AFriendlyFace

Wooo hooo! Way to go finishing up your research proposal! That must be a load off of your mind Also I'm so happy to hear you're hosted now, you definitely deserve it . I'm looking forward to chapter 7 As for making your life more meaningful...well you could try the standard things: Go on a journey for spiritual enlightenment, actively take pleasure in the simple things, find some sort of way to "give back" to the world. Heck those suggestions might be a little trite, but they will make your life more meaningful. Basically I think you'll have to figure out what's "missing" right now, and then take steps to fill that void. Mostly though let me just say this: don't put off your happiness! Don't think just because you don't have X or haven't accomplished Y then you can't be happy; don't say "well I'll be happy at ___point in time". Do it now! Actively let yourself enjoy the good times, and be content in your current set of circumstances even if you don't want to always remain in them. Take care, and have an awesome day, David Kevin

Hmmm, I didn't know you watched those, Vic LOL it does sound like a fun party, Val Nice job not stealing anyone's address

lol Sounds like a nice peaceful day

Hey everyone So this afternoon at work I was having a conversation with two of my coworkers and the television show "Will & Grace" came up. I like the show but I'm not really what you could call a "big fan". I watched a good bit of the first couple of seasons then I pretty much quit watching television all together, and I think in the last 3 or 4 years I've only seen a few min. of 1 episode (Grace had broken up with someone and she and Will were in a fun jump). So anyway the other guy wasn't that much of a die hard fan either and I got the impression he'd probably seen about as much or maybe a little more than me. The girl was definitely the most familiar with the show but still not an "expert" Anyway after a bit one of them said something about Will being "straight" or "bi" for awhile . I was quite surprised, and asked if they were sure, which they said they were. So not being that knowledgeable about the show I just went along with it, but I figured someone here at GA must be a die hard fan. So how about it was Will bisexual to some extent? Anyway have an awesome day and take care everyone, Kevin

lol I've HEARD about this quite a bit, but people in my region don't partake; we're perfectly content to eat our "mud bugs" thank you very much

That sucks! I'm sorry I hate stupid pranks!

Yep, Yep! Everyone should (OK I guess that's a ridiculous blanket statement, many people don't drink coffee at all, and I'm sure some people oversleep, but the majority of the world should cut back on caffeine and up their hours spent sleeping ) Welcome Twolf! I'm Kevin, it's a pleasure to meet you

I completely agree with you, Kaiten. I always think it's a bit sad when I see old friends I used to be close to and realize that we're now leading completel different lives. But you're right, that's the natural order of things I suppose and I can't stop nor should I try (not that I'm NOT going to make an effort to stay in touch with people). I think online friendships are essentially same; some may be meant to last a lifetime whereas others will come and go in a season. LOL definitely made sense! Wow! I hope you got some sleep. I had a great St. Patty's Day. How about you? Take care and have a great day Kevin

So true! I always have to remind myself that I couldn't tell about tone of voice or facial expression. LOL have to be careful what I say too . That's the perfect definition for it, IMO. So glad you did Awesome!

I agree! You do a great job Myr Thanks! And I'd also like to say that I'm always willing to help out in anyway that I can

Hey Rob! I know what you mean forums are a really wonderful part of the internet experience, but it's so sad how some people completely "jump the shark" after awhile and destroy it . I guess it's partly something along the lines of "power corrupts", and partly just human nature to be suspicious I COMPLETELY agree with you! I don't have a single complaint about this place or the way anything been handled . It's a fantastic forum filled with wonderful members, and fair, competent administration. I really love it here and truly don't plan on leaving at all. I just concede that anything's possible. Anyway I'm really glad you found your way here too Rob! You definitely add ALOT to the site with not only your EXCELLENT stories! But your thoughtful, insightful comments, both on the boards and in the blogs Oh BTW, I JUST realized the banner in your sig. was clickable! All along I'd just thought it was a cool pic. lol. that is such a nifty site Anyway take care and have a totally amazing day! Kevin

