AFriendlyFace

I heard when I logged on tonight and I'm very sad and upset to hear about this. Mark was a great guy and he'll be deeply missed. I shall always remember him for his kind and gentle ways and his great sense of humour. -Kevin

Very cool post, Joe! I can actually still vaguely remember the 2nd version that was in place prior to the change in Aug 06. I'm definitely planning on us both to still be enjoying it in 2015, Old Bob! I loved the 07 look too! To be honest that was probably my favourite; I loved the sidebar background! However, I'm a major fan of the new, expanded tab system we have at the top and I totally adore it! It's very functional One thing that I've noticed over the years is that I used to not actually navigate the site very much at all. I had all my favourite forums and author sites bookmarked and I would go to them directly. Now, I always start from the same place (the forum index) and go wherever else I need to go directly. I think a large factor in that change is how easy and efficient it is to navigate the site now Thanks for the nostalgia! Take care all -Kevin

Yes, I've got an attraction to pretty blonds myself. Most of my boyfriends have either been blond, or else Asian, but as I said, I've dated the other races as well, just not to the same extent as the blonds and Asians

Well, I mostly disagree with your perspective personally, but whatever works for you At least you're more open-minded than most people.

So I'm sitting at work minding my own business, doing my mountains of paperwork and pondering which report I want to work on next when the phone rings: Me: "(Company name)" Guy: "Hi?" Me: "Hi" Guy: "Are you a recording?" Me: "Um, no" Guy: "Are you sure?" Me: "Yes, I'm sure." Guy: "Really?" Me: "Yeah, I'm a person." Guy: "Well you sound like a recording." I've never had to argue to convince someone I wasn't an automated message before. I'm kinda hoping I'm not in that situation again either.

He was a 10 as far as I'm concerned

I hope everything works out okay with your family, Method. Regarding the abduction story, I'm just glad they're all okay -Kevin

I've thought about this a lot over the years, and I ultimately don't think it really matters that it's silence. The only thing that matters is that it's something that a lot of GLBT people and their allies are all doing at the same time. It could be everyone wearing a rainbow bracelet on the same day, or everyone walking around with a big X on their cheeks. What matters is that it's something noticeable that other, non-supportive people wouldn't accidentally decide to do (for example everyone wearing a red shirt wouldn't work because it wouldn't be very noticeable and a lot of random, homophobic people might coincidentally do it too). That way it calls attention to the people and can rightly be identified for what it is. It's just a general opportunity to come out as GLBT/GLBT friendly and to do so with the solidarity of a large number of other people in the community. Silence is a good choice because it isn't something highly negative that could get you into trouble. Of course it could still get you into some trouble depending on the circumstances, but it isn't overly hostile or offensive, so it won't draw a lot of negative attention. It also works because there's a way to symbolically relate it to the struggles of GLBT people in general (however tenuous and irrelevant this relation may actually be). I think it's basically just a PR spin and a general justification for what action was chosen. As I said, it could be anything. In general though, it's probably helpful that it's something that's somewhat of a sacrifice and that requires some effort. It does demonstrate a certain level of dedication and resolve to pull it off. It also has the benefit of being something that almost anyone can participate in. It doesn't require money or any special talent. So silence is a decent choice simply because it's something and that something, when done by lots of people simultaneously, is a good way to highlight GLBT issues. It will get people talking about it and asking questions and looking for information. Ironically, silence is a good way to open dialogue in this case. One more thing, you guys should check out the GA Day of Silence Anthology. It was the second ever anthology and the one which kick started the events as regular, quarterly installments. Have a great day everyone! Kevin

That does sound pretty cool! One question though, I know this might be cynical, but was that guy really a "boyfriend" to the other frat president in the traditional sense of the word? I mean with dating, kissing, doing (non-sexual) things for each other, and generally considering him to be his boyfriend, or were they instead just regular partners for messing around? I ask because there's often a pretty big disparity in between how someone might view themselves in one situation versus the other. A lot of guys (who may or may not be homosexual or bisexual) may mess around with other guys, maybe even regularly, and not perceive themselves as homosexual. On the other hand, if he admitted (if only to himself and the other guy) that they were in an actual relationship and were "boyfriends" then it's a lot more deceptive and hypocritical if he was criticising gays. Yes, I was thinking that there was a national gay fraternity. That's certainly the only one I'd have ever had any interest in joining.

What's the point in even posting in this thread when James has already made all the good points? *Nods* Also very true. The best of all and totally my answer if I have to narrow it down! A great point, Kit! If I currently had a boyfriend I hope that would be my answer. Since I don't though, I will opt for my big gay family of friends We're as dysfunctional and all around nutty as any other family, but we do love each other and look after one another. Apart from the above stuff, my answer is basically the all encompassing "gay culture" as a whole. That includes the people, music, art, literature, organizations, values, ethics, perspectives, politics, clubs and bars, dating, fashion, and all around lifestyle. It permeates my life in ways both subtle and overt and I'm very grateful and delighted that it does. Indeed, my favourite gay thing: my life Take care all Kevin

Well, in the case of Hemingway, I hope what they have that he lacked is an ability to write in an interesting and compelling way on topics that won't bore the reader to tears. Anyway, regardless, they almost certainly would benefit from an editor. -Kevin (who would rather give up reading entirely than be forced to exclusively read the works of Hemingway) Edit: I'm glad other people are somehow (miraculously IMO) able to enjoy his writing though

