Trab

Ah, but petting is another thing entirely. It is NOT patting. If anything, it is 'stroking', but not the beating type stroking you might be thinking of. Maybe caressing would be the closest word for it.

Do I even dare suggest Staples might want royalty payments on the Easy Button aspect? Nicely done!

Oh God. Now we're going to be hearing about Christmas crackers.

They are all over Canada too. By Peek Frean which, it seems, has been bought by Kraft Foods. Strangely enough, I can only find a listing online for chocolate digestive biscuits, but the regular ones are most popular here. It is sort of the cookie equivalent of multi-grain bread, with little chunkettes of cookie material, fairly sweet, and softens when dipped in tea most nicely. I think it is very low fat, but am not sure. It is often one of the few cookies the doctor will allow if you are on a low cholesterol diet. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/...mi-sweet-406565 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/259317...62ee87d.jpg?v=0 http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3263/259236...7337816.jpg?v=0

Distances are not obvious from maps, at least not if you don't overlay your own area of familiarity over top. We had visitors from the Netherlands planning to vacation with us, and they said they'd fly to Toronto and then just drive to our place. When we explained that driving from Toronto to the BC coast would take about 4 days of hard driving, they were shocked. When we pointed out that the whole COUNTRY of the Netherlands could fit inside our local school district, with room to spare, they were truly amazed.

"Waiting on someone" brings a whole new image to mind, not necessarily an unpleasant one.

I suppose this is where my AS comes into play. I will meticulously enter the supposed start and finish points for someone going on a road trip (in the story) into Google Earth and let it figure out if the timeline is correct or not. I even use it to see if there really ARE hills, valleys and vistas that justified the character's stop somewhere for a photo. I should clarify that this is not being done by me as a reader, but as a proofer (editor?). There seems to me to be no point in saying a trip took 12 hours when it needs to take 18. While there may not be any severe need for it to be correct, there is also no valid reason for it to be wrong if it is not crucial to the plot line. If the 'truth' will work, why use a 'fiction'?

It makes one think, just for a little bit, about the term "incontinent", doesn't it? Some time ago I was reading a story that was taking place in the eastern USA, and it was fine, until one day the lead character, fully American, had to go home to do 'revision'. That was my first clue that the author was probably British. In Canada we generally use 'vacation' when talking to Americans or writing contract language, but common usage is 'holidays'. Of course those legally recognized days off which commemorate some specific 'event', mostly Christian based but not exclusively so, are always called 'holidays', and some confusion can result for working people from having a deferred holiday day due to having a holiday in your holidays. (Anyone who didn't barf at that should join the Coast Guard rescue service, as you have a cast iron stomach.)

In Canada there is a great tendency to say "go to the hospital" instead of "go to hospital" even if there may be 3 or 4 hospitals within easy reach. I have noticed a scary tendency for some (what I call 'lower class') Americans to say "borrow me some money" instead of "lend me some money".

Sadly, the vast majority of these clips are not available to points outside the USA.

I should buy stock/shares in tissues.

Almost in tears? I need a new hanky each time.

Have you looked in a mirror lately? You are just as special and at the same time as ordinary as the rest of us unique beings. GROUP HUG

Indeed it is.

I'm so confused!!! I'm actually in the middle of doing up rules and regulations for 2 different organizations, not to mention reviewing and correcting two sets of minutes for another two different organization, while feeling like shit with a cold. I guess I'm just distracted too much.

Nice work, Grant. Correct me if I'm completely wrong, but this last FF, "The Little Words", is set at least a year AFTER the rest of the stories. As Curt only just told his brother, and that was the first person in his family he told, and dad says he was told a year ago, this story must be a year later. Right?

Collectively, "Streetside stripping". Now who could object to THAT?

How about we call it "Streetside Protection"

Great addition Grant. I hope someone will combine these FFs into a whole, and when it if 'finished' post it as a complete story.

In western Canada it has pretty much been called the boulevard.

I just assume that everything I write will bring people to tears, one way or the other, or, for that matter, the other. Expressions that come to mind are "crying shame", "sad", "laughed till I cried".

Good heavens. Look what happens when I'm tied up doing rally related business. Terrific developments.

Sweet. Thanks, Merkin.