C James

I removed the post that was originally here (It's mine) as although it's not political, it might lead discussion in that direction. I've posted it to my blog instead.

Yes, walking in LA is as inadvisable as driving there; that smog will get ya if you walk... Just hold your breath while you are there... LoL, which means they think that American's are physiologically different from the rest of the planet... Which, for the government, is about par for the course. LoL LoL! And that's the problem; by decreeing total avoidance of alcohol, they avoid teaching sensible management, and so you make the problem worse. Good for you for not drinking BTW. I herd that they did; Any pedestrains just walk between the perpetually gridlocked cars... Actually, LA is now the source for a lot of classic cars; when someone drives a new car off the showroom floor, it's aged enough to be a classic by the time they get it home. Sounds like you parents had a good idea there. This is what I mean by teaching responsibility through gradual introduction, instead of the present US system.

<looks at Bondwriter's four-digit post count> <looks at Bondwriter's post> <walks away muttering "Earthware... Tin (or plastic) Boiling Container... Dark Colour......"> :P :P

Sorry, but as Kevin said, the member title becomes editable (in your control panel) when you make your 500th post. All you have to do is pretend you are Kevin or Graeme for a weekend, posting as much as they do for two days, and you'll be there. Don't feel bad, I'm even further from 500 posts then you are... But Lashrac, if we ban lurkers from this forum, I'd end up banned from my own forum! Hi Kevin!! BTW, in case anyone is wondering, there are lots of perks that happen automatically as your post total increases. Once it reaches 5, you gain access to the sneak-peeks forum, and as your total rises you get a larger PM box, and several other upgrades. At 500, you get the customizable user title. At 1000, you are inducted into the Millennium club with a celebratory thread in the lounge, and then at 2000, the Bi-milleneum club, etc, and there are celebratory threads for reaching 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 posts. I'm wondering who will get to the 3000's first, Kevin or Graeme? Currently, only Myr resides in the lofty regions of the 3000's, and Myr has been here (quite literally) since before day 1!

I wish there was, because you guys deserve it. I don't say this enough, but I want to thank our team, becuase the stories here are truly a team effort. The fact is that the Author gets his name on the "by" line and on the website and forum, which isn't really fair; the stories are a group effort. Without these hard-working and unsung team members, we wouldn't be here. Thanks guys, you're the greatest!!! Emoe, Editor Extraordinaire Shadowgod, our Anonymous Beta Reader who has taught me so much. Bondwriter, Zeta-reader and consultant, Captain Rick, Beta Reader and adviser. Often, others like Graeme help and advise too, and many have given me advice on various things. Thanks to you all; you're the greatest!!! CJ

I have no idea what you could possibly be referring to?

It's 10-2! ACK! I question the wording: Nobody thinks I'm always right... Always wrong, maybe... Polling bias!!!

Steve, that was Baaaad. Welcome Kevin!!! And BTW, remember the rules of the forum: All bad things are Shadowgod's fault.

Thanks!! Yes, I've been to just about everywhere mentioned so far, though in some cases not recently. In the case of the Russian city mentioned (I'm being vague as this is the Ch 3 thread) I've never been there, so I used google earth and the internet to check on the locations of various things mentioned. But yes, I've taken that walk from the Spanish Steps to the Trevi Fountain in Rome quite a few times, and I very highly reccomend the Calzones at the nearby resturaunt I mentioned. Yum! Thanks, and welcome to the forum MikeL! Well, you'd be fully justified in the "Told-you-so" becuase you did indeed. As for the postaholic issue, Kevin is a postaholic, and very good at it. He's closing in on THREE thousand posts! That's an issue I ran into right from the start; just finding a name for their opening act was tricky, so I settled for one that might not be totally unused, but the band I gave it to is sufficiently different that I doub;t anyone would ever think it's the same one (assuming it's been used before; it hasn't, not by any major or well known group) Y'all will meet them soon. Instinct was a name I liked, and I came up with it years ago when I wrote the draft for the first few chapters. It seemed to fit, and there are a few minor events on down the line where the name itself will play a role. I admit, I was concerned, but need as I'm keeping the "real world" bands and personalities entirely out of LTMP, I decided to go with it. Thanks! And BTW, yes, Graeme, Really.

