparently my name is Pansy Burrows of Hobbiton and my husband's name is Till Burrows of Hobbiton.

Neat!

Debra 1-16-2002 11:07

Ben - replacing the B drive is a very simple chore, and can be done in under a half hour. Go to Ebay and pick one up, shouldn't cost you over five bucks shipping included. Take the cover off the machine, unscrew four screws (two on either side) unplug the ribbon cable, observing which side the red stripe runs down, unplug the power cable, pull out the bad drive, insert the good drive and reverse the above proceedure. Anyone who knows who knows how to use a phillips screwdriver should be able to do that job.

Jerry 1-16-2002 9:57

*Jerry*

Had to try the name generator, my wife came out Pearl Hardbottle.

Guess I will have to see The Hobbit, maybe when it comes out on VCR.

The snow keeps coming, just light though nothing serious. Had a call from the butcher shop, seems our half a beef is ready. Told them we would try this week some time, when the roads aren't so slippery, we have to drive 65 miles to pick it up.

Had the strangest dream last night, but I shan't go into it, suffice to say when I awoke at 4:00 AM I never got back to sleep for fear it might return.

Heather - Silences are there more then one type? No matter, I will whip something up.

Pimpernel Hardbottle 1-16-2002 9:53

**Mel**

Hi Everybodeez! :-] Had a GREAT time last eve - we saw STOMP live at our local arts theater! They were fantabulous, of course! So creative, making percussive music with every ordinary everyday object you can imagine, inclduing the KITCHEN SINKS - hee hee! What a blast!

ED, LITTER: I didn't know STOMP originated in the UK! Have you seen them perform? I understand they have five companies around the world!

HEATHER: Yesterday was thrilling from start to finish, what with STOMP in the evening and my luncheon interview with my chief antagonist! I had given my baddie a basic set of life problems and flaws - what I hadn't realized until yesterday is that his pain runs deeper than I knew! Talk about getting a monkey to pop the cork off a bottle, wow! All the new "history," characters and their stories that spilled into me after that interview with my baddie--!!!!! My muse is grinning like a Cheshire cat! She KNEW and I didn't! Scary how inspiration can all of a sudden wash over you like cresting waves of incoming tide!!! BTW, I withdraw my squished pinkie of last June from any consideration for Best injury, 2001, as I didn't break any bones and wasn't even late for my son's graduation party, even with a trip to the hospital in there before it! Now if injuries were judged by the colorfulness of their bruises, hee hee - I had a blue-green-purple fingernail for weeks!

CAROL: I hate to say it, but I've been discrediting my muse all these years for frequent abandonments. While I thought she must be living it up somewhere, carefree, she's really been working for me all the time, gleaning bits of inspiration here and there...and all of a sudden dumping incredible amounts of insights on me without warning! Just you wait - I'll bet your muse is gathering something really "hot" for you. :-)

TEEKAY: Loved the AntTracks story--hyuck! hyuck! And there's a pretty picture: a long table in the woods, set for tea for many writers (all mad, of course). Hmm, I spy many NB-ers here... :-D CHANGE SEATS!! BTW, I'd rather IRON than SEW!!! Um, do my sewing, I'll do your ironing? NAAAH! Let's do neither and just go shopping for new writing pens instead!!! :-) Mad, mad, we're all mad, I tell you!!!

RANDALL: YOU GO, BOY!!!!!!! :-) Fingers and toes crossed for good luck for you!!! Love your novel title. :-]

MARY: Last but not least, the hobbit naming site is too cute!!! :-D I had to play, of course. Here, my results:

My current family: the CHUBBS of DEEPHOLLOW
Melanie=TIGERLILY CHUBB
Mel=ESMERELDA CHUBB
Beth (my middle name)=DOLLY CHUBB (take your pick, hee hee!)

My hubby is PONTO CHUBB
Oldest son is TODO CHUBB
Middle son is either BUNGO or MUNGO CHUBB, depending on short or full name used
Youngest son is FOSCO or SANCHO CHUBB (ditto above)
My littlest one is PRIMULA CHUBB

heh heh

My maiden name? BUMBLEROOT of FAIR DOWNS

I feel like a BUMBLEROOT, heh heh heh!!!

Way cool, Mary!

Y'all, have a splendiferous writing day!!! :-)

TIGERLILY BUMBLEROOT CHUBB

Mel 1-16-2002 9:27

MARY,

Thanks for the Hobbit link.

My Hobbit name is Lila Underhill of Frogmorton and my husband's name is Fastolph Underhill of Frogmorton.

Rhoda 1-16-2002 8:49

Heather: The B-drive on the other computer is broken. It's just a glorified typewriter. I print everything out that has to be printed, and if I lose it, I just re-write it. Dumb, huh? I always mean to get it fixed, but the fifty or sixty bucks it'll cost goes to other things--milk, bread and eggs. I will get it fixed, but I don't know when.

Rosemary: None of the kids are welcome unless they have permission from their parents. You'd be surprised how many parents know their children sneak off to drink, and how relieved they are to know that their kids aren't out driving around and being stupid like so many of us may have.

Tina: I work outside. Do you know how hard it is to walk on a bundle of logs looking for a wire to cut, not knowing if the next step is really just a bunch of more snow, or...oops, fell in the river again. Brrrrr :-)

Teekay: I have a hard time with titles sometimes, and at other times they just come to me. "Tarot cards and tea leaves" just came to me...and so did the title for this present one.

But I have to go to bed now. It's 2:00 am. I'm tired, still cold, and have to bring the car into the shop tomorrow around 9:30 in the a of m. Funny thing, I was there today, and one of the guys working there was my old shop teacher from high school twenty-five years ago. He recognized me right away. He asked me how it was going. I said I have a wife, two kids, a house, a dog, a job, and that we were happily married and had been for eighteen years now...my God has it been that long? He said, What more can you ask for?

So I think I'll go upstairs and cuddle my wife. :-)

ben 1-16-2002 5:03

Mary, we're neighbours! :-D I seem to be Bramblerose Peatfingers of Brockenborings. Nice little place, shall we have tea in your hobbit hole or mine?

Good theme, Heather. Hmmmmm...

Tina 1-16-2002 2:27

Mary's got enough pain with her teeth, so instead of paining her more and demanding a shortie topic,

how about...

SILENCES

There's our theme, ladies and gentlemen.
Have at it!

Heather 1-16-2002 1:12

Mary, thank you for some Hobbit fun!

My Hobbit name is 'Prisca Tighfield of Tookbank'!
And my husband is 'Podo Tighfield of Tookbank'. He's going to give me quite a look when I call him Podo tomorrow! :oD

My character, Piper is 'Wisteria Brandybuck of Buckland', should she find herself a Hobbit.

Methinks most of the female names are taken from flowers, hence Rosemary's Myrtle.

Funny, 'Prisca' is along the same lines as my birth name, which is Petra.

Howard's Hobbit name is THE BEST~!

Yes, Tina, someday I'll have the energy to wind some of my daily life into a book specifically - for now it's occasionally morphed into scenes of fiction!
Hope you catch old man Winter. He's been running through town lately. I think we've had enough of him! :oD

Heather 1-16-2002 1:08

A Hobbity Evening to all,

MARY,
My Hobbit name seems to be Myrtle Moss of Lake-by-Downs. Have no idea if that's good or bad. Not really thrilled with 'Myrtle.'

BEN,
Good luck with the party. I guess because the USA is so Sue happy, it would scare me to death to have kids drinking alcohol in my house. If anything happened, I would be libel. The thought of losing my house and winding up in jail just so a few kids could have some fun makes my hair hurt.

I'm not sure what happened, but the ENTER button has moved from bottom left to the right side. Poltergeist?

It's late for me. Gonna go now.

Rosemary 1-16-2002 0:22

HOWARD: I couldn't stand it another second. I had to put your name in ...drumroll please....

Ponto Bulge of Great Smials

Mary 1-15-2002 23:51

Hi guys.

Follow this link to find out what your name would be if you were a Hobbit.

Mine would be:

Lila Bunce of Brockenborings

More later....please post what your names would be if you check. :-)

Mary Hobbit names 1-15-2002 23:46

***Taylor***

Teekay: Lol... I like that joke actually, but then again I think I will laugh at anything.

Mel: I already thought about doing that, but dont want to hit to close to reality if you know what I mean

Taylor 1-15-2002 23:38

*Tina*

Sorry Ben, but ha! who says all Canucks want it warmer? All of our snow is gone and I'm very disappointed! When I was a kid, everyone had a skating rink in their backyard for at least 8 weeks, and the lakes all froze over. During our local Winter Carnival, they used to do an ice sculpture contest. No more. I want a real winter! Lots of snow, temperatures below freezing, and cross-country skiing in the park.

Hey Heather you ever think about writing a story about your life? ;-) Seems to me 2002 is starting out as quite the adventure in your corner. (((HUGS)))

Teekay grrrooan. AntTracks. grrrrooaaan.

Randall Congrats, and high fives! I'm taking heart from your courage.

Now, I just hope I didn't bold-ize the entire notebook with my HTML attempts...
Allein, I'm sitting right here until I finish critiquing your most recent chapter. Well, I will after I go p....

Blue Skies!

Tina 1-15-2002 21:55

Mel:

Actually it's garlic. I'm sure it's always garlic.

BEST TYPOS!

Geez one word responsibilitits and your marked for life.

Debra 1-15-2002 21:01

***Rhoda***

Thank you, HEATHER.

RANDALL,

Best of luck on your proposal. I hope it is well received. Now, who else are you going to send it to? Do not believe the stuff you hear about simultaneous submissions. Send your book out to any publishing house who is looking for that type of work.

Rhoda 1-15-2002 20:55

Randall

Hey!

Wish me luck.

Have submitted first three chapters of WHERE THE ROCKS COVER THE FLOWERS to a publisher.

Very hard to let the novel go.

Randall

Randall 1-15-2002 20:23

Wait! Most conceited prize will have to go to Teekay next year. The proof of conceit was in 2002. :P

Heather 1-15-2002 19:55

Oops, forgot:

Most conceited: Teekay

Most repetitititive: me, me and me

Most redundant: See above

Most annoying: see above 'see above'

Best injury, 2001: Cast your votes! I can't decide.

Heather 1-15-2002 19:53

Here are some more awards for Notebookers (2001) that weren't mentioned:

Best actor in a fur suit: Tie between Sasquatch and Jon

Best comeback: Christi and Eddie

Best form: Litter

Best dressed: Carol

Best Undressed: Me

Best Left Alone: Jerry, if the topic has anything to do with terrorism

Best Typos: Deebra

Best Morning Riser and Contest Entrant: Hallee

Best emoticon enthusiast: Teekay and Mary

Best Essayist: Mark

Best Political Analyst: Rhoda

Best Joke Sharer: Howard

Best Young Talent: Richard and Allein

Best Foreign Consultant: Viv

Best Disappearing Act: Ben, T.O.M., Sasquatch, Kitty and Pussy

Best Animal Trainer: Rosemary, Carol and Randall (hee hee)

Best Skydiver: Tina

Best Archiver/scuba gear (and photos to prove the latter): Jack

Best Agent: Rachel

Best Vehicle: Taylor

Worst offender using the ultimate in cuss words: Shit! That was me, too.

Worst for leaving a post nameless: __________

Heather 1-15-2002 19:50

...I just want to see that sewing machine walk in person!

Heather 1-15-2002 19:38

Howrad - I laughed at your description of that elderly lady's walk too...
I'm thinking air horns for my Grandma next Christmas. :-O

Heather 1-15-2002 19:22

Howard,
Now...if I can just stop the tears from streaming and catch my breath........
I have this picture in my head of the sowing machine lady and the truck at the crossing.
It's not funny I know.......But...
HAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAA BWAAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAA HAAA.......
Sorry but slapstick is just so catching.

Eddie 1-15-2002 18:47

**Teekay**

HOWARD: That truck driver sounds like a bit of a hard ass, but I do admit to a bit of a giggle at the picture you put in my head.

RANDALL: You have such a talent for stripping off the mystery and getting right down to the nitty gritty, showing things in their undies - don't stop.

TAYLOR: Yesterday I was doing some baking. It was getting late and I was tired so I decided to leave the cleanup mess until morning. Good thing I did, because the next morning I noticed thousands of little tiny footprints in the flour on the countertop. Needless to say, I wasted no time calling the FBI. They confirmed that we did in fact have AntTracks. Blasted terrorists!

MEL: Bless you, but I don't have a drinking story, well, none in particular, and none where I can remember the end :-D
Sorry to have come off all dark and mysterious like that.
They call me Bond, Bond's Undies. (I don't know if you have Bond's brand of undies in America, but we do here, and that's what I'm referring to.)
Come to think of it, maybe manic depression isn't really what writers are prone to. Maybe writers are just your simple, everyday, down to earth mad people.

BEN: Both stories sound really intriguing. I especially like the title 'Tarot cards and tea leaves,' Wish I'd thought of it. I'm a bit sensitive about titles just now.

HEATHER: I believe it was the Buddhist (and only some of them) who used to go into such a deep meditation that they were able to cross over into the other realm, but they did this in order to prepare for death, so that they new what was coming and could go to it prepared.

Well, I have my morning dose of you lot and now I can go and see to getting some breakfast, and reading the paper, have been a bit lax with that lately.

The novel going rather s-l-o-w-l-y at the moment, but I write at least 1 page a day, and can't rest until I do. It's not bad once I start, it's the getting prepared to do it that hurts - like ironing.

Be well all.

Teekay 1-15-2002 18:36

Hi All :)

Thought I'd better get a post in here before you all thought I fell into some hole or other. Life just gets busy and I get lazy. But! I have started writing every day again. Blast those holiday vacations! Take two weeks vacation and spend another two weeks finding out what hot spot the muse disappeared to.

Randall - as usual your stories get me laughing. I related the car coasted story to hubby and got a good chuckle out of him. Course, being he's from the same generation as you and he's seen our German Shepherds at work, he could relate to every detail. Then I had to sit and listen to HIS stories the rest of the night!

Blue Tear - its good to see you again.
Christine - hello :)
Ben - welcome back and good luck with the party.

While I'd love to respond to everyone's post since my last one, methinks I would fill up the notebook too much.

Now, I've gotta yank the muse out of the cupboard I locked her in and put her to work ....

Carol 1-15-2002 18:22

Ben - if both of your computers have 3.5" disk drives, then you can send the short story file as an attachment. Save it to disk first, then take the disk to the computer that's internet capable. Bring up your email program, write a message, click on 'attach' (or in some cases, 'insert') and a window will pop up. Go to the top menu bar and choose 'A: disk drive'. Then, in the lower section of the window, the files on the disk will be listed. Click on the file you want, and bingo. You're done. Send the email. Voila!

Just a thought!

Heather 1-15-2002 17:56

Mel, even the worst antagonist will have his or her doubts, fears, and other hinderances. A rotten personality doesn't get that way without a reason. It's what a person does with the bad experiences that makes them what they are in the present tense.

Take my mother in law for instance. She's had a rough, blistering experience for a childhood, and worse when it came to marriage and divorce. Okay, so many people have had similar experiences. My mother in law has been running from her own fears, her own problems since she had the ability to run. She has refused to learn the lessons put in her path, and has skipped them, hoping she'd not have to learn them after all. Well, they're still there, tripping her at every opportunity. What she must do is stop running, turn around and face the problems head on.
Now, when I say running from problems, she's tried to do so literally, by moving from place to place as soon as things start happening that aren't positive. She can't even face the fact that should someone commit suicide, they have to work things out (like climbing back out of the hole you dug for yourself) in either the afterlife, or another lifetime. (For those of you who don't believe the same things that I do, feel free to cover your eyes, skip this part, or dance a jog as your computer reboots)
There are penalties for opting out of an agreement early - which is exactly what suicide is. You opt out of life before you've lived out the term you agreed upon with God ahead of birth. You opt out, there are penalties to deal with.
Think Beetle Juice here. I know it's the fantasized version, but remember where they placed the dead that had committed suicide? They were made civil servants of the afterlife, forever working to right the wrong they'd done by opting out early, and not learning the lessons they were meant to learn.
My mother in law couldn't disagree more, and in fact quoted some bullshit TV artist, who claims that those who have 'crossed over early' prefer to learn what they were supposed to learn in the afterlife, and not on earth.
Well, that's nice in theory.
Ever hear the expression, 'As above, so below'? Look at our laws. They reflect the Higher Laws.
We have penalties for opting out of agreements early, such as fines, etc. Well, we pay fines with the money we earn after working so many hours. Learning is work. Living is work. But it doesn't have to be labour. I think the word work has been bashed shitless so that we don't see it as a good thing any more. But even the Big Guy works 6 days out of 7. Even He doesn't get a two-day weekend! But why does He work? For LOVE!
Oh, I didn't plan on this being a little talk on why I write. For Love.
That's just what happened.

You want to know why I'm talking about my mother in law. Yes, let's clear that up.
She arrived at the door this morning, gabbing about how her life has changed, and she feels a great weight has been lifted, that she doesn't doubt that God's there for her now.
(Of course, during the conversation, I had to say, "If you knew God is there for everyone, how is it you'd ever be excluded?")
This is how her life changed. She tried to kill herself. Again. Only this time there's no way she could have survived unless God had stepped in Himself and intervened. That's what she told us. So now she doesn't doubt.

Okay, that's great that her doubts have been eradicated. The thing is, she's on this grand euphoria trip, and I worry it's an after-effect of swallowing 40 narcotic pills last week. She slept for three days, and when she woke up she was still out of it, and fell into the tub, bruising and cutting herself in the process. Now it's two weeks later, and I wonder how much of the narcotics are lingering. If this is a permanent change, then I'm celebrating. But if it's not, well...
Not much I can do about it. It's up to her to stop running.
Maybe, just maybe, she hit her head hard enough to come to grips. After visiting us, she was off to see her doctor, to see about a refill on her prescription, since she'd eaten them all the day after New Year's. Some resolution, I thought. (Save the planet, kill yourself?)
She asked me what she should tell her doctor, and what she should leave out. I told her to tell her everything about the pill-eating and the falling down, but to leave out the revelations. Her doctor would likely test her and confirm my suspicion that the pills are still in her system.

I do love my mother in law. I just feel like she's my third child sometimes. If she WERE my child, I think I'd have her committed for a short 'vacation' at happyville rest home. Sort of like Jerry's home, but with a few more tranquilizers and a lot more padding.
Sorry for boring the crud out of each and every one of you, my dear friends.
I just thought I'd share my oh, so flabbergasting life.
I'm sincerely happy that she finds our house relaxing to be in, and the atmosphere conducive to opening up and talking.
My brother in law's is the opposite (her youngest son's house) - if you happen to stop in there, you can't get out the door fast enough.

Ah, such qualities only seen in fiction or on Entertainment Tonight. Wonder when the papparazi will arrive.

Heather 1-15-2002 17:49

MEL: Yes, he learns it when he's dead. She's not there on the other side waiting for him like she said she would be. She died of cancer ten years ealier. He figures he had to come back to find his soul mate, but I don't know where she is yet. I'm still looking.

I no longer push out stories as fast as I can, but take my time and constantly rewrite them. Now instead of two or three weeks for a story, I'm willing to give it two or three months, put it aside and then come back to it later. I did that with TAROT CARDS AND TEA LEAVES, and ended up rewriting the whole thing from scratch. I'd sent a copy to Kitty and she made a few strong, valid points that made more sense than I realized. And even rewriting it, it still came out at ten or eleven thousand words. I'm hoping this one will come in at under eight.

BTW, I don't use this computer to write on, and the other one is not internet capable. If you want to read anything, it has to be snail mail.

ben 1-15-2002 17:23

BEN: I meant to add, I like your title :-) and story idea! If the man's wheelchair bound, how does he learn about his wife not being the ONE? Did he learn that when he was dead? How does he find his soul-mate, after all? You gotta let me read this one when it's done (pretty please?). I'm intrigued! :-)

Mel again 1-15-2002 14:40

*Mel*

Just wanted to report...if any of you authors haven't yet taken your most horrendous antagonist to "lunch", do it.

I can watch movies or read books and suspend reality to put myself into that story's reality. I used this technique with myself at "lunch" with the most dreaded enemy of my novel's inhabitants.

I'm still in shock - I learned he has a heart. And it's been broken. I learned he has a soul. And he has regrets.

Whew! And none of this is in my novel--yet!! NOW what do I do??!!

Mel, still here 1-15-2002 14:31

Thanks Heather: I know a couple of kids who were killed in school because of drinking and driving. If I can't prevent him drinking, at least let me keep an eye on him. I don't want him driving. Anyone who's parents don't agree that they should be here, isn't going to be coming; it's as simple as that. As long as the parents know and understand what's going on, as long as they pick them up at the end of the night, or I drive them home, I don't have a problem with it. It's not like this happens every weekend. It doesn't. He'll be lucky if he gets a whiff of another drink before his mother's birthday in March. (It'll be her 40th.)

Mel: My story? THE ALMOST MAN WHO NEVER WAS is the working title. It's not a ghost story, or suspense, or horror. It's about an old man who dies for fourteen minutes and miraculously comes back to life. He's confined to a wheelchair, and lives in a home where he has a lot of time on his hands to try and figure out just what happened. His one discovery that his wife of thirty some odd years was not his soul mate is probably the most distressing thing. He figures he's not allowed to leave until he finds her. I've only got around five thousand words so far, and since I don't write with a word limit in mind, I can't say how far I have to go with it. And of course, I don't write it on this computer.

But I gotta run now. I have to take the car in before I waste the entire morning. It's actually cold here today. We had frost last night--only the third or fourth time this entire winter. And who says global warming's a bad thing? :-) Nobody up here!

ben 1-15-2002 12:52

DEBRA: Actually, it was the lack of circulation in my blood vessels from that great squeeze. But, now that you mention it - what IS that smell? Garlic? Onions? Salsa? Tell me it's not chocolate-covered limburger cheese?? Oh me, oh my...um, I'm off to have a real lunch now... :-)

And after that...(*shudder* shake!*) I'm meeting my antagonist--ZOLAK the black sorcerer himself--in my mental diningroom...Hope I'm not MENTAL when he's through with me! (*shudders!*shakes* uh, I'll take those shakes to go...)

Mel 1-15-2002 12:42

Mel:

Okay I'll let go.

It's my breath isn't it?

heeeeeeheeeee!

Debra 1-15-2002 11:40

Who ever said muses could spell? Luncheon, bruncheon, it's all fat for the human brain. Muses don't eat (except maybe chocolate now and again, because I want it!) ;->

Mel's Muse 1-15-2002 10:00

TINA: I'm being good. (Aren't I always?) Inspiration-giving, etc., etc. Don't worry -- I'm marching Mel back to that airy (aerie?) restaurant today. Zolak's still waiting (quite a thing for such an A-type personage, really!) and boy, is Mel in for a few surprises! Heeeeee---

Flying off, till the luncehon interview---Ta!

Azure heavens!

Mel's Muse 1-15-2002 9:58

**Mel**

G'Morning/Evening,writing companions! :-] May your day/eve be filled with artistic successes!

DEBWA: Tanks for da squeeze awound da neck. Uh--could you please let go now? Ahh! Neck re-inflating to normal size.
:-D

BEN: Okay, who's this dead guy returning? Is he coming back as a ghost or a reincarnation or a (*shudder*) zombie or a vampire?? WHY is he coming back?? If you're gonna write a teaser, cough up a few more details, boy! We're waiting impatiently to hear more! :-)

JERRY: I like quiet, too. :-) It's such a rare commodity at my house! BTW, canes are our friends...It's to the NEW BODY SHOPPE we need to go!

HEATHER: Why don't you write a justice/solution-story for the guy who's worrying you right now? Real life - in all its crises - is hard to write about, but maybe writing about it will make you stronger, you know, a sense of doing something about an otherwise uncontrollable situation--? BTW, it is so cool to put your characters in a room together, outside the novel. My mountainside restaurant is a made-up place I must explore in a future story, I'm sure! :-) I find it interesting that I started my character interviews with the worst baddie of them all--I need to know him better, as much as I don't want to (he's a very controlling, tempestuous kind of person!) He might turn my novel upside-down--That could be for the better, I'm not sure yet! But I WILL return to that interview...today! (Um, it's been nice knowing you...) :-]

ED: Oh, a zimmer is a walker. I wonder where the word "zimmer" originated? Named after the inventor, perhaps? That's a great exit-line, anyway: "Got to go polish me zimmer now." Heh heh! :-)

TEEKAY: Oh yes, and what a grand time we borderline (?) manic-depressives have, when we're not watching the ink blot on the paper! :-D Okay, let's hear the drinking story. I haven't any of my own, as I could never stand the smell of beer, wine, or anything with alcohol. My hubby should write his college stories, though - especially the one where he went partying and awoke the next morning, unknown to him how he came to be in his 'jammies in his dorm bunk bed, his clothes neatly folded, buttoned, and piled...heh heh-it wasn't me! And while I'm still manic, let me say I think someone should invent a feeding bag for writers unable to leave their keyboards, y'know, like horses have, strap it around our heads/necks, nose-dive into the pouch for some popcorn, some 'taters 'n gravy, or whatever--and keep the keyboards clean! ;-]

RANDALL: Funny, your president story - hee hee! - We saw an "Outer Limits" episode last night about a senator/president-to-be on a plane and a time traveler from the future convinces him the plane will crash and he must jump to save his life (i.e. future technology will save him) - yeah, right! He jumped, wasn't saved because he'd become a tyrant. Hey, ya never know the real scoop on these government guys unless people like you write the real stories, heh heh! :-)

TAYLOR: Someone needs to write a story about all the anthrax sociopaths having their field-day. Personally, I think they're all "outstanding" in their field, as in OUT--Standing in their field like idiots, alone, unsupported by the normal masses because they're CRAZY! (What? No, Ms. Muse, I am NOT writing it! Back to character interview-luncheon preparations...) :-]

Write well, everyone!

Mel 1-15-2002 9:55

***Taylor***

Randall: Thats actually really funny

Got a scare going on in Aust. now, an anthrax scare at macdonalds stores over Sydney.

Taylor 1-15-2002 4:29

Eddie - Zimmer huh. My old HS Principal was named Zimmer. Lyle D. Zimmer, I will never forget him so long as I live. He ran that school like it was a military unit. Everything had to be dress right dress, shoes were to be shined, no blue jeans for the boys, dresses only for the girls. The dress length was specified, as was the boy's hair length. Beards and mustaches were forbidden for those with enough juice to grow them at our age.

We used to call him chrome dome due to his shaved head, and when you were bad enough to have to stand before his great walnut desk, it was stand at attention, don't move, don't talk unless spoken to. I remember the day when he passed sentence on me for skipping nearly a week of classes.

The sentence - Detention study hall for the remainder of the school year, or drop out of high school. Well I took the detention, and that was so very early in the school year. Gave up an extra hour of my freedom to pay the high price for not following the rules.

But they are walkers then? Had to use one of those blasted things when I was in hospital before my first back surgery. Didn't go very fast, or very far. The room across the hall from mine was occupied by a gal who worked at the court house in the clerk of courts office, an old friend of mine. She was in to have a couple of toes amputated due to gangrene the result of diabetes. We walked the halls together a few times, all the way to the back door so we could have our smokes.

When my Doctor heard of our excursion, he gave me particular hell, seems he ordered the walker only for trips to the restroom.

That day, my room became a smoking room, and the gal across the hall came over to smoke. It only lasted a day then the results of my MRI were back, and I was sent to a larger facility to undergo the necessary surgery. Didn't need the walker after that, and for that I was thankful. Now if I could just get rid of this damn old cane.

Jerry 1-15-2002 0:24

Randall

Hey!

As a confidant of President Bush I have the low down on the fainting episode. George told me Laura came in the room, noted the leader of the most powerful nation on the earth, two secret service agents, several beers on the coffee table, a platter of nachos, chips and hot sauce...

"And just what do you think your doing Mr. Football?"

"Why Laura, me and the boys were settling in to watch a little football..."

"Uh huh. I thought you just watched a game of football?"

"Well dear, we did. And what a game it was, huh guys? This second game will be even better."

"No more football today Georgeie Boy. You need to spend some quailty time with your family. Not sitting around swilling beer with the boys!"

"Now Laura, I am the president. I will do..."

At this point Laura Bush grabbed the president by an ear and began to lift him out of the seat. Trying to save a Lone Star beer from falling to the carpet he slipped and bruised his cheek.

If you want the low down on George Bush ... just trust old Randall to have the straight scoop.

Of course I am a fiction writer, but that should have little to do with anything.

Randall

Randall 1-14-2002 20:48

Zimmer frams, eh? Around here we just refer to them as "walkers."
A few years ago my wife and I were stopped at a traffic light, waiting for traffic. It was wintertime, and there was an inch or so of snow on the street. A little old lady with a walker (zimmer) was waiting to cross the street, and did so just as we stopped. She made it slowly across the near lanes, just in time for the light to change. The truck driver coming the other way was a bit impatient, and a lot obnoxious, and hit his air horn. The poor old lady did an excellent imitation of a sewing machine for the rest of the way across!

howard 1-14-2002 19:02

**Teekay**

HOWARD: Good! It's validation of your writerhood :-) Now I want you to hammer a great big whopping nail into the wall, the likes of which CHRISTI, and I, oh yes, and someone else, who is that now? Oh yes, Stephen King have, and slip your rejection slip onto it, and then if you will, take a few minutes to gaze proudly at it. If it came via email, print it out and hang it up.
Mine is sitting proudly on the wall in front of me with a big wad of blue tack on the end so they all don't fly off when the fan's on.
Another of my favourite sayings I'd like to share with you at this moment is : The longest journey begins with the smallest step.
AND: What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

MEL: I think maybe manic depressives are simply writers who have found something to do :-D

CHRISTINE: Thanks for the info. Actually my novel is based on all those things you said you loved (I decided in order to have the staying power for a novel I needed to write about things I loved, so that I would never get bored with it.) Mine is set in Australia, but has lots of English undertones and of course it's set in a small coastal town.

EDDIE: Thwacking forehead with butt of palm. Of course! A zimmer frame! Now where were you 8 months ago when I couldn't think of the word?

BEN: As writers I'm not sure we have any sensibilites, like I said once before, I think writers are able to see both sides of all things - I think we'd be pretty limited if we were unable to.
Personally, I don't want my kids to drink at all - but if they did, I would want them to do it where they were safe.
Hubby doesn't drink, and neither do I, so they don't really see it.
Not that there wasn't a time when I didn't drink - but that's a whole different story and one I'm not going to share with anybody :-D
Looking back on that last sentence I come off sounding all dark and mysterious, like I have a secret hidden in my past.
COOL! Ain't nuthin' like a bit of mystery :-D

Sorry about the spelling errors all (if there are any, I think maybe I caught them all), but my keys are sticking. I think it's because we all eat over the keyboard and now it's got particles of rotting food jamming it up - tres
frustrating.

Well, I'm orf.

Teekay 1-14-2002 18:16

Mel,
A 'Zimmer' or 'Zimmer Frame' is one of those nice four legged walking aids which you can realy lean on as you hold on to it while walking. They are usually a wonderful aluminium colour with lovely black rubber stoppers at the feet. Sighhhh.....
Sorry..... got really carried away there.

Eddie 1-14-2002 16:46

Ooh, and Mel - I think I'd have lunch with some of my characters in the Deli that's in my novel. Or maybe tea at Piper's apartment, or a pint of ale in the pub with a bunch of them...

I can't exactly have lunch with the major antagonist - it's a toss-up between Piper's visions (seen by some as crazy delusions), a woman at her workplace that's a nasty jerk, and Trent, the infamous pleader that won't give up his infatuation. I could, perhaps, have a vision of those two at lunch; belching loudly, insulting each other and throwing salad greens!

Heather 1-14-2002 16:44

But, Mel, you wouldn't want to start out your Restaurant Reviews with a less-than-vital character, would you? An extra, so to speak?
If I were to have lunch with one of my characters, I certainly wouldn't choose one of the minor characters first.
Maybe they'll get an invite, maybe they won't...

I like the idea of having lunch with your characters - don't balk on us, now!

Well, so far the cops haven't caught the asshole pervert. They're actually setting up a task force specifically for the purpose of better protecting school kids. I think it's great - but I'd feel much better about it if they'd already caught the particular pervert that struck our neighbourhood.
Keep your fingers crossed for us, and pray for the capture of this creep.

The hamsters are running about the house inside their exercise balls. The kids are having a great time watching them, and following them in their adventure. I only hope one of the hamsters doesn't decide that inside the plastic ball is a good place to have a pee. *blech!*

Haven't written anything today. I must be feeling dried up inspirationally, due to the worries about the safety of my daughter and our neighbourhood in general. Not that worrying ever solved a single problem... but action resulting from worry has.
That's how 'block parents' came into being.
When I called the school to inform them of the incident Friday after school was out, I was very glad to hear that my daughter and her friend had already told the principal!

What was that about hoping everything you've taught your children has finally sunken in? Right on, Ben. What better way to test if it has then to host a party?
If kids are going to drink, I think it's much better to have it supervised than to sit up nights praying they're not getting into a car with a drunk driver.
When my kids are teens, and they want to start partying, I'll seriously consider the same, Ben. Oh, and you live in BC. Lucky you. The pot up there's actually worth smoking. Hee hee :o)

Heather 1-14-2002 16:38

*Mel*

I, um, heh heh!, er, just reporting in, while there's still time--uh, how long does a "computer, freeze program!" command last?

I began a luncheon journal today, entitled "The Midday Interviews, Or Conversations Over Lunch" and set the scene to begin interviewing my characters, one at a time, as I said this morning I would.

Um...the mountain view in a glass-walled restaurant is spectacular, but when HE came through the door, I lost my nerve...

Maybe I should've started with someone less, um, invigorating (can he hear me when he's in frozen-mode???). I, uh--whew! Why did I start the interview-lunches with my most horrific antagonist??!! I may not survive to do the rest! :-( That will mean no dessert...

No chocolate? (Ms. Muse is pouting!) Oh, um, I'll go back to that mental-restaurant, uh maybe later. Yeah, later, later - tomorrow later maybe- heh heh oh dear oh dear. Where'd I put that list of questions? I didn't have one?? I was going to wing it??? With ZOLAK???!!!!!!

Pray for me, my writing friends...

Mel 1-14-2002 15:05

Ben - It's your life, your kids, and you deserve the right to raise them as you choose.

Well the two cats have gone again, as has our daughter. They finished putting down her new floor covering, and the plumbing work she wanted done, so all have moved home. Our dog looks very pleased with the change, but I think he will miss the youngest cat, as they played together like a couple of puppies all the time.

Sure is quiet around here now. I like quiet. The wind is still blowing around yesterdays snow, gusts over fifty miles per hour. If the snow were of the sticky kind we would have lots of drifts, luckily it is the powder type and just makes lots of fog when it blows.

The cold weather has taken a toll on my supply of bird food, and my friends the sparrows are giving me particular hell for not getting more out there, so I must go for now and feed them.

Write ON!
Jerry

Jerry 1-14-2002 14:40

Underage and drinking, not at my house, never. There are too many variables here. I don't want to be the next clown to end up on the six o'clock news trying to explain why it seemed harmless at the time.

Not that I think anyone who lets it happen is a clown. I'm talking about decisions made and then something goes wrong.

