AFriendlyFace

awwww! Is that his tongue sticking out?

Hey Kaiten! Mmmm, yeah! One of the flavours was triple chocolate! I ate a little over half of it then I took the rest to work today to share. So it's all gone now Well graduation is May 19th, but I'm moving on May 15th. I don't have to attend the actual ceremony Finals are the 8th - 13th. LOL and I SWEAR I'm going to do some packing tomorrow for sure! Anyway thanks for asking I hope you have an awesome week too -Kevin

LOL Nick! I've never tried that combination, but I'm seriously going to tomorrow night for dinner. Just for kicks lol. I'll let you know

It's odd, I've always been like the opposite of claustrophobic. Small or cramped spaces actually make me feel safer as long as I'm not physically uncomfortable. Similarly I love heights. Bridges freak me out though. I don't think it's the height or the water, it's the railing. So actually overpasses, places where they have cones in the road, or any barrier will get me really freaked out. In general I very mildly suffer from driving anxiety, it's not usually enough to make me pull over, or keep me from going places, but the whole time I'm driving I'm tense and uncomfortable, and if I've been driving for a long time I get a headache and a little shakey. Spiders and snakes also freak me out. Oh and dentisits! Definitely dentists, hospitals and doctors in general are fine, but dentists ....cheesegraters used to make me really uncomfortable too, but I've made quite a bit of progress with that My what good taste you have, Anthony! Grrr I didn't get around to the packing the other night . Will try again tomorrow night lol I agree, Kitty! It is an excellent phrase! LOL and grits! What else can I say I usually just boil them then add salt and butter. Sometimes I saut

Thanks Colin! You have a teriffic day too!

Hey Camy! LOL so if I ever served you dinner, you'd go straight to desert then

***pats David on the back*** I'm so proud! Clever! Well then I suppose we're all expected to be friendly, mannerly southerners around here. I'm told in other parts of the country people don't have brief conversations with wrong numbers!? (this is actually something I've done on several occasions). I think all over the world people have one stereotype or another to live up to. It's almost a good thing though. If the stereotypical people annoy you, you can take heart in the fact that once you get to know them you may discover they're much different (in a good way) and simply playing their "parts". I'd have to agree with that. Only I'd add the restocking back in, seems like I can never get down an isle WITH my shopping cart, the best I can do is leave it at the end and carry the item back...and of course since everyone else is doing that too there's the problem of unattended shopping carts to contend with. :wacko: I agree. Not that I don't think your next stories will be awesome, but even if they aren't it's better to be a "has been" than a "never was". So just take comfort in the fact that you wrote something excellent that everyone loved and if you've got another masterpiece in you, AWESOME!

That's exactly what I thought too! Thanks David . This is why it takes me three times longer than everyone else to read a chapter of anything Yay for the new chapter's imminent arrival! Have an awesome day everyone, and take care Kevin

