greenmann

well, mine is pretty simple... when I started landscaping proffessionally, I wanted a name that would reflect my interest both in plants and wildlife. Since I was kinda stydying paganism at the time, the green man seemed appropriate, so I named my business Green Man Gardens. The first online chat community I signed up for was a gardening e-mail based list, so I signed up as greenman. Kinda stuck for my online persona, though sometimes greenman is taken, so I started using greenmann. You'll see me as both or either depending on where I am.

I've tasted aioli, Old Bob, brought back directly from south France actually from one of my sister's student's families (she is a kindergarten teacher) who lived in France. It was good, though a bit salty for my taste. I don't eat red meat, so I'll take a pass on the reindeer. I have noticed the last month or so that beeffalo (american bison meat) has started to appear in a bunch of local markets. Not likely to try it myself, but I do think that could be a welcome shift in American ag, and might open up some possibility of restoring some kind of more ecological approach to food production. Hopefully.

Most American cities have a number of ethnic foods offered, and Seattle is no exception. I love most of them, as long as they don't get too spicy. I don't realy consider the Chinese restaurants all that authentic, they are more like "Chinese American" (like fortune cookies, invented in San Francisco), but there is a dish that a number have started making that I love; "walnut prawns". The bottom layer is steamed brocoli and water chestnuts, with fried shrimp on top. Candied walnuts sprinkled on top of that, with a honey mayonaise kind of sauce over the top of everything. Sounds strange, but it is heavenly when cooked properly. Our own "native" foods are pretty simple though. Probably the best thing that's really indigenous to this area is alder or cedar smoked salmon. You can get red cedar shakes in gourmet stores now to do it in the over, but usually on an open campfire or barbeque, you would butterfly the fish to spread it open, skewer it, and let it roast slowly over the smokey fire. The smoke from the alder and cedar makes the salmon to die for, and it drips most of the fat off into the fire that way. In the oven, you need to char the plank a bit, then put the fish on top (skin down) and broil or bake at 400-450 for around 15-20 minutes. Serve with a baked potato (Washington actually processes more potatoes than Idaho, and produces almost as many as well, lol). Add some corn or asparagus (steamed of course) and some Columbia Valley chardonay, and you have a very nice meal A simpler way to cook salmon we grew up with is to clean out the guts, stuff with a lemon and some herbs (parsley, chopped onion, a little rosemary or oregano), wrap it in tin foil and either throw it in the oven or on a grill. It's done when the skin will peel right off. Heavenly Of course, we have 5 different kinds of salmon to choose from here (well, if the fisheries don't collapse on us). A favorite food memory of mine is a desert we used to get at a little East Indian restaurant in Panama City, Panama while I was in the Peace Corps. It was made of candied grated carrot with ginger and some other spice I was never able to identify. I have never seen it offered here in the states, nor come across anyone who recognizes it, but it was really good!

I'd like to add that there are other ways to express yourself, and though this may be a little off base among a group of writers... if you like to draw, you might want to use a non-lined notebook or sketchbook for your journal, for those days when words just aren't what you need to express yourself. Some people draw, some people write, some people dance or sing or act... whatever works.

You must be thinking of Bulgar, clumber, and no, not in Panama. They mostly ate rice, corn, manioc and sweet potatos for starch. Though some here might have a taste for what they were measuring with their yarda, which is what they called the longer machetes. I did find it interesting also that in Spanish (or at least in Panama), just as the knife itself has rather obvious phalic references, the scabbard does as well. Interestingly, the colloquial term for the scabbard is vaina, which was literally translated to me as "pea pod". When I asked if they were familiar with the American saying "like two peas in a pod", I got some very startled, and very uncomfortable laughter out of the three men I asked the question to .

While you are giving that "we can't talk for a while till I get my head around this" speech, let him know you are going to be blocking his calls for the foreseeable future. I believe most cell phones can block individual numbers now, so you should be able to to do that fairly easily. You have to let him know you are serious, and doing it for YOU, not to hurt him, if you want a chance at his friendship later. If he can't deal with that, he's not worth your emotional time anyway, and a clean brake is all the more important. Be honest with him. Tell him how you felt after the break-up sex. Maybe it will help him understand what you are going through, so you can get the space you need. And good luck with it all! Don't forget to love yourself. That's the first step to finding someone who will love you back.

