JamesSavik

I've been dieting and I hate it. Why is it that everything in the Southern diet has too much cholesterol, fat or sugar? Maybe it would help if we didn't roll everything in flour and lemon-pepper and fry it. Salad and pasta and fruit oh my! Salad and pasta and fruit oh my! I'm sorry but I'm a carnivore. Nothing made of meat is safe near me at the moment. I'm liable to kill it and fry it. I'm hoping that my cat will bring me a squirrel carcass. Awe- screw it. I'm going to Wendy's. I'm going to have the triple bypass special: a triple bacon-cheese burger with chili and jalape

How did you know Xander? The person below me has a legacy cat that they hate but can't get rid of without alienating close family or friends

The person below me knows what specific kind of fusion reaction produces 14 MeV neutrons. (Snowey is my pick to get this one). Well, Snowie is asleep so I guess I have to field this one. That would be Aneutronic fusion: Deuterium and He-3 ==> He-4(3.6MeV) + p (14.7MeV) The He-4 is essentially an Alpha particle. That's a positron, not a neutron. The person below me has won a fight that no one thought that he could.

Luc- Anniversaries suck. They remind you of loss and reopen old wounds. I have the same problem every February 22nd. The love of my life died that day in 1996. Every year it rolls around, every year it stings a little less- but it still stings. It was 10 years ago this past February. This year was worse than most because- well hell, it has been 10 years. I feel like I should be over it but I'm not because I'm weak or a dumb ass or something. No- the scars don't go away. Every year they pop out like an unwelcome visitor and torment us for a while until we figure out how to put them back into the little box we keep them in. I don't have an answer for you. I don't have a magic formula to make it any better. Just know that you aren't alone. There are dates on my calender too that make me cringe every time they come up. JS

Ummm- post a link so we can find them! I'm always looking to discover new stories.

Not hardly. The person below me is has a fantasy involving Brett Farve, a sauna and a bottle of wesson oil.

The fun of a round-robin isn't about writing in a particular style. It's about adding your own personal touches to a collective work.

DSL is typically associated with phone companies like Bellsouth or PacBell. Cable modem service is provided by CTV providers on the same coax cable that your cable TV comes in on. It's usually a little faster than DSL.

My apologies to the Mac legions. I didn't mean to leave you guys out. From the feedback that I've gotten, all "other" entries appear to be Macintosh.

NO changes. It never has acted right.

It gives out Main Page a Break. It was getting entirely too crowded. I think that it gives the author forums better coverage, not less.

Welcome! What remarkably good taste you must have to have ended up here.

I'm never scared by horror movies. [except for maybe the Hills Have Eyes] It takes a dentist to make my hair stand on end.

Did I mention that the MSN messenger hates me? I'm not sure what I did to piss it off so bad. Every time I try to use MSN, it connects,might work for a short time (or might not) and then it locks up my internet connection. GRRRR. I missed the GAC meeting tonight because it wouldn't work. That bums me out because I hate to let down the team. I even uninstalled it and tried to reload it, then cold booted the entire system. Same crap. How embarrassing. The International Brotherhood of Geekdom is going to demand that I return my pocket protector. Sorry guys.

Fellow users of GA: We need to know a few things about how you connect to the site and what kind of software you are using. None of the questions violate your privacy. Answers are completely anonymous. Please let us know because the answers will tell us how to build a site that won't give you any technical headaches. Happy Happy, Joy Joy, JS

