C James

Camy, this is exquisite! The humor, and the drama, plus the incredibly rich descriptions (the "snickety snack" of the knife was especially good). This is really, really good Camy. The timing and pacing was superb, as the plot just kept moving faster and faster. I noticed how you skipped their evening out, and that really ramped up the pace IMHO. Excellent character development, as well. This would be first-rate development for a novel, but to see it in a short story is spectacular. The use of English colloquialisms really added to the atmosphere for me, too. BTW, I certainly hope that the "no sequels" part doesn't apply to the story!!! This is one of my favorite short stories ever. Really top-notch, Camy!!

Wow, This was not what I was expecting, based on the title! You kept us guessing the whole way, and it was great! I particuarly liked Joyce. What a ride! Thanks, Umbathri!

Good job, Nick! I agree with Kevin, it did seem to have the best fit with the theme, which was a vacation. It had a very authentic feel IMHO. Thank you, Nick!

Wow, that's writing!! Birds, This was great! I loved the way you segued into things, and the general presentation. I certainly hope that you will write more!

Great, Nick! I loved the story, and the ending.

A big question deserves a big answer: YES!!!

I loved Free Man in Paris... Very well done, and I especially liked the feeling of authenticity that your attention to the details gave it. However, I think that, for me, the biggest draw was the idea of just cutting loose and saying "to heck with it", which for me the story epitomized perfectly!! I also have to comment on the ending. It was superbly done, in that it didn't have the sadness and heartbreak that I was expecting/dreading. LB, I'm sorry, but you don't quite rise to the level of a true comment/feedback whore... A true comment/feedback whore would post in someone else's forum, and find ways of working in a mention of their story, plus linking and highlighting it: For example, if I were to do such a thing (which of course I never would ) I'd find some way of mentioning that my Anthology Entry is called 'No Shirt? No Problem!". And then, sneakingly, find a way to mention the highlighted link for the feedback thread Of course, I don't know anyone who would actually be so blatant...

Hmmmm... Why do I think that you just might be pulling my leg? The AI of an interstellar warship, whom we already know is possessive and temperamental... Hmmmm... BTW, I loved the link-via-implant concept! That opens up so many possibilities, and is a very fascinating concept... I hope you will explore it further.

I love it too! I really, really liked the way the AI seems to have an attitude!!!

James, what a fantastic collection! Your astrophysics collection alone makes me SOOOOO Jealous!! Some of those books aren't exactly easy to find! I love your database idea. I made something similar in microsoft access the last time I moved, for inventorying the boxes. That way I knew which box contained what. I printed out data forms so I'd just write down everything by box number as I packed, then enter it later. Worked great, and I know which box something is in if I need it. (I moved seven years ago, and still haven't unpacked everything). I could very easily adapt my database template to be one for books, so I'll give that a try. I have a half-dozen floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, completely organized (Miscilanous is organized, isn't it?) 2/3 of it is paperbacks, some so bad that I should have given them away years ago. My taste in books is rather weird: I have everything from General McAuthor's autobiography to travel guides to, well, you name it. I don't have a good collection in any one area, unfortunately. Several shelves are full of National Geographic, which was my favorite as a small child, and those suckers are heavy! I had to drill out my shelves and add steel bars to stop them from sagging. Thanks for motivating me to go do something about my disorganized mess! As for your book collection... Any chance you would like a house guest for a few months? I wouldn't be very good company though, I'd be too busy reading!

Those adapter sets (which often include a small 220 to 110 transformer) are available in the US at travel stores, and some major department stores. Two things I recommend adding: a 2 prong to 3 prong adaptor, and an extender (??Can't think of the name right now, but you plug it in and it gives you extra outlets) One word of warning: the kits usually only work for major types. You often get several different kinds in one country (when they change over the years) and also some less traveled countries have offbeat ones. I remember one in South America that drive me nuts trying to find an adaptor for (I think it was Paraguay, though maybe Uruguay). The usual answer in such a case is to visit a local electrical shop. Ahhh! OK, just looked and found this web page, which lists the various plug types, voltages, etc, by country and region (some countries have more than one type, or vary by region and age). http://users.pandora.be/worldstandards/ele...ity.htm#voltage Uhoh! That can be... shocking! Glad it was only the fuse.. I can understand that for different voltages, but it is a pain when it's the same voltage and just different shapes.

