Jump to content

Smiley

Sysops
  • Posts

    953
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    23

Everything posted by Smiley

  1. Smiley

    Grandkids

    Everyone over the age of 50 knows that grandchildren are God's reward for not killing our teenage kids.
  2. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on August 2nd, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), August 3rd], for a discussion of The Scar by Jane Dotchin. This offering from East of the Web is a contemporary tale tells the story of an unexpected reunion of a coach and his student. The story is an interesting one and it offers a lot of things to consider. I will not tell you more to avoid giving you a spoiler. The story is available at: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Scar973.shtml As usual our meeting will be in the #readers_corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner Please tell your friends and chat buddies about us and bring a few in with you to our meeting. I hope to see you all there.
  3. The story of the Indianapolis is a tragic one. I just saw a movie (docu-drama) about it (I think on net-flix but it might have been Amazon. The Indianapolis was under sealed orders and radio silence on its outbound trip where it had carried the two atom bombs eventually dropped on Japan from the states to the staging point on an island in the pacific. That part of the journey was very hush hush so that most of the people in PACFLT were completely unaware that the Indianapolis was even in the area. On the return trip the Indianapolis was no longer under radio silence but apparently had very little time to send out an SOS before going down. Two radio stations received the SOS and both failed to forward it for rather nebulous reasons (garsh sgt carter, is this har boat the indanapplepuss one of ours you think?) or (hell, its sunday and i am hung over so I'll log it and let my relief handle the paperwork.) At any rate the crew floated around for a few days being eaten by sharks before an airplane noticed them in the ocean. It would be a great Marx Brothers comedy if it weren't so damned tragic.
  4. Smiley

    Home Schooled

    Truer words were never spoken.
  5. It appears that enough of us will have returned to the land of wi-fi connectivity and home cooking to have a quorum for our next meeting. After, our two week hiatus, please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on August 26th, 2017 [12:30 A.M. (GMT)], August 27th, for a discussion of Death Every Seventy-Two Minutes by Adam-Troy Castro. We discussed Castro's The Assassin's Secret in late July. Based on reader feedback following that chat, I found another story from that same author for our next meeting, this one much different from and a bit shorter than the former. This story tells the tale of a man plagued by nightmare like premonitions of his own death, each death the result of bizarre, unlikely circumstances. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. The story is available on line at: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/death-every-seventy-two-minutes/ As usual, the chat will be in the #readers_corner chat room on Koach.com Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I hope to see you all at our chat. Don't forget to bring a friend.
  6. Smiley

