Kitt

I was going to try and say all this as a response to MikeL's blog entry but it seems I have way to much to say for that. Mike is right in that the 5 things gay's cannot do need to be fixed, but I don't see them all as "gay" issues. They strike me more as human rights issues and at least three of them hit the "straight" community just as hard. Donating blood - I can understand why they banned it in '85. Back then they barely knew what HIV was. It was a logical step to reduce the possibility of transmission. With new testing methods is it still necessary? Well - I would rather modify the ban for a bit before completely lifting it. Testing history showing a potential donor clean before donation ( and I think that should go for all donors - not just gay ones) could be a place to start. A simple card provided after routine blood work would be easy to present at the time of donation. The government sees fit to supplement the incomes of hundreds of thousands of people who should not be on public assistance, I feel this is something they SHOULD be supplementing. When you go for regular blood work tell them you are a blood donor so the extra tests can be done on the governments dime. Something i would not mind my tax dollars going towards. They should also allow directed blood donations. If I can donate and store my own blood against a surgical procedure that is pending for religious reasons, why cant similar arrangements be made if my gay neighbor with the same blood type wants to help me out in my time of need? I would rather get blood from him, a man i know and trust than some stranger that could have slipped thru the testing cracks. Eventually blood supply monitoring will prove itself reliable enough to lift the ban, and none of these actions will be necessary. But till then its better to be safe than sorry, and ALL donations should be carefully screened. Adoption should be an option to ANY person with the love and the means to raise a child. A single parent family that is a loving family is much better than foster care. Sexuality certianly adds to the obsticles when it should not, but there are other hurdles that need to be cleared as well. Medical decisions are something EVERYONE should make preparations for. When my mother was ill and became unable to make her own decisions, a decline that occurred very rapidly, I legally could not make decisions for her - that should have fallen to dad. He however was unable to do so do to his own medical problems after a stroke. Had my parents thought ahead and arranged a medical power of attorney before things became so screwed up I would not have needed a small army of lawyers in addition to the army of doctors to take care of them. My point here is again - the system needs fixing, it isn't just gay couples affected, and in the interim a lot of planning needs be done to prevent landing in an impossible situation. Seek legal recourse for unjust dismissal? Sorry - while there may be no laws specifically banning dismissal on sexuality there is always a way to find legal recourse. If some idiot can sue McDonnalds because her hot coffee was hot then unjust dismissal is fair game with or without specific laws. You just need the right attorney and I would suggest the ACLU to help with that if you are unsure of where to turn. The scouting issue - well that whole situation is just wrong and I will gladly lend my voice in hopes that nonsense like that can be eradicated!

I love getting to know more about Zu as he figures this out himself. My word but I can see all sorts of paths this can take! I cant wait to see which one Zu chooses!

I loved the way Brad worked so hard not to like the house or Will's decision to buy it. But I loved the way he caved when Will showed him exactly why he looked at this house in the first place. And I can see Stef having all sorts of fun putting the finishing touches on the house! He must be getting totally stoked to have a completely blank palate to play with! As usual sir a superb addition to the story.

There is a big difference between stopping the destruction of the environment and protecting endangered species and totally screwing around with the future by reintroducing extinct species. I just feel there is a lot more to consider. Just because we CAN do something now like cloning an extinct species doesn't mean we SHOULD. Did we or can we correct the reason they died out in the first place? Do we even understand fully why it occurred? Was it a result of something man caused or was it simply that the species had run its course to conclusion and could no longer adapt?? Would it be right to start a cloning and breeding program and re-introduce an animal only to have the same issues kill it off again?

It never fails to amaze me how humanity can have the hubris to think its all about them - man "caused" an extinction, "man should stop an extinction", "man should correct an extinction thru cloning." Weather cycles have existed for millions of years before "man" ever wandered into the picture. They create abundances and shortages of foods, as well as climate changes, affecting all life populations. Extinctions occurred long before humans learned to walk on two feet. Have we accelerated the process in some cases? Most definitely. But who is to say it would not or could not have happened anyway? The dinosaurs all died off for a reason and I highly doubt it was because of humans. In spite of all the movies, were they not gone long before man discovered fire? The big argument seems to be that humanity has caused problems by monkying with the environment. So how would continuing to do so by re-introducing extinct species IMPROVE that situation?

You sound stoked! We want all the cool details just as soon as you are settled safely in your new home!

Don't know if you will actually find time to read this at this point, but I will give it a try anyway. I've never traveled or dealt with a cat but with my many dogs over the years I have found that doing things like sleeping with a towel in my bed for a few days just before the travel or leaving him at the kennel and leaving the towel that is then covered in my scent with him in the crate or kennel to be helpful. Apparently having the scent of mommy or daddy around makes them feel more secure.

