Shotgun

Ok...... Never heard that one, but it sounds like a lyrical masterpiece. I've had this freaky song called "Sex Beat" stuck in my head for a few days now. I've been trying to find the original version of it (by The Gun Club) to download, but I can't find it... guess I'll have to order the cd. (So much for instant gratification!) I have a version by Alejandro Escovedo - it's good too (but he leaves out the F* word in his recorded version - seems like he always sings it correctly live)...

I don't think there is anything in the definition of stereotype that refers to whether it is ever accurate or not. A stereotype is a perception, it is not necessarily reality. So, according to your theory (stereotypes being accurate more often than not), there are more tall people who are basketball players than there are tall people who are not basketball players. I'm willing to bet that there are more tall people in the world who are not basketball players, so I doubt that your theory holds true. The gay friends I have do not cruise parks and alleys looking for partners, and they spend no more time in bars than I do. Of course, I don't spend time cruising parks or alleys myself, so I wouldn't know how many people do that. If YOU spend a lot of time cruising parks and alleys, then I guess you would know better than I.

Yeah, like today.

So if you're jumping somewhere where the packers charge more for a bigger canopy, then you just pack for yourself... no big deal. As for the rush to downsize, I don't get it either. I do see a lot of peer pressure, even though I would like to think most people are above that. I haven't been staying very current lately, so I am jumping a 150 instead of my 120 (the 150 is about a .87 wingloading for me). Some people have given me a hard time about jumping the bigger canopy, and it is more of a hassle to pack... But I am not going to choose my canopy size by how easy it is to pack or by what others think of me. And for anyone who thinks it's "cool" to jump a tiny canopy that they're not ready for... "Cool" is not an adjective that enters my mind when I see people lying on the ground with blood and bones sticking out everywhere, having their clothes and rig cut off of them. Not that that can't happen with a big canopy, but the higher loaded canopies are a lot less forgiving...

Not necessarily. It could result from environmental influences in the womb or infancy that have not, thus far, been identified. In which case it would not evolve out. It could also be a genetic trait (not necessarily an error) meant to help control the population. Or it could be a combination of genes and learned behavior (environmental influences), which I think is likely the case with most of our individual personality traits.

OH.... you're making it worse! I miss Lake Travis! Especially Hippie Hollow. There are a lot of neat things about Cali, but it's just not home! I'm gonna go put on my little red sparkly shoes and click my heels! Actually, we have been kicking around the idea of moving to Austin. Rich mostly telecommutes anyway, and I could probably transfer pretty easily... And houses are pretty cheap there right now... Hmm, maybe after this semester is over... Rich has only been to Austin once with me, but he really liked it - said it reminded him a lot of Melbourne, which is where he is from. And you're right about "no such thing as Last Day as a Texan"... Christopher will be back.

That's what Val said too, and I completely understand. And, as you mentioned, if you know right away that you would always be trying to change him then obviously it would never work. I guess I don't personally have any criteria regarding what my husband's job is, other than I wouldn't want to be with someone who was a thief or whose job was dishonest or hurtful to others in any kind of way. As I mentioned in my reply to Val, I had problems in a previous relationship where his job required him to travel almost six months out of the year - but in that situation, I really don't think it was his job that was the problem; it was a conflict in our personalities that we couldn't make it work together. Had this been someone else with the same job whose ideas were more similar to mine, then it might have worked out. To me, love doesn't seem to be a voluntary reaction. When I moved here to California, I swore I never wanted to date another skydiver again... And now here I am married to one. Basically I met someone who I had a chemistry with beyond anything I've ever had with anyone else... He was a skydiver, which I did not want, but I ultimately decided it was worth the compromise to be with him. And the fact that he is a skydiver has brought up all the issues that made me not want to date a skydiver in the first place, but there are issues in every relationship... and either you work through them or you don't. Anyhow, I'm not trying to convince anyone to date a stripper. But from my experience, love is rare, and you never know where you'll find it. And I think Ian said it best:

You just made me even more homesick for Texas with that post. At least Southern California has good Mexican food, but the BBQ here is just wrong. I sometimes have brisket shipped to me from the County Line just so I can get a fix. And I forgot about the Chupacabra - don't think I've heard anyone mention that out here. Have a safe trip, and I hope you can learn to love scrapple (whatever it is)! Oh, and have your mom send ME some Christmas tamales too!

