MikeL

A neat trick indeed with a five o'clock shadow. With those blue eyes, no need to sweat anything else.

It's good to live in the USA where we get to elect all of those who waste our money.

Not to quibble, but the Queen Mother was 101 years, 7 months, and 26 days old when she passed away. From Wikipedia:

It isn't quite as big a deal either. When Charles and Diana got married, he was already Prince of Wales (heir to the throne). It has been nearly thirty years now and Charles is still waiting. The Queen's mother lived to be 102.

Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Biscuit, the Wonder Dog and was in the checkout line when the woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had, an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.) Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's butt and a car hit us both. I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard. Costco won't let me shop there anymore. Better watch what you ask retired people. They have all the time in the world to think of crazy things to say.

How does a bagpipe differ from an onion?

I agree that William does look older. Is his hair thinning? Charles and Diana's wedding was telecast worldwide. I remember it well. A highlight was Diana getting Charles' name wrong during the exchange of vows. Here's one of many video clips to be found on Youtube: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5lfGMoVMCLs

For more of Nick Pitera's music, see: http://www.myspace.com/7576210

Pavel, Your blog post demonstrates a philosophical outlook that we all develop with age. You may be doing so at an earlier age than most people would, but death is real and it can occur at any point in our lives. I remember losing high school classmates shortly after graduation. One died in a motorcycle accident just two weeks after graduation. Another died in Vietnam while I was still in college. Other peers passed on at an early age...war, traffic accidents, cancer in early adulthood...there is an endless list of reasons. It's unexpected for the young and inevitable for all. We should all enjoy every day to the utmost.

I'm with you here. I remember funny or entertaining TV commercials, but ninety-nine times out of ten I can't remember who was advertising what. As for the billions spent on advertising, those are not the companies' billions; they are your billions. The companies with the largest advertising budgets are the ones with the most expensive products. Think about it: They have to charge a higher price to provide funds for advertising. Other, unadvertised products are often just as good. The national and state do not call lists are a great aid. It's unfortunate that political campaigns and charities aren't also prohibited from calling those on the lists; they can be real pests. If a telemarketer does get through, I don't hang up. I inform them that I am on the do not call list and that I will report them if they ever call again. As for politicians and charities, it probably does no good, but I ask them to take my name off their calling list. I get no telemarketing calls on my cell phone because I religiously never give the number to anyone unless I really want to hear from them.

Why does your profile indicate you are 18 if you are 19? Tsk tsk tsk.

Sadly, the link you provided does not work for me. If anyone comes across a link which does work in the US, please post it. Thanks.

In the closet:

I generally drive 5 mph over the speed limit except in school zones. I trust everyone to keep that to themselves. Thanks. It's comforting to have an 18 year old approve of your taste in cars.

Matt, I tend to be more practical in my choice of vehicles: No midlife crisis here; I'm beyond that. The car I always wanted but never got is the one that was hot the year I graduated from college:

I'm glad everyone participating in this thread is doing so with a good sense of humor. Just for the record, I wouldn't want to be any other age than that which I am currently. There are lots of reasons...first and foremost, grandchildren are lots of fun. I may have a few aches and pains, but none of those Matt said apply to me. And before you ask, no, I do not drive a Buick.

A congressman was seated next to a little girl on an airplane so he turned to her and said, "Do you want to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger." The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, "What would you want to talk about?" "Oh, I don't know," said the congressman as he smiled smugly. "How about global warming, universal health care, or stimulus packages?" "OK," she said. "Those could be interesting topics butlet me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps. Why do you suppose that is?" The legislator, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, "Hmmm, I have no idea." To which the little girl replies, "Do you really feel qualified to discuss global warming, universal health care, or the economy, when you don't know shit?" And then she went back to reading her book.

It would seem to be time for you to reread my post. I don't think you are wrong. I fact, I think we are in agreement. What I said was "(I) could be wrong, but...", then I made substantially the same point you did about research vs. imagination and creativity, or, as you said, " He may have to "wing it" so to speak." Sorry if we've fallen into bitter agreement.

OK, I reread your post. What would you have me do now? Change my diet?

Could be wrong, but I'm guessing the goat did less than the usual amount of research on this particular story. I think his imagination and creativity are sufficient in this case and he needs no personal experience. "Two's company; three's a crowd." Can our trio disprove that old saying? Will they be the notable exception?

Actually, I have it on good authority that Cliff (diminutive of Clifford) is CJ's real first name. I must point out that the only certification Cliff James has received came not from me personally, but from the prestigious Amphibian Anti-Cliffhanger League. See the award here. It was awarded at the conclusion of Changing Lanes and not at the end of an individual chapter. Indeed the League determined that all the cliffhangers contained in the story were resolved only at the end of the last chapter.

Be sure to read the link Hoskins provided. It may just change your whole outlook on Facebook. I was a Facebook member for several years, but dropped it several months ago. I had been concerned about security for a while when something happened that proved to be the last straw. I am in the habit of searching my own name in Google about once per month (and I recommend you do the same). One of the links that popped up was one of those that will sell you public information about a person. There, next to my name, age, and hometown was a picture of one of my grandsons which I had posted on Facebook. That was it. I not only canceled my account, I deleted every entry I had ever made. A few of my friends e-mailed me to find out why I was no longer on Facebook. It' amazing how few of my "friends" actually missed me. If you are out and don't care who knows you are gay and don't mind being targeted by Facebook for gay-oriented advertising...no big deal.

Lily pad? Don't want any zombies on my lily pad. Does this chapter end with a cliffhanger? Does a goat eat garbage? That's not to say Cliff James won't find an ingenious, even plausible, way to save Trevor.

Hey, John. Chapter 9 was great! Cooper is finally receiving a revelation from Mich that he didn't expect. As a bonus, he is learning to swim. Cool story.