jfalkon

I have to admit that attachment is a part of life, but it can realy make you tired. My family had many pets. I was attached to them all. As they died off over the years I really got a differrnt perspective on the whole experience. Since I was 10 my parents and I buried 12 birds, 3 dogs, and 1 turtle. A few years ago my grandmother died also. To me being attached to someone means taking care of them when they are sick and watching them decline in the end. Its like a story that will have an inevitable sad ending. I don't cry at funerals or over the news that somone died anymore. I learned early on that you get nothing in return for your tears. Some people feel better when they cry. For me it just makes the pain worse. I can honestly say that it was worth living with the loss. I had many good times with my garndmother and all my pets. I would not trade that for anything. At the same time I am tierd of always watching some poor creature die. For that reason I am not getting any more pets. I also tend to keep my distance when it comes to human relationships. I don't have the energy for more drama. It may sound strange but I feel like I'm gettimg too old for this. For those of you who have lost loved ones, I'm truly sorry. I can't know exactly how you feel because every relationship is different and so is every loss but I do know it hurst.

Last I heard she was suposedly having a nervouse breakdown. The symptoms were something to the effect of constant crying, trouble sleeping, and loss of apetite. The loss of apetite just might have something to do with the green ham they serve prisoners. The other two sound like a tantrum. She could have at least been creative enough to fake a real illness. On the serious side, her case if setting a terrible example. She could have killed someone and for that she is only grounded for a few weeks. It makes her behavior sound excusable. The fact that she is famous automaticaly makes her an example and a role model to some kids. If she wants to selfdestruct that's her sad choice. I just hope she does it a safe distance from me.

It seems like everyone agrees that judging people by their looks is not too smart. I agree too but when you are in a croud of people the people you notice are the ones who look unusual or unusualy good. Once a person has your attention you are more likely to talk to him. If you never noticed a person in the first place there is no way you can have a relationship with them. I think there is nothing wrong with noticing a person's apearance or complementing him on it. If he turns out to be you good friend or you start dating later there is nothing wrong with that either. If you chooses to hang around a bunch of nasty people because of their good looks, then there is a problem. I understand not wanting to sleep with someone revolting but I wonder what it is that makes a person revolting. The things that come to my mind are mostly odors and other signs of poor hygene. Sometimes sighns of poor health/fitness can be unatractive as well. If you are repelled by the smell of old sweat and athleet's foot that's probably a good thing. Who wants to catch something? Its better to avoid people who don't take even reasonably good care of themselves.

In a way I think it is almost imposible to loose originality because everyone has a different way of thinking. The only danger is becoming convinced that one writer is writing correctly and everyone else is doing it wrong. Then one tries to become that correct writer. Of course imitating writing styles is an art of its own. In order to learn to write, one has to do some minimal amount of reading. After that I am not sure if reading is a necesity. I find it pleasant so I read but I can not prove that it is nescesary. Writing is just one way of expressing thoughts. I think many people get their story ideas from sources other than what is already written. Maybe there are a few writers who can develop their writing techniques from what they hear rather than what they read. If a writer tends to focuss on dialogue listening to conversations may be more usefull for him than reading books.

I think I wasn't realy expressing myself well in my last post. I think its great that parents are willing to take an intrest in whatever their children are doing. I was very happy when ever my parents played with me when I was little. I am thankful for that. The people I have a problem with are the parents who let their children decide how they will behave, dress, etc. outide of play-time/familly-time. For example, just because your kid thinks Barney is the greatest show on TV does not mean you should wear a Barney tshirt to work. There are some people who go to extreams trying to be "cool" parents. They are so bussy being "cool" that their kids never get to know them. To me that is sad.

I agree, maturity is over rated. When I say maturity I meen that state where your inhibitions over run your personality. There are many things in life that one can enjoy. I think it makes no sense to deprive a person of a good time simply because someone put an age limit on it. If you want to play with your lego blocks when you are thirty or fourty I see nothing wrong with that. Avoiding activities you like on account of your age can only serve to limit your imagination and make you unhappy. It is alright for a person's tastes to change over time as long as it is for the right reasons. When people say "Grow up!" it is usualy in a moment of frustration. The person is usualy saying it in mid-tantrum with no concern for what it means to grow up. They could just as well have said "Go to hell." Don't read too much into it. On the other hand, if someone is trying to act like a child to win the aproval of a child that person is asking for trouble. In the first place that person is being dishonest by acting like someone else. Secondly, you can not win someone's respect by caving in everytime they make a demand. It is like giving into peer presure except it is presure from your children and not your peers. That is not the same as being youthful.

