AFriendlyFace

YAY for Joe! Thanks for everything you do around here! You totally rock!!! Have an awesome day! Kevin

:wacko: ***rushes in to save the day!!*** GOSH! I leave for one evening and you all rob Jed Clampett's closet! LOL so here's my slightly different take on personal grooming I use a mild exfoliator on my face every morning, then I use a combo moisturizer/SPF 15 (or 30 if it's a bright day or I plan to be exposed for long periods of time). Moisturizers and sunscreen are generally considered to be the surest bet for anti-aging and general skin protection. In the evening I'll use either a moisturizing face was OR a more heavy duty exfoliator (depending on what day it is - I alternate). After my main bath/shower of the evening I usually apply a beta-hydroxy firming cream. When it comes to the rest of my body, I either use a moisturizing body wash or a heavy duty exfoliator in the morning while scrubbing with a loofah. It's best to exfoliate the day before, or a few hours before hair removal (I usually remove the hair from my arms, chest, stomach every other day thus I moisturize on the day of - usually right after - and exfoliate on the day between). In any case after the shower I apply moisturizing lotion ALL OVER. I usually have a bath at the end of the evening during which I soak in moisturizing bath salts/beads, then once again afterwards I apply lotion either firming or moisturizing. My hair regimen is more...random. Generally my cycle is to wash my hair with an anti-frizz/straightening shampoo (my own specific hair needs), rinse with cold water (it improves shine and is less damaging to the hair), then condition it with a heavy-duty 3 minute conditioner and once again rinse with cold water. The next day I rinse with a milder, fairly standard CONDITIONER, then the next day repeat the process. I have quite a few different shampoos and conditioners though and I'm fairly random with them. My reasoning is that mixing them up prevents build up, but there's evidence/opinion both ways. For hair removal I typically shave with a shaving gel designed to slow down hair regrowth, then afterwards apply a moisturizing lotion (body not face) also designed to slow hair regrowth. I typically use a regular razor (it's important to change them often to prevent bacteria etc. and to maintain maximum sharpness). I've tried electric razors but overall I didn't like the results as much. I personally am a poor candidate for waxing or hair epilators (Nair etc.) because I have extremely sensitive skin so I tend to get chemcial burns from the epilators and severe brusing, burning, blotchiness from the waxing. My lazer hair removal treatments are every six weeks and after the 6th treatment it's supposedly permanent, I've already seen some general hair reduction on my arms and face after three treatments. There's a difference between "lazer hair removal" and "Lazer hair reduction" with the former allegedly being the permanent one. After hair removal of any kind it's good to moisturize as often as possible. Tweezing and waxing SHOULD NOT be done in conjunction with lazer hair removal. LOL, okay so I'll stop there Have an awesome day everyone! Kevin

That's almost exactly my experience too. Only the story was The Ordinary Us, there were only about 10, possibly 11 chapters there (at nifty). So the whole next morning during my summer Latin class I couldn't focus and kept thinking "what happens next?"...who knew TOU could be more interesting than Subjunctive Latin verb forms? Anyway I decided for the sake of my grade I'd better find some more chapters! So later that day I found the link at the bottom of the page that took me here ...unlike Kurt though I only got a couple more chapters - up to chapter 13, the infamous marshmellow scene! Anyway I read those and really didn't intend to read TLW (which was complete with all 30 chapters) or DD (which was stuck on chapter 8)...BUT I couldn't help it LOL. I had to read SOMETHING while I waited. So I read TLW, which ultimately turned out to be my favouite and THAT'S what made me register and post! I just couldn't not talk about it...lol so yeah, considering I read fairly slowly I ended up lurking a good month or so before I joined too. Took me forever (well 2 or 3 months) to venture from Dom's forum and into The General Discussion forum (The Lounge). hehe, I eventually spread out from there LOL, and now to celebrate I'm going to go read the new (to me) chapter of The Other Side of Me. Have a fantastic day everyone! Kevin

