LittleBuddhaTW

Little Freudian slip there, eh Kevster? Anyway, I voted the same as "The Friendly One," for pretty much the same reasons ... except for the last one ... I'm thinkin' they had something going on in high school. Sordid, past love affairs are always interesting! Can't wait to read Chapter 13 and see what's gonna happen! *Hugz* Buddha

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BOXERDUDE!!! :businesssmiley: *Hugz* Buddha

Very perceptive, young grasshopper! There's a neat story behind that, actually. Back in 1997, right after Gianni Versace and Princess Diana passed away, Elton went on his "Big Picture Tour." He wanted to play something as a tribute to the two of them, and he had recently heard Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Sand and Water," and loved it. However, he didn't think the original lyrics of the second verse were fit for him to sing, since the song was originally written about Beth Nielsen Chapman's husband dying of cancer and her being left to raise their child alone. In fact, the entire album (also titled Sand and Water) is about her going through the grieving process for her husband. Anywho, Elton was blown away by that song, and really wanted to sing it during his tour (and he doesn't do cover songs very often, so it was a pretty dig deal), so he rang up Beth Nielsen Chapman, and, needless to say, she was pretty blown away, and at Elton's request, she sat down and "tweaked" the lyrics to the second verse to be more fitting for him to sing. So, both versions of the lyrics were written by her. And as for the *possible* title for Chapter 22, Boxerdude, let's wait until the weekend for the "Ch. 22 Pre-release discussion" thread to start discussing that! *Hugz* Buddha

Just picked them up, actually. Got the lens fixed, tightened the screws, and they got a good scrub down ... look as good as new! But, I'm actually wearing my Armani glasses at the moment, because my Versace ones have tinted lenses (not sunglasses, just slightly tinted), so I don't wear them indoors ... usually! Considering Elton John has a back catalogue of, like, 36 years, that'd be an awful lot of songs to go through! hehe *Hugz* Buddha P.S.- If y'all haven't read my latest blog entry yet, you should ... I saw the hottest guy on Monday morning at the doctor's office ... and let's just say I was quite excited when writing my last blog entry! NOTE: I'll start a "Ch. 22 Pre-release Discussion" thread this weekend, so start thinking about what you think might happen, or what the chapter title may be, over the next few days, and then get ready to discuss this weekend!

Excellent job, Empathy! I hope more of our up and coming authors will follow the lead of you, Lostone, and Nicko ... not only to get your stories noticed, but to bring in more people to GA ... it not only helps the individual authors, but the whole community as well. *Hugz* Buddha

The whole "nature" vs. "nurture" debate is a purely political one. I believe that for some it's more "nature," for others it may be more "nurture," for some it's both ... and for others ... who the hell knows. I don't think it matters one way or the other. Again, people only care about proving it one way or the other for political motives.

I've occasionally wondered if maybe, just maybe, homosexuality might be Mother Nature's way of population control. It's not a popular theory, and one that most researchers wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, but just based on my observations, there seem to be an unusually large number of gays in Taiwan ... and I mean A LOT ... and it is the second most densely populated country on Earth ... and we all know that the planet is waaaay too overcrowded as it is. I noticed the same phenomenon when I was in China, the #1 most populated country on the planet. A little far-fetched, maybe, but something to consider.

Perhaps someone should suggest to the author that they post the story in the e-fiction section of the site and post announcements of new chapters here in the main forum so we can continue to follow it?

ROFLMAO!!! Oh dear Buddha, that was priceless! And I bet Kitty will be laughing just as hard as me when she sees this! And thanks for the above analysis, too, Kevin (and everyone)! I also really liked Nicko's point about Connor's paying the bills and stuff for him and his mom as a sign of his "strength" early on to be very profound. *Hugz* Buddha

I can see very well There's a boat on the reef with a broken back And I can see it very well There's a joke And I know it very well It's one of those that I told you long ago Take my word, I'm a madman, don't you know ... Fabulous song! *wipes sweat away from forehead* Whew! I had a busy morning! I had a doctor's appointment at 9 AM, dentist at 11 AM, my final trip to the post office, and I had to stop by the vet to get the date changed on my forms for the cats. So, anyway, when I was at the doctor's office this morning, I saw the most incredibly HOT guy I have ever seen in my life sitting in the waiting area. He must have been about 25 or 26 years old, and was just ... GORGEOUS! My gaydar was pinging off the chart, too, which got me all excited ... he was like a wet dream with legs! So, I did the only thing I could do ... sit there and just drool while staring at him ... I swear I had to wipe the drool off my chin. Unfortunately, he was there with his older brother and mother (don't ask me why a 25 year old guy needs his mom and older brother to go to the doctor's with him -- but hey, this is Taiwan!) Sooo ... I couldn't exactly go hit on him, which I really would have liked to do ... he really was that hot! Jeez, just typing this is getting me all worked up again! LOL I'd tell y'all what I would like to do to him, but that might qualify as "TMI," but I will say that his butt looked sooooo delicious in the shorts he was wearing! Anyway, between the doctor and the dentist, I did a little shopping, and bought a really nice pair of reddish jade Pi Xiu statues. The Pi Xiu is a mythical fierce wild animal, similar to a leopard or panther, and they're meant to scare away evil spirits. They're really cool! They only cost about US$150, too, which isn't bad. I might have been able to get them a little cheaper at one of the weekend jade markets they have in Taipei, but you can't always be sure that what you're buying is real jade, so it was worth it to pay a little extra at a high-end store to get the real thing! The other night when I sat down on my sofa, it broke! I couldn't believe it! It's kind of a cheapo sofa, anyway, with just a flimsy wood frame. I got it really cheap at IKEA about two years ago, and I figured it would break at some point, which IKEA furniture tends to do. But anyway, I had to disassemble the whole thing so I could carry it outside to the trash area. But now my apartment looks even emptier. The rest of the furniture is going to stay, though, and I think my landlady is either going to keep it or give it to family members or something. But when you sit on something and it breaks, even if it was crappy to begin with, you tend to get a little self-conscious about your weight! UGH! Also, my favorite pair of Versace glasses broke ... well, one of the lenses did ... so, I had to take them to get repaired. I can go pick them up tomorrow night. They're my favorite pair of glasses, and since they're Versace, obviously VERY expensive. So if they mess them up, I'm going to be a VERY unhappy Buddha! Story stuff ... I won't retype the news and updates here ... if you want to know what's going on with the writing projects, you can check out the "News & Updates" section on my website. Anywho, that's it for now!

