rustle

heights and clowns Fear of heights was always there. Fear of clowns, I can trace to a neighbor kid's birthday party. When I was about 4, I walked 3 doors down to a birthday party. The parents ushered me out to a strange van with no explanation, in which sat a clown. My folks were very strict about getting into others' vehicles and talking to strangers (and lots of other things). The parents tried to force me into the van with a clown trying to talk to me and laying hands on me. I fought for my life, blacked out, and to this day, I don't know what happened next. I hope those parents died, alone and screaming in the dark. Sorry I never saw your status regarding this.

Look for me when you see me coming.

err, that should read, "birthday." 21 and never been kissed or touched a drink, never had an impure thought. All the best, dude. Have a great one and make us all blush to hear about it. r

Hot as the hinges refers to the gates of hell. Hot enough to fry a frog on the sidewalk.* Horny as a 3-headed billy goat. South end of a northbound horse. He'd bitch if they hung him with a new rope. * No offense, MikeL.

"Fair to middling" is a high grade of cotton. Heard it all my life in TX. Great granddad grew cotton. In high cotton - doing well. Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise - I'll be there if I can. Bless his/her heart - what an idiot. Wrong side of payday - low on cash. Fixin' to - getting ready to. Travelling by shanks' mare - walking. Lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut - unsavory. Dressed for high water - your pants are too short. Belly button gnawing at your back bone - hungry. Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while - got lucky. Lick that calf - to perform an undesirable task out of love or duty. When a mama cow has a calf, she starts licking it clean, all that stuff gets all cold and nasty, but she just loves her little baby, so she keeps licking it until it's totally clean and dry.

I'm with James on this one.

Nope, welcome to the 'hood. By the way, nice profile pic.

It's a question of priorities and experience. You have to get something coming in until you can leapfrog into your dream job, or something you really like. It's possible to be too proud to pay your bills. My dad went there, with a master's degree in bacteriology, in the 50's. He ultimately did what he could and what he had to in order to support a young family, 'til he found a great job in Houston. Many people I know are working in fields other than their major. People who studied political science and engineering are working in municipal contracting for public works. Architects are working in wage compliance enforcement. Ph.D's are working in the Quikee Mart. Just don't wait too long, and if you land A job, don't get complacent. Take care of yourself. Form and keep up good habits. And work full-time to get a full-time job. Best of luck.

Hey Round One. Several posters have defended chat. I won't. It's not for everyone. Most of the time, I really can't get into it, but I'm a semi-reformed hermit. To me, it's like watching puppies playing, nipping at each other, most of the time. Sometimes, I like playing in the pile, and sometimes, I want to bite their muzzles. I used to wrestle with my nephews, too, but I'd let them win. My sister wouldn't have forgiven me for bloodying up the carpet with the little buggers. If chat doesn't appeal, take a look at the forums. Read some of the stories. PM somebody who made you think. Fact is, there's a lot of diversity here, with plenty of things to spend some time doing, and some excellent folks. I don't know what you witnessed in chat. It might have been anything. But it might have been taken out of context, and intended as humor. For those immersed in social media, they sometimes don't consider that inflection and a smile don't always come across through the written word. I'd urge you to question, via PM, anyone who makes a degrading comment, to find out their intent. The person might not even realize... Take care, rustle

My heart goes out to you. This type of me-first mentality is what's really wrong with corporate culture. Once management attains a certain status, they're no longer accountable for their actions, because they can cut back everybody else's piece of the pie to cover their own shortcomings or lack of sound judgment. W_L, I wish you all the luck in the world, and have every confidence you'll emerge from this a stronger and better man. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

I tried having less. I'm back into acquisition mode.

I'm taking notes.

What's the most appropriate response when the hostess' cat sprays all your luggage? (seriously)

I think it's a parent's job to embarrass their kid. Let's ask KC about it. He's always embarrassing his daughter.

Aww, peanut, that's so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute.

I'd do it, and I wouldn't have to be offered a movie role for it.

I used to do by Rusty as a kid, but heard about the problems with nicknames and legalities. So in junior high, I started going by Russell, signing my name Russell. (I was a serious kid.) Once in a while, somebody calls me Rusty now, and it feels kinda good now. rustle is a contraction of Russell T. Kyle.

You already have my take on things, before posting, but I want to see you blush. It would be tough to name a more sympathetic character than Gibby, but you didn't make him saccharine. You made him noble and loyal, trying to pick up a life of shattered dreams. I wanted to take him home with me. Tanner was another story - just another golden god who actually turned out nicer than I'd ever expect - accepting, non-judgmental, and loyal, even to Amanda. Shelby, in the epilogue, made me hurt, because I felt the depth of her pain. The epilogue added great depth to a story that otherwise would have had a storybook ending, and you handled it very well. Plot lines have always been a strong point for you, and this story is no different. Your characters have come a long way, though, and I'm glad you pump up the narrative more. It makes the work more enjoyable. The one bit of narrative that I found coolest was the bit of fluff floating through the house at the beginning. It reminded me of the credits for Forrest Gump. It slowed the pace and distracted the reader for just the right amount of time. When you first sent me the piece, you asked me about explicit sex scenes, and said you didn't feel right about them with this story. That was a great call. It's still intimate, but not TMI. There's an innocence about the whole piece that could have gone somewhere else. I'm sorry this story came to an end. I'll miss the characters. They've become real to me. But at least I can stop sniffling now. One of the things I like most about working with you is that you listen to suggestions, but you follow your instincts. No matter whether you take a suggestion or not, the work is unmistakably yours. And, damn! I like it.

Damn! Me and my big mouth!

For somebody totally not my type, damn, he's cute. Did you see the very first photo they got back?

There's a time and place for every sexual act. Yang, my place! NOW! *That was a joke. Young guys are great eye candy, but that's as far as it's gonna go.* Seriously, I treat sex as a negotiation with a willing partner. Who's in the mood for what? If he won't pick his head off the pillow to kiss me, I'll lower mine to kiss him. If he wants to flip me over tonight, tomorrow he may want me to tie him down. Either of us can say no at any time. After all these years, I've never done anything sexual that wasn't enjoyable. No, wait, that's not true. It's no fun to play with somebody with a fixed idea of their "role."

How often do you bathe your dog?

Do sock puppets like hand jobs?

Year in, year out, I sleep in the raw. It caused a stir once when I was camping and, unknown to us, a church group had set up camp next to us overnight. I got up to relieve myself and, well, I'm responsible for one of those sasquatch sightings in the Angelina National Forest.

Regarding Alexander the Great, we can flesh out the stories a little. Alexander stated that he didn't like having sex with a woman because it reminded him of his own mortality, and how closely related pain and pleasure are.