MikeL

Happy Birthday, America! It is now officially the Fourth. I'm pulling an all-nighter tending the smoker and our barbecue pork shoulder. I'll have trouble staying awake this afternoon, especially after a big meal. Hope everyone has a great day.

Jerry's neck should be tied up in a noose. Speaking of justice, where would Jerry's trial be held? Do war criminals always go to the War Crimes Tribunal in the Hague? Does Australia have a right to try him first? What charges can the US bring against him? Will Paraguay give him a speedy trial and execution? Other loose ends: 1. Helen's condition. Will she survive? If she doesn't, how will Barbra's life change? 2. Will Instinct continue to perform? 3. Will Brandon and Chase's relationship be made public? How? 4. What kind of career will Joe get into? 5. Will Shadow have a breakout hit and headline their own tour? That's just a few loose ends; there are others. The last chapter and/or epilogue will be rather long to answer all the readers' questions. Or, would we be left hanging awaiting the sequel? Nah! CJ wouldn't do that to us.

Hey, pussycat. You expect quite a lot and may be a long time waiting for Mr. Perfect. The one thing that could make a difference is if you have all those qualities yourself. If you do, the line forms behind me. Just kidding! Happy hunting, Tiger!

Wow! Should I be jealous? I have one brother and two cousins. With spouses, significant others and offspring, we can only muster 15 at our house. I knew we had a small family, but it's tiny by comparison. We will eat pork barbecue (Memphis style) and watermelon and all the trimmings and spend a lot of time talking. Happy Fourth everyone!

I think Jerry is toast. He's too much an international criminal to disappear. Can everyone say "sequel"?

Spoilers here! Brandon Lives! Steve Lives! Dimitri loses his grip. The goat is safe for now. I was wrong about a mountain goat coming to the rescue. Maybe that's in a different story. Cliffhanger? Not really. I realize Jerry's situation doesn't look good, but I don't care. How would you like to be penniless in Paraguay?

Our beloved goat-author, C James, has released Chapter 46 of Let the Music Play. I predict Brandon will be saved from his precarious perch by a trained mountain goat. Hang on, Brandon! Help is on the way!

...and dentists.

Something like "gray home", I think.

Nickname plus first letter of surname = Mike+L = MikeL. Is that clever or what?

Very interesting chapter, Carl. It seems Ben has gone from bad to worse. I appreciate the part about Eric's physical. The DRE can be a life-saver. Too many men skip their annual physical because they are uncomfortable with that part of the exam, only to find out too late that they have prostate cancer. Thanks for including that. I hope Eric will be OK. Will Six recover and will he ever slay his demon?

Carl Holiday has released Chapter 9 of The Artists.

Makes sense. Demons were capturing and forcibly converting mages in Phoenix. Why not in Anaheim?

Not exactly legal. Of course it would take years to get a decision from the Supreme Court. The Air Force could hold him secretly for a while. Some good military intelligence or CID people would get a lot out of him in 48 hours or so.

Another great chapter, Dan. Worthington and Kyle are developing a close, loving relationship. But there is still some evil magic in the Magic Kingdom to be dealt with. Next Friday is a holiday. Will chapter 26 arrive on the usual schedule? Maybe a day early? Sounds good to me.

dkstories has released Chapter 25 of Rich Boy:Growing Pains. Enjoy the story and have a great weekend.

The July 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine has an interesting article about the Vikings and a reproduction Viking ship. The ship has sailed in the North Sea and around the British Isles. You can read the article at "Raiders or Traders".

Clues from chapter 45: There are some places along the mountainside where a person can stand...or break a fall.

Average velocity va of an object that has been falling for time t (averaged over time): va=

A exceptionally strong sidearm I would say.

If Steve doesn't survive, perhaps Joe Clump will replace him with the Shadows and they will continue to tour with Instinct. Let's hope that both Steve and Brandon do survive. What will save them?

Wow! Great chapter, CJ. Lots of action. Definitely a cliffhanger...literally.

C James has released Chapter 45 of Let the Music Play. Read on cliffhanger lovers.