    How it really works

    I would give you a big LOOOOOOOL for this except for two reasons, 1st: Stormy doesn't appreciate gratuitous OOOOO's in laughter, and 2nd: I am crying because its so true.
  7. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on August 5th, 2017 [12:30 A.M. (GMT)], August 6th, for a discussion of Company G by Jack Trammell. The story is of the many good (and some not quite so good) on -line short stories from eastoftheweb.com. It's a well told historical fiction story that could have happened during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia by Union troops just prior to the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. For our non-American chatters and those of our younger members who may not have been taught the history of our Civil War as ancient history painted in the most recent politically correct colors, the War between the State (known as the War to Save the Union by the North and the War of Yankee Aggression by the South) ended shortly after the fall of Petersburg and subsequent surrender of General Lee to the Union Forces under General Grant. The siege of Petersburg was a protracted affair where the Army of Northern Virginia (the largest Confederate military force) suffered near starvation before attempting to break out of the siege and flee to the West to join forces with the remnants of the Confederate forces still fighting in the Mississippi River area. This tale tells of one small contingent of the Confederate soldiers and their attempts to find food during the siege. I think you will enjoy it. The story is available on line at: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/CompG.shtml As usual, the chat will be in the #readers_corner chat room on Koach.com Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I hope to see you all at our chat. Don't forget to bring a friend.
  8. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on July 29th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), July 30th], for a discussion of The Assassin's Secret by Adam-Troy Castro. Based on our success in finding two stories in a row that seeemed to meet Nan's lofty standards of literary achievement, I thought to push our luck with a strange tale from our friends at Lightspeed Magazine. The story is featured in the current edition of the magazine and is available on the Lightspeed Website. The story is labeled as "fantasy" but it does not involve the fairies or witches or magic normally associated with that genre'. The story could be one from the tales of Scheherazade (had she been familiar with the proper use of the telephone book) of from any of the morality stories popular in the middle ages (Goethe's Doctor Faustus springs to mind). That's saying that while technically a fantasy, this story is far from a fairy tale. I am reasonably certain that most of you will like the story and may even get the point that the author is trying to make. That point should provide ample grist for our chat mills to grind upon. The story is available online at: http://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/the-assassins-secret/ As usual our meeting will be in the #readers_corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I hope to see you all for the chat. Koach has authorized me to offer a bounty of 100 chat points to anyone bringing a new member.
  9. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on July 15th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), July 16th], for a discussion of Woolworth's...For All Your Defensive Needs by C. J. Henderson. For our next story we return to the entertaining realm of crime noir. The story is another example of "thrilling new detective fiction" offered by the Thrilling Detective web site. I am not sure whether the story is thrilling, but it is a fun read, and without giving away the plot, I will tell you that the good guys win in the end. This story is available from the Autumn/Winter (2002/2003) online edition of Thrilling Detective at: http://www.thrillingdetective.com/fiction/02_10_03.html As usual our meeting will be in the #readers_corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner Please tell your friends and chat buddies about us and drag a few in with you. Free virtual Mad Dog 20-20 and cheese wiz on saltines for anyone bringing in a new member, I hope to see you all there,
  10. WOW !!! BEFORE LONG YOU'LL BE AS OLD AS I AM. HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!
  11. (IP: 71.15.17.239) · Posted just now · Report post Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on July 15th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), July 16th], for a discussion of A Soldier's Final Draft by Dan Corfield. This story is a nicely crafted on about writing a story-- Well perhaps that is an oversimplification; in truth it's a story about a wounded veteran recovering from traumatic brain damage and PTSD with the help of an understanding woman and a very effective creative writing professor. It's a good one. Dan Corfield teaches writing at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. His fiction appears in various literary journals and his poetry can be found in Beside the City of Angels: An Anthology of Long Beach Poetry. He enjoys surfing and playing beach volleyball in his spare time. This story is available from the April 15, 2017 online edition of Carve Magazine (a reliable source of outstanding short stories) at: https://www.carvezine.com/story/2016-spring-corfield As usual our meeting will be in the #readers_corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I hope to see you all for the chat. Please tell your friends about us and drag a few in with you. Free virtual pretzels and beer (so much more satisfying than virtual pinot grigio and brie) for anyone bringing a new reader into the corner with them.
  12. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on July 8th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), Julu 9th], for a discussion of Crossing the Threshold by Pat Murphy. Following our two weeks hiatus for family related travels by many of our regular participants, we will return to the Readers' Corner for a discussion of an interesting (and unusual) fantasy. The story is featured in the June 2017 on-line edition of Lightspeed Magazine (a resource which has served us well as a source of good stories in the past). I think you will agree that this story is one that deserves our attention. The story is labeled as "fantasy" but that is a bit of a simplification. The tale walks that thin line between imagination and reality, and the reader is left with the choice of accepting it as a fairy tale or a description of the mental processes our protagonist uses to cope with the death of her father. I thin you will like the story and I am certain you will enjoy our discussion, The story is available online at: https://www.lightspeedmagazine.com/fiction/crossing-the-threshold/ As usual our meeting will be in the #readers_corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I hope to see you all for the chat. Don't forget to bring a friend.
  13. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on June 17, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), June 18th], for a discussion of By Sun & Lightning, a short story by Don Winslow, Not one to argue with success, I decided to go to the Playboy Archives again for this week's story. It's of the crime story genre'. but is overall a love story with an edge. I think you will enjoy it, both as a good one to discuss as well as an entertaining tale to read. Winslow was born in New York City on Halloween night, 1953, but grew up in Perryville, a beach town near the village of Mantunuk, RI. His mother was a librarian, his father a career sailor and inveterate raconteur. After college Wilson explored many possible careers before devoting himself to writing. In the late 1970s, he moved to New York City, first working as manager of a chain of movie theaters, then as a private investigator in movie theaters and the back alleys of Times Square. He went back to school to earn a master's degree in Military History, led safaris in Kenya and hiking trips in China's Sichuan Province. His first published novel, A Cool Breeze on the Underground, was published in 1991. The story is available online at: http://playboysfw.kinja.com/by-sun-lightning-a-short-story-by-don-winslow-1518636842 As usual our meeting will be in the #readers_corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I hope to see you all for the chat. Don't forget to bring a friend.
  14. I doubt that they realize how much pain a cow goes through if it isn't milked regularly.
  15. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) on June 10th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), June 11th], for a discussion of the story The Second Bakery Attack by Haruki Murakami. This story is a change of pace for us that was published in Playboy Magazine in January 2014 (in English translation). Its an entertaining read with just a touch of Oriental philosophy and/or Asian inscrutability. I think you will enjoy it. Wikipedia indicates that: "Haruki Murakami +(村上 春樹? Murakami Haruki, born January 12, 1949) is a Japanese writer. There may be a bit of Japanese philosophy and/or Asian inscrutability woven into the tale. His books and stories have been bestsellers in Japan as well as internationally, with his work being translated into 50 languages and selling millions of copies outside his native country....Since childhood, Murakami ... has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western as well as Russian music and literature. He grew up reading a wide range of works by European and American writers, such as Kafka, Flaubert, Dickens, Vonnegut, Dostoyevsky, and Kerouac. These Western influences distinguish Murakami from the majority of other Japanese writers." The story is available on line at: http://playboysfw.kinja.com/the-second-bakery-attack-a-short-story-by-haruki-murak-1506984903 The chat will be in our normal Readers' Corner chat room: Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner I think we will have a really interesting discussion on this topic. Hope to see some of our readers_corner participants who have disappeared. We are still on line and having as much fun as usual. As always everyone is welcome. Hope to see you all on Saturday.
  16. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on June 3rd, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), June 4th], for a discussion of Blood, Ash, Braids by Genevieve Valentine. The story appeared in the anthology "Operation Arcana", published on February 16, 2015 by Baen Books." We discussed another story from that anthology in April ( The Damned One Hundred ), and I think you will appreciate this story as well. The story is basically fictionalized military history (with a touch of magic added for flavor ), and deals with the defense of Russia against German invasion during the Second World War. Of course it deals with that in a rather novel way, but that's what makes it a good story. . The story is available for free from Baen Books.com: http://www.baen.com/Chapters/9781476780368/9781476780368.htm Click on the link to chapter 4 in the left frame, or if you are set for frameless viewing of web sites, simply navigate thru the contents link at the upper right hand corner of your browser window to the correct story. As usual, the chat will be held in the #readers_corner room on Koach.com. Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_cornerI I hope to see you all for the chat. Don't forget to bring a friend.
  17. Where can I get an ool and how much do they cost?
  18. Discussion of this story has been rescheduled for the 27th of May. (28th of May GMT). Hope to see you all there.
  19. Smiley

