AFriendlyFace

Congrats you guys!! I'm celebrating summer!

I have a few thoughts on this: -Carrie Prejean is irrelevant and stupid. -Perez Hilton is a jerk. -Tami Farrell is slightly more sensible, but considerably less attractive than Carrie Prejean. -I believe in total gender equality and would enjoy a highly visible male version of these pageants. -People who base their value on their looks are standing in quicksand. That about covers it, except: I suppose it matters where you put the emphasis when you read this sentence. For example "Nope, not in my past," makes you sound like a good girl. However, "Nope, not in my past," conveys a completely different message! LOL, I won't ask you to clarify

Welcome to the forum! It's fantastic to have you with us

Well, for what it's worth, I think you should wear whatever you want.

Have a great and happy birthday, dude! I hope your day and year are terrific! -Kevin

Good luck and hang in there! I'm proud of you and rooting for you -Kevin

Happy Birthday, Vic!!!! GA wouldn't be GA without you and we'd all suffer the loss of an excellent friend, contributor, and Domaholic! May your year be even half as good as you deserve and twice as good as you're expecting -Kevin

Little Raindrop By Ieshwar ***SPOILERS!!!*** Oh Ieshwar, I adored this story! I really think you should try to get it published as a kid's story. It was so imaginative and beautiful and it had such a great message! I'm just so proud of that Little Raindrop, not to mention The Wise One, and the rest! I'm so glad that Little Raindrop waited until she knew the time was right to make her big jump! Fantastic job! -Kevin

Would You... by: BeaStKid ***SPOILERS!!!*** What an amusing story! I really fell right into it read along and vividly imagining the events unfolding. In fact I even groaned out loud at this part:

A Solitary Kiss by johnathan_colourfield ***SPOILERS!!!*** I really enjoyed this intense snippet of the lives of these three people. From this brief, well-spun tale it's easy to see just how intense Lucian is, how conflicted, but ultimately loyal, Matthew is, and how deeply tragic 'The Solitary Girl' is. The coastal setting and imagery really adds another layer to the piece and makes the whole thing relentlessly sad in the same way that the waves relentlessly crash against the shore. All in all Johnathan has written us a beautiful story about three people who are by no means perfect, yet still have genuine affection and loyalty to each other. Great job! -Kevin

The Two Fates of Aerta By: Kanaye **Spoilers** I absolutely adored this story! I've always been a fan of fantasy pieces and this one is excellent in fact it's easily as good as the majority of published fantasy pieces in my opinion. It was extremely creative and beautiful, Kanaye! I thought the kingdom felt very real and the characters were well-developed. I particularly enjoyed the interaction between Jarlyn and Karshin. I thought that it rang especially true and was very sweet and playful. I got a big kick out of the whole scene in which Jarlyn ordered Karshin to kiss him and then Karshin gave him a peck on the cheek to make a point I got a big kick out of the servant mistaking Jarlyn for Jazon and asking why Karshin couldn't just give him the message himself. LOL, I did think that was a bit lippy for a servant, but wildly amusing! I wonder if she was thinking they were like kids who weren't speaking and so asked others to pass on messages in front of each other However, my absolute favourite character was definitely Seer Vantor! He was an awesome character (and by the look of it at least a marginally better seer than Karshin ) I personally would be delighted to read more of this tale if you ever had another installment or another independent piece with the same characters or in the same world. Regardless, I very much hope you continue writing fantasy pieces. Excellent job! -Kevin

The Boy Who Cried Sorry By Meeko **Spoilers** Wow! What a rough and emotional ride! It's almost impossible not to sympathize with poor Smiles' plight. In many ways this piece reminded of several of Vlista's stories. Indeed, Meeko really seems to have captured the feeling, desperation, and cruelty excellently. I was definitely curious about who the "hazel eyes" that were mentioned early on in the story belonged to. Jack really was an enigmatic character and he continually kept me guessing. How delightful that fortunate that he was able to look beyond the bruised and dirty surface and see Smiles' inner beauty. I'm really curious about what happened after the story ended. How did Smiles' dad get along without Smiles' there to do everything for him? What did become of Smiles? Did he live in a homeless shelter as he said he would or did Jack's family take him in? Anyway, excellent story, Meeko, and you definitely kept the readers guessing and wanting more! -Kevin