I really liked this chapter , I hated the cliff hanger though Throughout this chapter Connor kept making references to his feelings not being "real" because of all the drugs he was on. I liked this. I think it could indicate that in future chapters he may decide to get off the meds and adapt a healthy way of handling his problems through cognitive and behavioral means. Personally I have a very complicated outlook on drugs, particularly psychological drugs. I've probably got some of my own issues and hang ups about this to deal with, but anyway generally I'm in favour of people living drug free if they can do so safely, happily, and healthily. The seeing a counselor part I'm firmly in favour of! I tend to think everyone should see a therapist, even "normal", "well-adjusted" people should at least go for like a 6 month check up or something! .....of course I've never been one , but I'd be happy to go. A few things struck me as odd with regards to whom and in what ways Connor decided to open up to people. Again we find Connor first talking to Mikey and then the Twins about his fear relocating before he opens up to Ryan about it (I was so glad he finally did though!), or even Maggie or Toby. I guess I can see how he wouldn't want to make them feel guilty, or how me might feel presumptous or something. Plus he still seems to be scared that they'll reject them if he lets them in too much so maybe he finds it easier to do with people he likes but who matter to him less. I was also surprised (though pleased) that he opened up to the twins about the rape. As he noted, I'd have thought it would be during some quiet time with Ryan. I could even have seen Toby, Maggie, Cody, or Mikey as possibilities, but I was surprised that the first people he talked to about it he was only just really getting to know. Of course the whole thing is very tramatic and I suppose you can never really tell when it'll suddenly come out, and it does seem to have been largely in response to Ben's probing. I imagine the other (minus Mikey) who already knew probably didn't want to push. I have a hard time believing that people like Stacy Feldman exist! Are there really many women out there who bear TWO of their younger brother's children?? I was really excited about the progression of Toby and Cody's relationship! I'm so confused about what's going to happen with Mikey! I still sorta think it'll be Toby and Mikey in the end, but actually I think I prefer Cody to Mikey, and their names are so cute together! So I'll definitely be pleased if I'm wrong and the Toby/Cody relationship is serious. On that note: I just can't imagine a straight guy saying that! Even a really accepting, cool one. But what do I really know? I've just never "gotten" how any two people in love kissing is gross. I always think it's sweet and chances are if the people are fairly good looking I'll think it's kinda hot too, regardless of the genders involved (M/M hottest of course, F/F or M/F). I just accept that the general reaction of "straight guys" is along the lines of "yuck!" But awesome if that's not a given! I think the one thing I wanted the most though, the one thing I kept waiting and hoping for, was for Connor to just ask Maggie (or at least Ryan or Toby) WHY he couldn't just stay with them. It just seems like such a natural reaction, they said it was his home too after all. When I woke up in the hospital and someone said something about Child Protective Services I'd have just said, "huh? CPS? Why do we need them? Why can't I stay with you guys?" At least when he finally did start talking to Ryan and Toby about it I would have imagined that even if he didn't ask they'd have still offered some sort of explanation, "we'd love to have you but..." Anyway all that compounded to make me want to read the next chapter really badly. This is definitely, to me, one of the biggest cliffhangers yet! I mean obviously the one at the end of 11 was huge, but I took solace in knowing that 12 would be out soon. With this though I'm about to go crazy wondering when the next release is! Anyway I really loved this chapter, and I really love this story! Have an awesome day everyone and take care, Kevin

That's an excellent point! In general I don't think it's that significant for Milo and Nelson. I mean they're still very early on in their relationship. I don't really think either one of them is thinking, "This will be good practice for when we have our own baby together". It would have been one thing if they'd been together a couple of years or something, or if they just seemed more serious in general (like I could imagine it being significant for Owen and Aiden), but I just don't get that their relationship is out of that "new" phase yet. It's natural to kid and joke around and stuff, and I would have expected them to be partners, but I don't think even Nelson could get away with a line like, "well you better take this seriously! What if it were really our daughter crying?"

