wayout

John invited his mother over for dinner. During the meal, his mother couldn't help noticing how handsome John's roommate was. She had long been suspicious of Johns' sexual orientation and this only made her more curious. Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she started to wonder if there was more between John and the roommate than met the eye. Reading his mom's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, Mark and I are just roommates." About a week later, Mark came to John and said, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?" John said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll write her a letter just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote: "Dear Mother, I'm not saying you 'did' take a gravy ladle from my house, and I'm not saying you 'did not' take a gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner." Several days later, John received a letter from his mother which read: "Dear Son, I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Mark, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with Mark. But the fact remains that if he was sleeping in his own bed, he would have found the gravy ladle by now. Love, Mom"

So this leads me to the following question to the esteemed members here: do any of you make, or have any of you made in the past, buying decisions based on some part because of a celebrity or sports figure promoting a product in an ad or commercial? Now I admit I am not a marketing guy so it escapes me why this is so prevelant. It must work I guess as it has been going on forever.

LOL, very funny Some other ones I have seen and liked: "I really don't envy the next pope's task of dragging his church kicking and screaming into the Sixteenth Century" "Look, when they say you should give something up for Lent ..."

As a relative newbie to this site, having moved over from the other site for various reasons since the beginning of this year, I can say from my own perspective that I find this forum to be more friendly and with many less posters who are very touchy or looking for confrontation. It does take a bit of time to get used to the different format and ways to navigate but once that is done then it is fairly user friendly. I personally hope this site continues to gain more and more people who participate as that does make things more interesting with a diverse population. The challenge as it grows is to keep the tone of discussion as it currently is. I do feel this forum is a gentleman's club and I hope it continues to be that way. Just my two cents from a newbie here.

I did not know this: When you drink vodka over ice, it can give you kidney failure. When you drink rum over ice, it can give you liver failure. When you drink whiskey over ice, it can give you heart problems. When you drink gin over ice, it can give you brain problems. Apparently, ice is really bad for you. Warn all your friends

I've never been on a cruise and for me it isn't high on my list of things I must do before I die. A situation like this drops this further down on my list. I realize there are many many people that like/love cruises and this may not happen with high frequecy, so I am hesitant to post anything negative without having tried it first but I just feel it's not for me. I'm more like hitoallusa in my preferences for a relaxing time. I heard on the news that the passengers will get full refunds plus a free cruise in the future. After their experience, I wonder if anyone would want to take them up on the offer of a free cruise.

I enjoyed that very very much. A great way to start the week. I wonder how far this will get in the courts? If it doesn't get dismissed as a nuisance suit, I'll be dismayed.

It is a rather dramatic event. I tend to think that dealing with the issues facing the Church requires now more than ever a pope who has the energy, strength and mental clarity to lead. Considering how medical advances can keep a body alive much longer, it does not necessarily follow that the other things mentioned can be maintained. It seems that only the person with the responsibility can fully determine if he is capable now and in the future to carry on his duties to the level he feels is required. As an example, it is not inconceivable that at some point a pope will be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. For what greater good is there for that pope to continue in his role when it reaches a certain stage?

Me too....and as a side benefit I found Captain Picard quite hot for some reason.

Looks awesome and can hardly wait too. As a the fan of everything (well mostly everything) Star Trek, does that make me a trekkie or a treker? I am not sure there is really a difference either way but I've heard both terminologies used.

May I suggest one possibility for the confusion on the issue of being blocked? If you go to a private message between yourself and another person, in the upper corner there is a list of Participants in the private message/conversation. For the other person, other than yourself, there is in red letters the word "Block" which I believe is an icon to click if you want to block any further participation in the message/conversation. It does not mean the person is blocked but perhaps Suckrates is under the impression that you are blocking his messages. I may be totally off base on this supposition and I apologize if I am, but perhaps that is where the confusion is coming from. (I see hitoallusa just posted the same idea)

I agree he looks leaner than in the past and when i saw the pic I had the same thought wondering if it was really him. Regardless, whomever it is, he has a hot bod.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Not my thing but to each their own and some get pretty serious about their "sport: of choice. Many don't get into the enjoyment of hitting a small ball into a hole with as few hits as possible, and not only one hole but 18 of them And yes, I am an avid golfer.

I was listening to satellite radio this morning and the DJ talked about Nabors marrying his longtime partner but seemed to be very careful not to mention it was a man or woman. Disappointed that he wouldn't be more specific. Anyway, very happy to hear about such a long term relationship like that and that they got married. Best wishes to the happy couple.

Agreed, he is very hot :-) maybe I should start watching more tennis now

That had to take some courage to do. I hope things go well for him as he seems like a good kid. Stop the hate is a great message.

I've never used a pressure cooker but over the last month or so I've been starting to use a slow cooker (crock pot). I really find it an easy way to make soups, stews, chilis, gumbos, etc. The veggie chili does sound quite delicious. I love to try new variations of old standards, and I will definitely give this a try. I do notice that many of the veggie recipes I find rely on using a lot of beans. I love beans but the side effects can be quite annoying at times

For those interested and enjoy imbibing alcohol now and then, here is a link to some bacon booze concoctions: http://www.sloshspot.com/blog/01-22-2009/Bacon-Booze-Bacontini--Other-Delicious-Baconized-Beverages--106

I love bacon and think it goes with just about anything. While this doesn't sound appealing to me I would definitely give it a try if it were true (which apparently it is not and is becoming an urban legend: http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/fooddrink/ss/Bacon-Flavored-Diet-Coke.htm). The closest thing to a drink I've had with bacon is a chocolate bacon milkshake...which was quite delicious

Having sex is like playing bridge because if you don't have a good partner, you'd better have a good hand

Thanks Charlie, I will definitely look for that brand. I was at the local pet store near me just before reading your post and I was checking out all kinds of different brands...I was amazed at how many are from China. I was surprised that one leading brand (Milkbone) didn't say on the box where it was from. I did write down the toll free number on the box and called. The automated answering system indicated that many people are calling to get info on where their product is made (which they indicated was made in the USA).

You also need a healthy dose of self confidence and chutzpah to be able to pull that off...both of which I am severely lacking when it comes to the art of seduction. I guess that is why I hire But the tips are very interesting and make a lot of sense.

A very nice way to start the day...with a very hearty belly laugh....Thanks Expat

Thanks for this thread and the important information. I am a new owner, first time, of a dog (only a few months now) so I am trying my best to do the right things and get only good things for my little girl. You would hope that some of the American companies having their product made in China and imported into the US would have the same or better quality controls in place to assure there is not an issue. I was buying Milo Kitchen chicken jerky and that is by Del Monte. I lived/worked in China for many years in the 90s, running a manufacturing plant near Shanghai, and one of the most important priorities was to assure we had the same high standards in quality control in raw materials as well as final product. I will be paying much closer attention to where her treats come from moving forward.