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Mac, Sandy

Valid points.

It's funny how similar open fora are to families. I was a member of a well-known, very gay oriented online-club for many years. Conditions for membership included at least one meeting in the reality-based world and certain, um, characteristics qualified one.
Rather like the red-headed league.
Now, there were passionate arguments and discussions, but all of us in that club were there as a homogeneous group. The club directors (over my vote) decided to open it up to all interested and within six months it was dead.

I don't know how Robert keeps us going here, it is a battle for me to set aside my own acute sense of "I'm right, you're wrong and I'm going to rub your face in it tell you say uncle" on frequent occasions. I was a gay rights activist of the Actup! persuasion before many folks here were even born and taking a measured approach to something like Amazon, as you did, Sandy, is very hard for me. It wasn't, in fact, until they proved that they had reworked their system so that a Right-Wing Christian couldn't do that again that I returned to them...I'm terrible at advancing any trust, at all.

But I keep trying and so do many, many folks here. The two most common reminders to sit down and shut up being, in fact, family based: You're in Robert's living room, and who'd like some cake?

Wish my family could manage that.

But looking forward to having them at my partner's house for Christmas. Might well be the last, good family Christmas I have with them, ever.
 
We just don't go.

We had a very busy day cooking together, ate the wonderful dinner we worked hard to cook, sat down with just the two of us and our nearly-11-year-old dog. Savored every bite, toasted "To US!" with a nice glass of red wine, gave our baby a few bites of turkey, smiled at each other as the endorphins kicked in, and that was it. Afterward we picked the turkey carcass, split all the leftovers in half (half for us, and half for a friend with a small child and a newly-jobless partner), and took a nap. Then we got up, made a little coffee and had pie. A splendid time was had by all.

My family can best be described as being right out of a combo of a Tennessee Williams play and "Greater Tuna"...but the drama always outweighed the comedy. People just don't exist below the waist in my family. No genitals acknowledged or allowed. Only "talk" I ever got about the Birds and Bees was in 1974 at the tender age of 15, when my mom handed me the pamphlet printed by the Kotex company the year I was born entitled "So This Is Your First Period!" (I *am* a guy, if there's any confusion...lemme tellya...I sure went through some after THAT!) After my mom died, my dad married her "best friend" (one of those sugar-coated-rattlesnake-venom-oozing small-town Texas women whose name Momma always prefaced with "That Damned Old..."). Right before she died, Momma called me to say "Don't you let That Damned Old ***** get her claws into your Daddy after I'm gone!" (Tall order, that!) My older sister and her obnoxious husband are Repubs and Baptists, older brother and wife are nice folks, but we just don't live in the same world. My sweetie's family is now just her (also-Jeebusized) older sister and her "trailer boy" partner. Over the last few years the two of us have just quietly retreated. Still have contact with my two nieces (great kids, now in their 30s), but that's about it for my side. Her sister calls twice a year or so.

It's kinda sad not to have a "family" on some levels, yes, but now WE and our darling Blanche are "Our Family," and that's really OK. We're both fiercely individualistic and creative people, building our own world (cue The Seekers' "A World Of Our Own" from 1964), and that suits us fine...so we got a late start on it all (been together 13 years, she's 58, I'm just about 51), but we're still pluggin' along. Neither of our "families" could ever even begin to comprehend who we really were when we were growing up (and looking back on it, they never really *wanted* to), and now we have each other. And that's groovy, indeed, folks...groovy indeed!

charbee++11-30-2009-14-08-48.jpg
 
WOW!!

I must live in Ozzie and Harriets world.In our family we all respect each other.I might add Its a yours mine and Ours Family.Same father different mother and vice versa.My brother is the only child between the two.My father died 10 years ago and my mother or step mother in legality,is a wonderful person 7 kids one passed away 2 years ago.all of us in our 40s and fifties now.We never discuss politics or religion.Nor who is gay or not everyone has always been accepted in our home.We are always glad to see each other and are interested in what each others interests are.After reading these posts,I never realized how good we have had it.Oh yes weve had our share of illness and death.We aways seem to pull together and comfort each other.Thanks PS I cant wait to see everyone at Christmas. Bobby
 
Thanksgiving Day started here with a bang! My sister's half-assed "fiance'" came home drunk at 1am after being out drinking God knows where, with money he doesn't have. My sister told him that it's finally over between them (I hope so). He then woke up at 9:30am and walked to the gas station and got a 1.75l bottle of Kessler's and then proceeded to drink some more. She begged my wife and I to let her take him some leftovers, which we did. Saturday she informed us that he didn't appreciate them, so I told her that he can f--- himself from now on. This is only the tip of the iceberg as far as crap he's pulled on my sister, I hope she finally wakes up and dumps his stupid ass.
 
