AFriendlyFace

Aww, sorry you're having a rough time Dom, I hope you feel better and more cheerful soon (if that's what you want, if you're still enjoying the cranky thing, then I guess you'll have to get that out of your system). Anyway take care.

Darnit I can't remember what "where the red ferns grow" was about. But I KNOW I read it and cried like a baby, when I was I kid. Was that the one with the two dogs?

Happy birthday Patrick

I agree with Ann, Dom, Chapter 15 of DD was awesome! I really like where things seem to be going with Luke and Rory's friendship, and it's good to see Jase and Rory interacting a little. I can't wait for chapter 16 either! (well ok I guess I'll have to). I suppose I'll read Control and Kaos myself then, since everyone (except Bao, who hasn't gotten that far in it yet) seems to recommend it so highly. The only trouble is I purposely take a long time to read things for pleasure, and usually re read my favorite sections several times before moving on. Also if the whole thing is there I have trouble resisting reading it all. So translated: I'd be up all night reading it, and STILL not done by the time I HAD to leave for work. So I guess I'll wait a bit on it. Also I don't know if anyone's checked it out, but I strongly recommend the story "Cross Currents" in the relationship section of nifty (I don't have the link off hand but it should be near the top of that section). It's really great, when I found it, it was only up to chapter 15, which I considered to be the best chapter, and was totally satisfied with as an "ending". As such I haven't read 16 and 17 of it yet, but will probably break down and risk ruinning my "perfect ending" eventually lol

LOL well since it's the story of his life, lets hope it DOESN'T end anytime in the foreseeable future! BTW Nick, it's a great story and really well written. Also I want to take the opportunity to tell you how lucky I think you are to have people like Taylor, your dad, miss Lori, papu, grandparents, James, and well everyone else you've described in your life! It sounds like you've been blessed with a really wonderful family and boyfriend. I hope those things never change and only grow better and better with time. Have a great day, Kevin

LOL Thanks Eric, I'm definitely going to try not to :-) Thanks Nick, I did have a great weekend, hope you did too.

Hey Fay! I think you have to have a certain number of posts before you can, I'm not sure what it is though, either 10, 20, or 50 I think. And thanks, I did have fun. Have a great day!

Aww thanks Eric! That was a really nice thing to say. I dunno, maybe it is even true, for the first time in my life I actually find myself attractive. Either way thanks I'm so glad to hear that everything went ok with Josh's tests, I know you all must be relieved. Wow! You're sending your parents a Christmas card, I think that's great that you can do that. Shows a huge amount of character and strength on your part! I hope you let them know how well you're doing and how much happier you are. LOL I'm a firm believer in the old adage "Living well is the best revenge". Anyway it's great that you've so come far that you can do that. And I hope you have a very Merry Christmas with your new family Kevin