DK pegged a main source of allergens (and allergens are a major source as asthmatic problems): Mold. You mentioned that this was in a basement: Basements are notorious for this, as well as other environmental contaminants. My father had asthmatic attacks which were bought on due to chemical allergies combined with panic attacks. He was very, very sensitive to any sort of solvent, and stress made him much worse. Insect or rodent droppings can be a major source, too. So too can food allergies.

AARRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GREAT point! Those drive me crazy(er)!!!! The worst IMHO are the many permutations on the US standard two-parallel-blade outlet. ALMOST identical, but not enough to actually fit!! Often, the device can adapt to the power and voltage, but not the plug. I carry a universal kit of adapters, but in some out-of-the-way places, like Paraguay, I couldn't get anything to fit. Same in some parts of Europe: many places use the twin-round-pin config, but often with slight differences in the distance between the pins. I like the way you think DK. If I had been writing something similar, I'd have done the conversion, thus giving myself extra work, a headache, AND losing out on something that adds richness and depth to the story.

Not just the genre, but the style seems different too. Very interesting! I liked the way you captured the mode of speech. Silver Springs, Nevada? Very interesting! I'm guessing that it's a story about Eddie changing? I can't wait to see what happens next!

I'd ask myself out, but I just don't meet my standards...

Why, oh why won't you Foreigners adopt once and for all the most widely understood language on the globe, English? Sorry, just trying to make a point with humor, but think about it: It's a heck of a lot easier to cope with differencing measurement systems than it is to cope with different languages. So, Many Americans, such as myself, can work in either Metric or Standard, just as you can converse in English and, I assume, Italian. I think the dual system works well for many Americans, much as being multi-lingual works well for many Europeans. Ahhh!! I never noticed the standard measurements for the ships (feet, inches, etc. are my normal system, so I don't notice them) but I did spot the metric for distances. Wow, that IS a very odd system!!! And it makes total sense, too (I've seen some very odd mixes of standard and metric in some countries). What an innovate twist to give cultural flavor!! DK, How the heck do you think of twists like that? It would never have occurred to me, yet I've seen somewhat similar mixes in practice.

Happy Birthday James!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Many happy returns!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you, Krista! I've been hoping that someone would comment on the make out and sex scene in my story. I still have no clue if it's ok, really stinks, or somewhere in between. It's not something I plan on writing a lot of (I'm not a fan of lots of sex in a story, once in a multi-chapter is fine for me) but I'm wondering if I should avoid it completely. I can't take much credit for that one: Irritability is one of the symptoms of a concussion. There are others that I didn't list, but I left irritability in for the humor: Yeah, fall off a cliff and dislocate your shoulder, and you just might be irritable! ROFL!

Uhoh! What happened? Knives? Hmmm.. I thought it was only during the first half of the month that we allowed knifing newbies? Welcome, Lugnutz!!! Very glad to see you here! If you have any questions regarding getting started, feel free to ask here or PM me and I'll be happy to help.

I loved this, Snowey!!! I'm a huge fan of technical details, and your storyline was very, very moving, all the moreso because of your life similarities with it. It was also hilarious in places.. I loved the quote from DO!!! What a great mix!! I do hope you will keep writing!

Thank you both, Kitty and Luigi, for all your hard work! For those that don't know, a project of this size is VERY difficult, and far harder than writing the stories IMHO. Absolutely! Kevin, congratulations! That was a wonderful thing for you to do!!!!

Standard Vs. Automatic does seem to be a matter of taste. It also takes quite a bit of getting used to if you didn't learn to drive on a stick. One advantage is that overseas, they often charge one doozy of a premium to rent an automatic. I have a cousin who works at a car rental agency in the UK, and she says that they refer to in in their office as "the Yankee tax". I've also been in quite a few places where renting an Automatic just wasn't an option. As for preferences, I prefer a standard on a high-performance car. Often, especially for European imports, the Automatic is a real performance drain. I also like the control you get when racing: the downshift is so much better then braking, and you can wind up the torque and kick it in just as you come out of a curve. For everyday driving, I prefer automatics. I do a lot of driving on "Jeep Trails", and I prefer an automatic in 4WD vehicles too. I find it easier for crawling over rocks.

Just a heads up for anyone having trouble doing this: For me, it pops up a box asking for my user name and password. My GA username does not work for this, but the e-mail used for my GA account does.

I'll never tell! Welcome, Objectivist! Cool handle BTW! Thank you for joining us! If you (or anyone) have any questions, feel free to ask them here, or PM me..