C James

This video is sure out of place in this forum, but I thought it was one you'd enjoy, for the eye candy if nothing else. rope swinging triple back-flips off a 100 foot cliff.

Thanks James! Jake can be his own worst enemy at times... And in Jake's case, he has a strong phobia of being cut, so he's even more irrational. You're right, it is chapter 11... This goes to prove that I cannot count; I thought "Merry Christmas Jake was 12, but it's 11. I'd originally intended this chapter to post last Christmas, but the delay is all mine; it took longer to finish the story than I thought. (It pretty much always does). And quit calling me Cliff, frog! As we all know, a got would never have anything to do with a cliff. Yep, I goofed... Anyway, I hope everyone will try and overlook the fact that it's August for this Christmastime chapter. Chapter 11, "Merry Christmas, Jake", Merry Christmas, one and all.

Yep, you got it! Rotide, is, oh so coincidentally, Editor spelled backawards. And where is our Editor, Emoe, from? Jacksonville, Florida! Coincidence, I think not! And he's en route to a literary convention!!! But... is this his first appearance? Or did he have something to do with the destruction of the Ares??? Yes, your spoiler is one interpretation, and could well be valid... but... here's another interpretation; isn't the device currently in the possession of Bes (the Bringer of Joy) also a package from home? Part of it is from his father's shop, and it was sent by Bridget as a going-away present for Trevor. Bridget is in Ft. Pierce, which is home for Trevor... So maybe the Bringer of Joy is bringing Trevor a package from home?

The procedure is the yachts (all types) transit in a convoy, and there is one per day. I've seen them forming up at the other end of the canal for a transit to the Med, every kind you can imagine. As for Mr. Rotide... I'll have a comment about that shady character at the end of my post. Poor Bes, he does seem to be coming across unfavorably... I'm not sure why; I thought people would love a character with a name that means "Bringer of Joy". Doesn't he just make you want to smile? You're right; that bomb could go off at any time. It could go off with jostling, a bump, or just a drop big enough to fall forming. Bes can read the emails from Sanchez, so which are shown to be in English, so there's nothing to worry about; Bes can read English. Exactly... See? Bridget isn't so bad. Exactly! Bridget certainly won Joel's trust, and now Bridget knows that Joel is going to propose to Lisa. Wildone! How can you be so mean to poor Joel? He and Trevor did try to find out what the rules were, only to discover that they were so convoluted as to be incomprehensible (this is true then, and now. The rules used are so arcane as to be incomprehensible.) Besides, it's his ring, so I think he's right not to want to have to subject himself to who knows how much tax. Yes, this Eric Rotide is a mysterious one, isn't he? Thaddeus... that does seem to evoke the fundie fire-breathing minister from FTL, Thaddeus J. Emoe... And Eric, of course, was the reverend's out of wedlock son (though we wouldn't want to call poor misunderstood Eric of FTL a bastard, now would we?). And Thaddeus is out of Jacksonville... Hrmmm!! And hrmm, Rotide is heading for a literary convention.. perhaps we're not looking at this Rotide character right? Perhaps, in order to understand, we need to look at this Rotide backwards? (and yes, that is a clue!!!! Can anyone get it?) Oh, and before I forget, the next chapter is titled "A Package from Home".

The red tape is kind of mind boggling, and the Baksheesh problem worse. I've never done a transit of the Suez on a yacht, only by cruise ship (So I didn't see a lot of what Trevor has to hassle with) but to get the Suez transit right, I read a heck of a lot of first-hand accounts of yacht transits, and they mesh well with what I did experience there myself. Yep, Trevor's car is... colorful. LoL! A rolling wreck. As Joel said earlier in the story, he could sell it and get himself that hamburger he's always wanted. So, now we come down to the greatest tension in the story: Will Joel be able to sell Trevor's car, or not? That bomb could indeed blow up at any time. Cliffhanger? In one of my stories? But I'm known for my total avoidance of anything that even remotely resembles a cliffhanger. Yes indeed, there are a few interesting characters at the party. Bridget and George... They did seem to be inspired to some flirtatious banter.