Actualy I was aware of the game we are playing and now I am obligated to join it. Hmm what can I say about carrots, shooting stars, and soal mates? Carrots were once thought to improve your night vision. Some military genius fed carrots to his pilots. Their vision did not improve noticibly but they did turn an interesting shade of orange. If I saw a shooting star right now I would wish for a new claims adjuster for my car insurance. I was standing perfectly still. Another driver hit my car....This is my fault because???? I think it is possible to find a soul mate if you are in the right place at the right time. The trick is not to drive that person away. In a way its like staying in shape. Half the battel is loosing the blubber. The other half is keeping it off.

I was thinking about some English Lit. classes I had taken. Thanks to them I knew what women wrote about, what men wrote about, what black people wrote about, what white people wrote about...The list went on and on. I began to wonder if there was any demographic group they had omitted. Then I realized I did not know what gay people write about. I went on the internet and found this site. Gay people write about some pretty cool things!

About the chocolate thing, I don't know if its a growing trend. I can't stand it for three reasons. 1. I ate so much of it as a little kid that I got burned out on it. 2. It has a funny sour aftertaste. 3. It frequently triggers conversations about menstural anomolies....too much info, damn it! I confess, I am planning to go to our local gay paraed after Sunday mass a few weeks from now. My life is full of contradictions. Its interesting that way.

People find whatever they are looking for in TV shows movies etc. Most people are looking for something they can relate to in characters. Aparently some people are looking for something to be offended by. Did anyone watch He Man back in the 80's? I heard some people saying he was gay. I watched that show as a kid but it never occured to me that he was gay even many years later. As a kid I just wanted to be like him. What could be better than going outside one stormy day, getting struck by lightning, and instead of having your brain fried getting super-human powers?

This song is one of my favorites. The lyrics are pretty simple but I like the way they sound when you read or sing them. They also reflect some sentiments that usualy don't make it into songs. artist: Three Days Grace Lyrics song: Pain Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all You're sick of feeling numb You're not the only one I'll take you by the hand And I'll show you a world that you can understand This life is filled with hurt When happiness doesn't work Trust me and take my hand When the lights go out you will understand Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Anger and agony Are better than misery Trust me I've got a plan When the lights go off you will understand Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing Rather feel pain I know (I know I know I know I know) That you're wounded You know (You know you know you know you know) That I'm here to save you You know (You know you know you know you know) I'm always here for you I know (I know I know I know I know) That you'll thank me later Pain, without love Pain, can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Pain, without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all Rather feel pain than nothing at all Rather feel pain It doesn't reflect anything about me. I don't enjoy pain. If anything I'm on the sadistic side.

Ok, I think I get it. If I understand things correctly "You speak more eloquently than I do," is correct. I speak. You speak. You do something. I do something. "You speak more eloquently than me," is incorrect. You speak. Me speak---That sounds wrong. Me is an object so it is acted on instead of acting. You might be able to get away with saying "You speak more eloquently than I," but it sounds incomplete with out the verb on the end.

I thought the idea of catching farts under the bed covers was so that you could pull them over your unsuspecting partner's head. My aunt used to do this to her husband. She thought it was funny. As for tolerating one's own odors, I never learned to like fart smells (mine or anyone else's). I make a point to breath with my mouth open and my nose pinched shut when I am in a smelly bathroom. Certain smells are not ment to be pleasant. I think that is probably to keep us from stepping in piles and puddels.

Thanks for the explanations! That mistake is so common I was starting to question my own understanding of the language. I apreciate the comments on writing dialogue. It is a weak point for me.

I got 25 on the female side. It was mostly on acount of remembering which items got swaped around in that picture (ironing board, lamp, plant, etc.). I have a pretty good memory of where things are in space since I have a huge mess in my room and the lamp is not right next to the door. One thing I wonder about is the word test. We are all interested in writing so wouldn't that make the word association thing easy and shift us all to the more feminine side? Also, what if you have trouble telling your left from your right? Does the thumb thing really count? Can you tell I'm a science nerd yet? Anyway, it was fun. Femanine faces are cute. Thanks for posting this.

I'm usualy not one to pick on grammar and am compltetely dependent on spell checkers but there is one thing that bother's me. Back in 8th grade I was taught the following rule: If you want to shorten the sentence "Tom likes dogs and I like dogs." you write "Tom and I like dogs." If you want to shorten the sentence "The cat scared Tom and the cat scared me." you write "The cat scared Tom and me." This makes perfect sense to me, but often I find that when people are talking casualy they always say "so-and-so and me". When they are writing or making a formal speach they always say "so-and-so and I". I'm used to grammatical errors in casual conversation so I can ignore that part. What has me confused is when I see the folowing in writing: "Jill was angry at Tom and I." If you try to write a longer version of this sentence you get "Jill was angry at Tom and Jill was angry at I." I know that's wrong, but is saying "Jill was angry at Tom and I," acceptable? I know language changes with time and I see this sort of thing everywhere. Is this something that is or should be here to stay or are people just slopy?