Ok so all day at work today we listened to Christmas music. It was really fun. It's ashame it was actually kinda HOT outside today, but I guess that's what I get for living in a furnance,,er I mean Louisiana I think it would be fun just once to have a "white Christmas", but that'll probably never happen until I move, oh well. Today was kinda fun, I actually kept getting hit on by pretty girls. It's ashame I'm not in the market for one right now. It's also really strange, when I MIGHT have actually dated a girl, they seldom flirted with me, every now and then, but certainly not as often as now. My theory is since I'm absolutely not interested whatsoever in the majority of them now, I must seem more confident, or overall less interested, which I guess really does work. Anyway every now and then I get a "vibe" from some of the guys that come in, but it's tricky because I'm never SURE and I'd hate to make a fool of myself. That and I'm not out at work . LOL once a few weeks ago this REALLY cute guy came in, that I really thought was gay, I was never positive because he seemed more like the understated type (which is what I'm more into anyway), but I was just kinda "thinking" he was. Anyway last time I saw him I didn't realize he was with the guy standing next to him (also kinda cute but not as hot), so I went to help the other guy, because someone else was already taking care of him, and I guess I was a little too "friendly" because he suddenly stopped and looked at me and said "Hi There" you know in that sarcastic, defensive way people get when someone's talking too much to their S.O., Anyway I still didn't catch on right away I was like "hi", anyway then he moved a little closer to the other guy, and paid for both their stuff when they were leaving and it finally clicked. So I felt a little stupid and embarrased about that. Although I really WASN'T trying to flirt with the other guy anyway, and I wouldn't hit on someone elses person besides that. But mostly I was like kicking myself because obviously the other guy WAS gay, and probably available until fairly recently (and he's so HOT! I'm a sucker for blondes or redheads and this boy's got like the REDDEST hair, and the prettiest greenish yellow eyes). Oh well maybe next time I meet someone I'm interested in and think might feel the same way I'll be more daring before it's too late. So I'm about to go meet my mom for dinner tonight, everything's been really good with us. Mostly exactly same as before, the only possible difference is I think I've noticed her saying "I love you" more often when we talk on the phone or something. So I'm guessing she probably wants to let me know everything's fine. So I'm glad to say it all definitely seems to have worked out for the best. Also I worked with my friend (from the earlier post), you know the one who thinks guys and girls can't be friends unlesss they're dating. Well anyway while we didn't really have any good one on one conversations, it was still really fun, and we were definitely laughing and getting along like old times. So I guess it's mostly ok, we just can't spend as much time together as before, or have any important conversations. Oh well it was fun, and for now I"ll just take what she's willing to offer. Well I'd better run, oh yeah and if anyone's looking for a good Christmas song, I really recommend the one in my title, OR "Felize Navidad" (the "I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas, from the bottom of my heart" song). Take care everyone and have an awesome day!

Way to go Nick congrats!

You know I've often been tempted to just break into song in the middle of work or something, just to see if everyone else in the building will sing along, while we dance all over the furniture.

Oh my! LOL! That is exactly the kind of joke I like! Reminds me of another little pearl of wisdom: Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.

Aww I'm sorry your cat didn't enjoy his little "vacation" James. I've only ever taken my Timmy and Lucky on about an hour and a half drive. Lucky's great (like always), and Timmy cries his head off (also like always), I'm not looking foward to having to move them to a new city lol. I never let mine go into my bedroom. I suspect I also have a mild allergy and I don't want the fur getting all over anything I'd have my face by for very long. That and I'd never get any peace lol. Again Lucky takes this all instride and Timmy sees fit to attempt breaking down the door every evening.

Well if it just happened the night before I can well imagine the guy wasn't too "comfortable" yet

LOL it isn't just you guys, I love a good cry! I shall definitely check out some of the suggestions here. Darnit I know there was some book or movie that would make me cry everytime, and I can't for the life of me remember what it was.....I can just remember either re-reading, or rewinding everytime and crying. Oh I know, I'm not sure if this is what I was thinking of but I found Cross Currents: http://nifty-west.guiltygroups.com/nifty/g...cross-currents/ over at Nifty really touching. And hey I just realized it's been updated, I stopped on chapter 15 and was quite happy with it as a natural ending, but looks like there's a 16 and 17 too......almost scared to read em as I was already content with the "ending". Also try The Human Condition : http://archerland.disbelieve.org/jfinn.htm If you haven't already. But while these are beautiful love stories in my opinion, they may not be EXACTLY what you're looking for. Edit: I just remembered something. Try the movie "What Dreams May Come", with Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Annabella Sciorra.

Excellently put Shadows. I pretty much agree with that whole paragraph word for word, and that's generally the point I'm trying to make as well. I can't stand people stereotyping others, but I also can't stand when people seem to purposely be living up to their stereotypes.

