AFriendlyFace

She's Recovering nicely by the sound of it

LOL I have had a Philly Cheesesteak before...never in Philly mind you, so I guess it could be a bit different there, but they weren't really my thing. Choking on them seemed even less appealing

Awwww Well I certainly hope it does work!

I would like to point out though that we don't actually know what Dimitri's plan is. As Gary indicated perhaps he only means for it to get him close to the house without arousing suspicion. He might not be intending to walk right up to Helen and the guys and introduce himself as their security officer.

Good points, Kit! Thanks As I recall that didn't earn him many points with the monarch.

Don't worry Zilar; I've already committed mine to memory so I'll send you my copy

Well, I get the "you smell good!" compliment alot, so I'm glad I must, but honestly the whole thing is pretty lost on me. I actually consciously notice someone (anyone)'s order maybe once a week, but really more like two or three times a month. They have to smell really good or really bad for me to notice at all. On a side note, I think it's the weirdest thing in the world when straight guys tell you you smell nice. I've gotten this on several occasions, even from guys I didn't actually know. Just weirds me out. "Um thanks, man" On the other hand I don't find it at all odd, and actually quite like it if a female or gay/bi male tells me that, even if I don't know him/her. So I suppose I'm being sexist and/or heterophobic or something.

I'll tell ya specifically sometime privately, but yeah in Louisiana. Like a good cajun boy I always keep Tony's on hand among my various spices, and in fact used some just yesterday. Thanks, Colin! "Remote control" itself is such an amusing little phrase. Literally it's just controlling something from a distance, it almost sounds like a euphemism rather than an actual name for something. "I want to have "Remote Control" (air quotes) over my television. MUHAHAHAHAHA" It seems like they could have come up with a better name for it. Evidently the person who named it wasn't the one who named the television itself, otherwise we'd probably call it "big glassy screeny thing" Take care all -Kevin

Just wanted to wish Krista a continued, full, and speedy recovery! -Kevin

Sounds like our "Scotch Tape" come to think of it I have heard of Cellotape for the Brits. Had never heard of that, thanks! Yep, just the same! Wow! I can't believe I didn't know that! That's most informative, thanks! That is funny/cute

A good chapter! I enjoyed it! It'll be interesting to see what happens next!

Hi everyone, So language fascinates me and I like to discuss it Anyway, recently today I dropped my lip balm and exclaimed, "Oh darn! I dropped my Blistex". It wasn't Blistex at all, it was actually Carmex. I switched brands a couple of years ago, but for the majority of my life I preferred Blistex and thus I'm in the habit of saying 'Blistex' to refer to the ointment instead of 'Carmex'. I similarly seem to note that MANY people refer to it as Chap Stick, which I believe is another name brand. So I thought it would be fun to compile a little list of these things. There's Kleenex, which is a brand name maker of 'facial tissues', but not actually the product itself. Similarly people "Xerox" things instead of more accurately making copies (Xerox is another brand name). We also have "White Out" the brand name as the term for 'liquid paper' or 'correction fluid' (or whatever you want to call the stuff if you don't call it 'white out' ) In the south, especially among the older generation, it's not uncommon to refer to a refrigerator as an 'ice box', which goes back to the days when they were little more than glorified ice chests and the way they worked was that the people would insert a very large block of ice into them each day. Also in the south particularly, many people say "coke" to refer to any type of soda or soft drink. In my particular region when growing up, though I'm sure this is VERY local, people would say "Tony's" to describe any spicy seasoning because Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning was the 'big name'. A popular one nowadays is of course "google it" to mean look it up online. Many/most people do in fact use Google to do this, but there are certainly other search engines out there. "YouTube" seems to be going this way too in that if someone 'youtubes it' they put a video online or watched a clip online (regardless of the particular site, though again YouTube actually is the most common by far). Sticking with this line, we have "I 'facebooked' him" to refer to a message sent to someone via the Facebook network. A few nights ago I was out with friends and when one of them took a group shot of us he said, "I'm going to 'space it'" to mean, put it on Myspace. I'm not sure if that's just a slang term among my group of friends or if it's an actual wide-scale trend. Another brand name one we have is "Scotch Tape" which can be used to describe any transparent tape, not just actual Scotch Tape. So what other ones do you guys know of? -Kevin

That's pretty much exactly like the US system, even the terms are the same but less frequently used here. That too is very similar to the way many US states do it. It varies state to state and some have to take exit exams while others don't. In general there are usually additional national or regional tests that the students have to take before entering college/university, but often depending on the state and whether or not the student wishes to go to college in state there is a great deal of overlap.

