Rob's Halfway House #11

[corona]

Let me introduce myself a bit, since I know a lot of your screen names and a lot of you know mine, but you don't know much about me. I'll be happy to cough up extra details eventually, but I'll keep this brief. My name is Austin, I am married, I've been with my wife since 1997, no children of my own although my wife has three, she was a widower. I'm 49 years old, born in Hawaii, grew up in Alaska, spent my wild years in the 80's in Nashville, and now live in the Tampa area. I enjoy gardening, fishing, bowling, reading (I have Nook e-ink and Nook color). I picked up a nasty cigar habit here in Cigar City, which contributed to my name. Corona seemed like a good idea at the time, the light shining around the Eclipse, and I was smoking a corona sized cigar at the time and drinking a Corona beer. I joined on Bella's birthday two years ago.

I was born on the day the world was saved from nuclear holocaust during the Cuban missile crisis. You're welcome.

Sean, for MSOffice, you can try the free Open Office as a substitute, my wife uses it. Otherwise, you might want to look into getting one of the academic versions for students, I'm not sure how rigorous its checks on student status are. They have a $100 version of the full MS suite at mwave.com. That's where I usually go when I build computers or look for cheap software. The only issue with OEM software is that it usually doesn't qualify for upgrading, but they tend to be cheap enough that they are less expensive than the upgrade anyway.

As far as Kristen, disengage. You are getting a taste of what Rob is going through. I know, it isn't pretty. It feels like a betrayal to let go (shades of NM) but you can still be an admirer of hers while putting some distance between you. This is all up to Rob now, there is nothing we can do about it. Imagine his pain and frustration. You are at where you are because you invested too much of yourself into it. A lot of us are finding that out right now, although it's easier for an old fart like myself to regain perspective.

Have I ever posted here before except to jump in with a smartass remark and then jump back out? Yup, I'm feeling it as well. Old instincts kick in, though, and helps pull you back out.

Also, there is a fine woman out there who is being denied your love and affections because you aren't putting yourself out there where you can find each other. Just do it. You are in your prime. Practice helps. You'll screw up a lot, but you'll get better at it. One of the key attractors that helps jump-start a relationship is going to be your own self-confidence. That isn't going to develop overnight, and it won't grow at all until you put yourself out there. I was painfully shy myself when I was young and made many mistakes, but that is how you learn. Do not deny yourself, you are the only one responsible for your happiness. God has put you here for a reason, you don't want to look back in 20 years and regret the time wasted.

Tonise, I love shellfish too, I'm so glad you had a good time. I'll get raw oysters about twice a year; sometimes when you have spent the day on the beach and in the sun you get that craving for more and oysters in their natural brine hits the spot like nothing else. I'm also a big fan of peel and eat, spicy style shrimp. That is one of my goals, figuring out how to do that right. I've heard it is the pan frying in oil that gets that spice underneath the shell. I want to solve that mystery.

Nashville is a great place for you ladies to have a get together. I had a blast there, and miss the music that I got spoiled on. There are very good musicians from all genres trying to break into the biz, and willing to play for free at restaurants and pubs. Elsewhere, you have to pay a cover charge for music that isn't half as good as what Nashville gave for free. It was an eye-opening experience for a 17-year old attending college, thousands of miles away from home in the backwoods of Alaska. I attended my first concerts ever there. I even saw Rick Springfield three times, that is how much I loved my girlfriend at the time, I was more Van Halen and AC/DC.

Country ham at the Loveless cafe, mmmmmm. That's the first place I tried red-eye gravy and grits. I have to make do with the Cracker Barrel now, but at least I have that. Buffalo wings in Buffalo, smoked brisket and ribs at the Saltlick in Driftwood, deep fried halibut in Homer. I don't have much left on my bucket list for food, but I still need Maine lobster in Maine. Yes, I have had salmon fresh from the river but I loathe it unless it is smoked. Snow crab is another story, I got sick of it when I was young but I came back to it later in life.