I'm really sorry you're having a tough time coming out to your parents, bud. But you've found a safe, fun community here with lots of people to talk to, vent to, and other guys your age who are going through the exact same thing. So, anyway, welcome aboard, and I'm really happy you're enjoying the story! *Hugz* Buddha

Unfortunately, that's not the title of an Elton John song ... but I can safely say, I think, that the title of Chapter 22 is definitely a doozy! LB

I'm only about 1/3 of the way finished with Chapter 22 ... it's hard to get the inspiration to write when only the few same posters chime in with their thoughts. So, don't be shy ... jump on in and get your feet wet, share your thoughts/comments with the rest of us, and give me some inspiration to sit down and type out the rest of this story! I know you guys can do it ... just click that little button on the screen that says "Add Reply," type a few words, then click on "Submit" ... See, it's that simple! C'mon guys, you can do it ... if this is all the reaction I get to something like Chapter 21, then something's terribly wrong! *Buddha gently nudges readers*

Sorry ... I wasn't planning on dressing up in drag tonight ... The person below me has done "the nasty" in a church or other house of worship before ...

It says: "This picture has been forcibly removed by the staff because it's too cute."

It pisses me off to no end when people (usually my parents) say that my cats are "just animals," but I don't see them that way. They're my family -- and treat me much better than a lot of so-called 'real' family members do -- and I don't know how I could possibly cope if I ever had to put them down. I really sympathize with you, Dom. Just know that there are most likely many others here who you could talk to who have been through the same thing and may be able to help you through it. Also, glad to hear you're back in the mood to write! I go in little spurts ... it's tough sometimes, trying to balance what you need to do in your 'real' life, feeling some sort of sense of obligation to your readers, and often just having no inspiration or energy to write. You've been smart not to stick to any kind of posting schedule. If I missed a Saturday posting, I'd probably be lynched! lol *Hugz* Buddha P.S.- If you've gotten to read Chapter 13 of "Service" yet, I hope you liked it!

If you go back and re-read, I believe Detective Franz said they suspect it was an accident. Nope, that was all me ... although Kitty added in the words "quickly" and "right" (as in "right words"). To satisfy your curiosity, the two parts added by Kitty were where Detective Franz put his hand on Connor's shoulder and told him to take care of Ryan (or something along those lines), and where Maggie is checking out Ryan (puts her hands on his face, calls him "sweetie," etc.). It's very hard to tell, though. Kitty did an incredibly good job at imitating my "writing voice." I have "mom" issues, so Kitty has also often had to go back and make Maggie more responsible and involved. LB

Chapter 21 is posted ... http://littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org/SOOTB/SOOTB21.html Many, many thanks to Kitty for once again doing a fabulous job editing! I look forward to reading everyone's thoughts/comments on this chapter. *Hugz* Buddha

Believe me, honey, I know far more than three uses for peanut butter! The person below me can't wait to read the next installment of "Someday Out Of the Blue" ... (Shameless Self-Promotion)

Congratulations, Luc! I was a little surprised at first, not thinking you'd written that much ... until I went over and looked at the e-Fiction site and saw how much you actually have written. I definitely have to add a few more stories to my list of things to read. It's nice that you'll have your own site now to share all of your stories, poetry, etc.! *Hugz* Buddha-pest

Your cats are absolutely PRECIOUS! I'd like to have more, but my parents would have a fit. They already don't like the idea of my bringing my three cats into "their house" while I'm waiting to get a job when I move back to the States. *sigh*

Excellent chapter, Vance! Normally, I'm not too big on the whole "family thing," and would prefer all gay teen boys being able to live on their own and lead their own lives ... but obviously that's not very practical. Parents can be a real obstacle and cause all kinds of problems for kids, gay or straight, and unfortunately, there are many more dysfunctional parents and families out there than good ones. With that said, though, I think you've done an excellent job at portraying Cameron's mom, making her into a very sympathetic character, one which the reader will like. Personally, I'm kind of hoping he'll get out of Mr. Harris' house and go back to live with his mother. We'll just have to wait and see how she deals with the "gay" thing, though. If she accepts it, it would make things a lot easier on Cameron, as well as being much more convenient for Cameron and Cole to be together more often. I can definitely sense the angst they are feeling in not being able to spend as much time together as they'd like, and that's such a common feeling for young teen lovers, ALWAYS wanting to be together, snuggling together, wrapped up in each others' arms ... it always seems like there's never enough time. Anyway, great job ... a very enjoyable chapter, as usual! *Hugz* Buddha

This is the description of Cody from Chapter 8, his first appearance in the story. He's definitely one of my favorite characters, too ... especially when he's just wearing a loincloth!

Kitty, I think you're right! *Hugz* Buddha P.S.- Sometimes it sucks to be gay! lol

All I can say is ... WOW! What a ride ... and what an ending! Thank you so much, Dan!!! *Hugz* Buddha