I hope you're feeling a 1,000,000% better now, Viv!! LOL that's so funny about the tie!! YAY for the car!!! take care!! Kevin

I agree! Thanks, Kitty!! Not only is she an admin around here, but she also does the anthology, mentors, edits, is active in the forums, AND she still found time to help me with my story! Thanks Kitty! I really appreciate all that you do around here Kevin

LOL, well it's certainly working!...which I guess is ashame really. One brightside is that the specialty liquor stores really do have a much better selection of things. Anyway take care and have a teriffic day! Kevin

I was actually born in Virginia My mom told me all about ABC personally I really think there ought to be some kind of consistent federal policy. It's just confusing when you go from state to state...I guess it's not that big a deal though. Anyway have a fantastic day and take care Kevin

LOL, exactly! haha, yep, that's exactly how I felt too! Kitty taught me how to do somersaults the other day, everyone! Have an awesome day and take care! Kevin

Well that was sad Thanks for sharing, Rick

Yeah, so I said that to my cd player today . I was on my way to the bank and I was listening to a cd in my truck, and really enjoying it, when it suddenly started to skip. So without even thinking about it I looked at the cd player and said "dude, focus". LOL, then I realized that was a silly thing to say to a cd player. Of course by then I was laughing my butt off so I went all fake dramatic, "Comeon! This is like your only purpose in life. You can do this! Focus, you can get through this!" ....yeah still couldn't play that track...started blaming the cd itself actually. So anyway after I got out of the straightjacket I went to the bank. People are so nice at the bank!! I realized I'd accidently left my debit card in the ATM the last time I went (didn't realize it till I needed it again this time ), but they gave it back to me. Anyway we had a nice chat - me and the bankers - and I even got to vote on a colouring contest they were having! I coincidentally voted for the guy who was looking for my card too, so everyone joked that that was bound to help! I guess it did too. Then I went to the produce stand...it's a really crummy time of the year for oranges . I racked up on squash and apples though! So then I wanted to have a maragrita because I had my lazar hair removal treatment today (right before I went to the bank) and it frickin hurts! And I always want a drink and a big hug afterwards. Didn't get the hug though , but I'll be sure to get a couple extras tomorrow when I go to the GLBT group. I LOVE how huggy gay people are! Anyway getting back on topic I guess the hair removal wasn't THAT bad today. I mean I was able to carry on a conversation with the woman doing me. In the course of this conversation she told me that she treats another guy and when she's doing him he literally screams and thrashes about on the table! YIKES, it isn't THAT bad and she told me she was using the highest setting on me too! (Because I'm very light complected. The darker you are the lower your setting, so the less pain, but the longer it takes to get results) Anyway wow, I bet she hates it when people do that! I'd freak out if someone was like screaming and crying while I was trying to do my job! I was actually laughing and talking alot...which, having studied psychology, I recognized (even at the time) as a mechanism for coping with the pain and stress. So anyway I got through it and I wanted that drink. So I stopped at this Mexican restaurant and would you believe it, they didn't sell margaritas! I had the sense to ask first though so I wasn't like stuck eating (lol, I didn't want to eat anyway ). I tell ya, Texans are so weird about alcohol! In Louisiana you can buy the stuff ANYWHERE (well pretty much any gas station or grocery store...most places you can buy non-alcoholic beverages you can buy alcoholic ones too). But apparently that part of the city was dry! What the frick?! See Houston apparently swallowed up like 5 or 6 other smaller cities long ago, and each of these "smaller cities" still has SOME of their own laws and stuff for their district. Like one I went to and said I needed to get fingerprinted (it was for a background check that they ran on everyone at my old job ), and the officer was like "are you a resident of ___?" and I was like, "well I'm a resident of Houston, but no I don't live in this area" and he was like "oh sorry you have to be a resident of our little city, this police (and fire department) only serve the residents of ___". That's just so frickin weird to me! Anyway back to the alcohol thing, you can't buy hard liquor (like tequila ) at groceries stores, instead you have to go to a specific liquor store. AND they're not allowed to sell it after 9pm (but yet bars and clubs can serve until 3am *shrug*). So anyway I had to go to the liquor store...which really makes me feel like a drunk for some reason. I mean back home I'd just buy all my regular groceries and if I felt like a margarita or a mudslide I'd pick up the stuff at the same time. Having to make a seperate trip to a special store just makes me feel like an alcoholic. BUT on the bright side I found this SUGAR FREE margarita mix!!! I was so frickin excited! It's sweetened with Splenda! GOSH! I love that stuff! I recently bought chocolate syrup that was sweetened with Splenda too! (which BTW, not as good, but hey this way I won't get diabetes so yay ) Anyway I finally got home, ate my fruit, and drank my margarita . It was lovely. On another note I regret to say that I WON'T be posting the next chapter of Indefensible today/tomorrow. The last couple of weeks have just really been hectic and I haven't found time to write it. Plus, I'm really REALLY eager to write chapter 5, but I'm not especially eager to write chapter 4 so I'm sure that's part of the problem. I'm really excited about the stuff that's going to happen after chapter 4 though! It's going to start getting into the part of the story I'm eager to tell! But *sigh* no way around writing chapter 4, so I'll just have to push through it. It really should be out next week though! And I'm hoping to not have any more delays (well of course I'm hoping that lol ) OHH, but I did write a short story! Really short, only like 5 pages, but overall I'm fairly pleased with the way it came out. I'll probably post it sometime this weekend or next week too Anyway take care everyone and have an awesome day! Kevin

