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Posts posted by Alien Son
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Thanks, Steve!
~ John
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Go for it, Steve.
~ John
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17 hours ago, Talo Segura said:
Final point, if you really think someone is going to step up to the job without being head hunted, then, I'm sorry, but I think you might have a long wait. In my humble opinion, you got to push things and take what's available, after all you can still keep control. It's like appointing a director of operations, they can always get voted out! I would start by putting together the Board of directors from the guys you trust here and getting more recommendations for candidates.
I'd prefer to wait, given those choices!
I put together a group to take responsibility for AD after Mike died. That has only been marginally successful. I wouldn't want to repeat that for CW.
~ John
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I have reservations about contacting this person. We need to be cautious. All we know about him is what he's chosen to reveal, and that could be fiction.
~ John
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9 hours ago, Rutabaga said:
I have the impression that there was significant influence from The Mail Crew in the early days of CW. I'm not sure but what Blue, one of the early architects, was part of that group.
If you're asking whether Blue was part of the Mail Crew, no, he wasn't. Those guys were very helpful to me when I was writing Black Dog (they vetted every chapter, and made suggestions and gave me helpful advice). Although I dealt mostly with Aaron and Rain, I got to know all of them, and Blue wasn't part of the group.
~ John
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2 hours ago, Altimexis said:
Just getting away from the city lights that seem to be ubiquitous, even in the countryside, and the view of the night sky that awaits is nothing short of spectacular. I remember as a kid, looking up at the sky from my back yard in Indy, before there were streetlights in the suburbs, and seeing the Milky Way stretching across the sky.
I see this nearly every night. There's not much light pollution here.
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17 hours ago, Oliver said:
I choose to remain silent, had nothing to do with it.
🙂👍
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No one has mentioned the other obvious reason for posting stories a chapter at a time... to keep readers coming back to the site. That was Mike's justification for publishing that way.
~ John
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8 hours ago, Cole Parker said:
My prejudices, sure. They're mine, and I take full ownership of them. I don't like cooked carrots, either. We all have our likes and dislikes, and people who don't share our specific ones wonder what's wrong with us.
C
Perhaps you could try to not be so dismissive of others' likes.
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6 hours ago, Cole Parker said:
Music, yes. That stuff? No.
C
Really, Cole? Your prejudices don't mean it's not music.
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6 hours ago, Cole Parker said:
I was in high school when the Beetles became a smash in the country. I never could understand why.
C
You just don't have an ear for music!
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That schedule makes me tired just reading it!
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13 hours ago, Ivor Slipper said:
Presumably each story has a twist in it?
LOL!
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17 hours ago, Altimexis said:
Oh no! I feel like crap for saying that. I don’t remember exactly what Mike posted but I was under the impression that he was feeding several neighborhood cats, against the will of others in the neighborhood. Obviously, I drew the wrong conclusion and feel awful for posting that.
Thanks, John, for clearing that up.
Thanks, Steve.
I probably should have mentioned that they did, indeed, name the cats. The webpage included a photo of each one, together with a description, in the hope that people would be moved to adopt them. I think you're correct that some residents of the complex objected to the feeding.
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On 3/9/2024 at 7:07 PM, Altimexis said:
Feral cats, I’m afraid. Mike loved the cats in his neighborhood and named them. He also fed them and I dared not share my opinion of that. Don’t get me wrong - I love cats. My family adopted several when I was a kid, including a couple from the neighborhood. Unfortunately, feeding feral cats ends up doing them no favors and it decimates the bird population. Unless coupled with sterilization, feeding the cats results in an explosion in their numbers, leading to even more starvation and suffering.
Mike, God love him, saw things differently, so I didn’t ever bring it up. He alluded to hearing from some of his neighbors who didn’t approve. If I’d said anything, it would have only gotten me kicked off the site. Sorry to go off topic, but I can finally say that this is one aspect of Mike’s generosity that shouldn’t be emulated.
