Kitt

Wasn't that part of the breakdown in the big pavilion in 3 ?!?!?!

My apologies if my reference to higher powers came across as monotheistic. Chalk that up to a Roman Catholic upbringing. My intent was not to spark a discussion of comparative theology, it was to open discussion on the characters themselves. My point was that Troy's rejection of the Great Spirits stemmed from a personal loss. A catholic priest would call it a crisis of faith. I am sure other groups have their own names for it. To Troy the Great Spirits can't exist any more than Santa Claus does because if they did and protected them the way he had been taught then his father would not have been shot by poachers.

Let's see if I can get this party started. In a review a reader said: "He's also so resistant to the Great Spirits and yet he does not seem to resist the one and only mate aspect of the shifter culture. Is that just because the biological imperative of meeting his mate so strong, or are we coming later to that issue?" The Great Spirits are the shifter cultures version of "God". I have seen many people over the years accept portions of a religion without question, only to rail at how unfair it is that the same deity allowed a loved one to suffer and/or die.

The world would be a much better place if we all slowed down that two seconds rather than expect someone to speed up that much. You give the world thought,and put in that little bit more effort. That is something many more people should do!

I appreciate your position Paya, but this was not a difficulty in my ability to learn, it was a function of not being welcome in the family. I speak three languages and I am quite sure had i gotten even the smallest cooperation I would have learned much more than when to slap (metaphorically) my mother in law as she used words like gold digger and harlot in reference to me. The situation has changed little except that most times she now does the insulting in English. I am unsure if that is a function of wanting to make sure i understand or one of her parents no longer needing to, but the result is the same.

Yes you can Mickey - substitute either steamed or battered and fried cod!

Perhaps it is the fact his family doesn't think me good enough for him, ( even 31 yrs later) but I always found being excluded from the conversation by reverting to German to be demeaning, and to me it always sounded like they were angry even when they were quiet and smiling at each other. My attempts to learn the language were thwarted as well. If three people give you three completely different meanings to the same word you will never get anywhere.

"Skinny nerdy twink types" are seldom physically fit enough to put in the hours on the ice a competitive figure skater does daily. We watch the competitions on TV and see the athletes ( and make no mistake, they ARE athletes just like the football jock) make the maneuvers look easy. They are not and these men and women take many hard knocks getting there. Under that slinky one piece stretch suit or skimpy skate skirt are hard muscle. You are right in that JJ needs someone to call him on his BS, but that doesn't necessarily mean getting in his face publically and telling him to quit being an ass. I think were Alistair to be the right guy for JJ, after some initial discussion that comes close to dividing them it would come down to a gentle word or touch in public to remind JJ not to go bitchy. I have seen it work many times. It may not have been that Mark is the one changed his mind. Sometimes once you begin the actual writing the Characters themselves have more to say than the story outline thought about and they simply demand the page space. Personally, long or short, I enjoy Marks work, I appreciate the effort the rest of you on his support staff put in, and will read anything he publishes, be it a paragraph or a book the size of Websters Unabridged!

"Try not to sink more than 10" into the ice"? And just how the %#$@#$ is a pilot supposed to do that?

Let's see - JJ is just short of his 16th at the moment, in Oct. 2001. The '06 Olympics is 5 yrs away. Do you really think he is going to wait and not lose his virginity ( assuming his coach didn't already see to that) until he is 21 yrs old? Mark may just be giving us his first hints on JJ's preferences, but to expect a hormonal teenage boy to abstain till he is 21 strikes me as a tad unrealistic! Doesn't matter how many times your parental units preach "Just say no". When the feeling strikes it is GOING to happen. There would be lots fewer cases of std's and teen pregnancies if parents accepted that idea and taught their kids to be safe!

Zack's realization that he was headed down a wicked road was a bit surprising. I hadn't expected to see him wander back into the story. That he took the initiative to get away from a bad situation before things had passed the point of no return is a new twist for a lot of the Hayes boys. It's nice to see the human side of JJ starting to venture out from behind his walls. This is the first real glimpse of his sexuality we've gotten. Seems like gay doesn't quite fit right, at least not yet, but there definitely seems to be a leaning towards it. Are we about to meet our first truely bi plot development? Welcome back Mark, we missed you!

LOL I warned you WL - you've gone and opened your version of Pandora's box with holiday themes! If you do not want to or are unable to keep it up you may either want to find someone to replace you or find a nice big stone wall to hide behind!

Ahhh - but sometimes that is a good thing Myiege. If you can accurately estimate me and my abilities then you have a better idea of where to go next!

LOL we do something similar to that with the big brothers - lobster and old bay crab boil. We cant get the little guys up here!

Nuts - no. But don't limit things too much - maybe mommy wants to kiss Mrs Claus! You might want to think about limiting it to one writer per topic - I think a group of stories about Daddy kissing Santa would be the bee's knees!

Pork pie and pickled onions I understood but what on earth are twiglets and wobbly blancmange? For me? Homade linguini, fresh tomato sauce, meatballs, and bracolli ( a meat roll with Italian spices inside). Have not had any since I was labeled type II diabetic and pasta became a no-no for me.

3PM EDT, the sun has finally come out, the rain has stopped, the water level in the flooded swamp has begun to recede, and i think i just saw a mouse run across the kitchen! This means war!

It's your birthday! I'ts your birthday! May it be everything you want it to be!

Ummm - no

Actually in NJ right now you can get your permit at 16 and a provisional licence with restrictions similar to the ones you listed at 17. Restrictions on times and number of passengers are lifted at 18. Pictures are printed differently than the rest of the state until you are 21 at which time you get a full unrestricted licence that can serve as legal id. When i was a kid you couldn't get your permit till 17 but that changed some time before my daughter got her licence.

Hmmm - now where have I heard words like that before - that a story an author thought shit was actually pretty good.... oh wait - sasha's! Lovely, emotional, and just a tad creepy. Excellent!

I will not repeat what the others said except to say "And you don't think you are a writer?" Stories often decide they want to go other places than we intend. Go with it! I think i will add you to my follow list, just in case your borrowed muse decides to take up residence. Hopefully he will not be as annoying a little bastard as mine is tho. I am looking forward to seeing what the two of you have to say.

I love it! But didn't momma teach Dermot not to play with his food? A well written story that is destined to be added to my favorites file to be enjoyed again.

As I understand it real life is getting in the way and rather than leave half a story up to languish in the archives he chose to unpublish, at least until he can find the time and motivation to finish the story. I am going to miss him and his writing!

Bobby and Steve are still trying to figure that out Lisa. If they come up with an answer maybe there will be a chapter 4.