Oh, and Keven-

You don't get much more Irish than my Mama's family; black hair and green eyes to boot. Somehow, we've just managed to live up to my Grandma's desire for there to be peace in the family. Not that there aren't little "flare ups", but for the most part we are clannish to the end.

My sincere best wishes to all of ya'll.
 
Gee Pete, what's on your mind??

I would have never gotten that from Keven's post had you not mentioned it. I actually had to go back and re-read the posts to find what I think *might* be that reference.

But hey, what's wrong with having a nice rooster close by?

<grin>
 
It's all about "subtlety", man...

...subtlety...something that's been pretty much beaten out of the world these days, unfortunately.
 
Why, PeteK,

What a fascinating mind you have.
I, my brother, my mother and her dad before her all have perfect pitch. Several music instrument makers in the Scottish side of the family, going quite a ways back, in fact.
It's more a genetic defect tho', than a blessing if you like serious music, as I do.

Was certified with "absolutes Gehör" back in 1998 at the Freiesmusikzentrum, Munich. The woman who registered me also opposed opening our club. I don't recall her having used a measuring tape, just a rather standard digital tuning device and a set of pianos with various tunings. As you may know, A443 is rather in fashion here, making for, oh, well I suppose that's not of general interest, sorry.

My references, just a few weeks ago, to unusually high quality turntables and pressings here in this forum, a pronounced dislike for cassettes (the best were still awful) I've mentioned upon occasion, and that charming thread a few years back where a few club members, myself included, pointed out that a video clip had to have been made in a 50Hz part of South America and not the 60Hz (was then confirmed) make for a few times the topic has come up here, at the very least.

I love steampunk and thought the reference to the violin playing Holmes (Conon Doyle also had this condition/affliction/ability) was apt. Guess not, or maybe so? The Hansaplast reference was perfect.

Oh, and, for the record, a serious riding accident in 2000 left me partially deaf.

I appreciate your, um, interest, but I'm monogamous and engaged to a wonderful man.
 
W. Keith,

Ah, the black Irish. My own true love is, too. Some red in the dark hair, but those brown bedroom eyes, dark dark fur and, well, oh, my. The black Irish are said to be selkie born in some myths...

Growing up in a family that's half German, half Italian and half Scots-Irish, you learn to deal with the Celtic temperament.

The Germans are slow to anger and capable of forgiveness (which is one of the few really outstanding aspects of the culture), the Italians blow up, they cool down, five minutes later, all is forgotten and forgiven.

But make your red-haired mum angry and you'll be lucky if she forgives you in a year, never mind the forgetting part. They don't. Ever.

If I had the money, the southwest coast of Ireland would be for me...
 
charbee,

My father, like many, many children, was adopted out of Nazi Germany by an Italian-American couple.

So I claim the Italian half, too.

Within in me, I hold multitudes, being of three halves bothers me not, if I may misquote...

AW.org is very much like a family with our little spats and disagreements as well as some folks here who go out of their way to help others.

We'll definitely be having a great Christmas. I bring over little European things you can't easily get in the US and the customs and music of the different countries are great. Be a neat thread, actually!

How do you folks celebrate Christmas?
 
panthera

panthera

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Ah, but, Sandy,

Who's ox is being gored? That is the question.

Beats me.

I'm reading some of Sherlock Holmes cases with one group this semester, including "The Red Headed League" as well as "Midsummer's Night's Dream" with another.

Thank goodness I didn't make reference to that in my post! The potential for finding offence is enormous!
 
Keven:

I got two words for you:

Bus. Ted.

Had you genuinely been talking about your perfect pitch, there would have been no need to resort to the circumlocution "certain, um, characteristics." As straitlaced and narrow-minded as much of America has become, I assure you that adults here still can and do speak of perfect pitch without blushing.

You pushed the envelope again, you got called on it. Put your man panties on and accept the criticism, hmm?
 

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