Cole Parker

I'm sure the rules are still the same. It's still thought to be careless and improper to split your infinitives. However, as we all know, with the advent of emails and blogging and IM and all, a new way of expressing ourselves is rapidly developing, and a much more casual approach to writing is flourishing. I'm regularly seeing things now, written in the newspapers and books, that I'd never have seen fifty years ago. I was a lot more conservative when I was younger, and felt that anyone writing in English simply had to abide by the rules. I have a looser approach these days, and so do most people. Maybe life has sped up to the point we don't have time to be as fussy as we once were. Maybe the education system is more lax when it comes to teaching this stuff, though Colin seems to have gotten a better English education than I ever did, so that's questionable. I think people should follow the rules, all of them, except the ones I don't agree with (like Wibby's silly Oxford comma conundrum), and cerrtainly not split their infinitives, or end their sentences with prepositions, or let dependent clauses stand alone as sentences. However, I no longer get overly exercised when I find these rules butchered in printed matter. People will do what they will, and why try to stem the flood like the little Dutch boy? In realitiy, I'll bet he was washed away with the tide. And the tide seems to be washing away strict observance of the rules of proper English usage. C

Well said. C

My foreskin remark was directly taken from your last post. I didn't read your original description of this malady of yours, and of course assumed you were being at least somewhat facetious, which I still think. You said your comment was in your first blog posting, and I went to the bottom of the list provided under yoiu name, and there were no mentions of anything even remotely akin to foreskins. I would have noticed.Anyway, I was teasing, and am sure you realized that.What else are friends for?C

Today is Thursday. Dude puts up Saturday's adventure usually late on Friday. So it'll go up tomorrow, which is damned close to immediately. I don't remember if Matt comes across as a drama queen in the next chapter, but believe he doesn't. Of course, that won't be sufficient to convince SOME people he isn't a DQ. Side note: that stands for Dairy Queen in the Eastern part of this fine country. Or it did when I lived there. I think the only beverage Matt quaffs in this tale is Dr Pepper, and I don't remember him eating soft-serve ice cream--called frozen custard when I was a sprout--either, so at least that appelation shouldn't fit. Glad to see the cuddly 'coon is on my side, where he belongs. Welcome aboard. C

That's terribly triffling twaddle, Trab.

Oh, and yes, UCLA students are called Bruins. It's their teams' mascot/symbol/whatever. Just like Ohio State students are called buckeyes and Cal students are known as Golden Bears. C

You're nasty, Oliver. Really nasty. Just the kind of guy I like. C

Please post again, Bruin. A lot. And bring your friends! We need LOTS more of your kind here. C PS: Are you a UCLA bruin, or some other kind?

Well, exCUSE me for heigthening the drama just a little bit. The sentiment remains the same. I just wanted to add some spice to it is all. Make it more interesting, you know. And besides, isn't it a bit anal for someone so young to be keeping records and all? C

I thnk I just learned more about emo than I not only wanted to know, but than there was to know. C

Oliver: Colinian was 17 when he helped edit this story. You know how impatient youngsters are. His comment to me, while working his way through this story, was that Matt is the biggest drama queen he'd ever met and if he were Kevin, he'd just shoot him and be done with it. I wonder how many readers feel exactly the same. C

Trab, do you have a case of the red-ass? C

You have every right to think it might be over, Des, from the way that chapter ends. You're also absolutely right that it's the nature of the beast, the serialized story beast, that makes you wonder. With a book, you'd see a bunch of pages waiting to be read and the question would never arise. On the net, how would you know? I've said it before, but it bears repeating: I'm a great advocate of the use of the pharse, THE END when a story is finished. Just so everyone knows. Without that, any story I write won't have finished. I wish everyone were that polite. C

Hilarious! C

I love this statement. And I agree with it. With everything I write, before I start, I do this same thing. I challenge myself in some way. It might seem trivial to a reader, and hopefully it won't even be noticed, but I pick out something I don't know if I can do, then challenge myself to accomplish it in what I'm about to write. If it's a long sotry, it can be several challenges. A short story might have only a single challenge. But there's always something. So far, I haven't failed; I've met every challenge I've put before myself. (Maybe I need to make them harder, although, before doing them successfully, they seem plenty hard!) This challenge adds a peripheral aspect for me, something to shoot for besides just making the story interesting and all the other things we have to concentrate on while writing. It adds a degree of work and fun that wouldn't be there without it. So far, I haven't challenged myselt to eliminatie the word 'said,' but that may be next. C

Jeff, I'm sure, just sure, that it should be: This one time, at band camp. . . . Her execution of that phrase, with the pause after 'time,' was perfect. Damn that was a funny movie. Thanks for reminding me! C

Only you, Trab, would find serendipity in a bum knee. C

Uh, Trab, why does this sound like you have some experience in these matters? <g><g><g> C

Jason:I remember you having serious doubts before your angsty meeting with Mark, thinking you were making a mistake and hoping you weren't. I think it's safe to say what ensued was probably what you were thinking was going to ensue. You said something about having promised yourself you'd never get involved with a straight guy again. So you went into this with your eyes open. I'm really sorry it didn't work out better for you. At least the evening had a humanitarian purpose, the Education of Mark.And you must excuse Trab's and my curiousity. In our superannuated condition, curiousity is about all that's left.At least we're past the point of being foreskinphobic.C

Man, I hadn't thought of that, but what an interesting possibility. And even if it isn't true, I think we've got the beginnings of a great story going here.C

Trab, you're right: not filling us in on the what's and why's of the hospital visit was bad, indeed, even shameful. But it doesn't hold a candle to him setting us up for his visit with Mark, and then comletely abandoning the subject, leaving us all hanging with our mouths open and drool hanging from our lips in suspenseful anticipation.People complain I write cliffhanger chapters. I don't write about that in real life, however. I leave that to Jason.C

AJ, the problem here isn't you. It's the driver that insists someone with a history of navigation-challenged ineptitude do the navigation. If you don't want your toast to be burned, don't hand the bread to an arsonist. C

Yeah, I agree. I could understand this one. C

I think the moral of this story is, breeding and the continuation of this species is precluded.Intelligence will out.But what a delightful story!C

I just knew you'd have the purrrrrrfect comeback! C