My biggest food disappointment? I tried the Dutch Apple pie in Lancaster county, and it SUCKED!!!! I don't think the Amish believe in seasoning (maybe it is sinful?).

Brenda, Caryn may not hate you but I do. I think that helps balance things out, don't you feel better? I credit my delicate male sensibilities. [insert smiley face to show I'm kidding]

Caryn, yes, I eventually saw those other pics this weekend. I won't go looking for them again. No comment other than your analysis is spot on, and both you and Brenda (and I) essentially agree on one thing, there is a familiarity there that doesn't quite jive with a "fleeting moment", a momentary lapse in judgment. At this point we have more affectionate pics of Rupsten than we do of Robsten.

P.S. I wish Michelle Jenneke was in the Olympics, I would certainly watch that. I like her warmup routines.

[Suzan]

Hey everyone!

Sorry I've been MIA lately. I want to use the busy excuse and I have been busy, but it's mostly because I just had to get away from all the Kristen drama. I'm still flabbergasted and I don't know right now how I feel about her personally, but I still think she's an awesome actress. And I'm sorry to say this, but the way some fans - even some of you - express their anger towards her, had me even more upset than what she did. No disrespect. Everybody has a right to their own opinion and believe me, I understand the reaction.
However to me, what she did sucked, but it's her own personal life. And while I regret that Robsten is no more (at least for now, depending on Rob), I'm moving on. What she does with her own life is her business and it doesn't effect the way I'll see her as an actress. As I said when all this erupted: I'm still a fan. I'm sorry that some of you won't be anymore and I understand.
Anyway, it's just that some of the hateful comments going around the web were really upsetting me and I had to get away from all that.
All I hope now is that we can still get an awesome BD2 period. Whether Rob and Kris can do the promotion together or not. I know we can make it a premier to remember between all of us, either way!

I'm about to leave the house, so this is going to be a quick one. I'll be back soon since I see the Kristen storm has somewhat slowed down. Hopefully we can get some more happiness in here again. Let's start with this!
However I did notice some new faces around here. Welcome!!! And welcome back, Austin!! I'll do a bit more introduction when I post next time.

See you soon!
P.S. Still love you guys! Kristen fans or not.

[older_twilight_fan]

Hello everyone~

Austin~ Thanks for sharing a bit about yourself with us. I've been known to lurk on the Gutter threads and the Breaking Dawn movie threads and remember reading some of your humorous and insightful posts. That's too funny that you mentioned you spent years in Nashville. I'm 44 years old (hence the name--"older_twilight_fan" ) and was born in California, but we moved to the Nashville area in 1971. Other than a few years away at college in Memphis, most of my life has been spent in the Brentwood or Franklin areas. We've enjoyed reading Sean's and your posts around here as it's nice to hear the male perspective on the Twilight saga, Bella and Edward, Rob and Kristen, and everything else in between. I love this area, but haven't taken advantage of the close proximity of the Nashville music scene as frequently as I should have, over the years. I just recalled that one of the first concerts I ever attended at the age of fifteen (?) was Rick Springfield, after begging my older brother to take myself and a couple of my friends--I owe him big time. Perhaps we were at the same concert?

Ann Marie~ Are you hanging in there hon? Thanks for sharing all the Robcrack with us over at Facebook--that's been my saving grace.

Missp~ Have you recovered from your beach trip, and are you continuing to recuperate from the pneumonia?

Jaclyn~ I'm so sorry you're still having to work weekends and know that must be a pain. We also enjoy watching the Olympics and have the TV tuned to NBC most every night. I like gymnastics, diving, some track and field events, and swimming (what's not to love about seeing those lean and lithe and mostly uncovered bodies on display during and after the men's events? ). Let us know about the "Sex Story--Fifty Shades of Grey" you recorded--hilarious.

