Michele

But...but...those terms add so much...flavor to..ah...things... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Adding my vibes and hugs, and throwing in a prayer, as well. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Vicodin makes me hallucinate. Like, the sun exploded, and we all have only 7 minutes to live. Or I fall asleep on men. I like that last part! but not so much about the sun. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Happy birthday to you, Kate! Celebrate in style! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Any way you can get a copy of the file, and see if you had been billed successfully before/after? Maybe you can have them send you a copy of the intake sheet (or whatever they call it) which shows your information. That way, if there's an issue, you can see where it started - poor handwriting on your part, or bad data entry on theirs (or illegible copy from a machine). Once that's established, then you can dispute the info with your credit report, as well as have a bludgeon to whack them around with, should it show you were not the one at fault for the misinformation. Also, maybe stop talking to the lower level folk, and start talking to those who can make the decisions. Good luck - Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Vibes and prayers sent from my house, too. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Is that what's been wrong all these years? Sigh... Well, maybe you're on to something, Val. My ex hated Mickie D's...claimed it made him sick. 'Course, he said the same thing about me at the end of our relationship, too. I think I know where I'm headed for lunch tomorrow! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Welcome home, Andi girl! And whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahooooooooooooooooooo! Maybe I can join the airbound in a few weeks too...that would make me happy. I wish I had known you were here - I'd'a bailed on work and come down to say hi! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Mr. Hemingway: I've read a whole lot of your past writings, but this phrase is by far the most telling and interesting one of your career. I must ask: did you research the topic matter? Or did you perhaps misunderstand and/or misread the original post? See, I read it more like:"wow, I had a mal, and then PD got an article on it on the front page. Isn't that a weird coincidence? It looks like others had this problem, too, and PD wanted to make sure everyone was aware of it. Good thing, too, because now we can all be a bit safer." Your response seems to indicate you think the original poster was taking credit for PD's study and article. I disagree - and while you may have perceived it as a negative, as someone who jumps a PD reserve, I am thrilled to know more about the canopy which may save my life....and more than pleased to know they are on top of it and will get information out to the jumping public by whatever means they have available. Your commentary is unnecessarily harsh, in my opinion, and belies the underlying message I believe you intended to convey - and that is simply "be really aware of what you're flying, what will save your life, and the service bulletins and cautions issued by the manufactorers of said parachute." That is what you meant.... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Big congratulations to you, and know that I am thrilled for you, and honestly I really am rather proud of you. You rawk, Ed. Kick ass!! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Nope, not like that at all. But that's a bad comparison, because I haven't read the whole series, and the ones I read I did years ago. Let's take Dune, the whole series. Not the movies, but the books. Dune, as in LOTR, is science fiction, and marketed as such. It is fantasy of the most total kind - creations of worlds, galaxies, new species, and so forth. In the first page or two, you are required to suspend your disbelief and commit yourself to the (un)reality of the story to make it to the next chapter. Frankly, that decision is made when you pick up the book, knowing it is scifi/fantasy. In The Da Vinci Code, the setting is realtime/current, our world, with characters that are human, and there is no "time/space" prerequisite of the suspension of disbelief. It is crucial, therefore, that a sense of reality is threaded through. One of the reasons it fails, at least for me, is that there are things happening which wouldn't happen in "real life". It's a cops/murder story, and even given the aspect that I have no idea what happens in French murder investigations, things occur which reek of unbelievablity. Additionally, the characters have behaviors that are unrealistic. The female character starts off being very strong, very smart, very determined and very wily. But within 50 pages, she has become some sort of symbol herself, and the rest of her participation is more "happenstance" than intentional. In other words, she becomes more allegorical in the balance of the story, rather than a vehicle of intention, movement, and participation. This was a huge disappointment. Further, the constant references to something in her past - and I mean constant - are boring. All right already, please don't insult my intelligence and remind me every 5 pages that she saw something important. Either tell me what she saw (propell the character forward) and why it bothered her (instead of letting us assume it), or let it go and use it later. Additional difficulties are some of the supporting characters. There are several scenes which contribute exactly nothing to the story other than gratuitous violence (the nun springs to mind), and the Bishop is a character which could have had more flesh instead of a 'bag of bones", a poorly introduced and stiff character. He could have been more fluid, and far more interesting; his influence and his perspective might have been more clearly drawn, and his humanness explored a bit more directly, which would have allowed us to understand the antagonist a bit better, and would have given the author a manner to demonstrate the influence of The Teacher a bit better and more thoroughly (and yes, I figured it out early, but that usually doesn't bother me too much.). It's that sort of thing which strained the credulity of the story. The storyline itself is interesting, but the telling of it is awkward and contrived, and appears oftentimes more like a lecture than a story.... Did that explain my thoughts a bit better? I have tried to not give away any of the material plot lines, so that I am not "spoiling" it for others. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Well, sometimes impulse shopping does not yeild the results one would want... I read the Da Vinci Code, and was bored. What a pity, too, because it seems to be interesting to so many people. For me, there was nothing new, nothing terribly thought provoking, and the story line was contrived. Conceptually, it is interesting...but not in actuality. I suppose I wanted to see/read more about the history of the Knights Templar, Priory of Sion, Opus Dei, and the Freemasons; perhaps I had higher expectations than what would've been able to deliver in a novel. I've read things, however, which are novel/fiction, which held my attention and created an interest in researching things further, and this book was not it. The ideas, as in the symbology, are interesting nonetheless. It's just there was a whole "there is no way this could actually happen" with regards to the characters, and that is what I have difficulty with. I found myself not caring whether or not anyone lived to the last page, and if they did, who it was who would survive...it just didn't matter to me. And the last note is that it read like a fleshed out script, rather than a novel, as if the author had written it with optioning it for a movie in mind rather than telling a story well and seeing what happens. I was terribly disappointed. I rarely regret spending money for a book; this time, I do have that regret. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Hey, Biggie. Thanks for sharing that. Tonight I needed to read something like that, and voila, there it is. Well done, and congratulations. And thanks for bringing it to the boards. You made me smile...and that, my friend, was missing from my whole day. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

