The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[MrPixel]

Ah. I seem to get a lot of exercise jumping to the wrong conclusion. You mentioned "San Juan Islands", and waddayaknow, there's a San Juan Island off the Southern California coast. Plus the SoCal Renaissance Pleasure Faire used to be in the same area; I attended a couple of times.

I just read-up on the Pleasure Faire. The bucolic setting of the original Faire was perfect. Its current location in the middle of the L.A. sprawl I wouldn't touch with a 10' lance.

 

[Bubo_bubo]

Eh. San Juan and Washington State is a bit counter-intuitive I suppose. Orcas Island on the other hand seems appropriate (I went Orca sightseeing in that area).

 

[EilidhCalderwood]

Didn't somebody say something about watching out for 'Anonymous' who always gives negative comments? Well I've had a visitation from Mr Anonymous.

It was obvious that this is your first story. Nothing but racial tropes and cliche from beginning to end. I skimmed through and still found it boring. What's with the racial degradation at the end? Apparently your perspective of black men is that they're brutish thugs who must dominate and humiliate white women. If she was as successful and prominent as you suggest she would not have put up with any shit like that. Piss poor first entry. 2*

Entirely missing the point of course. I bet he's American too, because black/white dynamics are very different over there from what they are here for all sorts of historical reasons. Actually I did worry about making my young male lead black (or perhaps mixed-heritage) and in a 'lesser' work role although as a catering manager with responsibilities. I was mostly concerned with not having an all-white cast, especially as my audience of suits is pointedly all white. Tyler might have been of Chinese or Bangladeshi heritage, or even a bona-fide African, for all that really mattered. The point was, he was part of the general social mix in an old post-industrial Northern town.

But the hell with it anyway. Others enjoyed my story and I can shrug off a wrecker.

I might need a strong coffee to help me through this though.

 

[TxRad]

Eilidh, the key word in all that is he skimmed, not read the story. This is standard trolling procedure to try and knock down new writers by our troll contingency. Water off a ducks back as they say in some places.

You have officially been trolled so welcome to the writers club.

 

[NotWise]

Didn't somebody say something about watching out for 'Anonymous' who always gives negative comments? Well I've had a visitation from Mr Anonymous.

You can delete any comment on your own stories. You don't have to justify yourself to anyone.

 

[Duleigh]

Where was this?

The only clothing optional hot springs we've been to was Steamboat Springs, CO ... and it's only clothing optional after dark. My wife and I went clothing optional as soon as dusk set in, though.

When you get used to it, taking the option on "clothing optional" is wonderfully freeing! (See my screen name, and avatar - which describe our official "happy place" )

Steamboat was C/O? I would have spent more time up there had I known that, The only one I knew about for sure was Conundrum Creek up by Aspen.

 

[Duleigh]

Didn't somebody say something about watching out for 'Anonymous' who always gives negative comments? Well I've had a visitation from Mr Anonymous.

I've had a couple of visits from that dork. I honestly think he's a frustrated writer who attacks any work that's outscoring his. If you didn't have the hint of an interracial relationship for him to shriek about, he would have gotten you on grammar or that one missed edit. I recognize that shrill harpie language, he's violated my air space a few times, he tagged once for cuckoldry where there was none, once for grammar, and once for word tense. My regular readers are tired of it too.

 

[Rustyoznail]

*Puts on a fresh pot of coffee*

I really hope it's not pumpkin spice flavored coffee. I don't know if our brothers and sisters in other locations around the world have to suffer with the Annual Pumpkin Spice Epidemic that we in America have inflicted upon us every year starting about this time of year. My wife and her mother are all in for this nonsense also. As they returned from their last shopping extravaganza, I found Pumpkin Spice Oreos in the booty, along with Pure Vermont Maple Syrup with Pumpkin Spice. No product sold misses the horror of Pumpkin Spice flavoring. I fully expect to see a line of Pumpkin Spice lubes, ball gags, and flavored condoms
Oh, the horror...