That's the premise I'm going on too, Camy. As long as this site is here with the same people I've come to know, I will be here also. Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to find people that can stand to hear me rant about things the voices in my head tell me to rant about? Everyone here is priceless, IMO. I can't honestly say I've ever taken the time to change my homepage from yapoo, except when I came across GA. Now everytime I sign on, The main forum is the first thing to load on my screen. Why? Because it saves me 2 clicks, thats why. Anyway, I'm happy your here Kevin! Hey Tim! lol we love to hear you "rant" , I'm really glad you're here too!

Hey Camy! Yeah. Gee Kevin. Thanks for that... So I might be troubled, hurting and lost (sob, wail, howl, gnash, blubber) but I really, really... (Agh, waaaail! & more tears) didn't need to be told... Sniffle LOL Camy I also said: Hehehe it's up to you guys to place yourselves into the correct category Well I certainly don't plan on moving on. I'm just allowing for that possibility if either myself or the community change in incompatible ways. LOL but it's not that easy to get rid of me! Take care and have a really great day! Kevin

Hey Danny! Yep this is an awesome place! It's amazing what a positive impact this place has had on my life. It's great to see you around here too! I hope you always enjoy it here and I know in the coming weeks/months you'll continue to add a lot to the site Aww thank you so much I know I do tend to go on a bit, and I do mean to work on that lol. I'm very glad you read and enjoyed my posts though! I'd be willing to bet you will find that awesome relationship someday! And you're right labels are just stupid, it's the person and the unique combination of all their traits: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual, which make them "The One". I don't know if that's one of the entries you read but Sexuality: I just don't care is actually all about my views regarding this matter (of course the whole point is that it's just [/i]my views and no one elses, I'm certainly not trying to convince anyone lol) I'm very glad to have met you too Danny! Take care and have an awesome day, Kevin

Hey Luigi! I agree the blogs are very therapeutic. I hope GA does stay "home" for along time Take care, Kevin

First off, YAY for you being anti-smoking! It's got to be one of my all time biggest pet peeves in other people. I'm against people poisoning themselves in the first place, but if they insist the least they could do is leave me and the rest of the world out of it! I've always thought it would be cool to get a T-Shirt or something that had "thank you for not smoking" or "This is a smoke free area" or whatever on it. On the other hand I agree with Snow Dog. All sorts of things could have led her to the situation she's now in. Also it's completely sad and pathetic but just because she can buy cigs DOESN'T mean she can buy food. There's every chance she can only afford one or the other and is unable to say no to her addiction. And if she does have kids there's really nothing they can do about it Your dad sounds really great though, and it was wise of him to buy her the bread instead of giving her the money. Besides there's certainly worse flaws than caring too much about other people . I'm glad work is going well, take care and have an awesome day! Kevin

So M is gay and in a bad relationship?

Congratulations, Kevin! Your IQ score is 136 This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Visionary Philosopher. This means you are highly intelligent and have a powerful mix of skills and insight that can be applied in a variety of different ways. Like Plato, your exceptional math and verbal skills make you very adept at explaining things to others

