text:
Monday, January 21, 2013
Dresser Mirror Turned Bathroom Mirror + Half Bath Reveal
We have been working on our half bath lately adding new tile floors and working on a new mirror-light project.
For about a week our bathroom was tore apart and the sink and toilet was sitting in between our kitchen and family room... awesome.
But it is finally complete with new floors, new mirror, and new art work!
Here is it!
To start, I will show you the new mirror.
We used to just have a plain oval mirror on the wall, no frame, just a mirror.
We changed the light fixture before Travis deployed because it was just one of those ugly vanity lights of just bulbs but they didn't center the hole for the light over the mirror when the house was built so when we changed it, the light fixture wasn't centered over the mirror anymore. This was our solution!
BTW- when I suggested this to Travis, he thought it was crazy. lol
Travis found this dresser mirror at a little thrift store down the road from us for $5.
(He was a little excited to work on it when he brought it home so I didn't have time to get a full before picture!)
It had two crazy points on the top of it above the very side moulding pieces so he cut them off and then gave the whole frame a sanding since it was just a stained wood frame.
Then we primed and painted the mirror a white gloss.
Once the mirror was complete, it was time to attached the light.
Travis found the center of the top portion of the mirror and drilled some holes.
A large hole in the center for the wires to come through and then a small hole on the top and bottom for the screws to attach the light fixture.
He then treaded the screws through the mirror.
The screws were a tad too long, so Travis took our Dremel and cut off the ends to make them the proper length.
Then we attached the light to make sure it all fit properly.
Light attached.
Once we made sure the light would be properly secured to the frame, we removed it to place the mirror back into the frame and attached wire to the back of the frame for hanging.
Before we hung the mirror, Travis covered up the light junction box with a cover that he drilled a hole in to pull the wires through.
Then we just took a Gorilla hook and inserted it into the wall and hung the mirror.
We reattached the light properly wiring it up and we were done!
Now the mirror and light are centered on the sink!
Here is the completed bathroom and new floors.
Entering the bathroom, you see the mirror immediately.
It is quite large but we like it!
To the right of the sink is the toilet and then my new Vintage Inspired Bird Art is on the wall next to the toilet.
Across from the toilet and next to the doorway, is this shelving unit on the wall.
It holds our spare towels and extra toilet paper plus it gives a little more space for decorations.
I have a picture frame on the shelf then some shells and drift wood we collected while living in VA.
I have plans for Travis to build me a new shelving unit at some point to replace this one.
Here is our new tile floor.
We also used this tile in our entry way of the house and it will soon be in the laundry room.
We wanted slate but not the upkeep of slate so this is a porcelain tile that was made to look like slate.
I wanted yellow accents in the bathroom and it took me FOREVER to find a yellow rug!
I finally found this one at World Market and debating on getting another one for in front of the toilet.
And here is another shot of the new mirror and sink just because I like it!
I got the towel at World Market as well.
There wasn't much of a change to the bathrrom but I am so happy that the tile floors are finally down and we have the new mirror up.
10 comments:
I really like it! Our half bath is almost the exact same! We live in Colorado too, I wonder if it is the same builder? Anyway, how did you get the original mirror off the wall? I want ours to go, but I am afraid it is cemented to the wall, and I will ruin the wall! Maybe if yours wasn't too hard to get off, I can be brave and do mine. Your bathroom looks great!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Five Napkin Burger
This classic burger from chef Andy D'Amico is so delicious it inspired him to open a restaurant of the same name.
- Servings: 6
Source: The Martha Stewart Show, September 2009
- 3 3/4 pounds freshly ground chuck
- 6 soft white hamburger buns, split and toasted
- 12 thin slices Gruyere cheese (about 6 ounces)
- 1 1/2 cups Andy D'Amico's Caramelized Onions, heated
- 1 cup Five Napkin Burger Aioli
Divide ground chuck evenly into 6 portions. Using a 4-inch ring mold, evenly pack one portion of the chuck into ring mold to create a 3/4-inch thick patty. Repeat process with remaining chuck.
Preheat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat. Place burgers on skillet and cook, turning once, until medium-rare, about 4 minutes per side. Top each burger with two slices of cheese and continue cooking until melted.
Place burgers on the bottom half of each bun and top with onions and 1 heaping teaspoon aioli each; top with remaining bun halves and serve immediately.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 2, 2012 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) , eBay Inc (EBAY - Free Report) , Netflix Inc (NFLX - Free Report) , Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and Caterpillar Inc. (CAT - Free Report) .
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: https://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Monday's Analyst Blog:
Amazon to Sell Wine Online
The world's largest Internet retailer Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Free Report) announced that it is planning to sell wines online.
The company started its wine business way back in 1999 with a 45% stake in Wineshopper.com, but closed down 10 years later as the business did not perform to expectations. It is now re-starting in a much smaller way, selling wines directly to consumers in Napa Valley, California.
Amazon is clearly driven by this very big market. It is true that growth prospects may not be so exciting (a ResearchAndMarket study estimates a 3% CAGR to 2013). However, given the size of the market ($33.5 billion by 2013), Amazon would see big gains if it is able to convert even a fraction of these sales to its online model. .
Amazon has room for expansion in this unique segment. Wine lovers are present at every nook and corner of the world. So its current selection of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Champagne and other exquisite wines could see more takers.
Amazon is one of the leading players in the extremely fast-growing retail ecommerce market that includes players like eBay Inc (EBAY - Free Report) , Netflix Inc (NFLX - Free Report) , Apple Inc (AAPL - Free Report) and others. While the strong growth prospects are making the market more competitive by the day, Amazon continues to maintain and even grow its share on the back of its consistent and reliable service. Amazon's scale of offerings, its broad reach and platform approach are the keys to its success.
Amazon's second quarter results were more or less within expectations. Reported revenue of $12.83 billion was down 2.7% sequentially and up 29.5% from the year-ago quarter. This was better than the guidance for the quarter of $11.9-13.3 billion (down 4.4% sequentially, or up 27.1% year over year at the mid-point) and in line with consensus expectations. Year-over-year revenue growth was 32%, excluding an unfavorable currency impact.
Currently, Amazon has a Zacks #3 Rank, which implies a Hold rating in the near term.
Caterpillar Announces Price Hike
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT - Free Report) , the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, has implemented a price increase of up to 3% on most of its machines across the world, citing current industry factors and general economic conditions as the reasons. This price increase will be effective January 2013 and includes adjustments to list prices and merchandising support.
The price increase will vary geographically as well as by the type of equipment. In addition, the company intends to increase prices by up to 7% on select models for applicable regions to cover the cost of incremental pollution-reduction components to comply with stricter federal standards.
Earlier in October 2011, the company had announced price increase of up to 2% worldwide, effective January 2012. The company had also implemented an emissions-related price increase of 2% to 6% for applicable products and regions
In a separate development, the company recently trimmed its guidance for fiscal 2015, due to modest and insipid economic growth expectations through 2015 and a less likely scenario of a worldwide recession. Caterpillar expects to generate revenues in the range of $80 to $100 billion in 2015 and earnings per share in the range of $12 to $18 per share. Caterpillar had earlier estimated earnings between $15 and $20 per share.
For 2012, the company remains firm on its guided record sales of $68 billion to $70 billion and EPS forecast at $9.60. Caterpillar will discuss its 2013 expectations when it releases its quarterly earnings next month. The year 2013 is expected to be similar to 2012 with respect to worldwide economic growth, and better growth expected in 2014.
Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: https://at.zacks.com/?id=5515.
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research. Subscribe to this free newsletter today: https://at.zacks.com/?id=5517
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros at https://at.zacks.com/?id=5518.
Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should always research companies and securities before making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
In-Depth Zacks Research for the Tickers Above
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) - free report >>
eBay Inc. (EBAY) - free report >>
Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) - free report >>


