I was thinking of leif and Christopher-- plus a few other kids of my aquaintence. I know too many that are in 1st grade that really aren't good at the listening yet.

It's just that this was supposed to be my reward for a job well done, for fulfilling longstanding dreams, a tangible representation of all I'd achieved. So even though I know he doesn't mean it this way, I'm taking it as trampling on the dreams and goals themselves.

And dammit, to me it's still a beautiful thing. I just can't see the evil or the ugly no matter how much I look. And it hurts to think that I can't have it. (I really am crying now. Silly, but there it is.) I just wish I'd had any inkling he might feel this way about it, because I could've brought it up earlier before I'd got my heart set on it. But I didn't. I don't know if it's my rural Southern background or my inner history geek or what, but it never occurred to me that he'd have a problem with it.

We had guns around. My father hunted. I shot rifles at targets. It was a normal thing as a kid. As an adult they freak me out completely. When we visit my sister she still has rifles around and about. My nephew thought he did a great job of hiding the ammunition. We weren't there 2 days before my son told me he knew where the ammo was hidden. Nephew then took it to a friend's house.

Stuff happens with kids, when stuff happens with kids and guns it can be fatal. I won't have them around and when we stay with people that have them I am not shy about requesting they be removed.

Decorative non-functional weaponry wouldn't bother me. It is only the real deal that I can't handle.

I don't think it would be that hard to find out about Gina's kissability.

On the other hand, if Gina was a bad kisser, do I really wanna know? I could just keep dreaming...:)

Aww CRAP Fay! I'm so sorry he sucks like that. (Uh, and you know I'm not going to be there for almost 4 weeks, not in 2 weeks, yeah?) I think the lawyer thing sounds like a damn good idea.

Though one of the clients is, seriously, a convent.

OK, for some reason I read this and the first thougth was "Damn, Teppy's servicing a whole convent?"

So. Am I weird to want a gun?

No. But especially if it was one that wouldn't work.

The gun was evidence from a case that had gone to trial already. The serial number is shaved off of it

So does that mean it is or isnt' a good untraceable murder weapon for Erika to ponder?

A friend of mine grew up cutting lines of cocaine for her dad

Damn, now THAT's hardcore.

NGA? who's NGA? Not me! ANd it was FG!

Erin! Details!

OK, the pollen so thick it looks like smoke? That's freaky.

Susan, there are a number of things that Brendon and I have agreed to disagree about over the years. We had totally different childhood experiences, and we have a big age difference. We disagree at times. Sometimes the opinion gap is huge. It is really hard to not take it personally, but you have to attempt to see it as only a different viewpoint and not a personal attack.

Wait a moment here! How did I skim over Erin gettin' some?

{{{Gud}}}

Work~ma, {{{Fay}}}.

vw, I am sorry you didn't get the job. I hope something better comes along. Much interview~ma for tomorrow.

Much ~ma to Beth's Matt.

Teppy is not invisible, and, in case I forgot to say this, she is even prettier in person.

but you have to attempt to see it as only a different viewpoint and not a personal attack.

I know. But I'm not ready for that yet. And, you know, I just wish he'd think something was cool that I thought was cool. It feels like it's been a long time since that happened.

You rang?

Um, yeah. Got some. And then some more. And then again...and again.

Let me just say that there are definite advantages to enthusiastic, energetic 25 year olds.

I'm sweating, just recalling.

Er...yeah. It was fun.

I have my mom's .22 rifle in a closet. I have bullets hidden two floors away.

Mom has my 20 gauge shotgun as hostage, 230 miles from here. Dad gave me that when I was about 15.

I planned to go target shooting again, someday. Never got around to it. I've had mom's rifle for 6 years, and haven't remotely even considered using it in anger, not for a second. Even before my gun safety classes when I was about 12, I saw them as just a neat device and never placed extra fear nor extra reverence on guns.

In Boy Scouts I was a good target shooter, but I've never been interested much in killing animals. I thought knowing what to do if I ever needed it in a survival situation would be handy, but that's about it.

I once shot and killed a woodchuck with the shotgun. He was slowly destroying the cabins at the resort I managed. It's lucky I'm a good shot, because I never want to feel the way I felt after I saw it tumble. And if the feeling I had was that bad for an animal, I can't imagine...

Most likely Mom and I will sell our rifle and shotgun. She's 76 and not likely to use her rifle again. I have no interest in target shooting with a shotgun. Sometimes I think we keep them in our respective homes only because they remind us of dad.

And now I miss him. Go figure.