Yay for New Jersey! Let's hope things go well in Connecticut, Iowa, and Maryland! On another note, LOL, when I saw this topic I thought you were referring to something good that had happened to NickolasJames Anyway great! take care all Kevin

Hmm, obviously I support gay rights, but in the case of storks I must say I'm a bit concerned by these developments. What if the couple wants children? Clearly they can't reproduce on their own and as such they may be tempted to steal one of those babies they're supposed to delivering! I just don't know if we can allow gay stork couples -Kevin (who IS kidding )

I'm sorry, Joe. It may indeed be time for you to move out, but if you do so make sure you do it on the best terms possible. You should try to communicate with your mom and understand each other. It isn't always easy but it's worth it. Take care Kevin

I think it also depends on personal opinion. For example: all four terms depend on how they're said as to whether or not I'll find them offensive. I have some gay friends who can routinely refer to each other (and me) as a "fag" without anyone getting offended. I'm sure this has something to do with the frequent belief that members of minority groups can refer to each other affectionately using the typically offensive label. However, personally I don't mind if straight people use the term either if they're close with the gay person in question or are known to NOT have any issues or prejudices about homosexuality...if we're both cool with it then sure go ahead and joke about it. Also, it's largely a matter of being politically correct. A perfectly nice, innocent person might very well casually say "oh yeah, well he's a fag" and NOT being attaching any judgement to it, instead simply stating a fact albeit in a crass way. On the other hand someone could easily say "Yeah, well he's gay", and mean it very offensively. Just because someone isn't politically correct doesn't necessarily mean their closed-minded. Conversely just because someone IS polictically correct doesn't mean they aren't a bigoted jerk. I prefer the somewhat vanila, easy going "gay" too, but ultimately I think it's the context and tone that matters the most. As far as my personal reactions to just the words I like "fag" better than either "queer" or "homo", but I like "gay" the best. "Faggot" on the other hand REALLY sets me off. Add that "-got" on the end and I'm not laughing anymore. That's just my own personal biases though and I'm sure they're just based on my own life experiences and world view. As far as people calling something "gay" in a derogatory fashion it doesn't personally bother me because as far as I'm concerned in that context the word has lost its true meaning, in the same way that pretty much all "swear" words lose their true meaning. It's actually quite amusing to imagine people literally meaning the definition of the word when they're on a vulgar tirade, and for that matter how can some inanimate object or bad situation really be gay? Besides that I've known several gay people (and NOT just from GA) who call things "gay". So it doesn't bother me, but I can see why it bothers some people and personally I DO try to be politically correct and polite in general so I don't use any of the "bad" words or any of the good ones in "bad" ways. personally I just can't get offended at "freak". People can also call me "weird" or "strange" as much as they like. "Boring" or "conventional" would both bother me ALOT more. Heck I'm even more disappointed by "normal", not offended because I know people typically mean that in a nice way, but I'm always thinking "Normal? You think I'm normal?" which sorta does automatically translate to "boring" in my head. I pride myself on not being run of the mill...LOL, but that's just me...and I'm NOT normal, so what do I know Interestingly, I don't like "queer" precisely because it does connect "strange" or "odd" with being gay (at least in my head). Which I don't approve of. My sexuality isn't weird; it is perfectly "normal" and I don't appreciate the implication that it is odd. I'm weird for lotsa other reasons that have nothing to do with sex or attraction... and I wouldn't have it any other way. have an awesome day everyone, and please no one take offense at post. These only my opinions for ME, and I think they only work for me Kevin

