Rabble_Rouser

I think I'm more in line with Dementz. It's body type that seems to be the biggest factor in what attracts me but I do have a thing for guys with red hair! After that it's personality... doesn't matter how attractive I find someone, if the personality doesn't fit there is no sense in pursuing it. Steve

I can't speak for anywhere else in Canada but in my province (Ontario) I know there is at least one High School in Toronto for GLBT kids. There is also mandatory "Character Education" that my teacher friends have told me includes components on diversity and social responsibility. It's only been around for a couple of years so I don't have a clue as to whether it's effective or not. What's interesting is that it is compulsory for all publically funded schools including Catholic schools. I agree that if a kid has bigotted\homophobic parents, chances are that they be too but teachers are (or at least can be) a major influence. Steve

I actually happen to like body hair! Though it has to be said that if I found someone I like who was, for the most part hairless, it wouldn't stop me from dating them. For the record, I don't find a hair free body attractive but I can understand the advantages. Steve

Congrats! That is great news, especially since you seem pretty excited about the job! Steve

I was going to say Alanis Morrisette's "My Humps" like Menzo but I'll include a link: Steve

I agree! There's nothing more frustrating than to start a story that an author has put on Hiatus. I also know that from comments I've seen in the forums from time to time that there are a number of readers who won't start a story until it's complete. Steve

Hhhhmmm... I go away for a while thinking that the Members Awards settled that whole cliffie debate! Let the debate for the best\most frequent cliffhanger begin. CJ, it looks like Dan is taking an early in this category with the last few chapters of Rich Boy. Thanks to the team for putting out such a good story on such a frequent release schedule! Steve

I have no problems eating animals. Growing up on a farm made me appreciate the food more. I know few people are as well cared for as the dairy cows on my brothers farm... he's even gone so far as to have water beds put in their stalls (it's like a water filled camping pad for cows). I've never hunted but I don't have a problem with it except if people are "sport" hunting where they aren't eating what they kill. As for the organic food, I generally pass on it unless it looks better than the regular stuff. In Canada there is no regulation or standards so organic food is only grown with "minimal" chemicals in some cases. One thing I do try to follow (I do live in Canada where it snows 5 months of the year) is the 100 mile rule. If you try to stick to products that were grown or raised within 100 miles of where you live, you tend to get fresher and better stuff and it's also better for the environment. The city I live in has a number of farmers markets and one specifically requires the vendors to only sell products following the 100 mile rule. Steve

For home I have a 6MBPS cable modem and for work (RNapp don't look) we have 6 T1 lines for our building from 2 different vendors so when some idiot cuts a line digging we still have a big pipe to the outside world. This means blazing fast access at work but they track web access so.... Steve

The first place I would start looking would be at your financial institution. Many of the banks where I live offer seminars where they discuss what first time home buyers need to know about the process. Things like pre-approved mortgages, selecting real estate agents, finding a real estate lawyer and preparing for the never-ending expenses of getting your first house. I bought my first house a couple of years ago and here are a few things I would recommend you do to get yourself ready (I'm Canadian so the process will be slightly different for you): -Check your local financial institutions (or real estate companies) for seminars for first time home buyers that will give you more information about the "process". - Start shopping for a pre-approved mortgage to find out what the bank will lend you so you know your price range. I found that they would guarentee me a rate for 90-days and if the rate dropped (which is predicted for the next while) there was a clause saying I would get the lower rate. This is the big step since you'll have to look at your total monthly expenses like property taxes, any condo fees, utilities, how long and at what repayment rate your mortgage will be. The banks will mostly be concerned about your credit rating and your debt ratio which predicts your ability and likelyhood of repaying the mortgage. - Find a real estate lawyer who will take care of the legal niceities and make sure you don't get burned in the process. In Canada they check things like back-taxes, outstanding liens (loans\mortgages against the property), title (making sure the seller is legally the owner of the property) and work out things like the transfer of taxes and utilities so you aren't paying for the previous owner. - Start shopping for the new home thru private sales or a real estate agent (this is the ONLY fun part). Since you already know your budget, you need to start narrowing down what type of property and where you want to live. Once you've selected what you want it's time to negiotiate the price and what stays in the home (do they take the appliances or are they leaving them there for example). - If you are buying an existing home, you might want to get a home inspection done (my bank made this a condition of the mortgage) to make sure there aren't any safety\structural problems with the home and give you an idea of maintenance that will soon be needed. - From this point on you mostly sign checks and be dumb-founded at how many people will come looking for $$$. - The day you take possession, there will be a set time to meet your lawyer to sign documents and take the keys to your new home. Some people want to do things like painting and renos before they move in and some have the moving truck on standby. - The better the food and "beverages" you offer your friends and relatives, the more help will volunteer the day you move in. Congrats on taking the big step so early in your life! I'm sure you'll find out why people talk about being "mortgage poor" for the first year or two (crap, I gotta buy furniture, crap I gotta buy a lawn mower, crap I gotta buy a snow blower, crap the washer and drier died and I gotta buy new ones, etc). Your friends and family who already bought can help steer you towards people they dealt with when buying their home that they were happy with. Good luck! Steve