Lynne~ I hope all is okay with your dog and know that must've been very scary. Thanks for sharing some of your innermost thoughts about yourself and friendships, etc. If anything good has come out of this whole Kristen/Rob debacle....it's encouraged us here at the HH to share more openly about ourselves, our feelings on these difficult subjects and issues, etc.

Marielle~ I'm glad you had a good weekend and we look forward to hearing your Kitty Adventure Stories in the future. I agree with both you and Lynne that Kristen's career will probably suffer long term effects from all this shiza. As you both said, I think some members of the Twilgiht fanbase who are defensive and protective of Rob will remain angry with Kristen and not be able to stomach watching her in other films. And when I think about the general public (who aren't Twilight fans), I can see someone like my brother or my hubs (who didn't like the movie Bridges of Madison County because he said it gloried adultery--his view, not mine )....someone with those viewpoints may not be able to overlook Kristen's dalliance with a married man, and that might be enough to prevent them from seeing one of her future movies. I'm not saying I agree with that idea or think it's right....but I think it's what may happen.

Brenda~ I've enjoyed reading your numeous posts on Facebook the past week--always clear, diplomatic, and level-headed, you are. Good luck with your presentation at work Tuesday--sending vibes for calm energy your way, as requested. I'm having somewhat of a difficult time letting all this go as well, although watching the first season of Downton Abbey over the weekend, and watching the Olympics and losing myself in a bit of Downton Abbey fanfiction seems to have helped. I still don't have the inclination or the desire to read Twi-fanfic, for whatever that's worth. Any news on the new position yet your department manager was working on for you?

Sean~ Thanks for sharing so openly about your past with us, and I'm glad you feel comfortable with us enough to do so. I've learned that the relative anonymity of online forums can sometimes enable sharing more freely of oneself, than face-to-face interactions. As several others have said, we do respect and value your opinions and perspective very much around here, and am sorry if you're feeling isolated or separate from other members of the HH. I think all we can do is continue to actively listen to one another, share as we feel called to do so, and be respectful of others' opinions.

Caryn~ Good for you getting Littlun ready for the soccer tournament at the last minute--I'm sure the team was very appreciative of your mad packing and scrambling skills. Who knows what the final truth is of "who knew what, when?" We may never know, and I guess it's not really our business to know, even though it would provide some sort of closure for us. I think you're right....as fans we do try so hard to rationalize all of this crapola. It would be a little easier to accept and less heartbreaking if we could be assured this was a "one-time thing", or that Kristen was inebriated, or so emotionally distraught for whatever reason that "talking" with whats-his-name led to one kiss. But as we've said before....sadly, the pictures appeared to convey a level of intimacy and familarity that went beyond any of those things.

Susie~ How was the party for your daughter last weekend, and have you recovered? You'll be very busy with circus the the next few weekends, but we look forward to seeing you when you have a chance to check in with us. Was the A/C installed in your house?

Suzan~ It's good to see you posting again. I understand taking a little time away from the HH House and all of the fallout, and I've enjoyed distracting myself with the Olympics and Downton Abbey. Hopefully everyone here can listen to one another and respectfully agree to disagree, where there are differences of opinion about the events that have transpired. I just hope for Rob (and Kristen's) sakes, they can find a way to recover and become stronger people on the other side, whether it's as a couple, and/or as individuals.

Gina~ Welcome to the Halfway House!

Amy and Ginnie and anyone else I've missed~ Hey there!

[openfire]

Evening all,

I had a really great day with my mom. Most enjoyable!! Pity it's almost 10pm now & I have to go to work tomorrow...

I watched the 50 Shades of Grey programme. It was kinda werid. It was a show looking at the books, and the effect on British women & had various people on discussing it. Some people said it was great; some said it was terrible & didn't reflect a healthy relationship. Some people really critised the writing (ie. "my inner goddess", "my sex" etc), whereas others thought it was really good. They had a BDSM couple on saying how it wasn't really like that in real life, and they spoke a bit about what they thought. A few people mentioned the very unlikelyness of the, ahem, stamina of Christain & the, erm, way that Ana is able to bake many times a day & not get sore LOL.