Um, I always thought "fridge" was short for "refrigerater"? And if we are going to get into hand signals... when I was in Panama in the Peace Corps, it took me a while to get used to how people show measurements. You know, when you say "it was THIS long" and use the appropriate hand gesture to show it? Well, in the US, we usually put our hands out, palms facing each other, and approximate how long it is by the space between our hands. Well, in Panama, they hold one hand straight out, pointer finger pointing and measure back along the wrist to forearm with the other hand, usually marking it off with the pointer finger. The first time someone did it to me it took me a bit to figure out what he meant, but of course it was still perfectly clear. I dunno what they thought of my hand gesture for the same thing Course, since all the guys in my village used a machete, sometimes they would measure it on the machete too, especially if it was something vulgar, lol. But I would probably get into trouble if I tried to explain that.

Incidentally, I think the "trunk" (for the back storage compartment of a car=automobile) in the US comes from the old practice of strapping a steamer trunk to the back of the old model A Fords and similar vehicles. Once that became common enough that the newer models were made with one integrated into the design, the name still stuck. And I agree, I think most people here would understand what a "pram" is (if not a buggie, that coudl be a couple of different things), but we call them strollers (which seems more descriptive to me for what it is.) Jelly is clear, jam is cloudy and preserves has lots of crushed or even whole berries, but they all work on toast or Peanut Butter and Jam sandwiches I live off the stuff, so I should know Gelatin, flavored or not, is compeltely different of cours,e though just as yummy. I like the jiggly stuff you can pick up the best.

jello= (instant) gelatin (simlification of the brand Jell-o, dunno how wide spread that is across the country, but it's certainly true here). band-aid= that little medical boo-boo cover upper (also a brand name, what's funny is I have actually seen a generic box use a very similar phrase, so similar I had to read it twice to recognize it was different. Unfortunately, I don't remember the phrase they used ) um, kind of esoteric, but a "blue jay" here in the northwest is actually the Stellar's Jay. Different bird (though closely related, and prettier, if darker) than the Blue Jay pretty much any where else in the country. hmm, I may have to come back to this... I know in an hour I'll probably think of more

Ok, as a total introvert, I could never be that blunt, lol... but the advise is still sound. Instead of asking HIM if he likes you, a safer way to go about it is, after talking to him a while to make sure the two of you really are interested in each other, at least as friends, tell him you are bi. If that goes over ok, then tell him you find HIM attractive. If he's not interested in you, you can blow it off as just being horny all the time and go for just friends. If he IS interested in you that way, even if he doesn't actually say anything, his body language will probably tell you if you pay attention. From what you have said, it sounds to me like he probably is on some level attracted to you. Whether it is a friendly kind of thing, or something more, you'll have to work out on your own. But if he is willing to just sit with you quietly and take his shirt off? Hmm, would make me wonder too. One further piece of advice, don't take too long to start up a conversation with him. If he really is interested, but doesn't sense anything back from you, he may just move on dissappointed. As Demetz says, joke around with him a while, see where it goes first. You've got time to get to the more personal stuff.

well, I have rather eclectic tastes... your mileage may vary

Rock Lane Cooper's 'Mike and Danny' series might fit the bill... http://www.geocities.com/rocklanecooper/ (also on Nifty under the Adult Friends category). There are, by the end, several intertwining stories in this one, several of which have a bit of age disparity. Also on Nifty; 52 Panhead (http://nifty.nisusnet.com/nifty/gay/beginnings/52-panhead/) Skin (http://nifty.nisusnet.com/nifty/gay/beginnings/skin/) Naked Surfer (http://nifty.nisusnet.com/nifty/gay/beginnings/naked-surfer/) kinda an eclectic bunch, so I hope there is something there for you Sorry most of its on Nifty, but I like the place *shrug*

Hmm, well I think you missed my meaning, at least in part. There is a difference between "acting out" in pretend, in play mode, and "acting out" by taking on the persona of the charecter you are acting as. One you can put on and take off like a pretend costume. The other is a deeper connection to the charecter, identifying yourself with that charecter. I used the term "obsessed" deliberately, it was not meant for dramatic effect. And sure, both forms of acting out are in most cases normal behavior for young kids. You want them acting out various roles to learn how to handle different situations in a safe way. You even want them to emulate heroes and such (both "super" and otherwise; doctors and police, firemen and even mundane roles like dads, shop keepers etc...) This is normal healthy behavior most of hte time. Its also why these games are completely innappropriate for very young kids, since the violence is NOT the kind of behavior you want them identifying with and emulating. So I will have to dissagree that the games aren't a causal affect in violent behavior in SOME kids (or adults for that matter). Not all, but some. And not the whole cause of violence, but certainly a contributing factor. I really don't think human behavior is so simplistic there is just one cause for most of our behavior. And that is my completely unqualified opinion, lol.