text:
Friday, December 02, 2011
On the Importance of Action # 1
3 comments:
- Rip Jagger said...
Well put.
When you read those earliest Superman stories, there's no doubt he'd be on the side of the 99%.
Later on, not so much.
Rip Off - 3:49 AM
- Joe Ackerman said...
well said, that man. couldn't agree with you more. it's a very important distinction I draw between myself and almost everybody else I know who buys comics: I am NOT a comic collector, I am a comic READER. I have never, and I will never, bag & board a comic. don't care how much it's worth, don't care how old it is - if I can't just pick it up and flip through it whenever the mood takes me to, I'm not interested. I understand the mentality of collectors, and I'm cool with it, but two million plus for a comic is obscene.
- Peter Richardson said...
Absolutely brilliant piece of writing Steve, entertaining, informative and thought provoking.
Many thanks! - 6:38 AM


text:
In Nords: Heroes of the North, the world needs your help to defeat the Ice Queen and her undead army. Build and manage a Nordic Stronghold in this online strategy game. Can you keep the peace between the elves, orcs, Norsemen and dragons who live there? Will you work with your neighbors or fight against them? Play Nords: Heroes of the North today!
Developer | Plarium |
Release Date | July 30, 2015 |
Internet Connection | Required |
Flash Version | 11.0 |


