Ron

Here it is people, the first story I wrote to be posted on GA. Boy, was I innocent , and you can read it in less than five minutes, I'm sure.

Happy birthday, Dave!

Bravo!! ...and on my birthday, too.

"What if they're right? What if I'm the asshole here?" Huh?! What?! "Because whatever I do it's wrong." WTF?! No way! "And so I start to wonder, is everyone else lying?" Maybe not everyone. But, that doesn't mean everyone gets you. "Is my brain lying to me again?" I'm thinking, there's nothing wrong with your stupid brain (chuckles)... Elsewise??? Who the hell knows? We all convince ourselves of our own personal truths! Who in the hell has a right to judge when we're all doing the same thing? Even though these truths we tell ourselves do have limits based on reality this post doesn't seem to be what we are dealing with here. "I'm not responsible for other people's feelings." Exactamundo... within reason. You can't deliberately fuck people up without expecting recourse. Point in your favor: this is not what you do! "But I am responsible for my actions." Admirably said. Also, experience dictates that despite your personal ups and downs you are one of the most even keeled people on GA. I don't think I need add anything else.

I’ve been here just slightly over six years myself, and though I’m sure I’ve not read every post you’ve made, Matt I certainly have seen a difference in your posts over the years. I still read when I notice you have something to say, and I’m appreciative that you’ve chosen to stick around.

@cdot27 Just to add, there is a story by @Daddydavek called Abel III's Awakening and another by @Palantir called Attunga which both are great reads.

Congratulations on the promotion, @northie

There is a way to get a glimpse of reviews for stories in the Activity tab at the of the screen. Scroll down to Latest Story Reviews, choose the Expanded tab for more than one line of a review. A person will see that some reviews, and I use that term loosely, will consist of just a couple of words, though that doesn't mean that one won't find more extensive reviews less recently written that are far more informative. Though one must click on the story title to find out if there is more written and that can be hit or miss. Also, and this is a huge plus, one will find a whole list of modifiers at the top to help narrow search requirements if an individual is looking for specific cues. Personally, when looking at a physical book it isn't the remarks of adulation for the author's works that can be sometimes found on the back of the book jacket that convinces me that a book might be for me. It is the synopsis on either/or/and the inside portion of hardbook jackets and somtimes found on the backs of paperback books, that make all the difference to purchase or not. But, as you say @Talo Segura the story summary/synopsis on GA are not quite as informative, and so they can be less convincing. Unless things have changed since my last publication here, there is a reason for that: A limitation is placed on the number of words an author can supply for the purpose of story summation. I hope some of this is helpful. Edit to add: It looks like Cia posted why I was still writing. I didn’t see her post or I wouldn’t have repeated some of what she wrote. 2nd Edit: Why? Why was I writing?🙃I believe that was while I was writing. Somebody shut me up!🤨

Congratulations on your promotion, Tim (Mikiesboy)!

My understanding is that you're frustrated about what you can and cannot say (or is that get away with?) here on GA politically, but the guidelines are clear enough. What's the alternative? Would you have Myr open Gay Authors to a maelstorm of political discontent? No, you say the rules are there for a reason and rightly so. I sympathize with you, both for your feelings and your individual (and collective) plight in this world. For what it's worth, I think you're smart enough and clever enough to make your point without breaking the political comment rules -- however blurry they may seem.

I've been digging Amen Dunes newest release - Freedom (the whole album). Here is an example...

Best wishes for a happy birthday, Myr.

So... Batman, huh? I can see it now... We give you, Robert Pattinson. The new—Vampire Bat!

It looks like you came full circle. Oh, and stop whining. (chuckles) I’m still paying attention, if a little removed.

Substitute bacon for the sausage in the recipe and you’ll have a whole ‘nother topping and need for American style biscuits.

Congratulations on this furthering promotion, Parker Owens.

I read it once online and then again when I bought the graphic novels—to support the artist/author, plus as a thanks for putting it online for everyone to read. Maybe it’s time for me to revisit the boys.

I hear ya. Two thoughts... Have the same compassion for yourself that you would freely offer to anyone else. Don’t be so hard on yourself! You seem to have a good grasp of your anxiety triggers and the resulting fallout. What’s the next step?

It seems you are already transparent enough as it is... I privately thought that you were The One in this particular matrix, too.

I'm currently reading three author's works, two on Kindle and one paperback (from wayback). I'm reading Elantris (revised 10th anniversary edition) by Brandon Sanderson, after having read it first back in 2005, and The Dragon Bone Chair: Book One of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (again an anniversary edition) by Tad Williams, which I first read way back in the late 1980's (I think, at least once more after that) -- both on Kindle. The paperback book is a favorite from wayback (I know, another one) that was first published in 1980 (now out of print) by David Brin called Sundiver ( @Palantir you might well like this series - human engineered sentient dolphins, among other species) which is the first part of what eventually became a devided six book series: The Uplift novels. Anyway, some good books are worth rereading and I can highly recommend each of these. All of these stories I read long enough ago that there is a lot of refreshing going on in my mind. Of course, it all seems familiar, too, and that's why I'm able to do three works at a time. Tad Williams' work is left to my time at the laundromat, Sundiver is a just-before-bedtime story (paperback - no artificial light from my iPhone or iPad) and Elantris is a whenever story. My reading list is part of why I haven't been as active on GA as I have been in the past. Mostly, what I'm trying to do is write my own science fiction work and I've been reading new things and old as part research, and also toward getting my mind in the right groove. We'll see.

Best of luck to you on your journey.

Okay—don’t laugh—I have one tatoo that I got in seventh grade middle school. It’s a blue dot on the left cheek of my derrière. What size is it? Well, it is of a size that a Bic, blue-ink pen will make if someone (a girl) pokes you in the ass with one in order to get your attention. God, women are brutal! I’ve carried it around all these years, forty-six of them.

Well, and that explains that... doesn't it? No, I don't mean to be flippant, here. Now, not that I ever had any pressing need to know -- though I do admit to the occasional bout of curiosity as to whether you were male or female -- I always chose when referring to you and during correspondence with you not to use male- or female-specific pronouns. Quite frankly I took my cue from you, because you didn't refer to yourself as either. Even your posted photos seemed to present you as non-specific in gender. What I knew for sure before this blog post was that you are a talented writer (my viewpoint hasn't changed) and that you had other artistic interests. Other than that, I expected that you were being the best you that you can be. And, as it turns out, you are.

Mr. Rain sure did live a long life. I hope it was a good one. I've purchased the new 4K Ultra High Definition release of 2001: A Space Odyssey and I can't wait to see it. Unfortunately, I do have to wait because the darn amp in my last usable subwoofer went out just a couple of days before the movie arrived. I'm waiting for new amps to arrive courtesy of Definitive Technology and I'll install them and reset my system up and enjoy the movie once again (I have watched this movie many times over the years). Mr. Rain's dry delivery of Hal 9000's voice is perfection. As an aside folks, if you're ever interested in a bang-for-the-buck subwoofer, and excellent customer service to boot. I can highly recommend Definitive Technology. I purchased my subs back in 2008 (three year warranty, at the time) and Def-Tech will have replaced the amps twice at no charge -- Ten Years -- and out of warranty both times. I'm not saying everyone will have such a great experience but... come on, who does this anymore?! So, worth a mention, I think.

"When you learn someone is a jerk, don't stick around to find out what kind." - Nick Galifianakis (for The Washington Post) This may seem more of an advisory than something inspirational, but if it pops into your head at the right moment... and inspires you to get going...