When I first saw the posting, I was almost sure someone was joking...and then I caught the same shot on the news. And it's no joke. Although it should be. How scary. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

The bombings today were likely a "message". Think about selection of targets - british consul, and the bank. Where did it take place? In a muslim country which supports the Iraq war (at least marginally - there was that whole thing about troops and whatnot...). Think about the timing: while Bush is meeting with Blair. Yes, imho, it's a message. But I am curious where the upset was when 25 Jews were killed last Saturday during similar bombings at synagogue in an almost identical attack? No, the Brits won't leave. The Americans won't leave. And the Turks may react in a manner similar to the Saudis who have all of a sudden decided to double think this terrorism thing, and see what they can do to get it cleaned up. I just hope the Turks are more serious than the Saudis are. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Wasn't me, either. I wasn't even a runner-up. And I did enter. Oh well. Congratulations to Ben! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

See, I figured that out when I got a notice about my PayPal account...and I don't have a PayPal account....not only that, but I suspect there is also an "Earthlink" similar scam... I've seen some of the headers, and there are wee clues to get it past the scanner, such as "OfficiaI"..."Earthlink.com", etc. I've gotten these requests to verify my account and credit card number several times in one day - that's not how business is done.... Anyway, just an FYI to all earthlink.net folks out there that this MAY be a similar thing.... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Love. 'Nuff said! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

You really don't want to know. I promise. Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

LOL, yes, that's what was sooooo funny! Here I am, in a muted gold suit, 3 inch brown heels, hair and makeup done - conservative - saying "bling bling". Made him laugh, and that broke the ice... Squeak, if I make any money, I might be down thataway for a vacation. Three places I really want to go see - Ireland, Alaska, and Australia....not necessarily in that order. And I want to bring my jump gear so I can see it from a special vantage point! But that's yet to be seen...health and debt to address first, but then...hey, watch out!!! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Like me... I owe about a dozen people pm's and/or emails...I would hope all would forgive me if they took it personally - it is simply I keep running out of energy and time during the day. Sorry, all... Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Yeah, Keith, you're just a big ol apple living in an apartment....but this smart cookie adores you whether on a branch or in a high rise.... Deuce - if it works, and you want information, please don't hesitate to ask... Jennifer! Yeah, well, me too....worst case is it doesn't, and then at least I can say I tried. Best case is I've locked up a serious territory, and I get to make some "bling bling". I used that term "bling bling" in a conversation with a new client (unconnected) who's very young (23-24) and ready to buy his first home. He laughed when I said it, and I used it correctly (as in "you want a house with some serious bling bling...."). Hey, a new term for me. I think it sounds very funny....especially coming from me when I'm dressed for work. LOL!!! Thanks again, guys - Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

My biggest beef is with myself...my battle with my own fear. I have such fear - and it is a fight to move past comfort zones and reach out past the fear....do what I want to do anyway, despite fear. I struggle with that constantly. AND! I forgot. The other beef I have with myself which can be just as difficult of a struggle is with my temper. I lost it briefly yesterday with someone, and while I don't regret it, I still think I could've handled it with more tact and diplomacy....I don't lost it often, but I wish I would lose it less often, you know? (And yes, McDuck, porn can be fun to write....) Ciels- Michele (Edited to add the temper thing...) ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

And I'm adding my vibes to the rest.....and lots of strength, and hope, and love to boot! Ciels- Michele ~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek While our hearts lie bleeding?~

Hi, all. After a lot of thought, and about 3 hours' sleep, I sat down with the sales rep and started negotiating. He said no. Then I talked to his manager. She said no. Then I talked to her manager, the regional director. He listened patiently, and said no. So I started over...look, if that many people say no to me, my communication skills are sucking eggs, because they should be saying yes already...which I told him...and he laughed. Long day/long story short, 4 calls and about 2 hours all told later, I negotiated the price I wanted to pay - which was a full 34% lower than the asking price. Further, I locked it for 6 months, with an additional optional lock for a month to month at the end of the six months, at the same price I am paying now.