text:
Gluten-Free Yellow Cake
baking powder, eggs, vanilla extract, milk, salt, flour, sugar, xanthan gum, +baking soda, +mayonnaise, +tapioca
allrecipes.com - Similiar recipes
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
"A delicious gluten free cupcake recipe using rice and millet flour. The millet lends a bit of a cornbread taste to it. This could also be made into...
baking powder, eggs, milk, salt, vanilla extract, flour, sugar, xanthan gum, +baking soda, +cocoa powder, +millet flour, +sour cream
allrecipes.com - Similiar recipes
Yellow Lard Cake
lard, milk, sugar, flour, eggs, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt
www.cooks.com - Similiar recipes
Vanilla Wafers
milk, lard, sugar, flour, eggs, salt, vanilla extract, baking powder
www.cooks.com - Similiar recipes
Easy Yellow Cake
lard, milk, sugar, flour, eggs, salt, vanilla extract, baking powder
www.cooks.com - Similiar recipes
Chocolate Doughnuts
sugar, milk, flour, eggs, lard, salt, vanilla extract, baking powder, +cocoa powder
www.cooks.com - Similiar recipes
Grandma Nordstrom's Sugar Cookies
milk, flour, eggs, sugar, lard, baking powder, vanilla extract, salt, +lemon extract
www.cooks.com - Similiar recipes
Strawberry Banana Muffins (Gluten-Free)
The good people at Moosewood have done it again! These tender, tasty muffins look, taste, and feel like regular old wheat flour muffins. Eat them in a...
baking powder, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, flour, salt, sugar, xanthan gum, +baking soda, +banana, +butter, +cinnamon, +potato starch, +strawberries, +tapioca
www.recipezaar.com - Similiar recipes
English Scones
milk, sugar, lard, flour, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, +candied fruit, +cinnamon
www.cooks.com - Similiar recipes
Can't find what you are looking for? Try our custom google recipe search:
Custom Search
Your Ingredients:
Legend: click ingredients to include or exclude
have this
need to use this
exclude this


text:
Data is at the heart of what we do — but also why we do it.
More coming soon.
WSL Founder: 1 of the 15
Most Daring Entrepreneurs...
Part innovation center, part work-space and part auditorium, Walnut St. Labs is a regional epicenter of tech entrepreneurialism. It hosts networking events, brainstorming sessions, and talks from the region's most successful tech entrepreneurs. "We created an ecosystem, the purpose of which is to build and generate ideas," says founder and CEO Chris Dima.
That wasn't Dima's goal when he got to Walnut St. Labs in 2013. Then, it was just shared office space. Dima was working for Economy.com while expanding his own software-development and marketing company when the lease expired. Five other entrepreneurs worked in the building. "No one wanted to, so I signed the lease myself," says Dima. "I created a logo and hung a piece of paper on the front door with tape. Walnut St. Labs was born. Lesson learned: You can wait for other people to lead, or lead yourself."
Grants from the Chester County Economic Development Council helped Dima transform the former taxi garage into an innovation center. "You need a clubhouse where like-minded people can gather," he says.
In early 2016, Dima moved Walnut Street Labs to a new space—still in West Chester and with the same vibe. "I want to nurture tech entrepreneurship in the suburbs—and Chester County, specifically," he says. "That's who I am, and that's the story I want to tell."
Get In Touch. Share Your Idea or Goal. We'll Be Ready To Talk About It.
5 Reasons to Run your Site on WordPress
5 Reasons Shopify is the Super-est platform for Ecommerce
Newcomer NEP Empowers an E-commerce Revolution in the $100B Industrial Parts Market
Chad Wingrave is Shooting for #AppStoreDisruption
Amanda Lange Dishes Out IoT and An Intro To Particle at iSchool
Thanks to CardConnect for powering innovation at the lab. This week Amanda Lange rocked out an intro to Particle for the Night Owls. Particle offers a suite of hardware and software tools to help you prototype, scale, and manage your Internet of Things products.
read moreKing's Hall Cofounder Devon Perry Hypes the Suburban Coworking Scene
King's Hall co-founder Devon Perry shares, "We're striving to be the Dr. Pepper or A&W root beer rather than Coke or Pepsi. If it's only the space that you need, and not community, there are other alternatives. We're a true mom and pop shop because of how we're invested in the community."
read more


text:
Do embedded systems require extra security testing?
While embedded software applications may not necessarily require more security testing than other applications, there are special considerations that developers must keep in mind when working with embedded systems.
Is there extra security testing that should be done when working with embedded software systems?
Continue Reading This Article
Enjoy this article as well as all of our content, including E-Guides, news, tips and more.
By submitting your personal information, you agree that TechTarget and its partners may contact you regarding relevant content, products and special offers.
You also agree that your personal information may be transferred and processed in the United States, and that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.
My answer is a qualified "no." Recent SCADA vulnerabilities and exploits (including Stuxnet) have caused embedded and other automation control systems designers concern regarding system security. When compared to the security testing that's obviously been performed to date, the answer is an emphatic "yes." Clearly embedded developers have missed security vulnerabilities in their operating systems and their applications. Is there more security testing to be performed than in, for instance, full computer operating platforms such as Windows? Probably not.
The key to delivering a secure embedded system application is three-fold. First, you must understand the security environment in which your application runs, and be able to deliver best-practices and other hardening information. Second, as a developer you need to ensure your application functions in a hardened environment. And third, you must perform security testing throughout your application.
Security in an embedded environment is difficult to answer in a single "Ask the Expert" column simply because embedded environments differ from one another. The strategy here is simple: become very familiar with industry standards for locking down your environment. Understand core security analysis and penetration techniques used to harden and assess an environment, and put them to practice in the embedded environment. Understand how role-based access works in the embedded environment, and be confident in your application's use of user roles. Be intimately familiar with networking and other potential vulnerabilities and how to compensate for them. Finally, be aware of ongoing security vulnerabilities in the platform and ensure your test environments are locked down accordingly.
The next critical step in security testing is to perform functional testing against your application. Functionality testing needs to be performed to ensure the application functions as expected after the embedded environment is fully hardened. Ensure that user roles, authentication, and networking all function per specification after the manufacturer's hardening steps have been followed. Double-check install and uninstall scenarios (especially in environments where administrative roles are defined).
Once you have ensured application functionality, start penetration testing. The testing you perform will be similar to what you would perform against a web or OS application in a full computer operating system. Check for standard vulnerabilities, file manipulation/fuzzing testing, network interaction testing and so forth. Look for impersonation vulnerabilities and for the ability to elevate privilege. Where your application exposes sensitive system information or configuration, ensure appropriate controls exist in your application to protect them.
Dig Deeper on Internet Application Security
Find more PRO+ content and other member only offers, here.
Have a question for an expert?
Please add a title for your question
Get answers from a TechTarget expert on whatever's puzzling you.
Meet all of our Software Quality experts


