rknapp

2007 Anthology

It is my firm belief that the concept of news is one of the worst inventions ever created by man. Sure, there are times when news can be wonderful, such as the birth of a baby or the announcement of engagement but news has been nothing but trouble for me for the past ten, going on eleven, years. When I was eleven years old, my grandmother passed away. When I was barely sixteen, my mother was diagnosed with cancer. When I was nineteen I announced to the world that I was gay, and the rest of my fa

2006 Winter Anthology -- needs tags; has pic

Bash by RKnapp “Oh my god, I can’t wait for this crappy year to end already!” Jo said, as she was putting together a taco salad and I turned on the television to live coverage of the Times Square New Year’s Eve bash. “At least you had a lucky year.” “Me?” I inquired quizzically. “Yeah, you hooked up with Jake in like what, two hours?” “We didn’t hook up that night!” God damnit, why the hell does she have to insist that we fucked each other’s brains out when he stayed over tha

Fairly certain stormsdown under rotate CCW. So, this one might blow him NE enough to be found closer to AU. He should survive this... but I probably can't say why. I'm not entirely sure lol.

HALLOWEEN IS A HOLIDAY by rknapp Halloween is a holiday, and I don’t care if anyone says otherwise. There are two times a year that I party, and only two times a year that I drink. Those times are Halloween and the 4th of July. I got three cases in the back of my ’87 Monte Carlo, and it ain’t the 4th of July. If you really want to dispute this, talk to my manager, Tony. He’s the 6’ guy over there in the seasonal department with biceps that would make the Rock jealo

2006 Fall Anthology

Under him? Kinky...

It's easy to be impartial to a goat who bribes you... no one wants to be chased around a cliffedge by something with horns and sunglasses.

The premise of my avatar!

Two out of three ain't bad, Cliff James.

Yes and no. Looks are important in that intimacy can be compromised. They're also important in that you must look good (ie, clean cut) for things like interviews. If you want people to take you seriously, you must present yourself very well. The difference is you don't necessarily need to be pretty (unless you're interviewing to be a Hooters girl, auditioning to be a model, or whathaveyou). Having said that, the only time looks should be the foundation of a relationship are when you just want a romp in the sack a couple times and end it there. Long term? Sorry, looks are not an accepted measure of a suitable mate. If a guy is hot and shallow, I'm only interested in what's in his pants and his performance in bed. If he's ugly and deep, then I'd be interested in a friendship. If he's cute, thoughtful, good-hearted, etc. (middle ground), then I'd be interested in a loving relationship. Of course, as has been pointed out already, what one person considers hot, another might consider not.

Look! We have a picture of where CJ goes to get his inspiration!

Two major destinations come to mind, depending on the wind patterns. Australia (which he stated is impossible already, due to the rough seas that would sink Atlantis, and the fact that he does not have the supplies to live enough anyway), and the Cape of Good Hope, on the continent where life began. Or, rather, South Africa. I'm not sure the winds will take him there, though. The Goat has droned on and on about winds going this way and that way in this time of year and in that neck of the woods... I'm lost lol. I'm not sure Trevor has the means of cutting off the salon roof and using it to catch the wind. This is fiberglass and kevlar we're talking about here, not paper and fabric (well, not the sort of fabric we're used to seeing, or what's in his sail).

SHHHHH!!! We have Trevor naked until further notice... don't convince the goat to have him do anything rash... like finding clothing!

Um, flushing the oil isn't gonna fix the problem. Unless they have two spare engines (remember, one is already seized beyond repair), or at least a full compliment of new valves, lifters, pistons, piston rings, connecting rods, rod bearings, journals, and a crankshaft, they're not going anywhere with that trawler. It needs to be towed to the nearest port and drydocked for a week or so for total engine replacement. I'd even go so far as to claim that the heads are warped from excessive heat damage, and the cylinder walls are scored beyond repair from the damaged pistons and piston rings. Not to mention, again, one engine has already seized. That means it would have to be completely rebuilt from the crank up, and the block hot-tanked to save it. Not happening. Very few fully-seized engines can be repaired. At any rate, Ali doesn't know jack about Catamarans. As far as he's concerned, Atlantis is fully submerged by now and Trevor is a bit more than six feet under. I doubt Bridget will tell them how SailCats sink (or don't sink). She was unconcerned when she told George it would float on its wing, and it sounded like she wanted it to float, so as to alert locals that something bad happened and further implicate Dirk and Jim, removing her from the scrutiny of Gonzalez. Also, I'm guessing Trevor will set to work on removing some of the water flooding Atlantis' hulls. Doing so will greatly improve her speed, by removing an immense amount of weight.

