Bondwriter

Following Steve Wildone's plea for granting yet another title to CJ, I start the poll. I voted "No", since NJ's If by Chance is way worse in terms of misdirection, though the threats I made in the comment thread of 47 are still valid.

Nickolas James is quite a contender for this one with If by Chance.

Well, better than short and bitter-tempered. KC and the Sunshine Band kick butts. Well, they shake them at least.

Well, you still have the nicest years to cover.

I have very mixed feelings about this: 1/ I'd be glad Helen's just asleep and recovering. 2/ I'd be quite mad at the Goat for such deception. I even shed a tear as I read this part. And my tears are not cheap (see above...)

Did you reread Anne of Green Gables as you were there?

Following Steve's and Benji's example, I'll quote:

My condolences, to you and your family.

It seems rather obvious she is. If she weren't this would be a hell of a misdirection. And we all know CJ dislikes displeasing his audience with cheap narrative tricks.

One question: don't you become someone's best friend because you find him attractive in the first place, more or less consciously? And then develop some kind of feelings. BTW, I've become best friends with someone I was infatuated with. Terribly, definitely straight though.

Follow your heart, and cast your vote on your own conviction. So, vote yes, of course.

Oui, bien s

I never heard of a member called Canada. Who's he? I mean, there's this country somewhere in North America that Jack Frost describes at great length, and a guy called French Canadian... Is there some kind of connection?

Darn, I always thought it meant something once read backwards. Though I never was able to figure out what. BTW, mine is one I chose when I decided to offer my wonderful prose to the world (see my eFiction page, a few of the stories will make it clearer...). It seems kind of silly now, but as I'm recognized and acknowledged by a solid 0,0000001% of the overall population, which I targeted in the first place, I'll stick with it.

I think that since the Toowoomba episode, Jerry lost his grip on things. His planning was really good for designing and building the bomb, but besides Instinct, the grain of sand in the well-oiled machine, his plan was doomed to fail. At some point he'd have been identified, and the bombs would have been found no matter what. Of course, CJ already let one villain escape at the end of a story, so this could happen again, but I cannot imagine him disappearing as Blofeld in a James Bond movie. I expect something in which Joe's involved.

This is quite a nice job. A good five to ten minutes of reading, with interesting insights. I leave the reviews for after I read the stories, but it's definitely a pointer. Tim, I think it was nice not to pry any further into CJ's private life, but your questions triggered me into sending my army of paparazzi/ snoops in search of a scoop. They came up with the following, which could either be CJ (but then it means he got some hair color since the time he got spotted surfing), or (I'd be more inclined to think that) it's a potential mate from Kansas, sharing some common interest, looking for him now that he's acquired a worldwide fame. Only time will tell. My guys are supposed to get a pic of CJ at the shooting range, but I'm afraid his dislike of paparazzi might put them at risk...

It doesn't seem it's going to be a civil war, but a conflict with the US troops against Paraguay. Yet we don't know whether J/S managed to secure enough support so as to succeed in his coup. At least the people he bribed cannot access the money anymore, which should make them a little reluctant to go on in their endeavor. No mention of Jerry perusing his map in a dusty barn in this chapter, so now he doesn't have any leverage anymore, the US military would be better off supporting the democratically elected government of Paraguay and crush the rebellion rather than go into a war that could prove costly and would trigger other issues with neighboring states.

And while we're at it... Joan Jett! She's the ultimate rock star. And if you have the occasion, see Light of Day by Paul Schrader, with Michael J. Fox and Gena Rowlands. Great performance from Joan.

Good taste, anyone? You've got the peached, I've got the cream! What's that for classy lyrics?

It is entirely up to CJ to have Brandon safe and Dimitri fall. Personally, the mere fact that Dimitri is out of the way is enough to make my day. A slow and painful death would just be a cherry on the top.

I think he'd have won the Darwin award indeed. I'd encourage everyone to watch the video of Franz's feat. It should make you laugh and shudder at the same time. Notice how he hesitates because of the media presence. I can see the thoughts whirling inside his head: "Will I chicken out? Well, all these people have come for me... At the same time, what if my invention doesn't work?" And indeed, Brandon will have to be saved from the Great Goat Peril. CJ has more power over Brandon's life than Dimitri.

Happy Birthday, Michael!

Snails are more or less flavorless. What makes them tasty is the butter, parsley and garlic they're cooked in. Great entr

I'm glad to inform you that in Germany and France (that I know of), kebab restaurants are serious competitors of Mc Donald's. I'd even say that in the last decade they've outgrown hamburgers. You usually get a full plat with veggies on top of the greasy meat, and here in France, fries on top. The greatest breakthrough in culinary marketing in France of the recent past.

Two bodies offer a similar resistance to air, I'd say, unless the surface of Dimitri exposed to air is significantly different from this of Brandon. But Brandon's odds to catch a tree growing out from the cliff, or to fall 5 feet below on a small platform are higher from a fictional point of view. What makes the odds higher is that the author is not at risk of ending on a spit if Dimitri equals the performance of Franz Reichelt.