I didn't mean to exclude the other Aussie's on the site (yes, I do know they exist )... I guess I should proof read what I'm typing so I'm clear. Hope you all had a great weekend and are sufficiently recovered by now! Steve

If you like that, I'd encourage you to check out a Cirque du Soleil show (gotta promote a good Canadian Export). The show I saw (Saltimbanco) had a two person gymnast routine very similar to this and it was performed by identical twins. Steve

Happy (Belated) Republic Day! Hope you have a fun and safe weekend to all in the world's largest Democracy! Steve

Happy Austrilia Day! Enjoy your long weekend Graeme! Steve

English and French. No I wouldn't use an "International forum". Like Menzo said, since all the story content is in English, I would assume most readers speak english. Plus, I can speak and read French but couldn't write a coherent sentence in French if my life depended on it. Steve

It's said in that he was so young and had a young daughter and also that we lost an exceptional actor who didn't shy away from GLBT roles. Steve

Great Chapter CJ! I see you are well on your way to being permanently awarded the King of Cliffhangers title you so covet! Yeah J/S now knows that someone opened the scooter up and probably thinks it's Eric who apparently will really pay for his Tequila fueled rampage at the resort. The wrench in the works is that Eric already has suspicions that J/S is up to no good. Will it be in time to save himself and the rest of the band? Will he use Cane toads to get rid of J/S and foil his plot? Has the bar really hidden all the Tequila? Will Vladimir & Dimitri end up as prison boyfriends? Waiting for Ch.24 to find out! Steve

WooHoo! Time to get a coffee and see what Eric's up to! Steve

I thought about a Zune for about a Nano(second)! As someone who's job it is to support Microsoft products, I try my best to stay away from them in my personal life. I've tried other players and still prefer the iPod. especially the ones with Flash Memory storage. <Warning - Rant!> Mercifully, it looks like Vista is doing a death March. I saw on some industry forums that XP is out-selling Vista on new PC's about 3 to 1. MS also confirmed that they've pulled in the launch of the Vista replacement by about 2 years (so given MS's history of never, ever making a release date, it should be out in 2012) <End of Rant> Is it bad when you hijack your own thread? Steve

I have a second generation iPod Nano and I've basically run out of space to keep all the music I want to listen to on. I'm thinking of upgrading. I'm wondering if anyone has the iPod Touch and how they feel about it. Or if you looked at one and didn't buy one why you decided that. Was it worth the extra $100 over the 3rd gen Nano? I'm attracted to the Touch over the Nano because of the WiFi & web-browsing capability. The iPhone isn't available in Canada (I wouldn't get one anyways because the wireless data prices are astronomical in Canada) so that's not an option. I use my current iPod mostly at work (desk) to block out the software developers who sit around me who seem to talk non-stop. I also use it to have something to listen to when I have work at nights from home so I don't wake up my roommates. I'm looking for opinions good and bad. Steve

Well, I'm an INTJ - Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging 56 50 12 67 moderately expressed introvert moderately expressed intuitive personality slightly expressed thinking personality distinctively expressed judging personality The information on personality type fits and I'm even in one of the suggested careers. Menzo and I should get along but only if we can plan it that way... Steve

Pretty amazing CJ! It wasn't until the last chapter that I figured out how you were going to integrate the two plotlines (ok, maybe I'm alittle slow...) I'm wondering if the anamocity between Jerry and his son is real and it may come back into the plot as part of the spoiler to save Paraguay! Steve

Hey, I'd go for the trip to Charlevoix for a couple of reasons: - I think it's the most picturesque part of Quebec! - The skiing should be good with all the snow we've gotten this winter. - If it's cold it also means that the lift lines will be short, which means more skiing less standing in line. - If you don't already have it, go to Mountain Equipment Co-op and stock up on thermals and head into the lodge a little more frequently to get a beverage. Oh yeah, contacts rule on cold days... no frozen or fogging glasses. - You won't be able to beat the food you can get in Charlevoix! - You only have to deal with Autoroute 40 and get to avoid any lineups at the border. Besides, with a name like "Jack Frost", I'd think you'd love the cold! Steve

Congrats on the milestone guys! Steve

Happy Birthday LB! Hope you have a memorable 30th (or at least an night that you have trouble remembering! Steve