Circumnavigation 39, Lost and Found, is up. Will Bes (the Bringer of Joy) bring joy, in order to lift Trevor's spirits?

Happy Birthday!!! I couldn't decide what kind of cake to get you... and Angel food would be decidedly inappropriate in your case. So, I chose a rather different flavor.... beef. :music: :music:

Happy Birthday, Cia! :2thumbs:

YEs, it is! And I forgot... (Thanks for reminding me!) And, before I forget it again (I'm very capable of doing so, trust me, lol) I'll mention that it's Lost and Found. And it will be online in about ten hours.

Thanks Ginge!! Umm, I have a confession to make... Had I known that about Paphos, I would have, but I've never been to Cyprus. I've been to most of the settings for this story, but not all, and that's the sort of thing I miss when i haven't been there. Maybe Trevor will find a new friend, who has an appropriate name of "Bringer of Joy"? I'll bet he can really make the earth move. Thanks! I can say definitively that either he does, or does not. The rock could make an ideal paperweight? Conner, I do hope that's the only characteristinc you share with nitroglycerin! VERY good point. Yes it is. It's a primary contact explosive so its very unstable in raw form, and it degrades to even more unstable forms. HEat makes it degrade faster, and can make it unstable enough to detonate without any movement at all (it may, or may not, make it detonate from just heat... depends how degraded it it) . However,fear not, becuase when it becomes unstable, it does not weaken; it will still give just as big a bang. There was an incident in the Phoenix area about fifteen years ago. A guy who liked to do some prospecting on weekends was driving around with a box of old dynamite in the bed of his pickup. This was in the Arizona summer, very hot... He'd apparently left it there for days. The inevitable happened, and he and his truck went Kaboom! on the Beeline highway. I saw the crater the next day on my way to work.. about four feet and ten feet across, in pavement. Thanks Brian! That parting was hard for me to write.. I admit, I had a tear in my eyes when i did. Depending where and what blows up, those leads back to Dirk could be very difficult to explain. Egypt has its share of bombings and other terror problems, and they are highly protective of the Suez Canal (It's responsible, directly and indirectly, for close to half their GDP) so they have some pretty good cops, and first class forensics at their disposal. It would be very easy to determine the explosive type.

It was a hoax? Are you sure? If so, damn... It would have been a classic if true.

I made the relay system for a client, not for me. And don't ask what he wanted it for... I didn't, so I don't know. New Jersey.. Hrmmm... Let's see, I overflew part of New Jersey a few months ago, and I was right across the river from it while my ship was moored Manhattan... but the only time I can think of actually being in New Jersey was during a visit to the Statue of Liberty, which is on the NJ side of the state line. Also, I am not knows as "the Engineer". So nope, it can't be me... However, I think, by blaming me, you are trying to deflect suspicion from yourself. Argue all you want, but we know you are in New Jersey, so therefor, this "known as "the Engineer" must be you!

Seasonal hurricane forecasting is a somewhat arcane science. NOAA's seasonal outlook is calling for 8-14 hurricanes, and an above-average season. Their track record for seasonal forecasts is 25% (they have been wrong 3 out of the last 4 years). However, this year NOAA has some competition. A new approach has been pioneered by Dr. James Hansimian, and when NOAA came out with their seasonal outlook in May, he published his own. NOAA's prediction: 8 to 14 hurricanes in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. Dr. Hansimian's prediction, 6 to 8 hurricanes in the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season. So far, we have had one hurricane this season. Dr. Hansimian's range of 6 to 8 is a lot narrower a range than 8 to 14, so it's a much tighter forecast. In spite of that, he's on track to at least come closer than NOAA. Here's a short vid of Dr. Hansimian, his forecast, and methodology. <object style="height: 344px; width: 425px"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></object> Hrmm, I can't view videos on this system, but all I'm seeing is code above. Just in case, here's a link to Dr, Hansimian's forecast page, and the video is just below the title bar.

I've seen some innovative ways to quit,but this is the best so far. (she e-mailed the pics to the whole office).

