Graeme

Weird... :wacko: I would say that it's probably just as bad as the ones that James found earlier, though I suspect that that was deliberate. I much prefer Ieshwar's bed time story from the latest anthology.

I've just reviewed all the outfits with your commentary, which was also fun I took that bag to be a combination overnight bag and briefcase. The sort that a young casual executive would take on the plane with him. Not the sort of bag you would go out with.

That's fine, but if you really add up what that's going to cost to do, it's nowhere near $90M. Okay, you can put all the excess into investments if you like, but what is that money actually doing? It would be making more than you would use. My point was that there is really only so much you can realistically spend. After that point, you're making money for the sake of making money -- you're not really doing anything with it. Okay, you could probably give a few people jobs, so it's not completely wasted, but is that really all there is to the life of the rich? I could set up investments so not only would neither my wife nor I ever have to work again, but I could make it so my boys would never have to work, either. However, I don't think that's a good idea. I think the boys should have to work, at least for a while (say a decade), because everyone needs something to keep themselves busy. Work, while often boring and frustrating, does keep you busy. Without it, I'm not sure how much direction my life would have. I'd like the luxury of being able to say I don't want to work today, but I would need something to do.

Tonight, one of the Australian lotteries has a AUD$90,000,000 jackpot. There is likely to be multiple winners, but what would you do if you won the lot? You can assume you can spend the lot because, unlike the USA, lottery winnings in Australia are not taxed. If you are the sole person to pick the winning numbers, you get the whole $90M. For me, the number is just too large. The things I would normally consider doing -- paying off the house, giving a percentage to the rest of the extended family (say, $1M each), making some donations -- just wouldn't make a sizeable dent in that amount. If I was really generous, I would still have around $70-80M left. I think I would invest most of it, live off the earnings, and then wonder what to do. We wouldn't have to work, though I probably would (I enjoy what I do), and the boys still need some stability for their education, so we wouldn't move. We also wouldn't go on lots of outlandish holidays, because the boys need the social interaction with their friends. Yeah... I seriously can't think of what to do with $90M. $10M I can spend, $90M is too much to work out what to do with it....

I like it. I have to be home on Sunday night to watch it, and the boys have been told they have to be quiet while it's on They are only loosely following the more traditional Arthurian legends, but they are certainly doing it in an interesting way.

I can see both JJFlame's and WriteByMyself's views on this. 1. Is the term "straight-acting" putting down those people who are not? I have a personal distaste for mixing up effeminate with homosexual. The two are not synonyms. While a good percentage of effeminate guys are gay, not all are, and definitely not all homosexuals are effeminate. The term "straight-acting" is reinforcing the view that gay means effeminate, which I disagree with. 2. Is the term "straight-acting" as simple way to express a preference for the sort of person you would like to hook up with? Definitely. It specifies a subset of all homosexuals that a person is attracted to. As such, within the gay community, it has its uses. Now, I personally don't think that it's a particular good way to decide on a partner, but I acknowledge that everyone has prefernces for what they are attracted to, and what turns them off. As an example, I find beards a turn off, unless it's just a heavy stubble, which I can find attractive (hey, whoever said that attractions had to make sense?) That says nothing about whether beards are worthwhile or despicable -- just my personal view of what I'm attracted to. And, naturally, there is always exceptions, because personality is probably more important than physical appearance (though physical appearance is very important for first impressions). Thinking about it, I believe "straight-acting" is probably less offensive than "non-effeminate" which is really what those ads are saying. And expression a view of what someone is attracted to, or an attribute of themselves that they feel others will find attractive, is not wrong. In summary, both view points are legitimate in their own contexts. And I think Hoskins is right as far as those ads are concerned. The person is looking for someone that, if spotted by someone they know, can just say they're just a friend. They don't want questions raised about why they are with someone who is effeminate (which gets back to the societal view that effeminate means gay).