Of course they mentioned Twilight & had some interviws with EL James. Also, apparently sex toys in Britian have increased sales by 50-89% the past couple months LOL. The book has sold 30 million copies worldwide & makes roughly £6000 an hour from sales - more than 1 million pound a WEEK! That is mental.

Anyway, to the posts!


Austin - Thanks for sharing some more info about yourself! It's always nice to have some facts to go with the name Not sure how much you know about me, but I live in Scotland & am recently married. A lot of my recent posts have been moaning about the weather... it is actually HORRIBLE here this year. No summer yet at all, just millions and millions of torrential rain... (sorry for again, the moaning! haha!).

Suzan - I completely understand what you're saying. And I'm also worried about saying things; I don't want to upset other people with different views, and I certainly don't want to cause any arguments. Also, I worry about things like, the MTVMA best kiss - daft I know, but I really really really wanted them to win 5 years in a row. Very unlikely now. And things like, my very favourite Rob pics generally are photoshoots done with Kristen. Can I never post them now? It's all very sad I think.

Tracy - Hey there! I posted a wee bit about the 50 Shades programme above. Most bizarre to watch it on telly!


Ok, I'm heading off now. Bye!

[corona]

Tracy, we might have attended the same one. I distinctly remember one at TPAC and one at the convention center there near the capitol. The one at the convention center (I'm pretty sure that was it) was opened by The Romantics. Does that ring a bell? The convention center is where most of the big acts played until they started going to the arena in Murfreesboro (Journey, ZZ-Top). I hope I'm getting things right, memory can play tricks. If I'm 5 years older than you, I think the time was right, I would have been a junior in college, although I met my girlfriend when I was a sophomore.

Brentwood was close to where I went to college at DLC, now DLU, off Granny White Pike. We used to cruise Percy Warner then head to Brentwood through Old Hickory. After college I lived in West End, close to Centennial Park.

The best small, intimate setting I went to was the Bluebird Cafe in Green Hills, with Bo Diddley. Steel guitar at the Stagecoach. Midnight Oil somewhere downtown, I forget where exactly.

Music was such a natural part of the scene that I didn't think twice about it until I left. Musicians were so desparate to be heard they would play anywhere someone let them.

This is bringing back memories.

[Tornado]

Morning all!

Well, I finished the first draft of the last chapters of my fanfic last night. I'll try and get it up in the next few days. My publisher has told all her authors that she needs us to send any submissions that we will be giving her for the next few years, and that means I have to start getting book three up to speed, so that's my next urgent task. I hope it's okay. I'm not sure about some of the later chapters!

Anyway, I must run. I might post more later.

[Chernaudi]

Hi everyone.

Thanks again for the kind words and such. I have some good news to say, but I need to say a few things first.

Austin: I just feel like my hopes and dreams for Kristen and Rob have been thrown away and that neither of them care anymore. Not that they ever did, but I hoped better for them. I want to help both of them out, but I know that's not my business to butt in. But I guess that's where the saying "don't meet your heroes" comes in. When you start to expect too much of them, they do something that you don't understand or explain.

Sadly, for me, that's the easy part to deal with. There's so much hate on both sides on the internet--the chick who runs Robstenation gave up moderating comments on her site and closed them off again, and instead, she's posted Kristen and Rob fan blogs for people to go to. And I feel for her, because all she asked for is the same things I'm asking for, which is respect for both Kristen and Rob right now. But people have their biases and they care less about the other party and what their supporters or those who want to stay neutral want to say. I mean, this is why I have such a low opinion on people and why I don't usually care for fandoms and fans and people like that. People like you are fine, but some of these people who are ripping on Kristen and Rob (yes, he's getting crapped on, too ) are just ludicrous and I wonder if they were really fans at all. You know, the band wagon fans. I hope that none of you get upset at me for saying this, but those type of bandwagon fans can go to hell as far as I'm concerned. Real fans don't treat people they way that these people are treating Kristen and Rob, and especially people like you or I.

