MikeL

Happy Birthday, Ash!

Gee...someone voted for me. I bet English is not his/her first language.

Lughcifer is hosted? Just kidding. Congratualtions!

Very interesting...a goat that speaks sheep.

With a good photography program, like PhotoScape or Photoshop, it's easy to lighten the picture and see just how good you look.

On the matter of Dirk and Jim's relationship, most respondents to the poll disagree with you. Is "special cigar" a double entendre, implying they are indeed gay lovers? The police usually refrain from bugging attorneys' cars. That could violate attorney client privilege. An exception would be made if the attorney was suspected of a crime. At this point, the police probably agree with me that Dirk and Jim's relationship is of a more personal in nature. I think we do have an antagonist and she is very duplicious.

Neatness: 8 the background (great action picture) makes it a little difficult to see the icons. Appearance: 9 General Effect: 10 Overall Effect: 10 I used to have photos of my grandsons, but haven't gotten around to that on my new PC. Two things I want you to notice: (1) I use Windows 7, it's proven to be a very good operating system. There are no other Microsoft products loaded. (2) A few business icons appear appear on the right edge; everything else is for fun.

If I knew how to do a screen shot, I would participate.

I am enjoying the story, although chapter 6 is quite detailed about the actual surgery. But that's OK. I'm just glad mine was done the same day I was born. Looking forward to the next chapter. Will the circumcision results be all that Luke expects?

This is fiction.

Actually, Pompeii, Capri, Sorrento, Torre del Greco, and the Blue Grotto are all on the Bay of Naples. The Naples airport would be the closest one to all those attractions. If you've never been to those amazing places, start making your plans now.

Good chapter...lots of fun with Trevor and Joel. Hmmm...cliffhanger or not? Dirk almost told Jim about a crime, which by now seems to be a central factor in the story. I take it Jim is about to head to Naples to talk with Trevor, although it is not clear what he will say. Do those constitute cliffhangers, those unresolved, nagging little questions? Not your typical peering into the abyss sort of cliffhangers...that's true. But the irresolution gives us pause on the matter of issuing a certificate. We must reserve our decision for now. Sorry, goat. On another matter, I will be surprised if Dirk and Jim are not lovers. Surely, it's rare that a civil attorney would have a typical client as a house guest.

Look at the poll again and check the last response to the last question.

I agree with Menzo. It's a great story. It's your story. Publish it where you feel appreciated. Most of all, keep writing. Did you know this story inspired a question in a poll related to another story?

Wikipedia has a rather thorough discussion of the term Hispanic. It comes form the Latin word Hispania which referred to the Iberian peninsula. Latin also referred to the area that is now Portugal as Lusitania. The meaning of Hispanic has changed over the years with the expansion of the Spanish Empire and the subsequent expansion of the US. Hispanic can now refer to anyone from Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country. I tend to think in terms of: Hispanic = Spain; Latino = anyone from Mexico, Central or South America , including Brazil; Chicano = I don't know what other than people who call themselves that. It can be confusing and the Census Bureau changes its definition of Hispanic every time it takes a census. I used to hear the term "Latin Lover" frequently and understood it to mean a playboy from Spain, Portugal, France, or Italy (four of the six countries with languages derived directly from Latin) or from any Latin American country.

If someone called me skinny, I would not be insulted.

Thanks, Tomas. I guess I will stick with (remain stuck with) Ma Bell.

I see so many ads for Magic Jack these days (I've got to quit watching Fox News). I was just wondering if anyone had any experience using it to replace your phone company. If you have, is it good? What are the pros and cons? Thanks in advance.

Lughcifer, Great story...thought provoking and better than any political posturing on the issue.

Great pictures, John and Lacey! Lacey, I want to know who took the pictures and with what camera.

Go August!

I think we may have a mystery on top of a mystery, or "a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma" as Winston Churchill once said of the Soviet Union. We may not know where this is heading, but in order to see if there is any consensus among readers, please respond to the poll.

And August.

Chase, you haven't mentioned going to the gym lately. That might help you get over some of your frustrations (assuming you don't spend the whole time in the locker room ). To paraphrase the old song title "Growing up is hard to do".

I may be a little confused about titles, but, as I said before, they don't really matter. What does matter is that you have several people on your team who, collectively, provide all the strengths that Graeme mentioned. I think I'm supplying some of both sets of services (editing and beta reading) for the authors I work with, but they all have others who make suggestions or corrections that I have not made. It seems to work well.