text:
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Grand Rapids Airport
- Suites
- Shuttle bus service
- Microwave in room
- Indoor pool
- Continental Breakfast
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Swimming pool
- Indoor pool
- Fitness/Health center
- Microwave in room
- Refrigerator in room
- Free High-Speed Internet
- Air-Conditioning
- Wheelchair accessibility
- Free parking
- Kitchenette
- Pets allowed
- Suites
- Shuttle bus service
- Continental Breakfast
- Business Services
TripAdvisor Reviews Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Grand Rapids Airport
Travel Blogs from Grand Rapids
The long drive for a short distance
... AZ time til after 4 am.. Mom tries to get the mule to just listen to her AND follow the instructions she is giving.. Lol.. Not easy for either party.. The 10 min drive turned into over 2 hours and I feel like I now know the ins and outs of Michigan!! But he made to his destination after much ranting raving and ...
Egypt Departure
What's life without a little risk? Or, I guess in this case, a lot of risk! I leave for Egypt in three days where I will be joining ISIS never to return to the States ever again! KIDDING DAD!! Of all my trips, this is definitely one where I will need to take the most care, and I guarantee you that I will.
Currently, there is a lot of unrest within Egypt and a "high ...
Hi Lo
... it backfired Walnut Grove: Scott: HI- getting to Jackson LO- leaving Denver Melissa: HI- Seeing the moose LO- going to the creepy gas station in Wyoming Edie: HI- seeing the house LO- creepy gas station Ben: HI- getting to Jackson LO- Leaving Denver Tommy: HI- getting the marshmallows LO- ending the marshmallow give out Walnut Grove: Scott: HI- the rafting trip LO- the rain Melissa: HI- not knowing where Dad was and getting stuck in the rain LO- ...
Thoughts and being in the Midwest
... first time in my life, so somewhat shyly I trot along. As she has been singing with some regularity for the last 3 yrs in this place she knows lots of people most of whom would be between 50-70 yrs and so I have fun people-watching. Couples get up to dance periodically, proper old-fashioned dancing, when people enjoyed touching! There are lots of very big men and women, one man with a long thick white beard and similarly long thick pony ...
Ruth's Origins...
... Ruth's birthplace. We took pictures of the church where she was baptized, the hospital where she was born, and the house where her grandmother lived (and where she may have lived briefly before moving to New York). Ruth also took some pictures of a family "Point of Interest", the old Union High School (it's been converted over to some fairly classy looking apartments; the high school is in a new building a little ways away).
Earlier in the ...


text:
Product Description
CHANEL CHANCE EAU TENDRE Moisturising Body Cream 200g.A moisturising body cream with the floral-fruity notes of CHANCE EAU TENDRE. Its rich texture leaves the skin soft, moisturised and lightly fragranced.
It comes and goes, it never stays still... and you only have a few seconds to seize your chance. It is unpredictable and appears when you least expect it, but if you decide to seize it, anything is possible.
A chance came up, I seized it. Mademoiselle Chanel knew that her real chance was the one of her own creation, a state of mind, a way of being.
A moisturising cream fragranced with the floral-fruity notes of CHANCE EAU TENDRE, intertwining the green and fruity Grapefruit-Quince accord with the softness of Jasmine and the smoothness of White Musks.
A complete perfuming ritual for the bath and body to enhance the floral-fruity fragrance trail of CHANCE EAU TENDRE. Apply the moisturising body cream generously for an enveloping and moisturising step within the ritual.
Buy and Collect - FREE for orders over £30 or £2 for under £30 (7 days a week)
Order before midnight for collection in store from 12 noon the NEXT DAY or on a day of your choice
(For Belfast and Dundrum please allow up to 48hrs for delivery.)
Standard - £3.95 (Monday to Friday)
FREE on orders of £50 or more. Delivery within 3 - 5 working days.
Next Day - £6 (Monday to Sunday)
Order before 7pm for delivery the NEXT DAY
(For Belfast and Dundrum please allow 48hrs for delivery.)
Nominated Day - £6 (Monday to Sunday 6pm)
Same Evening - £8 (Monday to Friday)
Selected postcodes only. Order by 12noon for delivery between 6-9pm.
Ireland - £3.95
FREE on orders of £50 or more*. Delivery within 3 - 5 working days.
Find out more about delivery and charges
We hope you will love your new things but if you don't, you are welcome to return your items free of charge. Here's how to do it:
To a Store
Bring your items and proof of purchase into store within 28 days from the day your parcel arrives, for a full refund via the original payment method.
By Post
Please send your return by post or courier within 28 days from the day your parcel arrives for a full refund via the original payment method.
Paypal Refunds
You will need to return your goods by post, if PayPal was your original payment method and you would like the refund back to your account. If you make your return to a store, we will only able to give you a House of Fraser gift card to the same value. You'll still have 28 days to return.