And it's because of no knowing what to say or worrying about how to say it in a way that won't offend people that does make me want to disengage, and breakaway and not give a solitary damn about this anymore. But then, what would I be telling you guys. I do feel that actions speak louder than words, and I feel that my action of leaving with no immediate plans to return would mean that I'm giving up on Twilight, on Kristen, on Rob, and you guys especially. No reason for me to put a gun in my mouth over this, and I feel that there's no reason for me to figuratively do that with this to you guys. I'd never turn my back on any of you without a good reason, and this isn't a good reason.

I'm surviving, but I think that it helps to separate the "Robsten" aspect and for me to go back to loving Kristen and Rob individually, instead of as a couple right now. This country went though that with Sonny and Cher when Cher divorced him, for those of you who are old enough to remember (I'm not, but I am a Cher fan), and we're still here. And I don't think that either Kristen or Rob would want us to fight over them right now--they have enough to think about.

Susan: I'm still here, and I'll be here for you if you need me

Tracy, Lynne and Brenda: Thanks for the kind words. Did you really think that I was being brave by letting you guys know that stuff about me? Well, it's true. My life has been much happier recently, and even when I got in a really deep rut this winter, I never got suicidal, but I had this longing for it to end. I guess that I have this complex where I look at the negative side of things a lot of times and it takes me a while to break from it. I guess that I let what Kristen and Rob seemed at least to have let me get too "happy" and the result of this for me was that my life was a train wreck for a few days. At least i didn't have to work until today, but with you guys' help, I made it though a good work day. This too will end, and well all get back to some sense of normalcy.

And BTW Austin: I think that you said something about being me being unhappy because of denying myself those emotions from myself and my potential "mate". Well, I'm afraid of failing in that department. Most of my close female friends are now married or in relationships, or live away from me. I want to reach out, but I don't think that I'm getting anywhere. I've tried dropping lines to single female friends, you know, a simple, "hi how ya' doin'" bit, but it seems that few respond.

And as for internet dating, I feel that it's impersonal and scary. Anyone got some advice for me on that stuff? BTW, I don't see myself as a sexual tyrannosaurus, like Jessie Ventura in Predator LOL If you've seen Predator, you have to remember that line. Just reminded of that with the Angry Video Game Nerd's review of various Arnold Schwarzenegger games.

MS Office stuff: I got an email from Project Team Beta, and I was told that looking at open office and stuff might be good options. I do worry about using the stuff and it working, but I'd like to save $100 or $120 if I can.

Good news: For those of you who have seen it on Facebook, I have a new addition to the family. No, not a baby, or a vampire hybrid baby (though I had huge cramps at work--enough said ), but a new kitten. One of my mom's friends found it at the store where she and my mom work, and my brother brought it home. It's very friendly to people, very well behaved with people, but no so much with other cats, which he hisses at (and yes, we know it's a boy).

I'll post some of this stuff at the HH FB page, and and update on my cat. I wonder how Marielle is coming along with her new cat.

I'll be back later

[marielle]

Good morning everybody!!!

We go tour kitten yesterday!!! It’s kind of sad for the kitten as we pulled him away from his friends. This morning it was making all these sad noises…
We were afraid it wouldn’t leave it’s travel case yesterday but immediately when we opened the door he went exploring. He hides under the chairs and in small corners when we move around too quickly. But this morning he was sleeping on a kitchen chair. He even came to sit with us while we have breakfast on the sofa but when we moved too much he ran away again… I hope after today he won’t be afraid of us anymore.
But he ate and did his thing in the litter box so that’s really positive.