I've had a teriffic last couple of days! I have this friend/coworker, Josh (completely different guy than the I Really Think Her Fiance' is Gay Josh), who plays the guitar and sings. Well anyway he'd gotten a "gig" (gosh, it's fun actually using that word in a story) to play at this club (straight club ), so anyway me and another friend/coworker, Patrick (who is gay) decided to go watch/listen etc. So anyway I was going to give Patrick a ride but he lives on the other side of these railroad tracks. Anyway while we were at his apartment the stupid (and VERY slow) train decided to pass. So we were actually late getting there. But we still caught most of his piece and then the 3 of us and Josh's girlfriend, Sandra hung out for awhile. So anyway then I took Patrick home. Well he's got like the coolest "community" feel to his apartment complex. They have this nifty little courtyard and stuff so several of his neighbours were just hanging out. Anyway we got to talking and they were all really fun, cool people. So I ended up spending the evening with them. Well over the course of the night I naturally decided to go to the bathroom. So I went in locked the door, conducted my business (yes that's right business can even be done in a bathroom! ), and tried to leave. Turns out the lock like broke while I was in there . So I ended up having to pound on the door until they heard. Of course they couldn't get the darn thing to open either. So in the end Patrick, or maybe his neighbour Erin (obviously I can't be sure since I was trapped on the otherside of the door), had to unscrew the whole doorknob. It was kind of funny but I felt like such a dope! I mean here I am a guest in someone's home and I ruin their door . So anyway I kept apologizing to Patrick, who felt awful that it happened at all and kept apologizing to me, Erin kept saying how surprised she was that I stayed so calm (why I'd freak out I can't imagine. I mean I had all the fresh water I could need, toilet facilities, and if I had to I coulda curled up in the tub for a nap so I was set), and his other two neighbours/friends just thought it was funny and got a kick out of it. It was a very fun evening though. Patrick was determined to get me drunk . I think he may have had ulterior movites actually . He hits on me a pretty good bit. The other day at work I was rather embarassed when I said casually in front of everyone, "I'm so hot" (it was a really warm day and the AC didn't seem to be making much of a dent in it), and he kinda giggled and looked at me and just said, "yes you are" . But at least it was something positive. I mean it would have sucked if instead, he said in a sarcastic voice "Really? I couldn't tell" or something like that. Anyway he finally succeeded in his efforts to get me inebriated (not that I hold my liquor particularly well, quite the opposite actually. I just wasn't drinking much), but I was still the soberest person so no worries . Oh and I played a really fun game of chess with Erin. The fun part was that the pieces looked very similar (either frosted glass or clear glass), and the lighting wasn't that great, so we kept mixing up each other's pieces. I lost one of my knights because I thought I had a bishop right there defending it, but it turned out to be her bishop. Then later I kept wanting to jump one of my own pieces, I swear I tried to do it at the beginning of my turn like 3 times in a row! LOL, and she just kept trying to move MY pieces! In the end I won though So anyway then yesterday evening I went out to eat with Josh and Sandra. Boy! It seemed as though we weren't fated to eat or something. We'd planned on going to this really cool sushi place that they'd been to before. It's on the top of this big museum and like all the walls are glass so it's got a really awesome view. Plus the food is supposed to be good. So I was like, "did you guys make reservations", but they said, "no, last time we walked right in and they sat us in no time"....this time was different . The place was packed and it would have been a 2 and half to 3 hour wait! So we decided to try this new sports bar that just opened. There's another restuarant of the same name that's a fixture near campus and they had just opened the new location, where supposedly the food was better. I think it was too, but unfortunately even there we had to wait an hour to get seated! Oddly enough though while we were waiting and chatting with the fellow patrons someone guessed where I was from based solely on the way I was speaking!! I was really shocked as I've always been told I don't sound like a local. Apparently it was the way I pronounced the "a" in "ya'll" . I actually wasn't very pleased, though I was impressed. But I'm not going to worry about it, I only ever even say "ya'll" when I'm around other southerners, and I'm betting I was even using more of an accent than I normally would have. Anyway the food was really good! Then we went back to their apartment and watched some comedy acts on TV (I never watch tv so the whole "tv experience" was slightly unfamilar and exciting ) AND to top it all off they gave me an entire cheesecake sampler! Long story short they found themselves with two which they'd gotten for free, and they only wanted one. So guess who's got cheesecake! Hehehe so this morning I actually had a piece for breakfast . Tonight I'm planning a nice quiet evening. Hopefully I'm going to get some moving stuff taken care of (I want to box up all my old books, movies, cds, and dvds, and maybe other random junk). And I'm definitely going to fix myself some leeks (my favourite right now!) for dinner. I also heard rumours that several of my favourite stories had been updated! So super yay! Have an awesome day everyone!

Hey Viv! LOL well I didn't do that great with the Day of Silence . I kept slipping up But I mostly did it...sorta

Hey Nick! Yay! , I can't wait WOW! That's really cool that it's the same school used in the stories! awwwww That sounds really sweet and romantic! I hope it works out for you. Have an awesome weekend and take care, Kevin

Aren't you glad he's not the one getting neutered? :wacko: Hi ya David! Yay! Isn't life just awesome?!? Teriffic! I can't wait to read it. Even though I don't typically like "flings", I'm sure it'll be great Have the best weekend EVER! Take care Kevin

Don't you mean mosquitos to his legs? I wouldn't worry so much about the time it took the GHB to take effect. I mean there's no definite account of the time between when he took it and when he passed out anyway. We can just sort of assume he was struggling for longer or whatever.