text:
More Sites | |||
Kids Teens Teachers Librarians |
Magic Tree House Junie B. Jones Seussville Random House |
Feeling confused is a just part of being a teenager, right? All of a sudden everything seems to be changing in Rachel's world. Her parents are always arguing but when she heads to Temple for some peace and prayer, another trusted adult's image goes shattering to the floor. To add to her agony, her best friend is no longer friendly and she can't figure out why. Then, when two very different boys vie for her affection, her emotions are tossed into even more turmoil. What is a nice Jewish girl to do? How can she live with intention when there's nothing left to depend on? Miscommunication, misunderstanding and just plain old mistakes abound in this realistic, modern coming of age story.
Prepared by Jill Webb, Children's Librarian, Farmington Community Library, Farmington, Michigan


text:
Hello When PHP is working as an Apache module, the apache_get_modules function is available and it lets you determine if mod_rewrite is loaded. Is there a similar function for LiteSpeed Web Server? How one should check if URL rewriting is enabled? Reading a rewritable URL from own server with cURL seems too heavy.
PHP doesn't yet have such a function for LSWS. LSWS URL rewrite engine can enabled at virtual host and context level, and is inherited along the directory tree until it is explicitly overridden. You can just create a unique rewrite rule that, if rewrite engine is enabled, would redirect to somewhere (an empty text file is suffice). Then test it with 'curl -I URL' (doesn't have to on the same box) and see if it returns 200 or 404 as the HTTP response.


text:
Gallery Issue after 2.3.340 - Fixed
- For anyone having the Gallery issue after the update here is what I did and it seems to have fixed it. (at least for now)
When I would go to open the Gallery it would immediately close, no FC or message, just close.
After reading many threads I finally decided to copy all the contents of the SD card to my computer, un-mount the SD card, and then let from settings/SD card chose format the card. Once that was done I copied all the files and folders I copied off back to the SD card and rebooted the phone.
My Gallery now opens and I am able to see pictures. Let me know if this works for you. If anything changes I will post an update.12-15-2010 10:40 AMLike 0
- Forum
- Motorola Android Phones
- More Motorola Phones
- Verizon Droid X Forums
- Motorola Droid X
Gallery Issue after 2.3.340 - Fixed


text:
Recovery was difficult. I quit him as often as he quit cigarettes-- Equally damned endeavors. The steps of my program are grueling, commitment necessity-- I am under the impression that I cannot fail. This time is for good. Eyes closed, he disappears. Imagine will over desire. Depersonalization, Physical dissociation. If the mind could be altered like genes, Perfection could be attained-- We are more perfect in our imperfection. Flaws highlight the beauty in his features-- I cannot bear to look at him with such sacred blemishes.
I pilgrimage to regain sanity among friends-- Acquaintances who believed my childhood ghost stories. So we hunt-- united against the specter of disbelief. Both parties seek autonomy, but the shit we get on the bottom of our shoes Requires somewhere to lean in the aftermath. Road home begins, no worse for wear-- wears only on the soles of my boots. Dissociation sets in. I watch the world through mirrored windshield Trees devouring their reflections, the cannibalism is unbearable. Avert eyes inward-- attempt introspection. Depersonalization is perfect. Your god may look at you shifty eyed, But mine believes in imperfection.
Everything was fine until Psychosis dared show his face again-- Unassuming strut waltzing body into the room. Eyes extremely proud, forcing his face to meet mine But I don't want this, I protest It's a violation of the mind. Desire only shames my dignity. Banished to mind's back alley, I hope he'll stay a while-- For tea, perhaps. Honey heals the coarseness of response. Light up another cigarette, tomorrow is here. Mother always told me I was easily manipulated-- Manipulated me into believing in my flaws. That was how I knew she loved me.
Ma*nip`u*la"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. manipulation.]
The act or process of manipulating, or the state of being manipulated; the act of handling work by hand; use of the hands, in an artistic or skillful manner, in science or art.
Manipulation is to the chemist like the external senses to the mind.
The use of the hands in mesmeric operations.
Artful management; as, the manipulation of political bodies; sometimes, a management or treatment for purposes of deception or fraud.
© Webster 1913.
Log in or registerto write something here or to contact authors.
Sign up
Need help? email@example.com