Anyway,

Lynne, I have a hard time getting back to admiring Kris’s work. I like her acting and the roles she plays but I think it will take some time to get over the fact that she broke Rob’s heart. I hope that soon we see pics of a smiling Rob again, once I know he is alright then I’m sure I can look at Kris again…

Jaclyn, I’m following the Olympics closely, yesterday I watch the Eventing Cross Country the whole afternoon. I love horse riding and watching it… Haven’t seen what is on today but I have like 7 channels on which I can watch it, plus the livestreaming online…I won’t miss that much…
That’s the issue with a lot of Twilight based fanfic, or stories been published that were first fanfic… the stamina of the couple… mainly because we know Vampires can never stop… people based their baking frequency on that…it was never meant to be realistic to humans…

Austin, born in Hawaii, raised in Alaska…pffffff. That must be a hell of a culture shock…I’m not surprised you went back down south to where it’s warm…I would love to visit your part of the world one day… Nashville or Tampa always sounds like a lively place…
Hihi, you didn’t like Dutch apple pie… Maybe you should try eating it once you are in Holland, my gran makes the best!!!...

Suzan, I’m still looking forward to the BD2 promo as well… if nothing we get a hell of a lot new Rob-crack… If men come back from a break up like women do he should be even more sexy!!!

Tracy, the kitten is slowly exploring his new home… I hope soon enough he’ll be bouncing around the apartment.
I don’t know if Kris cheating on Rob is one of my criteria for if I’m going to watch a movie of her or not. I haven’t watched all Rob’s movies either. Just because the story isn’t attracting me. With SWaTH, I loved what I say in the trailers, so I went to see it…if it had been bad, I wouldn’t have gone.

Sean, I’m going to check out your kitten when I get home. I don’t have fb at work…

Alright I need to work at some point today. Better do it now…

[Tornado]

Sean - I put this comment on Facebook, but I'll put it here, too. Just on the internet dating. While dating online can be tricky, meeting women online is not a bad thing. I met my husband on the internet (although the way it all worked out was so freaky it's one of those things that convinces me God is real!) and we are pretty well suited, so don't give up. If nothing else, you will find some more people who care about you as a friend, and that's a good thing.

Marielle - I'm sure your kitten will settle in very quickly, and soon you won't know what you did without him. Yes, I think it will be easier to deal with all this when we see Rob again and he looks okay. I'm dreading that he'll look withdrawn in the first interview I see him in.

[Songbird]

*sneaks in through a window and pretends to be a coat rack until everyone thinks she’s been here the whole time*
Wow….the new house looks so nice! You all did a great job decorating!

So….I’ve kind of avoided this place since we discovered the rumors were true. I’m so sorry if anyone felt abandoned, but I just didn’t want to get caught up in it when I don’t feel like it affects me personally. I feel awful for Rob, just as I’d feel awful for anyone who was betrayed in that way, but as I don’t know either of them personally, I don’t feel like I need to be emotionally invested in it. The shooting for the movies is done, so it can’t affect their performances and their lives outside of the Twilight movies are none of my business. I don’t think all the attention for this does either of them any favors. This is one time when I think they each just need to be able to handle this without everyone gawking at them and telling them what they should or shouldn’t do, or making it even MORE embarrassing for both parties by having a HUGE audience for it all. So I am sorry, I don’t feel like I can join in the discussion, and I understand that you all feel that need, but I just don’t. So please, don’t feel like I’m ignoring you personally by not responding about this particular issue…it’s nothing personal. I’m just going to let you all continue to discuss it as you need to, and I’m going to skip those parts.

The floor people are coming to rip out our old kitchen floor on Saturday, so I am slowly removing everything from the kitchen that isn’t built in. Yikes. But they will rip it out, dry it, and then HOPEFULLY they can install the new one soon. I kind of wish the damage would spread just a few more inches so it would go into the living room and we could just have the whole downstairs refloored, but it looks like it’s going to stubbornly stay right at the edge of the kitchen. But hey, at least this much is covered by insurance, and I can’t wait to see what it looks like with the different color. Maybe the leaky dishwasher was a blessing.

