Sudo

Zix, Re:"As for the Noah account you bring up, you're building a straw man to attack. You don't even know what I believe about it.." Well... maybe so, Zix. I guess I just assumed you were one of those Biblical inerrancy types. But knowing your grasp of scientific knowledge, I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. But hey! What about the Earth being only 6000 years old with an "appearance" of being much older?? You go along with that? Seems I remember you were a Creationist but if I'm wrong about this too.. well.. dang. Please excuse me.. but heck if I can remember one fundamentalist's beliefs from another's. One fundie wants to believe the Fred Flintstone idea of our having lived and walked in the tracks of dinosaurs but yet another ascribes that the earth is only a few thousand years old in the first place. You'll kindly forgive me for forgetting which kind YOU are. Hee-hee! sudo

Rafael, You've got a good point. I'll just shut up and let the discussion of the errors in this belief system get hashed. I guess it serves Mike right for trying to defend it on THIS forum. sudo

Zix, Re:"Wierwille made mistakes in his research. This is not opinion, this is demonstrable fact." Oh?? I think that "fact" isn't apparent to Mike. How can you say such a thing when you take up for the inerrancy of the Bible? The Bible would have you believe that at least two (if not more of the kosher animals) of every living creature lived in an ark the lenght of a football field and then scatered to the high winds to re-populate the world after it landed. I guess that means bacteria, too. The anaerobic bacteria would have made it but the facultative and aerobic ones would have died in a deluge. Oh Zix.. it's just hogwash and if you get honest with yourself, you know it. And yet you all want to jump on Mike for his beliefs. Fact of the matter is that many of us had our best times while serving in that cult known as TWI. We made great friendships and had what we thought was inside spiritual awareness that all other Christians lacked. Who can blame Mike for wanting that back in his life again? You probably go poking holes in Mormons' beliefs as well. You may laugh at how ludicrous it is for them to believe that the American Indians are really the lost tribes of Israel but THEY take it seriously. In time, my learned friend, I'm convinced you'll eventually see the folly of your own selected religious beliefs. Then... I think you may be more tolerant of what others believe. sudo

Wayfer, Let me get this straight.. you're given a bumper sticker... you never put it on because you don't "like" bumper stickers.. then they immobilize the car parking in your parking spot (happens to be yours).. and you think you're being attacked? Good grief, girl. The apartment complex was just looking out for you. They don't know one car from another so to distinguish.. they gave out the bumper stickers. You chose not to put it on and the apartment complex then boots what they think is an offending car..YOURS!! Why the heck do you think they went to the expense of making up those bumper stickers in the first place? So you could look at it on the kitchen counter? I'd settle down if I were you and make a New Year's resolution to start using my brain instead of my heart before I fly off the handle at someone. sudo

Dot, How about that? I had gained 10 lbs just since Thanksgiving by pigging out like there was no tomorrow, so, I started Atkins' diet last Thursday and have already lost that first 5lbs of water. I'll stay on it for about two months and hopefully drop about 25 lbs. I did this low carb thingee nearly 20 years ago and it does work. Thing is.. I'm convinced it's a terrible way to eat for a lifetime. Mr. P-Mosh, I like the way you think. If we see a population of thin people, then it makes sense to see what their diets are like. I wonder what those Japanese do to make sumo wrestlers? They're about the only fat Asians one sees isn't it? sudo

Red, It's pretty good and I'm enjoying it.. I bet I'm interrupting your thread now, though.. Hee-hee.. Carry on! sudo

You know guys.. I really like getting the kudos but my thoughts were more along the lines that Herr Doktor was "exaggerating" about Howard Allen but I could be wrong.. could be that Howard had all the requisite skills necassary for being a BOT member by way of being able to hustle up a little game of pool on the side. But do please do carry on.. I feel I'm intruding a little bit. maybe I ought to just keep my sound files to myself, huh? sudo

Ron, Re:"Sudo... I always thought you must have the most awesome tape and record collection in the entire universe, but now I'm afraid of it. It seems to be fraught with VPWisms. But, at least YOU know the hoss is dead LOL." Two things Ron. One.. you are right. I have (or can get my hands on right quick) a lot of sound files and two.. you're right again.. the hoss is real dead but then..you don't really need the word of an infidel like myself to confirm that. You're doing OK by yourself. But while you're giving me kudos about my sound files I have yet another fer 'ya. It's the reason VPW thought so highly of Howard Allen. Think I'm joshing you? Nope.. I'm sure Herr Doktor thought he was being funny but by golly if he didn't have Howard's true talents pegged.. just click HERE! Hee-hee! sudo

Yeah, guys.. But the question is.. what was "doctor" doing with it?? Click HERE! sudo

Hey guys, Click HERE!.. anybody want more of the same?? sudo

Hey guys, Click HERE!.. anybody want more of the same?? sudo [This message was edited by Sudo on December 27, 2002 at 12:28.]