text:
CLEARANCE - Chess Life Magazine - April 2010 Issue
Product Code: CL0410
The April 2010 Issue of Chess Life Magazine provides in-depth coverage of the top Chess tournament from across the United States - and the World! This includes
* Coverage of the 2010 Wijk Aan Zee Tournament, in which American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura Grand Slam debut was overshadowed by the brilliant play of the Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen
* The 2009 National K-12 Championship in Dallas, TX
* The 2009 North American Open in Las Vegas, NV.
Returns & Exchanges
This is a Specialty Item and All Sales are Final. No refunds, returns or exchanges are allowed.
Media Mail Eligible
Media Mail® shipping from the US Postal Service is the cost-effective way to ship Books, Software and DVDs. With shipping rates starting at only 4.00, it's the most affordable shipping method available.


text:
awesome! thanks. worked for me first try. on a 16GB usb stick :)
Printable View
awesome! thanks. worked for me first try. on a 16GB usb stick :)
Ok, I got my lilo.conf file. This is all installed on a USB Slimdrive. When I boot it all up I get a kernal error, and I think it's related to the warning it gives me when I run lilo -v. But first, the lilo.conf file
When I run lilo -v, this is the output:Code:lba32
# bitmap=/boot/sarge.bmp
# bmp-colors=1,,0,2,,0
# bmp-table=120p,173p,1,15,17
# bmp-timer=254p,432p,1,0,0
# install=bmp
# map=/boot/map
Now I know the boot partition /dev/sdb1 is flagged as bootable when I go into fdisk /dev/sdb. The /dev/sdb2 partition is the swap, and the /dev/sdb3 is the root folder. This could only mean that my problem should be somewhere in the lilo.conf file, right? I'll post the fstab just in case:Code:Reading boot sector from /dev/sdb
Warning: /dev/sdb is not on the first disk
Using MENU secondary loader
Calling map_insert_data
Boot image: /boot/vmlinuz
Mapping RAM disk /boot/splash.initrd
Added BT4 *
Writing boot sector.
/boot/boot.0810 exists - no boot sector backup copy made.
One warning was issued.
When I go to boot off the USB harddrive, it gives me this error on the backtrack bootup screen, after I selcet "BT4" from Lilo.Code:/dev/sdb3 / reiserfs defaults 0 0 # AutoUpdate
/dev/sdb2 none swap sw 0 0
proc /proc proc defaults 0 0 # AutoUpdate
sysfs /sys sysfs defaults 0 0 # AutoUpdate
devpts /dev/pts devpts gid=5,mode=620 0 0 # AutoUpdate
tmpfs /dev/shm tmpfs defaults 0 0 # AutoUpdate
"Kernal panic - not syncing: VFS:Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,19)"
I have installed ubuntu 8.10 on my /dev/sda1 and am trying to install BT4 on my /dev/sda2 with /dev/sda3 as swap. The trouble I am having is when running lilo -v ther error that I receive is
Boot other: /dev/sda1, on /dev/sda, loader CHAIN
Fatal:First sector of /dev/sda1 doesn't have a valid boot signature
My lilo is configured as:
Anyone have any ideas? I know the issue is probably with ubuntu 8.10 which I don't have much experience with yet.
In your case it's not necessary to install lilo. Since ubuntu 8.10 is already installed on your HD and supposing you're using common partitions, you can just define in menu.lst of GRUB to point to the kernel and root partition of BT.
Here is how I've done this:
i'm using similar scheme: eeebuntu is installed together with Backtrack.
My hdd partitioned as following:
sda1 Boot Primary Linux ext2 403.04
sda2 Primary Linux ext3 24996.63
sda3 Primary Linux swap / Solaris 1998.75
sda5 Logical Linux ReiserFS 114997.64
sda6 Logical Linux ReiserFS 17643.23
when sda1 using as "/boot" (common for both eeebuntu and BT), sda2 is a "/" for eeebuntu , sda5 is a "/home" for eeebuntu (i thought it's better to do not mix the "/home"'s for the both systems :) ) and sda6 is "/" of Backtrack.
In that case the part of backtrack in my menu.lst looks like that:
Code:title BackTrack
uuid 7da555c1-295f-427e-b29c-5632e02fec90
kernel /vmlinuz root=/dev/sda6 ro i8042.noloop vga=792 clocksource=hpet
initrd /splash.initrd
i've downloaded the iso and burn it but it always stalled to install to hard drive, it stuck at
is there a problem to install it on sata drives?Quote:
* Loading hardware drivers...
or any other incompatible for my system?
Intel P4i65GV
P4 2,8GHz
512 mb
Nvidia GeForce4 MX 4000
Seagate ST380012ACE (ata drivers)
Maxtor STM380215AS (sata drives)
i've planned to installing it on Maxtor drive, so i can use it seperatelly, the boot will be chosen from the bios manually.
but when i install it on vmware it was running well fine, but it have some kind of error at same place
i don't know what was that...Quote:
piix4_smbus 000:00:07.3: Host SMBus controller not enabled!
Dame, im trying to install bt4 to my eeepc 1000H and when i type,
mke2fs /dev/sda1 i get this
mke2sf 1.41.3 (12-Oct-2008)
/dev/sda1 is apparently in use by system; will not make a filesystem here!
any one hade this problem?
Not sure if that is a mavis beacon problem there or what, but generally this error can be one of several things. the partition is already setup and being used by the system . Or there is some data on the disk that is not allowing the disk to be reformatted properly. Or something else.
I would try to use fdisk to check if it is partitioned properly, if it is, it might be corrupted.
use 'p' to print to print table, check /dev/sda1 and see if it looks okayCode:# fdisk /dev/sda
You can also try to fsck it if fdisk shows it to be a valid partition.
(or man e2fsck for more options).Code:# e2fsck -C 0 /dev/sda1
Also you can try to reformat it.
(man mke2fs for more options).Code:# mke2fs -v -t ext3 /dev/sda1
still no go, i made all the partions from gparted live cd,
Ok this really doesn't help much, so can you show the output from the above.
As I stated above this can happen sometimes due to data not being completely removed from the drive. There might be a part of the partition that is reserved for a system restore. Since I don't have one of these newer eeepc's I am not sure.