Welcome Kevin!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks!! But, as for the name, I think I'm about to get an "I told you so" or three now; I was warned about the possibility of people thinking there was a link, and I went with "instinct" as a name anyway, because I liked it. I had to pick a name not used by a real band (at least a well-known one) and I wanted it to be a single word, which didn't prove to be easy, LoL. They definitly aren't nsync; it's only hinted at where you're at in the story, but they aren't pop, plus they play instruments. I intended a link between the two, and in fact, in hindsight (and the coming "I-told-you-so's" will surely re-enforce, LoL) I should have probably given Instinct a different name. The problem was, I liked Instinct as a name and didn't want to change it. One thing I've done is made sure there will be no "real" bands or songs mentioned in this story, and absolutely no celebrity "cameo's" I do bend that rule slightly by mentioning one real-world magazine, but that's it. On the other hand, the "Mason Jar" is a real place in Phoenix (or at least was, in the right timeframe) and a lot of bands got their start there. I'm trying to keep everything real for the "scenery", such as the episodes in Rome. Your confusion over Lump and Chase was intentional on my part; I tried to write it so it could be read several different ways, including that Chase was the homophobe and Lump was Gay. LoL Thank you Kevin, and, ummm, you are very welcome to "lurk" here all you like (even though you are GA's best known postaholic! )

Yep, and they have far, far fewer alcohol problems than the US does, IMHO largely as a result. BTW, the story of the band has taken part so far in Los Angeles (also abbreviated LA and HELL) I've does anyone find it too much of a stretch that I portray the characthers as actually breathing? Usually, the natives just hold their breaths for a few months at a time, and try to avoid breathing entirely during smog season (which runs from Jan 1st to Dec31st).

That makes perfect sense... In the US, about half of traffic fatalities are alcohol-related, and about 50,000 people die on our roads each year. That means alcohol is causing about 25,000 road deaths per year, which is why laws that preclude teaching responsible drinking really, really gall me. In the US, a parent giving a child wine with dinner can, in some states, face prosecution. Also, if a parent tried giving a kid a sip of their own wine with dinner in a resturmant, it is quite likly the whole family would be tossed out. I've seen this happen to a visiting European family, so I know it can happen, and IMHO it is nothing short of insane.

But I DO consider myself a lurker here at GA! And yes, I lurk at Tallon house too, though I should try and post more there. Yes, this is true; Kevin was quite active on official buisness that day, but it accounted for less than half his posts that day. Ummmhmmm.... I think I detect a postaholic in denial!

I still need to go back and check to see if I specified Eric's age... I know for sure i did Chase and Jon's, but I can't recall having done so for Eric. I'm not sure I understand; if you drive, you can't drink EVER before 21, or there is just a zero tolerance when driving? For example, could a 19 y/o go buy a beer in a bar, and then drive a few days later? And, ummm, Rhys in HoTT drives, yet also drinks, just not at the same time? I'd agree with zero tolerance for alchohol while driving, BUT, I don't agree if the under-21 has to accept a total ban on alcohol consumption even when not driving. The driving age in the US is 16 in most states (some have it younger with special circumstances and restrictions) so we have never had the drinking age be the driving age. I agree about the boarder problem, but the problem is the whole culture of total abstinence from alcohol until 21 is a huge part of what makes alcohol such a "coming of age" thing and so attractive to teens. Totally agreed that alchohol should be introduced at an age younger than the legal limit! That's part of what I meant about ditching the whole age-based fixation. I feel very strongly that wine with dinner on occasion, would be a good idea, regardless of age. In my family you got wine with dinner on sundays, once you were old enough to hold a wineglass (about 4). In the US, though, in many places a parent could get in legal trouble for that, which is just plain disgusting. It's just one more area where the government needs to butt the hell out unless there is actual harm occurring. I loved that, but I gave it some thoguht and came up with :ranger: :chris: for Chase (Indian) and Eric (Pirate), and for Jon, dang, that's hard... an emoticon for Peter Pan? For Brandon (Zorro) I'd go Helen is easier; Fairy Godmother, I think I had Jerry as a sailor, so I'll just say Totally agreed; self-control is the key, and a kid HAS to learn that; they need to undertannd they are responsible for their own actions; they can't drink like a fish nor can they just push the accelerator down as far as it will go and leave it there whenever they want. Both are dangerous, and just like so many other things, require common sense. I very much agree with introducing kids to alcohol much earlier than the legal age. As for Helen, Maybe she knows how they get, so was just trying to head off trouble? Given their reputation (Chase sure knew teouble was on the way, pus Jon's alchohol-grabbing trick was refereed to as "like the last time) I have a hunch she's dealt with their antics before. The next few chapters touch on these issues quite a bit, BTW. Thanks!!!