I think that the majority of authors around here make a solid effort to make their writing teams feel valued and appreciated. That said, I will say that I think some authors are exemplary in this regard. CJ for example goes far above and beyond what is typical to give recognition and appreciation to anyone who has a hand in his stories. I know that speaking for myself there's a good chance most of what I post would never have been made public without Sharon's support and assistance. I think some extra form of recognition for these vital people is a great idea! I think that a Team Recognition Month would definitely be a nice thing to do. I think it's always going to fall to the authors just what they want to do to make their team feel special and needed, but perhaps setting aside a special time period would provide some of the impetus. To some extent, I also think it helps - in terms of recognition - when the team is also quite visible. For example if they comment on the stories and provide their own perspective then it quite clearly makes people more aware of their presence and also gives the author a great opportunity to once again publicly draw attention to their much needed efforts. I think it can even be the case that editor or other team member themselves can become highly visible and thereby gain more recognition for their work. For example I would speculate that everyone knows what tireless, dedicated editors Sharon and Jan are because they're so visible in general. I think there is a flip side of the coin though in that some team members might not be visible at all in the first place and are thereby harder to "recognize". For example there have been several excellent stories that I've read in which the author made it a point to thank their editor at the beginning and/or end of each chapter, yet I had never heard of that person before so it was just a name to me. Of course very often the author themselves is just a "name" until you get to know them on some level, but I think it's easier to get some type of feel on them from their stories. With the support team that's harder to do. Anyway, I definitely am in favour of doing more to show appreciation for the vital writing team -Kevin

Well, I don't watch TV at all and haven't for...well about 8 years. No, it wasn't American Idol which turned me off completely. That time simply coincided with a busy point in my life in general as well as a growing preference to spend my free time online instead. Anyway, that's not to say that I haven't seen a few episodes of things here and there at friends' houses. In fact I used to have weekly plans with a bunch of friends to get together and watch Intervention, which would of course also be reality TV. As a matter of fact I did enjoy that show quite a bit. Regarding American Idol I'm more conflicted. I've seen a lot of single song performances, mostly on YouTube, and a few bits and pieces here and there when other people had it on. All in all I'd say that it isn't something I'd classify as worth spending my time watching (but as is evidenced by my lack of TV viewing there are very few shows I consider worth spending time watching); however, it would not be an unpleasant way to spend my time. Theoretically, if I didn't have anything better to do I'd be fine watching American Idol; however, I've pretty much always got something better to do. In general, as a genre, I don't like reality TV. Nor do I like the ever popular crime dramas like CSI or the court TV like Judge Judy. The same goes for Medical dramas, talk shows, and soap operas. Those sorts of shows actively disgust me and put me off in most cases. Actually, the only type of TV genre I can say that like is the SitCom. I generally find SitComs to be at least pleasant to watch and like American Idol most of them are such that if I didn't have anything better to do I'd be content to watch them. There are really only a few television shows that I actually consider worth my time and the majority of them are SitComs (Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace). Then there is the random drama that I consider worth my time (Queer as Folk), and yes, even the random reality show (like Intervention). For the most part though I'm very happy that I don't watch TV and plan to avoid it as much as possible for the remainder of my life. If something is really funny or really emotionally compelling then I'm happy to watch it, but if - like the majority of TV - it's just a big, mindless time drain then NO THANKS. -Kevin

I'm reading: "Boy Crazy" by Michael Shelton And "The Riddle of Gender" by Deborah Rudacille Excellent books

I might be wrong (I'm not good at that sort of thing), but she looks like a non-traditional Maine Coon

I have a friend who swears by his Dodge Charger. It is a pretty car, but to me it'll always simply be "silver" as opposed to anything else.

LOL, And am I correct in assuming that the expected release date is this Tuesday, the 24th? Hmm, I'm not sure there will be time for Shadowgod to release the info!

Hope you are feeling better now

Everything okay? Sorry I missed you the other day on MSN, I wasn't really there it just did the automatic login thing. Hope you're okay and that we get to catch up soon -Kevin

Haha! Sorry Vic, I'm sure that is awkward, but I think a "museum approach" to this is ideal; look but don't touch

Oh no! So how'd everything turn out? Whoa! Talk about rejection! Hope everything else works out -Kevin

I'm glad you're in a good mood and having fun! Yay on Juanita's second (third?) lease on life! -Kevin

LOL! At least your husband had the decency to call instead of just screaming at the top of his (reduced capacity) lungs! I love that shirt your daughter described! Where can I get one for myself? How fortunate for your boss that you don't keep rat poison in your desk. Have fun on your trip! It sounds like your dad has an amusing outlook on life! Have a great day! -Kevin

Well, I definitely can't directly relate. My general approach to handling a vehicle is to treat it like crap until I drive it to its grave, then to move on to a new victim. As is often the case with long, painful, drawn-out deaths, by the time the end comes it's usually a bit of a relief Nevertheless, I'm sure this is a pretty big turning point for you, and I know it must be tough Good luck with the new car, and let us hope your car's new owner doesn't share my approach to auto maintenance -Kevin

LOL, well I like it! Good pic, dude