We get that, and Halloween isn't really a thing here, no matter how hard the shops try and push it. The local coffee shop offered me a free PS coffee. I declined. It smelt awful.

 

[TxRad]

The evening coffee is ready.

Supper is tomato soup.

Trolls are the one bad thing about the new author's followers deal that sends out reports telling the trolls when you post a new story. That also tells them it is time to check your other scores. I brought this up when the system was suggested and people thought I was joking. I guess the joke is on them.

 

[Duleigh]

We get that, and Halloween isn't really a thing here, no matter how hard the shops try and push it. The local coffee shop offered me a free PS coffee. I declined. It smelt awful.

Wise choice - it's not just Halloween, Thanksgiving is another autumnal holiday (November) that is the main reason for the Pumpkin Spice degradation of all things consumable. At Thanksgiving dinner, the #1 favorite desert is pumpkin pie, the ONLY food I like to be pumpkin spice flavored. Somebody (I blame Starbucks) started polluting consumer products with pumpkin spice and society has been suffering ever since.

 

[Rustyoznail]

I blame Starbucks for calling their brownish liquid "coffee" and brainwashing people into believing it.

 

[NotWise]

My daily schedule just got simpler. For the last year I've been taking care of a little tom cat who lived on our back porch when he needed a place to be. I haven't seen him since yesterday morning, and I found his body this evening. No evident injury. He looked like he laid down and didn't get up.

 

[DarkRaven13]

Ah. I seem to get a lot of exercise jumping to the wrong conclusion. You mentioned "San Juan Islands", and waddayaknow, there's a San Juan Island off the Southern California coast. Plus the SoCal Renaissance Pleasure Faire used to be in the same area; I attended a couple of times.

Well I did go to Renfair in Cali...so I can see the mistake.

Eh. San Juan and Washington State is a bit counter-intuitive I suppose. Orcas Island on the other hand seems appropriate (I went Orca sightseeing in that area).

I'm not sure why they are called the San Juan Islands up in Washington. We went to San Juan, Orcas, and another one that I can't remember the name of. Orcas Island is the one with the hot springs. Mmmmmm. (We did not see orcas though.)

The evening coffee is ready.

Supper is tomato soup.

Mmmmmm more coffffeeee. Thank you TxRad. And I love tomato soup!

 

[NotWise]

Well I did go to Renfair in Cali...so I can see the mistake.


I'm not sure why they are called the San Juan Islands up in Washington. We went to San Juan, Orcas, and another one that I can't remember the name of. Orcas Island is the one with the hot springs. Mmmmmm. (We did not see orcas though.)

Mmmmmm more coffffeeee. Thank you TxRad. And I love tomato soup!

The Spanish were some of the early European explorers in the area, so it has several Spanish place names. The straight between Washington and Vancouver Island (which contains the San Juan Islands) is named the Straight of Juan de Fuca after a Greek navigator sailing for Spain.

 

[NotWise]

I was scanning through some pictures this afternoon. One caught my eye, and I was suddenly slugged in the jaw by a plot bunny the size of a kangaroo. I took some notes, and I'll take some more, but I want to finish the story I'm writing before I get into the new one.

That'll give me more motivation to finish what's already started, and then some swash will be buckled.

 

[sirhugs]

*wanders in, wonders if he missed the memo*
are we closed for renovations again?
Do I need to start a campfire and make camp coffee and tell ghost stories to my steed?

 

[Rustyoznail]

No, it happens sometimes. People mange to find coffee elsewhere.

Surprising, isn't it?

 

[Bubo_bubo]

*quietly sips coffee in corner*

 

[Rustyoznail]

*nods at Bubo Bubo and wanders off.*

 

[oggbashan]

Moan.

Unbreakable broadband?

BT advertise unbreakable broadband. Mine has been broken since shortly after 12.30 am Friday. It is now Tuesday.