Kit, Great choice. Two of my kids watched it with me last night on TV. sudo

Ex, That was soooo touching but Christmas just wouldn't be complete witout this favorite.. beloved by all. Click HERE! sudo

Ex10, Re:"If I didn't know you, I might wonder about you." Oh, I'm soooo sorry. I thought you knew. Nothing like the feel of soft silk against the skin, huh? So you're maybe looking for a more serious representation of our modern Christmas times?? I just feel so bad that I destroyed your nice thread so click HERE! to hear what we all have really come to know and love about modern Christmas songs. sudo

Garth, I see you're being light hearted about the topic. That's OK but I'll post anyways.. my favorite Christmas songs are "O Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" with its somber minor key and "What Child Is This?" with it's 12th century flavor. I'm posting my favorite contemporary tune that brings both mirth to the heart and a tear to the eye. It's the lyrics more than the tune, really. Click HERE! but if you have a slow dial up connection click HERE! though the quality isn't as good. sudo

Ex-10th, Now pucker up you sexy thang you!! sudo

Lifted Up, Re:"..yet mentioning this like this on ex's thread makes it SEEM that way." So you think I'm de-railing the thread? I wasn't sure what all should be posted. Are "so longs" and goodbyes appropriate? Heck, it seemed as good a place as any to make my observations. Ex is now gone, right? So surely she won't mind one way or the other, huh? Hee-hee! sudo (who believes that Ex is really gone only after he hasn't seen her font in a month or two)

Geeze Louise.. Another I'm leaving thread. You know.. these threads always perplex me and I've seen them on every internet forum (or bulletin board) I've ever been on going back to 1992. Sometimes the person "leaving" actually does leave for good. Most of the time they're back posting as if nothing ever happened, though. It's the ones who just disappear one day without saying anything that are most likely not to come back, I've noticed. I don't know why that is but those who start their own thread to say goodbye usually don't mean it. sudo

Thanks Steve.. I didn't know where it came from. I just got it this morning in my e-mail. Credit to above posted essay is hereby granted to one Dave Barry sudo

*The Difference Between Men and Women* Let's say a guy named Fred is attracted to a woman named Martha. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else. And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Martha, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?" And then, there is silence in the car. To Martha, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of. And Fred is thinking: Gosh. Six months. And Martha is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily towards, I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person? And Fred is thinking: ...so that means it was...let's see...February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means...lemme check the odometer...Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here. And Martha is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed - even before I sensed it - that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected. And Fred is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600. And Martha is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure. And Fred is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty...scumballs. And Martha is thinking: Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy. And Fred is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their... "Fred," Martha says aloud. "What?" says Fred, startled. "Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have...oh dear, I feel so..."(She breaks down, sobbing.) "What?" says Fred. "I'm such a fool," Martha sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse." "There's no horse?" says Fred. "You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Martha says. "No!" says Fred, glad to finally know the correct answer. "It's just that...it's that I...I need some time," Martha says. (There is a 15-second pause while Fred, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.) "Yes," he says. (Martha, deeply moved, touches his hand.) "Oh, Fred, do you really feel that way?" she says. "What way?" says Fred. "That way about time," says Martha. "Oh," says Fred. "Yes." (Martha turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.) "Thank you, Fred," she says. "Thank you," says Fred. Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Fred gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a college basketball game between two South Dakota junior colleges that he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it. The next day Martha will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either. Meanwhile, Fred, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Martha's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say: "Norm, did Martha ever own a horse?" And that's the difference between men and women. sudo

You're welcome mj412! I was wondering if anybody actually tried it. You never know if no one tells 'ya, huh? Thanks! sudo

corrydj, Re:"Soooo, my question is, is it really necessary in God's eyes that we end up with a Christian person." I was wanting to jump in here sooner but since that was your question.. I held off as I'm not qualified to answer. Seeing as others have not addressed that question either then let me ramble just a bit. When you were in TWI, your husband was evidently not a believer from what you've posted. Did that matter to you? If so.. then maybe you should look for a believer. Start attending churches that have large singles departments in your age group. If not.. then why not look for a kind man that has the same value system you do? I think that there will be issues more pressing, like, how does he feel about marrying a woman with teenage children? Will there be conflict with your kids if you remarry? Who will be responsible for paying bills? Do you split the expenses 50-50? My heart goes out to you corry. I'm very thankful I have a great wife who is also the mother of my children but I know of the loneliness that goes with single parenthood. It breaks my heart when I scan the personal ads in the newspapers. There are a lot of lonely men and women out there who have been heart broken in the past... fearful of trying to love again.. but even more fearful of growing old alone and unloved. Thankfully, you're content as you are. But a love in your life would be nice, no? A problem for a lot of folks in your situation is meeting people. That's not the case with you so you have a lot going for you. Take it nice and slow. sudo

Griz, Just the slow running men! Hee-hee! sudo

Mike, Kudos to you for undertaking this! Seems like there will be enough people that we could split up what everybody brings. For instance, Ttessa says she could bring veggies. Maybe someone else could volunteer for soft drinks, ice and napkins. I could bring hot dogs, hamburger meat and some steaks but dang if I can have steaks for 20 people! Guess we need a head count, huh? Maybe the final preparations should be done with e-mail. Just a suggestion. This is your gig after all. I'll be happy to follow your lead. sudo

Mike, I hadn't forgotten and still plan to be there. Why don't you bring this thread up again a week before to see if anyone needs directions and the like? sudo