It's nice to see teens not being afraid to be honest about things like their sexuality. When I was 14 ( in the stone age) most kids were just figuring it out themselves let alone telling people around em.

Sounds like you have a pretty smart boss. I know illegal aliens that are abusing the system - living off of our government. The same system that when a blind lady I know had her disability benifits and food stamps reduced when she attempted to suppliment her income by having a relative sell craft work at a local flea market. When the powers that be got wind of it they reduced her income by the estimated value of the goods, a higher number than the actual income generated. My handicapped riding student has her SSI income reduced by the amount she is paid for working around the barn. Yet I also see people living off of welfare, increasing income by having babies and generally being huge mooches. Its about time things got just a bit more fair. Don't ask don't tell is gone and same sex couples should have every right any other couple has!

LOL some of these comments make me happy to stay an editor! The closest thing I have to a muse is a little voice that occasionally goes bananas in my head when it sees a prompt that catches its attention!

Margarita mostly but a good glass of Gentleman Jack ( a double filtered version of Jack Daniels) on ice is nice too.

You have the right to continue producing great stories. If you so produce, you have the right to bask in the praise of your readers"

. Tinker away! I gave you the original recipe I had gotten. I have cut way back on the sugar contents in the fruit syrups. Messing with the sugar in the batter didn't turn out well at all but using a good sugar substitute did. Careful tho - some of those are sweeter than the sugar is! I may follow a recipe a time or two - and keep the original for reference, but after that almost anything is fair game for experimentation in my kitchen!

I love the idea of collecting all our favorite recipes and putting em in one place. If we've made variations like Daithi for lower sugar/carb counts those should be included too! Lots of us either have diabetic issues or are trying to lose weight.

My apologies - I hadn't intended to offend, just comment on an odd phenomenon.

I'm impressed! It didn't take Will nearly as long as I had expected to convince Brad and Stef to come look at the house. I was fully expecting Brad to try to pull the "I'm the parent" card in spite of the emancipation thing. Will didn't even have to pull out his hole card and tell them that he had researched the area market and once the house was finished the value would at least double. I know a lot of adults that don't look at market values and potential returns before buying a home. Isadore's objections to Will's actions just served to push both Brad and Stef firmly into Wills corner. They may have been aprehensive about the house and displeased with Will's behavior at the previous dinner, but Will is a bright young man and this altercation just showed how smart he really is. I keep waiting for JP to lose his patience with Isadore. Back when Billy was killed she treated Brad like a red headed step child, and granted he was adopted into their household when his mother killed herself, but to JP he has always been as much of his child as Ace, Claire, and Billy. For her to now be treating Brads son just as shabbily as she treated Brad back then must be rubbing JP just as raw as it is Brad. I don't see how he can not think about how actions back then lead to Billy's death, and make him fear harm coming to someone as a repeat of the tensions. An intriguing chapter. I can't wait to see Stef fall in love with the house, and I am dying to see where the rift with Claire and bigger rift forming with Isadore goes! Fantastic reading as always!

As Sherlock Holmes said - eliminate the impossible and what ever remains, no matter how improbable must be the truth. While I agree with all you said about the facility and protecting their reputation, it seems much more probable to be human instigated than Egyptian spirit instigated, especially since it didn't begin when the tomb was disturbed, but just began recently. The differential friction theory hold more merit than both, and we have no knowledge of if the visitors traffic patterns have shifted or structural changes could have begun the vibrations needed. Even a change in the traffic patterns out on the street could contribute. Guess i am not so ready to accept a supernatural explanation till all the natural ones have been conclusively excluded.

the Egyptian statue seems like a publicity stunt to me. With modern technology it would be easy to alter the tape to allow someone turn it.

LOL I'm not sure the only full story I have ever written will fly around here. The girl gets the bi guy at the end of the story.

Of course we have dealers- and suppliers as well - those are spelled A-D-M-I-N-I-S-T-R-A-T-O-R-S and A-U-T-H-O-R-S And I love my suppliers!

OK - now that one i want the recipe for!!! Three of my favorites and i just put 10 pounds of blueberries into the freezer! PM it to me please please please???

Would you like some radish chips my dear? Well actually these are dicon chips ( not entirely sure i spelled that right) the huge white sort of carrot shaped radishes.

The really important thing to remember Z is if someone you know is diagnosed, don't let your own fears get in the way. Its not contagious and this is when we need our friends the most! And let us hope you can stay blissfully out of the loop!

Aubergines? Thats an eggplant or in the eggplant family isnt it? What do you do with the interiors once you have cored it to make room for the stuffing?

Well get to it mister! you only have 1682 days to figure it out!