My neighbors across the street had a new baby on Thursday. I made zucchini bread as soon as I got the announcement, but didn’t realize they were still in the hospital (c-section)..so we had to make the ultimate sacrifice and eat it ourselves and I’ll just have to make more now that they are home. Good thing my FIL keeps me well supplied in Zucchini from his garden!

I’ve been watching a bit of the Olympics. I was surprised that Phelps (swimming) didn’t even medal in his first race…I wonder if he’s under the weather. I also feel SO bad for Jordan Wieber!! (women’s artistic gymnastics) That must be really awful to come in 4th, and know that the 20 people BELOW you get to move on to the all-around and you don’t. I understand they don’t want one team or a couple of teams totally dominating the event, but it’s not fair that someone is near the top and doesn’t get to move on just because their team is stellar. And she was expected to take gold!! If she had botched the events, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal, but the fact that she had great scores all the way around, but was knocked out of a place in the individuals because they only allow 2 from a team….She must be crushed. To see all the girls she already beat with her scores advance…so sad. I hope they at least get a team medal, unlike the men…that was a shocker!

Now, on to posts…some of which are from the old thread. (yes, it’s really been THAT long since I was here…so sorry!!!!)

Caryn, The Princess Bride is a CLASSIC! Love that movie. “As you wish.” I wanted to marry Cary Elwes when I was in college. I was engaged, but I still thought Wesley was kind of the ideal guy. Good looking, smart, loyal, and protective. *dreamy sigh* “There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in the world. T’would be a pity to damage yours.”

Lynne, so glad you got through the dinner for Little Man’s birthday…and it sounds like it went well after all the little mishaps! Do you make your lasagne from scratch, or do you have a packaged mix? How is business now? Is it going a bit better, or are you still struggling?

Sean, did you end up going to the movie with your coworkers? Mmmm….chicken pot pie. I haven’t had one in YEARS….so good. Wish they had those here. I should learn to make them! I wouldn’t rule out internet dating…the world has gotten a lot smaller! I met my husband online. Granted, it was not a dating site…we both played a game online and that’s how we met. We became friends. I was engaged at the time, but really young and naïve and once I realized the relationship I was in was toxic, I called off the wedding and that’s when my friend asked me for a shot. That was in 1999…we are still very happily married today. It doesn’t have to be scary and impersonal. That’s why you start small. Just like in regular face to face relationships, it’s best to be friends first, have that connection and go from there. But you can share as much or as little as you like. I talked to my now hubs online for several years before I broke off my engagement, and he made his feelings known. We were just friends before that and he waited to make a move until my relationship was over. There ARE good, honest and fun people out there. You just have to think of it like a really big city…yes, there are some crazies, but you can meet them on the street, too. Someone could follow you home from the grocery store (it's happened to me here). If you are careful (don’t divulge too much personal info at once or too soon, make sure you meet in public places where nothing can happen, etc) it’s no less safe than dating someone you meet at the library, or a bar. Just look for someone who has similar interests. And with those internet dating sites, you get to pick who sounds the best. Take it slow…messages, phone before you meet. You could be missing the perfect person for you by not looking at all the options!

Susie, raspberry pie sounds delicious!! I’ve never had that. Cherry, blueberry, apple, strawberry…but never raspberry. Yum. Are you still having the heatwave? We had one last week, too, but it’s a LOT cooler this week. But it IS supposed to heat up again tomorrow. Hope the goodbye party goes well! (or did it already happen?)

Marielle, Congrats on the new cat! How are you doing now, healthwise? Have you been able to lose any weight like you need? How much did the doctor tell you that you have to lose?