Days that Hold On by Jfalkon **Spoilers** This piece is somehow both what I would have expected from Jfalkon while simultaneously not at all something I would have anticipated. As always there is the same intensity of emotion. The brief, well-done gore rings true. The imagery is certainly as compelling as always. This time however; there is much less story-telling. This time Jfalkon takes us on a brief, but very intense reflection. The story is a sort of introspective delight. I was taken by the vivid dream/high that the protagonist experienced and I very much believed that he had indeed killed Dylan. The whole experience seemed to ring true of a bad 'trip' and I was expecting that when we returned to present times the protagonist would be in some sort of facility. Certainly it was a relief to discover that he had not killed Dylan. Yet the irony of course is that in the dream version, in an indirect way, the little red pill killed Dylan, and then in real life, the little red pill still claimed Dylan life, again in an indirect way, through Dylan's addiction. How very ironic. This story is also 'different' in the sense that it sort of tells the other side to "Carpe Diem." Sometimes impulsiveness and seizing the day can result in reckless, destructive behaviour. This story was very thought provoking and psychologically thrilling! It raised questions and addressed fears of letting life pass you by, general failure, disappointing others, being alone, confronting your fears, hurting someone you care about, committing a despicable act, and generally finding yourself trapped in some way. Excellent job, Jfalkon! -Kevin

Furlough By Mark Arbour **Spoilers** This story was quite unlike any I had ever read before. I don't generally read historical pieces or war-based pieces; however, I found this story extremely enjoyable! The setting was very well depicted and I really felt myself transported back to WWI days. The characters were so vivid. I found myself very fascinated with Gabriel and what kind of life he must have now had. I was also intrigued by Jack's curiosity and exploratory nature. I'm very much wondering what happened next for these characters. What happened after the furlough was over? Of course it goes without saying that the story was also hot to read. It was sexual and erotic but also sensual and quite beautiful. Well done, Mark! I really enjoyed it -Kevin

Living Life By WL **Spoilers** I really enjoyed this story a great deal. I thought it was incredibly sweet that Cody's ghost was protecting TJ and looking out for his best interests and I think it was incredibly selfless of Cody to set TJ up with Kevin. My favourite scene was definitely when TJ freaked out about leaving Cody behind and Kevin went along with it even though he didn't know what was going on. It's just really amusing to imagine the absurdity of the situation. I think this story fits the theme of "Carpe Diem" extremely well and I'm so proud of TJ for finally seizing the day, letting go of his pain and fear, and going after life. I think that those things are always what our departed loved ones would have wanted for us. Way to go, WL! -Kevin

My Heart

Winter Rose by Dolores Esteban **Spoilers** I really enjoyed the structure of this story! I loved the way each new scene beautifully contrasted with the previous scene and indeed I very much enjoyed how often the very same line was used for a much different effect. I think that that very well illustrates the changes that take place over the course of George's life. In the end Dolores masterfully bring the whole thing full circle by pointing us back to the beginning of the piece. Well done! I also very much enjoyed the message that this story tells and I think that the idea of using brief snippets from George's entire life as the structure of the piece is very clever and well executed. I also enjoyed all the Latin and I think that not only did the story's theme stick with "Carpe Diem" but that more 'flavour' was added by all the Latin phrases. Excellent job, Dolores! -Kevin

The Little Girl with the Steel bowl by Jovian W **Spoilers** I found this story very thought-provoking. It's interesting how the narrator went from focusing her energy on figuring out the world around her to figuring out the girl in the steel bowl. I felt that this story raised a lot of issues about just how much right one person has to alter another person's life. For example when I read the following:

