Daddydavek

???? What socks?

I suspect that since the vast majority of males don't use condoms, that the results are less than representative from the ones that do.

For the current generation 9/11 was when in a sense they lost their innocence. For my father's generation December 7, 1941 was when their world changed. For my generation November 22, 1963 was the shock that changed our world. I was in highschool and it was the first period after lunch and the subject was English when my generation's world was changed. Suddenly the intercom speaker over which all school announcements was made came on playing our local CBS radio affiliate KMOX and then we heard Walter Conkrite announce that the President had been shot. The radio and TV coverage was continuous for the next four days on all broadcast networks. A lot happened in the 1960's but nothing was as momentous as this.

A very satisfying chapter. The description of the hall of mirrors was fine as was the painting but it doesn't do it justice. Took the family there in May 1995 and have great memories of Versailles. George's repartee is always interesting and while he doesn't suffer fools gladly, he is able to dish with the best of them. I wonder if that comes naturally to our author in conversation or if it is something he has to work hard at in his writing? Two thumbs up!

Happy Birthday!

Zach's concerns about Gathan being the successor trustee seem quite reasonable. What I'm interested in is what Brad paints. He has one he did in memory of his brother and I think we can expect one for his lover....

Great job. Zach has more than convinced Will to give him a chance and raised his concerns about Gathan. Gathan somewhat validated those concerns and the conversation alerted Brad, Steff and Grand. The interlude with John at the start of the chapter was sweet and sad with the intrusive thoughts afterwards. The replenishing of Brad 's studio was a very nice touch and that he immediately set a canvas and mixing paint was all the thanks Will could want. Two thumbs up!

Funny thing is I will never think of 'Jingle Bells' the same.....

Saw a news item about the controversial Kmart Christmas ad for Joe Boxers and had to find the compete commercial on youtube. I really can't imagine why anyone found it shocking or controversial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFnPyVkFwUk Here is a link to the Huffington Post article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/18/kmart-joe-boxer-commercial_n_4297786.html

Happy Birthday Louis! & Many, many more!

Glad to hear you are keeping busy and that you were not just hiding from life. Get through your medical treatment regimen and be gentle with mom. Being busy is not such a bad thing. It seems in retrospect that I was so busy in my thirties, forties and fifties that I can't imagine how I got through them. Stay in touch as much as time permits!

In life there are no guarantees. Children don't come with a user handbook for parents. Children are also not a tableau rosa, especially if the birth mother used drugs, didn't have proper nutrition and a host of other factors. We were married 9 years before we adopted and researched it for 5 years before we took the plunge. We went through a very reputable agency that did comprehensive background checks and received extensive counseling. Most parents and most children are not perfect and mistakes are made despite the best of intentions. While we do not know the complete details of the example provided, we can probably assume there was plenty of blame to go around. A failed family experience is devastating for the child and usually for the parents as well. IF ONLY is a blame game. It is truly sad that it happened. Does that mean adoption is a risky choice? Absolutely. So is having your own children. Again, there are no guarantees. It is just like taking a chance on love. You can get hurt and probably will, but could you live without it? Children and grandchildren are wonderful even though not always and not for everyone.

I thought the map was an eye opener. I liked the way you could zoom into areas for each of the basic groups and then for the subgroup terms as well. There is a lot of prejudice in the US and anyone who thinks otherwise has their head up....ehhh, I mean in the sand.

The exploring adventure was great and now back to their insane schedules.

​HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Life sure gets complicated.

Arbour's stories are noteworthy for their attention to detail and he paints incredible word pictures which puts his readers right in the moment. And he does it without pretense. He certainly has a knack for telling a good story and was the reason I joined GA!

​HAPPY BIRTHDAY! & Many, many more!

Oh, and what about Charles Dickens? Wasn't he paid by the word for some of his stories?

It's kind of sad when you think about it. The young man apparently never has had a close loving relationship in which he wanted to give himself to another. So to replace that with "performance art" seems like a poor second choice in my humble opinion....

What a great review. Thank you very much! I wanted to write a story that had a happy ending and I'm glad you liked it.

F Funny thing is but I've always found that if you expect the worst from someone, you are rarely disappointed. However, if you expect the best, you are sometimes pleasantly surprised. I'm not a starry eyed kid, but I have found that treating people as you would like to be treated and not judging them or pigeon holing them, can have some real impact. There are enough kids treated like trash, who act like trash and only expect others to trash them in this world without perpetuating the vicious cycle. BTW I love that video with Carrie!

Well I think you will find out if you keep reading. Thanks for the review!

I think the latest chapter which re-introduced Zach as a somewhat reformed bad-boy was intended to provoke a discussion in the forum which has not really happened. I'm referring to the ability of people to change for the better. To make a conscious choice and goal driven decision to improve themselves and change their direction in life. Zach could be on such a mission and while he is young, good looking and egotistical, he has figured out that a self-destructive lifestyle with no regard for others was not a good place to be. Hopefully, even if he remains a back character, we will see him succeed.

Mid-October 2013 has come and gone and still no word from our erudite, but usually late wordsmith......