Ok so today I was freakishly happy all day. I'm usually a pretty upbeat person, but today was just plain crazy (in a good way obviously). I mean I literally had to stop myself from grinning at people all day. And several times during the day I'd just be having a regular conversation with someone and feel like this wonderful flood of positive emotions. What's the reason for all this you may ask. That's just it, there really isn't one. I mean yeah I think I've got a pretty good life, and lots of reasons to be happy overall. But specifically nothing happened, especially today, that would cause such elation. SO I'm thinking it's gotta be some kinda nice hormonal imbalance. Like the ones that cause depression only in reverse.....Yeah I guess I'm like being flooded with dopamine and serotonin. Whatever, I'm just going to enjoy it while I've got it and hope it doesn't go away too soon (LOL of course EVER would be too soon)! LOL OK story time: The last time I felt like this was a couple of months ago, but there was an actual reason for that. See I'd finally decided to go out to some gay clubs the night before. I still didn't have the nerve to do it, in my own city (I mean basically I'm planning to move in May anyway, and I've pretty much decided I don't feel like going through all the drama that comes with "coming out". So I'll just start out "out" whever I move to. And while it may sound really selfish and self-serving, and I guess to some degree it is, I also don't want to put all my friends and co-workers through it. I mean it's just alot for them to deal with, and if I'll be out of MOST of their lives soon anyway, why make them deal with it? The ones I stay close with and still talk to and stuff, I will eventually tell....anyway). SO I went out in another city and had an awesome time. Ok actually not really. I got lost like 6 times looking for the place, and once I finally found it, I wasn't really interested in anyone there. The good time part was that without doing anything but standing there looking available I kept getting hit on. One guy came up and talked to me for awhile and then was like "here why don't I give you my number"....another drunk, really pushy guy, just came up and offered me a blow job. it's not easy to politely turn those down either, "um, no thanks, but thanks anyway" just doesn't seem to work, I finally got away from him by being honest and saying I just wasn't looking for anything casual. And this other guy came up and asked me to dance, then tried to buy me a drink (I wasn't drinking since I had to drive)...Anyway so even though I didn't actually meet "Mr. Right" it was still a nice little ego booster, and the whole next day I was all smiley and giggly. But of course that HAD a reason, this didn't. Of course being rediculously over-analytical, and a psyc. major, I can't help wondering if there's going to be a downside. I mean highs end right? The closest I could come up with is Bipolar disorder, but it doesn't really fit. I'm not exactly manic,,,,,I mean maybe a little, but I'm mostly able to control myself if I want, and it's definitely NOT interferring with my life. Also I don't feel invulnerable or anything. Of course this is nothing new, I get these little bouts of random happiness periodically. and so far I haven't experienced any real depression. Except for once two years ago in February. That was a really rough period, I think it definitely did meet the criteria for depression in every regard except duration. Technically it needs to last for at least two weeks, and mine probably only lasted about a week and a half tops. It was pretty rough though, I literally cried myself to sleep several of those nights, and in general I got really sullen and apathetic. Also just like the opposite of today instead of little waves of euphorea I was gettin hit by little waves of like emotional pain, I mean it really felt like it HURT. Similarly with regards to today's pleasent waves of goodness all I've been able to come up with as a comparison is,,,well an orgasm . I mean it didn't PHYSICALLY feel like one, but it had the same emotional/psychological feel to it, just a great big "Ah". Anyway I am of course not worried about it. I'm SURE I have abnormal psychological stuff (I'll go into that later), but I've pretty much always been sure of that, I've also pretty much always enjoyed it, so no way I'm stopping now lol. So it's probably safe to assume that while this great feeling will go away, it probably won't be replaced by something agonizing. Also on the issue of the depression a couple of years ago. While it sucked big time then, looking back I think it was a really good thing for me to go through. I mean basically I WANT to know what it feels like. I want to be able to really understand and empathize with people who are depressed. I still doubt mine was very severe (and believe me it was severe enough and now that I've done it I don't want to do it again), but at least it gave me a hint of what it's like to be unhappy. That's really an important part of being a human being, understanding all the basic human emotions. I mean I was planning to be a psychologist, so of course I need to know what depression is like, but that's a useful thing to know if you're going to be a writer too (my new aspiration), or just an emotionally in tune person. Oh yeah if anyone's wondering about the specifics. I think it was mostly triggered by feelings of loneliness and isolation. Ostensibly I guess you could say it was caused by the immanent Valentine's day, but really that just put a face on it. How did I finally "beat it"? I made myself dress up and look as nice as possible. Then I took myself out to dinner and shopping. ALONE just me! Kinda to prove to myself that I didn't NEED anyone (of course I really do, in the same way we all do, but I can handle being by myself pretty well). And yeah as shallow as it sounds I think the pure indulgence, and materialism cheered me right up. On a side note, I wonder if the reason they call homosexual people "gay" is because we're happier than most people? I mean probably not considering the higher suicide rates and all the other problems that often plague gay people. But maybe there's some sort of correlation between people being gay and also being really exuberant. My theory is, gay people feel freer and less constrained and are thus able to comfortably manifest their vivacious tendencies. Whereas straight people, especially guys, might be like "naw, if I get that loud and giddy everyone will think I'm "gay" ". Oh well right now I'm gay in every sense of the word and enjoying it very much. LOL I REFUSE to curb my enthusiasm Anyway I just got a call from a friend of mine, she's planning to rewire a lamp and was wondering if I wanted to help. So I'm going to go over there in a bit. I can't wait! (lol and there's no hint of sarcasm there at all, I really think it'll be fun). Just wanted to leave with a suggestion of two very good songs. "No such thing" by John Mayer. Favorite lines: "I wanna run through the halls of my high school, I wanna scream at the top of my lungs. I just found out there's no such thing as the real world, just some lie you've got to rise above." Other really good song, "Like Humans Do" by David Byrne. Favore line: "Wiggle while you work Anybody can". Sorry I made this post so long, lol once ya get me started...... Take care all and have a FANTASTIC day!

