Thunder, you make a good point. That is really a missing feature - it
would be cool if I could see a link to all the posts that I've made in
the last 30 days or such. I'll send that idea off to the JSH ppl.

While in Japan I ate some nasty stuff. I mean N-A-S-T-Y. Sea-urchin
(raw), sea-cucumber (just nasty), and a bunch of other various "raw
flesh" that makes my stomach turn green just thinking of it.

But, for the most part, I LOVED it. My favorite was
horseradish-and-raw-horse-meat. Yes, thats right. Gross? Lemme say it
was so much like the most tender roast beef you ever had.

There was a *bunch* of other stuff that I ate that I dont know what it
was, and, like they say "What happens in Tokyo, Stays in Tokyo"

Edison, NJ

I see Winnipeg, Canada on the list. I'm jealous, what a beautiful
country Canada is. Driving from Quebec to Northwest Territories has to
be one of the greatest adventures I've done so far (that and
Churchill!).

Ha ha - well romantics all seem to fall for the full moon. right? we're
all lunatics for lunar stuff deep down inside. And we just missed the
"red" valentine full moon by a couple days.

seems "fitting"..
no, wait, eclipses & dating site...mmmm your right - strange mix. But,
I'm a strange guy - so it all fits.

Kim-Chi

What is it? Good question. I dont know, but, it smells horrible. It
smells like a kind of fermented cabbage - something like an asian
'scented' version of rotten saurkraut.

My roomate cooks this stuff for his lunch. He cooks it up around 11pm
when I'm just crawling into my bedroom... its NASTY. At least he has the
courtesy to eat it elsewhere.

According to the article, you will need a federally recognized ID to
enter courthouses, and to board planes. WTF?! If I dont have an ID, then
I'm not a citizen any longer? I'm no longer entitled to my own defense
in a civil court system - this is bad.

I can almost tolerate the "ID for plane travel" requirement. Not that it
really does anything about "security", because any foreigner can still
travel on US planes with their own countries ID {even easier to forge
I'd say!}. Its about tracking and restriction. But, I can tolerate this
one because, constitutionally, you're not being prevented from free
travel {as yet}, just one particular form of transit.

I thought this was a joke, or a twisted-exaggeration, but, the source
and content is reliable enough to convince me:

"Homeland Security officials released long-delayed guidelines that turn
state-issued identification cards into de facto internal passports
Thursday, estimating the changes will cost states and individuals $23
billion over 10 years.

The move prompted a new round of protest from civil libertarians and
security experts, who called on Congress to repeal the 2005 law known as
the Real ID Act that mandates the changes."

From:
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,72843-0.html?tw=wn_politics_2


Hmmm, maybe its time to move to Mexico so I can retain my civil rights!

Whats your opinion - is it:

1. Meant to be entirely figurative, so that every thing that occurs in
it must be interpreted? [ex: the '10 headed beast' would represent some
concept to be understood at the right time, as many suggest the EU would
have been]

2. Meant to be literalist. So that every thing that is written will
ACTUALLY occur as it is written. As such, the 'beast' is really a beast,
and is really slayed. The 7 scrolls are real, and the events that happen
will be literally as written.

3. Poetic reference to events that long since happened. Luther, and
other scholars argued that Revelation already passed, and that John was
writing about the things that were currently occuring in his day [95AD
island of Patmos, and compare that with the repeated writings in John 3
'...the beast already walks the earth']

I personally agree with #3. But, I'm interested to hear what everyone
else thinks.

Shanga,

Whats 'boring' - give us the warning signs.

Isnt it really the other way around? Would a disabled vetran be willing
to date a sorry assed liberal weenie?

[that was supposed to be funny, didnt mean to offend the weenies in the
group]

I dont beleive. Dead is dead. But, I'm open to any entertainment and/or
bets.

"Yellow Hedgerow" - Porcupine Tree
"Any Colour you Like" - Pink Floyd
"Red Lenses" - Rush
"Red Barchetta" - Rush
"Red Sunset" - David Gilmour

Tommorow (Saturday night) is a full moon with a lunar eclipse. The moon
will turn a deep wine red/brown for most of the night. Other than the
odd color, thats about all there is to see.