Bondwriter! Provoke the Echidna at your peril!!! And Nassau? NASSAU?!?!!? That's where Bridget goes to meet Sanchez and do other, er, business... And it's not far at all from where Ares was lost... AND, remember that Lagoon 55 Bridget and George spotted on their way into the Atlantis Resort? (which is just offshore of Nassau)? So, this means you have a secret and long term presence there.. to what ends, I ask? Yep, it looks to me like you killed Trev's mom and took the Ares to NAssau, where you renamed her... !!!! Shame on you!!! Are you perhaps in cahoots with Rknapp? I'll post the nefarious transcript, direct from France, for the aid of those who cannot play video; Hi, I'm Willy Bite And my name is Eileen Down. You're dressed funny for a lawyer. I have a night time job too. Let's make this quick. What does your goat client complain about again? There has been a leak of his thirty eigthth story on the Gay Authors website. I don't see this as an issue. It is considered a spoiler, and the echidna doesn't like these. Who cares about some strange little animal from Australia? My client wants to know about the only important thing... Which is? Talking about leaks, the roofing on his third villa in Nassau needs some repairs. Uh oh... Uh oh indeed. You've heard about my client, then? Yes I heard Bondwriter is only onterested in money. You've got this one right. It's tough having him cough up my fees. And beware! Your lawyer referring to the Echidna as strange? What's that old saying about the Echidna? Speak not his name, lest he appear?

Now would I do a thing like that? That's right, you were off on your travels in 2006, I'd forgotten that... I don't know why you're so suspicious of Bridget... She's really very sweet. She's even, at great personal expense, sending Trevor a going-away present... BTW, I like to give a shout out to predictions that come true, but I usually forget. (I need to take notes!) But, Benji pegged one... the bugged guesthouse. Good one, Benji! The job market truly sucks right now. It's also not an even thing; it's hitting new professionals even harder than the general statistics indicate. Also, the labor department stats are misleading; they say unemployment is around 10%, but that does not count people who are unemployed and have given up and stopped looking for work. The true unemployment figure (people who don't have jobs but want them) runs much higher, around 17%. For teens, it's close to 50% (!!) Don't give up, Rob, keep trying. You're very talented, and I know you'll get there. You're also very entrepreneurial, as seen by your clever little phone relay system for the Cartel. Don't be modest; it's quite clever. And, you say you aren't in possession of such a system? Ummm, that's rather odd, because all you actually need is any desktop PC with vacant motherboard slots, and a few modem cards (which, when combined with a few phone lines, gives you multi-line relay ability). The actual relay operation can be done quite well with simple old DOS based BBS software, like Teleguard (which is free, and was widely available long before 2006, and is what I used to build a dedicated PC based phone relay, like the one in the story, about twelve years ago.) , plus a few called DOS batch files with Hayes instruction set modem command codes. In fact, it could all be done with batch files, running in DOS box windows. It would also be very simple to whip up a small app in C to do it. Umm, are you really claiming that you didn't have access to a computer of any kind in 2006? And Sanchez clearly said "Known as "The Engineer". He didn't say you officially are one. What next? Will you try to say you've never been to New Jersey? Come on, fess up..