Getting serious about the initial questions, here's my view: 1. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sex scenes when they are appropriate to the story. It then becomes a personal taste thing with the author (and target audience) as to how much is included and how much is left to the readers imagination. Everyone has a different opinion on this, so you'll never satisfy everyone. Taking myself as an example, my number one reader is my wife. She has asked that she not read sex scenes, so I don't write them (though she did give me the option of writing two versions -- one for her to read and one for others). I also happen to share the similar views to CJ and WBMS in that even if I did write a sex scene, I would do so only if I felt is was necessary to the plot (and I seriously considered one for The Price of Friendship if the story had developed in that direction). However, there are many talented authors who include detailed sex scenes in their stories and there's nothing wrong with that. Sex scenes help develop characters, and a good sex scene shows a lot about the participants (eg. the sex scene in Shadowgod's Dreams 'n Clipped Wings). The quantity of sex scenes is up to the author, and that is as it should be. When an author writes, there is almost always a target audience in mind. Sometimes that's people who like reading sex scenes (and let's be honest, there are a lot of people out there who like sex scenes ), and sometimes that target audience is people who don't (like my wife). It's up to the author what they want to do. However, when sex scenes dominate the story, where the plot is more just an artifice for the characters to have sex, then that's pretty much the definition of porn. Now there's nothing wrong with porn, because it certainly is popular, but I think it needs to be separated from the group of stories where the reader is looking for a story. The two have different target audiences (though an individual reader can certainly belong to both groups ) 2. Is Eric only gay when on Tequila? I think MikeL has answered that one above. Eric has shown affection, etc., to Jansen many times when he's not on Tequila. Sex is only part of the whole relationship, and so I don't see that Eric needs to be on Tequila to be in a relationship with Jansen.

I know probably no one at this particular site would be interested, but the local newspaper site here in Melbourne has some photos of a Milan fashion parade. Would it matter if I mentioned that it's menswear? And hence mainly male models in various states of dress (or undress, as the case may be).

Okay. Sorry, that's a spoiler Knives at ten paces or Spines at ten thousand miles, your choice.... :mace: Well, you did ask me what I thought.....

My brother-in-law had a tree branch fall on while cutting down a tree, partially severing his arm. The fact that his thirteen year old son was with him, and was able to drive him back to the farm house was probably the only reason he survived. They managed to reattach the arm, but he's on pain killers for the rest of his life. And he's an experienced farmer -- he wasn't taking risks.

G'day, Kavika! Welcome to GA If you've got any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. And since you're thinking of contributing stories, can I point to towards the next GA anthology? You've got a couple of months before submissions are due Graeme GA Anthology Coordinator

1. I'm glad you're okay. There was something else in the area that it could have fallen on -- you. 2. I have a healthy dislike for using power tools, because they're dangerous and I don't use them enough to build up a good set of automatic safety techniques. You're just reinforcing that opinion.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Steve! Thanks, viv, for letting us know

Happy Birthday, W.L.! Is it an absolute, or relative anniversary?

:king: :king: :king: Happy Birthday, Greg! :king: :king: :king: Have a great day!

*cough* Why aren't your anthology stories on the list? They're certainly good enough to get reviews

Thanks, Mark! And, even better, I get a second Father's Day in September when it's celebrated in Australia Seriously, though -- Happy Father's Day to all our father's, including those who are our father figures even if they aren't our biological father.

Happy (belated) Birthday, John!

Happy Birthday, Viv!

*looks around until he finds his moderator hat* Excuse me, guys, but we do have a PM system you can use. You don't have to, and probably shouldn't, ask for too much detail about each others sex lives in public *takes off moderator hat* Now about that... er.... maybe I should send a PM, instead... :wacko:

You left off Helen from that list....

Actually, I read that post as saying he did bottom with his ex, and that he really liked doing so

Damn you! Here I am, thinking for years, that it was the name of Scottish kings, and now you've pointed out that I'm completely mistaken :wacko: It's definitely a Scottish name, though, being the alternative spelling for Clan Graham. Just not a royal name

I can't think of any reasons myself, either... After all, it the name of a line of Scottish Kings. Maybe CJ has a dislike for the Scots, though haggis is made from sheep, not goats.... :wacko:

Try getting yourself a copy of Spartacus, the gay travel guide. I've never looked into it myself, but I've seen it around for years in gay-friendly bookshops here in Australia.