Cole Parker

Your whole family here is feeling great empathy for you, EleCivil. You will think of your father at odd times as time passes, sometimes with remorse, sometimes cheerfully. Whether you break down and cry, or don't, really doesn't matter a whit. You have your memories that you and he made together. They are your celebration of him.Take care.Cole

I always knew down-underers were weird. Interchangeable? Bah! C

Trab said something very important there. His last line is really, totally true.C

Does anyone else have a problem with this, or is it just me? It frequently is just me, so I was wondering. I keep seeing, and hearing, the usage where the word "bring" is used so as to be synonomous with "take." An example would be: "Sam, your mother called. She wants you to bring Bobby to his house before coming home." In my way of thinking, this should be "take," not "bring." Yet I see in the other way all the time. Anyone else have any feel for this, one way or the other? C

Trab! I've missed you! And this sort of comment is one reason why. Well done, young man! C

It seems more likely to me that Lucas would have been angry enough at Justin that, when asked as school why they werern't together any longer, Lucas would have outed him. Kids that age are usely vengeful when they're angry, and he certainly would have been angry. But it's a very interesting and thought-provoking story. Ones like this make you think. Ones like this make you come up with alternatives you like better. Well done. Well written. C

What an extraordinary post.You've had lots of shackles to break free from, and you've accomplished that with the hardest ones of all. You're future is what you make of it, and you'll be doing it entirely on your own, but that's been the case for some times now. You have the strength to do that.Everyone here is pulling for you as hard as they can.Don't let yourself down.C

Really bizarre, or someone is really confused. Which is it? I have my guess, but I'm not telling anyone. C

Yep, that's how I picture you, a hard worker plying his trade. C

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!We're just reached a new low, set a new record for lack of empathy.Poor Des gets conked on the noggin so hard he's befuddled and bleeding and unwell, and Wibby feels sorry for the brick.Where is the humanity?I need another drink.C

YES, DES HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE MAKING THAT THING BEHAVE JUST AS HE WANTS IT TO. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha C

Nick is right, of course. We're always encouraged to write about what we know, and most anything at all can be made interesting, especially if we feel any passion for it. Many, many books have details about some specific area of enterprise. It's simply the writer's job to make what he says about a subject fascinating to the layman. And if you're really good, you make whatever you're saying about that subject integral to the story you're telling. Cole

Is "garage" a euphemism?

As usual, Des has some very pithy comments that should be given some serious consideration. These forum pages draw me to them daily. The commets tend to be intelligent, well thought out, thought provoking and entertaining. They contain humor and insight and depth and I wouldn't want anything to disrupt that. If a chatroom would do that, then we'd all lose because of it. When we write posts to this board, we have to stop and organize our thoughts. Well, everyone other than Wibby, of course. But that's a separate issue entirely<g>. I would think the chatroom, by it's very nature, would have much more shallow substance and topics would only be played with instead of intellectually or thoroughly discussed. I for one write much better than I do chat. It's possible other of us do the same. I'd sure not want to see the currently written comments lost to the allure of the witty riposte. C

I just read this outstanding story. I think I've read it before, at a location no longer remembered. This is simply a superbly written story, and example of craftsmanship I can only envy. Of cousre, as AJ was an English major, he has an unfair advantage over the rest of us.<g> Great writing. Great job. Thanks. C

Is it being untactful to say I got 10/10? I didn't find the words terribly hard, and think TalonRider must have made a silly or negligent mistake rather than honest one. I'd bet on it, being one of the smarter ones here as he is. C

Yet they're so dog-gone cute! C

A dick flick is then the opposite of a chick flick? This is why I spend so much time on this site: So Des can educate me in the important stuff in life that I'd never know otherwise. You must have been one of the in-the-know kids in school, a group I was never a part of. Thanks. Now I at least know something not everyone else knows. C

I'm NOT a rat=bastard. Oliver likes me, and his opinion is worth three of yours any day of the week, and thrice on Thursdays. So there. Cole PS: Thanks, Oliver

If anyone else is plagued with these pesky critters, you could check this link. I've found it extremely helpful and apropos for the moment. http://www.critter-repellent.com/raccoon/r...CFQOCZAods3fe-Q C

That's incredible. EleCivil, the healer. Actually, it's not that strange. I have this feeling you could accomplish whatever you set your mind to. C

Whatever was true or wasn't, it was a wonderful story. That is certainly true.C

Been there. Done that. Who hasn't? C

I would guess the tying on of pink ballet slippers wasn't true.I'm sorry any of it was.C