I'm not sure whether you're talking about some cats at Mike's home in Cathedral City, but if you are, you're quite wrong. Calling them feral cats is a bit of a stretch. Here's the history (quoted from a website Mike set up at the time):
QuoteTierra Del Sol is a sprawling 76-unit affordable senior housing complex located in Cathedral City, California. It features covered parking, spacious indoor and outdoor public areas, well-kept desert and traditional landscaping and a swimming pool/spa area. A HUD-sponsored project, TDS is a desirable place for seniors living on Social Security or other fixed incomes. It is managed by Mercy Housing, which belongs to the Catholic Church
A bit of historyWith the sudden move of an elderly TDS resident in April of 2015, eight young cats of at least three litters of her roaming female cat - found themselves homeless, hungry and frightened.
Kindly neighbors began feeding them but a resident services person reportedly told them not to do so and that the cats would be picked up by Riverside County Animal Services, presumably to be euthanized.
Mary Ewing, Outreach Coordinator of the well known animal welfare organization, Loving All Animals, was invited to speak to residents and it was finally decided to implement a more humane solution.
Trap – Neuter – Return or TNR is a process by which the cats were humanely trapped, neutered and returned to their place of origin, the grounds of Tierra Del Sol. Loving All Animals picked up the tab for the operations.
One of our residents took on the job of capturing the cats in traps provided by Loving All Animals. Another drove her and the cats to the Animal Samaritans clinic in the mornings for their surgery.
It was my job to pick up the groggy young cats in the afternoons and nurse them until they were ready to be released. This varied from two days for the males to 5-6 days for the females. The TDS maintenance manager also took in a few of the cats for the recovery period.
Since the first of May, 2015 I have been voluntarily feeding the cats every day at sunrise and sunset. A group of about half a dozen residents contributes to the monthly cost of canned and dry food which is ordered online from Chewy.com.
It has been gratifying to watch these young cats transform from scrawny, frightened kittens to healthy young cats. They are well socialized and get along well with residents and their dogs. Needless to say they earn their keep in controlling the rat population.
Any one of these cats would make a great pet and since the beginning of the project, two and a half years ago, the ultimate goal has been to have all of them adopted, ideally by Tierra Del Sol residents.
If I remember correctly they were unable to find homes for all of the cats, so presumably they were euthanised.
~ John
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24 minutes ago, Camy said:
The new page is wonderful, and the introductory essay makes it even better.
Thank you, but the essay was always there. I just redesigned the page.
~ John
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15 hours ago, Altimexis said:
Some New Yorkers fantasize about succeeding from the US and joining with Canada, but of course that will never happen.
I think you meant seceding, although succeeding would be helpful at this time.
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7 hours ago, Rutabaga said:
I'm not sure any of the collaborators on this tetralogy are still around. The early 2000s were clearly a fecund time at AwesomeDude. At least we still have the legacy . . .
R
Graeme posted a message in the forums when Mike passed away. I lost touch with Aaron when The Mail Crew site went offline. Dewey's site also seems to have gone offline. I haven't heard anything of Grasshopper for many years now.
We have a wonderful legacy from the early years of AwesomeDude.
~ John
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2 hours ago, Cole Parker said:
I think in November we'll be voting on the future of America.
And the world.
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It's a very moving story. It will be posted in James's portfolio as a short story soon.
~ John
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We have a couple of new authors about to burst onto the scene, and a new short story from a longtime author.
~ John
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It's good to know you're still with us. Thanks for checking in.
~ John
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7 hours ago, Cole Parker said:
If you're writing one, James, I will, too. Don't want you to be lonely.
You'll have to do well to match the story James submitted!
~ John
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10 hours ago, Rutabaga said:
Not like you've been busy or anything . . .
R
LOL, there is that.
RIP Comicality, 1975-2024
in Dude's Desk
Posted
I've received news that Comicality (Comsie), well known and much-loved for his gay stories, passed away this week after a lengthy illness.
There's a touching tribute to him at Gay Authors.
~ John