Canuk

especially if it was only foreplay .......

hey,have you been speaking to my partner????? that's his view of my time before him....... and there just may (not confessing to anything) be some truth.....

YES!!! the greatest poem ever. Truly love this and have for an awful long time.......

canuk - somewhat obvious, though it was given to me by Australian friends when I became a Canadian citizen. when I lived in Canada I was called Aussie (pronounced Ossy in north-american, which made a german friend wonder why people had given me a west german nickname.......)

a little late to this post, but I thought I'd chuck my 10 cents worth in.... I did a huge amount of research into cameras for my partners birthday. After reading all sorts of technical data online and speaking to many "professionals" both in the trade and out of it a saleman in a department store gave me the best advice: what was your last camera? were you happy with it? if so buy the latest version of that camera/brand you can afford; result is happiness. Sure enough my partner is thrilled with his ....whatever I bought!!!

no wonder I had such a great time in Buffalo NY and Chicago Illinois...... my kinda guys!!

it may have been more civilised then, and that "civilisation" continued to an extent in WW1 when they at least initailly the two sides stopped the shooting rom Christmas etc, however before the invention of penicillin any injury, and injuries tend to happen in war, was at the very least debilitating and usually fatal. So it may have been more civilised but surviving was no mean feat.....

because with love and the added bonus of great sex, the rest is background. Sure, Robbie f***ked up, and compounded it in ways he initially didn't understand. Brad too f**cked up, but they both now need to put it behind them. Brad's need to "work it out of his system" verges on childishness. Relationships need to be worked on All The Time, and the more you put in the more you get out. Mark , you really are a clever bastard; I don't get this involved with ANYTHING apart from my own boy and that's a little different! Great writing. I'll calm down now. Just get someone to smack some sense into Brad (and Robbie). Now.

I agree; at some point my sympathiy moved from Brad to Robbie. Yep, they both have "issues", the difference now is Robbie has recognised his and is doing something about it. Brad is almost determined not to see anything, change anything, hear anything or do anything. He is regressing rapidly. Mark's alter-ego or not, it looks like he is well on his way to pissing off the kids, Jeannie AND Robbie.... especially after Robbie des the inevitable confession to the family and, as family does, it forgives and moves on and then collectively turn around to see Brad, like a shag-on-a-rock , looking self-indulgently hurt. he may end up with "sleeping partners" but few friends...... That I can get so riled up about someone who doesn't exist outside my laptop does imply the writer knows his stuff..... something that's not exactly breaking news ok, , having put up with my drivel, you can now move on with your version!!!!

Bliss!!! what a wonderful surprise for a monday morning! though I fear a serious rat's nest......... at least he has found another "useful tool".....

Mark M, There is a lovely innocence about your posts that is quite endearing!

drop it, Rover, drop it......

great chapter. for complex domestic reasons I had to read this chapter in two parts - initailly I read to the shower scene, then this morning I read the rest - it is amazing how Mark develops and then turns around a scene. That said Robbie does try my patience; narcisistic self-serving twerp. amazing how good writing can actually produce such emotions........

i'm happy to get a hell of a lot more pathetic than "come on Mr Arbour...plueeez"....... dearest Mark , I will leave it to your imagination to work out how pathetic I am prepared to be........

well Mark, , I think you really proved yourself this time (as if it were necesary), I found myself screaming "No!" at the computer at the Matt/Brad car scene , this followed by a sense of relief at "we can't do this can we" way more than palpable....... congrats on getting me so worked up..... As for Robie's whining; you'd think that he would have worked out that this doesn't get him anywhere, ever, with anyone. Either his level of self-knowledge is non-exsistant or the whining is so ingrained that he doesn't know he does it unless he is told - every time. You'd think that a Hollywood-type of his stature would have some smarts..... perhaps that assumption on my part is a product on knowing almost no Hollywood types????

???? don't understand the "here we go again" comment..... is there some discussion I missed? and I think you misunderstand, my comment was about a previous comment. As far as I am concerned the sex can be for any and all the reasons people have sex. the "purposeful" in my comment referred to the story, not the reason(s) people have sex......

it's ok here in australia we have "socialised medicine" so the bill is not the problem... on the other hand his inability to treat my lack-of-grainger symptoms is proving troublesome...... only one person can do that...... and he knows who he is...... <sigh>

while I think MMike69'c comment re sex scenes was ironic, I agree with Bob1010 that in a story (as opposed to real life) sex for sex's sake is rarely satifsying, and Mark is ablways able to make the sex purposeful and interesting. I loved his secretary's comment that she has been "a very naughty girl" - frankly Mark you give me your credit card and I'll be just as naughty - what's more I would even let you punish me..... you could even put on your Grainger voice.... Grainger? did I mention Grainger.... how wicked......

moi aussi....... my dr is refusing to take my calls........

i pity the poor bastard that is going to break that drought!!!:snork:

if you know all their names its a "-some", if you don't it's an orgy........ nb if there is only two of you and you can't recall either your name or theirs you are simply a drunken slut! Now, Back On Topic: what does Lou mean "I hear you are available"? - will he have heard through the family or from and outsider........ Great ep Mark , There is talent in that misbegotten soul of yours..... the ep was almost as good a Grainger ep......

Mark , I think you treat death much the way it was treated at the time; as an unavoidable consequence of living. It is only since we developed penicillin that death came to be seen as avoidable-until-old-age. In the 18&19th centuries dying of a sore throat ("a putrid sore throat") was common, without antiseptic ANY cut could kill you, let alone amputation, trepanning, splinter removal and so on. So on balance Mark , I think your characters die appropriately and in sufficient numbers that neither overwhelm or ignore the issue...... speaking of which....next chapter..... anytime soon?? (and none of this "Real life" excuse - you have used that one already!!!! )

I agree, and like Mark, not admitting to any personal experience, I think 3somes may be one of those things that improve as time goes on: the longer ago it was, the better it seemed..... also, still not admitting to personal experience, alcohol helps - it blurs some of the inconvenient bits! But back "on topic" (there doesn't seem to be a thingy for "back on topic?"), this last chapter does give me some hope for the two of them - I was starting to despair. I worry that Carson is going to get really nasty when this all blows up - he was probably told that his "reward" in all this was his new lover. He doesn't strike me as terribly smart, so I think we may be in for more tears before there is any resolution......

I have met way too many 50-year-olds that could only be described as a "work in progress". while i agree in terms of % of age group more late teens/early 20's are "works in progress, than those over 50, but in all sincerity age is only a very aproximate way of assessing maturity and self knowledge......

interesting that you quote the drinking age - here in Australia the drinking age is 18 (i think it is that in all states - it certanly is in all states I have lived in). ALL that to say that does that mean, methodwriter85, you'd pick'em younger here (f'rinstance, if you just happened to be on Bondi beach, saw an 18yo tanned bloke with a deep tan, in budgie-smugglers, holdin' a tinny and looking at you with the same look on his face that the wolf had when he saw RRH???