Those kind of clowns.

None of those here!

Debra 1-14-2002 13:35

Ben

Jerry: That's exactly the kind of party I don't want. I asked him last night how many kids he was hoping to have over, and then jokingly said something along the line of, Sure hope it ain't no forty kids. He looked at me and said, Maybe I should recount again? I guess I'm more popular than I thought, he saiys with a smile. (I was thinking a dozen kids are too many.) But he says he wants a mixed party too. I said, downstairs in the basement is as far as it goes. Any playfighting, wrestling, etc., and I'll toss 'em out on their ears.

My wife has her own idea of how they should be behaved. He invited a few friends over for New Year's eve, and one of them told my wife she should be upstairs with her guests. She asked him what he was drinking, and he said pop. (He was carrying a 2 liter bottle of Coke.) She took a drink and looked at him, asking him how he could be such a smart mouth, and not be drunk. He said he was too cool to drink, and then reminded her, rudely, that she should leave. She kindly said that it was her house, and if she wanted to come down and check up on things, that was her right, and if he didn't shut his little mouth, she'd slap it shut for him. The other boys, the ones who know her, told him to toe the line. She told him that if she made him uncomfortable, he was free to leave. He decided maybe it was better to go outside, considering. My wife looked at my son and asked if he was for real. My son, being the good friend that he is, tried to defend him, but failed. My wife said she had to go back upstairs and see to her guests, and then told my son, that this kid is not allowed back in her house until he learns some sort of respect.

Kids smokin' dope, and drinking, and sexin' it up in my house? Uh-uh. A few drinks, and with their parents' knowledge, and permission, or else don't bother coming over. Parents can pick them up at the end of the night, or else don't bother comin' over. Any pukin', God forbid, and they clean it up right away. That's my son's responsibility. If he wants to host a part, or get together, fine, but he's gonna know just what it means to be in control.

As for seeing us drunk? Lots of times. But we're both happy, carefree, drunks who laugh and giggle--the life of the party you could say--and if my kid's gonna drink, I want him to learn how to present himself. I don't want him to be an asshole. I've seen too many of those types. So, a party? Yes. But with reluctance. He'd asked us a long time ago if he could have a 16th birthday, and we said fine. But he wasn't drinking, or trying to sneak off and smoke a joint once in a while back then. He was still somewhat "normal". But you can't control the lives of his friends, and if his friends' parents smoke pot, and see nothing wrong with letting their children smoke it, what chance do you have except to hope that everything you taught them in their early childhood has sort of sunk in. I may drink, and smoke pot, but I don't smoke pot in front of my kids, and I won't for a long time to come--although if I ever find him hiding it in his room I'll have to take it, and, as hard as it may be for me to do it, I'll flush it in front of him. Hypocrisy is the first rule of parenting I've discovered.

And now I've said too much and probably hurt the sensitivity of a great many people here...sorry. That's just the way I am. I've gotta go and do some work on a story I'm trying to develop, something about a guy who dies and has come back. Interesting...

Ben 1-14-2002 13:03

*Tina*
Hi all!

Oh yeah, if you have the time and patience, I'd be thrilled for you to read 'Freeborn'. Drop me an e-mail, and we'll work it out. :oD

Randall, your cat sounds wonderful. Mine is far too *royal* to do something as energetic as catfishing. If she wasn't so nasty, I'd get another, more active puss.

Christine, your ideas sound great! I just love historical writing. I'm not big on mysteries, but I enjoy a good one now and again. Glad to see you here!
BTW shortie themes are announced Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday, or thereabouts, usually by Mary, and then shortie night is Thursday although it's fine to post it before or after.

Blue Tear, hi again! Don't sell yourself short over a test. Tests are only indicators, not proof of anything. There's a quote by Les Brown that says something like, 'Don't let someone else's opinion of you become your reality.' Write for your own enjoyment, and the rest will follow.

Mel's muse, you're darn lucky to have such a talented human to work with, so don't you go playing games on her! You're here to work, not flirt with the men. Next report, I want to hear only good things, y'hear?

Blue Skies!

Tina 1-14-2002 11:52

Mel:

You ray of sunshine you! (((Big Squeeze around neck)))

Debra 1-14-2002 10:24

^^Mel^^

Hi, you-all! I found my smile again. :-)

DEBRA: Cure for Writer's Block, Variety #2,534,681:
--Clean a 5-year-old's room (puts Suzy Homemaker off her guard)
--Then sort all the desk papers you've been hoarding and meaning to sort/file for eons...
--Then begin to clean the bedroom closet, and discover wonderful little bits of inspiration in saved poems and old calendar photographs. :-)

TEEKAY: My muse came home yesterday morning! I actually saw her, in a trenchcoat on a bridge! She was kissing that seedy-looking fella (really!) and then they parted... When I returned home, I realized my muse had jumped back inside me: I discovered some dandelions frozen brown by Winter! And then, last night, while supervising my 5-yr-old who was having a bath, she suddenly started laughing like a maniac, saying "Mom, you crack me up! AH HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!" She made ME laugh. I needed that! :-)

So for you (and for anyone needing an inspirational lift from someone who just received one), three bits of musely meanderings gleaned from a muse's overnight world travels:

#1
Tearful parting on the bridge--
Love's whispers, bittersweet embrace--
He stares, watching her go...
Why? Only they know.

#2
Old gold dandelion
Frozen into bronze;
Brown and round,
Like mushroon found,
A bit of Spring
kills Winter's sting.

#3
Glum, she was a bum
So I squished her with my thumb
Winter doldrums, RUN!

:-) (yeah, I know - Haiku inventor rolls over painfully in grave!)

Lesson learned:
That which makes a writer a writer,
or at least makes this writer (me) a writer,
can bloom in Winter's night
like Summer firefly's light
if only I remember
the O-I-D-R:

Observe 8-}
Inquire :-0
Discover! <:-)
Relate :-D

Whenever I stop watching, questioning, learning, or laughing, I suffer needlessly. My writing suffers. Now I'm rejuvenated (may it last forever!) - I think I'm gonna interview some of my characters this week, y'know, take them to lunch one or two at a time (oh boy, that's a lot of lunches!) and get to know them better. Then I'll hope to find the missing link to finishing my novel (beyond editing, that is)... and sending it to a publisher before another year ends!

HOWARD: I feel like an opsimath. :-)

RANDALL: Cruisin' and catfishin' - hee hee hee - oh, I needed that! Um, those!! And somewhere, some greedy little scamp is collecting "lost lines" to compile the next great novel of the century...

ALLEIN: Welcome back! :-)

HEATHER: Heart Lake memories sound like great story fodder! :-) And kids in hamster exercise balls sounds really intriguing too, heh heh!

VIV: Light at end of every tunnel, even exams' time tunnels! I enjoyed hearing the coming-of-age holiday stories, especially you rushing to get to work on a no-work day! Oh, I hope you rained sweet revenge on your hubby for that one! :-]

TINA: Need a reader? :-)

AMERICO: Did you say to read a book a week? Oh boy, I'm in trouble! I fall asleep after one or two paragraphs! Do children's picture books count? heh heh! I could read several of those each week and have quality time with my five-year-old at the same time! :-)

ED: What's a zimmer? I assume it's an "Old-Farty" something-or-other?? I'm too young to know (or too un-British!). ;-)

CHRISTINE: Hi! Small towns "stopped in time" sound like intriguing stories to read or write! Glad to hear you're writing about them. :-)

FARAH BLUE TEAR: Blue tears of happiness - sounds like a poem to me! :-) Jack's re-working access to the Notebook, which is unavailable to everyone, right now. Patience! :-]

JERRY, BEN, TAYLOR, EVERYONE ELSE - Hi and happy writing to you all!

Mel 1-14-2002 9:38

CHRISTINE -- Welcome!

BLUE TEAR -- Welcome back!

It's good to see you both here. ALLEIN too! And anyone else that I missed.

TEEKAY -- I got a rejection last night for one of my poems. At least it's some sort of activity! :-)

The word for the day is:
opsimath (OP-si-math) noun

One who begins learning late in life.

Sounds familiar!

I subscribe to AWAD (A Word A Day) at:
http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html

It's an interesting site.

howard 1-14-2002 8:24

Hey Every1 !
I've been busy for weeks, I had exams : 14 subject to study in only 2 weeks!! My head was going to blow! I didn't go to school today because I am so tired: My whole body is aching. I haven't written anything for such a long time so I feel guilty. I went through some bad times, and tried to feel strong by ignoring the unbearable feelings inside. This is why I actually avoided writing, I knew that once I try to write I won't really be able to control those feelings. Also is that I didn't do well in my English Test, or at least not as good as I was supposed to ,it made me feel I am such a loser, I kept saying: "I am not good at this stuff!! why am I even trying to improve myself?!" But I guess it's not feeling I am good that pushes me to write as much as the pleasure of writing itself.
The only source of relieve I had for those passing weeks was watching my first little niece who was born only 5 days ago. SHE IS SOOOO CUTE
By the way, My real name is " Farah" which means happiness (In arabic) It may seam weird to call som1 happiness lol but most of the arabian names have meanings.
I want to force myslef to write something today,I will post it if it's worthy.
Btw, I've been trying to sign up for the notebook, but I kept receiving a page where it was written :
The requested page does not exist on webwitch.com. Please check the spelling of the URL. If you followed a link here, please contact Jack Beslanwitch to alert him to the problem.
Does any1 know what I should do ?
Bye

Blue Tear 1-14-2002 6:36

I'm gonna try putting the link in the text part of the message

http://www.murdermostbritish.homestead.com

that should work

I'd like to introduce myself a bit more, so you know who you're chatting at.......

I'm 35, and my inteerests in writing lie in the history and mystery of Great Britian
and small coastal towns that have sort of been stopped in time. historical mysteries, and right now I am concentrating on short stories. Although...I have had an idea that has been floating around in heeaaad for so long, and it has seemed to gather mass as it rolls around, that I am seriously considering a novel. Officially, I am disabled. I prefer to think of my self as eeeearly retired.
Please forgive typos, sometimes my fingers resist doing what my brain bids them to do. I made a gift to myself this year that I would make a serious effort to wrtie fiction and non-fiction in subjects that interest me. I love research, and am hoping to be found to be a suitable candidate for a certain assignment I ran across. I have had my work published, but so far I believe it is all non-fiction.........

Although my love is for historical mysteries set in britian (or those little coastal towns I spoke of), my last two stories were nnot historical. They did take place in small coastal towns, but really not much historical about them. Not very British either. The one I just finished and now must spend hours upon hours polishing is actually a little out of my comfort zone as it required a PI. Not a character or a time I'm most comfortable in.

I homeschool 3 children, enjoy reading, writing, watching old movies of and listiening to Old Time Radio plays of my favourite genre. I also enjoy painting on rocks, crocheting, and some other needlecrafts. I am learning to to live with my chronic illnesses, and am considering writing a proposal about my expereineces and little tidbits of info that have made my lifestyle transition easier

I may not post often, but when I do, chances are tehy will be wordy. I save it all up I guess. Most of the time I am rather quiet, but that is my personality in the real world as well.

I would like to tak epart in a few of the assignments, are the story ideas emailed to us, or posted here on the board, and if so, how often?

feel free to email me, or even beep me on YM
murdermostbritish@yahoo.com

thanks!

Christine Murder Most British 1-14-2002 5:30

Well winter has again come to South Dakota. Today began as all those nice days have, temps above freezing, which is so very unusual up here. It had been raining all yesterday afternoon and last night so the streets were icy this morning. We made the trip to mom's for dinner and pinochle.

When we started our third game it began snowing. The weatherman warned us that this was coming along with winds up to 70 MPH.

We begged off on more cards and headed home early. It has been snowing since then, but the winds have only been around thirty miles per hour, so we missed the big ones, for which we are thankful.

Jerry 1-14-2002 0:53

Drinking - having grown up in an alcoholic family, I understand all the attitudes involving drinking. As far as I'm concerned, it's a toss-up. I occasionally drank when my kids were young, but we tried not to allow them to see us drunk, the wife never indulged enough to show it since the kids were born. I stopped drinking completely several years ago, mostly because of all the stupid pill I take now to live a semi-normal life. So did the wife.

We now have one drink (sometimes two) on Christmas Eve because it is tradition.

Now I never let my kids drink in my house, nor did I allow them to have any sort of parties. I think that was mostly because I was a cop, and it would look very bad for a cop in a small town to allow such things in his house. You know the drill, something like that would be all over town before the first kid threw up. I don't think I would have allowed it had I been say an accountant, or a carry out boy either. That's just me.

Now when our boys (mine and my sister's) graduated from school, they held an open house at my sister's house for both boys and the beer flowed like water. The Sheriff was there as a guest, and drank right along with the boys and everyone else for that matter, as were the local judge, and several members of the town board and city Commissioners.

I did drive down and bail my son and his buddies out of jail when they were arrested for minor in possession. I did go to court with my boy and testify that I didn't feel he was in need of alcohol treatment, and the judge bought it. Now as far as I know neither of my kids drink much, but they are both near 30 my daughter just on this side, my son on the other, so they can do as they please.

At any rate, I won't stand judgement on anyone as far as letting their kids drink at home, we all know that most will find a time and place to do it. My folks let me drink at home, we had big house parties where my buddies and girl friends would come and join in, there was all the booze anyone would want, and folks having sex in cars parked out in the front yard. That was when we lived north of the tracks and the nearest law enforcement with any authority was over twenty six miles north west of there so we could pretty much do as we pleased, and we did.

I just didn't want my kids to see such things.

I could argue that I turned out OK having been raised in such an invironment, so maybe my kids would have too, but there are issues from my youth that haunt me from time to time, and I am thankfull that my kids don't have those, that they don't have the nightmares, the night terrors that I had when I was younger.

My Internet Explorer stopped working. Well it sort of works part of the time, but fails more then it works. I could reformat again, but I don't really want to do that so soon after the last. Instead I installed Opera, and it works great except some of my support programs arn't working right such as my spell checker, and pop-up stopper. I miss the spell checker, but I was amazed to find that Opera has a built in pop-up stopper that works great.

Jerry 1-13-2002 23:30

More on today's holiday.
My husband startled me awake this morning by saying, "aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Wondering when I'd hit senility I raced for the door dressing all the way. I made it out on time with a big cup of coffee. Got down to the train station, piled on a train, did class preparations wondering why I'd put it off so long and "bunting" all my classes.

Got there and the guard at the school gate said, "Uh, excuse me, didn't anyone tell you that today is a holiday?"

I snapped into focus and remembered, "Oh yah! Today is coming of age."

Today Allein would be part of the mob scene down at the hairdressers. She'd have her face made up with white pancake, little red heart shaped lips, and a black mole drawn on as a beauty mark. Looking like a gesha wearing blue jeans, she'd go with her friends over to the kimono shop. There she'd be dressed in layers upon layers of silk. After her feet were jammed into little zori's she'd hobble off through the store.

What did I see besides this? Three kimono clad beauties in a photo booth getting snapshots of their made up faces. A boy proudly escorting his girlfriend who looked like a traditional Japanese doll. She was hanging on his arm looking like she might faint at the pain in her feet. It took them about a half an hour to get halfway down the street to a coffee shop. He took her inside, bought her a good big cup of coffee then took off and hailed a cab. Smart boy! The way she was crippling along, they wouldn't have made the afternoon ceremony.

What is cute is all over Japan there are a bunch of new little fledglings learning that if you are wearing a kimono it's impossible to drive, or walk. The only way to drive (I learned this from experience and from doing it with my friends on the way to those miserable tea ceremonies) is to hike your kimono skirt up almost to your thighs before you get in the car. It looks so funny like you are doing a strip tease!

Welcome to the madcap world of tradition. As these little girls will discover a little bit goes a long long way. It's fun to be dressed up like a little doll. I think that's why the tradition continues. Every mother loves to do it just one last time to her beautiful daughter, and occasionally do it herself. Unfortunately, it's a real loss of freedom. How women in the past survived is a real question. I remember saying to my grandmother that I envied her long skirts of the Gibson Girl era. She replied crisply, "Why, they were dust catchers. My ankles were always dirty."

viv 1-13-2002 23:27

***Taylor***

Allein: Nice to see you again, was wandering where you went off to.

I am glad to hear President Bush is fine, just found out about 45 mins ago that he choked on a pretzel... I tell you what it almost seems funny in its way. I'm not saying it wasn't serious.

Anyhow back to writing, just dropped in virtually to say hi to everyone.
And the title of my book is now, "A Breath of Fresh Air" since that about suits everything.

Taylor 1-13-2002 22:57

Eddie - I feel old too. I started coming here when I was 16, so almost 4 years ago! :O Wow!

Heather - Don't worry, I can still get up to Canada, so hopefully someday, I'll get up that way to meet you. :D That would be cool.

Allein Peachick's Gallery 1-13-2002 22:07

Hmmmmmmm...Wondered where that line went.

R

Randall 1-13-2002 20:22

Randall

Hey!

Tina, animals can fink you out. Now Mommy Cat is different.

I enjoy catfishing. No not catfish fishing, but catfishing. It can be done in the privacy of ones own living room, perhaps a bedroom, in the yard...anywhere. Requires no fancy rod and reel, no messy bait, no sharp hooks or $30,000 fishing boats.

Any rod and reel will work, actually a bamboo pole will suffice, a fly rod should be a blast! Remove the hook, (very important in PETA's eye) tie on a suitable object for bait. In keeping with the theme of catfishing I use plastic worms, perhaps a small lead weight on the line as well. Line strength does not matter unless your playing with a really big cat.

Dangle the worm in front of your favorite house cat. Once he or she is in a playful mood toss the worm a few feet with the rod. This is where the small lead weight comes in handy, as plastic worms achieve little distance without something else tied on. If kitty is with the program fun starts immediately. This really works best outside.

For instance. Last summer Sean and I were sitting in our driveway playing with our cat, adroitly named Mommy Cat. Mommy Cat really gets into the game. She relishes stalking the worm as it slithers through grass and leaves. Using stalking techniques developed on the plains of Africa she creeps through the grass, great black eyes never leaving the worm. Patience is its own reward as Mommy Cat appreciates a slow-moving worm. This gives her time to creep from cover behind a stick to concealment behind a blade of grass. (Well, she thinks she's hidden!) With pupils large and black, tail swishing side to side Mommy Cat creeps upon the unsuspecting worm.

Mommy Cat's head is on the ground, eyes wide, ears erect, front feet poised. With hind legs quivering for release...she leaps! Claws out, front legs capture the worm! Grasping the plastic worm in her mouth she flees across the yard.

"Play her dad! Play her!" Sean shouts from beside me.

Mommy Cat, not about to release something she worked hard for runs left. The rod bends in my hand! She retreats viciously shaking the worm, then heads for the flower bed! Well practiced Mommy Cat is wise to the game of catfishing.

"Don't let her get into the flowers!" Sean shrieks, leaping to his feet. "You lost her there last time!"

Now she heads back to the driveway, the rod bent double in my hands! The lawn chair slowly tips forward.

"Dad," Sean shouts, "You forgot the safety belt!"

"No time now." I reply, grimly aware that I had a veteran mouser on the line. (Grin) Mice tremble at the mention of her name.

The drag on the reel is screaming! Mommy Cat is not about to loose the worm now! She leaps in the air, shaking the worm firmly clenched in her mouth. Desperate to hold on Mommy Cat breaks for sanctuary under my pickup!

"Sean!" I sob, "Can't hold her!"

Mommy Cat with a desperate lunge streaks under the pickup and the line parts.

In the silence, Sean shakes his head. "And you call yourself a writer! Hemingway would have never lost a Marlin like that! He would have turned her. A shameful display."

My only son leaves me alone with only a memory of a hellva afternoon fight. Just another frustrated writer/fisherman, a failure. I discard the rod, slip a small can of cat food on the porch. Made from genuine fish. The label seems to laugh at me, it protrays a cat eating a fish. Mommy Cat, now aware that the worm is not edible runs to devour the food. Soon she finishes, brushes my leg with a tail as she retreats to the garage for a nap.

Alone, forlorn, abandoned even by my son I sit sadly and watch the sun set in the west.

Cats, huh?

Randall

:-)

"Do you need the safety belt?" my son asks.

Randall 1-13-2002 20:19

Allein is 20 in two months or so????
Boy....You really know how to make me feel........ OLD

I remember when you were just a nipper!!
Excuse me while I polish my zimmer.

Eddie 1-13-2002 19:32

Okay, so that got a little longer than intended.
I'd meant to include a really revealing glimpse into teenage drinking gone awry (a personal story!) but then went into a rave about Heart Lake.

I also wanted to say Congratulations to Allein! Good going, Allein - I knew you could find a dental assistant job! Disneyland sounds fun - I'd love to meet you there with my family, but I don't think we'll be able to afford that trip by this May.
Also, because of being arrested way back when, I don't think I'm allowed into the US unless I pay $200 (US funds)
per year to have that priveledge. I was refused access to the US at the border last year when driving my friend Tanya back to the Buffalo airport. Man, was that embarrassing!
Little did customs know I'd been going in and out of the States for years, visiting my parents. I'd just never been stopped for a background check until last year. You'd think that after all these years, they wouldn't care - or that there wouldn't be anything on me any more.

I have to go to the pet store and buy my kids those hamster exercise balls (gee, doesn't that sound awful?) so I'll explain this a little further when I get back - as if anyone really wants to know.

My hideous past... you'd never know by looking at me!
*bwah ha ha hahahahah!*

Heather 1-13-2002 16:06

Oh, I've been drunk in parks before. Long ago, when I was such a young innocent (laugh hard, 'cause I am if you're not...) my friends and I would buy a case of beer or Durangos and sit down at this little play table in the park. We'd squeeze into the toddler sized chairs and play cards, or just talk and joke around. There was a little playhouse too, and sometimes we'd slide down the slides and climb the monkey bars and chase each other around. There was also a small lake nearby, and we would sometimes make the trek over to the rolling hills that banked one side of the lake. We'd lie down and roll down the hills, screaming all the while with laughter. It was great, up until we got a little too drunk once and somebody vomited on the roll down. That was mortally disgusting, so after that, we found other places to 'play'. It was nice sitting up on the lifeguard stand by the lake at night, under the moon, having a beer with friends. Five of us at least could fit up on that lifeguard thing. We didn't go swimming much; being dark and the water wasn't just murky, it was darned near swampish. The lake (Heart Lake) was so overcome with algae and green plantlife, that there were several aerators placed into it to keep the fish alive. If you took a canoe out onto the lake in the day, you couldn't see the end of your paddle in the green haze. Your bathing suit would be lined in it if you dared get into the water.
All the ducks and geese had to do to get a meal in that lake was to skim their beaks along the top of the water and paddle along. Man, there were some fat fowl in the area!
I lived on the other side of the lake, just across the street, but we had to access the lake from the complete opposite side - from the park. There were other houses on one side, big, sprawling homes with security features we didn't feel like testing. The house directly across from us was owned by the man who owned Canadian Tire. I babysat his two sons on occasion. It was my first encounter with a house full of leather furniture, and the first cigars I ever smoked! The father enjoyed talking to me after he and his wife got home, and we'd all sometimes sit out in the back garden talking, and he'd have a cigar. He gave me one to smoke once, and I felt like such a grown up! His wife asked me to paint a custom wall in her kitchen, and paid me very well. That was my first art contract.
Back to the lake....the other way in was fenced with that twelve foot high kind of fence, and after that conservation land for miles. Basically, the lake was really shaped like a heart. The top part, where the two curves were was the swimming area and boat access. Back behind the house where I babysat was a giant fountain. If you didn't know the lake was really vile, at night it looked so beautiful you'd have paid more than top dollar to live on it.
There are more than seven wonders of the world.

Heather 1-13-2002 15:57

Hi everyone!!

Viv - The dentist I work for is really nice and says I've been doing a good job, so I'm happy about that. :) And she's so really nice that she's let me take time off to go to Disneyland in May!! :D I'm really excited about the trip (not so much about flying there, but the trip itself yeah). Don't rush yourself on the editing, take all the time you need. :D

I've heard of the "Coming of Age" ceremony. Sounds really cool - actually, I'll be 20 in less than two months. :) Sake is nasty. Most anything with alcohol in it is nasty.

Saw Harry Potter yesterday - good movie for those who haven't seen it.

That's all for now. :)
Bye bye!

Allein Peachick's Gallery 1-13-2002 14:49

Well, now that the computer's up and running--not that it wasn't running before--this is the first chance I've had to get on it for more than five minutes.

I got four hours sleep between Friday's afternoon shift and Saturday's day shift, and the minute I walked in the door, my daughter starts harping on me that the printer wasn't working. I was cranky, tired and miserable, and my son knew it. I get that way when I don't get enough sleep. (I think I need at least six hours.) He says, Let me get you a cup of coffee dad, you look like you could use a sugar rush. Funny kid. Just turned sixteen last week. He wants to have a party here, wanted it this weekend, but we had to go to a friend's 40th, and there was no way I was gonna let him have a party with us not being there. They want to drink.

Now I don't have a problem with that, and niether does the wife. I guess we remember being young and knowing the only way to get anything booze was through a bootlegger, or else stealing it from some parent's liquor cabinet. So if they want to drink, I'd rather I was able to see them, monitor it, and regulate what happens. I've told him if he wants to have friends over here drinking, he has to be responsible. If anyone gets sick, he's cleaning it up. He agrees. I may rue the day I said okay to this, but if I don't give them a safe place to drink, they'll be sitting in a park somewhere, or worse, driving in someone's car. If he's going to drink, I'm gonna teach him to drink sensibly--if there is such a thing...because one wouldn't think that after last night's drinking binge for daddy. And for once having the designated driver plan actually worked out the way it's supposed to, as opposed to the most sober person drives home...and now I gotta run. Have to drive the wife to work and start on the chores...back on your heads!

ben 1-13-2002 13:37

Hi all!

Allein, congrats!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you. It's a great feeling when things swing your way.

Randall... BUSTED by a dog. I love it! hehehe

I'm desperately seeking HTML help... anyone here able to lend me a tag? I'm trying to improve my webpage, but one thing continues to elude me and I'm getting very frustrated. If you have the know, let me know, so I can get in the know... ya know? Heeeellllp!

Viv, so THAT's what it means. What is the traditional ceremony?
And hang tough, February is coming.

We now return you to our normally scheduled programming....

Tina 1-13-2002 12:34

RANDALL

Hi!

Viv...as you know, when a person is drunk, all rules, usually, are out the window. No pun intended with the policeman thing. Thank the Lord my children do not drink, and, as one who started drinking when 18...putting it on the back burner when 32...I would know. It's hard to fool a person who weaved through the wild side of life viewing the world through the bottom of a beer bottle.

I stopped drinking when Sara, now 19, was born. Our income was limited, as it always has been, and a six-pac and a gallon of milk were the same price. For me that was a no-brainer. Oh, I have had a beer every now and then, but haven't been drunk in 19 years.

Looking back on life when I was under the influence, all the dumb things, all the immoral acts, all the criminal undertakings, all the dangerous actions occurred when I was drunk. Alcohol, in moderation will relieve stress, and "lighten your load" but will make some folks crazy and personal responsibility goes, again, out the window...

Randall

Randall 1-13-2002 11:07

Allien - Welcome home, we've missed you.

Jerry Better ghost story page 1-13-2002 10:33

Need to recharge your batteries? How about a good true ghost story?

The link below will take you to a page where folks who have seen or been visited by ghosts can tell their stories. Lots of fun stuff to read and it may lead to a more fertile mind.

Jerry Ghost Stories 1-13-2002 10:11

HEEYYYYYY! Allein High Five Girl!
You did it. You are now doing what you studied to do. Wonderful! Tell us all about it. What's the dentist like? Is he scary? I'll try to get at my edits of your writing. I'm still in the swamped mode until January 25th.
I have finals to give on the 24th....uh could you make that on the 27th. I have finals to grade. Oh boy. I'm at the point where the end of the tunnel looks a long way away. It's only a couple more steps though and we'll get there.
See you on the 27th or 28th in your e-mailbox. After that I have a long month and a half to write and read.
(Unfortuantely, my favorite book went off the approved list so I have to find and write up a new class for speaking, and a new class in writing...the real grammar freshman gut "boring" stuff. Maybe we can find a way to make that fun together. Right now, I'm just thinking of how I can get through finals.

Viv again 1-13-2002 8:38

Well Happy Coming of Age Day to anyone young enough to be 20 out there.

Actually, I think the real age is 21. Since it's celebrated here at 20, but really the legal age is 21 for drinking and smoking. Still after coming of age day this means Japanese young people can drink and smoke. They are also legally past their nonage. They can be convicted of crimes as adults. I suppose that is why the crowd of 18 year olds rioted outside the ceremony in Tokyo today. They brought kegs of sake and had a wonderful drunken bash which turned into a near riot. An 18 year old drove into the crowd and grabbed a policeman and pulled him into the car.
I guess it waas a real mess. Now why did that kid pull the policeman into the car with him? Randall, answer that one for me. Sometimes the kids here do the dumbest things!
Then again, maybe it was kind of funny. Can you picture a very short policeman leaning into a car window and getting pulled in? I can see that kid driving around in circles with this policeman's legs waving around outside the window.

I shouldn't laugh! It's shocking really and a defiant act against the customary serious ritual. Still, after all Koizumi's raving about getting back to tradition, I see the rebels still having the creativity to turn custom into a free for all!

The privilages of drinking and smoking are over-rated anyway! I think the 18 year olds were really protesting the coming of age. It's better to stay a kid and they know it.

Heather: I'm so sorry about that happening to your daughters. It happened to my friend and I when we were pretending we were horses and galloping around in a park. When the police asked for a description, all I could remember was the offending member! They were nice about it and tried to find the man. They never did, and we never saw him again. We never went back to the park though. It was a coming of age of a different sort. Not fun or fair.
I hope they catch the cowardly bully.

Viv 1-13-2002 8:32

So far no news from the police. I'll call again tomorrow. I hope they don't think I'm disturbing the peace at the station, with all these superfluous calls.

I thought that was you, Ben! Welcome back.

Mary - That's a long time to wait for your tooth extractions. Try to stay away from your jewelery pliers in the meantime, and drink lots of chicken noodle soup through a straw; the red and white stripey kind. :)
I'll make this short, so you don't have to sit still any longer than necessary. (((((((HUGS)))))) and no mallots...
You'll be so glad you got the anaesthesia!

I'm really tired at the moment, so have forgotten much of what I wanted to say.

Night, all

Heather 1-13-2002 3:10

Hi Everyone!!
Sorry I haven't been around! I should really make these visits more fequent.
Lots has happened - namely, I got a job, I work for a dentist. So at least I'm doing what I want to do (aside from writing).
Hope everyone here had a merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
What's Thursday's shortie theme? Um...guess I'll find out Monday like everyone else. I'll try to write something. :D
I have actually been doing quite a bit of writing.
I'll be popping in more frequently from now on!
WELCOME to all the newcomers!
*smiles*
Allein

Allein Peachick's Gallery 1-13-2002 2:00

RANDALL

Hey!

TGIF, at last!

Say what?

Saturday?

Oops!

Coasting was big in 1965. Cruising the streets was big as well, (ask Steven Spielberg) but car coasting was big in our clique. It was a little bit of life, establish a goal, define a game plan, prepare properly, and follow through.

It was the ‘follow through' that got my brother Darrel, our German Shepard ‘Butch' and your author in hot water one night. Well, perhaps not Butch, the informant! Events in a town of 10,000 in 1965 were few and far between. The circus came to town once a year, stock shows, ditto. Both about as much entertainment to a teenage boy as a sock inna jaw, so we created our own life threating adventure.

Just west of town was a small hill with a terrific drop in elevation. Down this hill, a four lane, major highway funneled traffic directly into downtown. The road dropped several hundred feet or so in a quarter mile, leveled out to a small rise a half-mile ahead, then dropped again till it came to an overpass.

The object of the game/contest was to coast down the hill in whatever vehicle you had and attempt to set a distance record for gearless...coasting. Truckers call this ‘Georgia overdrive.' Downhill momentum counted and most 'coasters' enhanced momentum by trying to insert their right foot right through the cooling fan and in the radiator. In other words, floor the gas pedal just before moving the transmission into neutral. Speeds attained as the car launched down the hill were legendary. A speed of 65 mph was considered...well, effete. 75 mph, not bad... Most contestants strived for the big 80. Variables were little traffic, no police, good tail wind, and a lot of guts.

Achieving the correct velocity for a downhill launch guaranteed a super velocity when the hill bottomed out. Speed counted, for objects that are in motion tend to remain in motion. Say, that might be a profound, natural law!

One night about 10PM, Darrel reved up his Plymouth, dumped the clutch and away we went. He shifted through four forward gears and achieved a terrific down slope launch. When he shifted the transmission into neutral we were blasting downhill right at 90MPH.

"Oh crap!" I shouted.

He looked over at me and whooped in glee. "We gotta good one a'going!"

Butch, our German Shepard was along for the ride. Normally in the backseat with his head out the window, for some reason he moved to sit on the console, between the front bucket seats. Butch was a great canine pal and a terrific open door to meet girls. His eyes, bright with intelligence in the night, were glued to the onrushing road. Center stripes looked like a solid line, guardrail nothing but a blur in the headlights.

At the foot of the hill the speedometer was buried, beyond 120. Wind roaring through the open windows swirled discarded paper cups and empty hamburger bags through the car and into the warm night. We flew by the city limit sign like a bat out of hell...so fast paint blistered and curled.

"Way ahead of anyone else so far!" Darrel yelled at me.

By now the speed was slowing, we were down to 90, then 85. Still 60 miles over the posted limit we had leveled out and approached a low rise in the highway. At the highpoint we were down to 65, then a gentle down slope. Ahead several small businesses came into view. A half-mile down the road a popular Mexican restaurant was visible. We sped on, speed slowly climbing on the down slope...67...69...

"We're going over the overpass!" I shouted. "A new record, no one's gone over it, ever!"

A quarter-mile ahead the overpass was visible. Now the road began a gentle rise, down to 65...then 60, we were shedding forward momentum like the space shuttle coming in. Several cars were ahead, Darrel whipped by them. Startled occupants gaped at two guys and a big dog sitting between them. One car to go, the overpass was ours!

"Nothing now, but get by old pokey driving that white Mercury." I shouted.

Ahead a 1961 Mercury was plodding along. Inside a man and a woman sat, sight seekers out to sample the sights of late night action. What kind of old fogey would be out this time of night?

A WHITE MERCURY!

Darrel, slouched in the seat gasped and sat quickly upright, "Mom and Dad!"

We flew by them, 30 MPH over the speed limit. The overpass only a hundred yards ahead. We had enough speed to make it over. We should have made it. We could have made it. It might have worked. Our folks might not have recognized us. There might have been many two-door, red and white Plymouths in town. Surely several had a big dog sitting on the center console, between two teenage boys. But Butch recognized Dad. He leaped into the back seat, stuck his big furry head, canine mouth out the window and barked loudly. Not once, you understand, but several times.

Darrel groaned, engaged the clutch and shifted into 4th gear. A record breaker was aborted. Actually, Mom and Dad were rather nice about the incident. We only lost our internal combusted motorized transport for a week. Kinda like a home incarnation where food was prepared and cooked by one heck of a cook. I caught Dad patting Butch on the head the day after as he fed him a whole package of wieners. Done in by a dog!?