So the 2nd duck was trying to rape the first duck, the first duck, in a frenzy to escape, accidently killed himself, and the 2nd duck took advantage of the situation? WOW My only question is...was the 2nd duck charged with anything? I definitely think that duck should be arrested! I think perhaps he should even get the death penality...then he'd be a fried duck haha, Colin I love how you concluded that it was the homework that was being distracting! Have an awesome day everyone! Kevin

Thank you for those astronomy facts, James! I really enjoyed reading that. Thanks for the refresher about imaginary numers too, Snowy 's all, Kevin

The Muse by C James C James' Fall Anthology story ***possible spoilers*** In this short horror story Joel is confronted with the mixed blessing of getting what he wanted. As he struggles to tell his tale he beseeches his muse to come. When at last it does he is all but prepared. Joel begins by trying to tell his story for a 3rd person perspective; in this detached voice the creature, the muse, is still a distant, far away entity. As he gives up the 3rd person perspective he takes on the slightly more personal 2nd person voice. The creature, his muse, moves closer then, becomes a little more real. Finally he curses his muse and once again attempts to tell his story, this time in the very personal 1st person. As his tale gets more and more personal he

Thanks, CJ! LOL James, well that's nifty! Don't worry the rest of the entry was just filler anyway

IMPORTANT NOTICE Due to Live Chat being temporarily unavailable this event will be rescheduled in the near future. Please check here for updates regarding this event. Sorry for the inconvenience everyone Are you curious about what provided the inspiration for Bodega Bay? Or perhaps you've always wondered how NickolasJames8 comes up with his characters. Maybe you just want to sit back and talk about the last chapter of What's the Difference Between Me and You. Well this is your chance! NickolasJames8 has very kindly agreed to do an Author Chat on Friday October 27th! What he

Hey Vancey! I sure hope you get your time off! Gosh, those satellite people do sound goofy! hehehe, that is a sneaky movie to do that! I'm glad you got to see it all though! Have a fantastic weekend Kevin

Hey Nick LOL first off "Tea Tree treatment" is a very difficult phrase to say! 2nd, what do you use to exfoliate? Just curious, I'm currently using this cool stuff I bought at a speciality bath shop, "Bath Junkie". It's so great! I too was curious about how you styled your eyelashes with the Q-tip. Gosh I feel ya about the hair! Mine takes forever it I want to do it properly. I think I'm the opposite of a fag hag. Instead of a girl who likes to hang out with gay guys I'm a guy who likes to hang out with lesbians! LOL, lesbians are so cool! It hadn't even occurred to me until Michael pointed it out that you weren't getting enough sleep. I definitely agree with him though! Adequate sleep is very important! take care and have a great day! Kevin