It was early 2000, and I was a sophmore in high school. One of our cats suddenly got very sick and since the vet in our town was closed, my mom and I drove to the city of my aunt and cousin to take her to the all night emergency clinic. After dropping her off we go and visit my aunt and cousin and the four of us play the card game rook, which I hadn't done in about 4 or 5 years. Playing it makes me remember just how much fun it is, and what ashame we never play anymore. "But wait" I think, "this is the internet age, there's bound to be a site SOMEWHERE that offers it". Fast foward a couple of weeks and I'm playing rook at games.com (No longer offered there ). I'm having a great time, I meet LOTS of new friends, and spend almost all of my online time exclusively there for the next two years. Eventually several of us start an internet forum for all the players and I help run the site until about late 2003/early 2004. Rewind to 2002, it's now my senior year of high school. I'm hanging out at my best friend's house and his mom starts talking about how much she used to enjoy playing spades in college. So for the next couple of hours she teaches us and we play. My friend quickly becomes obsessed and insists that we play together on Yahoo. We do for about a month then he loses interest. I don't. But now I need a partner, and an atmosphere more conducive to a "community" feeling. Being an entrenched member of the work forum I decide to look for a spade forum. I quickly find an awesome one and become a member, and join the players at their site. For the next two years I more or less balance rook and spades, but slowly spades takes over my time and affections. I make MANY new, close, dear friends there, and have a thoroughly enjoyable time. Fastfoward to early 2005. My little spade home has become more of a war zone. The majority of the original members have left, and the head administrator (once a fairly close friend of mine) has completely flipped. He's turned against most of my closest friends and partners and I can no longer placate him. Gradually I come to the realization that he's all but certifiably crazy, and quite honestly paranoid, and he comes to the realization that I'm not going to roll over and watch him banish my friends. Slowly our relationship deteriorates to nothing, and I take quite a long "break". While I'm away the situation comes to a head, he bans most of my friends, and the rest withdraw. Of the aproximately 180 original/early members he now has about 20 left and his "newbies" are basically "yes men/women". My main partner immediately contacts me and tells me that she and most of the others have joined a new league and created their own team composed of our old players. I immediately join and resume active play. The snag is that I'm still technically a member of the other league, and a small handfull of my friends remain there. For the next couple of weeks I juggle the two leagues and try to make everyone happy. One day the admin. of the first league decides "if you aren't with us, you're against us" (is it any wonder I'm so sick of that particular phrase and line of reasoning), and demands that I make a decision between the two. I say if I'm being forced to choose then the decision has been made for me, and I leave/get banned. It's now June of 2005 and I've been with the new league close to 6 months. One evening I'm surfing the web and come across Nifty . "cool site", I think. A few weeks later I'm exploring it and discover TOU. I quickly read all the chapter that were then posted (up to chapter 10), then desperate to get my fix I realize that more are posted on the author's home page. Once there I find another 3 chapters and quickly read to the end of chapter 13 (the marshmellow scene). I see that there hasn't been an update since April and begin to freak out. Fortunately, in my despair, I decide to check out TLW, which has the benefit of being finished. Over the next week or so I read it and it immediately replaces TOU as my favourite. Once I'm done reading TLW I find that I'm effected. STRONGLY EFFECTED. For the first time in years I begin to think perhaps a relationship like Owen and Aiden's is something I not only want, but might eventually need. More importantly I begin to think it's even possible to have that kind of loving, healthy relationship. In my desperation to talk about TOU I join Gay Authors. Gradually over the next few months I spend less and less time with my ("new") spade league and more and more time at Gay Authors. And the rest, as they say, is history ******************************** So what was the point of that brief (by my standards ) history of my internet use? Well reasons: 1) I simply thought it might be nice to post a little "background" 2) The yesterday I recieved an email from an old friend at the orginal spade league (who briefly followed us to the new league). Here's the email with the names of the players/league removed. Also keep in mind that he's not a native english speaker. Hello Everybody This is Q writting. I just hear that J (the paranoid league admin) is missing, and that probably the league is going to dissapear? I do not know what has been doing the last 2 years, but I do remember those great days we all enjoyed our onliune friendship. Even my curent obbligations doesn't allow me to stay online much, I will deeply regret the closure of our league. I received today a mail from H (one of the few orginal members left) , she is trying to put