Tim

Just got back from the Middle East. I have been gone for nearly 2 years. For Christmas, I just want some peace and quiet.

I hate having to get up for work when my boyfriend has the day off.

In my neck of the woods, we call it pop.

My reading list would bore virtually everyone. Right now I am reading the collected works of Engels and Marx. It is a 50 volume set, so I will be reading that for the next year or so. I will take a break for the new Harry Potter book. Of course, I will get that done in a day. My everyday reading consists of newspapers, current events magazines, political journals, article clippings, and whatever else that gets thrown on my desk. Then there are the student essays and papers. That job would be much easier if students were taught how to write in high school.

I have done parts of the Intercontinental Trail. It was brutal. The boots handled it quite well though.

I have seven pairs of shoes. 1 pair of sandals 2 pairs of tennis shoes 2 pairs of dress shoes 1 pair of casual shoes 1 pair of hiking boots. I usually spend about $100 on a pair of shoes and I wear them until they fall apart. The most expensive pair would be my hiking boots. You do not want cheap boots when hiking the Appalachian Mountains/Trail. They have to be well made, comfortable, waterproof, warm, and light. My pair cost me $500 and are still in excellent condition 6 years later. It was a good investment.

I did not say all of the moderators should be anonymous. Sometimes, decisions are best made by an anonymous person. I have been participating on messageboards for many years. Most of the time a known moderator works. But there are a few cases where it did not. A post gets deleted (or edited) by a moderator and automatically it hits the fan. The moderator comes under attack because they are biased. Accounts get suspended or deleted. Admin gets hit with emails. The poster comes back via another account and the cycle starts over again. I have seen it and it can ruin a messageboard. People get sick of it and move on. This site is still growing. Eventually it will get hit with people who express controversial opinions that may not sit well with the majority of membership. One has to be fair and maintain order. When the situation arises, an anonymous moderator would be best to handle any tension.

Rating: 9 out of 10 Favorite Character(s): Nicky and Aiden Why?: They were normal everyday characters. Least Favorite Character(s): Owen's father, Dennis's parents. Why?: They were very hateful people. They had no tolerance or understanding. Best Moment: "this is a date?" Loose Ends?:Reilly and Dennis. Comments on the Story: It was a believable story. I really enjoyed reading it and look forward to future stories that use some of the characters in this one.

I think that there should be at least one anonymous moderator.

Idle minds will wander! I knew that many of my prediction were way out there. But, I did that for a reason!

I loved this chapter. Issues are being addressed between Nicky and Owen. It makes one come away with a good feeling!

What are the possibilities that the person who told Nicky were either Adam or more likely, Janie? Janie has a motive. She may have gotten enough info from Aiden to figure out where Owen was from and where he lived. She needs to cure Aiden and in order to do that, Owen must be taken care of. Adam maybe had heard something about Nicky and wanted to talk to him on how to deal with being the friend of a gay person. Maybe that could be part of the reason he was at the BBQ Maybe they are a stretch, but they are possible!

My money's on Karen having tracked him down and said interesting things to him. She is such a sweetheart, after all, with Owen's best interests at heart... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That is a very good possibility!

I hope that everyone is right about Nicky. I like that character. I was not expecting the reunion to start off like that. After reading it the first time, the first thought that came to mind was that Nicky encountered some flack after Owen was outed and disappeared. But, the encounter at the drive-in does not really fit well with that theory. I do not think the "anger" would be over waiting. Aiden and Owen had been home and left after the call from Dennis. If Nicky had been there all night, they would have seen each other sooner. Anyhow, Nicky knows Chris and Tony. Odds are that Nicky would have ran into someone he knew if he had been there all night. Something along this line (I cannot remember if this theory has been presented already) is....Did Aiden only talk to his mother while Owen was upstairs? I have problems with the playful thing too. Nicky probably knows what happened between Owen and his father. Due to that, I doubt that he would greet Owen in such a playful manner especially with a significant other (which should be apparent to Nicky) being present.

Wow! I loved the chapter. The ending.........well that was my scream that was heard around the world. My s/o came running upstairs to see what was the matter. He is not happy to find out why I screamed. That will cost me a digital camera.....oh well. Adam's showing signs of breaking with his family's beliefs. Dennis admits guilt. But to what extent? Paul and Dennis talk? I would love to know what they talk about. I was hoping that Nicky would re-enter the story. I just wish that it had been under friendlier terms. I wonder why he is reacting this way now? His reaction was different when he saw Owen at the drive-in. I guess we will know in Chapter 29! A song comes to mind: Anticipation

This would be a great time for Dom to sneak in a new chapter of TLW to calm the masses.

Ahhhhhh.....the wonders of bug juice! I feel a sea story coming on......... I remember when I was on active in the Med. We hit some rough weather and the ship took a roll when I was walking across the mess decks. The roll caused me to lose my balance (and I went down hard!) and all I saw were two cans of bug juice fall and the liquid coming my way. I did not make it up in time and was soaked in grape and orange. It ruined my khakis, but when they cleaned it all up, the mess deck tiles looked brand new!

I was starting to wonder if I was in the Soapbox forum. I was ready to make my debut (I have been holding off because I am sort of an anomaly), then I realized this was a TLW thread.

I really liked reading this chapter. Very interesting and well worth the wait. The ending leaves me with many questions!

Monday was a horrible day for me. It tooks like today and the rest of the week will be the same. I was hoping for a new chapter to brighten the day. Some good has come out of it though. I have a new appreciation for my friend and future colleague. She left for a week and the next work day, everything falls apart. Edgy?? For me, that is an understatement. I am just not a pleasant person to be around now.

I would love to see spin-offs dealing with what Ann and Kitty mentioned. I would also like a short prequel-like spin-off dealing with the lives of Tony and Chris (TLW) from the time they were kicked out of home and the time Owen moved in with them. They had to have faced alot of obstacles!

I read that he was working on TLW and that a new chapter should show up this weekend. So, do not give up! I am sure that it will be worth the wait. Another spin-off of TLW that I would like to see is the lives of Chris and Tony from the time they were thrown out until the time they appeared in the hospital to see Owen. I am sure that it would be interesting.