Well admittedly (and happily) I've never been raped, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I think I wouldn't let the guilt and stuff fester. I mean I'd be really upset that it happened, but I don't think I'd blame myself. I guess I can't really say without being in that position, and obviously I don't want that to ever happen, but I think his reaction is mostly correct, if anything he felt more guilt than I assume I would. But of course I guess I can't really say for sure. Anyway I defintely get that it's a really damaging, painful experience so I guess there'd be lasting scars. All I know is I'm looking forward to reading more about it. take care and have a great day everyone, Kevin

You did the right thing, Adam! I'm proud of you Don't worry you'll find some great guy eventually (who won't be into girls ). Take care and have an awesome day! Kevin

Hey Bobby! :-D Welcome to the site, we're very glad to have you here I'm so sorry That's pretty rough . As a fellow southerner (though with a much less tramatic experience) I like to think many people around here simply don't understand it or really know better. I guess that doesn't help much, but it's a little easier not to hate them if you decide they're just misguided. Sometimes the hardest person to be truthful with is yourself. I can't say for sure, but I'm willing to bet even fairly well-adjusted straight people occasionally feel like that. We all tend to "settle" in one way or another. Try not to beat yourself up about it too badly. This place does rock! Awesome! There's a quote from the movie Vanila Sky which I quite like, "Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around." You're very welcome here and I hope you find yourself leading a happy and fulfilling life Take care and have a great day! Kevin

Hey everyone! I read the Spring Anthology and all I can say is "WOW!" You can really see all the effort the authours put into making it a success! I don't think I could pick a favourite story if I had to! I just know that I feel much richer for having read them. It even inspired me to give this whole "Day Of Silence" thing a whirl. I'm actually counting it from the time I wake up on the 26th until the time I go to bed (which is a full day to me), thus I don't feel like I'm cheat by still posting stuff after midnight . But tomorrow (hopefully) you won't hear a peep out of me Anyway I was so impressed by the Spring Anthology that I wanted to do something to give the authours feedback and let them know what we all thought. So I created a thread for each one of the stories over at The Story Cafe So please go check it out and let the authours know what you thought about their work. I'm sure they put a lot of time and hard work into their writing and they deserve to know what we thought. Besides one of the primary purposes of this site is to discuss gay literature so to me this seems like a really important thing to do. Even if it's just to say "I read it and liked it", let them know Also you'll find a thread thanking Kitty for all her hardwork. Let's not forget that it takes quite a bit of time to compile everything as well as coming up with ideas for themes and conducting the polls! Not to mention the very attractive lay out of the whole thing! Her hard work and dedication should also not go unnoticed! So please go check out Click This --->The Story Cafe<--- Click This and let them know what you thought!

Hey Tim LOL yep, it's stuff like that that makes it so much fun! Thanks! I actually just changed it again today, I hope you like this one as well LOL I love that! It reminds me of this joke: Why do we call it an asteroid when it's in the hemisphere and a hemorrhoid when it's in your .... well you get the idea Take care and have a great day! Kevin

LOL Ben! That's the fun part! I do it all the time and find life infinitely more enjoyable as a result! LOL! You're right. I hadn't really thought of that before Take care and have a great day! Kevin

Thank Camy! That would be fun, I'd just worry that people would eventually get sick of it Excellent point! You know what I always think is funny? When someone says "You have a nice day"...it's sort of like a comment. Like, "You have a nice shirt", "you have nice day", "why thank you, I've been working on my day, I'm rather proud of it myself, and might I add that your own day is looking rather snazzy" Personally despite being American I always prefer "colour" to "color" (and the "ou" to the "o" in general), I just think it looks better and makes the word feel more complete. I think the S instead of the Z is really cute too, but I don't think I could pull it off without looking pretentious Thanks and have an awesome day!

Hey Colin! Thanks Actually I've kind of always wanted to be a linguist, but it's one of those things I decided would be more fun as a hobby than as a career Take care and have a teriffic day! Kevin

I just wanted to offer a special thanks and my sincerest appreciation for all the hard work and effort Kitty put into making the Spring Anthology such a success! Also lets not forget that this is on top of all her other responsibilities as a GAC (such as working diligently on the links section), editing the excellent and gripping serial Someday Out Of the Blue, and all around offering us all her support, guidance, and insight in the blogs and our regular posts! Anyone of these alone would be amazing enough! Thank you, Kitty, I can confidently say that I don't think the Spring Anthology would have been nearly as successful (if it had happened at all) without all your hard work. You truly did an awesome job! -Kevin