Emoe was indeed the first to bring my out of my shell; I'd only been registered a couple of days, and I was having trouble figuring out how to use spoiler spaces, so Emoe replied to one of my posts via PM. That was my first PM, and made me feel very welcome. Thanks Emoe!! And Emoe, thank YOU for bringing me to the party! You were here long before I was, and were my very first welcome. BTW, are you looking for ideas on what you can use for a custom title? Might I suggest "Postaholic"?

But Kevin is our #1 original postaholic! However, yes, with the anthology coming up, I'll be trotting out those reasons rather soon her myself.

You're both right! (Mea culpa on the tw0-teens comment) Eric is the middle brother (mentioned once, very early on, so I'd probably better re-enforce it in the text) and Jon is 21. Chase is 17 (almost 18), and I can't remember if I specified it or not, but Eric is 19 (I do recall referring to Jon as the eldest and Chase as the youngest a few times, but I think I only specified Eric as the middle one once). Jon is old enough to drink legally in the US, Eric isn't. However, at a private celebrity event, it is quite likely that no one would stop a VIP guest, even a 19 y/o, from having a few drinks. So Helen's cutting off the bar rankled them both, particularly Jon who is old enough to drink. It also made it worse; instead of a few drinks, they got a bottle of liquor, and it was tequila. As you might guess from that, I TOTALLY agree with Graeme on this issue; I feel the total-no-alcohol-until-21 laws are nuts. For example, a second LT can command a platoon in combat for a full tour, then come back to the US where he's judged too irresponsible to have a beer if he wants one. This is a real issue, and does happen. There's also pretty strong evidence that being exposed to alcohol responsibly at an earlier age makes for more responsible drinking. I know for a fact that European countries, which do use this approach, have far fewer problems with alcohol abuse at age 21 and older.

Kevin, buddy, pal! I'm so glad you voted "yes". But, ummmm, fellow lurkers? Yes, voting works well to decide an issue, sometimes... Aww, Steve! I'm a lurker, I tell ya! ACK! As I've said many a time before; Statistics are so deceiving... I prefer to put my trust in the poll (the poll says I'm a lurker, so i lurker I be!). BTW, I do believe that the all-time record for number of posts in a day is held by Kevin (AFriendlyFace) with 46!

Well Steve, today is your lucky day, because I WILL give you a definite yes or no! Are you ready? Ok, here it is; YES OR NO. No need to thank me; I'm always happy to help. Of course not... I'm never mean. This is a third-person narration, which means the narrator can literally go anywhere.. Maybe the narrator spends a night in a zoo, that has nothing to do with their storyline? Who? Me?!?!!? But I'm so nice and sweet and kind... Why would I ever do anything mean? No offense taken!! I was just joking around too! BTW, surely drunken teens wouldn't do anything dumb or bad? We already know about Eric's escapades, leaping from table to table across the fancy buffet for the charity guests.. I wonder if Helen will be pleased?

:king: :king: :king: Happy 500th post, EMoe!!!!! :king: :king: :king: Congratulations on making 500 posts, you postaholic!!! :worship: :worship: :worship:

But, but, but,,, I almost never post!!!!!!!!!!!! And, umm, I notice I'm losing in this poll... Err, come on guys, don't let the Echindna lead you astray!!!

Now I know who voted "no".

That could have been from when I set up the poll. I added some questions after one vote was recorded. My intenet connection has been fading in an out, so I posted it to save my work, then couldn't get back on for a few to edit... Honest, I'm not playing any games.

I just have to say this... I oh-so-cleverly put up the poll, for a few minutes, with the only option being "no". Coupled with my "Take that, Echidna", well, that was just too funny a screw-up on my part not to share.

Greetings, one and all! The Echidna is at it again... This time he's questioning whether or not I'm a lurker! So, I pose this very simple poll. Take that, Echidna!