MikeL

Jeremy is getting acclimated nicely to school. Then Braden enters his life. Braden reminds him of his lowly level in the Elijah pecking order...reminds him explicitly as well as by his (Braden's) own demeanor. Why then would Braden invite Jeremy to attend the fair with his family? Perhaps Braden isn't put off by Jeremy's lack of pedigree or perhaps he is attracted by it.

No cliffhangers? No cliffhangers?! That last paragraph merely serves to suggest that there may be an acceptable resolution to the precarious situation Eric and Brandon are in. Nothing has been resolved at this point. Survov might slit Felicia's throat. Scar might blow Eric's head off. It's not what has happened but what hasn't happened that makes this chapter a cliffhanger. You've just described the biggest cliffhanger of all. If the story ends with everything literally up in the air... Let me put it this way. If, and only if, the story (including the epilogue) ends with no cliffhanger - with no unresolved catastrophe or cataclysm remaining - I will gladly issue the appropriate certification to that effect. One provision: If Brian and Keith do not "find" each other, there will be a codicil to the certificate. Goats should not disappoint.

Eternally yours

Chase, I see a story line here. Of course, you may not want all your stories to be autobiographical. I'd say, go for friendship. You will figure out soon enough if an apology is required to move that along. Don't worry about getting played while you were trying to play him. If his agenda fulfills your agenda, good for both of you. I guess you realize you just insulted all of us with Irish ancestry. (And Lacey needs to wipe that grin off his face.)

Thanks to all my GA friends for the birthday greetings. I was really surprised by a BIG surprise party tonight. It was a good day and it's been a good year.

Details overload

John, Both of your parents had a difficult childhood. It's obvious your dad has made the most of what he had. I trust you will take him as the model for where you are headed. Love your mom, forgive her faults, make your own way. I wish you peace and love. Mike

My wife is a natural blond and drives a Lexus RX350. She has a hands free system for her cell phone in the car and uses it only to answer incoming calls. Hair color and vehicle preference have no bearing on intelligence. I can't imagine why you followed her for five miles. As for the left turn signal, when you see that where I live, you can be sure it came that way from the factory.

This is an intriguing story set in an anachronistic realm. Unlike other first-day-at-a-new-school stories, the central character is quite sure of himself until he meets the first of his peers. "Peer" isn't exactly the correct word, but Jeremy is blissfully ignorant until it's too late to be a proper subject. Can he redeem himself or will events carry him far beyond redemption? David McLeod's review is right. This is a thinking person's story. Lay another one on us, Chase.

See post.

Now, this is my kind of cliffhanger...one with a resolution in sight. My favorite line in this chapter: He'll be shrugging again in chapter 49.

It would probably be even harder for an only child.

Cliff James has released Desperate Measures, chapter 48 of Changing Lanes.

Rape charges

Happy Birthday, Carrion! #18

Happy Birthday, Josh! #19

Horses gallop

What you say is true, Lacey. Ever wonder where old fogeys come from? They start out as young fogeys.

Lot seepages

Edition deleted

Adorable.

I use the old MS Word 2002 and find it reliable. My wife uses the Open Office word processor and has no problem reading and revising Word documents. I would certainly try Open Office for free before I would give Microsoft any of my hard earned money.

I think that describes me, Mark. I am socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I am also one of the old folks...social security and medicare...but I am no sage. Sages are like the herb of the same name...best in small quantities.

Over the years, I donated approximately three gallons of blood to the Red Cross. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I immediately became unacceptable. That was 12 years ago and I still receive mail and phone calls asking me to donate. It doesn't matter how often I remind them or request they remove me from their contact list. It is aggravating. The best advice I can give you is to ignore the requests and don't violate the established protocols. Tell them you have cancer; if you are lying anyway, you might as well get a little sympathy.

Gateless ape