You raise some very good points. I'm certainly not opposed to this (or any) kind of feedback; in fact I explicitly invite it, welcome it, and find it very useful. Thank you for it. As you mention, you'd forgotten Jake's fear. That is absolutely my fault; in a plot critical instance like this, I should have been explicit about Jake's phobia in the scene itself, not just in prior chapters. One problem I see here is the posting rate. With two week gaps between chapters, there really should be more reminders of plot-critical aspects. When I wrote the story, I neglected to ask how it would be posted, and assumed either weekly, or all at once posting. I should have asked, or simply looked, but I didn't. I've re-read the DA's part (it's been over a year since I wrote it, and my memory sucks) and I may well be wrong, but he seemed to me to be trying to be honest, the the point of making it worse by admitting the "probably" when he didn't know for sure. In fact (and I did check the medical aspects with a doctor when writing) I probably overstated the seriousness; it would most likely be done laproscopically, (sometimes called keyhole surgery) and might not even require an overnight stay. But, Jake didn't know that, and the ADA messed up by not presenting it better. (plus, the ADA would have had no way to know of Jake's phobia) I'm wondering if one part of the perception here is the apparent incongruity of leaving the bullets in in the first place, if its a minor procedure to get them out? The problem I ran foursquare into here is one of perception; years of seeing movies and TV have given the false impression that bullets are taken out when they can be, even at great risk. This isn't true in reality. Unless there is a medical reason to get a bullet out, they leave it in as standard practice, even if it would be a minor procedure to extract it. There's just no reason to take them out, unless they are a medical or functional problem in some way. I've run into similar problems before; something coming across as highly unlikely, due to TV and movies showing it otherwise. In another story, I had an issue with Gibraltar. It is commonly perceived as being at the north side of the narrowest point of the Strait of Gibraltar, and the southern tip of the Iberian peninsula. In fact, it is neither. I tried to explicitly correctly place it in the narration, but beta results showed that the perception was harder to shake. In that case, the solution was easy: I added a map. With surgical procedures and practices, I didn't see a similar solution (though, come to think of it, I should have added a medical procedure link or two in an author's note at the end of the chapters). Would the ADA actually know that Jake's father is an utter creep? He's only seen him once, when he was arguing that Jake should accept punishment for his criminal activities. "It's about time Jake took responsibility for his actions", a position I think an ADA would be sympathetic to. The DA doesn't know Jake's father like Jake (or we) do. He has no way to know about Jake's father's physical attacks on Jake, for example. The ADA also has a point, the same one Officer Jacobs (the cop who saved Jake's life in the beginning) made in that initial meeting with the ADA: putting Big Tony away is the best thing for Jake (and the public, and the ADA's record, because you're absolutely right, that office has major political aspects). There are also cases where prosecutors charge full steam ahead, willfully breaking the law in the process, to the point where the prosecutor gets prosecuted (and disbarred). The Duke Lacross Case is one. The cops (and the ADA) in this story aren't evil. They also aren't on Jake's side; they're just trying to do their jobs (in this case, put Big Tony away). For example, officer Jacobs seems sympathetic to Jake's plight, but police are people too; some are nicer than others, others are more hard-nosed. They're a mixed bag, just like people anywhere. They're also mindful of time; they have a lot of cases, and so they try to minimize the time each one takes. That can and does lead to cut corners without any malicious intent (countless cases have been tossed out because of procedural shortcuts of this nature). Jake is used to seeing the cops as the enemy, so he assumes the worst of them in many instances (much as he assumed the worst of Brett until recently). I find this issue very thought provoking (A good thing!), because a conundrum I never solved was how to compensate for Jake's biases in a first-person narration. One thing I did search for (when writing Jake) was a legal case where the police had tried to force the extraction of a bullet. I couldn't find one where they did that to a witness/victim, though I did find a few where there were legal battles over forcing a suspect to do it. (In the linked case, a suspect had a bullet lodged in the fatty tissue of his forehead, and the cops wanted it. In the end, they could not get it). In other case, the bullet had been left in a suspect's hand, and the police wanted it. I would have been much, much happier had I been able to find sounder legal precedent, one way or another, for Jake's situation, but I couldn't. Jake's case is complicated. He's a witness/victim, but also an admitted co-conspirator with the accused in a long-term illegal enterprise. (that's one reason why the cops need the bullet; their deal with Jake undermines his credibility as a witness). Victim/witnesses actually have fewer legal rights then defendants in court (for example, an accused can refuse to testify, but a witness can't, and witnesses are often forced to do so even when it's clear that in so doing they are put at risk. Judges often send people to jail for refusing to testify, and the only time they can't do that is to a defendant). Jake is also a minor, so the parent (it only takes one (absent the objection of the other) in California, where the story is set) can waive the minor's rights and consent on their behalf in many situations. Jake would have far sounder legal grounds to refuse if he was the accused. The best I could come up with was that Jake's case is a legal gray area. I hope I got the legal aspects right, but I can't be sure. Was Jake's run stupid? I honestly think I'd have tried the same (done whatever I felt needed to get away) under the circumstances (though probably far less effectively) but, that said, yes, it was stupid. I think he was absolutely right to run (given the imminence of being cut open, minor surgery or not, which they had no ethical right to force him to undergo) but the multiple grand theft should have been avoided if at all possible (Via escaping on foot, as opposed to stealing a car). He didn't break the law by running, but he broke it many times during the run. Jake has both an instinctive distrust of the police, and a phobia of being cut into. I'm really torn on this... Given his situation (imminent surgery, no way to delay, he'd already tired for a lawyer and was denied) I see his reaction as reckless, risky as hell, illegal as hell, stupid to a large degree, but also fully understandable. I could argue it both ways.. and I guess I pretty much am. (Hey, I've never claimed to be sane! ) That tape recording... all I can say is, um, nothing until after 11 posts. The book? Let's just say it's very appropriate, and we find out in 11.

