Headstall

Stop nuking my friends.

Short king Napoleon complex.

Greetings and salutations!

@clochette Outlander! Why? 😢 ... oh no!... It made me cry.

Hello, common folk... and Hobbittses.

The commute would be a bitch.

Thanks! . Great to hear from you again, centex. Nostalgia is an ache for what we might have lost... in this case, those innocent times when the world had no limits to two young boys with burgeoning imaginations and comaraderie. I have such fondness for those times too. Appreciate the support, my friend. Cheers!

Hello, all!

No platitudes from me, but I hear you. Sounds like you have the right attitude.

Happy Sunday, all! Anyone watching the NHL playoffs?

I think there are news outlets in other countries who want to make Australia look as bad as their own county when it comes to gun violence. Glad to hear it's an isolated occurrence.

159.9 per litre yesterday north of Toronto.

Thanks, tim. I have used AI too, come to think of it, when I google something about my new fishtank , and it has AI come up as an option. It does have its uses. I do avoid anything that looks like AI on TikTok or in Reels, though, because I feel what's the point if its fake for clicks? Cheers.

That episode isn't on here until Monday night. Yikes. Now I'm scared.

I have learned to stay away from serious conversations on here... I do my best to avoid any controversy(?)... but what you say is so true, Krista. One of my daughters is a graphic design artist. She studied for years and has a degree, has drawn, painted, and created her entire life (like her dad), and has worked as a graphic designer for the same company for about fourteen years. The owner of that company passed away and it has been sold off piecemeal, and all the employees were let go. I asked her if she had any leads, and her answer made me want to cry. She said her profession has become obsolete because of AI. It's happened to her once-successful classmates too. It breaks my heart. She just accepted a job for not even half the pay and entirely out of her field, a job that has no actual qualifications needed. It wasn't just her livelihood she lost, it was her passion. As far as using AI in fiction writing... ah... I just deleted what I typed to avoid argument. Let me just say, I am old, and don't see it the same way as some of the previous posters seem to do. I have no right to judge anyone else, and I don't, but I will never use it. Never. Not for anything. I have Word, and I get squiggly lines for bad spelling, and I get some other blue ones I mostly ignore, but I haven't downloaded any programs to assist me, like Grammerly(?) for example. I've had a wonderful editor @Timothy M. who helped me immensely, but I do all my editing myself now, and I have never used a beta reader. Not because I think I shouldn't. I'm just not comfortable sharing anything but the final product, other than with Timothy. I'm far from a perfect writer, a late bloomer by any standards, but my work contains my heart and soul, such as it is, and I am proud it all came from my head and my fingers. The satisfaction in that is priceless to an old fella like me who wrote stories in his head his whole life. So yeah, I agree with you there too. I've been worrying for a while that maybe I am part of a dying breed, but it is what it is. Writers have to make their own decisions. Cheers! G.

I watched the latest episode here, but you might be ahead of us over there.

Is the gang violence in Sydney bad, B? I read some about it today.

I do mourn the innocence of youth, yet there are times I feel my family situation never allowed me a chance to be innocent. It is why that summer means so much to me when I let the memories wash over me. We once kept a frog for hours, passing him back and forth and trying to feed him insects we caught. I remember chasing him in the grass until I couldn't breath from laughing so hard. We returned him to the marsh we got him from, and he swam away. I had an affinity for frogs after that, which turned into an affinity for turtles. We named him too, but I can't remember what we settled on. I like that you might have shed a tear at this one. As people we are often judged throughout our lives, but for me, I think it is I who judges me most harshly. I'm trying not to do that, but it's not easy. I recognize I can do something cowardly without being an actual coward. I love Haiku, I love writing them and reading them. I appreciate you quoting this one. Pride can blind us, but in small doses it can feed our souls and give us strength. Thanks, Ben. Your reading and commenting means a lot to me. Appreciate the support. Cheers. Gary.

Hello.

Welcome to the Paddock, @exny

Thank you, Alex! As always, I appreciate your support for my work. Cheers!

Oh, for sure, Adi. I have so much to be thankful for. My kids and grandkids especially. I live a comfortable life, but loneliness colors some of it, and as much as I accept it, I struggle with it too. You're right that we seldom get do-overs, at least not the kind we want. Your words are kind. Words to me aren't much different than opaque watercolors or solid oils to a painter. Being able to see what I write is a great compliment IMO. Thank you, dear friend. Cheers!

Glad you found them so, Doha. Yeah, we often share similar experiences, both good and bad. Sometimes reality gets to heavy, but there is no escaping it. We cope, and hopefully we learn. Cheers, my friend.

You get me, my platonic friend. Seriously, I'm happy you see the innocence of "Within". I was young, and I didn't even know what paths could possible be ahead. We lived day to day. We lived a couple of miles from each other and would meet halfway in the back of the woods that lined the country road. I do remember being so excited to see him each day he could make it, but I had no clue why there was a tingle. I did recognize he was very beautiful, though. So no, I wasn't ready for any road. "If Only" is my cross to bear, and that is enough said for now... other than every so often the hurt can take my breath away. "Lessons". Yeah, pride is a double-edged sword. Handle with care. It can rob you of things, blinding you at the worst times. I think my favorite 'lesson' is... "Does a flower doubt its ability to push past burdens above?" It's been my mantra since I wrote it. Thanks for brightening my day, J.

Yes it is. Thank you, Michael. I'm pleased you found something here. Cheers.