That's your opinion, and I do respect it... but I also disagree. Yep. There are a good many less-than-intelligent people out there in all walks of life. (Or at least, I think so... Hmm, maybe I am one of them and no one has told me??? ) I think that entertainment is a respectable contribution to society. (Just my opinion.) Perhaps my morals are different than yours in that I see stripping as a form of entertainment and you do not. And, as in any profession, some contribute more than others... So I think we should have an all-female meeting in Vegas to see the "Thunder from Down Under" show and do a little psychological research on the exotic dancer. We will have to interview them up close and personal of course, while they are wearing their undies, to get a proper feel for the size of their IQ's.

I can't think of any jobs that use just your body. I can understand if you wouldn't want to marry a stripper because he wouldn't fit in with your lifestyle. A career can be important in some ways - like I probably wouldn't want to marry a musician who has to travel six months out of the year (and have ended a relationship partly because of that). But you really did imply that you were better than strippers, that you have "higher standards", and I think that is a very broad generalization that is pretty insulting to a lot of people who don't deserve that.

In all seriousness, I dont really agree. I think how one does his/her job does define at least partly that person. That goes for stripping, selling, etc.... I sleazy salesman has less class that a women who strips and who keeps her head on her shoulder doing what she does. I agree... And someone who does not take pride in what they do for a living and make an effort to do a good job (no matter what it is they do) - probably has poor ethics in their other relationships as well.

That's how I answered the question (ie, would I marry a Chippendale.) It's not holier than thou. What a person does for a living does say a lot about them. It's what they choose to do with a good chunk of their time. I like to be intellectually stimulated at work (because that's where I am for 40 hrs a week), so I want someone who has the same. (Note...part of the reason I'm leaving my job is because it is dull and and not stimulating me enough.) So... you meet some nice guy at the dropzone... you end up doing a few jumps with him and he hangs around afterwards for a beer... then you end up having an intellectually stimulating conversation with him about the arts, religion, women's rights (or whatever you like to talk about), and he is very funny and smart and you are starting to like him... then you get around to discussing what you do for a living and it turns out he is an exotic dancer... At this point, despite all the things you like about him, would you turn down a date with him just because of his career? Or would it at least be worth getting to know him a little better? Also, do you think that the bellydancer who you recently posted a link to has lower standards than you do because she is using her body to make a living?

Umm, I think the women who were insulting the female strippers were insulting the male strippers equally (or that's how I read it anyway). I would "tie the knot" with this one (assuming we hit it off)... http://www.thunderfromdownunder.com/redirect.php?pg=12&caller=cast_detail Yummy........ I wonder if he's good at tying knots?

Thank you for that post. Hopefully it will make some people realize that when they make such snide comments, they are insulting actual real people who might even be reading this forum. And hey, I want to take one of your classes!

Yeah, I think the transition is sometimes difficult - especially the pay cut. The only friend of mine who sort of missed it was the one who became a network administrator - I think she missed the physical activity while working and the high energy atmosphere, but she started her new career with a pretty high salary so I don't think the money was an issue for her. None of the friends I mentioned ever drank on the job, and I think they all still get hit on by men as much as they would like to. The photographer and the yoga instructor still have pretty flexible schedules, but they do probably make less money than when they were stripping. They seem to be happy though...

Reading Bill Booth's posts has been one of my favorite things about this site, as well as posts from a handful of other such people. Having some interesting conversations with people I may have never met otherwise... hearing opinions that are different than mine... making some new friends... The only bad thing is that I sometimes spend too much time on here!