First To The Sun by C James **Spoilers** I loved this story!! It was absolutely hilarious! I'm deeply impressed that CJ was able to maintain the style and effectiveness of the joke for so long and finally drive it home in an uproarious crescendo! I'm a big fan of humorous pieces and this one was sensational! I it is my hope that CJ is only moistening his chops for lots more juicy mastication! Way to go, CJ! -Kevin

Stayed Too Long At The Fair by Sabat **Spoilers** I found this story to be so sad and moving. I thoroughly enjoyed it though. I have to say that I didn't see Madame Zula's prediction of Tom's death coming at all. Once it was mentioned though it certainly upped the tension a great deal. I was sure something would happen on the Ferris wheel. Of course it didn't, but by the time Tom was in the car I was pretty suspicious of what might happen. It's pretty ironic that in a manner of speaking Andrew caused Tom's death, both by leading him to the psychic and by calling him. The last line is very powerful and haunting: Well done, Sabet! very good story! -Kevin

I Am the One By Wildone **Spoilers** I enjoyed this story a great deal more than I expected to. I'm generally very bored by any story, movie, etc. that deals with nature or weather as a plot device. In this case though I actually found the story really interesting and exciting to read! I found the story beautifully written and very compelling! My only lingering question is what happened with the first 911 call? Did the dispatcher take him as a crank caller and hang up? It sure sounds like the protagonist was very lucky indeed! I was thinking for sure that he had suffered permanent damage to his right arm. Anyway, I really enjoyed this story. Way to go, Steve! -Kevin

The Future Starts Now A Naptown Tale by Altimexis **Spoilers** Wow! There was just so much going on in this story! Cathy and Debbie's first tentative reunion, Randy and Altaf's wedding ( ), and then the delivery of Cathy and Debbie's baby followed by their wedding! WOW! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all I was definitely continually caught off guard as well. At first I thought the story would only cover Cathy and Debbie's reunion at the race. Even when they started talking about Randy and Altaf's wedding I didn't suspect it would actually take place during the story. When it did, even though Cathy had been pregnant the whole story, it certainly didn't occur to me that she'd actually have the baby! I was pretty darn surprised when they ended up tying the knot as well! All in all you really kept my guessing, Altimexis, and I thoroughly enjoyed the sweet, emotional story. Awesome job! -Kevin

Eight decades isn't nearly a long enough period of time for the world to share and experience all the wisdom and joy which are such an inherent part of Old Bob! Your posts always resonate with a kindness and insight refined through many years of varied experiences. Your advice and perspective are invaluable and I'm extremely honoured to call you my friend! Have a fantastic and happy birthday, Old Bob! -Kevin

I'm a die hard Firefox fan! I used IE, by default, for several years, but as soon as I heard about Firefox it streaked ahead and I've never even considered going back! IE sucks so bad compared to Firefox, IMO. Firefox will do that! LOL I've used Iceweasel on a friend's computer before and I like it because it is similar to FF. I have tried Opera and Safari before, but while I didn't really dislike Opera, I didn't like it nearly as much FF. As for Safari, frankly I don't like it at all. There's really only one thing I don't like about Firefox, I can't open a limitless number of tabs without it doing the scrolling to the side thing. I hate that! I wish it would just keep making the tabs progressively more narrow like it does with the first 10-12 or so. If there is a way to keep it from doing the scroll thing and just making the tabs themselves smaller and anyone knows please let me know! I shall be eternally grateful. Indeed, I refuse to let my tabs scroll to the side. Whenever it starts doing that I grudgingly close stuff or just give up and open a second page of Firefox.

Excellent advice, Eric! LOL, 15 reminds me of an old saying I like: -A friend is someone who is willing to help you. -A good friend is someone who is willing to help you move. -A best friend is someone who is willing to help you move a body. A bit morbid and disturbing I know