Lisa

CONGRATULATIONS, CIA!!!!!

Adam, I forgot to ask if you guys still have the annual tradition of going over your friend's condo for July 4th?

Terrific interview!!! Adam, with your paid work, going to the gym, coaching soccer, hanging with the kids on the block, playing b-ball...when do you have time to write? lol Your new stories sound awesome, and I look forward to reading them, but none more than the sequel to CC, because as you know, that is one of my top two favorite stories on this site, and probably in my top five favorite stories of all time (including those things with binders with pages that you flip...what are they called again, oh yeah! Books! ). Thank you for sharing this with us, Adam.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAYLA!!!!! I hope you're having an awesome day, Layla!!

Ditto Val and Tara - Crosscurrents is one of the best stories I have ever read, online or from a book. It will make you laugh, cry, cry, and cry. Oh, did I mention it would make you cry? lol (Maybe I just got too emotionally invested in Andy and Matt's story.) Excellent review, Tyler! Now I want to read it all over again!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DABEAGLE!!!!! I hope you're having an awesome b-day! We have a few beagles at work who are boarding for the week. Maybe not as cute as the beagles in the pics here, though.

Silas is going to need all the street smarts he's picked up over the years if he's going to try to outsmart and outwit Simms. He's also very mature for his age. I'm not sure if I mentioned this previously. His letters to everyone made me tear up, but especially the one he wrote to Brady. I'm praying everything goes according to his plan. Ok, on to the next chapter. I wonder if Braids and Co. will be arriving in town shortly?

Oh noes!!! What's Evan gonna do???? Asa and Chandler obviously want to include Evan in their extra-curricular fun, but Evan doesn't want to cheat on sweet Greyson. And I happen to agree with him. Maybe Asa and Chandler can go up to Greyson and sort of invite him AND Evan at the same time and Evan can see how Greyson reacts. I'll betcha though that Greyson turns them down flat. He just seems like a one boy boy. lol I absolutely LOVE Evan's inner dialogue - he just cracks me up the way he thinks - associating hard you-know-whats to an XBox joystick! lol

TUCKER!!!!! I'm late to this, but I was on time when I wrote on your profile page. I hope you had an awesome birthday!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILLY!!!!! I hope you had an awesome day!

Ditto what Val said! Congrats, Dianjin! I still have to catch up on the rest of the story!

I read your response to LIt's review, and I totally see the different meanings the song could take. It could be the narrator being heartbroken because he can't be with the one he loves the way he wants to be with him. It could be because he feels his love isn't equal to the love of a male/female couple in the eyes of others. But as Lit said, as the song progresses, so does the narrator's feelings of strength and how he's not going to let society dictate to him how to feel; they're not going to kick him down again. Now he's ready to stand up and face the world with a stronger attitude, and this time he will win! So there! lol And this is what I thought as I was reading it: I totally agreed with the narrator's feelings, as everyone in GA land now knows, been there, done that. lol I did feel his progression from being down-and-out heartbroken, wanting to give up on life because he keeps getting knocked down by one break up after another, to getting stronger and stronger, until finally he realizes the only 'cure' for him is to open up his heart again and let someone in. I could see Gloria Gaynor belting this out! He will survive!

Yay! Finally a song I'm not crying to! The narrator may be setting himself up for heartbreak. He sounds like he's head over heels already, and the girl isn't committing to anyone, in fact, she's leaving men in her wake to pine over her.

Well, can't personally comment on THIS one! lol Seriously though, I think everyone, no matter what their gender or sexuality, can be a bit insecure with how they'll 'measure up' as the years progress. A person's feelings for their partner may change in time, and vice-versa. I think as long as the love is strong, and you continue to do the little things that matter for your partner to show how much you love him, then that love will continue through the years. So much so that when there's an urn of ashes up on a mantle, tears will be shed from thinking of the person with love, not just fondness. Let's see, how many chapters are left, Gary? I need to know if I gotta run out and buy more Kleenex.

See, now I'm the total opposite. When my ex told me he wanted to separate many years and three kids later, my self-esteem (self-confidence, or lack thereof, or whatever you want to call it), was so shot that I would have taken him back in a heartbeat - cheating or no cheating. Of course it took him TWO WEEKS to leave and TWO WEEKS before we could tell the kids. Do you know how horrible those two weeks were? Knowing that he was leaving (oh yeah, and it was two days after my birthday, on the first night of Hanukkah that he dropped the bomb), and not knowing WHEN - it was horrible. I had to put on a brave face for the kids, but every time thy weren't looking, I was crying. But I would have taken him back because even though deep down I knew the relationship wasn't great, I would rather have not great than nothing at all. Maybe because I had three kids to take care of. Maybe if it was just me alone, I would have felt differently. So I was more like the person the narrator was talking to. I really wish I could have been like the narrator. I was never that brave. Another excellent, heartfelt poem, Gary. You really need to publish these.

Oh man, I have a bad feeling about this also. I hope Silas is careful and he's not biting off more than he can chew. Because if Simms really did have something to do with Daniel's death (and I'm sure he did), then Silas and his friends could be in big trouble. Hopefully Brady and Co. will get their fast.

KC, you are a hoot!!! You always make me laugh! lol At least the b/f didn't break up with your daughter, right? lol There's that.

Wait, what just happened? Corbs agreed with the Brit that getting back into the friendzoneland (to quote Carrie ) at least would be a good. Then a moment later they're saying have a good semester to each other! Huh? What happened to at least hanging out as friends...oh, I guess Corbin can't do that if he feels everything he feels for Pete. I did feel sorry for Pete, I will admit. He had some time w/o seeing Corbin and being in contact with him, to really think about what he wants. He was honest with his feelings in the voicemail. I'm sure he thought Corbin would jump into his arms or something. lol I LOVE Nick!!!! I think he's perfect; he's sweet, loving, funny, easy on the eyes, and he doesn't come with a manual to try and figure him out. Corbin is so manipulative - look what he just did with Lee at the EC meeting. He did throw Lee under the bus. Just b/c Lee is unpredictable right now. Isn't he worried about Lee's response to what he did? lol I can't wait to find out how Lee's gonna react to that! As usual, another terrific chapter, Jon! Hope you have a great 4th!

Wow, what a chapter, Cynus! I was sitting at the edge of my seat biting my nails. I was so sure they were going to get caught at the church. That would NOT have been good! Although...I wonder what would happen if Simms knew the kids all saw him and Higgins going at it. Could they blackmail him with that? Or would it do more harm than good?

Why am I not surprised that Higgins cop or whatever her name is, is involved? Figures her and Simms were getting it on. Ok, on to the next chapter.

I'm glad Lexi brought Sadie; I would have felt sorry for her for having to stay there with Jason's parents. His mother is a piece of work, huh? What a bitch! She just throws the 'you got a sister' card like it was nothing. I wonder what she has up her dirty sleeve. Nothing good I'm sure. I hope Jason can try to relax at the beach and let his friends, Sadie, and the lull of the ocean calm him.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Addy. As Carlos said, may your memories of all the good times shine brightly and diminish any bad memories. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in your family. xoxo Lisa

Addy, I'm so sorry. I'm sending you cyber hugs.

Christopher Atkins in The Blue Lagoon - yum! lol Christopher Atkins in The Blue Lagoon - YUM!!! lol Ok, so I totally screwed up the quote thingies! MrM, I meant to quote your second song, not the first.

Yes, Bruno and Mark's performance on Ellen was way more entertaining than Rick Astley's. I do love me some Ellen though. lol I really love the song, and Rick didn't do a bad job of it either - I just prefer the original. Love Rick's original songs though.