GaryK

Maybe I read too much into this quote, but it did seem to me it was made clear the poop-arazzi were in no real danger:

You guys are hilarious.

You guys are too much!

Maybe so that evil old CJ can make us feel more sympathy for Vladimir before killing him?

I think the only place Vladimir is going is into another one of J/S's trenches.

Shadowgod, respectfully, and I do mean that sincerely, what's done is done and it's time to move on. Next year we can take steps to help ensure the process is more fair. But for now let's just concentrate on the next chapter and also making sure that Eric stays safe. OK?

Thanks CJ. As I told you in private all I want to do is help. It's one of the things I live for and something that gives me a great deal of happiness.

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. Sure CJ deserved to win and I'm glad he did cause I voted for him. I also think there was some major behind the scenes stuff going on. But IMO it's really something trivial to continue to debate. We have better things to do. Like waiting for the next chapter!

I don't disagree with anything you've just written. I mentioned before that the only really serious problem I had was the jungle scene video and as long as you correct that I'm fine with everything else. Yes, Helen does bug me, but I do see your point so I'll stop harping on it and trust you to do the right thing. BTW, yes I do remember when she told Brandon about investments and at that point I had a great deal of respect for her to tell him that. Anyway, keep doing what you're doing CJ cause you haven't risen to the level you have by writing bad stuff. I'm just a minor league critic and perhaps in this case I'm out of my league. I'll always love you and your stories, I promise. Have I done enough ass kissing?

I respect you enough to admit you've made a good point. Indeed she can go to extremes when it comes to protecting the boys. I guess what I really dislike is her increasing propensity for putting the boys in awkward situations that don't always suit their role as rockers. When she does that it just seems to me personal greed wins out over her role as protector. I mean come on, it's not like she hasn't made a fortune from Instinct already. Look at how much mention has been made of her house and other bling. Fair enough?

Helen really annoys me at times. I wish she'd concentrate a little bit more on being a mother/protector to the boys, and a little less on increasing her take of the bounty as their manager.

I think one can draw many conclusions from seeing a guy and girl together, even if it looks like they might be a couple. In many cases I think it would be detrimental for an entire rock band to be seen as "already taken". It sort of puts a damper on the fan's fantasies if they know their favorite "pretty boy" is already taken. I also think it's just a matter of time before Brandon and Chase are outed as a couple. This might seem contrary to what I just wrote in the previous paragraph, but these days something like that might actually increase their fan base. Perhaps that's why CJ seems to be writing so many scenes where the two guys could clearly be seen as a couple? I'm just guessing about that, but I wouldn't put it past CJ. You know how devious he can be. All it would take right now for example is for some sleazy bartender who's already sold them out to the paparazzi to put the word out -- for some cash of course -- to same the poop-arazzi ( ) that they should keep an eye out for something like that!

Here's my take on the boy band scenario, CJ. Instinct is not a boy band or a pop band, and I'm glad you want it to be that way. They're a rock band and that's been made very clear before. A rock band, or one of its members, being scantily clad on the cover of RS, on stage, or in a teen magazine is perfectly acceptable. Mick and Axl (and Instinct) are perfect examples of that. It's even acceptable in a music video up to a point. Mature, steamy, sexy scenes are great. Posing on the beach in Speedos with surfboards is fine. Swinging from vines in loincloths is totally uncool. Since it's been made clear that the most recent videos and stills are to be mixed with concert videos, perhaps there's a chance to salvage what's been done. If a brief shot of one or more of the boys in the jungle, sans vine swinging, can be blended contextually with a song's theme and a video of the performance then I think you'll be alright. But you'll need to let us visualize one of these videos at some point otherwise you're stuck with what's been done. I think Carlisle Island is the only time you've really stepped over the line. Just be careful about too many videos and photos where the boys are scantily clad. They really need to be recognized as serious rockers and appear in suitable attire as they've done in the past. Hopefully others will offer some objective advice as well. You offer us so much and ask for so little in return. I think it's the least we can do to help guide you when you make it clear you need some help.

I'm a little late to this but I'd like to add Wil Wheaton's (Stand By Me, Star Trek:TNG, etc.) name to the list of former child actors who have done well in adulthood. If you all haven't read his books or his excellent blog, http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/, you're missing out on a really talented person who has made the transition from child actor to adult author/husband/father. He claims to never have gotten trapped in the cycle of drugs that have ruined so many lives like Brad's.

Admittedly once his job is done it's likely J/S is gonna kill him. But if he gets caught doing things to ensure his survival it's guaranteed he will be killed when he's no longer needed. I was worried people would be mad at me for making that comment. It's a relief to know I'm not alone in feeling the way I do. Thanks. Edit Reason: I really screwed-up the quotes the first time around!

Give him hell, Tim.

I already sent the first half of this to CJ via PM. I had only read the first half of the chapter at that point but we were discussing something else so I addressed my comments to him. I'm halfway through the newest chapter of LTMP. Poor Lump. I really do feel sorry for him. Vladimir is gonna wind up getting killed just for what he's done to try to enrich and protect himself; I can just feel it. Of course he might get killed anyway, but this will make things much worse if someone discovers it. I was relieved a scan of the Land Rover didn't divulge the GPS device. Some of them do send out signals and if this one did it would have been detected. You really had me worried about that when Dimitri's cellphone interfered with the scanning. The jungle scene video was classic trashy boy band stuff. I'm a little disappointed in you for letting Helen do that to them. She's doing stuff like that more frequently and it keeps getting more risque each time. I'm starting to not like her as a manager. On the bright side I'm glad everything seems to be OK with the brothers and Brandon. And especially with Brandon and Chase. Keep up the good work my friend. OK, I finished the chapter. Once again Eric makes trouble for the paparazzi. You've gotta love that. No real harm done but at least the boys got some time to themselves. They deserved it! I also noticed Eric's non-gender specific comment about some future relationship. That's really got me wondering. Does he see how much happier Brandon and Chase are and wondering if a committed relationship with a guy is something he could handle? Is there no real significance to the lack of a gender reference? Or is it just CJ toying with us in lieu of a cliffhanger in this chapter? I guess we'll have to wait.

Now that the Mac runs on an Intel chip just like a PC it's possible to install both Windows and OS X on the same machine and then you can boot into whichever one you want to. It's usually best to start with OS X and then install Windows. Heck, you can even install your favorite flavor of Linux if you want to!

>>it's stupid but a 30 min walk is great to empty your mind. It's not stupid at all. I'm a software developer and tend to work late into the night. When I'm done it's impossible to just get up and forget about the stress of the last dozen or so hours. So I take a walk around my neighborhood. My favorite parts are walking along the creek and talking to the ducks, and stopping by the main pool in my condo and watching the waterfall. After a 30-40 minute walk around the full 17 acres I feel almost normal again. Sleep comes easily to me after that. >>because I quit smoking. I wish you continued success. You deserve a big pat on the back for even thinking about stopping. To actually stop, and remain committed to it, deserves something much better. Oh, like a long, happy and healthy life.