text:
Is this restaurant good for breakfast?
Is this restaurant appropriate for Kids?
Is this restaurant good for dinner?
Are the prices at this restaurant low or inexpensive?
Is this restaurant good for dining on a budget?
Is this restaurant wheelchair accessible?
Is this restaurant family-friendly?
Is this restaurant good for brunch?
Can a vegetarian person get a good meal at this restaurant?
Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?
Thanks for helping!
A nice place for lunch or dinner in town. They serve fast food like burgers and fries. It is a good choice, if you want something better tasting and more individual as you get it from the usual fast food chains. Try it and am sure you will enjoy.
My sister and her husband take me there every time I visit Marburg. The Burgers are ok and specially the Curley Fries (I like them more than French Fries). I always would have a Chevy Burger before McDonalds but they could do much better and certainly need to improve if they want to be a true American Diner...they far away... More
We had gone there for the first time around three years ago, and we loved it. Nice staff, a place bustling with customers, okay prices, and huge, delicious servings. Then, after some time I wasn't in the city, I took my boyfriend there around a month ago. It was really poor, and I am not sure what happened to this... More
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.


text:
"I love the legislature," Moreno said in a telephone interview, describing a daily enthusiasm to go to work on state issues affecting the city. "I don't think that's something I'm ready to give up at this point."
Though she said she is grateful for the supporters who urged her to run for City Council, she said she pointed out that she serves on the House criminal justice and appropriations commitees, two "key" appointments for a lawmaker from New Orleans.
"In my opinion, I think I'm best off right now for the city of New Orleans in the legislature," Moreno said.
Moreno's decision will likely be welcomed by the supporters of all three announced candidates, Broadmoor Improvement Association president LaToya Cantrell, juvenile-justice advocate Dana Kaplan and former Stacy Head chief of staff Eric Strachan. As a well-known former TV journalist, a veteran of difficult campaigns and the only contender to have won office, Moreno would have immediately been seen as a frontrunner.
Moreno says she has already met with Cantrell and Kaplan, and plans to sit down with Strachan soon. All three seem like "good options" for the seat, she said, and she hopes to have as strong a relationship with the winner as she did with Stacy Head.
"District B is incredibly important to me," Moreno said. "Who is going to be there to help me go to Baton Rouge and help me lobby for important issues in the city?"
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


text:
GO term: | ARF guanyl-nucleotide exchange factor activity |
GO id: | GO:0005086 |
Definition: | Stimulates the exchange of guanyl nucleotides associated with the GTPase ARF. Under normal cellular physiological conditions, the concentration of GTP is higher than that of GDP, favoring the replacement of GDP by GTP in association with the GTPase. |
Number of paths to term: | 1 |
denotes an 'is-a' relationship
denotes a 'part-of' relationship
denotes a 'regulates' relationship
denotes a 'positively-regulates' relationship
denotes a 'negatively-regulates' relationship
Mouse Genome Database (MGD), Gene Expression Database (GXD), Mouse Tumor Biology (MTB), Gene Ontology (GO), MouseCyc |
Citing These Resources Funding Information Warranty Disclaimer & Copyright Notice Send questions and comments to User Support. |
last database update 03/14/2017 MGI 6.08 |


text:
Build OCR from JPG image with C#
- Status Completed
- Budget $30 - $250 USD
- Total Bids 19
Project Description
I have this image (attach) and I'd like to read some fields (CPF and Validade) of this document.
Is there a possibility to do this? Can anyone help me with this?
Get free quotes for a project like this
Looking to make some money?
- Set your budget and the timeframe
- Outline your proposal
- Get paid for your work
Hire Freelancers who also bid on this project
Looking for work?
Work on projects like this and make money from home!
Sign Up Now- Forbes
- The New York Times
- Time
- Wall Street Journal
- Times Online