Oh my Chase, I'm so so sorry. That must be very hard for you and the family. I'll keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. I'm sorry you're feeling bored Dom. I can suggest a few of my hobbies, but of course personal taste varies. I like to paint (suck at it but it's really fun), I play cards online alot (mostly spades but several other games too)...Of course you already know about reading and writing. It's also fun to cook long, eleborate meals if you have plenty of time. And I really like to go for walks too. As for finding a good temporary job, I'm sure there should be quite a few available this time of year. And it probably wouldn't hurt to go in and ask the people at the Christmas Tree place if they're hiring. Enjoy your relaxed time.....oh yeah one more fun suggestion (that probably wouldn't help much for saving money), you could do alot of shopping and eating out. That's really fun! I'm looking forward to doing my Christmas shopping this year. Take Care! AFriendlyFace/Kevin

So you guys ever hear something which makes perfect sense in the context, but you just stop and realize that if you actually try to picture it literally and take it out of it's context it's REALLY funny? I pretty much do that with everything. It makes life so much more interesting. I guess it's because I'm easily distractable and a fairly creative thinker. Here's one interesting example which took place a few days ago. I was sitting in my psychology of neurophsyiology class, the subject matter of which I absolutely hate, listening to my professor, whom I absolutely adore! (she's so fun and whacky), Anyway she was talking about animals becoming dependent on drugs and alcohol. And she was talking about how difficult it was to get the rats drunk, because "it's really hard to get a rat to drink straight alcohol." I mean ok that makes sense, rats don't like bitter tastes, it's a perfectly logical thing to say in the context. But if you just take it as a random comment, it's really funny. Even funnier if you actually imagine the little guy sitting on a tiny bar stool at a little miniature bar talking to the bar tender. Bar tender: "Can I get you some tequila shots?" Rat: "NO! I can't stand straight alcohol, but you can whip me up a Strawberry Margarita if you want." (The little guys like sweets) Of course it's even funnier when I realized I was just like the Rat! (I like mixed drinks better too, and I can't get enough sweets!) Then there's just the absudity which can be seen by a 3rd party witnessing a couple of perfectly normal people having a serious conversation about something mundane. I can still remember a couple of years ago (yeah that's how funny I thought it was, which is odd in and of itself considering it was rediculously NORMAL) I was in a waffle house and the waitress and cook were standing around talking. The cook says "you know I never even knew we had a ham salad" waitress: "you didn't", cook: "nope, I knew about the turkey salad, and the club salad, but no one ever orders the ham salad", waitress: "you're right the ham salad isn't as popular as the turkey, but some people get it."......they just went on and on about the apparent existance of the ham salad. And personally I think the phrase "I never even knew we had a ham salad." is kinda funny taken out of context. I mean imagine it taken REALLY out of context, and put into some new context. Just picture some poor women pacing back and forth in her living room, waiting for her husband and children to get home. The phone rings. "hello" says the women "hello, may I speak with Mrs. Jones" This is Mrs. Jones" "Ma'am, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, there's been an accident." "What! oh my heavens no!" "I'm afraid your husband ran a red light on the way home, the children