Once upon a time I started a little round-robin story call Collision. It's last chapter is due out any time now. You see, I'm great for a chapter then... Oh well. Take a look at this and see what you think. If we go forward with it and want to do another round-robin, there will be rules & structure but nothing that will cramp your style. The genre: spy/thriller Setting: New York, 2010 the Heat of August __________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1 Dean Kramer worked quietly at his desk that Friday afternoon. It was a steamy August day in the city made even more unpleasant by the two month long strike by city workers. Mounds of garbage rotting in the late summer heat gave the city an inescapable foul odor. His monthly contract reviews were due and then he could look forward to a long weekend. Maybe he would take a boat out to the island or drive upstate. Some cool mountain air would do him some good after weeks of the sweltering, summer heat and foul mood of the city. It would be good to get away for a few days. Things were tense with all the angry strikers, protestors and policemen running amok. Like most people busy with their own lives, he paid scant attention but it was past being a nuisance and was fast becoming a menace. The day before Dean had found himself on the wrong side of a protest that had turned ugly. The police responded predictably with tear-gas, pepper spray and Billy-clubs. He had been lucky to get away with nothing worse than burning, stinging eyes. No one was happy with the situation. The strikers were angry because many of them had been off work for six weeks or more and were starting to miss paying bills. It had started in late June but soon began to spread from the city workers to other unions who refused to cross their picket lines. Now half the city was shut down in a grim economic domino effect. Thankfully, the Feds had invoked the Taft-Hartley Act which gave the Governor the power to forbid essential services to strike so the Police, emergency workers and truckers were still working. His firm of forty-six programmers, analyst and engineers had been busy that summer. They had sixty open contracts and another one hundred seventy ongoing support contracts. As a matter of course, he went over every active project monthly reports to keep a handle on the firm

I would hire you in a second... but as a fan, I'm biased. Best of luck LB. I hope all goes well. JS

Most writing coaches will tell you to take it easy when it comes to dialects. A little bit goes a very long way. The same goes for non-English words or phrases. Regional dialects are often unfamiliar to readers outside the region. If I wrote in New Orleans Creole, no one would understand me.

jsmith: She (think of a name) hugged the tree as she looked down at the ground far below. How did she get in the tree? Why is she there? What happens next? _________________________________________________________ Marta hugged the tree as she looked down at the ground far below. Her Siamese cat Smarty studied her plight with interest as he lounged like a lion, with his paws and tail hanging lazily from a branch just out of her reach. Now what is that silly girl up to this time? Smarty liked his spot in the ancient Oak. It was far out of reach of nosy, noisy or mean children. It was quiet and the birds and squirrels kept their distance. It also gave him a perfect view of the entire yard without being seen. He could keep see any intruders who might wander into his territory and then he could appear unexpectedly at a moments notice. Oh well. I suppose it's time to teach her how to get down now. he thought. Smarty stood, yawned and stretched. He looked at the path down from the old Oak. Silly Girl was inconsiderately blocking his usual route down which never took more than seven leaps. He crouched and leaped like an arrow, did a touch-and-go off the top of Silly Girl's head, and was on the ground in his usual seven leaps. Smarty strolled up to the patio and looked up in the tree. Silly Girl was still up the tree yelling damned cat! I'm going to choke you! whatever that meant. He had showed her the way down. What else did she want? It's a good thing that humans are able to open cans or they would be completely useless he grumped as he sat on the patio waiting for dinner.

Who won?

Glad you, your PC and kats are all home safe & sound David! Sounds like one of your kitties had an adventure.

Until that happens I'm just in limbo. Limbo is no fun. Uncertianty over something big like a career move can sit on your shoulder like a mischevious imp whispering worries, doubts and fears in your ear. Focus on something else to silence the doubts. Something physical- like walking, biking or maybe join a gym. I've been there myself Kev. Don't let it linger.

If you haven't read EleCivil's stories- drop what you are doing and go read Leaves & Lunatics and Laika- right now mister!!! At a mere 20, EleCivil is definitly one of the communities most promising young authors. Happy Birthday EleCivil!

It's hard to go wrong with the authors that you listed. They are all very good but I've been here for over a year and still haven't read half of what we have herel. It is difficult to point at any one author or story and say that's my favorite. They come in all genres, moods, blends and flavors. For a newcomer to GA, I suggest Comicality's My Only Escape and Dom's The Log Way. They are classics that deserve special mention. As far as promising newcomers go- Check out Little Buddha or Vance Lister. The fun part is that there are dozens of authors and stories to explore. Just pick one and dive in!

I already welcomed him home in his blog but- welcome home David! Beware of the ferocious felines! If they haven't been fed in too long, they'll eat the first person they see.