And Remi, what the hell is that picture supposed to be??? You're supposed to post something like this: http://www.thunderfromdownunder.com/index2.php MMMMM....

I've met quite a few like that - who were caught up in the lifestyle, partying every night and strung out on drugs and such... And these are the ones who probably cause some people to sweep all strippers into one big stereotype. Of course, with that mentality, one could also say things like "Women only date guys with lots of money," or "Women are incapable of checking the oil on their cars," etc., because there are quite a few women who ARE like that. Kinda sucks to be labeled a certain way just because others who share the same gender, or the same profession, or the same skin color, or whatever... behave a certain way that may or may not be anything like you. I have three friends who worked as strippers when they were younger. Two of them put themselves through college while working as a stripper. One now has a fine arts degree from the University of Texas and works as a professional photographer. The other has a computer science degree and now works as a network administrator. The one who didn't go to college studied yoga for years and now works full-time as a yoga instructor. All three of these women used stripping for exactly what they intended it for. (Not to mention how much extra money they had for travelling all over the world, buying horses, scuba diving, taking cruises, etc.) They are not ashamed and they have no regrets about it. They're all still happy and healthy... None of them ever had a drug or alcohol problem. As for the "few exceptions", I think that depends on where you are. In Austin, I'd say about half of the strippers are not caught up in the lifestyle and are using it productively to put themselves through college or while they are learning another skill. In a town like New Orleans, I got a very different impression... Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now... Just wanted to point out (not directed at anyone in particular) that it is usually not fair or accurate to stereotype others or to judge someone who you know nothing about based only on what they're doing for a living. (Edited to say: except maybe when what they do for a living involves hurting other people.) (Geez, I think I belong in Speaker's Corner this morning! I'm gonna go get more coffee now. )

I've had several stalkers (I seem to attract all the weirdos for some reason), but one that was particularly bad... I was friends with his sister (which is how I met him), so I would see him a lot at her house. He started calling me all the time and dropping by my house unannounced. I asked him to stop it, so then he starting doing creepier things. He sent some priest guy over to my house to have a "talk" with me because I might need "help" - probably the only time in my life I've ever told a priest off (as soon as he told me why he was there, I asked him to leave, but he was very persistent... so he activated my bitch mode)... Then he had the cops show up at my house around 2 or 3 in the morning one time - he had called 911 to tell them he was about to commit suicide and he gave them MY address... And another time, he had some girl call me to tell me that he had been killed in a car wreck - I actually felt a little bad, but then made a few phone calls to find out it wasn't true... And then... he finally went off to some mental institution... for a while I would receive two or three packages A DAY from him, all stuffed with drawings and various letters and poems that he had written for me... Eventually it stopped, and I don't know what ever happened to him. (And I wasn't hanging out with his sister anymore by then.) Yeah, that guy was scary...

Well then I think you need to post some pictures.

Yeah! I think that's what it is for me...I don't hold a significant other to lower standards! So you want someone with a college degree and an office job, who complains how much they hate their job all the time? Is that what matches your "higher standards"? Hmm... I don't tend to choose my mates by their career. I just want someone who I enjoy being with and who cares about me and treats me with respect. Sorry, Val... I don't understand the need to be so judgmental of other people based on what they do for a living.

Wow, that's an amazing story, Dumpster. Sexually dyslexic, huh? Does that mean her favorite position was 96? My username is an old nickname from my teenage years, though nobody really calls me that anymore... except for my big sister who sometimes calls and sings "White Wedding" to me on my answering machine... "Hey little sister, shotgun... It's a nice day to start again... It's a nice day for a white wedding..."

I think at this point it's just barely a majority, and will one day be a minority. Not so long ago, a majority of Americans believed that black people should not be allowed to marry. That seems silly now; the gay marriage ban will seem silly years from now.

Well, there ya go... Always more to the story than what you read in a newspaper article...

It's like M&M's, but without all the carbs.