the pieces together so the league can maiuntain its "live" status. Again, I not know what happened but I think that our memories at the league are strong and honest, so let's do whatever is in out hands to keep the league alive, shall we? Hope you all are good and wish every one of you and your families the best. Sincerelly Q So of course the other reason is that all of this has just been brought back to the surface and is fresh on my mind. I went back and checked out the league page. When all was said and done "J" had basically taken a once flourishing, happy and extremly fun league of over 250 active members and all but destroyed it, reducing it's number to under 40! With less than 20 active members. Only about 5 of the original members now even remain on the list, and only 2 of them are still "active". He was an extremely paranoid person, and only seemed to grow worse and worse. It was always conspiracy theories with him, he banned almost everyone for some sort of percieved plot to destroy the league. Shortly after my group it seems he had the most damning falling out with his closest friends/supporters/junior admin. I don't know the details but once again he decided they were involved in some sort of scam to drive away membership and he banned them. Irnoically after that he decided that we were all "innocent" and invited us back on his online radio (yes toward the end he had his own online radio station,,,,which tragically consisted of him sitting on his soapbox spouting all the injustices he'd suffered). I heard all this 2nd hand (not being a fan of the radio station even while I was still a member). Fortunately only 2 of our number (Q being one of them) actually took him up on his offer of "clemency". But reading that email and then seeing the death throes of the league with my own eyes, I really was struck with a strong sadness. It was seriously one of the best, most enjoyable internet places I've ever spent my time. In it's "golden age" it was a much happier, friendlier place than the rook gaming site ever was. We always referred to each other as "family", and until J decided to start disowning various "cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters" we really were. I've grown to really care about a great many of you here at GA; you're some of the most teriffic, inspiring, awesome people I've ever met. But in many ways I loved the people at the spades league just as much. It was a home. Reading that email though, with that final last ditch effort to "save" the league, I realized something; it's already dead. It died even before the first major "exodus". It died when the first of our brothers/sisters suddenly felt abandoned and ostracized for expressing their honest view point. It was nothing like "home" the entire last 6 or 7 months I was there. It started with a noble and worth dream J had. A close friend of his died too young and in his grief he decided to create the league in his friend's memory. It was his hope that we would all find a little peace and happiness. A little solice. A safe harbor from the outside world, where we could go and forget our trouble and just have fun with each other, playing a game we truly loved. And we did.....but in the end, for whatever reasons, which I'll never know or understand, the dream turned into a nightmare. The dream is over now, and it's time to wake up. ************************************** I won't be at GA forever. Eventually something else will occupy my attention. Eventually the people, that to me, make it "home" will move on with their lives. I don't know how it'll end. I hope it remains the beautiful, good place that it is. A place for troubled, hurting, lost people to find comfort in good stories and each other's company. A place were the happy, carefree, exuberant among us can share their joy and wisdom. I hope it always remains a warm, caring community. Someday, be it in a few weeks, a few years, or a few decades; I will be gone from here. And rather it continues to go on well here or not; I intend to take the happy times, the fun, the love and support, the goodness with me. Nothing lasts forever but that doesn't make it any less valuable and worthy. My sincerest and most earnest respect, admiration, and appreciation go out to Myr, the GACs, the authors, the sub-committee GACs, and of course the members! Whatever has been, or will be, this IS a beautiful and truly amazing place and I'm happy to call it my internet home. Kevin

I'm so glad you liked it! I was a huge Eve 6 fan, IMO their first two albums were the best HAHAHHA Wow! I'm so glad you pointed that out, honestly it hadn't occured to me. I was thinking of it along the lines of school children, messing around, picking on their crush and stuff. That's a great interpretation though, glad you mentioned it! Take care and have a great day Kevin

I want one of those! ....A blonde boyfriend that is Glad you guys are enjoying the peace, have fun!

Hey David, I'm glad to hear the new chapter will be out on Thursday. I hope you're able to get everything done. I'm sure you'll do fine. Have a great day, and take care Kevin

Hey Kitty! You're right I probably would have thought that perhaps it was mutural had the singer been a female, or a gay male. But I'd always assumed the singer was straight. I still think he is, but I guess you never know if there wasn't some bisexuality or some sort of fling. Thanks for pointing that out! Have an awesome day and take care! Kevin

Aww thanks Viv!