Yep, this did not bode well for Jake, plus he has that strong phobia of being cut. However, now he's got even more trouble. Jake is good at escape-and-evade like the license plate 3-way switch. Its part of how he dodged the police for so long when his car-theft business was operating. Jake's "father" is not much of one, is he? We'll find out the backstory there soon. I know that police operations can sometimes be that, and more, heavy handed and manipulative. I'm not saying they all are, but it's not uncommon. As an example, it is standard procedure for police to lie during an interrogation when trying to extract a confession. They can and do claim evidence they do not have, witness testimony that does not exist, and they'll also manipulate family members, etc. (As you mention, manipulation is amongst their skills). In Jake's case, they see him as a teen with a record (a negative in their minds, and understandably so) and also as a criminal (and, in fairness, he is) who has gone unpunished. They obtained the consent of a parent for what they thought was a minor procedure, to obtain critical evidence against a killer (and Jake was the victim). Therefore, Jake's consent was not legally required. (Legally, such a decision is the parent

One possibility... Would a bomb impart enough velocity to parts of Trevor to have those parts complete the circumnavigation? (I think I better go find a safe hiding place after posting this!) The missing phone is certainly intended by Bridget to trigger something to happen. :nuke: ;-) Sorry, I can never resist a play on words. The missing phone is definitely important in several ways. I agree about the bosun chair (as you know, I stay away from heights in any form) but with a safety line, it's not too bad. I've been up a mast all of once, when I was about fourteen, and that mast was only about 25 feet, not over 60 like Trevor's. I've never seen a moray eel in person... the closest I've come is being told one is in a rock cave at a sea aquarium, but it wasn't visible at the time. I hear they're pretty big sometimes (6 foot or more), but the ones that have caused the most trouble are the one guide divers feed so the tourists can get their photo taken with them. Moray eels have awful eyesight... and a favorite thing for the guides to feed them is sausages from the breakfast buffets. Those look a lot like fingers to an eel, and that's how divers in several places have lost fingers to morray eels. :wacko: I love the "Sea Witch" to "Sea Bitch" idea!! "The Engineer" in the guy in New Jersey that's providing the clandestine phone relay for the Cartel. Sorry for the confusion, that paragraph wasn't clear and I'll see what i can do to fix it. The Egyptian who will build the bomb is named in the next chapter. (I think everyone will like his name ). So, who is this mysterious engineer in NEW JERSEY who is providing the Cartel with a phone relay system??? I think it's Rknapp....

That final line took it in a very different direction! I love surprise changes like that. Cleaverly done, your frogginess.

I've surfed there twice, over ten years ago, but NOT when it was pumping like in the above shot. When I surfed there, I went out into little three foot waves (In other words, totally harmless). Actually, I was about 50 yards from the "Wedge" itself. The way it was explained to me is the actual big break is (or, was at the time) a reflection wave off a rock jetty, which doubles up a southwest swell, making for a big peak across a narrow wavefront. For a big swell, that wedge is maybe (I haven't seen it, only pictures) 40 feet off the rock jetty (which juts out into the sea). With a very small swell, and reflection would be much closer to the rocks, like 7 feet. Much too close for my comfort, so I stayed clear. I don't recall actually seeing any increase in that spot at all on that day of the three foot swell, but the angle may have been wrong. I've never even seen it when it's pumping, but I've heard stories and seen pics. Scary place, when its big. Definitely beyond my skill level, even when I was surfing regularly. Another issue with the area at the time was a very strong "locals only" movement in the area. Going out on that break when it was pumping could have been very risky for a non-local, either onshore or in the water. I have no idea what it's like today, but that was true then.