    Typical dog

    I smell photoshop ink. LOL
  20. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on May 20th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), May 21st], for a discussion of "Give the Woman Credit" by John Swan. This offering falls into the general category of crime story of the noir variety, and stars a slightly dishonest hotel detective and his sidekick, a less than honest woman. There are a few interesting twists within the tale and I think we will share a few chuckles while discussing it. The story is available here: http://www.thrillingdetective.com/fiction/01_10.html As always you may find the chat in the #readers_corner channel on Koach.com: Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner Thanks to Stormy for filling in for me at our last chat. The family stuff is out of the way for a while, and I will return to duty on the 20th. I hope to see you all there.
  21. We postponed our discussion of "Faitihful Lovers" on May 5th. There were too many regulars missing due to other commitments. We will discuss the story at our next meeting, on May 13th. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on May 13th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), May 14th], for a discussion of "Faithful Lovers" by Margaret Drabble. This is a recent offering of the Saturday Evening Post and is, as the title implies, a love story. As is usual for Saturday Evening Post stories, this one is suitable for all age groups, and has absolutely no gratuitous violence, sex, cursing, or nefarious deeds. It does hint at marital infidelity but without getting into the motel sheets with our semi-faithful protagonists. The story is available here: http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/04/11/post-fiction/classic-fiction/faithful-lovers-margaret-drabble.html
  22. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) on May 6th, 2017 [00:30 A.M. (GMT), May 7th], for a discussion of "Faithful Lovers" by Margaret Drabble. This is a recent offering of the Saturday Evening Post and is, as the title implies, a love story. As is usual for Saturday Evening Post stories, this one is suitable for all age groups, and has absolutely no gratuitous violence, sex, cursing, or nefarious deeds. It does hint at marital infidelity but without getting into the motel sheets with our semi-faithful protagonists. The story is available here: http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2017/04/11/post-fiction/classic-fiction/faithful-lovers-margaret-drabble.html As always you may find the chat in the #readers_corner channel on Koach.com Webchat: http://koach.com/cha...=readers_corner mIRC Users: /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner The story is a change of pace from our usual fare and I suspect it will prove an interesting springboard into various topics including marital fidelity and whether food in a short order diner is ever worth making a special trip. I may be unavailable for the chat (I'll be visiting my daughter's family for a couple of grand daughter celebrations), but Stormy has graciously volunteered to fill in for me. I hope you all will join the discussion, and as usual...try to bring a friend.
×
×
  • Create New...