For some reason lost to memory we never attempted another coast. This might be attributed to common sense and maturity....but I doubt it.

Goodnight

Randall

Randall 1-12-2002 21:55

Teekay - Now there's a plan, removing that part of the brain. I have an old .45 ACP Pistol that would do that job nicely.

Howard - Can't imagine what would happen if the poor fellow had a cold, sure wouldn't want to be in range when he sneezed.

Ben - Welcome home, sure glad you could make it. Computer ills are a horrible thing to put up with.

Litter - what I said ^ . Just did a MB transplant on a couple of old 486's that this friend of the wife's dropped off. Made a Cyrix M2 300 out of one, and a Pentium 133 out of the other. Did another last week, took out the old 486 SX 20 and replaced it with a pentium 200MMX. Been finding the old Motherboards on EBAY for around 20 bucks each. They usually come with some memory and a processor already installed, so all I have to do is take out a couple of screws, pull all the ISA and PCI cards pull the old MB put in the new, then hook up the power supply, replace the cards and hit the switch. I have it down to a fine art, the last one took me seventeen minutes. (Funny how you start timing stupid things when you're bored.) Enjoy the new lightning fast power of the new machine.

Jerry 1-12-2002 21:31

**Teekay**

HOWARD: Puts a whole new light on the term 'nosejob'.

Teekay 1-12-2002 20:03

**Teekay**

Finished! And now I can spend the rest of the day basking in the comforting glow of accomplishment.

*sigh*

I just love that feeling.

Teekay 1-12-2002 19:59

TEEKAY:
You said > They should also have offending organs surgically altered.

One way might be to have the offending organ interchanged with their nose, so that when it becomes excited everyone will see it and throw things at them...

howard 1-12-2002 19:55

**Teekay**

HOWARD: HYUK, didn't see that end coming :-D

Teekay 1-12-2002 18:58

**Teekay**

BEN: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY it's BEN. Funny, didn't sound a bit like you.
I was the same way when I received my writer's digest - it was like this whole universe that I didn't even know existed opened up.

ALL:This is my most treasured book, and strangely enough this is the one I've written in with led pencil - to keep track of what I've sent where, and when.
And I said I would never, ever write in a book.
What a liar I am.
But I guess you guys already know that :-D

OYSTER: Thanks :-D. And the beauty of it is, they're all virtual awards - NO DUSTING!!!!!!!

LITTER: I believe I've already claimed the award for most 'humble.' But thanks :-)

MEL: (((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))))) you sound so glum. I think I saw your muse at the spiky dog, she was deep in conversation with a rather seedy looking fellow and didn't see me. He handed over a few bills before he left.
I do hope she's not selling off her inspiration to that fellow.

HEATHER & JERRY: My opinion on paedophiles is to remove that part of the brain concerned with sex (as this is a delicate matter and there are some sensitive men aboard, I won't be crass enough to joke around with that being about 95% of their brain - I have more class than that- somewhere around here.)
They should also have offending organs surgically altered.

MARY: (((((((((((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))))) and panadeine. Don't worry the 25th isn't all that far away.

My shorties almost finished, just have to make sure it's around 900 words and then polish it up. Wanted to send it out Monday, but it's probably best and wait to look it over with a distant eye jsut to make sure it's the best I can get it to be.

Have a great day here.

Sunday, so it's lunch at MIL's.

Teekay 1-12-2002 18:56

To me, writersblock is a story coming that you don't want to do right now. You might have had your heart set on doing a different one. So as long as the struggle continues nothing comes.

Debra 1-12-2002 13:28

\ /
===============life happens----------------------
>-8>
===============creativity running dry------------
/ \

Feeling kinda TIRED an' RUN DOWN,if you know what I mean...

sigh...

Welcome back, BEN. You WERE missed!

Hi to everybodeez!

Hi to SUZ and anyone else new or still in lurk-mode...

Um, anyone seen my muse? I'm at the mercy of Suzy HM today who, as we all know, has no mercy...

sigh...

Mel 1-12-2002 11:25

Hello Everyone!

My shortie is still coming, I promise...but I am in too much of a mess to write it right yet. I haven't read anyone else's yet either. Mine is going to be from my son's perspective.

Went to the dentist yesterday for a consult on my teeth. They are taking them both out on Jan. 25th. I opted for the total knock-out this time. That drilling, cracking, snapping, popping is not something I am interested in hearing. I only wish the day would come faster.

Taking the kids to see Toy Story on Ice this afternoon. They are so excited they are having fits. They have never been to anything like this before. Then on Feb. 14th, we are taking them to see Beauty and the Beast. That ought to be interesting.

HEATHER: I am still with ya girlie, I just can't concentrate to write anything because as soon as I sit still for more than a minute, my tooth starts yelling at me. Sorry that incident happened with your daughter and her friend. Glad she is strong and the policeman was kind. Toe any better?

LITTER: It is good to know that you would like to hear from me. I will send you out a humdinger shortly. Probably tomorrow. Sorry to hear that nothing is going right for you. Did you try that Kava Kava yet? Big hugs!

Welcome home Ben!

Mary 1-12-2002 10:57

Hi all!

Just when you think it is safe to go back into the water another shit-storm hits. I started writing this on Thursday evening but my PC died. It wasn’t a glorious death but a pointless waste. My motherboard just curled up it toes and fell of its perch. It was pointless, it was needless – I suppose it gave up the struggle to keep up with me and just threw in the towel…

Such a short life but full of energy, hope, and promise. Now it lies lifeless, another casualty of civilised living. It was one of a kind. (almost literally it seems…) I’m sure I will never see its like again. But it is gone and I have to live with the consequences – which means doubling the RAM and tripling the processor speed – YEE HA! It’s going to be bigger and badder than ever!!!

Dearest motherboard, I hope you are now at peace in Silicon Heaven.

For those who care, the funeral is on Monday. No flowers please, but gifts of money are welcomed. The money will be used to ease the pain, suffering, and wallet of the family left behind – ME!

(This is being written on my laptop.)

JON – I thank you for the almost accolade.

HOWARD – I thank you for your kind words. BTW does your friend write the rites he writes, right? If not I sure he could find a word-wright to write his rites right. Only a suggestion.

MARY – Ta for your kind comments also. I appreciate e-mail even when I am down and worried and I need some love and care, and nothing, nothing is going right. I keep my head together, and call your name out loud, soon you’ll be knocking upon my door. (email box at any rate) With profound apologies to Carole King.

TEEKAY – Yes, you are all those things but I also commend your reserve and humility. :o)

OYSTER – Novel wise, I have one in the slush-piles of a couple of publishers and I’m still waiting to hear back from them. Also, I am currently writing four: one murder mystery, one satire, and two sci-fi, relating to prophecy and ‘end-days’ scenarios. I cannot seem to make up my mind what one to focus on as I like all four of them. Sooner or later I’ll have to decide…

Everyone else – Howdy. Apologies if I’ve missed a question or comment – time is short and the demise of my motherboard has been somewhat of a distraction.

Welcome back Ben.

All good things,

Litter 1-12-2002 8:46

Heather, Tina, you win.

It's great to be back. I'm not gonna be reading the archives for a while. Just got this thing back today after taking it in yesterday. I thought it wasn't a bad thing it crappin out just before the summer holidays. Everything else on it worked; there was just no internet access.

I'd love to stay and chat for a while, but I just got home from the afternoon shift (it's 1:15 am here), and I stupidly said yes to O.T. tomorrow on the day shift, so that means up at 6:00. After a week on afternoons, getting to sleep before two will be hard.

I've been writing a lot of short stories. They're still too long, novella length for the most part, and I'm still sending them out. But I went out and bought the "Novel and Short Story Writer's Market" for 2002, and the markets have opened up like might flood waters. I've got all the pages marked where they accept stories of ten thousand words and more. I'll bet there are more than two dozen sights, closer to thirty. I'm gonna go through tham all once more, one at a time, and then start making my selections. I'm looking for publishers that accept short story collections as well.

The one thing I've learned, the one thing people stress, is to know your market, and then start bombing them with manuscripts. Instead of carpet bombing an industry I don't know anything about, now I can pick them off one at a time.

If anybody needs an address, feel free to drop me a line.

Ben 1-12-2002 4:23

Methinks it's Ben.

Just saw 'Kate and Leopold'. Great chick flick, and Hugh Jackman is a HOTTIE. Teekay, you Aussies sure know how to export 'em! First Mel, then Russell, now Hugh. Keep 'em coming! :oD

Tina 1-12-2002 2:16

Damn right, Jerry. Perverts start out doing stuff like the guy today did. The girls said they thought he looked about 18 years old. I pray that the cops find him. He'd better pray that I don't.

Heather 1-12-2002 2:11

Heather - Nothing worse then a pervert. I recall a time many years ago when I was working in a nearby town. We got a call from a lady who had her daughter at the hospital, along with her daughter's playmate. Both girls were eight years old. When we got there, the lady told us that her boyfriend caught their neighbor molesting the girls. The boyfriend started after the neighbor, who jumped out a window in his trailer house got in his car and ran for Montana. The boyfriend in hot pursuit.

We called the Sheriff of that county, as we had no jurisdiction there, he asked us to meet him there, then he called the State Crime Bureau.

We all met at the guy's trailer house, and conducted a search, based on the warrant that the Sheriff had obtained en route. (He called us as he was the lone peace officer in his county)

It was a sort of strange search, as we began like a normal search, being relatively careful so as not to harm the trailer house, or his property. As we began finding evidence in the form of hundreds of Polaroid photo's of the local young girls in various poses nude, and engaged in sex acts, the search became sort of violent. Things seemed to get knocked over, when we were carrying a foot locker filled with porn out of the place, we slipped and knocked a hole in his wall, things like that.

The whole thing took a toll on all of us, just seeing the horror he put these little girls through made us all mad as hell. While we were in the midst of the search, the Sheriff got a call from his wife, who manned the emergency phone for their county. Seems the boyfriend caught the perp in a neighboring state, and beat him nearly to death. The local police there arrested both of them and was holding the pervert for the Sheriff.

The Sheriff left to pick up his prisoner, while we cleaned out the fellows trailer house. We took his camera, his photo's his books on pedophilia, even his clock, as one of the girls told us that she watched the clock, as he molested her so she knew exactly what time everything took place.

When we got back to town, the Sheriff called us on the radio, and we met him at our local Sheriff's office. He had the perp, and the fellow looked like he had been run over by a Mac truck.

The States Attorney called the Judge, and a hearing was held then and there. The perp plead guilty (After a chance to talk to a local lawyer) and was sentenced to twenty five years in the State Pen.

Fastest trial I have ever seen in my life, within ten hours of the act, the fellow was behind bars.

I always wonder what effect the whole thing had on the girls in that little town, in addition to the two who were hospitalized, there was evidence that he had molested at least seven other little ones over the five years he lived there.

Jerry 1-12-2002 0:34

Did I mention my guess is Ben?

Sorry sorry 'bout 'bout the the double double post post,, friends,, friends..

Heather 1-11-2002 22:50

My guess is Ben.

Well, shitty things do come in threes.
My daughter and her friend were walking home from school when they noticed a car idling nearby. They were waiting at the corner to be able to cross the street. They suddenly realized that the man in the idling car had his penis in hand, masturbating. These are nine year old girls!
How horrifying!
THey rushed to our house, and I called the police immediately. They remembered the make and colour of the car, and what the perp looked like - even hair colour. Thank God. To the police's credit, they had 6 patrol cars out looking for the creep within 3 or 4 minutes, and a seventh car pulled up to our house within 5 minutes.
The cop who took the girls' statements and descriptions was very genteel. He made a point of telling them that this incident wasn't their fault at least twice, which is important. My saying it might not be memorable, but a cop saying it - definitely.
I don't know if they'll call us if/when they find this guy. I suppose I will have to call the station tomorrow morning and see what news there is. The car was an unusual turquoise-green colour, and a hatchback. I asked the cop if it was an unusual enough car to help in the search, and he said it was.
I'm going to be waiting for the girls every day at school and walking home with them, like I did last year. I had hoped that they'd be okay this year, walking together.
So much for a safe neighbourhood. It has always been touted as one of the safest. Great.

At the very least, this makes my toe injury damned insignificant.

My daughter's friend is sleeping over tonight, so that they can keep each other company, and I just thought it would be nice, since they asked. Usually I ask for twenty-four hours notice before agreeing to a sleepover. Need time to prep for the party, after all!

Guess I'm a little blown away by all the events of today.
My husband wasn't home when the girls arrived (he's usually home before they are, on weeks when he works day shifts). He was out at the wreckers, picking up two used rims for the Taurus, and then to the auto shop, to have them installed and new tires as well. Turned out all the damage I did in that little slide event last Sunday was a bent rim and a bulging tire. Whew.
I thought it would cost us a mint if I'd damaged the universal, or worse. Not that I know much about cars, but as this one falls apart by the by, I'm learning. :o/
Slowly.

Take care, everyone.
My husband said I'll be walking my kids to University by the looks of things. Leave it to him to add that dash of needed humour.
Gotta love him.

Heather 1-11-2002 22:49

TEEKAY and Jerry - Re Nursing Homes:
We took an old guy for a visit to a nursing home to see if he's like staying there. The nurses all introduced themselves, made coffee, etc, and made him comfy on one of the couches in the common room. He was having a good time, looking around at all the activity, when he started sagging sideways -- a sort of slow motion list to the left. One of the nurses spotted him, and immediately straightened him up, and propped a pillow under that side so he wouldn't fall over. A few minutes later he started the same thing, only this time to the right. Another nurse noticed him, and quickly arranged pillows on that side too. After a few more minutes went by, he started tipping forward, and the first nurse ran over and straightened him up again. Someone then asked him what he thought of the place, and all the personal attention. He looked around and said "I guess it's nice, but they won't let a body fart..."

JERRY - The only relief for a blood blister under a toe or finger nail is to heat a needle red hot, then touch the nail right over the blister until it burns a small hole. The blood spurts out, and brings instant relief, and there's no pain with the treatment! It really works -- I've used it several times on myself, my wife, and daughters.

howard 1-11-2002 21:31

Could it be, my old nemises who post under the A name?

Gariessss is that you?

Jerry 1-11-2002 20:47

Could the poor annony. poster be Eddie or Mark? Mark is the only one I remember mentioning a multilevel house. Of course Mel has been missing lately, but I think she's just very busy. >>>????>>>

Rosemary 1-11-2002 19:50

**Teekay**

HOWARD: Heeeeeee, saw the casket ending coming. Good one.
BTW: I wouldn't recommend poetry competitions, for a start look at the competition (number of, not quality of), then you usually have to pay an entry fee, then you get people who are so sick and tired of reading this stuff that if the first line or two doesn't grab them by the neck it's bye bye birdie.
When you get your digest I suggest you check out the poetry magazines, and the ones publishing both stories and poetry and send them there.

JERRY: Happy Valley rest Home. I really like it :-D Conjures imagies of plump cushioned sofas, multi coloured crochet rugs and honeysuckle.

HEATHER: I particularly liked your shorty.

TAYLOR: :-D, that's okay. I was getting a bit paranoid.

ANONYMOUS: My guesses are as follows: JAI, in which case it was a HUGE computer stuff up.
BEAR.
ARIK.
I was going to guss RICHARD as well, but I don't think he would say hell in common speech.

Thought of an idea for a short story last night, so that's what I'm doing today.

Teekay 1-11-2002 18:37

Rosemary:

I'd be happy to send it to her. In fact, you were the one who mentioned how it made you feel. I think I remember you worrying about all animals everywhere. I know the feeling well.

Christy:

If you put up your address, I'll send it to you.

Debra 1-11-2002 15:32

I just got back. I need time to figure what the hell is going on and who's still here...not that it matters. No one even noticed I was gone. The computer was screwed up by a nephew who did something he shouldn't have--he wasn't even supposed to be on it at the time, but we were upstairs having breakfast and he sneaked off when we weren't looking.
Anybody figure out who I am yet?

anonymous 1-11-2002 15:25

Just a nip in and out.

Jon, re: reading; I'm on my way to the Library to exchange some books. All the librarians know my face. I read voraciously, but there was a time when I didn't read books at all, but wrote for corporate publication.

One of the great things about reading other authors' work is twofold:

1. It proves there is no style, genre or character that cannot be learned from, especially if you try your hand at something you've never done that's given success to another author.

2. It provides and escape from the every-busy world of visual, auditory and kinesthetic stimulation and over stimulation. And you don't even have to write it yourself to feel a sense of 'good job'! Vicarious pride is a good thing when reading, I find.

Teekay: LOL, love your self-awards. Way to go, Girl! Hehehehe, I toyed with the same idea me-self, then remembered when I did a 'Christmas Gift' list for my co-workers, filled with imaginary gifts that suited their personalities. I may still do one for The Notebook, but first I have to remember who said what, when and get as familiar with everyone as Jon is.

I'm still sloggin' through Bwitch's story, but at least it looks like she's getting out of Salmon Arm! Going to Vancouver for the summer with Gran. And hah, a bit of a mystery surfaced too! One I never realized I was writing.

Mary: I missed Shortie Night, but can I still quickly do one? Warning, this is a Lord of the Flies type description. Carol, whatever you said before applies to this. The Oyster has dark pearls too. (ps. Mary, what makes a black pearl?)

************************************************************
Real Life Survivor.

Panting he ran through the trees, dodging and weaving, his already aching flat feet throbbing. Must hide. Where?

His feverish eyes, pumped with blood but feverishly dry with terror spotted a tree up ahead. He stopped for second and listened. No running footsteps behind him. With all his might, he lept upward and grabbed at the lower branch. He was not a small person, the branch creaked under his weight but held to the trunk.

He hauled himself up clumsily, and with an energy fueled by mortal fear climbed as high as he dared.

The voices rose as the others entered the clearing.

His glasses fogged up as the condensation from his sweat and tears of pure fear and the agony of exclusion filled his eyes.

"We can't vote him off if we can't find him." a young male voice exhorted, a bit of a whine to the tone.

"He's a fat, know-it-all creep. He talks like he knows it all, but does nothing. Nothing. We don't need him and it's time." another voice spat vehemently, coloured with bitter jealousy and a tinge of superiority.

"What will they do to him after?" a lighter voice asked nervously.

"Who knows. I don't particularly care. But if we don't vote someone off, one of us will starve. They'll decrease our rations anyway. We all knew that right at the beginning. This is not a test, it's life or death." it was the first voice again, practical, strong and confident. Truly a leader, that one.

He sat as still as possible, hoping that they would not look up. A curious blue jay betrayed him. It flapped around his perch as though challenging his right to be in the tree. He didn't dare move to shoo it away. Despite the swoops and dives of the bird, he held fast, every muscle taut with dread.

In the agonizing seconds that followed, with three faces upturned, tracking the screeching jay, he sat frozen, legs and arms wrapped around the trunk of the tree, back to the searchers. Hugging hard to the tree, his face pressed tight against the rough bark, and eyes squinched shut, he permitted himself one small thought.

We started off as friends. I never thought they'd vote me off.

"Let's go, he's too fat to climb a tree anyway. Probably give him a heart attack."

He waited until they had left the clearing. The Jay still tormented him, swooping in and out of the branches, closer now. At one point the Jay's wing brushed the back of his head. He slowly let go of the trunk of the tree and let his legs dangle as he looked around. He didn't dare look down, he was terrified of falling.

In a swift movement, fueled by a primal instinct he didn't understand, his hand reached out and caught the Jay mid-swoop ... in one swift movement he closed both hands around the bird's neck and twisted. Later, if he dared, he'd build a fire and roast it. There would be no food for him unless he found it himself. He was voted off.

Laying the Jay in his lap, he stroked it's soft blue feathers, caressed the stiff crest on the head, lovingly, saying a silent prayer to it and apologizing. His tears plopped on it's chest, darkening the blue breast. Now a thing of beauty had become his sustenance.

From then on, he was a survivor.

************************************************************

I'm not a big survivor fan, I only ever watched the three first episodes.

Someone was discussing the last episode being ruined by a news report last night. I wondered about the theme. What books could one read of a similar theme, thought my Jon-inspired mind. "Lord of the Flies" comes to mind, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. Both have themes of the group 'voting out' a member to 'survive'.

And then I wrote.

Must go get food to feed the masses, must see what the library has to read!

Bye all!

Oyster 1-11-2002 14:23

Hi All :)

Howard -- Trim some more huh? Well, let's see ... I do love a challenge. You "could" leave out "again" in the 2nd to last sentence. Between Earl and Decisions, you seem to have funerals on the mind. Nice work on both of them!

Teekay - ok, sniff, I'll dry them for now. I've got enough wrinkles without adding more. Your shortie -- hehehe -- does indeed speak volumes.

Viv - with all you've got going on right now, you did a great job with your shortie! What I really like is the humor you put into the situation. It makes a nice contrast to the frustration of job interviews.

Christine -- Welcome!

I called a shopping radio station this morning. One of my doggies has to find a more suitable home. She's so lovable and pretty, but she gets sooo jealous of the attention given to the other dogs and cats. It won't be easy finding a home for her since she is a year old and 90#, but I'll keep trying. She deserves to be happy. I'd like to find her a single home where her owner likes to jog. B.J. loves her exercise. This is one of the reasons I quit breeding dogs. I'm picky about the homes they go to live in.

I had one guy come out to look that tempted me beyond belief to kick him in the butt. He was an older man who wanted to best and brought his daughter with him since she had experience with German Shepherds and he didn't. Well, that's a good sign. He stood in the driveway, watching my Momma and Papa dogs bark from their playpen. We talked with me explaining that they were in their "territory" which is why they were barking so badly but if he came in the house and I let them in, he'd see how friendly they actually were.

He then told me his dog history. He recently lost his dog. Someone shot him. (Ohh, my smypathy level raises) Yep, he counted on that dog to chase the deer away from his garden and somebody shot him for it. What?! You want one of my $400 dogs to chase deer and get shot by one of the thousands of deer hunters in the area? I don't think so. Did you know you could buy fencing for under $200??

I left him in the driveway listening to the dogs bark.

Carol 1-11-2002 12:35

Me again,
CHRISTY,
I absolutely love British Mysteries and was really disappointed when your URL didn't work. Please type the web page address in the message area so I can try again.

Thanks everybody for the good wishes for Chickie. I was really worried at first.

There are some reallly, reallly good shorties this week.

DEBRA,
you should send (new) Christy your story about the dog in the front yard. That was a memorable piece and excellent writing.

It doesn't sound like anyone else watches (or admits it) the Survivor series. Anyway, last night was the last episode and the person I wanted to win did!!! I really never thought he would. He was too nice. No one in their right mind should have kept him in the game.

Okay, I've embarrassed myself enough and taken up too much space.
Bye for ssure. (I've developed a sstutter.)

Rosemary 1-11-2002 12:30

Sorry in advance---I still have to type my stories in to the box and I forgot to go back and check for typos.
I think my allergies are causing a lack of oxygen to the brain. Might explain the story too......

Rosemary 1-11-2002 12:09

**Rosemary**

---------------Rosemary----From her Truck's point of view

"That lousy cat has muddy feet again." Rodger, a white Dodge Dakota, shuddered as a large white tom cat with the offending paws jumped nimbly from the ground to the truck's hood. From there, he scrambled up the windshield to the roof. It was Whitie's favorite place to keep watch over his territory.

Fwap. The house's screen door closed and 'Rodger's Human' came carefully down the stairs. She no longer comes with long bounds, always in a rush, he thought. She used to zoom up, climb in and slam the truck door. Now, every movement is studies, measured ahead of time. His door no longer ached for the first few miles. He had noticed that the slower approiach and entry had not affected the speed she insisted on when they hit the highways.

The Human called Rosemary stopped for a moment to talk to the cat before opening my door and climbing in. "Okay, Rodger Dodger, let's get this show on the road." She always said that at the beginning of a trip to town.

Maybe today would be when they went for a load of feed for all those silly animals that hung around, sponging off the tow humans that lived here. He hoped not, that thousand pounds of stuff in his cargo space was a real pain. After the last trip, he slid the truck manual out so she might read about how to arrange a heavy load. But, she just shoved it back under the seat.

She had been going to the big hospital a lot in the last year, and since September he had noticed the guards at the entrance sstared real hard at the sticker on his windshield. Sometimes they made her stop. It made him worry that she didn't wash it often enough. Maybe that's where they would go this time.

She started his engine and he perked up. Even with all his grumpyness, he still liked to go on the dily trips to town for errands. Rodger rolled out the driveway and off they went.

The main highway was not busy today and Rodger enjoyed cruising along. He didn't have to weave in and out, dodging other automobiles that were trying to get somewhere in a hurry. He could muse to himself about those giant SUVs. How in the world did they fit themselves into those little parking spots? Was it really good for them to be washed so often? Rodger was usually washed about three times a year. His person always said he was really getting cleaner. The dirt was falling off.

They turned off the freeway exit and joined the line of autos moving along the access road. This was an area he was very familiar with. Rosemary went to a lot of the stores along here.

Suddenly, he got a sinking feeling. She wasn't going to get feed or go to the gospital. She was taking him to the auto repair place. Rodger started dreading every turn of his wheels. He hadn't done anything wrong lately. His engine hadn't stopped, his battery hadn't refused to work, and all his tires had air in them. Then he realized it was January. All his stickers had to be renewed and she would probably get him fresh oil and fluids while they were there.

Rodger felt much better. Those things didn't hurt and maybe she would let him have new windshield wipers. Those old ones weren't really doing a good job any more. His person may not keep him shining and neat, but she wasn't all that bad after all.
END

Going to read posts now.
Chickie (poodle) seems to feel fine, but now he is under the impression that everything is about him. Right now he is sitting by my chair, staring indignantly at me.

Rosemary 1-11-2002 12:07

*Tina*
Hi all!

Great shorties! I couldn't get on the computer last night, as my sister-in-law was using it to computer date. Maybe today at work I'll concoct a shortie.

Carol and Heather, thanks for the pep talk! Yes I will get on with it; I think half my hesitancy is in wanting to make the ending awesome - I hate books with poor endings - and I'm feeling inadequate to the task. I know, I know, it will all come together in the edit :-)

Hi Suz, glad to see you're still popping in.

Hey Howard, I agree that it's a good excercise to really trim a passage, but there is a limit. Take out too many words, and suddenly it doesn't say enough.

Rosemary, glad your puppy is okay. I'm absolutely sure that he's worth that 125$ and ten times that. Give him a scratch behind the ears from me.

Uhm, Christi, I hope you had Heather wash that toe first.....

Hi Christine, and welcome! What do you like to write?

Oh woe to notebook toes and teeth! Here's to anitbiotics, painkillers, and the blessing of an ice pack...
Blue Skies!

Tina 1-11-2002 11:35

***Taylor***

Teekay: Sorry... I must have overlooked it, I do read your posts

Taylor 1-11-2002 9:02

Christi
Yay! I loved your dog viewpoint. Now why didn't I think of that. Viewpoints are neat because they can be completely far from correct as well. I want to do both sides next.

Heather
Hope your foot is not throbbing as much tomorrow. I hope you had a good cuddle on the couch with your son. Let the housework pile. Suzy Homemaker is over here sitting behind my ear and nagging me about the lettuce that is going bad in my refrigerator. "You need to make Wilted lettuce soup!"

"Screw that. Tomorrow you should make that soup you know. You shouldn't waste f....oh!"

Good shot! Gee, Heather, don't worry about Suzy Homemaker, I just got a direct hit in with that head of lettuce. While she was out cold, I tossed her in the blender (my antique food processor). It seems to have done the trick.

viv 1-11-2002 7:38

All I said to her was, "You don't even know where you came from, your own background?"
Fifteen minutes later, tops, she passes by me and I can tell by the shine of her eyes she's been crying.
When I ask why, she looks up at me. "I got something in my eye, actually," she says, with very wide-open green eyes. They look a hell of a lot more green than usual.
I want to say, "Yeah, you've got tears in them," but I don't. Sometimes the jokes get obvious as a coverup. A coverup for pain. But I didn't do it on purpose - make her cry. How was I supposed to know it was a touchy subject?
I think about telling her that I know she's upset. I think about hugging her, but we're work friends. The other guys, if they saw, would never let up bugging about it. I wonder, too, what she might think of it if I did. She's not the clingy type.

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

Mary! I still haven't finished the scene from this morning! I ended up flopping out on the couch, elevating my toe and cuddling with Christian for a while. Then, the rest of the day happened. :oD I'll send it as soon as I've finished it up, tomorrow mornin'.

Rosemary - glad to hear the good news on Mr. Poodle.

Viv - good shortie! Go, girl!

Howard - nice shorties, both of 'em. Very vivid.

Christi - Heyyyy! Parallel between dogs and men, drooling over cars? I knew that - :oD Nice one. Had me going there for a while!

Christy with a 'y' - welcome!

Um, I was going to say something else, but can I complain now? There is a throb, somewhere in the vicinity of my middle toe. WHINGE! Okay, that's enough. :o}

Suz - don't worry. Sometimes the rest of us have no idea, either. *shrug!*

Tina - Glad to hear 'Dirk Gently' arrived!
You go, sweets. Get that ending over and done with. Then you can write another epic!

Hey, hey, hey, as Fat Albert might have said once,
I'm up to 47,000 words! How'd that happen?
Oh, yeah. I haven't moved my rear out of this chair in ages. Mouldy bread in the kitchen? Dishes in the sink? Bah, humbug! I'm writing! Maybe the dishes will rot at the same rate as the bread and I can just flush it all. ;o)

Heather 1-11-2002 3:26

Teekay my wife worked at nursing homes for nearly eighteen years, and so I am very familiar with the pains of aging. Now, it seems that has come home to roost, as they say. Both of us now make those very same moves, I with my cane, the wife using the arms of her chair. Guess it is sort of premature aging or something like that.

When you set up a computer, it always wants your business name, one day, just for a joke, I typed in "Happy Valley Rest Home." After all, this is my home, and I rest here, and we are sort of in a valley, well not really but there are hills all around us anyhow.

Now, it has become habit, all the computers in the house say they belong to the Happy Valley Rest home. Those that leave, leave with that business name somewhere on their hard drives.

I use this software called robo form, to fill in all those idiotic forms that sites require you to fill out should you wish to download, or get to the good parts of their site. In that program, I listed myself as the "chief resident" of the "Happy Valley Rest Home."

This has sort of taken on a life of it's own. Now I get junk mail addressed to "Jerry Ericsson, Chief Resident, Happy Valley Rest Home.

I have even received phone calls for the Happy Valley Rest Home, although I have no idea how the hell they got my phone number, as I never list that. Too many data bases I guess.

Heather - Sorry to hear of the detached digit nail. Had one of those myself once, I know how painful they can be.

It happened one day shortly after we moved to our first house in town, I was so thrilled, it had running water, and electricity and everything. One day, as I was leaving the bathroom following one of those hour long showers, I pulled the bathroom door open, and had my foot in the way. Crushed the hell out of my big toe, the nail never split like yours, but it formed a huge blood blister underneath, turned black and ugly.

Dad looked at it, then took out his pocket knife and drilled a hole near the back of the nail then took a sewing needle and punctured the blood blister to let the blood out, it relieved the pain somewhat. Several days later in sixth grade music, the teacher had us dance with the girls, well that gal that I was dancing with couldn't dance a lick, and about midway through our little dance, she stepped right on that big toe. What pain, thought I was going to faint, but I didn't. The teacher let me sit out the rest of class, and a few days latter, that toe nail came right off. It felt so much better without that nail there but it was very tender for a month or so until the new nail made it's way out.`

Jerry 1-11-2002 1:16

**Teekay**

HOWARD: I used to work in a nursing home. Watching the older folk struggle to get out of their chairs, let alone into their beds put me in mind to take up yoga one of these days. Your story reminded me of it.

TAYLOR: Do you have to make it so dreadfully obvious that you skip at least half my posts :-D
The title I'm mourning is 'Portrait in Sepia.'
You are gonna love Ice Station!!!!
No you're not.
I don't want to over rate it.

ALL: Re: my short story, I have to tell you I write fiction, and as with all fiction the essence of my story is buried deeply in fact. If it were a true story it would actually be my husband saying; "She breaks my balls you know."

Teekay 1-11-2002 0:33

Hello (she peeks around the door jam into the room)
first time here.....fancy myself a writer, thought I'd better start hangin' out with writers.....I remember dear ol' mom telling me if you hang out with losers, you become a loser. Hoping it goes in other directions too! :0)

as one dog lover to anohter, glad to hear your poodle is better. We had a problem poodle for a few years, eventually he had to be rehomed (we adopted two boys, and it was too much for Monty to cope with) I have a 5 pound chinese crested dog.....little cutie follows me all over the house!

nice to meet you all!

Christy

Christine Murder Most British 1-11-2002 0:01

Hey, Rosemary, I'm so relieved to hear that your dog is doing well.

Taylor, Hey, that's not a stupid name, is it? I have a story titled, "Just a Breath of Air," and I rather like it.

Christi 1-10-2002 23:50

++Christi++

Teekay, I don't know what to say! I mean, it's such an honor just to be nominated ... I-I think I'm gonna cry. :D

Heather, Your poor toe! And you're not even complaining! Poor thing, I send a virtual bunch of kisses for you. XXXXXXXX (Very gentle, barely there kisses.)

Ah shortie night. I can't wait to catch up with the posts. Here's mine. It's not exactly Walden's Pond, not Dickenson. More like ... Pee Wee Herman?

Every Dude has his Day

Rocky didn't know if he could stand it anymore. Every car that passed by the front window knocked his drool factor up a notch. A red Pontiac went by. Sweet. Not your upper end car, but it was an okay ride.
Oh man, was that a Chevy Nova? It sure was, and the owner had souped that baby up, way up.
Why did they taunt him so? They had to know, somehow, that he'd never have them. They'd sashay on by, 'look at me, big boy,' they seemed to say. 'Bet you wish you could get your paws on my tailpipe.' Rocky groaned and rolled over on the sofa. It was better not to look.

Just then he heard the scrape of a key in the lock. Momma was home; how could he have missed her coming up the drive? He was getting lax, there was no other explanation. He went to the door and waited with impatience.

"Hi boy! Momma's home and she's got some yumcious biscuits for you!"

Biscuits. Fantastic. He sighed and gave her hand a perfunctory lick ... and then out of the corner of his vision he spotted a Red Camaro ... and it had a girl in it.

"No thanks, Momma, there's a hot Camaro out front, with a sweet lady in it!" Rocky shouted, although to the untrained ear it may have sounded more like, "woof!" He bounded in between Momma's nyloned legs and made for the disappearing car that harbored the stunning border collie. His tongue hung over his teeth, and he grinned wide and long as he ran. It was his lucky day after all.

:D Well it's kinda from the male perspective. No offense guys, I just couldn't get my mind off of dogs, what with all the talk in here lately. Viva la canine!

Christi 1-10-2002 23:47

Evening all,

Well, the Poodle is home. He is now worth $125 more than before. His experience must have worn him out because he has been napping off and on since I got him home. He keeps coming over to check that I am still there. He ate a little and had a drink of water and didn't throw any of it up. So far, no sign of the other problem either. I have to give him 1/2 a pill for the next seven days.

My main complaint is that they couldn't tell me how he got this bug or how to keep him from getting it again. I wonder if I had given him Imodium at the first signs of the problem-------? Have to look into that.