Tonise, I’m so sorry your mom’s doctor wasn’t on the ball. I don’t know what a Mylogram is, but you would think that a doctor sending someone for one would know the procedure. I’m glad your uncle is doing better. How are YOU feeling? Why did you get liquid meds instead of a pill? (just curious…I’ve never heard of that except for kids)

Suzan, have you managed to have that dinner with the new roommate yet? Wow…is it scary living across the street from the coffee shop or do they pretty much leave you alone? Yes, my mom was very disrespectful of me. She viewed it as “I’m your mom, and even though you are grown and paying your own bills, I’m still the mom, so you follow MY rules.” But it wasn’t just me…she would refuse to go to someone’s house if they didn’t allow her to smoke there because she said she was a smoker and her friends either accepted that, or didn’t accept her. If her smoke wasn’t welcome, neither was she. I tried many times to explain to her that it wasn’t about accepting her as a smoker and that was awfully hypocritical (she certainly didn’t accept their decision NOT to smoke), but she was very stubborn. She never once ever admitted she was wrong about something…at least not that I can remember.

Amy, good for you, working out! I’ve been doing workout videos at home…with the kids. Rather amusing and they are loving it. And I know what you mean about 30’s being better than 20s. The last half of my 20s wouldn’t have been so bad if I hadn’t lived with my in-laws (friendly advice, never do that). But I was SO stupid in my early 20s…I made a lot of really bad choices. I don’t necessarily regret the choices themselves, because they led me here, but I DO wish I hadn’t been so naïve and I could have handled the situations better. Hindsight is 20/20, right? 30s are awesome, though!!

Brenda, oh goodness…your laundry problem sounds AWFUL! Did you have insurance? Ours is covered by insurance, thank God. I can’t imagine how expensive it would be otherwise, and with us it’s JUST the floor. We have concrete (cinder block) walls, and the damage has been contained to the floorboards. And yes, that Kalebnation dishes thing sounds like my husband. I think he’s done dishes ONCE in the last week….I’ve done them every other time, which would be fine if it wasn’t the one chore I HATE, which is why we agreed before we were married that they would be HIS territory and laundry would be mine. When our washer was broken at the end of last year, I did laundry in the bathtub for almost a MONTH before hubs finally called a repairmen and the repairman had an opening in his schedule. Hubs wasn’t worried about it because HE’S not the one who does the laundry, and he just figured we could take our laundry to his parents’ house (45 mins away) every weekend. But he doesn’t realize the laundry kind of has to be done EVERY day or we don’t have things like….towels, underwear, socks…(I think he thinks they magically appear in the closet/drawer every day) so it took him like 2 weeks to call the repairman. But he sure called the repairmen in a hurry when it was the dishwasher, and he just stopped doing dishes until it was fixed, and even since then, I’ve done over half of the loads. I love the man, and he’s a GREAT father and husband, but USELESS when it comes to household chores. LOL Wow….your post a week ago wears me out just reading it!!

Jaclyn, do you watch a lot of Olympics there? My husband’s family doesn’t watch at ALL. I only watch the gymnastics. And sometimes swimming. I bet it’s insanely expensive to get tickets! There was something on the BBC news this morning about the empty seats and how people are upset because they are mostly corporate sponsor seats and then there are people trying unsuccessfully to get tickets, while there are so many seats not being occupied. Very sad.

Austin, hi…I’ve seen you around, but I don’t think we have really interacted much…maybe a bit in the explorations thread once…not sure now. Wow, talk about extremes…Hawaii AND Alaska? Did you live in Hawaii at all, or were you born on vacation? I’m Susan, and I’m the American ex-patriot. I was born and raised in Wyoming and then married a dutchie and moved to the Netherlands. I have 2 munchkins (4 and 6 years old) and I’m a (mostly) stay at home mom.

I also saw a couple of new names as I was scrolling through, so hi and welcome to Moonlessnight and…(totally going to have to cheat and look up the name, sorry!) Syolax! Nice to see some new “faces” here to share in the love.

Ok, I need to go peel tomatoes and chop garlic and onion for my spaghetti. I suppose the meatballs won’t make themselves either. *sigh*