are fine, but your husband is in intensive care." **Silence** "Ma'am are you okay?" "....yes, its jus...it's just that.... I never got a chance to tell him...I mean I never... Well "I never even knew we had a ham salad" Then there's the ever popular thoughts I have that make me stop and say to myself "wait, are you actually debating this in your head?". Maybe I've just got a strange internal monolgue, but last week I went to Wal-Mart, and among other things I was in the market for (see I think THAT'S kinda funny, I was "in the market for",,,I was in wal-mart because.....lol anyway) spaghetti sauce. So I'm walking up and down the isle saying to myself "well here's the salsa but I can't find the spaghetti sauce.", then I finally found it and I was trying to pick out which one to get "well this one's chunky, but this one has onions and bell peppers, I like onions and bell peppers. Oh wait here's one with mushrooms, I LOVE mushrooms, oh but it's more expensive than the one with onions and bell peppers. What's the sodium in these things anyway? Gee, if only they had one with mushrooms AND onions and bell peppers." And at the point I just stopped. I mean how many people walking past me in the isle would be trying to figure out what I'm thinking, and go with "gee, if only they had one with mushrooms AND onions and bell peppers.". It's actually a really soothing thought. I mean regardless of life's stresses and my other obligations, I'm still actually taking time to lement the fact that they don't make spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, onions and bell peppers. Of course it's actually really fun to try to figure out what's going on in OTHER people's heads while they're shopping. You know the kinda thing, where you see someone picking out strawberries and limes and things. And you just assume they're thinking "Geez, maybe now I can get that pesky little rodent drunk."

hey Slaveboy! Glad to hear you fixed your tummy ache. That sounds absolutely delicious too by the way. I love hot chocolate, w/ marshmellows think I'll try adding all that other stuff next time too lol. Anyway awesome to hear that you're enjoying math. It's actually still been recent enough for me that I did remember that, but chances are I won't in another 5 years lolol. I always loved algebra alot, and was more tolerant but not mad about geometry and trig. Algebra was so cool though! anyway I hope you have a great day, take care

Hey Xan, that was a dirty trick of her to play. One question though. Are you sure you did dodge the bullet? Just by reading what you wrote, I got the impression that it sent whoever you put for "crush" to Lorena. Since you put her name for your name and his name for crush. Are you sure it didn't still just send his name as "crush"? Or does it (hopefully) show both names as a couple? Anyway I really hope you're right and everything worked out fine. Best of luck and take care!

AWW I'm sorry to hear you guys only seem to take these "relaxing days" when something bad happens. I probably treat myself better than I have any right to, but I actually do that kinda thing pretty often (like yesterday....and once last week...and...) Anyway it's good to treat yourself. But try to do it every now and then when you're in a "good place" in life. You'll enjoy it more! That said I need to get to work on picking up the mess and work I created with my fun day yesterday. Warmest wishes, AFriendlyFace (Kevin)

I've heard of these mysterious other boards and mailing lists before, but I've never actually seen them......You all have some secret hide out you go to when you dont want me around?

Hey Viv! I'm so glad to hear that you had such an awesome weekend! Hey whatcha writin? Can I read it?

what's Brokeback mountain (forgive me if I misspelled that)?