I wrote a shorty for tonight but it's too long and I need to work on it. Just to give a teaser, it's from my truck's point of view. Comming tomorrow.

Bye for now.

Rosemary 1-10-2002 23:42

***Taylor***

Teekay: What was your title, It wasn't "Attack Of the Clones" was it?
If it was how about "Double Assault"?
Just a thought
And Teekay, I have "Ice Station" on order

Am thinking about the title, "A Breath of Fresh Air", but thats sounds silly

Taylor 1-10-2002 23:18

TEEKAY -- Yoga?

howard 1-10-2002 20:39

Okay, shortie. Mary's topic. Right:

Decisions, Decisions...

“Oh yes, I think he’d like this one. I know he’d like this one! It’s just the right shade of gray to match his eyes. Too dark? No, it’s not too dark, and it’ll look so good with the red carnation in the lapel. Except, do you have the same color in a single-breasted jacket? He won’t like the double. He never was comfortable in a double-breasted suit. The vest is nice, yes, we’ll take that, too. Yes, that’s very nice. Goes with his eyes…
and the casket lining…”

howard 1-10-2002 20:37

BTW - Correction to an earlier post -
It's not a reed that my cleric friend reads, it's a rede. There's a difference...

howard 1-10-2002 19:22

Jerry: I know how it is. Sneeze twice and everyone says,
"catching a cold? You ought to..."

Mary: Great theme! Thank you. You saved me today. I thought I couldn't write anything because I was completely blank all week. I thought about a possible theme. Juggling time for a family. Sounds like Jerry learned something about learning to sacrifice time for career to listening to family. I'm juggling with my love....writing. It's hard. Could we do one on juggling time to listen? It doesn't have to be just with family. Or just Juggling?

Carol: I'm racing to keep up with job/husband at home/daughter's home school. I'm posting this here but will get back to you when I get back.

Jack: Sorry this is long.
Everyone: Sorry to slow down the notebook upload.

The Interview
Jan 11, 2002

“EE- Say, No- Say”, the panel of English professors flipped their hands quickly in the traditional game of Rock, Scissors, Hammer. Dr. Kito groaned. He’d have to conduct the next job interview. Interviewing the foreign teachers was such a pain. He took a deep breath.

She looks the part, Dr. Kito thought as the woman came in the room. Business suit, chunkily built like all American women, but she looked fit and competent. They had interviewed six people already and there were eight more waiting. As she leaned forward and opened her briefcase her suit jacket opened a bit. He studied the curve of her breasts. That’s one of the nicer parts of these American women, he thought, surprising himself. big breasts.. The thought surprised him. He felt his face flush as she handed him her resume.

“Ahhhh,” for a terrifying second he couldn’t remember a word of English. He took a quick sip of water and wished desperately for a cigarette. “Let’s get started. I see you taught for Sony before, then Xerox.” He waited and watched her as she answered carefully. He didn’t want to get a whiner. He had enough of those already in the English department.

“I taught for Sony until my husband was transferred to Germany. After that I got a job at Xerox. They were both great jobs. I wanted to get back on with Sony but they don’t have their school set up for part-time work.”

“What did you teach?”

“I n Sony I had classes of ten to fifteen students. They were executives being sent to America. They had to be able to converse by the time they got there.” She looked cool and poised for such a hot day. Dr. Kito wondered briefly how she managed that. The last man they’d interviewed had been rumpled and smelled terrible. “We had everything from real beginners to quite competent speakers. At Xerox I worked with twenty repairmen who had to service the American companies. They were a little more difficult because they had less need to learn.

Hummm, she quit the job in January, and didn’t move until September. Our students aren’t easy. He checked her transcripts. Yes, there they were, just as he expected. He leaned forward. What do all these Withdraw Passing marks in the summer of your sophomore year mean?

She giggled nervously. “I met my husband.” He watched her as she flushed. Suddenly her posture gave way. He looked at her hunched shoulders. “I know that doesn’t sound liberated or correct for a college environment, there are things in college beyond learning and grades.”

Suddenly she frowned. No, I don’t have to defend quitting those classes. I did it before it cost me a penny. I knew what I wanted. It was the best investment in time and money I ever made. I’ve been married 25 years. I’m glad I married.”

Her chin rose defensively. Dr. Kito couldn’t hold it back. She sounded just like his wife giving him a scolding. He threw back his head with a laugh. “ Wouldn’t you know it, wives and mothers, they’re always right,” he said to the rest of the panel in Japanese. They all grinned.

“Wives and mothers continue learning beyond college,” she threw back at him and stood up. “It gives us the wisdom to make good decisions. Are we finished with this interview?” she asked standing up and reaching for her briefcase.

“No!” Dr. Kito laughed. “Sit down. Let’s talk salary.”

viv 1-10-2002 18:57

Heather - obviously you haven't lived in a real small town. Everything that happens in a town this size is known by everyone in the town about ten seconds after it happens. To try and keep something so juicy as what happened between that young gal and I quiet was totaly impossiable. I assure you the wife let me know how she felt about it. She did find out from me though, I just don't have the liers instenct I guess. I had to tell her why I lost my job and all.

Just glad the kids weren't old enough to remember it all.

Strange side note, my daughter works for that gal's older sister, has ever since we moved back.

Jerry 1-10-2002 18:04

**Teekay**

HOWARD: Your story gave me a sudden hankerin' to take up yoga.

Teekay 1-10-2002 17:42

**Teekay**

TAYLOR: I refuse, simply refuse to use a 'used' title! It's just not good enough.

CAROL: Bless you, only my woes are never 'little' woes, they are always huge, important woes.
Now do dry those tears for I believe I see your chin wrinkling up from spending to long in the water.

HOWARD: Yes, you are, very bloody trying.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, now you know I didn't mean that, it's only in keeping with my newly acquired state as super dooper award winning writer and most beautiful person with nice hair etc, etc.
From dags to bitches - if you will.
Will check those sites out.......NOW. Well, when I've finished this lot.

HEATHER: Bet you uttered a few choice purple and green pointy edged words.
Kisses to your toe. (Virtual ones , mind :-D)
TINA: Yes, Gilbert and Anne and Diana and Frank (I think) and Diana's mother and Josie Pye were all played by the original characters.
My daughter said that she thought it was an okay film and I said to her, through hitching breath, with tragic air; 'Yes, yes, you thought it was alright, you never read the book.' after which I ran sobbing into the bedoir to lock myself in with my misery.
BTW: I do hope there was a suitable look of humbility upon your brow as you deemed to ask me that question.

Shorty Story:

'She broke my heart you know.'

The End.

Speaks volumes -Dontcha think? :-D

Teekay 1-10-2002 17:31

CAROL - thanks! So few words? I practice that. Here's a vignette I wrote several years ago, and just tightened a bit. It's my father-in-law, the winter before he died. I just took it from 267 words down to 217. It's good exercise. Thoughts, anyone?

Earl
wc 217

He stands tall and straight. In place of bib overalls and flannel shirt a threadbare blue suit hangs on his gaunt frame. Gray-white hair hangs stubbornly down over one ear, matching the stubble covering his face. His gnarled and stained hands testify of years of manual labor.
Lifting each foot deliberately, stepping over wrinkles in the carpet of time, he walks with the motion common to those who have long sailed the ocean of years. After so long a time keeping balance his hips refuse to bend, and he rocks in an economical rhythm, using the inertia of his whole body to stay just one step ahead of the overwhelming tides of age.
He slows to let his eyes catch up with him, and stops to listen to some sound that younger ears would not hear.
This place is too familiar. He's come too often lately, bidding farewell to family and friends. Now it is Glover -- another old friend -- to whom he nods a quiet good-bye. "Glover looks kinda poorly -- but better now, than the last time I saw him."
He becomes quiet again, thoughtful, as if going over a list, adding a name. Telling the names of those waiting to receive him keeps them from fading. And to him it is a duty.

© 1/2002 howard tuckey

I could probably trim it a bit more.

howard 1-10-2002 16:57

Hi Carol: I can't believe it. After I wrote the e-mail I came into the site to check Mary's idea to get some ideas for writing. I'm completely brain dead right now and my hour is ticking away.

I think you do the male viewpoint extremely well. How often that's happened! Wonderful. Boy this is a hard one. I have no idea how to do this but maybe if I start extremely small. Ahhhhh! I have it.

Mary: Thank you! These shorties are a great help.

viv 1-10-2002 16:43

Hello All!

Teekay -- My heart is filled with your title woes. There is no room for any other feeling. Hubby and dogs are looking at me with big, sad eyes wondering why I'm walking with head down as drops of salt water fall from my chin. They know not the sorrow of the writer....

Howard -- Pretty Things -- how do you manage, in so few words, to create such a complete visual and emotional picture? Well done, Good Sir.

Rosemary -- My hugs to you and puppy. May you be cursing him soon as he once again irrates you in the fashion you have come to expect. hehehe Seriously -- I'm so glad it wasn't the Distemper and the doctor could make him all better again.

Tina -- I was trying to think of something to say to help you get through to the end of your novel. But -- I haven't gotten to that point with any of the "novels" I've started (and I use started loosely, I think my highest word count has been 13,000). I will say this though -- seeing "Freeborn" on a jacket would make me pick up the book and investigate further. Can't do that though till you finish it. :)

Chrisi -- Hi! I wore my blue pj's to the awards. The color is just too nice to my eyes.

Jerry -- I'm so glad your tooth problem was fixed so easily. Ain't ya glad you left those pliers in the tool box? Our weather has also been screwy, not that I'm complaining, but our businesses sure are. We're a tourist town. No snow means no snowmobilers which means empty hotels, restaurants, shops, and pockets. Even the ice fishermen daren't stray from the bays. And -- nice shortie. :)

Taylor -- go right ahead and welcome to it. :)

Heather -- Ouch! From one toe breaker to another, you have my sympathy. In fact, I got sympathy pains just reading about your "smash."

I've spent days trying to find the approach to this week's theme. I know the value of this type of exercise and don't do it often enough. But writing about myself??? I ended up going into my past as did Jerry.

Ralph entered the small supper club. The lights hadn’t been dimmed yet and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the sun shining through the west facing windows. It was too early yet for the usual crowd, but he was hungry as hell and couldn’t wait for the next town to get something in his stomach. One of the prices he had to pay in his line of work.

When his eyes adjusted, he located the bar separated from the dining room with a louvered partition. The bartender was walking around from behind to greet him, a smile on her face.

Shit. This was worth stopping here. For a moment, he imagined what it would be like to see this gal greet him at home with that smile. Seeing it welcome him into bed would be even better. It wasn’t one of those slutty come on smiles a lot of tavern broads used. This one was warm and welcoming, accepting of a man just as he was.

For a moment, he missed her words. Too busy watching those smiling lips move.

"Hi." She chirped. Strange he had never thought a chirp could be appealing. "How are you tonight?"

"Um. Fine."

"Would you like a drink at the bar or a table right away?"

Ralph had planned on eating, but a drink and the opportunities that might be available were too tempting to pass up. "I think I’ll have a drink first."

She nodded, "I’ll meet you there."

Ralph found an old-fashioned sitting before him before he realized he had ordered one. He had been too busy watching her. Long nailed graceful hands had upturned the booze bottle, exposing the soft underside of her arm and the round shape of her breast. Her long, dark hair had him fantasizing wicked things he wanted to do with it.

Her voice cut into his dreams with ice-cold water. "That’s my husband’s favorite drink too." She leaned a thin, bony hip on a cooler. "Are you married?"

"Yeah. Think I’ll take that table now."

The end...

Carol 1-10-2002 15:46

Here's an interesting poetry site:
http://www.poemkingdom.com/exposed.shtml
It's a selection on
http://www.poemkingdom.com
and it looks to be pretty good!
(You see, Teekay, I am trying!
:-)

howard 1-10-2002 12:04

Good morning. I drop by faithfully every morning to read a bit, but I must admit, I don't always know what the heck is going on! All these postings are very enjoyable anyway. You seem to be a tightly knit group, very supportive of each other. That's so important, I think, particularly if you fancy yourself a writer of any level. It can be such a lonely thing. I'm what you could call an executive widow, as my husband travels a great deal. He's off again this morning and to be honest, I can't remember if he's in Idaho or California this week. This means that I'll either get loads of writing done late at night when the house is quiet, or I'll be too exhausted at the end of the day to form a sentence. There is some terrific poetry posted here, and I really enjoyed the story about Times Square. It made me feel better to read it, as my imagination runs wild in the current climate and my husband thinks I've lost my mind, running out all the possible scenarios of future attacks, etc.
Mary, I looked at your website with the amulet pouches and jewelry. What beautiful things! Do you craft them all yourself? What a talent...I love jewelry and all things that *sparkle*, but I have no such talent for design. Good for you, I hope you do well with it.
To the folks with toothaches, I sympathize one hundred percent. Just had four wisdom teeth removed in November. Three impacted and two were abscessed. What an awful experience. It's amazing how sick you can become with your teeth. I ended up in the emergency room late one night, and had all four removed the next day. What a relief.
A happy day to you all. Be well and creative.
Suz

Suz 1-10-2002 8:57

Jerry - I'm wondering how much more we know about you than your non-virtual family does! :-O Nice shortie; it didn't seem too long to me. Glad your tooth is feeling better! Always nice to know the cause, and the cure.

Rosemary - Now you've gone and done it - I have actually felt sympathy for a poodle. First time ever. :o) Hope he's well before sunrise.

Mary - ouuuch! You might want to consider general anaesthesia for the removal of those two teeth. Believe me, it's better than a local, even if they don't take a mallot and smash out the offending wisdom tooth. *dead faint*

Speaking of dead faints, I nearly did that tonight. I think I even detected a bit of pallor in my husband's face - Mr. Brave himself. See, about 11 pm, just on my way to work, I walked a little too closely to the couch, and smashed my toe on the castor just under the left front end. (It's a pull-out, making for a heavy stumbling block)
In the process of causing myself great pain, I also broke the toenail of my middle, poor sweet unsuspecting toe right up. At first I didn't notice, as I lay groaning at the base of the stairs. But, walking out the pain, I realized why there were blackish spots all over the carpet: my toe was gushing blood.
I didn't have the guts to rip off the remaining bits of toenail (yet) but since I so carefully bandaged it up with part of the sticky section of bandaid stuck right on it, I'm going to have to by tomorrow. I think I'll soak it first in 'Goo gone'. 8-O
You'll know why, if I happen to be here more often than usual tomnorrow. I'm not moving from this chair for a while after the deed's done!

Dearest Jon,
May your sweet claws never undergo such pain! Kisses.

Heather 1-10-2002 3:54

Hey Teekay (oh humble one), did Megan Fellows (sp?) play Anne again? I hope not, since it was so bad. I hate to see a good actor/actress in lousy roles, especially sequels.

So one toothache begets another, hmm? One of the few bits of genetic tinkering I think we could use is no more wisdom teeth! It rates right up there with abolishing zits, ingrown toenails, and grey hair. ;-) Hang in there Mary and Jerry!

Tina 1-10-2002 2:13

***Taylor***

Carol: That's an interesting title, if I do decide to use it you would not mind will you?

Teekay: Sorry... Some titles used more than once:
Fortress: Sci Fi flick and an action/thriller flick
Toy Soldiers: The one with the school rejects, and cant remember the other.

Those are two titles that I know of that have been used twice, makes it harder to find a specific movie... lol

Howard was it? Does it make a difference on how thick the book is, I just finished a 1300 odd pager, and into a 800 pager at the moment

Taylor 1-10-2002 1:41

**Teekay**

ROSEMARY: I was in a bit of a dilemma. I didn't know wether to send my commiserations or my congratulations. As an optimist I am sending my congratulations on your little doggy. he may be unwell, but at least it's curable and he'll be comming home to you - although it is miserable that he's ill in the first place.

TINA: DO NOT WATCH IT!!!!!! I wish I hadn't. I'm going to have to go back and reread the books to reestablish the reality of the real fiction in my head again.
It didn't follow the books AT ALL. And the scenery was terrible, all washed out and dreary looking. basically it was a war movie with Anne and Gilbert in it.

Teekay 1-10-2002 0:16

JERRY-------You just keep getting better and better. Keep it up.

Excellent job.

Gone now for sure.

Rosemary 1-10-2002 0:10

Back again,

JON,
I called those little bits of life 'visuals.' I'm glad you reminded me of them. Winter is a different world to write about.

RANDALL,
You always make sense to me.

Bye for tonight.

Rosemary 1-10-2002 0:04

There was once a time when work became my life, when family was something I just "put up with" rather then loved.

During that time, I met a lovely young lady who nearly became my new partner, had it not been for the shock of loosing my job, I would most probably be a different person, in a different world, with different children and an x-wife.

I often wonder exactly how those things would have developed had that little incident never occurred, but to tell the truth, I am happy that they did, for I surely would have missed some of the best times in my life.

This Shorty will explain a bit of what happened, and keeps with Mary's topic for Shorty night, although it may be a bit on the longy side.

At any rate, here it is, for better or worse.

Us
By Jerry A.G. Ericsson

He was “my cop.” It all started when I was twenty two, and working at my first job out of college. My job required me to work very late, and when I got off, I drove the twenty six miles home. After the drive, I was usually to tense to just go to bed, so I drove the streets of our little town.

One night, I saw a couple of my friends in the parking lot of the Super Value store. They were visiting with the new cop, so I pulled in and joined them. As I neared the door of the patrol car, he said “Hi Theresa, nice of you to join us tonight.”

I was flabergasted, how could this cop who just came to town and started working on the police department know my name. I have never been arrested, never even had a speeding ticket, yet when I walked up to his car, he knew me by name.

He never did tell me how he came to know my name that night, even though I must have asked him a thousand times.

As time passed, our haphazard meetings became regular, we would park our cars window to window and visit, just talk about life, music, almost any subject.

One night, our conversation turned to us, to how we were becoming so very close, how we missed each other when one of us had a night off, or worked a different shift.

One night, when my car heater wasn’t working well, and it was so very cold outside, he invited me to have a seat in his patrol car. I was thrilled. That became our regular meeting then, I would park my car by mom and dad's house and he would park his patrol car on top the hill where we lived, on the south end of Main Street, and we would talk.

Our talk turned to plans, plans to be together, plans that we would never see take root.

You see, one night, the light switch on my little station wagon fell out. It just popped right out of the dash board, and fell to the floor. Well I couldn’t keep going with that dang switch swinging back and forth, so I pulled over at the City Pump station. My cop saw I was having trouble, so he pulled in, and helped me fix it. Then He got back in his car, and I walked over to the his window, and we talked, we joked we laughed and had a wonderful time.

What we didn’t know though was that one of the City Councilmen lived on that street, and that night he was having trouble sleeping so walked out on his front porch. When he saw that patrol car sitting there, he began to wonder what was going on, so he sat down on his front steps and watched, as we talked long into the night.

When the clock made it’s way past one hour, then two, he became angry and called the Chief of Police, who drove over to the councilman’s house and together, they walked to the pump house, and stood there listening, as we spoke of his leaving his wife, his family, and running away with me. Oh how wonderful our plans were, then they were so rudely interrupted forever when the Chief and Councilman walked around the corner. I jumped in my car and drove away, they stood there shouting at my cop, the next morning I heard he was fired, gone from the police force, gone from my life.

A week later, as I drove my little station wagon up and down Main Street, I saw him, he was driving a U-Haul truck, his wife and kids were in their little car behind him, as he headed South to live his life with his family. That was the end of us.

Jerry 1-10-2002 0:00

**Teekay**

Forgot to mentionI was blushing all the way through that speech.
I just hate being the centre of attention - I really do.

Teekay 1-9-2002 23:35

**Teekay**

Right, I'm not having any arguments over who's the best poet, when it's obvious as the nose on someone's face that it's ME and always has been.

I can't believe you lot, some little upstart pops in out of the blue and hands around awards left right and centre and you all BELIEVE him!!!!

The award for best writer is ME.
The award for best poet is ME with ME as very close runner up.
The award for best notebook attendee is ME
And the award for best short story reader is ME.

The award for best dressed at the awards is CHRISTI, even in that daggy old trackie she still looks stunning.

Other awards are as follows:
Best person, ME
Best second time around title award ME.
Best thinkerupper for a title for another's work in progress ME
Best hair colour ME
Nicest voice ME
Most humble award ME!
Any other boring old awards floating around you guys can divide up amongst yourselves.

SPEECH! SPEECH!

Jeepers, thanks you lot. I'd like to thank each and every one of you. If you guys hadn't been so bad at writing and poetry and speaking and titles and all that other stuff, I would never have been able to win this prize.

:-D

Teekay 1-9-2002 23:33

And thanks all, for the nice words about those poems. Teekay, I promise I'll try to get them published. Really! It's just that they never seem quite finished to me -- there's always some improvement to be made.
RANDALL, on the other hand, writes stories that really work, and ought to be set down for prosperity. Posterity, too! :-)
So does Teek! and the Heater! And some others I've seen here. Lets get busy this year and get the presses rolling!

howard 1-9-2002 23:09

Well the tooth thing is done with. Went to the dentist, she checked me out, took one x-ray and sent me home with another script for anti-biotic. Seems I have a sinus infection that has set in. It is effecting the lower sinus that lays just above the upper jaw, and caused all the inflammation and pain.

I will give that lady dentist credit though, she only charged me $13.00 and sent me on my way home. My old dentist would have filled two teeth, charged me a couple hundred bucks then gave me the antibiotics saying they were to prevent infection or some such thing. Think I like this new gal. Maybe next time I need a cleaning I will go there even though it is a sixty-five mile drive.

Our son came down yesterday for his first computer service call. Cleaned and serviced a computer for a local motel and walked away with $75.00 for his trouble. That included some upgrading and parts replacement, but he went home happy this afternoon. He was good enough to install a new toilet stool for our daughter in her fixer upper thousand dollar home. It is becoming a very nice house now with all new floor covering and lots of nice improvements.

Sad news that aircraft crash in Pakistan, and that soldier who lost his life in action. He was stationed at Fort Lewis Washington, the same post where I took my Basic Training in 1970, and returned to in '71 when I got home from Nam. They showed pictures from the fort when giving his life history, kind of got me a bit nostalgic.

It makes me wonder though, with all the brave men who died in Vietnam, only to be reported as a number, how their parents, spouses and children feel to see the big to do over that poor fellow who died by enemy fire. The same is true for those who gave the ultimate price for freedom in Korea and the WW's. I guess times are different, and the involvement of the public in our new war calls for details.

This weather is strange this year. Yesterday it got up to 60, today just 54 but normal for this time of the year is in the teens for the highs, below zero for the lows. We have no snow left, yet Texas and other southern states have feet of it. We are enjoying the change, getting out and about more then usual, getting yard work done and such where we would normally be shoveling snow, or blowing it in some cases.

Jerry 1-9-2002 23:06

Hello JON! and thank you for the honor, but you're right -- it is Litter who truly deserves the title, with our hirsuite yeti friend a close second. I tend to get stuck in a rut now and again, and don't very often write right. That reminds me - I have a friend in the clergy who reads reeds and writes rites!
It's late.

howard 1-9-2002 23:01

++Christi++

Hullo, Dearies (I can't wait 'til I'm old and get to use that one for real),

Teekay, my dear, you have beaten me in the 'guts' game. I rather liked your 'stumps.'

Mary, Wish I'd known your bags were on ebay for such a bargain! :D

Hey Jerry, I haven't heard from any 'Aliens' lately, have you? :)

Heather, I'd have no idea how to drive in the snow. Snow? I hear it's wet, cold white stuff that covers the ground in most places during the winter. Teehee. Your adventure sounds terrifying to me. Be safe!

Howard, What a lovely poem that was. Leave the song in their hearts. {{{HUGS}}}

Hi, Howard's MOM! You made a good 'un there, you did! Welcome to the world of the Notebook.

Jon, You are so naughty! I shall have to whip you if you continue telling tales on Howard like that.

Oh dear, oh dear, is it that time of year again? The awards for best Notebookers, here, already, and I haven't even thought of what I'd be wearing. Ahem.
SHRRRRRIEK! I never know whether to be humble or outraged when I receive my prize from Jon. This year is no exception. I will choose to be humble, I think, and kiss Jonny on his right paw, kitty style.

Teekay, HAHAHAHAHA! Thanks, mate, I needed that.

Howard, That last poem brought a tear to my eye. Several, in fact. It reminded me a little of my MIL right before she died.

Rosemary, I'm sending nice thoughts to you and your puppy. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Those are my psychic vibrations.

Mary, The same thing happened to me with my wisdom teeth! And they call them wisdom teeth ... why?

Hey, Carol, Oyster, and all you other loonies!

Reader extraordinaire,

Christi 1-9-2002 22:59

JON: Ok, thank you! Now I am very happy!!

JERRY: I am in tooth misery with you. This time it is my very last wisdom tooth that is in an uproar. It is trying to push its way through, and consequently cracked the tooth in front of it in half with the pressure. Holy shnikies! That smarts! I go Friday morning for the x-rays. I could save them some time and tell them which one it is, but I will just let them figure it out. I hope that the appointment to have it taken care of isn't far off. I could probably whip up some tears if they try to schedule me too far in the future. Sometimes I really hate teeth. Then I have a craving for peanut brittle and start to be marginally glad I have them.

HEATHER: I will be sure to be online in the morning at 7am sharp, but I might not be able to stay long. I have to run my elderly neighbor's wife to the doctor. Her appointment is at 10:30 and I have to get the kids ready since they are going with us. I will be good for about an hour in any case and I am looking forward to it greatly.

I am off to get some beading done. OH, by the way, I have updated my stone circles page, changing the picture links. For some reason, my old links quit working. The site addresses must have changed, and I figured if I have to change them all anyway, might as well change them to something different. Here's the link:

Mary Stone Circles 1-9-2002 22:34

Prizes (cont'd).

How could I forget poetry? The poetry I admire most is Litter's. Considering, however, that Litter did not publish much last year, and that Sasquatch is (probably) an incarnation of Howard's (or vice-versa), the item Poetry may be submitted to an election. Here is my vote:

Poet of the Year: Sasquatch and Howard (ex-aequo).

Best idea for improving our writing: those little glimpses of beauty one sometimes finds in nature or mere daily day life introduced by Rosemary and marvelously followed by Tina. Cannot remember how they were called. Not to be confounded with Joyce's "epiphanies" though they belong to the family.

P. S. Mary is (obviously) included in the group of the "not-mentioned but also very much admired talented writers." It may happen that a future Pulitzer Prize is hidden in that group.

Now I beg to retire again to my caves in Afghanistan for deep meditation on the mysteries of the being's folly. I am trying to convince myself that as Man is not so good as I thought perhaps cats are not so perfect as Man thinks. I must be wrong on the latter hypothesis.

Jon 1-9-2002 21:09

*Tina*

Thank you Howard, for that poem. I agree with Heather: you deserve the Poet of the Year title.

Teekay, don't ya hate it when they thrash a good book? I haven't seen that 'Anne of Green Gables' instalment. What a shame, after they did a superb job of enacting the original book!
Oh yeah, 'Contact' made it back to safely.

Eddie, hope you're satisfied with 'Enterprise'. Compared to the first season of the other ST series, they've done a great job. The fun is when WE know things but THEY don't, like about the Klingons. So far my favourite character is the doctor.

Heather, you had me holding my breath right up until your car settled. Icy roads are one of my arguments for moving someplace tropical :-) And FYI, 'Dirk Gently' showed up the day after 'Contact'.

Jerry, I'm so surprised that Webshots pulled that nonsense. It's never happened to me, and I surf there regularly. (For skydiving pictures, what else :oD ) But I know what you mean; those tricks make me furious.
And thanks a lot: every time I see an airport security person I'll have that image in my brain, and it doesn't do to laugh at those people!

Hey Viv! I saw on my calender that yesterday was 'Coming of Age' day in Japan. Whazzat?

On writing... just getting back into 'Freeborn' after a long break over the holiday. It's so, so close to the end. After all this time, I'm almost scared to do the final act. It'll be like... like an era of my life wrapping up. No, it'll be a new one beginning... yeah, I'll say that over and over until I believe it. :-}

Okay I better go save dinner from burning. Three pepper pasta... so tastey!
Blue Skies!

Tina 1-9-2002 21:08

Rosemary:

I have the worst publisher if you ask me. They let my book run out of stock and then out of the wharehouse too before Christmas. They still haven't got any finished yet. BUT if I buy books from Amazon I get rolalties from them. Oh by the way apparently they call them earnings checks now.

I like royalties better but it's best not to date ourselves.

Debra 1-9-2002 21:02

Hi all,

TEEKAY,
Looks like you're in a mood that I could use right now.

My Poodle is spending the night with the Vet. He has "gas-tro-inter-itus" I'm sure that isn't spelled right but that's what it sounded like. I was afraid it was Distemper (fatal) even though he will be two-years old in March. He had the runs and his back end was collapsing when he tried to move around. The Vet said he was just weak all over and it wasn't distemper. He just has a bug and they had him on a fluid IV and antibotics. This is going to cost so much, I'm going to have to breed him to something just to make some of the money back. Big hardship for him. :->

JON,
Thanks for the award, I can use all the awards I can get.

ALL,
My friend Mary Lou and I stoped at an 'Office Max' to get a copy of the front of her book, have it enlarged then laminated. The girl behind the counter hemmed and hawed around for a minute, then said they were not allowed to make copies of copyrighted material.

This was a new on on us, especially since this was not the first time she had done this procedure. She showed her a picture ID with the same name and said it was her own copyright and anyway, you can't copyright the title, but she wouldn't do it. We huffed out of there and I think it was just going to be too much work for not much money. Who knows.

Actually, sales on her book "TARNISHED HONOR" have been pretty good. She has ordered stock twice. It turns out, Amazon.com sells it for the same amount that the publisher sells it to her. I told her to order further stock from Amazon.com, then she would get royalties on it. She said the publisher does not consider books sold to the author as sales when looking at how many copies a book has sold. Wierd.

Okay, I'm going to watch "West Wing" and worry about my puppy.

Bye

Rosemary 1-9-2002 20:47

Randall

Good evening...

Thank you for the short story writer pick Americo. Er, Jon. Well, thank you both. :-) Even Pussy........though I am dissapointed she has never appeared at my door.

I really don't know what to say. Honest.

I have no ego and am just as common as dirt. Rosemary will understand my language, shes from Texas. Writing these stories gives me pleasure, and if you guys like 'em that's just gravy on the potatoes.

Goodnight

Randall

Randall 1-9-2002 20:38

**Teekay**

WHAT: I think if you check closely you'll find you forgot to put the 'h' in writhing when you were doing your search.

I just can't seem to help myself.

Teekay 1-9-2002 19:00

**Teekay**

HOWARD: You wascally wabbit, you got in the way of my saga, but I'll forgive you because of the beautiful poem, and because you have a nice bum er, I mean Mum :-D

Teekay 1-9-2002 18:56

**Teekay**

Whoopsy day.

Teekay 1-9-2002 18:53

HEATHER -- Thanks! I agree with Americo - you deserve it!

Here's another (you're really pushing me now..)

pretty things

shoulders humped
straining against time
listening for the sound
of running feet
a creaking porch swing
a church bell

gone, they say,
daft.
touched.

but in her eyes,
smiles.
reflections.
pretty things.
she doesn't remember,
can’t quite recall
just where she is.
but her heart knows.

hjt 5/2001, 1/2002

hwoard 1-9-2002 18:53

**Teekay**

Look you lot, I really don't think I'm getting enough sympathy on the book title thing. That was just any old book title you know, there was a lot, and I mean a lot, of thought behind it.

TAYLOR: Although you're getting much more attention for your title that I am for the demise of mine I am not in the least upset, in fact I have a very helpful suggestion. How about 'Who Farted On The Bus?'
HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAH
Oh man, I am so sorry, I just thought it was pretty funny and I didn't want it to go to waste.

Press enter or not to press enter, press enter, or not to press enter press enter or not.........

Teekay 1-9-2002 18:53

**Teekay**

'Allo, 'allo

hello
hi
g'day
howdy
how'rya
hidey ho there neighbouroonie
hi there

Going

:-D

Teekay 1-9-2002 18:49

Aw, shucks, Mary, thank you. *more blushing*

I think we've all had some pretty intense life experience.
But this shortie - well, it'll be Freaky Thursday, everyone!
Great topic, Mary.

Participation in this Thursday's short shortie night is a must!

Heather 1-9-2002 16:19

And where are all those words when I need them? I'm beyond blushing right now. Thank you, Americo, for an honour I pray every day I deserve.

Congrats, Mary, on Notebooker of the year!

I believe Howard should be poet of the year. You've got my vote, Howard!

All for now, 'til the shock dies down a bit. :o)

Heather 1-9-2002 15:39

Hi All :)

Mary -- where do you come up with these themes? They're good -- very challenging. Now, am I up to it???? Of course I am. Repeat ten times.

Taylor -- would "Breathing Space" work for a title? Terrorists wanting the breathing space for their beliefs, everyone wanting breathing space and then the use of the air conditioner would tie it all in but not necessarily give away the story.

Carol 1-9-2002 12:39

http://www.worldwidewords.org/
looks like another pretty good soource of information on words.

howard Link 1-9-2002 10:27

***Taylor***

I meant... leave the bus out of the title... I guess you could say the story has evolved around the bus.
The characters are still going, just working them out fully... so they dont come across as fake sounding

Taylor 1-9-2002 1:30

***Taylor***

Have to leave out the Bus I think, its not really playing a big role, but the people on the bus are.
The main storyline is there was a 'toxin' released into the bus's air con system, so when Driver turned air con on, it is released.
The point is these people are trying to overthrow the government, which during the course of the book has changed hands to a headstrong young leader... And then they got to try and stop these people

Taylor 1-9-2002 0:57

HEATHER: I love what you are doing with Symphony! (Just a quick note here until I get a chance to construct an email!)

JON: Best Notebooker of the year huh? Thank you very much for thinking so. I must admit, I was a little disappointed at not seeing my name on your talented writers list, but we can't all be good at everything, now can we? I can't agree with you more about Heather's talent and life resources. She is one good writer and strong soul!

Speaking of shortie night, this week's topic is:

A story about yourself, written in the voice of someone of the opposite sex.

How's that for competence? Hehe.

We all need to read more.

Mary 1-8-2002 22:54

Hooboy! Now I gotta behave myself!

howard 1-8-2002 22:44

Here are the prizes for the best Notebookers of the year 2001.

Best Notebooker of the year: Mary, for leading the "shorties nights" with competence. ( I wonder if we could also have a bit more criticism on the shorties. And shouldn't the shorties be shorter?).

Best newcomers: all of them (ex-aequo).

Best single post: Jerry on his mother showing the family a record of his father's snoring.

Best short-story teller: Randall.

Best promising writers: Heather (as usual). But please do not start writing too well, darling. And Teekay, who only needs to start writing a bit better. And Christi, who needs to read a lot before starting writing seriously. These, together with some newbies and other people, not mentioned but also very much admired, will certainly be famous one day. Heather is, in my opinion, ahead of all, because of her intense life experience and her natural gift for words, but who knows if the last will be the first? A strong personality, persistence, honesty to one's self and hard work will dictate the final winners.

Best human being on the Notebook: Rachel. She also gets the prize for her first publication "in tandem".