Happy Birthday, dude

Happy Birthday Luigi! I hope you have an amazing day and a truly terrific year! -Kevin

Woo HOO!! Yay for the birthday of one of the most talented authors I know! I hope you have a fantastic day and may the coming year bring you more happiness than you know what to do with! -Kevin

Well, I neither believe nor disbelieve. Part of me is very skeptical, and prone to dismissing the whole thing as a fanciful flight of the imagination, but another part of me is very spiritual and open to the paranormal. Intellectually I probably don't believe in ghosts. Emotionally I probably do. Philosophically I don't even believe in reality for the sake of itself; perception is reality. So whether ghosts are 'real' or not is a moot point if you believe in them (or don't believe in them) then that's the reality. Overall, I'm optimistically hopeful that they do exist in a benign capacity. On another note I have a couple of friends who swear their place is haunted. They've invited me over to "meet" the ghost sometime. Honestly, I doubt my opinion will change much. I'm sure whatever happens, if anything does, will be sufficiently vague, yet realistic enough that I'll probably remain in my limbo stance on this. If ghosts are real I *think* I'd like to be one after I die, but I suppose it might have its drawback too. I'd be a friendly ghost who at worst would only be playful and silly (perhaps moving things around or something), and at best would act as a sort of 'guardian angel' for the people living in my territory. On the other hand I might just go to a lot of movies, and spend time in the park. -Kevin

I hope you don't keep it anywhere near your drinks guide, otherwise one of your guests might get a cocktail with more kick than he bargained for.

You're nice often enough as it is, Tim. No one's perfect; I'm sure if you apologize and explain that you were in a bad mood the person will forgive you. Take care, Kevin

Dude, I'm a vegetarian. So I wouldn't be caught dead choking on a Philly cheesesteak

Thanks for the thoughts and comments, everyone. Thanks also to Yukibi for sharing that inside perspective! Very informative and fascinating -Kevin

It actually sounds to me like you guys aren't really in very polar disagreement. Procyon said that Nick Archer's list was worth 'taking into consideration'. I very much agree. I'm not sure if you, Rad, also agree with that, but in any case it sounds like all three of us, and at least the vast majority of other posters in the thread, are of the opinion that if an author doesn't want to adhere to these rules for his story that's fine too; some may just decide not to read on. I doubt anyone here would say that an author doesn't have the right to ignore the rules, or ought to just quit, or anything like that if she or he is in violation of these 'rules'. I suspect we can all agree that an author has the prerogative to tell his or her own story the way she or he sees fit, but that he or she might as well have a look at 'the list' since perhaps it is something she or he might want to bear in mind for his or her next story. After all, more information is usually a good thing. I read the list and considered the points (and commented on them) nearly a year ago. As I said at the time many I agree with and some I don't, and in my recent writing some I've borne in mind and some I haven't. I'm glad to have at least heard them though. In the end everyone is entitled to their opinion and if they pose this opinion in a thoughtful, constructive way the author is probably better off at least considering it. However, when it comes down to it, it's the author's story and his or her right to choose. -Kevin

That's a good point, if you're writing a nifty sex story it might be bad writing not to include this information. Which really just speaks more of the point that you have to know your audience and write accordingly. For example to go back to my Lindsay Lohan vs. Hamlet analogy, perhaps the 'trash magazine writer' could write very intelligent, meaningful literature...but it would be foolish to try to do so at the rag mag. If later on he/she wants to write 'intelligent' literature then that's certainly fine too *gasp!* **Takes off his moderator jacket to reveal a Domaholic Tee** You wanna repeat that? :mace: :battleaxe: :axeman: :ranger: :2hands: hehe, J/K ...mostly Personally, while I try to avoid junk food in general, if I'm going to eat fries I like them very much what most people would consider undercooked, and with ALOT of salt on them. I'm sure they will, but he'll probably have to take off his towel first. Well I think we can all definitely agree that authors like feedback on their work! There's only one thing to do; you'll have to sneak into Corvus' bathroom while he's taking a shower! Just don't let the chief's daughter catch you Actually Tiff I'm really glad you brought this up because I was thinking about your story on this point. Wanna know what I was thinking? I was thinking yours was a good example of the switching POV working really well and making the story more unique and enjoyable to read! I think some of the most cheerful people can write some of the darkest literature, and vice versa. In fact I bet Edgar Allen Poe's nickname was Mr. Happy Pants. I can just see his friends now: "Our cheerful Eddie wrote that?" Take care all, Kevin

Actually in that last one with the skate it looks to me like you're showing a bit of amusement and a happy face. It's also quite adorable in general. You know technically you still didn't answer Robbie's question. You might be a Pennsylvanian who isn't stupid enough to live in Jersey and thus commutes in a mini-cooper that he doesn't actually own himself so that he can take classes that he can't stand for his lit. major ...granted you'd have to be a pretty masochistic individual...on the other hand looking at those pics.... Kevin

Haha, well I've kinda sorta fit that description before. I've been dreadfully 'respectable' looking lately though Oh my gosh! I LOVE it Sharon! Wonderful pic, Zilar!