But, if you got small children, or neices/nephews, now is your moment to
work up a good old fashioned tease. I pull this one every time there's a
lunar-eclipse coming up. I told my then-8yr old that the "Blood Moon"
was coming [this happened very near to Halloween], she brushed it off
with "sure Dad..sure.. you're always tricking me... the moon? really?
its going to turn blood red.."

An hour later she changed her tune! ha ha

The moon will rise around 5:45(NYC time), give it an hour or so to be
high enough to spot. It will be rusty colored for most of the night -
slowly varying in color/brightness.

[If you've never seen a lunar eclipse, this is the 'safe' kind - nothing
to do with the sun, so its less dramatic, and, of course safe to watch.
Honestly, its about 5 minutes worth of 'oh thats cool' and thats about
it]

First get yourself a good attorney. Make sure you and your daughter
receive a proper amount of child support and alimony. Girl, you're going
to need it, AND your daughter has a birth-right to basic support.

He's going to be fuming angry. Tough sh1t. Don't back down, follow the
State guidelines for Child Support and Alimony (your attorney will
know). Make sure the Child Support is enforced. Wether or not he has a
job, or a car, or unable to get a ride to work - none of that is your
daughter's concern - she needs to eat and have shelter. His job is to
supply the $, your job to ensure she actually gets the shelter.

Its not a matter of nastiness, its a matter of fairness. Once you get
that established, get your azz in school, set an example for your
daughter - show her the value of hard work and the value of education.
You'll be stunned at her reaction to her own school work when she's been
raised on the example of her own mother sittin at the table doing her
homework.

What is considered a "normal" age difference?

When my daughter is 16, I'm going to have a difficult time accepting her
'dating' anyone over 18. When she's 20, I can be comfortable with her
choice upto say 24. When she's 25, I can be comfortable with her choices
upto 35, and if its exceptional circumstances, and if I trust her
judgement, then perhaps more.

That said, here I am 39, and looking to date someone. Eye candy says
"hmmmm late 20s", but that feels weird thinking about it. But, in a more
weird twist of reality, the only 'available' women that I know happen to
be in that age group. I havnt actually asked anyone out of that age
bracket, mostly out of self-conscious 'weirdness', and partly the
'...what are you kidding? dude, you're like old' response.

I'd like to meet up with a woman in her 30s who has some sense of what
life's about, what she wants out of it, and someone who has known what
relationships are about - for better and worse.

So what would you say - whats an appropriate age difference?

If you want a good relationship, you need to start at the basics. You
need to have a good friendship. A good friendship can lead to a romantic
interest. With care, respect, and caution, that romantic interest could
turn into a loving relationship.

With further nuturing and care, that love could turn into a marital
prospect. Remember this, you need to start off as friends first. If you
started off as friends, and you've come all this way, and you feel that
magic inspiration that you want to spend the rest of your life with that
One person, then WHY ON GODS EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO SCREW IT UP BY
GETTING MARRIED?

Marry someone you dont know. Sleep with your friends, and their friends.
Keep your priorities straight.

You should meet quickly. There's no reason to delay it - its just
teasing. Lets be frank here, its entirely likely that the guy is not all
there, and the sooner you get it over with the sooner he can move onto
his next "true-love".

Its kinda like "passing the buck" as soon as you can.

Nobody "deserves" trust. Nobody "earns" our trust. We give it. You never
"get it" unless you first "give it". The more you give, the more you'll
get, and the more likely you'll get your heart ripped out and stomped
on.

Give your trust freely and openly to many people. The statistics are
with you that the trust will grow and be properly handled.

Pink Elephants??? So the "Green Fairy" is really part of the experience.
Go figure.

PoorBiker: Yeah, I think we're talking about the same thing.

damn..... what if you're knocking on 40 and not even getting scammer
emails from russian women, is that a really bad sign??