Most missing Notebooker: Allein.

Best achievement of the year: the publication of S*

Special prizes: to Howard, Rhoda, Rosemary, Gary and Eddie for still being writing on the Notebook, after several years of a lovely presence. And to Jack, for not having given up on us all, despite the troubles of a very hard year.

Special recommendation: Every Notebooker must read at least a book every week. You cannot be or become writers if you don't read very, very much. Of course, more important than reading is living, but life has become too expensive, difficult and rare these days. Books are easier to get, and sometimes more pleasant to live than life.

Jon 1-8-2002 22:21

Here's the police.

Are you people speaking about the same Howard we have in mind?

Anon. 1-8-2002 22:19

Taylor - that would be 'you need unique characters to ride THE BUS... not whatever you think I meant! ;-D

Heather 1-8-2002 22:08

Hi, Helen! Hope you have fewer computer woes than the members of the NB have had! That should be easy. :oD

Heather 1-8-2002 22:07

Taylor - I think by calling your story 'Hope' anything, you're going to give away too much of the ending, or at least the purpose of telling it.
How about something like "The Tour" - use the purpose of getting on the bus as your title. Is it a tour bus, a city bus, a bus full of strangers on their way to a retreat? All I know is that you have mentioned the bus story, but no story line, and you have mentioned that you need unique characters to ride it. That's all I know.

Anyhow, try coming up with a title that reflects the original reason for getting onto the bus, taking the ride. Don't give away the transformation that takes place to the people after or during the journey.
Or, at least make the title a little more obscure so that people can't guess the entire reason for reading it by the title alone.

There you have it. My thoughts on the bus!

Heather 1-8-2002 22:05

Randall

Hey!

Checking in

Whoa!!!

Sounds like "What" is a little frustrated. Writing does that to you. Could be an editor however. I to "What" was once normal. But that was before WP 6.1. Cheer up "What" writing is a voluntary thing, you can always go back to, to, well, lurking, or whatever "What" knows best.

Howard...your mom sounds like a sweet lady. Ah, have you told her about the rash?

Randall

Randall 1-8-2002 21:45

Taylor:

Or Bus Load Of Hope

Debra 1-8-2002 21:16

Taylor:

How about Hope Tram or Caravan of Hope.

Or Crossed Fingers Caravan

Debra 1-8-2002 20:35

Helen,
Howard has not paid me yet the drinks he offered yesterday to his girls. 20 thousand dollars! (He only drank half of it).
"Adults Only" - the best pub of its kind.

Bartender 1-8-2002 20:00

***Taylor***

Teekay: If this helps, there a couple of movies or books that have the same name.
I wish that titles come easily.

Oyster: Your 11 yr old actually kinda sounds a bit like I was for about a month or two after Sept 11... Though no offence people, is I have actually toned down alot, and become more patriotic to my own country.

But I do still feel for America, I really do, I am behind your President, but I honestly I dont think I can support the war. I thought I could.
Now if that offends people Im sorry.

Hi Howards mom: Howard has been rude and obnoxious to us... lol, just kidding

Sorry I havent been posting much, I have been really busy, writing, reseaarch, more writing, and still trying to think of a better title than "Hope Bus" It sounds so weak like

Taylor 1-8-2002 19:54

Teekay - I have always been found of the title "Send in the Clowns".

Jerry 1-8-2002 19:48

Helen,

What kind of stuff has Howard shown you in your computer?

Hope not the stuff he takes to the "Adults Only" pub "to show the boys"...

(I'm dying of curiosity).

Pussy 1-8-2002 19:48

Helen,

Last time Howard came here was in 1976. He's been seen with some gorgeous blonds in a pub called "Adults Only". If he tells you that he spends his evenings in our good company, he is not telling you the truth. Er... what's truth?

Americo 1-8-2002 19:43

**Teekay**

HOWARD'S MUM: Hi, I don't want to be one to tell tales, but the other day HOWARD was swearing and he was saying really rude things and he puller HEATHER'S plait.

HOWARD: You are such a boy! :-D

Teekay 1-8-2002 18:33

Hi I'm Howard's mom, and he's showing me some stuff on my new computer.

helen 1-8-2002 18:28

**Teekay**

RHODA: HAHAHAHAHAHHAH I do believe your sense of humour is showing :-D.
Actually the title I'd picked was much much better than 'Attack of the clones'. It was.....wait for it.....'Portrait in Sepia' and it suited the story perfectly, because that is just what it is.

OYSTER: Both teenagers are in Sydney today, which leaves me a frettin' till they're boith home safe and sound and arguing again. :-D

Watched the first part of Anne of Green Gables - the continuing story last night and it is just awful! It's dank and dismal and boring as all get out. Lucy Maud would be turning in her grave to see what they've done to her beautiful book.
I absolutely hate it.

Going.

Teekay 1-8-2002 17:45

Wrote - no, bled - 500 words today.

Half-way to my usual quota. Ouch. That's a half pint of the ol' red gush for newbies.

:o)

Heather 1-8-2002 14:21

JERRY -- We remember David and Chet well. Chet Huntley, in fact, was my mother-in-law's cousin! We never met him, as he was from the 'other' side of the tracks, but she knew him, and had some pictures of him in the family album.

I'm doing some overhaul work on that ancestor poem. I think it could use some tightening. It's one I did a while back, and take it out to work on it every now and again. Got another oldie too, in two different versions that I can't decide between. Maybe someday I'll have enough for a chapbook -- whatever that is.

howard 1-8-2002 14:16

Hi All!

Tina: Suzy has her steely grip upon my shoulder. 5 loads of laundry, a dirty fridge, sticky kitchen floor and ... even the thought-images of becoming a cool, crystaline Biconate via Mary hasn't scared her away! Argh!

Jerry: David and Chet? I remember them, but the voice I loved was on the Kraft commercials in between the movies with that narrator's warm, fireside voice. I always felt safe hearing that voice. We only got two channels for the longest time (both Canadian) so it was a while before we got to see David and Chet.

Funny you should mention bikers. I wrote a shortie about a guy who loved his bike and computer more than he loved his kid. Young guy, not really committed the fatherhood he managed to get himself into, and it came out of a sad tale of a single Mom who bent my ear for nearly 2 hours.

If I decide to 'facet' that pearl some, I'll be asking you questions about the best 'vintage' bike a guy could own, okay, Jerry?

As for me and bikes ... no self-respecting bike owner will let me near their bike since I dumped a buddy of mine in a mud puddle when learning to 'ride'. It was pretty scary, since it was a big ole Harley with the clutch in the back and ... it ended that rather than having the bike mangled by me, the owner's friend (I was only in first gear during my lesson) caught up and pulled the keys out of the ignition to stop the bike. I was having enough trouble trying to coordinate steering and trying to figure out how to brake the bike!

That story has been told so many times amongst the cops who were trying to teach me to 'sit astride' and 'feel the power' I think it's become a legend. I actually heard an embellishment of the story from a young man who didn't know the old geezerette he was talking to was the central character in the tale. Laughed my butt off afterward. In the young guy's story I tried to run over a staff sargeant. Tweren't no staff sargeants there!

Howard: I loved that poem. I could almost feel the Chinook wind we're having carrying The Ancestor's words. Wow! As for Kasim, Kazim, Kazoo, we get him too! And a few others. I think he, and others have linked to one of our fun-news-pages. We also get some Bahamian Bank and one from some other less than credible source. This is when I get great satisfaction out of the delete key. It gives me delicious pleasure to delete emails without reading them! Take that you nasty fraudulent fool! Hah, I delete you!

Mary: I've seen faceted fresh water pearls and my initial reaction was the same of yours. Then ... I had an 'edit job' done on a piece I thought was practically perfect just the way it was. I came to appreciate faceted pearls. Oysters can only do so much loving-polishing and sometimes, rescuing a pearl from the crush bin takes a skilled artisan, yes? And thanks for teaching me a new word. Nacre. Hmmm. I have to admit I thought immediately of Knacker, in all the connotation of the word.

Oh, and Mary? Yee-Hah is one of my favorite expressions. A good Yee-Hah ... nothing like it. Here in Cowtown around Stampede it is everywhere! Even stencilled on Bank windows and on placards for the full 10 days. And shouted out when everyone is having fun.

Teekay: Teenagers? (Oyster screeching here) Oh no! It gets worse in the whingeing and whining department? And the insults and the tirades? My pre-hormonal/cusp hormonal bunch and their friends already drive me to distraction. And to think I chose this life deliberately!

I'm still doing research on Wiccan *sigh* and have this book by Patricia Telesco called "How to Be a Wicked Witch" . Telesco uses the term 'wicked' as in the pronounciation "WIckED, man" the new vernacular. I was going to post a symbolic ritual called "Family Feud" Telesco describes that I was almost desperate enough to try just before the kids went back to school. But I still have my prejudices, and just couldn't bring myself to do it.

However, Bwitch called this morning to 'see how it's going' and I read her a bit of the story. I thought she'd be a bit perturbed that her character is still in Salmon Arm in 1965 at chapter five, but she surprised me.

Aside from spooking her out (for a change, LOL!) with a few bits she's never told me but I wrote anyway, I told her about this Telesco book. "Oh, yeah, that's a good read, but it's not going to give you much on my religion. It's another 'modern' application. Kind of like a microwave recipe for Shepherd's Pie." Bwitch says. "Neither are the Pagan sites that so-and-so keeps giving you to look at. Just keep telling the story about that young (Bwtich's real name) in Salmon Arm, and either the mystical story will come or it won't. If it doesn't you still have a story, right?"

Of course, Bwitch, having watched me work for years and knowing my predeliciton for writing on and on and on, also adds with a chuckle, (probably getting me back for spooking her out!) "You know you could make it into a series, one book, one stage of my-her life."

What a Bwitch! She knows my weaknesses, that one!

Just for Litter: My son is so pro-American, we have to remind him from time to time he lives in Canada. He loves New Yuk, and at one point he wanted us all to 'move to the States" so he could chase Tornadoes. In fact, his knowledge of American geography and city maps of his favourite cities rivals a lot of adults'. And after 911, he became even more 'patriotic'.

When 911 happened, Sonny took it so seriously he was practically obssessive. It took a while before he would let go of personally finding and taking out Bin Laden. We kept reminding him that 'the adults are handling it'. Even his teacher at school was concerned.

So yesterday, he comes home from school and gets on the computer. I was running around paying partial attention to Suzy who was nagging me to 'get a handle on this housework lazybones' when I walked by this office and heard:

"Take that Bin Laden." as Sonny is bombing the crap out of a landscape on one of the fighter games he rarely plays now that he has Flight-Sim 2001, The Professional Edition.

I popped my head in and asked who he was bombing.

He hemmed and hawed, then said "Bin Laden."

Where?

"Uh, I don't know, but he deserves this." And Sonny dips the fighter with skill I can only marvel at and continues to bomb the barren landscape below.

A few minutes later, I hear this shout: "Take that you scum, that's for making all Americans suffer. How dare you kill unsuspecting people!"

Needless to say, Litter, some people might find my son's 'love of America' a bit excessive. I, personally think he's still working through the fact that someone took his two favourite things out, the WTC's and a commercial airliner. Not to mention the other destructions like the Pentagon (his favourite building because of it's unique shape). And he's only 11.

Still, discretion is the better part of valour. Sonny knows that it's okay to work out his fury and fear at home, but his same age peers don't necessarily share his pro-Americanism.

So, Litter, you can imagine any anti-American jokes meeting with Sonny's sarcasm. His favourite words to anyone who disagrees with him on anything are: "Go do some research. There's a whole internet full of facts."

Oh dear. Suzy is really on an Oyster ripping tangent today. She just asked me whether I was planning to get anything done today, and whether I liked sticky floors and smelly fridges. Plus, to make matters worse, she's reminding me of all the snail mail letters I need to return.

See you later, all!

Oyster 1-8-2002 12:31

Good arvo, friends.

That's all I wanted to say! *giggle*

Back to writing.

Oh, and the car damage may just be the tire - there's a bit of a bulge in the side where it hit the curb. So, last night on my way home from work, I gritted my teeth, wondering what I'd do if it blew! That was a fun ride. Sure.

Heather 1-8-2002 12:22

who is doing that swearing?

It's small!

1-8-2002 11:30

"Choose" a better title, I mean.

Rhoda 1-8-2002 9:59

TEEKAY,

I have long thought that both you and George Lucas could chose a better title than Attack of the Clones.

Rhoda 1-8-2002 9:55

Howard - got some of those too, I just deposit them in my garbage. I used to forward them to the Attorney General of South Dakota until he got tired of them too and let me know that there is absolutly nothing they can do about it.

Jerry 1-8-2002 0:02

Eddie - got it, have had it for a long time, and I use it quite regularly. The trouble was that the damn site changed my homepage. I despise anyone who would modify my machine without my permission. I wonder how they would feel if I did the same to their server? I would probably be accused of electro-terrorism, as many a young virus developer have been. I would never do that, but they are the type of folk who give these ideas to those who would do harm to others.

Seems a juvenile has found our page and displayed his ignorance for all to see. He should be quite ashamed of him or herself. See I can be politically correct too.

Jerry 1-7-2002 23:54

Mary -- Thank you! Those are gorgeous indeed. They remind me of young pinecones just waiting to open.

Randall - Can I pull my old wooden milkcrate up to that spool? I'll tell ya all about the time hubby and I went fishing for our 20th anniversary.

There we was drifting cross the lake, fishing in the manner we prefer. All so nice and quiet. No one else on water or land. A few quiet clouds drifted over the tops of gold, red and yellow leaves.

We were catching fish. Our favorite kind, simple perch, blue gills and sunfish. John caught one, I caught one. And again, and again. After several hours we noticed we had ten apiece. Hmmm, a sum equal to our years together. But we couldn't end the day on a tie. No way!

So we stayed some more. We dropped more bait. Worms for him, wax worms for me. A nibble here and a nibble there raised our competitive edge. But the nibbles didn't pan out. The hooks refused to be set. Two hours later we still sat -- tied.

Finally we had to give in to fate. We were meant to be together, we were meant to share equally. Neither one superior to the other. Nough said.

Carol 1-7-2002 22:54

CAROL: The pictures of these pearls don't do them justice. I hated faceted pearls the first time I saw them, then I couldn't stop thinking about them, mostly because it felt totally wrong to me to facet a pearl. Now I love them.

Mary 1-7-2002 22:33

Here ya go, Carol.

Mary faceted pearls 1-7-2002 22:31

HEATHER: Thanks for the latest installment today! Will be sending mine shortly.

CAROL: Yes, I will post a link to a picture of some freshwater pearls. They come in loads of colors. I like the bronzy-browns and champagne colors best. The blues and peaches are very popular.

HOWARD: I have received that same email message. It came today, about 8 times to the same email address. Several months ago it came to my email once, but worded slightly differently. What a crock.

EDDIE: It really stinks to underprice something that you know isn't crap and still not be able to sell it. Sighs. I swear my neighbor could put the same ad in the paper as me and get calls while I get nothing. It's pathetic.

Back soon.

Mary 1-7-2002 22:27

what the hell are you fucking talking adout make your fucking page smaller

thank ass holes and bitch ass hoes

what 1-7-2002 22:10

what the hell are you fucking adout make your fucking smaller thank ass holes

what 1-7-2002 22:08

**Teekay**

RANDALL: I know that magic table. Your words conjured it again in my minds eye, and I remembered a time, some time, when I must have been there.

Teekay 1-7-2002 20:33

RANDALL

Good evening!

What does Harry Potter, Merlin the magician and Randall have in common? Aside from male, wear trousers, brazen liars, full of BS, not to be trusted, adolescent behavior, etc., etc.

Give up?

Well, I'm glad you asked! All three have sat at magic tables. Harry sat at one, as did Merlin. Of course, Merlin's seat was at King Arthur's great Round Table. Well, perhaps Merlin was the power behind the throne, might not have had a seat with his name on the back, and perhaps Harry wasn't actually at a specific magic table...but why let facts spoil a good story?

Randall's magic table was under a grove of one-hundred year old oak trees, next to a lake marina only a few miles from town. It was an old wire spool plopped down on its side. It was immense, nearly ten feet across, three feet high, weathered and stained. Weathered from the elements, stained from innumerable bottles of beer spilled in the heat of discussion on a hot summer night. More stained around the edges where countless forearms rested after a day of fishing in vain, drinking aplenty, dodging local game wardens and scaling white bass by the tubful.

Surrounding the reel were a dozen chairs or so, most handmade, rustic Red Britches called them. Quite a few having the look that they were cut with dull saws, finished with axes, and nailed together by blind carpenters recently escaped from Bedlam and drunk on wood alcohol. Off to one side was a roadside mailbox sitting in a 20-pound block of cement. Inside were several decks of playing cards (more or less 52 cards per deck), several boxes of dominos (some so weathered the spots only faintly visible), a bottle opener, ah several bottle openers, a corkscrew, so Red could open champagne when he had a disability check. Next to the table a 55-gallon drum was in the process of being filled up with empty bottles and cans.

"Randy boy, won't you and old Red go on and empty that garbage can."

Only a few feet away a small cafe offered hamburgers, cheeseburgers, french fries, beer, (my favorite!) boat rental, fishing information. Fishing advice that bordered on the fantastic that is.

"Why shore this lakes gots fish in it. Now for only six bits this map will show you all the hotshots." No fisherman, that is, NO fisherman would give away such sacred information as a fishing hot spot. That was taboo! Such information only extracted after the ninth fingernail was jerked out.

"Okay! Okay!" the fisherman moans. "Could I only give you one location?"

Frequently, out of town visitors to the lake gave pause to take in the sights, a lovely rural lake, gentle waves lapping at the shore. A full table of men and some women staring up at Red as he stood on the table shouting down at someone who dared to question the catfish he caught.

"It durn sure was, why the distance ‘tween his eyes alone were a good 10 inches. Mustta weighted a couple hundred pounds. Had me a terrible tussle getting that old yeller cat in the boat..."

"Red you don't own a boat." someone offered, grinning up at Red.

"Probably made outta them refer boxes you sleep in." another chimed in, opening a fresh beer.

Red stomped one bare foot and swore. He raised one hand over his heart. "I swear by the Lord above...."

"Better watch that Red. Last time you swore to God, we had a terrible storm and the lightening liked to have burned down the whole countryside."

You see the magic table was where good times were created. Stories were grander, fish bigger, life smoother. With only a dram of internal lubrication, stress evaporated, smiles broadened, life became good again. All stories were magnified, for the better, in the pursuit of laughter. No morality lessons, no doldrums, life sparkled again...even at midnight. Had a bad day at work? No problem. Someone would sense it and start the ball rolling.

"Well hell, sit down Randy boy, open a cold one. Heard what happened to Red last night? Well, the judge caught Red a fishing from his cabin cruiser as it was tied in the dock..."

Then would follow a tangled weave of wild escapades, convoluted conversations, outright falsehoods from Red, sputtering accusations from Judge Jailemall. Comments from on lookers would flow as smooth as the beer that night. Laughter evaporated the lack of money for bills, a pickup in need of expensive repairs, a tooth giving one hell.

The magic table was magic for us. With cool evening breezes and lingering summer twilights time halted, cares eased, woes evaporated. As the sun set, stars came out, and night breezes began to cool the torrid daytime heat. Coolers were carried, sloshing, to the table, chairs scraped on the ground, young and old faces grinned, someone pulled out a cigar. The cafe screen door slammed shut as a cigar chomping cook brought out a platter full of fried catfish, a bowl of spicy tartar sauce and a tub full of cornbread hush puppies and hot sauce.

"Hey Randy boy, light up that lantern and lets play a little forty-two. Somebody break out the white dominoes. Red get down off the table and go wash them feet. Smell like a billy goat in lust."

"Durn sure was a good two-hundred," Red muttered as he left to wash his feet in the lake.

Goodnight

Randall

RANDALL 1-7-2002 20:23

**Teekay**

RHODA: But it was such a nice title. I was sooo attached to it and I don't want to share it with anybody else.

HOWARD: I really do hope you submit your poetry somewhere, please tell me you do. Unless you don't, because I wouldn't want you to lie just to please me.

Did a perfectly horrendous stuff up at Glimmertrain. someday this is starting out ot be.

Teekay 1-7-2002 19:28

The dreams are back again...

---
Testament
1/8/2002

My great-grandfathers sent wisdom
on the smoke of a thousand council fires.
An evil wind has scattered it.

My grandparents spoke to me
with the voice of running waters.
Now the waters stink, and run no more.

My mothers and fathers trusted their songs
to the rocks, and to the trees.
A destroying rain has eaten them up.

They sang pride, and strength, and comfort
in the history of a people.
But now their music is faint, and far away.

And now I, who can no longer hear their voices,
must begin a new song.
And leave it for my children.

But where?

howard 1-7-2002 19:02

TEEKAY,

Do not stress about the title of your novel. If it is sold, it will be likely be changed by the publisher anyway. Besides I don't think there is any law that prohibits the overuse of titles. I certain titles used all the time. I must have three regencies titled "First Season," written by three different authors.

Rhoda 1-7-2002 18:58

**Teekay**

Morning all,
Strangely enough I have nothing of any import to share with you all - still :-D

Found out last night that the title I'd thought long and hard over for my novel is actually already in use, which is pretty amazing once you know the title.

I can only assume that I heard it somewhere at some stage and my subconscious mind spat it out as I sat down and wrote out a list of titles that suited the book.
It's really quiet bizarre, you can see how one title led to another to finally come up with the title that I thought was perfect.

Ah well, back to the drawing board.

Teekay 1-7-2002 18:25

*****Eddie*****

Hello everybody.
I finally got to see LOTR the other day. I was impressed, but I really missed Tom Bombadil and his lovely Lady. Also, the part about the Barrow Wight was not played out. I can't understand why it was not included. Frodo also waited 50 years from the time of Gandalfs' visit to the leaving of the Shire yet the film had him leave almost immediately.
All in all though, I really enjoyed the film and yes, there was a real effort made to follow the story as much as they could.

Enterprise premiered on British Tv tonight! I think it has the makings of a good show as the characters develope. We shall see.

Jerry
If you go to Lavasoft.com there is a good (Freeware) Spyware detector and removal tool there called 'Adware 5.2' It will scan your computer and reveal all of those nasty intrusive little apps and registry plants that send your details back to their nasty little owners. It will then give you the option to clean the little buggers out. You can use it as often as you like for free. The first time I scanned my machine I got rid of around 18 of the damn things. It also gives you an idea about which sites are invading your privacy (By deduction) so that you can avoid them in the future.

Mary
I am just like you...I am one of those people who can never sell anything. Any money I spend on advertising is wasted money. I can't understand how easy some people seem to find selling. It annoys me so much when somebody says....'Oh yes, we got 10 calls on the first day'. Me....I wait beside the phone for days...it's like being in the Ghobi Desert....There must be a plan in there somewhere!

Later,
Ed

Eddie 1-7-2002 17:44

Help! Suzy has me... in her nefarious grip... can't.. get... free... must clean spare room... the office... no! not the canning room!
I'll escape to the computer, yeah, that'll slow Suzy down... is that dust on my keyboard?
Heeellllp!

Tina 1-7-2002 17:22

Internet fraud alert!
I've received several emails over the past two weeks (5 today) announcing that my Edress had been given to this joker by the US Government as a possible "trusted assistant" to help transfer US$31,000,000 from Nigeria to the US. I get to keep 30% of the $31 million just for helping. All I need to do is provide my bank account numbers and other pertinent data to allow them to do the transfer. Right! The messages came from a Yahoo! account under the name of KAZEEM (sometimes KASIM) BALA, who identifies himself as a PHD, etc etc.
I reported this to the Internet Fraud Reporting page, to Yahoo!, and to my credit union. It kind of makes one wonder if people are still gullible enough to get sucked in to this kind of scam. This one is obvious enough - and there's plenty more where it came from. Beware!

howard 1-7-2002 17:00

Hi All :)

An old biker? Me? Nope. I've ridden on them a couple of times but that's about it. I can see the appeal. A former town I lived in has a Harley run every year. Hundreds of Harley's gather and tour the area raising money for MDA. I used to love working during that week. I was still bartending during that time and the Harley rider's were the best customers I ever had. They were considerate of the fact that I was the lone bartender and waited patiently as I worked my way from one end of the bar to the other. They were also the best tippers of any group bar none. The worst were the snowmobilers.

Heather - I ran into a scare today too. Not from driving and ice, but rather dear Zeus. Zeus is the puppy we are holding onto for our son. He is the perfection in breeding that I strove for for 15 years. He's a perfect looking German Shepherd with a clown personality. When hubby parked and let me out at the post office today, Zeus decided he wanted to go with me. He jumped out without my having any clue. I could just picture him running into traffic and getting hit. Luckily I got ahold of him and hauled him back into the truck, but man! My heart still hasn't stopped pounding.

Mary - is there a picture of the faceted freshwater pearls you mention? I've never seen something like that and it sounds beautiful.

I received info about a writer's retreat at our university today. One full week, sessions of only 15 people per topic. I want to go!! The instructor I like the most is doing his session on POV -- one of my worst areas.

Carol 1-7-2002 15:11

Good morning, everyone!

Jerry - though I'm not an 'old' biker, we sold our Honda Shadow American Classic Edition a few years ago. I miss it, and the rides my husband and I used to take to all of those quaint little Southern Ontario attractions, such as the oldest covered bridge. From the look and sound of the bike, with all its extra chrome and louder pipes, many thought it was a Harley.
In the family album that Mary set up for me, the bike is in the background of the pic of my husband, wearing his 'shortie' helmet. My birth mother (also pictured in the album Mary so thoughtfully created for me) was a biker for a number of years of her life, and still pops into the clubhouse when she's near Toronto. My birth mother and I have some rather inexplicable parallels - all of which happened before we re-connected.
I have no clue how to paste an image file onto the notebook, but I do have a beautiful close-up of the bike. *sigh*

I'm about to email out my daily writing achievement, small as it may be - about 400 words. Better than nuttin' is all I have to say!
I'm mailing it to both of you, Mary and Mark!

Viv - almost ready to get back to you on your revised story!

....
Yesterday the roads were terribly slushy and slippery. On my way to get a coffee during my break on my weekend clean, I was driving to Tim Horton's. I didn't want to take the back route since I figured it would be plowed much later than would the main roads.
I came through an intersection, up and around a tight bend doing no more than 30km and hour. The car started to slide. I know not to slam on the brakes - I grew up in snowville after all. I did a little test steering, but there came a moment when I knew I'd hit that curb, and quite probably I'd be over it and into a deep ravine. A deep, heavily treed ravine. I pulled my wheel over gently, trying to get the car to go sidelong, rather than headlong into that curb. All I said aloud was, "Dear God..."
I hit the curb hard with my right front wheel. To my amazement, the car simply banged against the curb and my car and I were still on the road - skimming along in fact. It felt like I was in a huge game of bumper pool. When the car finally came to a stop, I was afraid that the damage would be severe enough I'd be stuck at the bottom of a hill; a deadly place to be in these circumstances. There hadn't been any other cars around me when I hit, but there were surely more coming - it was not long after 6 pm and the roads were busy.
I made it safely to the Tim Horton's parking lot. I hopped out, a little shakily, only to find that there was not a scratch. Not a dent. Nothing seemed amiss at all.

After finishing up at work, on the way home I did notice a slight wobble in the steering. I think I've knocked out a little more than just the alignment, but not enough to detain my husband from taking it for a 'test drive' to work this morning. I only hope it's safe to drive it to work tonight, and until we get it into the shop for an inspection.

Whew!
If this is the only incident this winter, I'll be very relieved. Last year I hit a patch of ice and did a 360 on the highway, coming up to an intersection, but miraculously, the cars that were beside me on the way up saw me start to slide and were able to stay far enough back and out of the way. I landed somewhere near a third of the way into the intersection, unharmed but with an awful tremor!

Anyhow, stay safe everyone. What I'd do without all of you is a thought I refuse to entertain.

Blessings!

Heather 1-7-2002 9:20

***Taylor***

Teekay: If you think that joke was bad, should here a joke or two my boss and I say, we get beyond tasteless
And no I will not say it, if I do might get hated... I hate myself sometimes for even thinking they're funny

Taylor 1-7-2002 9:13

Any old bikers here?

I don't think I ever mentioned that me and the wife used to love riding motorcycles. I guess I only owned four of them in my life, as we found the pleasure late in life. I sold my last, a vintage '75 Honda 750, fully decked with faring, bags and lowers. Sure do miss those days, we used to enjoy the poker runs, or just riding up to Devils Lake and cruise around the lakeside.

Know how to tell when you meet a happy biker? Look for the bugs in his teeth.

Speaking of teeth, my tooth ache has subsided a bunch thanks to the anti-biotics. Must have been some infection in there or something. I will see the new Dentist on Tuesday.

Anyone heard from Alien? Haven't seen her here for a long time.

Jerry 1-7-2002 0:22

New pet peeve - any site on the web that, without your permission places themselves as your home page.

I went to Webshots today to put that program back on my machine since I reformatted. Everything went well, and later when I restarted and went back to the web, instead of www.iwon.com up pops webshots.com.

I have un-installed the offending program, although I enjoy their product, any site that try's to change ANY setting on my system does not deserve my support. I then went to their site and left them a note saying the same.

When we left for mom's today for pinochle, as we do every Sunday, I set my machine to download some software using Kazaa. When we got home, I found a virus warning on my screen, when I clicked OK, another popped up, then another and another and another and another. All were located in my kazaa download folder and had the .dat extension.

I immediately went to DOS and deleted all .dat files from that folder and ran a virus scan. It looks like I caught them all. I hope I did at any rate. Seems the web, like everything else is becoming a much more dangerous place in so many ways.

It is things like this that leave me longing for the days before Vietnam when the US was still the strongest nation on earth, when we could trust our politicians, when there was no CNN no Time Warner, only NBC CBS and ABC. When The news ended with "Good night Chet." "Good night David"

I guess those days are gone forever. The day when we could feel safe in our homes, in our trains plains and automobiles. When we trusted the cop on the beat over anyone else, when a cop told you to do something you did. I long for the days when if you got in trouble in school, you were worried because you would be in bigger trouble when you got home, not the teacher would be in bigger trouble when your parents found out about it.

Oh well, I guess it is part of getting old.

Good night Chet and David.

Good night all.

Write on.

Jerry 1-6-2002 23:52

Oh my goodness, you guys are too sweet. I for one wholeheartedly support the "publish something, order from Mary" plan. Sounds great to me! Hahahha.

Oyster again: You would be surprised how the price of freshwater pearls goes up when they are faceted. But they just look so darn cool. When they are faceted you can see inside at all the layers of nacre the oyster has painted onto the irritant to cover it. Kinda like pearlescent tree rings.

I have always loved pearls. The oyster takes something unpleasant and piles the love onto it until they make it beautiful. Kinda like God, huh? I never thought of that metaphor til just now. Yeehaw, learn something every day. Oops, there is that cowgirl in me coming out again.

TEEKAY: You are so considerate. Thank you thank you again!!!

I don't remember if I updated you guys or not on the ebay suggestion that I put some jewelry on there. Well, I went out on a limb and put two of my amulet bags on there. My two favorites as a matter of fact. I listed them with the lowest acceptable bid being $5.00. $4.00 for shipping. I did not get a single bid. Now, I am sorry, but even if they sucked they would have been worth five stinking dollars. I retail them for over $90. I think that ebay is just not the place for such things. I would just consider it bad timing, but I even relisted them both a second time, same prices and still not a single bid. My husband put a Max Lucado book up for auction, it sold the very first day for twice what he was asking. Go figure.

I am off to bed. Yeah right...I am off to find new beadshops online. Hehehehe.
nytol

Mary 1-6-2002 23:11

Ok, so the kid who flew the private plane into the bank was a bin laudin sympathizer! (No caps on bin laudin because he doesn't deserve caps)

Guess it takes all kinds, sure am glad that nobody else was hurt.

Jerry 1-6-2002 23:00

OYSTER: Bicones. Bi as in 2; cones as in, well...cones. They are any bead that is shaped like two cones put together. Like so: <>

I just picked the clear crystal ones because they look like ice.

Mary 1-6-2002 22:55

Oberservation from a cop friend of mine:

Almost 150 yrs ago, President Lincoln found it necessary to hire a private
investigator - Mr. Alan Pinkerton. The function that Pinkerton established
actually was the beginning of the Secret Service. Since that time federal
police authority has grown to a large number of three-letter agencies -
FBI, CIA, INS, IRS, DEA.
Now comes a proposal for another agency:
The "Airport Security Service."
Can't you see it now, the new service in their black outfits with their
initials in large white letters across their backs?

Jerry 1-6-2002 20:17

**Teekay**

TAYLOR: I saw that on the news too. It was like; "WHO CLOSED THE WINDOW?!?!?!?!"
Well, I thought it was funny.

LITTER: Serious Burns unit! HAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAH good one.

RANDALL: I do say that sounds jolly good old chap, a spot of lager on the darker, brighter side of the city. you're on :-D

OYSTER: Recipe for DIY knock yourself out juice is a spot of sleep deprivation mixd with 2 argumentative teenagers, throw in a dash of number one son and mix well. Leave to sit 4 hours, then toss in a couple of arguments a bit of a whinge and a whine. Now, here's the really important bit: Shriek madly at intervals for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better, but 30 mins is the minimum) At the same time run around the room waving fists and picking up toys and discarded coffee cups in the process.
You will know when the potion is beginning to take effect because you'll find yourself thinking, 'this is it, I'm having an emotional breakdown, I'm cracking up, it's the looney bin for me', and you know it's definitely working when you find yourself bellowing this out loud. Shortly after this period the brain does a short circuit type of thing (I can't quite recall the medical teerm for it) and you find that really, nothing is important any more. Basically it's a stage of reaching rock bottom and having no where else to go.
OR you could take a pill.

ATTENTION: Please note I do not condone the use of drugs, I only find it acceptable as knock out juice for when teenagers and angst and dirty houses are unavailable and there is no other alternative.

Okay, really though, just in case I'm giving out dreadful impressions all over the place I want to make it perfectly clear that I do NOT take drugs,
I only sell them.

Yaaaarghhhhh I am trying to be serious Burns.

To keep it perfectly simple,
Drugs bad, angst ridden teenagers and dirty houses good.

:-D

Ah, where's that bloody novel, I may as well go and do something productive.

In the spirit of CHRISTI,
may you write till the skin peels off your fingers and the pen rubs on bone.
Or, for the keyboard friendly;
May you type till the pads at the end of your fingers are nothing but boney, bloody stumps.

BTW: It's raining. Next in the news you'll be hearing about how NSW is flooding.

Teekay 1-6-2002 19:06

Hi All :)

Oyster -- I love your idea! Get some money for a publication and buy a special Mary Creation. I'm in on that one. What do you say Mary? Sounds like perfect motivation to me.

I recently received an email with a quote that I really like. I only wish I knew who the author of it is.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

I think that's what I keep trying to achieve in my writing -- a moment that takes a person's breath away. I got a long way to go.... But it will be a fun journey! :)

Here's hoping every word you through onto the page sticks.

