MikeL

Bless you. I already do. Barbaric practices have crossed the Atlantic like plague-infested rats.

I think I said before I know of no rule that would prohibit you from blogging here while maintaining a blog elsewhere. You probably will find a larger audience interested in your story here than any other site. If you haven't already, you may wish to check with one of the administrators first to ensure there is no problem. If there is a prohibition, you might want to consider blogging at GA exclusively. Don't let the initial reaction of a few dissuade you. Your blog is very well written, reading much like some of the very good literature found at Gay Authors.

Slaughterous barbarians!

While driving on the interstate, we were passed by a convertible. The man and woman in the car were each talking on their cell phones. My wife wondered aloud if they were talking to each other.

Frogs legs? ACK! I thought Europe was more civilized.

I missed maggot therapy by just a few years thanks to the development of antibiotics. When I was 13, I suddenly developed sharp pains in my right knee; they were unbearable. After a series of doctors diagnosed my problem as "growing pains", my parents finally found an orthopedic surgeon who would take my case seriously. He diagnosed osteomyelitis, a bacterial bone infection. The cure was surgery to carve out the infected bone, followed by a long series of daily antibiotic injections. My dad's secretary had suffered from osteomyelitis beginning in her teens. She had more than twenty surgeries which left her quite crippled. Her last surgery was followed by antibiotics; all the previous ones had used maggot therapy. We thought then that modern medicine was a miracle, but that was 55 years ago...almost the dark ages compared with today.

Yum! I've missed something. Things like rats as food seem gross to most of us, but unusual dinner fare is found in many parts of the world and is often a long standing tradition. I have consumed two foods most people would consider unusual: dog (Korea) and rattlesnake (Oklahoma). The snake, by the way, really did taste like chicken.

Oprah Winfrey was the first African American woman to work as a news reporter and anchor at WTVF-TV (CBS) in Nashville. She was only 19 at the time.

A most interesting take of your short experience on GA, Chuck. I only hope all GA members will seek out and read your blog. Then you will be a stranger no more.

Couldn't you give here a phone with your cell number in the speed dial memory? You could be #1.

No, I'm Grumpy. For some reason my wife thought it appropriate.

Some years ago, one of the two businesswomen sitting at the next table kept getting up to move to a private corner every time she received a cell phone call. After three or four such interruptions of her dinner meeting, the headwaiter actually chastised her for ignoring her guest. That's the only time I have seen that.

My avatar is at the beach. Smart frog.

Deadsnake's thread on the cell phone vs. the wristwatch as a timepiece prompted this question. Thanks Deadsnake. Two of my sons and their wives have done away with their land line service in their homes and now use cell phones exclusively. Have you? It makes a lot of sense. Each person has his/her personal phone number and is always available to answer. Saves money too.

I use both a watch and a cell phone. The cell phone has one big advantage my watch lacks. It has a calendar/appointment/alarm feature that alerts me to meetings, etc. without my having to check my watch frequently. That feature is synchronized with my MS Outlook calendar...very helpful.

Dom knows...maybe.

I have 25 - 30 baseball caps and almost never wear one. I did take one on a recent trip to the beach to keep the sun out my eyes. BTW, I think I only bought one of the caps. The rest were given to me to commemorate events I was involved in or as a bit of advertising for a company I did business with. The one I bought came from Disney World and contains the name of one of the Seven Dwarfs. The one I consider most unusual is from the Phoenix Trap and Skeet Club. That was the only time I ever went trap shooting and it was a souvenir of the event from the host. I've been to Europe several times and bought a few souvenir tee shirts but no caps.

Another beautifully written chapter, Duncan. Some of the narrative, in its wording, is almost poetic. I thank you for a tender, even if sometimes painful, story that really gets me involved in the lives of your characters. I always hope for a happy ending to a story. I don't know if you will allow us that, but even the title How the Light Gets In is more hopeful than its predecessor. At this point, most are still wounded or are being wounded. I see reasons to believe that will change. Thank you.

Only Camilo knows the answer to that and, since you've raised the suggestion of misrepresentation, how will we view his response to the question? Seriously, some advanced preparatory schools, such as the one Camilo (says he) attends, would have challenges like that for students in their senior year. The great majority of us, who attended public high schools, never had an assignment like that until we reached college...if then. If he does have such an assignment, perhaps he should take Myr up on his offer.

Happy Birthday, Corvus! Big #21

The Rendezvous in Memphis is the greatest for barbecue ribs. The restaurant is in the basement off the alley, but worth the trip. See: http://www.hogsfly.com/TheRestaurant.php

The word is not persistent.

True, but the sentiment was heartfelt. If you only knew. I still rate your avatar 9.5 by the way.

Considering the appropriateness of your avatar for your proclaimed political leanings, I would say 9.5. For anyone else it would be <2. I can't imagine why anyone would be a communist in this day and age. It's certainly not because of any stand the party has on gay rights. Please ignore the rant...it's not personal. You are one of the nicest commies I know.

OK, Camilo. You treated breaking up with your boyfriend as just another tick mark in a busy schedule. I hope that's not the first sign that you are cracking up. Of course, you are cracking us up. Take time to smell the roses, or the coffee, or whatever aroma appeals to you.