They sent me a mini-hub on Saturday morning which gives me broadband but -

Because I am on full fibre, my phones operate through broadband. They don't, and cannot, work with the mini-hub. So I have had no phone service for five days. It is very difficult, almost impossible, for me to use a mobile phone. I can't see the screen and have great difficulty even seeing the number buttons.

It is a problem affecting a large number of people in our town, no matter which broadband provider they are with because the problem is at BT's telephone exchange.

All they say is 'You'll just have to wait until they fix it". They have no idea how long that will take.

Because I am disabled and have significant health problems, I am 'a priority customer'.That means nothing.

End of rant. I will complain to BT's board.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Good morning! Another dismal day, with hurricane remanent clouds still reminding us of what raindrops can do. At least I have broadband for that silver lining.

It's almost time this morning to make a few phone calls to Ft Myers, Florida friends asking if we are still welcome to visit in another week or two.

But first, it's time to get off my dead ass and fix my second mug of coffee (strong, but with a little French Vanilla creamer.)

 

[Bubo_bubo]

Good morning! Another dismal day, with hurricane remanent clouds still reminding us of what raindrops can do. At least I have broadband for that silver lining.

It's almost time this morning to make a few phone calls to Ft Myers, Florida friends asking if we are still welcome to visit in another week or two.

But first, it's time to get off my dead ass and fix my second mug of coffee (strong, but with a little French Vanilla creamer.)

Welcome to help with the clean up maybe? (Wasn't Fort Myers where it made landfall?)

 

[Lifestyle66]

Welcome to help with the clean up maybe? (Wasn't Fort Myers where it made landfall?)

Yes, Ft Myers took the worst hit, and hundreds of thousands are reported as still without power (possibly for another month as they rebuild electric infrastructure.)

Our friends live in the outskirts of that, and fortunately their houses weren't damaged (much). But showing up in an area like that requires logistical support which may not be practical. Simple things such as having drinking water, food, and sewage readily available must be coordinated for the workers arriving to "help" the victims (rather than compete with the victims.)

 

[Duleigh]

Good morning all! *Sniffs coffee to insure it remains unpolluted with pumpkin spice*

It's almost time this morning to make a few phone calls to Ft Myers, Florida friends asking if we are still welcome to visit in another week or two.

Have you spoke to them since the hurricane hit? There are towns down here that practically no longer exist. I'm hoping they were ok. My sister was south of the storm and got damage in Vero Beach.

workers arriving to "help" the victims (rather than compete with the victims.)

Are there reports of people moving in to live in desolation? I don't understand the quotes around "help" - for decades members of my family and others from my home area have been coming to hurricane-stricken areas to clear fallen trees, repair power lines, clear rubble, provide aid, and all they took home was a paycheck and gratitude I don't understand the implication.

 

[Lifestyle66]

Good morning all! *Sniffs coffee to insure it remains unpolluted with pumpkin spice*



Have you spoke to them since the hurricane hit? There are towns down here that practically no longer exist. I'm hoping they were ok. My sister was south of the storm and got damage in Vero Beach.



Are there reports of people moving in to live in desolation? I don't understand the quotes around "help" - for decades members of my family and others from my home area have been coming to hurricane-stricken areas to clear fallen trees, repair power lines, clear rubble, provide aid, and all they took home was a paycheck and gratitude I don't understand the implication.

Yes, we've talked to them within the first day after the hurricane passed and they returned home. They were safe, and their homes received less damage.

In a disaster area where hundreds of thousands are without power, refrigerators and pumps don't work, unless they have generators available (requiring gas for power.) Everyone who shows up to help requires their own food, water, etc for living there.

So, the questions are "Do you need us there?" Do you still WANT us there? And "What do we need to bring with us, and for how long?"

We don't want to show up asking "We're here to help! And oh, by the way, can I use your bathroom, and what's for dinner?"

BTW, we have a self-sustaining RV and can "boondock" (no hookups for power, water, or sewage) for four or five days, as long as I can get gasoline for the generator.