Carol 1-6-2002 16:40

VIV -- I found these on www.addall.com/used/
1. Orality and Literacy: the Technologizing of the Word
Ong, Walter J. 33.95 Alibris Alibris Routledge Trade paperback Like new New
2. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the World
Ong, Walter J. 22.95 Abebooks UNIVERSITY PRESS BOOKS Routledge 1982 ISBN:0415027969. Soft Cover As New
3. ORALITY AND LITERACY
Ong, Walter 11.00 Abebooks Hyannisport Books 1982 (1995) Routledge $3.00 SHIPPING FOR THIS TITLE: softcover with in good condition with no marks (ling.)

--
there's a link to the ADDALL site from the BIBLIOMANIA site cited before... ;-)
--

howard 1-6-2002 16:28

And Viv! (I forgot to say hi to Viv ... chagrined blushing). Hi Viv! (toeing carpet here)

One of the things I've been struggling with, due to the computer transfer thing is my thesaurus on Worperfect 5.1 is so excellent that when I'm in other word processing programs, (that are compatible with email) I don't even bother to use them because they're so lame. So is the spellcheck! So Suzy is right, my writing these days is a bit slobbery. Messy, not perfect, but honest and it tells a story. Different styles and narratives are coming out and I like this. Spontaneous is good! Sometimes it's even (ah, such a joy) funny!

And my writing has lately become way longer than it needs to be. That's the part of editing I hate, taking out extraneous words, phrases and sentences. I've become so attached to them all ... whimper! It's like weeding the garden ... is that a weed or a herb?

Yet I was becoming Thesaurus dependent there for a while, and because a lot of my writing was tech-writing and editing and copy editing and ... well you, know the 'make it perfect for publication' stuff, I found myself straight-jacketed. All my writing life I'd 'fixee here, re-write there' with my original thoughts committed to paper (or disk *grin*) and hidden away from prying eyes.

When people did manage to get a glimpse of the 'fiction' or the 'essay' it was a question of "where's the ending?" "Are you going to publish this? You should!"

Mmm. Maybe. I would quickly hide the work-always-in-progress and turn 'professional' again. Now, you wanted to do something with this article? Let's take a look. Oh, let's check the spelling on this. And ... that sentence, I'm confused. Did I miss the last part? No? I see, there is a bit of a block there in the flow, re-write or take it out? Okay, then maybe we'll add to it, (scribble scribble) how does this sound? And this word, is it particular to your profession? Ah, I see, you spelled it incorrectly? Let's just fix that then ...

While it did and still does give me great satisfaction to help someone else 'polish their pearls', I suddenly got the urge to polish my own!

*eyes rolling here* I just realized the image that 'pearl polishing' business would conjure up in a lavicious mind. No matter, it's ... well (blush) it's my best analogy!

And because I've rambled on long enough, here comes Julia Cameron again to say it much better! :>}

"Most of us try to write too carefuly. We try to do it "right". We try to sound smart. We try, period. Writing goes much better when we don't work at it so much. When we give ourselves permission to just hang out on the page. For me, writing is like a good pair of pajamas -- comfortable In our culture, writing is more often costumed up in a military outfit. We want our sentences to march in neat little rows. liek the well-behaved boarding school children. Burn down the schol. Save the books, perhaps, but get the teacher to tell you the real secretes: What does he write and read as a guilty pleasure? Guilty pleasure is what writing is all about. It is about attractions, words you can't resist using to describe things too interesting to pass up. And forget lofty motives."

Julia Cameron - A Writer's Life.

With school age children and having a daughter who insists on writing in her own language, I've learned the hard way to read for content and ignore spelling, syntax, grammar, punctutation, switches from third to first person narrative, the first time around. And just enjoy the story.

My children's writing journies, and the permission they give themselves to create first, edit second (and they hate that more than I do) has liberated me from 'the prison of perfect prose'.

Writing in forums where people spell words in ways that are phonetically accurate but ... well, seem to come from my daughter's language dictionary, helped me to take off my "How do you spell anal retentive, with or without the hyphen?" t-shirt, fold it neatly and put it away.

Mary you are cool. And now I have a goal to aspire to. When I make some money writing, I'm ordering me a Celtic Creation for The Oyster! Fresh water pearls on a silken cord.

New Year's resolution time: Publish some short stories so I can treat myself a Celtic Creation by Cool Mary!

(And as for Suzy ... what's biconite? It sounds gruesome to biconate Suzy, but *wicked smile here*, I like it ... she didn't like it ... she left me alone for today!)

Randall: We have a huge framed print of Robbie Burns being inaugurated as Poet Laureate at "Lodge Canongate" that dominates our living room. Spousie likes it for it's size and frame, I like it because it shows pictures of the Scots in the time of the Bard, and with a wee dram of Scots ancestry (very wee, mind), I feel a kinship with Robbie. (and yes, I like haggis!)

The family is happily eating and I need to plan a celebration of some sort for the end of Christmas Vacation.

Later all!

Oyster 1-6-2002 14:40

Randall

Morning!!!!

I have written of the wonder of the human brain. My novel in progress came to me in a dream, 1997. Last night I awoke, lay there for a minute, captured the name Robert Burns from a dream rapidly receeding. Robert Burns I thought....Robert Burns? ROBERT BURNS!!!! Serious Burns Center!!!! That's it!!!!

Zingo! The Scottish bard! that's what the joke was about!!!!

Ah, the simple pleasures of life.

Poor Queen, she, as I, never realized she was being sent up the river with no paddle and a leaky canoe!

:-)

Randall

RANDALL 1-6-2002 12:13

Christi: Bungled that spelling. Labocea (single celled bottom dwelling organisms.) It was a kick to tell them that I considered them such.

Heather: Thanks for the vocabulary tip. I've been having a great time with the old word bank! So many big words can be constructively applied when you are completely disgusted!

Viv again 1-6-2002 8:45

Mary thank you! I've got to have that book. It sounds like a treasure that I need. I too have a steam kettle that I put on in the morning. I never thought but I write away merrily until another family member comes and turns it off. Later I rise and I find it cold so I turn it on again. Same thing happens again. I spend all day turning that kettle on. I get a lot of annoyed looks in the morning I think...although I don't notice them!

Howard: Great verse. Sounds exactly like me after my glasses fall off my nose. I should show it to the next student who has to find them and pick them up for me. I drive and look like Mr. Magoo.

Litter: Mary is decapitated, I'm dismembered. What's going to happen to Heather???? Hummm, Heather got any ideas of how you'd like to die in Litter's novel?

Got to hit the hay. First day back at school tomorrow. Groan! Winter vacation comes after finals in three more weeks. Yay, lots of time for those books to come.

Mark: I think I can get a copy of the Orality and Literacy in the Tokai Library. If not I'm going to get them to order it. Somehow it sounds very expensive! I want a close look at that theory. In one way I buy it, and in another way it seems such a large statement which is meant to represent an entire population. I also question whether the Japanese can be included or any nation that begins English as a Foreign Language as young as age 6. The alphabet is taught by the mothers at almost the same time as we teach our children the alphabet. I wonder if the duel contact with the language produces mixed results. I'm also watching my own child who has been learning pictographs since the age of 6. (Before that she learned the syllabic hiraganda along with the other children.) I think it might apply better in Korea but I need to check with a bunch of Koreans to see if they learn a syllabic alphabet before they learn their kanjii. It's an interesting topic. Thanks for bringing it up.

Christi: Yes, I definitely heard that kick. Thank you for applying it. Her lazy little backside jiggled all the way up the street. I'm still mad. How can people get a kick out of killing someone's plants? That makes no sense. They also hate animals. That's a very bad sign in my book. I guess they love to bicker so as my husband jokes, they decided to include me in their arguments. Still, I feel cheapened because they managed to make me angry and pull me down to their level. One thing though, they haven't been bothering my house or my plants since. I think maybe I communicated my message their level. It's just difficult to communicate directly with Labosa.

Viv 1-6-2002 8:37

Suzy would be a single strand choker of clear crystal bicones. Ice on a string. Clean.

Oyster is braided strands of faceted freshwater pearls, no safety clasp, walking a tightrope of hand-knotted silk.

No one has ever thought I was cool before. I am blushing. :-)

Mary 1-6-2002 1:22

Litter: I drool. I found someone to go to LOTR with (a gal-pal who surprised me by reading LOTR, she doesn't do fantasy)but alas, she yaps more than me, so it's either go with her or wait until the video comes out for some peace and quiet. And do tell, is everyone (Teekay & Heather) serious, are you writing a novel? Write On!

Teekay: What on earth did your plastic surgeon give you for ana, anae, um, put-you-out-juice? I want some! Despite my predeliction to 'play it straight'

Ddearest with the B-from-H today and now Son is mourning the loss of Christmas vacation and back to school. Since Sonny is in the dungeon and is sulking, I ain't braving that territory until he's well in bed. So, pass on some of that stuff you been doing, there, Teekay, I could use a vicarious smirk or two!

Christi: Thanks for wondering if I was coming back! This place is rather addictive as good places to be go, so yes, I'll be here as regularly as I can.

Howard: ROTFLFBO (Rolling on the Floor Laughin' My Fat Butt Off). Southern American Terrorists? Way too many Bubba bins for me to remember. Too busy wiping tears out of my eyes to care!

Randall: No ba-ba Bubba? I tried. See, when I need a professional working title for something, I'm coming here. You have good sense. I have non-sense. But sometimes, like Teekay, I make myself laugh. Okay, so what if that's the first sign of insanity ... aren't most writers a little nuts?

Except Mary: Argh. Mary, you brought back the dreaded Suzy.

***********************************************************

Suzy: See, Mary is organized. Mary has a plan. Mary has a business making beatuiful things besides. You could take notes you know. Why don't you try her writing exercises.

Oyster: Because I already am writing! Mary is Mary. Mary is cool. I am an Oyster, and I have no organization. It is endemic to who I am to write the way I do. You should know that.

Suzy: (hands on hips and eyes rolling) That is "I am a Rock, and a Rock feels no pain."

Oyster: That too. Ouch, stop trying to grab my grit!

Suzy: It's dirty, let me wash it for you.

Oyster: NO! It's stuck, I'm ... ow, let go! I'm putting abalone on it, leave it ... and me ... alone!

Suzy: Slobbering on it, you mean. And speaking of slobber, why is there a pool of drool on the computer keyboard?

Oyster: I was reading Carol's story. It reminded of Squish.

Suzy: Well (sniff). You might say something nice to Jerry and Taylor, you know!

Oyster: Taylor? Taylor didn't post lately, you're just trying to make me feel guilty about not cleaning my office.

Suzy: About that office ...

Oyster: Okay, I'll say hi to Taylor and Jerry.

Suzy: Ask them for help.

Oyster: Help with what?

Suzy: You know darn well what! More drool, wipe that up!

Oyster: I can't it's stuck on my shell and you pulled my grit so ...

Suzy: You are a disgusting, sloppy, self-absorbed, lazy, writing-fanatic with a serious organization problem. Do you know that??! I give up on you!

Oyster: (grinning as Suzy walks away) and I have understanding writer friends who don't like you either. I bet Mary would make a necklace out of you!

Suzy: I heard that! Clean your office before it gets condemned!

***********************************************************

And we wonder why Oysters like to write in the dark? *Wicked Grin* Mary, what would a necklace of Suzy look like?

Bye all!

Oyster 1-5-2002 22:46

***Taylor***

Teekay: I will look for Ice Station then.

Woke up to some news this morning about a small twin engine aircraft hitting the 28th floor of the Bank of America... I know its serious, but it seemed funny to me to have that plane still sticking out of the building... Only the 15 yr old pilot was killed, and not much damage to the building

Taylor 1-5-2002 22:25

Randall

Hi!

Okay... congrats, you finally got one over on me. Will someone explain the "Serious Burns Joke?" The whole thing went yards over my head. Is a Scottish/English thing?

Teekay....there is a devious side to you I'm just now beginning to understand. :-) We should get together sometime in Kings Cross, Sydney and have a spot of ale. Say, what.

Randall

Randall 1-5-2002 20:44

The Queen was visiting a new Hospital, somewhere in Scotland. The wards were clean and bright, the patients were well cared for, and the staff seemed happy in their work.

She is shown into Ward 5, one of the trauma wards. The patients were sitting up in bed prepared. She approaches the first bed and asks: “And where do you come from my man?”

To which the patient responds: “By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes…”

She smiles benignly and moves to the next bed and asks “And what is your name?”

“John Anderson my jo, John.”

“Yes, lovely.” She replies and walks to the next bed. “Were your family awfully upset when you were brought in here?”

“Ae fond kiss and then we severed…” The man replies.

“Jolly good!” Said the Queen as she turned to the next patient. “Tell me, my man, will you be in here for long?”

“If auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?”

The Queen smiled serenely, a little perplexed by the poetic responses to her questions. She turned to the Consultant responsible for showing her round the ward: “And what kind of ward is this?”

“Why, Maam, this is the Serious Burns Ward…”

1-5-2002 20:22

I am not long back from seeing ‘The Lord of the Rings’. I cannot find a superlative praiseworthy enough to describe how I feel.

“WOW!” seems totally inappropriate.

Litter 1-5-2002 20:20

Oh, Litter, how flattered am I to hear you will enjoy dismembering me on paper? I'm flattered tonnes. Do I get to be like Marie Antoinette?
Here, let me help you visualize: "Let them eat Pizza!"

There.

Back to being a vegetable.

Heather 1-5-2002 20:12

**Teekay**

Of course I don't HAVE to come back and tell you that 'my' cheque was actually s'posed to be 'by' cheque, but I do so have such a problem with stating the obvious.

Teekay 1-5-2002 19:21

**Teekay**

Something went horribly wrong with my new smile. I'm glad I paid that plastic surgeon my cheque.
Am off to cancel it now.

Teekay 1-5-2002 19:19

**Teekay**

Looks at HOP, looks at EDDIE, looks back at HOP; "Whaddya mean 'finally'??????? We're not that bloody old." :=}D Like my nose job?
Thanks, but.

CHRISTI: Dat you Christi girl? Dat really you? Thankyou for the kind words re the story, I'm glad you liked it. And here's one of my special new smiles 4 U 2 d:=})
BTW: It's good to see you giving up the genius hat without a fight.
'Write till you puke' - I love it. A sentiment from the gut if ever there was one.

LITTER: Hmmmmm pills/pain pills/pain pills/pain, ah bugger it, pills.
I never claimed to be a good influence.
d:=}D These smiles are too time consuming - lucky you, you got the last one.
Or you could try meditation, though not very many westerners have the patience for this practise.

So our prize is a mention in your novel. At the rate you have just revealed you are writing it most of us will be dead before we see our name in print.
KWIIIIISHAAAAAAAAAA (sound of whip being....um, whipped) GEDDA MOVE ON!!!

HOWARD: About the freedom thing from a conversation about 473289428 posts ago, I think those who best display freedom while bodily oppressed are Buddhists.
Did you know Buddha wasn't a deity, but a teacher? Found that out last night.
Loved the poem.
*sigh*
Am handing genius cap back to rightful owner.
I didn't want the responsibility of it anyway, and it kept falling down over my ears.
I don't wear genius well.

TAYLOR: I bet you would really LOVE the book 'Ice Station' by Matthew J. Reilly.
I wish someone would read it, I've raved about it often enough.
It's on my very short list of best books I've ever read.

CAROL: You know when you've done a good job when your writing leaves a mark on the reader and they find their thoughts coming back to it.

RANDALL: A leak under the sink eh? No wonder the wife and kiddies are upset, don't you have a toilet?

Uh oh, I believe I'm having one of those days where I'm the only one who thinks I'm funny. Ah well, at least I'll be having a good day.

I love you all.
Each and every one of you are in my thoughts at least once a day.

Teekay 1-5-2002 19:17

Carol, Nicely done. I didn't find it grusome at all. The image of the skinless man will be with me for a while though.

Christi 1-5-2002 14:18

++Christi++

Teekay, That story was bloody brilliant! I agree with Debra, send it out! Thank you so much for posting it. It was so clever and funny and insightful all at the same time. You've earned that genius hat.

Viv, Give your crappy neighbors a swift kick in the pants for me. I want to FEEL the contact, want to hear the thwack! see the jiggle. I do believe I hate these nosy people.
Good luck with the job interview.
Your poems were great! It's funny to see how much we effect each other; Teekay wrote a story that was inspired here and you wrote a poem. That says volumes about this place and the people in it.

Heather, I think you need a restraining order! That woman is a nut job and there's not a damn thing you can do for her because she doesn't want your help. She just wants to poo all over you and then leave, happy that her work is done. Where'd all these hateful people come from? Let's send them to the planet of poo. They should be quite happy there.

Sorry guys, but I'm a bit miffed!

Jerry, I really enjoyed your story.

Mark, I never had the guts to drive Dad's car but I did frequently sneak out my bedroom window at night.
I really enjoyed your story and was thinking about taking you up on your offer, but I can't. I could exchange on a more stretched out basis though. I think I have a problem. Once I begin to feel obligated I want to run the other way screaming. Maybe we have more in common than at first glance. :D

Hey Suz! I have Writing Down the Bones and I just found a new NG book called Wild Mind. It's fab.
Welcome aboard.

Litter, It's so hard to write while you're not feeling well. I find it almost impossible. Don't beat yourself up about it; you'll be back to vibrant form soon!
Now that you've named your prizes I'm regretting very much that I didn't give it a whack. I wouldn't have mattered though, because I'm awful with guessing games.

Hey, Hop!

Hey, Oyster! Glad you made it back. I was wondering.

Howard, HAHAHAHAHA!

Heya, Mare!

I saw flashes of brilliance as I attempted to catch up on this here notebook. I believe I must be doing something right because the company I'm keeping is great. Now here's my fond and crass farewell (I'm blaming it on too much coffee).

Write 'til you puke,

Christi 1-5-2002 14:10

Randall

Hey!

Call me Ali Bin Plumber! Had a minor leak under the sink, supply side, wife and kids all upset.

"Dad the buckets running over! Fix the leak!!"

Jeeze! Do I have to solve all the problems around here? Any plumber will tell you the short term solution is...a BIGGER BUCKET!!! Don't know why I have to come up with all the answers. I mean it's just been (El Line Bin Leaker?) dripping for the last year...or so...perhaps a little longer. :-)

Oh well, the jobs done. Should last longer than I'll be around.

Oyster!? Ba-Ba Bubba? (GRINS) No Bubba is a real Silky Terrier and the Bubba/BJ tail (Big Grin) is real. As a matter of fact he's sitting beside me now begging for another bite of breakfast cereal. Uh, frosted shredded wheat. Oyster I have found that I can have more fun, and perform better if I write what I know, experiences, and such...with just a little fiction thrown in.

Example; Red Britches is a blend of a couple of guys I know, see them around town on a daily basis in fact. One of these self-imposed winos was the first man to fully explain to me the "Trickle Down" affect as related to "Supply Side" drinking. It was many years ago during Ronald Reagan's presidency. A bunch of us were sitting outside the PTA office/shop/brewery/hang out and hang loose headquarters when a local wino wandered up. Oyster, ah, PTA is Part Time Alcoholics. Never have I wished, with more fervor, for a tape recorder to record the hilarious, if rambling story of how the "trickle down" effect really works. Annnnnnnnnd that's where the fiction comes in. Memory fails, draw upon past knowledge. Which brings me back to the beginning...write what you know.

Jerry...One gun person never has to explain to another why guns are a part of their life. Gun ownership (legal) is hard for non- gun persons to understand. And most folks fear what they do not understand. A man I work with tells me his son's girlfriend's family is consumed with fear because someone they know, a felon, is "after" them. Asked for police protection, installed motion sensors on top of motion sensors, leave the lights on at night. My co-worker asked the man did he have a gun to protect his family? The man replied, "Why no, guns are dangerous! I wouldn't have one in my house!" A gun is lethal, no argument there and a lot of persons won't have anything to do with them. But it is a tool and if stored and used properly could save your family from a deranged person intent on "getting even".

Yes, guns are dangerous. And a lot of people that should not, do have them. As you are aware a Supreme Court case years ago ruled that police departments were under "...no special obligation..." to protect individual citizens. That leveled the bad guy/good guy playing field and left the average ordinary American citizen on his or her own.

BTW, a local Justice of the Peace and gun shop owner told me just before Christmas his gun suppliers were running out of guns. There was an explosion of gun purchases on the east and west coast of America. He also commented his busisness was slow, because "Folks around here have plenty of guns."

Enough

See ya

Randall

RANDALL 1-5-2002 13:31

Aargh! I was a touch nervous about posting that story. As a result, I neglected to do it properly. The working title should be: Black Sheep -- not sheet and there should be proper paragraphs. My apologies.

Carol 1-5-2002 13:26

Hi All :)

Warning -- my resulting story from this week's theme may be a bit too gruesome for some. Nevertheless, here it is.

Working title
Black Sheet
By
Carol F. Geniesse

He was only a foot from the water’s edge. With no moon to light the way, his eyes fully adjusted, he could pick out the reason for the quiet lapping of water. A bamboo cage rested on the pond floor. A man’s head could be seen above the water’s surface.
A simple recon mission had just changed.
Creeping through the jungle, the black-clad man scoped out the inhabitants of the camp. They were scattered in various locations, resting, eating, talking quietly. There was no sign they knew he was there. No sign that they cared about the man in the water. Their weapons were laying around.
First priority: get the prisoner to safety.
He slithered back through brush and elephant grass. The Master had trained him well. Not one blade touched him.
The man in the cage barely moved when he saw him. His eyes widened, but not much more. Silence was broken only by an occasional murmur drifting from the camp.
He lifted the naked man out of the water, placed a finger to his lips. No sound. When he discovered the man couldn’t walk, he slung him over his shoulder and began a quiet run away from the camp. The only sound he could hear was the man’s skin ripping off his body as it stuck to his clothing. He was so light. No flesh remained on the man’s frame. He made no noise, no sound of pain escaped his lips.
Safely away from the camp, he set the man down to lean against a tree. He placed his lips next to the water logged ears. "They will pay for this." He disappeared into the jungle.
The camp was as he had left it. Quiet. With his knife in hand, he slit a throat. He moved in closer. Laughter rang in his ears. They were telling jokes. How could they tell jokes? They were degraders of Americans. They didn’t deserve to live, didn’t deserve to laugh.
Anger pulsed through his body. His blood thrummed, drowning out all the Master’s teachings.
When next he drew a deep breath, he saw the result of his boiling blood.
Bodies lay everywhere. Not a one alive or whole. Arms, legs, heads lay scattered. He looked at his hands. How had he done this? Such strength was not known to exist.
Then he remembered the man he had left in the jungle. The courage he had shown in the face of extreme pain. No prisoner deserved to be treated in that fashion. There were laws about that. The enemy had broken the law. They deserved what they had gotten. A message needed to be sent. No one would do this thing again.
He gathered all the bloody heads and threw them in a wheelbarrow. With his finger dipped in red he wrote, "this is what happens when you torture Americans." He pushed the barrow down the trail where it would be found and left it there.
The American was where he had left him. He gave a soft grunt to let the man know he was back. He wouldn’t touch him and cause needless pain. Their eyes met in silent communication.
The naked man wet his lips and whispered. "Who are you? By what name can I thank you?"
"I am Black Sheep."
"What’s your real name?"
He shook his head and lifted the man back over his shoulder. It was a long hike back to the LZ.

The End

Carol 1-5-2002 13:19

Hi All :)

Litter - do what you can as you can. Maybe put a "can" by your writing space for those bouts of nausea. hehehe I gotta lose life or limb huh? Well, I can't think of a better way to go than in the service of great literature. I applaud your using names you know. I've done that a couple of times and it really made the writing more fun for me. Especially if I use an old boyfriend's name for a character to kill off.

Viv -- I'll pray real hard Wednesday. Oh yes I will!

Oyster -- I had to laugh at your story about the "legal niece." During my first week as a bartender, a man hit on me. I asked his name during the course of the one-sided fliration (he was much too old for me). "Now I know why you look so familar to me -- you're my mother's favorite cousin!" The look on his face was priceless! But I sure had a great protector after that.

Carol 1-5-2002 12:23

LITTER: Sorry that you are in such a physical predicament. I miss your emails, but I actually stopped writing as frequently because I felt I was causing you to sit and type for longer than you really needed to. I hope that if you are able and up to it, you will write to me soon.

VIV: When I first started getting serious about writing I received a book for my birthday called "Discovering the Writer Within --40 Days to More Imaginative Writing". This book was a great spring board. Each day there is a new exercise for you to do. I always got up first thing in the morning, put on the kettle and sat down at the dining room table with this book and my notebook. I was still writing long-hand then. Wow, that seems like forever ago. Sometimes, I would get started on the exercise before the kettle started boiling, I would finish the little story and notice the kettle was whistling. It had been whistling for several minutes and I was so absorbed I hadn't even heard it!

This book was invaluable to me because I knew that I wanted to write, needed to write, but I had a hard time deciding WHAT. This gave me something to shoot at, and embedded in each exercise is a lesson. You don't even know you are learning a lesson, but each 'assignment' would target an area of composition or grammar, or just plain old brainstorming.

The book is by Bruce Ballenger and Barry Lane if you are interested in checking it out. Good luck!

Begin writing, starting with the four words below. Write quickly, without thinking too much about what you want to say before you write it. Write for ten minutes. Time yourself.

When I write, I...

Those are the very first words in the book. They are followed by what you should see when you read the words you just wrote and how to analyze your feelings about them. That gives you the base you need to cusomize your writing time and experience around your capabilities and attitude.

Knowing how much you like shortie night themes, and exercises, this is right up your alley.

Mary CeltiCreations 1-5-2002 10:51

OYSTER -- "Ba-ba Bubba?" Would you believe I just got this in the mail!? (author unknown)

NEWS UPDATE: Terrorists Multiplying in the Southeast U.S.

The governors of Alabama, Georgia & Mississippi have announced today that a disturbing trend has emmerged in their states.
Apparently, some number of the Al-Qida terrorists have made their way to the south and while seeking hideouts, have become romantically involved with some locals.
The governors have reported a new class of southerners: ISLAMABUBBAS.
So far, only a smattering of actual births has been reported, and authorities are hard at work trying to isolate and seal them off.
To date, we have identified the following:
Mohammed Billy Bob Abba Bubba
Mohammed Jethro Bin Thinkin Bout It
Mohammed Forrest Gumpa Bubba
Mohammed Rubba Dub Dubba Bubba
Bobbie Joe Bubba Charlene Atit
Betty Jean Hasbeena Badgurl
Cleavie Daba Hava Tampa
Linda Sue Bin There Dunthat
To date, most seem to have sprung from one couple:
Mohammed Whoozyadaddy and Yomamma Bin Lovin.

Howard 1-5-2002 9:01

It was Litter! Sorry Litter, Happy New Year!

Oyster 1-5-2002 5:05

Hello everyone!

And welcome Suz.

Mary! How are you? Hello to Barnabas and Mark. Hi, Heather, and Carol, and Teekay and Viv. Debra and Christi, Howard. Americo? Did I forget some one? I have this nagging feeling, my mind is reeling.

Belated Happy New Years to all. No New Year's resolutions yet. Except to get the basement organized. Oh, Lordy, it took us ten years to disorganize it, how long will it take? Another 10?

Jerry: I read your future piece twice on New Years Eve (I think?). It reminded me a bit of a movie I've seen but I can't think which one! All I remembered was a Richard Basehart type of narrating voice reading (in the movie).

Randall: At the risk of being flippant (and I still can't tell if you're doing a first person narrartive 'real story' or making a really good fiction) I vote you name your story Ba-ba Bubba in Honour of Mary's Black Sheep Shortie theme.

Those two I read before New Years.

Aside from continuing to quote Julia Cameron all over the place, I went deep, deep into the dungeon and wrote and wrote and ...

Oh my. This story is not turning out as I thought it would! I'm five chapters into the thing and haven't gotten Bwitch out of town yet! And she's only 16! At the rate I'm going this thing will be the Bwitch Version of War and Peace! Yet there is something compelling about this story of a large girl in a small town. *head shaking here*

I did, however, manage to see the Harry Potter Movie! Wow!

A couple of nights ago we started reading the second of J.K's series. Son and I are taking turns reading "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" while Daughter turns carthwheels and interrupts occasionally.

I managed to get through Anne Rice's "Blood and Gold" over Christmas, which I rather enjoyed because I like Botticelli's paintings and he was a character in it. I like the way Rice overlays a sense of history and timelessness in her novels. I'd like to be able to write as sensually as she does some day as well.

But living with two other writers? Um, I don't think so. Christopher Rice, Anne and Stan's son just recently published a novel, too. Can anyone imagine living with another writer?

I'm looking forward to the kids going back to school, only to find out the Teachers are going out on strike soon! oh yay ... NOT!

And tonight I heard a brilliant but rather crass line that makes me want to write a story about it. We were chaperoning the Jelly Bean (13 and under) Dance and one of the other chaperones was talking about his neice being old enough to be in the bar with him.

He was talking about a friend of his 'hitting' on his now legal neice and remarked with umbrage: "I know those guys and they're not going near my neice again!" Then as if the thought struck him he said "They're all pigs!" Everyone laughed. Even me. I didn't realize until I wrote it here that the kind of story that would come out of such a comment would have to be brilliantly funny (uh oh, this could be a real challenge) or it could turn very ugly.

Anyone else struggle with the fine line between grotesque and gross?

Now I've rambled long enough and I'm up way past my bed time.

All the best in 2002 ... may your writing muses be kind to you. And could someone tell me how to get to Jack's new workbook? Is it up and running yet?

Oyster 1-5-2002 5:01

After that short break (brother had to play computer games and then dinner then my brother continuing with the computer games) I'm back.

Well, for Christmas we got the Muppets from Space DVD. The optional audio commentary by Rizzo and Gonzo makes it worth the extra price I think. (DVD's are about 40 NZ dollars by the way while videotapes are 20-30 dollars)

It's summer here so there have been tons of summer warning ads on TV plus the usual Christmas Drink driving ads.

Teekay and Eddie
Glad you two are finally published.

Howard
I have friend whose nosebleeds every now and then for no particular reason. It just does. Of course, he doesn't usually try to squirt the blood out of his eye but then he's not quite that erm...cheeky?

Speaking of accidental bleedings I have a cousin and friend who have both run through those glass sliding doors. You know, the type, metal frame glass mostly and it might be cooler but it's completely invisible in the night. They both ran through them when they were young and weren't paying attention to the door. Both have them had leg injuries and had to wear casts. Apparently those glass doors are maimers in both Singapore and New Zealand.

Mark
Absolutely right. How a language is created and structured affects the way people think.

Suz
Hello.

Barnabas "Hop" 1-5-2002 2:31

Just read a chilling e-mail from the N.D. Supreme Court. Seems they are advertising to their lawyer subscribers that there are three openings in the U.S. Attorney's office. Two for dealing with crimes on the Indian Reservations and one for prosecuting Firearm Violations.

I just watched the Ruby Ridge affair a couple of days ago, and the revelation that the U.S. Attorney in North Dakota needs a special prosecutor JUST to deal with Firearm Violations doesn't set well with my gun owner bones.

I don't know why it concerns me so much. I haven't pulled a trigger now since '94 when I shot my last deer, and that from the window of my brother-in-law's pickup (oh it was legal, I had a shoot from the vehicle permit), and my son just asked me why I still have all those guns, honestly I didn't have an answer, except I just haven't got around to selling them off I guess.

I know - a gun YARD SALE!

It has been warm enough these past few days, up in the 50's today, and more of the same are expected for the next 7 days. Looks like the cold weather has gone south with the geese.

Jerry 1-5-2002 0:34

Litter - You have my sympathy. I have problems, not stomach related, but writing related with my meds too. The balance between clear-headedness and freedom from the worst pain has to be met. There has been no such thing as a pain free day for me since sometime in '92, I forget the actual date, but there is the normal pain, that I can live with, and that that comes forth if I drop the meds back a bit to far.

I think I have it fairly regulated with a balance of pain - anti inflam and muscle relaxants. I can keep at that balance and drive, think, write and sleep most of the night, well part of the night anyhow.

At any rate, hang in there.

Pain is a strange thing, it can make a man do things that he would never have considered before the pain took over his life.

Viv - If I remember right, and I think I do, it is about 999 miles from here to El Paso, so Carlsbad would be around 900 miles I would guess. Just a short afternoon drive you know. I recall when my dad was dieing, I drove the trip straight through, after spending the previous night on guard duty. With a brand new car, and not paying much attention to the then new 55 mile per hour speed limit I made the trip in twenty four hours, and got to visit one last time with my dad. He got to hold our new daughter who he had never seen one time, then passed on. It was worth the drive, but when it was over, and dad was gone, I crashed on mom's couch and slept for nearly twenty hours.

Well I am off to play with the box the kids came in. Good night to all.

Write ON!

Jerry 1-5-2002 0:14

Teekay:

That's a whole crap load of asses.

Heeheeeee () () () ()
^ ^ ^ ^

Debra 1-4-2002 23:43

Hello everyone. Just dropping in to say hello.

I've been working on my novel so I haven't really had time to post or read posts. That and the fact that my siblings are using the computer to play games all day and night.

So I'm probably going to be missing a few weeks. Again.

Well, hope the New Year goes well.

Barnabas "Hop" 1-4-2002 23:38

Teekay: The book is on certain politics, but first saw this guy on foxtel when he was interviewing Tom Clancy about the border patrol in New Mexico, I left the tape running on the news channel when I was taping something else
He was strong headed and that, but the way he interviewed was very direct and kept things on target. At first I really didnt like him, but watched him a couple of more times.
The show is called, "The Oreilly Factor"

In the book it has things like his interview and stuff about the ACLU defending NAMBLAs right to express their opinions, and a few others such as I wont say on here

taylor 1-4-2002 23:32

What the heck? VIV - you triggered this with your post:

In a small place
I turn searching,
looking for solidity.
Reaching out
with both hands,
I find it.

----
I think I'm headed downstream...

howard 1-4-2002 23:08

Whoops!
Forgot some things
Suz: Thanks! I think I've heard of writing down to the bones. THAT's a definite. Anything with kleenex involved is a definite as well! Wonderful way to spend a grey day, in a chair reading a book. Ooooh, hurry winter vacation. Two more classes, finals to give, and here I am playing on the notebook instead of writing the classes and finals! (That'd make my students happy...sorry no final, I didn't feel like writing it! My ratings would go sky high...then I'd do a sky dive toward unemployment!)

Litter: Hang in there! I hope the exhaustion gives way to a bright pain free day and a whole heap of writing. Sometimes it takes a little time to adjust to medications. At least I hope so. I'd love being dismembered. Please, have the eyeglasses fall off first. That's what always happens. I have these HUGE thick lensed glasses. I peer through them like a mole. They are always sporting a smudge or a couple of spots. I hate them and they are NOT a fashion statement. So have the darned things take the usual bounce off my nose so I don't see the dismemberment coming. (It's much less painful that way).

By the way, my hair will pick up the color of blood nicely. It's blond.

Viv 1-4-2002 22:46

Thank you! I'm saving the last bunch of books recommended. I have my winter vacation looming up ahead of me and this will give me the reading list I want. Oooooh! There goes the Master Card charge up again. It's worth it.
Mark: The idea of pictograph vs phonetics is somewhat limited when you find out that three fourths of the population is somewhat dependent upon hiraganda (the phonetic equivalent of kanjii which was invented to aid the women (read that last word as mentally challenged which was the idea at that time)

Basically, the entire population will tell you that they CAN read kanjii. Whip out the school newsletter, as I have done on many occasions and you'll find out that 3/4ths of the people you've asked haven't the foggiest idea of what it says. They can read it when the hiraganda pronunciations are printed above the kanjii. A pictograph system is terribly difficult to keep in the memory and requires about an hour or two of study a day to maintain.