I'm not so naive as to believe violent games are the only cause of such behavior, but I think a pretty strong, if circumstancial case could be made that they are a contributing factor in cases like the young kid I reffered to. My sister was constantly talking aobut how this kid basically obsessed over the violent aspects of the game. He would literally act out scenes from it in his play time. Maybe that's not normal, but it certainly is a fairly clear affect of playing the game. And jsut as clearly, the attitude of the parents in this case was a huge influence on the child as well. Their inability to see it as a problem, and in some ways even encouraging the aggressive behavior by refusing to punish aggressive acting out, and calling it "cute", create an environment where there is no reason for the child to react otherwise. My sis is afraid this kid is a budding sociopath. It was literally that bad. And there is exactly the problem. "Balance" is key, but that is often a difficult thing for parents to achieve. The above is an extreme case for sure. But any teacher can tell you that 9 times out of 10, the problem child is one whose parents simply don't know or care enough to figure out how to cope with bad behavior. It's the "my little darling would never do that" response that is all too common. Sometimes I think that parents should have to go through mandatory parenting classes... after all, to get a gun or drive a car you have to get licensed. Why not make people get licensed for perhaps the most important thing you will ever do in your life? But then, whose version of morality would you teach new parents? ANd really, thats probably the most important part of parenting, teaching morality and ethics. As a society we are slipping more and more into forcing teachers into this role (which is one of the reasons I think so many people are opting out and either home schooling or sending their kids to private schools). The problem with this is that the US is such a mongrel culture, with no clear religious or other cultural common denominator that everyone can agree on as "the" ultimate arbitor of morality. We can't even agree on what is politically correct half the time, lol. So those poor kids that aren't taught this stuff at home are taught the barest bones basics in the classroom, usually barely enough to get through school.

Well, if you could count on parents to actually "do their job" as you say, then this debate wouldn't really be necessary, and quite possibly, games like this wouldn't spiral into the kinds of violence we are seeing now. And I have to say this, I have watched halo, and a bit of GTA (dunno nor care which version, personally it left me feelign rather sick to my stomach) and one of the major differences between these games and the old cartoons, is the realism with which the violence is shown. Tom and Jerry would never survive a half hour if the kinds of things they do to each other if they were shown more realistically, but its all shown with swirling stars and a wink and a nod. There is a tacit understanding that the violence is slap stick comedy, not real. You even get people arguing over whether or not Tom and Jerry LIKE each other. The same could be said of most of the old slapstick comedy, including things like Laurel and Hardy, the Three Stooges, etc. But these new games, and some of the cartoons too, have an oddly stylized, but still realistic portrayal of the violence- you shoot something and blood splatters all over the place, bodies scream and writh in pain as the car hits them... this is not at all comical, not portrayed as an escape from reality, its portrayed as an alternate reality. In the hero cartoons when I was growing up, things would get blown up, and the heroes and villains would punch and fight each other, but nothing more than torn clothing was ever shown. These video games are such a drastic change from that more innocent portrayal of violence its like night and day. It's also very different to WATCH a violent cartoon and be entertained vicariously through the actions of those on the screen, and physically DIRECT that violence with your charecter, shooting at or driving over the enemy and getting rewarded for your kills with virtual points. Studies have shown that the two forms of entertainment are VERY different, especially in developing brains. Once those connections are made, they are extremely difficult to break. Brain wave patterns for kids watching cartoons are very different than those playing video games, you can't really compare the two. If an adult wants to play these games fine, but letting these get into the hands of especially young kids can be dangerous for their mental health. My sister is a kindergarten teacher. A year or two ago she had a kid in her class that all the other teachers in her day care center were warning her about before she even got him. As it turns out, his father thought it was fun to play halo with him, and let him play it on his own as well. The kid had very little in the way of social skills, partly because his answer to any argument was to fight his way through. When asked to do any kind of creative writing, art projects, any of that, his work was always about blowing something up, fighting and killing things. In recess if he didn't get the ball, someone was going to get punched, that kind of thing. During conferences, when the near constant violence was brought up, the father shrugged and more or less said "boys will be boys, what's wrong with that?" and dismissed the teachers worry that this kid was sliding into anti-social behavior. So these kinds of games DO have an effect, and they may well affect you and your kids even if you never watch them yourself. I don't like censorship at all, but sometimes I do wonder if things like this kind of violence have a place in a "civilized" society.