Matthew k

In a sense I think Mark does need to finish the story; to bring closure to it. He never needed to start it and he never needed to post it online, but once he did I think there is an obligation to see it through and I feel that away about any author who starts a story. Lots of people have gone through pain in recalling and writing stories. I know James Savick did and there are many professional writers who have had to dredge up painful memories, but they did so because they were stories that needed to be told and maybe partly because they were catharsis.

You have to remember CA is not a "beach state", it is like several different states or even countries. Along the coast are most of the major cities, but inland is totally different and then you have the mountain areas and the wooded areas. CA is mostly an agricultural and cow state. In Bakersfield you'd swear you are in Oklahoma and you wouldn't be too far wrong since lots of Okies moved there in the Dust Bowl days to work in the oil fields. In Tahoe, you'd think you were in CO or UT and even Los Angeles has 6 or seven major ski areas with in an hour and half from downtown. You'd more likely find Northface in northern Cal, than southern, although some people do wear it. Uggs used to be a big thing in the surfing/swimming/water polo crowd, but i think a bit less now. Northern Cal isn't even really San Francisco, that is actually the middle of the state, northern Cal is more like Chico, Arcata, Yreka, Redding and those cities and as different from rest of the populous coastal part of the state as Bakersfield is. Those areas are more like Oregon than what people think of CA being. You would for sure see Northface gear at Humboldt & Chico State. Fall at So Cal colleges you'd still see shorts and sandals, they won't wear a jacket until winter starts to show up in Nov. I know that is fall still technically, but feels like the start of winter.

I am not into myth, sci-fi or fantasy, but there is no one better at historical fiction than Mark Arbour. And the best author on GA, hands down, any genre is Dom Luka.

Arbour doesn't need to finish "On The Mark" per se, he just needs to do an epilogue on what happened to "Mark", how and why he left CA and what happened to the other characters. And I haven't abandoned any stories (I just take long breaks), but as anyone who writes can tell you, your "muse" sometimes leaves. Sometimes real life intervenes when the writing is a hobby. And when you start out writing well, it is very hard to keep up the quality. As much as I love John Grisham, nothing he has written since his first book, A Time to Kill, has been as good as that first book, except maybe Playing For Pizza. That is one reason I admired Tony Hillerman so much, his quality never wavered.

Actually volleyball and I have a good number of USC friends who would punch you in the nose for the football vs basketball comment and UCLA friends who would kiss you. Water polo is of course the other big west coast sport. No university team outside of California has ever won a men's or women's NCAA Championship.

I think more to the point, they might know someone who is in the military, but not necessarily a friend and remember not all kids in Malibu go to Malibu High, a good number go to Harvard-Westlake, Crossroads, Brentwood School, St. Monica's and Loyola. A few, especially colony and Hollywood types, are at Choate, Phillips Exeter and maybe one or two in prep schools in Switzerland. As to UCSB and UC Santa Cruz being party and surfer schools, it is all relative. Being UC schools they are still tough academically and are on the quarter system so it means no screwing around, or at least not too much. I suppose as much surfing happens at UC San Diego, they do have Black's Beach right below the campus as well as Scripps Pier, where the school started, but a good bit less partying I would think since it seems everyone there is pre-med and ultra competitive. And who knows what is in the mind of an 18 year old and what is important. I know I changed my mind a bunch of times in school about which way to go and even agonized over where to go, prestige vs close, being able to start my freshman year vs. riding the bench for two years, important stuff like that

What else are you going to do when you are over 70??? Sure beats golf!!

Last time I landed at the Vancouver airport and got off the plane, I seriously wondered if I had gotten on the wrong plane since it seemed everyone was Chinese. I was trying to figure out how I wound up in Hong Kong, not BC.

To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old time is still a flying, And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he's a getting, The sooner will his race be run, and nearer he's to setting. That age is best which is first, When youth and blood are warmer; But being spent, the worse, and worst Times still succeed the former. Then be not coy, but use your time, And, while ye may, go marry; For, having lost but once your prime, You may forever tarry. Robert Herrick, 1591-1674

Crust is where pizza starts, it doesn't matter what's on top or how much cheese or any of that. If the crust isn't good the toppings, sauce and cheese are all wasted. The sauce should be flavorful, but not necessarily red, we love pesto for the base sauce and in some cases no sauce at all, just toppings, is fine too. Toppings should be inventive, artichoke, smoked salmon, etc. Pepperoni & sausage just gets so boring. Deep dish is good, but only if you are really in the mood for it, it is just so filling.

I don't get it. The article has nothing to do with what you are talking about. All the health care professionals I know do what they do and spent the long hours getting there because they love what they do. There are cheats and scoundrels, but they are the rare exception not the rule as you suggest. People do need to get help and especially from professionals and especially in the mental health area where not enough people seek help for fear of being stigmatized.

No, it is Roquefort, Stilton or Gorgonzola if you have taste.

Never, ever fall asleep at the beach around friends with sick senses of humor. Radiation can do baaad things with help from a stencil.

Ummm ever heard of a ski cap?

I've never read the CAP series or any of the continuations of it. I first read the Belvidera series because my husband and I are huge Patrick O'Bryan fans and I am stunned by Mr. Arbour's ability to present the feel of below decks and a battle in such realistic manner just like O'Bryan does and he isn't bashful about putting a cannonball or a giant splinter through a cute young midshipman, just like it happened in real life. My DH found On the Mark and made me read it and I was blown away by it. I know he wants Mark to finish that story because he wants to know what became of that young man. Despite DH's battles with Mr. Arbour on other fronts we both enjoy his writing.

9999 times out of 10,000 I would say MLB shouldn't have over turned this, but this is the one instance where they can and not change the outcome of the game. If it had been the first or second out of the 9th inning it wouldn't even be an argument because you would have had to replay the game from that point, BUT since it was the last out and it wouldn't effect anything else, they should overturn it and award the perfect game because in fact he did pitch a perfect game. I seem to recall games where the official scorer changed hits to errors and vice versa long after the game because they didn't effect the outcome.

****Disclaimer***** I only watch Glee because the two other members of my household insist I do. That being said.... one thinks Rachel is a good singer until you hear her "mom". When you hear an Idina Menzel sing you understand the difference between really good and over the top greatness.

Thanks, the hard part was getting there It is a decent hike up.

I make a lovely pate.....

Classic movies or favorite movies? I love the BIG movies, Bridge on the River Kwai, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Titanic, Star Wars.... But favorite movies tell a story, Room With a View, A Month by the Lake, A Trip to Bountiful.... But then there are the comedies, A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein The Musicals, Funny Girl, Paint Your Wagon, The King and I And the gay ones, Jeffrey, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Latter Days and Sommersturm