I can't wait to read the book though, because although I have some questions, I'll bet they are answered in the book.

Is there anything in the book about spacial ability? I've noticed that as my daughter studied kanjii she developed a finely tuned sense for how to fit things into small spaces. I've noticed this ability in my Japanese friends as well. Interesting idea.

Howard: Nope! You're the best when it comes to writing! Suggesting books too. Hope you're still going strong on the poetry because yours are the kind that get published.

Teekay: Thanks! I was talking about my grandfather! Now there was a black sheep if EVER there was a black sheep. Hey Heather, guess what, my grandfather got arrested too. He rode his horse into a bar and shot up the ceiling. He had read too many dime novels and got a wild itch to do it himself. He said it was worth it, but everyone said it was a good thing there wasn't a second floor in that building.

Rosemary: OK here's the deal. On Tuesday morning my time and on Wednesday afternoon about 2:00 PM your time, everyone drop to your knees and send up a prayer for me. Or if you happen to be in the local supermarket, driving on a highway, or visiting your child's school...better just cross your fingers. That's when my husband gets his telephone interview. I really hope this works because we want it soooooooooo much it hurts. We try to not get excited about stuff like this but with New Mexico, that's like being promised a trip to on the space shuttle.

I'd get a kick out of being close enough to hear you all shout! (Well, maybe take a days drive and go out for a big Ice Cream Sunday!) Yep! I still spell it Sunday! I'm not going out for anything like a Sundae. That word looks like something they'd come up with in a fancy restaurant that is measured out in minuscule proportions by a pernickety waiter.

Viv 1-4-2002 22:34

HEATHER -- U of G has two copies of "Orality and Literacy."

VIV -- Walter Ong is a Chinese-American Jesuit priest who taught psychology at Washington University of St. Louis. For about ten years his main research area was The Influence of Literacy on Cognition. "Orality and Literacy" is a 200 page jaunt through his researches on the way people perceive the world and how that perception is shaped by living in an oral culture or living in a literate culture.

As a sidebar to that you can add interesting dashes of flavor with information on notions of literacy in a culture of ideograms(Asia) -vs- a culture of phonograms(The West). In either case, of course, literacy affects the way we think. Just how that's happened is eye-opening; as are what we've lost and what we've gained.

Mark 1-4-2002 20:46

What to do?

My medication is causing fatigue and nausea, stopping the meds will cause extreme pain and fatigue… What to do???

My work in progress will be about 80,000 words of which I have 10,000. At my present daily progress of about 10 words per day, it should only take me another 19years 2months. Hmmm! Looks like I need lots more words… Okay, if each of you sends me a few of your discarded and unused words, I’ll catch up in no time. I’d prefer words to be of three syllables or more, but I’ll settle for whatever I can get. C’mon, blow the dust of all those old words that are just lying about.

Prizes, prizes, prizes… On the Burn’s translation question prizes are given to Teekay, Mary, oh, all of the lovely ladies on this notebook, as I’m in a good mood. (normally restricted to about 10 minutes per day)

All of you good ladies will have your name (the one you use here) immortalised in my work in progress. It is a murder mystery so be prepared for your namesakes to lose life or limbs… Is that a prize, or is that a prize?

You got it mostly right, but Rabbie Burns was a bit of a lad and sometime lines of poetry were sanitised for all but the most special of publications. The line “And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught,” (the dynamics of the words here are wrong) now has the affectation of a hyphen, which, when taken out, changes the meaning back to what was originally meant, and that has more to do with the effect that a copious amount (weight/waught) of alcohol has on the bladder and the consequent feelings experience in the mail member and urinary tract. There! Clear as a bell. I have a monk e-friend in New Zealand who has stopped singing verse 5 now that he knows what it means :o)

Can’t wait to write Heather/Slugger into the storyline :o}

To everyone else – joy beyond measure.

Litter 1-4-2002 20:28

A shivery, crisp evening to all,

VIV,
I have visited Carlsbad, NM many times. It is a beautiful place, full of wildlife, quaint architecture, and of course a very large cave full of cute little bats. There is a wonderful camp grounds where deer and racoons come around at night to see if you have been messy with anything they might like.
You will have (hopefully---fingers crossed for you) the enjoyment of desert and mountains and whoopee---Texas (that includes Randall and I) is right next door. San Antonio is only about 600 miles away, that's half way across Texas. Our chamber of commerce tells us it is a very desirable tourist location.

You will have Christi in the other direction, probably not as far, Jerry will be northeast about six or seven hundred miles. I think everyone else is way further than that in scattered directions, mostly north.

It would be great for all of us.

By the way, I loved your poem. It is one of the few examples of poetry that I have seen that makes sense. It even tells a story. I don't go in much just for the sound of the words. No musical nature here.

Take care all,

Rosemary 1-4-2002 19:52

Hi All :)

Viv - I failed on our buddy system today. I promise, not only you but myself as well, that the writing takes top priority tomorrow. Today has been one of those everything goes wrong days. I didn't get enough sleep last night so had to take a nap which lasted too long. I didn't get any of my "to do's" done for today. Then I found myself going back to the store five minutes after returning from the store. If I hadn't told hubby my plans for supper, I would have been able to change the menu, but his mouth waters when I mention Chicken Paprikish.

Heather - what an experience you had! At least it should come in handy for a character or two or three.

Suz - I love your quote! Thanks for sharing it.

I got the rest of my Christmas present today. I joined the Writers Digest Book Club. Not only did I get the Writers Market for this year free, but soooo many other handy books.

Off to get a few things done yet tonight so I can actually do some writing tomorrow!!! Gotta do it. Gotta do it.....

Carol 1-4-2002 19:33

**Schmeekay**

Yeah, right, okay, yeah, well mornin'

HEVVER: At some uni's the public can pay a fee and are then able to borrow books.
I know what you mean about libraries, they are one of my favouritest places on earth. Bliss would be unlimited, uninterupted time browsing in a library *sigh*.
I go to the library to borrow one or two books and you can bet your bottom dollar every single time you'll see me staggering home with an armful of them. Not that they all get read, but I do like to have options.

VIV: Your black sheep poem was fantastic!
And I really hope you get to move back to the states. I have my fingers crossed for you.

TAYLOR: Did you see on the 7:30 report last night, those 6 Aussie authors sitting around discussing the past year?
SSSSSSSSNNNNNOOOOOORRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
What's the book you got about? I betting it's about political subterfuge.

DEBRA: In my jeans 1 ass makes 4 asses. I'm told it's hereditary.
:-D

Orright, unnuf a that.

Teekay 1-4-2002 18:57

viv, you might want to try 'bird by bird' by anne lamott. bring the kleenex. i also love natalie goldberg. when i need a shot in the arm, either of those girls do it for me. natalie has two terrific books, 'writing down the bones' which is great for exercises and stuff, and 'thunder and lightning' which is geared toward the novelist.

suz 1-4-2002 18:23

VIV -- I'm the one with the link, and Mark's the one who was looking for the book. It's really easy to tell us apart -- he's the smart one, and I'm

howard 1-4-2002 18:23

Hi Suz- Comment away! We all do and it strengthens work in most cases if it's done in a constructive way. From what you wrote I can tell your comments will be appreciated.
I love what you wrote on black sheep.

Lynda-I think if a place is generally well known you can use the name by simply putting it in caps and don't have to get permission. If it isn't it should be relatively simple to get permission if you contact the owner. Most business' want their name out for publicity value anyway so it's a win-win situation.

Mark and Howard: Mark, thanks for the booksite link. That will be a help! I order strange and obscure books. Howard, what is this book Orality and Literacy about? Sounds neat. I really am interested because I was struggling to find Oral Communications projects and lucked into a chat with someone familiar with the African culture of oral literacy. Seems the African culture is one of oral storytelling. I tried it out on my class and although the general mood of the group was pessimistic, they did accomplish some pretty fair stories. We ended up having a nice time using various themes, rather like our Thursday shortie sessions.

Can anyone suggest great books for getting you going on writing. I have Julie Cameron but would like to branch out a bit.

Carol: I'm looking forward to seeing your latest. I hope you are not discouraged by my lack of communication earlier this week. These darned funks you land in after a holiday are crippling. It's enough to make me go completely Science Christian (or whatever religion it is) that doesn't celebrate holidays at all. Thanks for the dog tips because they really came in handy while I was getting that attack on paper.

Viv 1-4-2002 17:33

I have a question maybe someone can answer? Is there a law or a "rule" regarding using actual names of places, businesses, restaurants, etc in a fiction book? Do you have to ask for permission from each place?
thanks!

lynda 1-4-2002 17:03

Hey Suz...I love that quotation. One of my friends uses that as the signature on the bottom of her emails. If I wouldn't feel like a big ol'copycat, I would do that as well.

Mary 1-4-2002 11:03

good morning! i stopped in for just a sec and spent half an hour reading all this stuff! i can't stay and comment on anything at length (does anyone mind if i comment? heh) but i have something to say about black sheep. ;)

my friend Al said....

"Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds."

i've always thought that many black sheep were simply great spirits ;0

suz 1-4-2002 10:54

BTW -- I've found http://bibliomania.net/ to be an excellent source of book info! It's very well laid out, and has links to a lrge number of new and used book sites.

howard 1-4-2002 9:57

MARK -- There are several copies of "Orality and Literacy," along with many other Walter Ong books at
http://www.addall.com/Used/
Their search engine is very quick!

howard 1-4-2002 9:55

Hi MARK! No, I don't have your copy of "Orality and Literacy" -- but I do still have the Lem book "Pirx the Pilot" that you sent me.
I just checked Ebay, and they don't have the Ong book.

howard 1-4-2002 9:10

***Taylor***

Hey all... I finally received my autographed copy of the 'No Spin Zone' written by Bill Oreilly.
He has a heck of a way with words thats for sure

taylor 1-4-2002 8:17

Black sheep are generally creative and productive Heather. Everyone goes through periods of being black sheep because there are types of people that enjoy making a person feel like a black sheep. It's common group behavior to get everyone to conform to a standardized norm. Unless you want to belong to the standardized norm and can force the type of behavior that will keep you group associated, you'll find yourself among the "black sheep" occasionally.

I hope when you got into the street fight that you managed to blacken an eye or at least get a good jab to land on a nose. It's also easy to be arrested for misbehavior at one time or another. Sometimes I think that the police think it's easier to arrest a woman than a man because it appears on the surface to be less of a danger.

Sounds strange but I got carted off by the police as well. What was my huge crime? I carried a porta-pack (what was known as a video camera now days) into a non-public meeting. Too bad it was so big! Back then they had reel to reel tape in them. What non-public meeting? The Water Board! They were sleezing through a dam that was going to be built smack dab on a geological fault. The purpose of the dam? To provide water to the real estate development which was going to be built below the dam. What kind of real estate? Low Cost Housing.

viv 1-4-2002 6:04

Okay, I'm sorry. That's unnecessary torture. I shall give a hint, and then tell tomorrow. I don't want to leave anyone hanging in suspense this morning.

I got into a street fight. There. Whew.
Now I'm going to go and faint.

Heather 1-4-2002 3:50

Ok. I know, there are going to be a bunch of people wondering, 'what did you get arrested for?' I don't think I've ever said much about it here.
Hold those thoughts, jump not into speculation.

I will write the whole shitwhack down for you tomorrow and post it. That can be my writing goal of the day. Well, one of them.

Oh, heh heh, this post is anonymous by the way... ;-D

Heather 1-4-2002 3:47

Jerry - you are sweet to say that. I forgot to thank you in my earlier post. Thanks :o)
Hope you're feeling better. It's a wait and a half until Tuesday, so hang in there.

Is there a connection between being a black sheep and the writing life?

Uh, oh, thinking caps are ruffling.

heather 1-4-2002 3:40

Oh, one more thing, Mark - If it's still in print, I will be able to order it at 'the Bookshelf'.
I hope you find your copy! :o)
Oh, and I will probably be slumbering until my kids get up Friday morning (well, it's technically Friday now) and won't exchange any writing until later in the day. But I will gladly start tomorrow(today).
Mary, you up for writing exchange tomorrow? Don't mind me if I'm a little late checking in, okay? I sent chapter 3 a while ago. I am definitely getting back into my writing today. Friday. YES.
And I will prove it later that same day!

Black Sheep. Hmmm. Well, I'm the only family member to be arrested, evicted, and fired. All in a row. Ex-boyfriend at fault for the latter two. Me for the first.
Well, technically it was all my fault - I should have known better than to date an asshole like him!
Sorry, I'm not going to bother bleeping that out.

Heather 1-4-2002 3:38

Hi, Mark! Since I've changed my schedule from writing late at night to rising early, I find I have time for the writing buddy system, where I didn't before. I'll try my best to keep up! What I can do is send along what I write to both you and Mary, and then in return, I get twice as much to read! I would rather like that. And the more people expecting output from me, the better. I work best under a few psi. We could form the first writing relay.
:oD

Viv - you are a dear heart. I manage. And I manage because I love writing so much, I think. I've loved it the moment I started reading, at age 4. By the time I was in grade 3 I'd read what I could of my parent's books (the ones they'd let me read). I have a multitude of wonderful memories from childhood (read: before becoming a complete black sheep) but some of the most awe-inspiring took place in the public library. I remember the smell of it, when you walked in the front doors - the skyrocket shelves that touched heaven. The biggest treat of all was to be allowed into the adult wing, when all the books in the children's wing I'd read. Mind you, the children's wing was large, but not THAT large. When one day I finally go back to Sault Ste. Marie, one place I want to spend a lot of time in is that library.
That's the thing about Guelph. The library here is absolutely insufficient for the size of the city - and the needs of the people. The University library is awe- inspiring in its collection; however, you must be a current student or employee at U of G in order to gain entry. (This is more of a wound to me, since my next-door neighbour is a librarian at U of G! But she can't get me a card to it)

The Guelph public library, in comparison, is barely able to hold all of its daily mail. The latter half of the dewey decimal system resides in the basement. Creeeeeepy.
That's the main branch. There are two other branches in the city, both of which resemble a tiny den covered in 'library book wallpaper'. Some rows of books seldom moved, and no people.
The most confounding of all is this: Should you use the computers to search for a book, it is the library search program's pleasure to inform you that that book is indeed in, but it's reserved, and on the shelves of another branch. If perhaps you would visit that other branch (to pick up that elusive book you reserved a few years back), you might find that it's in fact been finally returned - to the main branch. Just what you need. More driving in January. When you travel back to the main branch, someone is standing in line with it tucked under their arm. It's a wonder the police don't just sit outside the library, instead of the bar strip.
If that scenario happened to the woman I ranted about earlier tonight (if she actually read books, that is) I'd have to get off my lazy duff and buy a video camera. That would be a winner at Cannes.

Viv - thank you for saying what you did. I did have that talk with my kids, on the way home from the bus stop. We walked, because my husband had our car at work. That's why 'she' didn't demand me to give her a ride, thank GOD.
I supplied the bus fare, of course, but it was a very small price to pay for her absence. I have never been near her when she was drunk before, so it was a rude surprise for all of us.
She isn't, or at least wasn't a regular drinker over the past 10 years - her husband is a strict Baptist. It is also in the last few months only that her kids have been handed over during the day to her inlaws, so this is the wildest I've ever seen her. Well, it's also the last time I'll be seeing her.
She was never actually a friend to me, but she seemed determined to tout that I was her best buddy. At those times, I'd just grimace, and keep my silence.
I didn't have the heart to tell her that I didn't see it that way at all. She's also the type of person that closely resembles a vulture. She'd wait until she saw me arrive home, and swoop down on me on my way in.
You are right, though, I sure have one doozie of a character, should I find myself short in that arena.

I'm so glad we moved across town, too.

:o)

Sorry, Mary - what I meant by my post about the chat session - I thought I saw you go online (must have been an MSN glitch) and figured we might have a few minutes to chat!
Glad we did finally get to chat too. Thanks Teek, and Christi, too!
Awesome time.
I'm losing brain cells just staying awake here.
Time for some down time. I won't make sense even with an interpreter I'm sure.

Heather 1-4-2002 3:29

Carol,
The work got done! Happy Friday! Hope I left you time enough to write and didn't get you down as well. Thanks for waiting for me to catch up! Two rewrites, no new story.
Sorry.

viv 1-4-2002 3:26

Whoops! The wierdest things happen when I post. The dialog in italics didn't come out in Italics. Sorry

Viv 1-4-2002 1:07

Jerry: Thanks for the input! I know even without seeing it that New Mexico would be great. I have a sense of complete excitement about living there. In fact, I'm trying to keep that bubble of excitement down and really work on enjoying it here. That way I won't get too disappointed if my husband doesn't get the job. There are so many applicants for one job. The last one he applied for had 265 applicants. He joked that there were enough people to work every day of the year for one day.

Mark: Hey, if you have a lot of output and want a bunch of input why don't you look into this list of sites. forwriters.com
http://www.forwriters.com/groups/html#online.

Heather does her part and more. How anyone with two small children and a husband who comes home for a hug PLUS a part-time employment can manage her time better I don't know! In fact she is my inspiration on days when I'm too tired to get up to write.

Here's another bad poem for the site. Seems today I'm writing poor poetry! Sorry to take up so much space but I'm trying like all heck to get my muse to hurry on back. I think he's stuck in a traffic jam somewhere between Yokohama and Narita.

The Black Sheep

The black sheep he was
different.
Alone in a flock of brawny blond children,
scrawny
and short
Wakened with a kick and told
Milk the cows and don’t spill a drop you
lazy thing.
Thin arms and hands,
Puny body, nose leaking snot.
No match indeed.

Each day
The last cow
The biggest
Dipped his tail
Flicked it across his face
And when he flinched
Kicked over the bucket.
Every morning
Morning after morning
He was beaten for being so small
And the cow so large.

When Christmas came
The fire truck drove up
With presents of clothing and toys.
He stood with the rest
And got a bag of candy and a pair of shoes.
Once inside,
The shoes came off his feet
Share you selfish thing
He didn’t mind giving his shoes to the smaller one.
But he hid the bag of candy
The big ones ate theirs fast.
They spotted him
And watched greedy giggling
Share you selfish thing.
And he earned a slap for saving his.

World War I took him far
To a muddy trench
Wakened with the shake
and the sound of guns
but he had new shoes and
all the milk and even candy to eat.
But best
When it ended.
He was grown and
there was peace and freedom.
Alone.

West he went.
And worked homeless
Sleeping in the barber’s shop.
Cutting hair, draining boils
For the barber until he
Entered Medical school.
Dark nights, early days,
A baker, a butcher and sometimes a thief
He scrounged and studied until
He walked

Over the mountains and found a town
Where the trees grew thick and the
Distances were large as his feelings

On dining room tables he
Birthed the children,
Took out tonsils
And when they came to find him
He didn’t want to share.

So quiet he stayed.
Deep in his mountain town
And when they said,
Share you selfish thing!
Then we won’t have to take it!
He laughed.
Big as the mountain.
Too big for the cows to kick over the bucket.
And once
Walking beside him small
I watched as

He fished two dimes
From his battered leather coin purse.
Go quietly
And buy a bag of candy
He whispered.
But keep it our secret

His old eyes twinkled as
We hid it together

Viv 1-4-2002 1:05

Next item on the agenda. I've seen several posts about being able to sit at the keyboard and write. I find that I can't keep up with my thoughts. On a trip to the Grand Canyon, I took a tape recorder and a camera. The tapes were for my own use a record of my reflections on the trip and a record of the pictures so I could identify them and place them in trip-order. The tape recorder has proven a good tool more than once.

Today I ordered a digital voice recorder from Amazon. Could have gotten it from many places on the net, but I had a $20 coupon that was enough to make the difference (the cheapest price on the net comes at a place that has bad reviews for delivery and service). While I was there I ordered a book for my niece.

The recorder is an Olympus DS-320. Several companies have recorders, tape and digital. Olympus is the only company I found with a unit that records in DSS format, which is used in Speech Recognition programs. This model comes with the recorder, a USB cable, and IBM Via Voice text software. Well. Well. Well.

Olympus also makes a model DS-2000 with some interesting features, but it does not have the voice-to-text software. That made my decision. I have Via Voice version 4 and 5, this comes with version 8. I liked using voice software before, but I was always bound to the computer. At this time of night I can't jabber at a microphone without waking my wife, and at other times I simply didn't want to speak stories or ideas out loud for uninstructed ears to wonder about. The DS-320 means I can go anywhere, record what I want, when I want, then come back to the desk and turn it into text. Of course, right while this is going on I am reading Marshall McLuhan's "Understanding Media." The man's a friggin genius. I am about to produce and record my stories in one medium and distribute them in another. "The medium is the message."

HEATHER -- I went to the Guelph Public Library to see if they had Walter Ong's "Orality and Literacy." They do not. I do not have my copy either. Don't know who I gave it to. HOWARD? Does that title ring a bell? Somebody with an interest in this field got that book from me. Officially it's "Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word." Amazing. I'm about to try running my words through a little piece of technology and Ong and McLuhan won't leave my mind. Ong has 13 titles available in Toronto Library (though not that specific one), does Guelph borrow from there?

FINALLY -- I could use a writing partner. Somebody who just needs to see that I produce something every day. I'll do the same for you. About a year ago I proposed this to HEATHER. She agreed to marry me, but said she couldn't do a daily writing thing, she had bigger projects to attend to. The whole writing partner idea seems to have gotten a few fitful starts in the last couple of months with a few positive remarks on it here and a lot of "Gee, that was good, but sorry I didn't keep the schedule." Hey. It's a New Year.

Mark 1-4-2002 0:27

Mark, boy does that bring back memories.

When I was 15 dad bought me my first car. I remember it so very well, it was a 1950 Ford Custom. The only catch, the guy that dad bought it from had wrecked it. The front end was smashed, both front fenders, the grill and the hood needed replacement.

Back then the dump ground was just south of town, and there were piled there hundreds of wrecked cars dating back some twenty or so years. Anything in the dump was free for the taking, so parts were easy to get. Me and my pal Ron took his dad's pickup out to the dump, and drove around the piles until we found a '50 Ford. Well we didn't exactly find a 50, but there was a 49 out there and the parts would fit, just the grill was a bit different.

We worked several days taking that front end off, then another two or three days doing the same to my new car. Then another couple putting the new old parts on. We had it nearly done, all but the bumper were on, and for some stupid reason I figured I should take it for a "test drive."

Now we lived in North Lemmon, a small community north of the rail road tracks that separated North Dakota from South Dakota. There were cops in Lemmon, but they had no authority in North Lemmon. The nearest officer was twenty six miles north west of town. Me without a drivers license, or insurance, none of that important stuff, but what the heck I was just going to drive it around the blocks. There were two really long blocks in North Lemmon, about a half mile each way.

Ron ran next door and told Donna, the girl I was chasing at the time that I was going to take it for a spin. Now she didn't want to go along, so Ron and I piled in the old Ford, and started the engine. The old flathead v 8 purred like a kitten. I put it in first (it had a three on the tree too) and we took off. I made the first half mile ok, after all I had been driving tractors on the uncle's farm for years, and learned to drive on another uncle's 48 Sutabaker pickup.

At the end of the street in North Lemmon, the road curves and heads north. I made that curve just fine, then I saw her coming. Donna had jumped in her dad's 59 Ford Galaxy 500 (Jet Black hardtop) and was making the corner on the opposing street. She didn't have the slightest idea how to drive, never turned the steering wheel till that very day. She made the corner, sliding sideways, I pulled off the road into a driveway to a bunch of grain bins that sat there at the end of town, but she headed straight for my car. Crashed right into us.

Our folks were all gone to work, but when Paul, her dad got home, he came stomping across the street, and caught me by the shirt collar. Boy did he chew my ass, as Donna told him I smashed into his car.

I calmed him down and walked with him to the scene of the accident. (I had pushed my car home, Donna drove hers) He looked over the scene. It was plain as day what happened, as my car was locatable by the pool of anti-freeze where the radiator smashed open before it bent around the two water pumps on the engine.

"Got a '50 behind the house, you can have those parts." He said, then went home and pattled the shit out of Donna.

It was a couple of weeks before Donna would talk to me again, but as these things have a way they came around. I did rebuild my front end one more time, and drove that old '50 until one day when I tried to "burn rubber" and tore first and reverse out of the transmission.

Dad was not impressed, he sold my car to another Uncle who took the engine and put it in his old Ford farm truck, where it resides today, still purring like a kitten. They sure knew how to build engines those days.

Jerry 1-3-2002 23:35

Hi, Kids. Uncle Mark here. Yes, THAT Uncle Mark. oooooooh, look at those smiles!

OK. Let me tell you about one of my adventures and the girl who topped it.

When I was 15 years old, I spent a good deal of time watching my dad drive the family car. We had a stick-shift Plymouth that he handled with ease. I used to compare that car with the Chevrolet we had prior (it got lots of complaints). I was very interested in how to drive that thing because I knew that on my next birthday I'd be old enough for a junior license. I could drive in daylight hours.

One nice Friday evening, my parents walked over to the McGreeveys' for their weekly get-together. The car key lay sparkling under the dining room lamp. I couldn't ever remember the key laying out on the table like that before. It was a sign. I was meant to try it.

I safely backed that car out into Church Street and headed for the North end of the street, about eight blocks away. Most of my friends lived in the North End of town. I hung out at that end of the street, so I knew all the streets there. Driving was different than riding a bike. I stopped for the stop sign at Washington Street, used the clutch, didn't stall out, and drove toward the end. I knew I wanted to turn left at the end and left again on Transit Street to come home. I didn't know about slowing down for the turn.

I took the turn in second gear (on a three-speed car that's full city speed). It felt like the car lifted its left wheels off the road going around the corner. I knew that I made the turn only by luck, that anything in my way on that maneuver would have thrown me. Suddenly I was afraid. I made the next left onto Transit Street more slowly, drove the eight blocks back toward home, another left onto Church Street and a quick zig-zag into our driveway. I don't believe anyone ever knew. I was very lucky.

OK. That was me being adventurous, doing things other kids didn't do, being The Black Sheep again. Today I heard about a 14-year-old girl who made a copy of her father's car key so that she could joy-ride in his car when he was gone. Holy Cow! 14 and planning the job already. This kid may be our hero. May. She got caught, left tracks everywhere.

Sylvia took her copied key and started the car around the curved drive. She had to get from behind the garage out to the straight driveway and then to the street. Her mom's van sat at the end of the curve. Sylvia couldn't quite figure out how to get around the van and stay on the paved drive. Rather than dent the car and the van (a dead giveaway), she simply turned off the driveway and went across the neighbor's lawn. She crushed the end of her neighbor's downspout and left tire tracks all the way across his lawn. She nearly got away with it. Nobody ever talked to me about my early driving. Several people are talking to Sylvia right now.

Mark 1-3-2002 22:53

HEATHER: Did I forget something????? We talked this morning and I don't remember anything about meeting up again. I thought I was just supposed to send you what I am writing today. I am really sorry if I screwed up, but I don't remember anything about chatting again today. When I hit post, I will have to see what time it was that you were here and make sure I am not being a total idiot. See ya and sorry I missed ya.

Mary 1-3-2002 22:49

Viv - I have been to Carlsbad New Mexico. Fantastic place to live. We lived down in El Paso Texas many years ago, and trekked to Carlsbad to see the caverns. I was very impressed with the city, and the caverns were spectacular. Even old foggies like me could enjoy those caverns, as they had an Elevator to take you down, not those long narrow stairs in the caves around here. The rock formations beneath the earth around there are absolutely wonderful. Talk about ideas for stories, there must be a million ideas floating in those huge caverns.

The desert, what can I say. If you have ever lived in the southwest desert of these wonderful United States, you would know what I am talking about. There is just something about the desert that is different from any other place on earth. At first glance it looks barren, foreboding, lifeless, but when you get out of the car and begin to walk, you notice all the life. The little lizards, snakes, field mice insects birds and hundreds of other living things that crawl slither and hop around those wonderful shifting sands.

I was stationed with an armored cavalry unit down there in the 70's and we spent weeks at a time out in those shifting sands. At times we needed our gas masks, just to filter the sand from the air, so we could breath, that when the wind was blowing. Other times we nearly froze to death at night when the desert became a freezer, but overall I never met a GI anywhere who ever spent time in that desert who didn't speak of it with a certain lust to return in his voice. Still after all these years, I feel the pull of that desert, calling me home. I must resist, simply because the cost of living there is a lot more then here, and being on a fixed income, I need to stay where my money goes the farthest. Our daughter who was born there in '71 still wants to visit, as she was so young when we moved that she has no memories of it. Oh we have tons of photo's of the kids and the desert, the mountains that stand behind El Paso, but photo's don't give you that feel.

I go occasionally to the Fort Bliss web site to read the comments from those who served there. They all say the same thing "we miss you".

Jerry 1-3-2002 22:27

RANDALL

Good evening all

In a lengthy discourse on counterculture, west coast living, the Escape Club, an ultra hip 1980's rock group reflects the changes rolling through my life. Their song. WILD, WILD WEST, inadvertently reveals modifications in mature thinking as related to aspects of human behavior. Ahem...mine at least. :-) Annnnnnnnnnd is right on in the fears most of us share today.

To wit:

"...screaming in the back room
Waiting for the big boom
Gimme, gimme wild west
Gimme safe sex
Gimme love, gimme love
Gimme time to live it up."

Verse #1...I do my screaming inside, generates more stress that way. Screaming aloud...no!
#2...After 9/11 I believe we are all waiting for the big boom.
#3...My heart is in the west, on the western slope of the Wasatch Mountains to be exact.
#4...After one passes fifty, ALL sex should be safe, or else a valuable lesson in life was bungled.
#5...See #4...#3...possibly #2 and #1 for sure
#6...My favorite...Lord give me time to live. Let death pass me over, just one more day.

Time is not my friend. Time is plodding ever forward. Taking my children, leaving me panting in the dust of unfulfilled desires and stumbling amid the sharp pointed rocks of regret. But it is the road we must travel. And as that great Texas poet Willie Nelson said once "Everyone has to believe in something, and I believe I'll have another Lone Star!"

Some bowl game, huh guys. Miami is or was four touchdowns ahead when I walked away.

Goodnight

Randall

Randall 1-3-2002 22:19

Heather?

Uh.! um.! Did you expect me to be amused? I hope so. I was.

I'm sorry. I think. Nope. I'm pretty sure I was amused.

If she comes back, please tell us all the details.

I do hope she finally wakes up at some point. You should tell her that every one is responsible for their own actions. I always tell my kids that they will spend a lot of time being next to an ass. If they know they are responsible for their own actions one ass won't turn into two asses.

What? You want an example? Okay. Say you're in your car and some one cuts you off. I tell them that they should keep driving and pay no attention. If they chose to do something else like show them how angry they are then one ass turns into two asses.

See your aggh um friend doesn't know that yet. She thinks she has been wronged and she is in wronged mourning. Some people never get out of that. That's just one ass turning into two asses. See?

I hope your friend gets it some day. I really do!

Debra 1-3-2002 21:57

Viv, sounds like you need to come home to the good old USA.

Heather, a nice hot bubble bath, followed by a gentle massage is what you need, relax and be kind to yourself, you deserve it.

Ok, here is my bit about a black sheep. Baaaaa !

The Black Sheep
by Jerry Ericsson

The black sheep. He had always been the black sheep. When he was growing up, it seemed he never did anything right, his two brothers never did anything wrong.

Well not exactly, he always got caught, they never did, or if they did they shifted the blame to him. Not that he complained, in fact he rather enjoyed it. Even now in college, when there was a problem in the dorm, the RA always called his name, and he was usually correct, even if he wasn’t nobody corrected his error.

Today would be a bit different though, today he would not be called the black sheep. Today, things would happen that would change his life.

It began, as all days do, with the sunrise. He was up already, preparing for his excursion down town to the Museum of Natural History. Not that it was a long journey, for it wasn’t but he wanted to look just right, to smell just right, to feel just right because he was meeting her on the way, and would walk with her those last several blocks through the downtown area to the Museum.

He showered, shaved, and combed his hair with that muse that he liked, that muse that she liked. He used that “special” bottle of aftershave that his father gave him. JADE EAST the ancient bottle proclaimed in bold Asian letters. His father assured him the one scent of this magical elixir would have the woman of his choice falling in his arms within minutes of inhaling the musky scent. He splashed on an extra dose of the sweet smelling lotion, and then rubbed his hands under his armpits and on his thighs near his crouch.

He looked in the mirror, and saw looking back at him a stranger. Well almost a stranger at least, without his beard, the thing that allowed him to write special stories, the growth that made him an intellectual among intellectuals he looked so much younger. Younger was not what he aspired, but it did make him look much more hansom then with the beard, or so he had been told by his old girlfriend.

Then it was to the closet, where he selected his best pair of white Dockers, then his dark blue long sleeve shirt, to this he added a tan vest, a fanny pack finished the outfit, in it he kept his micro 35mm camera his cell phone, and his PDO. He laced up his hush-puppies and out the door he went, trotting to insure that he arrived at her door at exactly seven o’clock, their agreed upon time.

She had just put the finishing touches on her hair, as she looked in the mirror, she smiled. Black sheep she thought, why did mom and dad always call her the black sheep? Maybe it was dropping out of High School (She went back that next year). Maybe it was the pregnancy the child she gave up when she was sixteen (but she was in love with Mac!).
It could have been that time when she wrecked dad’s car, but she only had three beers!”

Patting down a wild hair, she turned picked up her sweater then looked out the window, yes, there he was jogging down the street. He looked so handsome with his casual dress, his dapper hair style, her folks would be proud if she could take him home to meet them. Maybe after the next date, she would mention the possibility. She didn’t want to push things; this relationship had to work out.

She met him at the door, and gave him a little peck on the kisser, just a brush of her lips, but it sent electricity through her body. His too.

Arm in arm the walked down the street; they were passing through the downtown area, when they first smelled the smoke.

“Smells like burning rubber!” she exclaimed.

“Burning rubbish more likely.”

They walked on; the smell grew stronger and stronger.

“Must be a fire somewhere.” She commented.

“Must be.” He hoped it was far away, he didn’t want their study date interrupted by any distractions.

As they walked on, the smell grew stronger, and then they could see the smoke. First just a hint of smoke, then it grew thicker and thicker. It wasn’t long before they saw where it was coming from. A small brownstone tucked between two huge commercial buildings was on fire. The smoke rolled through two ground floor windows that had been broken by the heat. On the second floor, an aged lady stood at the window screaming for help. He looked around but there was nobody but them on the street.

She looked at him, he at her. He had to do something, but what. He hesitated.

“Bob – do something, help that lady!”

“Ah, ok.” He walked over till he was below the window. “Lady - jump!” he shouted.

He turned to see if she thought it was enough, but she wasn’t there. He looked left then right, but no Sally.

“Sally!” He called.

No answer.

The lady on the second floor was screaming now, the fire was breaking through the door to the room where she stood trapped, terrified.