Happy Birthday, Mike!!!

That's Bridget and Trevor, not Bridget and Joel. Bridget and Trevor only met once, when Julie introduced them, and Bridget gave Trevor some advice, telling him that the Bahamas would be unsafe for him, which sparked his decicion, not long after, to Circumnavigate. Bridget and Joel haven't met yet... Bridget's first call to Lisa (Lisa had remembered that Bridget could "find stuff out" and had e-mailed Julie to ask, and Julie gave Bridget Lisa's number) was after Joel had left to join Trevor. (Bridget and Lisa's first conversation is mentioned in passing by Lisa in chapter 12, when Trevor and Joel are in Gibraltar.) So, Joel and Bridget have yet to meet in person. Trevor hesitated before giving her a reply. I also noted that this reply could be a lie. I am hoping beyond hope that Trevor is onto a feeling of non trust for Bridget. Good catch! Yep, Trevor is a little hesitant about Bridget. Yep, Trevor knows the abilities of his yacht, and how useful it would be to a drug rummer. In the yachting world in South Florida, that would be fairly common knowledge. And that, BTW, is why Bridget and her husband had Atlantis and Ares, and why Ares had worn out engines when Rachel and Dirk purchased it. Bridget has a very strong motive for destroying Atlantis and Trevor; Dirk is suspected, by the police, of destroying Ares at sea to kill Rachel, and had been under suspicion of doing the same to Trevor, so if Trevor and Atlantis go kaboom, Bridget has strong reason to believe that Dirk would be indicted for all three murders (Trevor, Arnold Belevue, and Rachel Carlson). The connection between Arnold and Dirk is kind of thin but, as Bridget and George know, a prosecutor who is indicting for two murders would throw in a weak case for a third (Especially with George there to advise and arrange). And, once Dirk has been officially charged with Arnold's murder, essentially makes it impossible to indict Bridget for that killing, which would end the investigation into her. So, destroying Atlantis in a way that implicates Dirk gets Bridget off the hook for murdering Arnold. She's not worried they'll get enough to convict her, but she needs the investigation ended before it unearths her little import business. So, killing Trevor and Atlantis is a means to an end for her. An additional strong motive is that Trevor is looking for Ares, and Bridget is very afraid that he'll find Ares. (she mentioned the asset list her husband probably had aboard in a specially-built hiding place, and it's mentioned that there is something else aboard as well, that she fears even more, though it's not mentioned what that is.) So, Trevor's death, in a way that implicates Dirk, would solve two very big threats to Bridget. Of course I eat paper... that's why I use a computer to write with... if I used a typewriter, I'd end up eating all the chapters. And yep, Bridget wants to kill Trevor in a way that implicates Dirk and Jim. Remember the bomb scare in the Strait of Messina? That's what gave her the idea. Now, if Trevor and Atlantis go kaboom, and it's traced back to Dirk and Jim (that's why she used some items from the chandlery as bomb components) plus Joel and Lisa's recollection of a prior bomb scare, it's a solid case against Dirk for all three murders, which clears her of murdering her husband (and that's her prime goal.. her secondary one is to stop Trevor from searching for Ares, because she believes there are two things aboard (one an asset list, the other not yet disclosed) that are deadly to her. You're right; Trevor is completely unaware of the threat to him... which is another advantage that Bridget has. Okay, here is a quote from the chapter that I'm surprised no one commented on; Bridget was being quite honest... If her plan works, this will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Trevor. And, like he said, he'd have a blast...

Ahhem! Well, the moved decimal place and the lack of an em dash could be typos (I'm notorious for my typos, for good reason...) BUT, what clearly and unequivocally proves, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the passage cannot be entirely mine is the two characters heading for an ESCARPMENT! That means cliff, and as we all know, I'd never have anything to do with a cliff! Therefor, I think you added that... As for the spoiler... And that is clearly what it is... I am afraid I have to choice but to report you to the echidna!!! :mace:

Thanks Emoe!!! I've always been a geography nut, so I enjoy putting that kind of info into stories. Antarctica? Now that's cold!