Good to see Trevor's resourcefulness pay off. I'm curious if the ruined world map will be mentioned again... It seemed pointless for the narrator to show Ali go nuts over finding hidden treasure and destroying the map and wood paneling to show his point...

Too many morons in this story... actually, so far ALL of the characters are morons in their own unique ways, but only some of them are morons through no fault of their own. The only ones not proven to be morons are Rachel and Julie, who are absent. Gonzalez strikes me as a poor detective (maybe that's why he's called Officer, and not Detective!). Honestly, who in hell would use a sat phone and propane tank from his own shop to be made into a bomb, sent to Italy with his lover to be placed on his son's boat, the lover makes his presence known to the son AND Ft. Pierce police, then sends a rock from his garden in the box that had contained the sat phone (along with serial card) to near the point where the bomb would go off? That's fishy as all hell, and should be loaded with red alarms screaming that something far more sinister is going on than meets the eye. How would it even be shipped? Dirk is obviously novice here and would make the bomb in Florida, and ship it to a place where Jim could pick it up and deliver it. Does Gonzalez believe Dirk is capable of building a bomb like that? Does Gonzalez believe that Dirk could know people who would do that sort of work? I hope not, or the guy really needs a reality check. I really hope Gonzalez considers all this, or he'll be the biggest moron in the story. The level of sophistication in this bombing is far beyond Dirk's pay grade... more along the lines of a criminal organization whose only fault was choosing another moron to build the bomb and not accounting for theft on the canal.

Sounds like the Egyptian police at getting closer to figuring out Trevor's danger. Question is, will they care when they figure out one of the canal pilot boats was involved? They might be more concerned over that. Either way, it seems like Gonzalez is getting a good bit evidence. Who will he assume is behind it, once they find the missing inventory? Interesting thing about Eric. Kinda wish I was aboard the Thaddeus... but then I might have even more headlumps than Trevor.

Funny, you keep mentioning NJ... I don't have residency there, I'm not registered to vote there, my DL is not there, and my car is not registered there... In fact, I just received a new driver's license in the Commonwealth where all of these are true. Since there are multiple Commonwealth's in the US, you won't be able to guess where I am! Unless I've said it before... I can't remember...

True, they're getting a bit sloppy. If it was indeed the poweryacht Sea Witch pulling away from her dock, then they were lucky that Gonzalez went out to better fill out the driver's seat in that Interceptor before hitting his vantage point. Any earlier and he could have probably seen the two of them leaving her house. It's sloppy enough that they have any boats involved in their operation docking at either of their private residences.

Actually the troubles began long before Bridget was in the picture, but you kinda bring up a good point. If Joel goes to jail, then he and Lisa won't be using the guesthouse anymore, or Bridget's tapped phone line. More to the point, Bridget will lose her constant updates on Trevor's status and whereabouts. I wonder if she'll think of that, and consider its effect on her and the Cartel's plans to eliminate him.

Curious... at the end of the chapter, it says that Bridget traveled Northeast to Miami... I'm pretty sure the Bahamas (and Andros) are east of Florida... unless you're implying that the transfer took place neatly between Andros, Florida, and Cuba. Odd place for illegal activity, but whatever. I'm not the criminal mastermind, so I suppose the details in his story are beyond me.

Hmm, you're right. Around that time Jim had no idea what Dirk knew (if he knows anything at all) about the disappearance of Ares. I'm too lazy to look back, but I could swear he said something to that effect at some point. Him, or perhaps someone else. Meh, I stand by my theory. wildone: In the areas that I swam (much closer to shore, and especially near area sandbars), you most certainly could see the sandy bottom. Still the water wasn't exactly crystal clear. I remember once, a barracuda was spotted in the area of a few anchored yachts, including our small power-yacht. It was more of an outline, really. In those depths, if a yacht like Ares were completely submerged, it would have only been just so and would be clearly visible. Farther out to sea, at the last known position of Ares, I think you could just see the wreck from the air, but it probably would appear as more of a blotch in an area of darker waters. It's believable that if Ares sank there, Trevor would have trouble finding it with his glass-bottom pale. I think, though, if he used a device that sharpen and magnify the seafloor, he'd get a much better picture of what is down there, and not confuse metal boat objects with trash. I think a plane with a high resolution camera could give him an indication of what areas to look, but I'm not sure he could look at a picture and say, "There it is!!" Of course, that is assuming the yacht didn't drift very far from its last known position. Let's not forget that this is within the mysterious Bermuda Triangle, where UFOs have been known to beam up innocent yachts before any old drug lord harpies moonlighting as sweet, old ladies can find any supposed wrecks... Ceej... you wish I planted a bomb on Ares. Sorry, that old wive's tale is too convenient to wipe your filthy slate clean. Old wive's... Bridget... Hmmm... I wonder if CJ is one of her suitors... she seems the type to be into bestiality.