He started for the door, but stopped. He was afraid. He just couldn’t do it; there was too much smoke, too much fire. But the door stood open.
Across the street, he saw movement in a store front. He ran across the street, banged on the window, begging the store keeper to call 911. At last the store keeper understood, made the call. He sighed in relief.

He looked around, still no Sally. He returned to the fire, then looked up to the window, the lady was gone. She must have collapsed. He thought

Poor old lady, but what could he do, it was too dangerous; he just couldn’t go into that burning house.

He could hear the fire engines coming down the street, their sirens blaring, demanding the right of way so they could save that old lady. But would they be too late. He was shaking, frightened at what he might see, he almost walked away, then he remembered, Sally.

“SALLY!” he called at the top of his lungs.

No answer.

The fire trucks were nearly there now; maybe they could still fight their way into that burning inferno and save that old lady.

The smoke grew thicker, as the fire truck pulled up in front of the brown stone. As the fireman began to unroll the hose, others worked around the truck adjusting meters, turning valves, putting out cones to protect their hoses from passing traffic.

He turned and looked at the brown stone again, there was a break in the smoke, through the door came his beloved Sally the old lady in her arms.

He ran to her, and took the old lady from her, then carried her to the fire truck where the EMT’s stood.

“She’s had a lot of smoke!” he told them, a concerned look on his face.

“Put her down here, one EMT told him, another helped lay her on the cot, and began assement, while the other began examining him.

“No, check out my Sally!” he asked, but the EMT continued to check him out. He looked around, no Sally.

A fireman came over and asked the old lady if there was anyone else in the house, but she was so shook she couldn’t speak. He came to Bob, “Did you see any more in the house?”

“Ah, no, ah but my girlfriend, where is she?”

“Ain’t seen no girls.” The fireman told him, then busied himself with the hose, putting water on the flames that now burst from all the windows and doors.

As the EMT loaded the old lady in the ambulance, he told the cop who had just arrived, “Got yourself a real hero over there, dragged this old lady out from that flaming building all by himself.” I wouldn’t bother him right now though, seems a bit mixed up, keeps asking about a girl.”

Bob looked around; did he drag that old lady out? He didn’t think so. Maybe he did. What about Sally? Where was she? What happened to her? Didn’t he see her pull that old lady from the building, or was he just imagining it?

The cop’s partner came over and shook his hand. “Good to meet a real hero, not a lot of you fellows around now a days.” He said, and slapped Bob on the back.

A crowd was gathering, and word went out about Bob’s heroism. They people came to him, slapping him on the back shaking his hands. The ladies all wanted to give him a kiss.

He was confused. Where was Sally? What happened to her? He began asking everyone who came up to him if they had seen her, but they all shook their heads and moved on.

A TV crew showed up to cover the fire, but when they heard of Bob’s heroism they focused their camera’s on him. The whole city could see Bob was a hero. The networks picked up the direct feed, the whole nation saw Bob, heard the words of praise from the cops, from the EMT’s from the crowd.

As the moderator from the TV station was beginning to interview Bob, the firemen began to shout, the crowd turned, the camera’s turned, everyone’s focus was on the doorway, as Sally emerged, a cat in one hand, a small dog in the other. Firemen rushed up to help her, to take the rescued animals. The newsmen rushed up to interview her.

Then the world knew. Bob was a fraud. Sure it wasn’t his fault, but nobody would listen to Bob, after all Bob was the black sheep.

Jerry 1-3-2002 21:55

Heather I'm not a good one for rhymed poetry but I had this little jig jag going in my brain while I'm trying to write for my hours writing time. Best to throw it out on paper and give it to you so I can concentrate on editing.

Spinning Down

Got a dervish in my living room
Spinning round and round,
Stole vodka from the liquor cabinet
Drank it straight down.
Five minutes flat and I
Grabbed the rest away
She’s got the stereo up and
She’s going to be here all day.

I’m turning down the stereo
And gathering up my kids,
While she’s ranting and she’s chanting
About what she will not give.
“I’ve thrown off his fucking collar
and I don’t need any brats!”
My little children goggle at her
Safely tucked behind my back.

That’s when I hit my flashpoint
And I absolutely see.
This selfish woman in my house
Is only using me.
I kindly coax her in the car
And drive her to the bus.
I leave her there then tell the kids,
"She won’t come back
She’s nuts!"

Not a nice ending. Not even a nice poem. It reminds me of bad country-western music. Knowing your poetry,you can shape a much better poem about the whole thing.

Viv 1-3-2002 21:34

Heather: Thanks! Just when I thought I have all the nuts living next door, you pop up with the best nut of them all and to top it off, she's inside your house. I feel better about my obnoxious scoundrels next door, at least I don't have to worry about my liquor cabinet. You are absolutely right to draw the line and not let her in again. She is dangerous because she is so completely selfish. That's a good and sensible decision on your part. You have kids. One thing you can do, talk to your children about the things they observed. It's good that they saw the difference between adults having an enjoyable drink together and the selfish, wasteful, piggish- guzzling of alcohol. It's a good lesson for them on the difference between selfish behavior and sharing. (Ie: You share your cake you don't get a tummy ache!) I like the way you wrote about her because I could actually see her and the entire thing makes me want to write a poem.

Teekay: Believe me we are working and working on that! We had a job interview by telephone last month and there's another one coming up this week. Both jobs are in America in very nice living places. One of these places is New Mexico near Carlsbad. It's supposed to be a desert there and have lots of space so you can just look up and see a big bowl of stars overhead. That is the interview this week. I'm dancing on dreams thinking about it. Maybe that's why I'm feeling angry and irritable this week. I found my plants in the neighbor's garden and the heads were pinched off my plants. Spiteful! The worst thing is they don't really care if the plants live and they don't water or care. I tried being giving but they just took and then went on their spiteful little way. They kick the cat or squirt him with water. What is funny is when he sees them he sticks his tail straight up in the air and shakes his hind feet! I think this is the cat equivalent of giving someone the finger.

If we have to stay here, at least I have a few bad characters. Definitely, Heather has a great bad character.

Viv 1-3-2002 20:40

Teekay - great story, send it somewhere, it deserves to be read by everyone involved or not.

Been one of those days for me, yes the antibiotic has helped, and as I said, I reformatted my machine last night, and have spent most of the day reinstalling software again, getting it set up the way I want. I do miss XP, as I have already seen the BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH a couple of times. In fact I became so angry that I went in and changed it to a chartreuse screen with amber letters. Much better.

Then, when I was at the most frustrating part of the set up, I decided to take a break, to find somewhere else to be. So I went up-town and got a haircut. Don't ask which one, I have heard that a billion times in the Army.

At any rate, the lady barber filled my head with tales of viruses and new computers turning old at their hands, she complained of slow internet service, poor tech support, and the inferior quality of today's computers. Not that I disagree, but it did my heart good to see someone else angry at these infernal machines.

Now I don't know if I mentioned earlier but my sister and her daughters machines were all messed up. The result of my niece deciding to speed things up by "tweaking" windows.

Ok, now she does know where to get to these areas, but she has no idea what to do when she gets there, but ignoring good sense, she went ahead and tweaked.

We have formatted both of their machines, and I flat gave up a couple of days ago, but they keep calling, begging that I return and fix them. Well her daughter was the one who formatted them, not I and I was in fear of what I would find when I got there, but when I got home from my hair cut, feeling just a bit more relaxed, the wife informed me that my niece had called begging that I come over, they could only get one machine online, and just couldn't stand taking turns.

I went over, and mirical of miricals, the first thing I tried to fix it WORKED! I was in and out in under fifteen minutes.

I got home to find the wife frustrated because our main machine had locked up and she couldn't get on the internet.

A reboot informed me that one of my hard drives might have developed bad sectors, and I needed to run the through version of scandisk.

I did. It didn't.

Now for a nice relaxing night of writing. Boy do I need the break from reality.

Jerry 1-3-2002 20:31

Forgot to mention that these events transpired over the course of not more than an hour and a half. Whirlwind indeed.

UGH

Heather 1-3-2002 19:32

Brain is fried after a really overly-eventful day yesterday. *disclaimer* I'm going to start ranting now, so anyone who does not wish to read it, skip this post!!!!!
:oD
Does anyone remember the woman I was discussing a few months ago (last year) - the one who calls me out of nowhere and drains me of all energy? She lives a rotten life but won't change it. Her children are being cared for by inlaws, so now she's 'free' to run amok, run wild. She's pissed at her husband for 'taking the kids' elsewhere for daily looking-after, because he makes her feel like a bad mother. Really, what she wants is the freedom without the guilt. And what, she gets to act like an imbicilic child and have all the cake in the bakery? Sorry, man. That's not the way it goes.
She arrived at my doorstep yesterday, half-drunk and high on something. When I was in another room, explaining to my kids that we would take 'her' for a walk to the bus stop to get her out of our house, she raided my booze cabinet. Not that it's a big cabinet... but we had stocked up for Christmas and New Year's, with all the relatives and friends we had over. Unfortunately, no one had touched the full bottle of vodka. She drank two thirds of it before I managed to grab it, distract her, and run downstairs to hide it. This is after she's cranked the stereo to full blast (every time I turned it down, she'd turn it back up) and had decided to make my livingroom her dance hall. Normally, dancing in my livingroom is no problem - in fact we do that often. But a drunk, angry, frustrated, selfish, childish woman who has been in a suffocating relationship four 11 years dancing in my livingroom, banging into furniture, and yelling at walls is not my idea of a good time. On the other hand, she does need help. If she ever accepts the help - well, that's another story. I could not, in good conscience, just throw her out on the stoop. She's the classic embodiment of a 'cry for help'. So I talked to her (after hiding the stereo remote and unplugging the damn system) and put on some coffee in the hopes that she'd calm down before we took her to the bus. I didn't want her getting lost en route, too drunk to think.
And she told me that she'd just walked out of the house, without leaving a note. The moment I asked if she'd like to call, just so that no one worries about her, she lost control. She ranted about her husband not having his leash around her neck any more, etc. and that she didn't have to answer to anyone for where she went...

I asked her if she felt she'd get to take care of her kids if this was the way she was going to act - running out all the time, staying out all night, being totally irresponsible...
(it's not that I felt she was required to call home - but it was a courtesy at least. She nearly hit me on that one.) But it was the kind of question I felt she should at least think about. If she really did want to care for her children herself, since she seemed to 'cut up' about it, wouldn't the logical thing be to act responsibly? Oh, right. I forget - there's no such thing as logic when you're the victim that won't give up her position. The world is her pincushion, upon which she proudly displays her pricked fingers.

Thank GOD my husband came home during his lunch (on evening shift)to bring a coffee from Tim's for both of us, and to give me a big bearhug. (He called from work when she was probably scarfing back the vodka - it takes more than a minute to guzzle that much of a 26 ounce bottle, wouldn't you think???)

Oh, the kids were sure happy, as was I, when we dropped her off at the bus stop. I felt most certainly used and abused afterward, since she demands for her problems to be solved, but doesn't want to do the work. SHe's more than a handful. She's banned from my house.

I think I'll actually get some sleep tonight. Wayne came home early last night, after all of these events, and we played a relaxing (and challenging) game of scrabble with candlelight. The kids haven't been scarred for life, thank GOD! They've never seen anyone drunk before. Not even the bunch of us at Christmas. That was what I call 'pleasantly giddy'.

Enough crud dumped here. Sorry folks.
I think I'm still in one piece. I forgot to mention that this woman is 6 feet tall, and incredibly strong. I don't know if that's her background, her lifestyle, or the fact that she's got schizo affective disorder... sigh. But I'm lucky I didn't have to do more than dodge.

Heather 1-3-2002 19:26

whoops, maybe not! Mary, are you on MSN?

Heather 1-3-2002 18:41

Smashing good job on that story, Teek!
Oops - gotta go! Have a chat session starting!
:o)

Heather 1-3-2002 18:40

**Teekay**

VIV: Why do you live there? It sounds awful. Why don't you just come home?

Teekay 1-3-2002 18:02

Hi Teekay, Great story! Way to go!
Carol: I went into my computer files and edited some old work yesterday. Slept late today but will work for an hour on editing to see if it helps. No ideas at all on the black sheep I'm going to get out a journal, take off today and see if I can get one. Have to catch up on grading as well. I think that's another thing that has me worried. I'll get the grades up and the classes written and then I'll have a little sense that I can take some time out for myself to write.

I feel incredibly selfish when I write stories. It's silly to feel that way but I always feel guilty for "WASTING" time. Why? I have some neighbors that snigger at me for being at home so much and sitting behind a computer. They call me "crazy", tear up my plants in my garden, and if I say anything about the plants or the treatment I'm given the "crazy" stuff again. It's making me want to really get crazy and do some damage to them or their property. I hate staying home. It bothers my creativity. At least on the job I can sit behind the computer and no one thinks anything about it.

Viv 1-3-2002 17:57

**Teekay**

Mornin' y'all :-)

VIV: I know! Some people! What do they think the 'L' stands for (Look out!). Don't they know that if they see an 'L' sign on a car they should stay at least 100 meters from it? Actually I haven't done anything like that - yet, although there are times when I'd have liked too.
I'm one of those paranoid people who put on the imaginary brakes and tense up at the sight of a truck and gasp and groan and moan and nag. Come to think of it, my teaching the girls how to drive is probably far more harrowing for them.

JERRY: Do you sometimes fantasise about getting the drill bit and drilling a small hole in the side of your gum to let out all the pus and pressure?
No?
Oh.

DEBRA: :-D thanks goily, but it was just an offering for the Nb*. I couldn't think of a magazine who'd go near it for fear of racial discrimination or some such bahooey.

CAROL: Isn't it always the way? Of course once you've commited it to the Nb* or some other permanent fixture, the mistakes become glaringly obvious, and now some time has past since I wrote it I can see quite a few changes I'd make to it.
I had a lot of fun writing it though. And have become rather attached to Al or Ali :-D
It's a bit like the droughts broken now, it's been weeks since I've written anything and it doesn't feel good when that happens.

Quiet today you lot, can I assume you'e al busy scribbling away with pen and paper or have heads diligently bowed above the keyboard, exception JERRY who is storming about the house terrorising humans and animals alike, but with a jolly good reason for doing so :-D

Have a great day all and JERRY I want you to have the best day you can. The antibiotics should work wonders.

Teekay 1-3-2002 17:51

Teekay -- I agree with Debra. I'm sure there's some polishing to do (seems there always is), but I didn't find any glaring mistakes as I read through it. What I like the most -- the fact that you didn't have a cliche ending of going to hell. You held out hope. Find a literary market and submit this!

Carol 1-3-2002 17:15

TEEKAY:

If you don't try to get that published, I will have a fit the likes you have never seen.

It is so fitting, touching and so damn good.

Please get right on it and keep me posted. Also I want to know where I can lead all my family to see your work.

You're so talented, so talented. I'm proud to know you.

Debra 1-3-2002 9:23

**Teekay**

Okay, here's the JERRY and DEBRA inspired story. I haven't left it long enough to be able to judge it properly so if it sucks I'm sorry.

Fall From Grace.

Alimar Mohammid Omar Mohammid Amid, or Al, as he was known to family and friends, was completely oblivious to the fact that his every move was being watched.
He stood atop the Winfield hotel surveying the crowd below and panting heavily. He was out of condition. Three years of living the ‘American Dream’ had taken it’s toll, wreaking havoc on the once firm, lithe body, a legacy from his days in the training camp. From the intense preparation of readying himself for the time he was born for.
And that time was now.
He’d been watching a re-run of ‘Roseanne’, good figure, lots of places to hold onto, but what a mouth! He’d been thinking how the woman needed a damn good whipping and fancying he was just the man for the job when the phone rang shrilly in the hall. With a muttered oath and a lot of grunting Al clenched the piece of the colonel’s best, that he was in the process of bringing to his thick greasy lips between his teeth and hefted himself to his feet.
‘Yeah,’ he said through a mouthful of chicken.
‘Alimar Mohammid Omar Mohammid Amid?’
Al immediately stood to attention, gulping down the half masticated chunk of food. He felt it lodge in his throat and swallowed again, the food moved down a fraction more and lodged again. Cold beads of perspiration began to dot his upper lip and brow and he began to consider throwing himself bodily against the wall. Another desperate gulp as a wall of panic began to build within him, but, thanks be to Allah, the chunk finally dislodged and slid down his throat.
‘Alimar Mohammid Omar Mohammid Amid?’ repeated the guttural voice.
‘Yes,’ breathed Al into the mouthpiece, he wiped a shaking hand over his face.
‘Allah awaits you.’
‘Yes.’
‘You know what to do.’
‘Yes.’
‘Praise Allah.’
‘Praise Allah.’
There was a click as the call disconnected at the other end. Al stood frozen, staring blankly at the television screen, the receiver clasped in his sweaty hand still held to his ear. It was time to meet Allah. Time to put into practise what had taken so many years to prepare for. Almost he had been prevented from his holy task by a chunk of 11 secret herbs and spices chicken.
‘Stinking, putrid, disgusting infidel Westerners,’ snarled Al replacing the receiver, a maniacal look glazing his eyes.
‘Dirty, filthy, foul, rotting bird of the America’s.’
There was no glory in death by chicken.

And now Al stood perched on the ledge of the building. He had almost given himself a coronary strapping himself sweating and swearing into the hang gliding contraption Yasser Mali Oshar Muhatma, Al’s brother in ‘holy terror’ and part time cleaner at the Winfield had left hidden on the rooftop the previous day. Al adjusted the leather strap pinching uncomfortably at his groin. He didn’t know much about the finer workings of it all, but he did know that soon approximately seventy virgins would be awaiting his gentle ministrations, and he wanted everything to be in working order.

He looked at the Jag watch strapped to his wrist. Five minutes. Soon they would begin the countdown, their eyes raised hopeful and expectant to the display of fireworks designed to stun and amaze and make them suck the air into their lungs in amazement. Al readjusted the strap again and lit up a Marlboro, pulling the thick acrid smoke deep into his chest and calculated the direction of the wind and which point was the most populated and therefore the most appropriate place to detonate the nuclear device strapped around his waist. Quietly he gave up thanks that he had been one of the chosen to take hang gliding lessons rather than learning how to fly a plane. The thought of being cooped up in the confines of the cockpit made the bile rise in his stomach and his bladder muscles weaken. He’d been claustrophobic all his life. Back in the training camps when they’d been practising the ‘run and hide’ drill, much to the chagrin of his fellow terrorist brothers he always had to be the last to enter so that he got to sit nearest the opening of the cave.

20, 19, 18
Al ground the stub of his cigarette underfoot,
17, 16, 15,
and gave the leather strap another tug.
14, 13, 12,
He did a quick check on the bomb
11, 10, 9
and sent up a prayer, then stood poised and waiting, looking down at the upturned, expectant faces.
8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2,
‘HAPPY NEW YEAR!’ The shout rang out amongst the crowd as explosions rent the air and the sky lit up in a glory of multi coloured bursts of stars and fizzles and flashes.
‘Happy new year stinking, filthy sons of whores and donkeys,’ muttered Al through clenched teeth and launched himself from the ledge. He felt the pit of his stomach shoot upwards to meet his spine and his intestines spasm threateningly as a fleeting sense of fear gripped him at the sudden drop and he wondered if maybe he was too heavy to be doing this anyway, but then the wind caught beneath the wings of the glider and bore him on invisible currents. He saw some faces in the crowd turn in his direction, saw fingers begin to point, and then more and more faces and fingers turned his way like a living tide.
And Al soared above them, filled with an unspeakable glee that energised his entire body. His skin felt as though it was turned inside out and he was grinning like an idiot displaying brilliantly white, perfectly straight teeth to all those close enough to see them. He whooped with uncontained delight and yanked at the cord strapped to the bomb, and then everything began to happen very, very slowly. He saw the curious looks on the sea of faces turn to disbelief and then fear. There was no sound, only a deathly hush though fireworks still burst upward to spew fountains of fire into the night sky and people were screaming and crying, and those who could were trying to run.
Al was still flying. He frowned. What had happened? Had the device not detonated? But it must have done for could he not see the result of his plans all about and below him?
He caught a glimpse of red and yellow striped fabric below and found himself focusing on it, immediately he was next to it. It was part of his hang glider. On closer inspection he could see the remains of a dismembered body still partly attached and it suddenly came to him that it was his own body he was looking at.
‘Welcome home, Al.’
Al tore his gaze from his disfigured body and turned to the voice.
‘Who are you? Where am I? What’s going on?’ Ali demanded.
‘I, dear chap, am your guardian angel, and you just happen to be dead.’
‘Dead?’ said Ali, turning back to his mortal remains.
‘Yes, dead,’ confirmed the angel. ‘I believe you were considering such an outcome.’
‘Well, what do you want? What happens now?’
‘Actually, I don’t want anything. This just happens to be a parting of the ways. This is where you and I say arrividerci, goodbye, ciao, sianara.’
‘Goodbye? But I’ve only just met you.’
‘Oh contraire my dear fellow, I have been with you your entire earthly life. From the day you came forth from your mother’s womb I was there, looking over you, looking out for you.’
‘Bah!’ spat Al, ‘You think I would not know this if it were true.’
‘Yes,’ the voice was thoughtful,’ but you did know it Al, when you were very young, you felt me there in your heart guiding you, keeping you safe, that was when your heart was pure. Alas you allowed bitterness and anger, thoughts of revenge and vengeance enter within. You began believing the word of man above the word of your creator.’
‘My creator?’
‘Of course, God, Allah, Buddah.’
‘They are the same?’ asked Al, a sinking feeling washing over him.
The angel gave a deep laugh. ‘Oh Al, of course they are the same.’
‘Will there be virgins?’
‘Where you’re going?’
Al nodded.
‘Perhaps a few, though not very many I should imagine.’
‘No virgins,’ muttered Al.
‘Never mind Al, soon that will not seem so very important to you.’
‘It won’t? Why not?’
‘Because,’ said the angel, ‘soon you will understand just what is important. Soon you will know that it is not virgins, nor land, nor wealth, that matters.
‘Virgins, land and wealth not matter?’ blustered Al. ‘Then tell me what does.’
‘Love,’ said the angel.
‘Love?’ said Al.
‘That’s right, Love. Goodbye Al. maybe next time eh?’ And Al felt himself being pulled upward into a deep dark tunnel. He knew he wasn’t alone, he could sense others there drifting with him in the darkness and he had never felt more content, peaceful and loved at any other time that he could remember.

Al could have stayed there, floating endlessly in the amniotic bliss of this spiritual heavenly womb, but he was an impatient man in life and still the last dregs of his mortal behaviour clung tenaciously to his soul. He could see the light in the distance, a beacon calling to him, he hurried toward it, anxious and impatient to meet his maker. There was still a faint hope of virgins lingering in his heart.

When the time came for Al to look back and judge his life and his actions in his newly enlightened state, the anguish was almost too much to bear, but bear it he did, writhing in an agony of despair and regret at the pain he had caused, both deliberately and through his very ignorance, to other souls. To know what became of Al next is not for you to know, but let us hope that next time Al’s spirit returns to earth in mortal coil that he will remember to learn life’s lessons with love in his heart and take notice of the guardian messenger of the Lord that tries to guide him.

Teekay 1-3-2002 6:05

Seems that there just arn't enough dentists at the VA here. They can't see me because I am not 100% Service Connected disabled.

Soooo anyhow, I had to make an appointment with a dentist in Bowman, some sixty five miles away, not as far as the VA. Of course she can't see me till Tuesday, but was nice enough to offer some anti-biotics to keep the infection that has attached itself to the root down. The offer of pain killers was nice, but I think I have enough of those to supply some of her patients.

I am just a bit aprehensive though. I doubt that she remembers me, at least I hope she doesn't. Her husband was once the City Attorney, and what an attorney he was. We nick-named him Monte Hall (Lets make a deal!). I once physically picked that little piece of ____ up and threw him out the back door of the PD, after he made a deal with a fellow who punched out one of my officers. The fellow had to do ten days communtity service.

He has now been elevated to a judgship, that nearly ten years ago now. Maybe he has forgotten, after all it was way back in 1981 over twenty years ago now. I doubt it though, I remember it and my memory isn't all that great.

I can take heart though, having been married to him all these years, she has to know he is an asshole.

The cloves and meds have taken the pain down a few peggs from the throb it was earlier today, I think I can make it till Tuesday without taking it out myself with pliers. (I do have a set of angle needle nose pliers with my old gunsmith tools).

I finally tired of Windows XP, and removed it with a quick FORMAT C: /U. My computer is now happily running Windows 98 once more, and while it has shown me the blue screen of death once allready today, it is comfortable to be running it again, and my old dos games run again, as does my DVD player (well I haven't tried it since the reformat, after all I only have one DVD movie, and I have already seen it.)

I feel like an ass hole myself again tonight though. You see last year for Christmas, my daughter bought me a cheep electric drill/screwdriver. Now I already had one, and the one I had was a two speed with the largest assortment of attachements I have ever seen. I was happy with my old screwdriver/drill combination, but the new one has it place too, for the harder drilling jobs, as it has a bigger battery. Anyhow, thinking that I now had a NEW screwdriver she decided that the old one should reside at her house, where she could use it for the little jobs around her home.

Nobody asked me, and I never said take it, just one of those things, one day I was over there helping her fix something, and she produced it for me to use.

Things went on, and I tried (really I did) to get by with the new one, but it was to fast for some jobs, to powerful for others, and ruined screw heads, twisted off screws, and that little kit had driver bits that I simply didn't have in any of my other kits.

Well a couple of days ago, I was working on some thing for the wife (I forget off hand what it was) but I was having a hell of a time with my NEW screwdriver/drill, and after ruining several screws, I simply lost my temper and began to rant and rave about never giving that screwdriver away, and by God I best have it back home and damn soon!

Once I cooled down a bit, I explained to the wife that it would be like my buying her a new electric skillit, one smaller then the old one she uses, and loves, then giving that skillit to our daughter to use at her home, as I am sure it was my wife's idea to borrow it to my daughter.

At any rate, today the kit was laying back on the kitchen table. Nobody said anything about it, in fact nobody said much of anything to me today, even my dog is ignoring me, and for once has asked the wife to let him outdoors, something he hasn't done for years. The daughters cats run when I come in the room, and like I say, I feel a bit like an asshole myself.

Jerry 1-3-2002 1:04

Hi All :)

Viv -- problems getting started again? You bet. I've been working myself back into it slowly by writing in my journal again. I ignored it from the 17th until the last day of the year when I figured I'd better end the year on a good note at least. I also took a trip to the bookstore today, grabbed two new books and a writing magazine. I like starting the day with one of these magazines. I read one or two articles and it gets me motivated again.

Jerry -- good luck with the tooth and the VA. Hubby did get desperate enough earlier this year and took the needle nose pliers to one tooth. He's got another tooth bothering him now but needs an angle needle nose pliers for that one -- one of the few tools he doesn't have. The VA appointment is only three more weeks away.... I'm getting tired of making soup.

Mary -- thank you for sharing the business woes. I'm half contemplating the idea of selling my creative woodworking. But I'm determined to keep the writing in the top priority position. When, and only when, that routine is firmly entrenched will I branch out. I may be 100 years old by then.

Suz -- What a great way to start the new year! Congrats!!

I'll think I'll go think of Black Sheep for a while ...

Carol 1-2-2002 21:26

Ugh Teekay, you have to teach your daughter to drive? My sympathy goes out to you. What was the worst thing you did while teaching your last child to drive???

I actually screamed out of the car window at a bicyclist. It was something like, "Hey you IDIOT, MOVE OVER IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIFE!!!" He was doing this road hog thing and my daughter couldn't pass him. She'd get past but then he'd catch up at the stop signs while she got the damned gear shit (uh that's my favorite word too Heather) to work. I'm sorry, it's not a gear shift on my car, it's been shifted too often by inexperienced drivers.

I'm lucky. The kid I taught to drive had two good accidents. My husband while watching his insurance rates rise vowed he'd teach the next one to drive. I smiled and thought, "There's a sucker born every minute!" I'm going to really enjoy waving at them as they go out! Nice to know my hair won't have ten new white strands everytime we pull back into the house. I'm never going to ride in a car with my children .... ever. Even when I get old and senile, I'm going to drive along very slowly, stopping where there aren't stoplights...all by myself.

Heather: I envy your not gaining any weight. I'm looking at some pant tightening bulges this morning and thinking of finding time for a quick jog between chores. I'm not looking forward to this because I have a very sore shoulder with a blister on it. The sore shoulder comes from hauling my portable vacuume cleaner upstairs and downstairs and a few times inbetween stairs. I got the blister from the chemical heat pad I stuck on it. My husband made it and boy it heated up well! Next time I'll stick it on top of a shirt, not on the skin.

I hope our post holiday exhaustion and catch up work ends soon. I'm having trouble getting back into the groove with my writing. I seem drained. Anyone else having a few problems. I just wish everyone would GO AWAY and LEAVE ME AN HOUR OR TWO. I need to get up early.
Will do that tomorrow..do or die! Wish me luck!

Viv 1-2-2002 19:15

**Teekay**

HEATHER: HAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAH Aaaaahhh!
And thanks for daughters birthday wishes. Now she's talking about going for her drivers license ~shudder~
I don't quite know how I got roped with teaching them how to drive - it's not as though I know the rules or anything.
Actually I'm terrible at it, I really need to take about 6 10mg valium before a lesson. I don't though, which is why I'm really afraid. :-D

JERRY: Ah, you POOR thing. My compassion goes out to you. Toothache is a bit like back ache or having cold feet, when it happens, absolutely nothing feels good, the whole body breaks down in sympathy.

SUZ: CONGRATULATIONS!!!! :-D

HOWARD: No matter how mean you attempt to be, I know what you're really like deep down :-D

I'm still working on that story JERRY inspired yesterday. It's mulling around in my head. I hang out the clothes and think about it, I wash the dishes and think about it, I clean the bath and think about, maybe I ought to just pick up a pen and get it bloody well done with, maybe then I can get some peace.

Warm and happy thoughts to you all, and now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and kill my mouse.

Teekay 1-2-2002 18:17

Hi all,
It's cold here this week. Not used to it and it hurts my fingers.

DEBRA,
I was talking about JERRY's story on the 30th. Ring of Freedom. It seemed to me to be a scary glimpse of how the future could be in America. I didn't think you needed (may happen) things to worry about.

CHRISTI,
Hi there. I never could remember if you were in Tucson or Phoenix. The way we do those trips, our route was just Arizona. No definite plans ahead. Follow the routes of interest. I can see that that area could be a nice place to live.

MARY,
Hope your foot gets better soon. Those high-heels will feel neglected.

Stay warm everyone.
Bye

Rosemary 1-2-2002 17:51

WOW! What a friendly (and prolific) bunch you are! Thanks so much for the welcomes. 2001 was not a good writing year for me. I made too many excuses and wasn't feral enough in guarding my writing life. So, I've renewed my vows. January 1st brought my first acceptance from a small review. I regard this as an omen. It was all sunshine and rainbows when the acceptance came. Now I keep re-reading it, thinking: did I misunderstand? is this an error? and I'm waiting for the follow up letter stating the editor made a mistake and sent me the wrong letter. haha. God, I love the nuerosis of it all!
Happy Day, folks.

Suz 1-2-2002 12:51

Christi:

A big 2002 squeeze right back at ya girly (((smiles!))))

Rosemary:

Is it the story of Jerry's that is about the future prison?

I did read that one.

Let me know. I now must read it. Just call me Pandora.

Debra 1-2-2002 11:08

...but not my favourite THING.

hahahahhaha

oh, where oh where has that mallot gone?

Heather 1-2-2002 2:52

Here's something that's NOT strange. It seems my favourite word is 'shit'. :oD

Heather 1-2-2002 2:51

Anyone else feel strange this holiday? I mean, stranger than usual? I don't know if I can set it to words in quite the way I'd like - but here's an estimation:

* My relatives seem to have multiplied, but there aren't any new babies
* Everyone we know within a 5-hour radius has stopped by, at the exact moment every dish dirtied itself and the carpet vomited pine needles and dust gorillas (no, wait, that's not unusual)
* The weather not only dodges predictability, it seems to enjoy it
* There's a definite hush outside where there hasn't been a hush before (Did the neighbours all make an oath of silence? Did the dogs in our area all take leave?)
* My husband has learned how to sleep sitting up on the couch, and I figured out what the intermittent banging noises are - it's his head hitting the wall (Does this mean he's going to be a grandfather? Ha ha ha)
* I learned how to wrap presents in mid-air, while folding laundry and scrubbing the sink (I know why I feel strange - it's that extra pair of hands I grew)
* I've been harbouring 'fantasies' about my kids being grown up - this is highly unusual, as I normally 'fantasize' that they're still babies
* I didn't gain as much weight this holiday as my husband did, and he's the type of person (insert 'that we all hate') that never gains an ounce, even after ingesting the entire refridgerator, the freezer and the microwave oven.
* In fact, there's such a hush outside, I can hear my car's tires hissing ..................oh shit!

Heather 1-2-2002 2:50

Well, shit! Where was I at 1:23 am! Sorry I missed you, Christi and Mary!

Mary, I just want to say thank you. And now, the terrible confession: I forgot all about your foot being broken.
Ak! A few days before Christmas all conscious thought was nabbed from my head as I went into overdrive. All previous known facts were stored away in lieu of the Christmas prep list - and I'm just realizing now that I should be looking for those 'lost files'! (Shhh, don't tell me it's known as temporary insanity)

I sure hope you're feeling as well as you sound! :oD

Christi! I'm so glad it arrived safely! Isn't it so wild to see where your book's been? Ah, but now you have to send it to the corner. It's been seeing other women! What a naughty Ender.

Heather 1-2-2002 2:35

It's a date!

Mary 1-2-2002 2:01

Mary, I know! :D It's great to 'see' you! Too bad it's so late or we could chat. Next time, eh?

Christi 1-2-2002 1:59

CHRISTI! If you really are leaving this time--Goodnight! It is strange to think of us both so far apart doing exactly the same thing at the same time. Well, not exactly, you wrote different words than me! ;-)

Mary 1-2-2002 1:57

CHRISTI: Hi!! Big hugs for ya and Happy New Year! You can be as sappy as you like. I get that way too this time of year.

Week...did I say week? DOH! I pulled a Homer.

And it wasn't my toe it was a bone in the side of my foot. It is ok, but I can't wear my stilettos yet. Not that I did much walking in them anyway. Hardy har har.

I'm off...

Mary 1-2-2002 1:55

Did I say goodnight? T'weren't me!

Viv, Thank you for the well wishes. I'm all better now, and I hope my quota of sickness has been filled for the year. Whew!

Debra, I have no better advice than anyone else here, but just wanted to give you a {{{{HUG!}}}}

Rosemary, I wish I'd have known you were going to be in Tucson! You could have dropped by the old palace! Next time drop me a note, you.

Litter, What's the prize, man! I'm dying to know.

Teekay, Happy birthday to your dear daughter! Hope it was wonderful.

Randall, Hilarious as always.

Ta ta, I'm all caught up!

Christi 1-2-2002 1:54

1:23am here. What am I thinking? I got up out of bed to write this! Well, not just this, but heck...while I am up I might as well.

HEATHER: One of the reasons I got up was because I was watching old reruns of "The Rockford Files" and "Barney Miller" and thinking about emeeting up with you in the morning and how I wish I had gotten your stories back to you before then. Sooo...I got up to get them in the email so they would