MikeL

Here's a fantastic artist with a great tribute to 9/11. Be sure to watch closely, especially near the end where what you expected suddenly changes.

Have already exchanged several e-mails with him. He seems to be in good spirits.

Our Yearly Dementia Test-- only 4 questions Our Yearly Dementia Test It's that time of year for us to take our annual senior citizen test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge how your memory compares to the last test. Some may think it is too easy but the ones with memory problems may have difficulty. Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. The spaces below are so you don't see the answers until you've made your answer. OK, relax, clear your mind and begin. 1. What do you put in a toaster? Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast' give up now and do something else … Try not to hurt yourself. If you said, bread, go to Question 2. 2. Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink? Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading more appropriate literature such as Auto World. However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3. 3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from? Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass.If you said 'green bricks,' why are you still reading these??? If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4. 4. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London toMilford Haven in Wales. In London , 17people get on the bus. In Reading, 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on. InSwindon , 2 people get off and 4 get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, 3 people get off and 5 people get on. In Carmathen, 6 people get off and 3 get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven.. Without scrolling back to review, how old is the bus driver? Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own age? It was YOU driving the bus!! If you pass this along to your friends, pray they do better than you. PS: 95% of people fail most of the questions!!

Since Mr. Blake has leased his boat to Trevor and Trevor's insurance is footing the bill, it is highly unlikely that Mr. Blake does not know Trevor Carlson's name. It is also highly unlikely that Mr. Blake would not tell his wife about the good fortune he had leasing the boat during the off season and the name of the lessee. Therefore, Mrs. Blake has heard the name Trevor Carlson from her husband. If she was Trevor's mom, we would have heard of a joyous reaction on her part. I don't think there's a chance in all goatdom that Mrs. Blake is the former Rachel Carlson.

Chase, there's no hate here. I was just surprised that you would laugh at someone just because they married early. I can't really give any good advice about marrying young. I was in my late twenties...just a few weeks short of my 29th birthday when I got married. We've been married 41 years now and it's been great. Again, my best wishes to any young person who is dealing with such a daunting set of problems.

Andy and Tara have both given you some important points to consider. I would add two things. How important are your wedding vows to you? You remember the words; what did you promise to do? If you are married, sex with anyone other than your spouse is adultery. Gender is not a factor in that consideration...not the gender of your spouse nor the gender of the other person. Who will be hurt by your decision? There's you, your wife, and your child. What relationship will you have with your child if you and your spouse divorce? How will the other person be affected by a short relationship that you decide to end because of your conflicting emotions? It's not an easy decision and I have probably not been much help. But it is a decision which deserves long and sincere contemplation on your part. Now here's the kicker. This little bit of advice comes from a straight man who has never faced the situation you have before you. I can't envy you; I can only wish you the best. One more thing: Ignore Chase.

Excellent chapter three, Andy. You are giving us a good lesson on courtroom procedure along with a riveting story of brutality arising from personal hatred. I'm hoping Jordan Colmar does testify; with a little help from his attorney, his goose is cooked. Speaking of being cooked, please keep this excellent story on the front burner.

I appreciate your comments, Bob. I always do. This is a unique community, populated with many very special people. You are one of the really special ones.

Happy Birthday, Drewbie! Where have you been?

I think nail growth is much more exciting than counting the words in a novel. As for the Dickens work, I was referring to the unabridged version.

There's nothing wrong with a long story. This one has rich detail and a complex plot which require some time for the author to tell and which require some effort on the part of readers. You will glad you stuck with it when you finally understand what you don't yet know. If you think this is a long story, try reading Nicholas Nickleby.

When editing or proofreading an author's work, I always draw a distinction between dialogue and narrative. Dialogue should suit the character(s). An authentic accent, vocabulary, and pace of speaking is always appropriate. This should not be carried to an extreme which makes it difficult for the reader. I do have a problem with a character whose grammar is very poor to the point that it detracts from the story because it is so hard to read. Narrative, on the other hand, should be closer to standard English (as fits the author's locale). I see no problem with dialogue being distinctly different from the narrative. Obviously an exception should be made for a story told in the first person; the narrative could reasonably be as nonstandard as the dialogue. For me, it's just that simple.

The economy is so bad that: 1. I got a pre-declined credit card in the mail. 2. CEO's are now playing miniature golf. 3. Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen. 4. Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America. 5. Motel Six won't leave the light on anymore. 6. A picture is now only worth 200 words. 7. They renamed Wall Street " Wal-Mart Street". 8. Finally, I called the Suicide Hotline and I got a call center in Pakistan and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck. Have fun while you can.

Great little tidbit of a story. I can't see you as fair to middling.

When I bought my Blackberry, I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up (under duress) for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grand kids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter, with only 140 characters of space. That was before one of my grand kids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world. My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag. The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Bluetooth phone I'm supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at the local store talking to my wife and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it and I got a little loud. The GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-u-lating." You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light, if I made a wrong turn. Well, it was not a good relationship. When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me. To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings. The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me. Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or Plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look. I was recently asked if I 'tweet'. I answered, No, but I do toot a lot." P.S. I know most of you are not over 50. I just think you should know that we senior citizens don't need any more gadgets. The TV remote and the garage door opener are about all we can handle. The above is a fictional account of a very real dilemma.

Bogus goat!

Great chapter 2, Andy, giving us a good insight to trial procedures. You writing is very interesting and does not at all contain too much legalese. Peter's performance and that of the prosecutors was superb. I'm looking forward the the next chapter.

What a neat idea. Sorry I'm not a UK citizen...or subject...or whatever.

Not familiar with the song? See: Hang in there. You won't always be alone.

A straight guy can fall in love with a gay man. It's very rare, but it has happened. I think the attraction was to the person for reasons other than his gender, obviously. My best advice is to remember that a long term friendship is worth more than a lost friendship. Don't expect him to become something he is not.

There's a lot to be said for part time politicians. The next best form is short term politicians. In the US, virtually all politicians, certainly at the higher levels, are full time and must rely on the salaries and benefits of their position to earn a living. Some go beyond that and use their positions to enrich themselves further by questionable, if not illegal, means. The US used to have a strong currency and we used to have politicians who had their constituents welfare foremost in their thoughts and actions. I hope the Swiss don't follow us down the path we have taken. Nobody is perfect. Kudos to those who try to be.

Beautiful pictures, Nephy. Unpronounceable names, but beautiful places. I really enjoyed my one visit to Wales.

Thanks for your response and that is good to hear. You and Matt make a good couple and I consider you both friends. Why would your having a boyfriend not be something about you? I'm probably a puzzle in more ways than you realize. Queerlings, as you referred to yourself (I assume) need advice about a lot of things. Some I can help with; some I cannot.

Cam, you didn't mention a certain someone by name. Are you guys still together? ----------------------------------- More to the point of the forum topic, my name is Mike. I've been around a while...a member of GA for more than 5 years and a member of the human species for 70 years. I am straight, married 41 years with four sons and five grandchildren. I've published a few poems here at GA, do beta reading for several authors, and have made a lot of good friends.

Thank you for your moving words...a real tribute to life. We all would be much happier if we could master the art of forgiveness. Sweet dreams, Bob.