I didn't see the show so I may be missing part of the story here but I'm not convinced of the older brother theory. The reason is that the oldest kid in the family has a lot more presure put on him to set an example, please parents, be responsable, etc. I remember reading somewhere that this afects their behavior considerably. The oldest child, at least in thoery, would be more concerned with disapointing people and less likely to admit to anything that others might find upsetting. The second youngest would be more likely to misbehave and less likely to care what anyone thinks. If this is realy the case younger brothers may just be more honest. Of course that's theory and speculation too.

One thing I think everyone is neglecting is that the older people on this site are quite inteligent too. I agrea that this site atracts a group of people who are interested in learning, reading, and writing. So generaly, we probably have more people who are actualy engaged in some kind of thinking here. People who don't want to think are much happier at the shoping mall or infront of the TV. (By the way, there are still a few informative chanels left on the air like the Discovey network.) I have my doubts about the younger generation. I was still at school a few years ago and even there I found plenty of morrons arround me. My mother works with some people in their early twenties. Most of them need a calculator to figure out what 10% of $100 is. They lack both education and common sense. Worst of all, many of them refuse to think. They seem to regard computers and calculators as substitutes for their brains. Once they are cured of this delusion they start thinking on thier own. Another point about education and inteligence has to do with memory. If a young child can recite all the names of the American presidents in order every one is impressed. Sometimes the child even gets on TV. While I find this sort of performance entertaining, it is not as intelectualy demanding as it seems. It requires memmory and nothing more. I think creativity and problem solving skills are more impressive. Many kids get through school almost entierly on their memmory these days. They memorize dates of historical events, scientific laws, capitals of countries, etc. and everything is fine ...at least until they get to math class.

Ok I confess, I did something very stupid while turing YellowStone park. We were all walking on a board walk. The guide was droning on about something. I noticed a sign that said "Stay on the path". I wondered why. There was grass growing all arround. I asked my mother why they did not want people to step on the grass. She told me it was seaweed not grass. I didn't believe her and steped off the path. The next thing I knew I was waist deep in mud. Everyone stared at me on the long walk back to the car. There was also the time I looked into a bathroom that I knew was ocupied just because I knew I was not suposed to. I got a great view of a relatives harry buns. Aaaaah! :wacko: That was back in the 80's. I'm a little smarter now.

It is anoying that these law suits happen and the ruling are often quite unfair. I have not watched the movie but I am sure it contains nothing more disturbing than what goes on in sex ed. I was taught about all kinds of sexual practices by a cathlic nun when I was in 7th grade! Where the hell is my million dolars?

I just wanted to clear up the issue about gay virgins. I talked to someone from my local blood bank (red cross in Pasadena, Ca) today and they told me that if you are a virgin your sexual orientation does not matter. They suspect that whoever answered the email was scared of gay people.

I think I'm a little nuts too because I have the same sort of reaction. I look in the mirror and wonder why I look this way. Some times it catches me off gaurd and freaks me out for a second or two.

Hi, I find your email exchange with the blood bank interesting. I think who ever answered your question was confused. The questions you are asked before the donation never mention sexual orientation so I do not see how they would care or know if someone was a gay virgin. I have been giving blood for some time and the question never came up. They only cared about possible exposures to infections (sexual or other). I have to agree that the list of questions needs to be updated frequently to ensure safty. The rate of new infections among gay men is not much higher than among straight people these days. I think the concern may be about people who were infected years ago when gay men were more likely to get infected. Sadly many of the people infected then have died or are very ill. They pose no threat to the blood suply. It comes down to someone looking up the numbers and adjusting the questions. By the way, thanks for giving blood! You have more guts than most people. between the needles and the machine many people chicken out.

Its a good question. I don't get much feed back either compaired to some of the stories I read. I do remember a discusion about fanmail where a few authors said that they had 20 responses. I think they are the lucky few. When I read stories I usualy see 0 to 2 reviews for the short ones. (The same goes for my stories.) For the longer ones it seems to be proportional to number of chapters. (probably because they apear as new several times) I think there are a few popular writers here who get a lot of responses but most of us get one or two for more popular stories. I know that I don't always coment on what I read even if I like it. Sometimes I wait till later to coment. I suspect more people are reading our stories than we know...and now that you brought it up you may get some feedback soon. Any way don't give up. It would realy suck to loose anyone from this site. You are all very creative.