text:
Judy Rebick is the CAW-Sam Gindin Chair in Social Justice and Democracy at Ryerson University in Toronto. Judy was the founding publisher of rabble.ca, Canada's most popular progressive online publication. She is the author of several books, the most recent of which is Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political. You can visit her website to read her blog and learn more about the book. Judy also wrote Ten Thousand Roses: The Making of a Feminist Revolution during her time at Ryerson. Judy also co-hosts Reel Women, a movie review podcast on the rabble podcast network.
For most the 1990s, Judy was the host of a national TV show on CBC Newsworld. Previously, she was president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Canada's largest women's group.
Since she started in August 2002, Judy has initiated and participated in many projects, including:


text:
Fiction, Consensual Sex, First Time, Oral Sex, Pregnant, Romance, Virginity, Young
Author's infos
Gender: N/A Age: N/A Location: N/A
Posted Thu 9th of August 2012
A coming-of-age story. NO UNDERAGE SEX!
The heat waves shimmered in the distance, inexorably rising off the sand in an unmerciful display of mother nature's authority. ________ was nowhere to be found. Off to the left, _________ could be heard, the ___________ signaling the __________ of another ________.
It was the summer of '69. It was the summer of ________.
That was what we were given as the "Challenge" for CAW #12 on out Sex Stories forum. I started this story immediately, but then hit on another idea to use for my actual entry. This is my "non-entry" story – a coming-of-age tale about two nice kids.
"The heat waves shimmered in the distance, inexorably rising off the sand in an unmerciful display of mother nature's authority. Good cover was nowhere to be found. Off to the left, enemy snipers could be heard, the gunfire signaling the start of another day in Hell."
It was the summer of '69. It was the summer of despair.
Joey wrote me that letter after his unit fought its way back to base camp. He wrote as often as he could. Sometimes, I'd find a stack of his letters in the mailbox when I got home from work, and then, I wouldn't hear from him for while. Whenever his family got any news, they would call me or visit to share the letter. I did the same for them. I always let my folks and Joey's read what we wrote, including the parts where Joey and I talked about getting married when he got home.
It was the summer of '59. That's when I met him.
Joey and I always liked each other. We were too young to think of each other as boyfriend and girlfriend at first. His family moved into a new house down the block the summer after third grade. I was a tomboy. I loved to ride my bike to the schoolyard to play on the swings, seesaws, and sliding board with the neighborhood boys. Sometimes, we'd play cowboys and Indians on the vacant lots in our development. Nobody thought anything of it a – me, a girl, playing with a bunch of boys. We were kids. I didn't care about the differences between a boy's body and mine. I knew they could stand up to pee, and I knew why. Big deal. That's the way it was. The boys knew I was different from them between the legs. They knew that made me a girl, but otherwise, I was one of them.
Until Joey moved in.
He was different, maybe a little quieter than the others, more serious, more grown up. He was horrified the first time one of the boys took a leak where I could see him. "Don't look, Sue! Harold, what do you think you're doing? There's a GIRL here!"
"Yeah?" Fat Dennis sneered. "So what?"
"So what? So what? You can't let her see that! That's what!"
Fat Dennis stood up. He always bullied new kids at first. He towered over everyone, even Joey, and Joey was big, in a strong-looking way. "Joey, you moved in two days ago, didn't you?"
"That means you don't get to tell us what to do. If I need to pee when I'm out here with Sue, I'll just walk to the nearest tree or wall or something and do it. We all do. So does she. She has to sit down or squat to pee, though."
"That's wrong."
"No, she does."
"Not that part! I meant doing it in front of a girl," Joey stated.
"Because it is."
"Says who? You?" Dennis taunted.
Joey stood up and looked at me. "It's also wrong to fight, and it would be real wrong to let Sue see if anything happens."
"You gonna fight me, new kid?"
"I don't want to," Joey said.
"You chicken to lose in front of a girl?" Fat Dennis strutted around, flapping his wings and clucking.
"You know I'd beat you up, don't you, new kid?"
"That's not how it would go," Joey chuckled.
"Big talk," Dennis threatened. "Come here and fight me."
Dennis was pretty worked up by that point, so everyone knew he was going to lunge at Joey. Poor Fat Dennis. Joey side-stepped, ducked Dennis' punch, and flipped him over so he landed on his back. It knocked the wind out of him for a couple seconds.
Joey knelt next to him. "I didn't want to do that. Are you okay?"
Dennis wiped his eyes with his t-shirt, refusing to cry. "What did you do?"
"Stopped the argument. I want to be your friend, Dennis. I know you're the leader here, so I'm telling you – no peeing in front of her, and if she needs to go, we walk away."
Fat Dennis struggled to his feet, shaking off Joey's offer to help. "Fine, but why?"
"Do you pee in front of your mother?"
"No! Boys don't do that!"
"Right, but why not?"
"You just don't. Nobody pees in front of their mother. Heck, that stops when you're old enough to aim it. I mean, it's your mother!"
"You have a big sister, don't you, Dennis?"
"Do you pee in front of her?"
"NO!" Dennis sputtered. He looked like he was working himself up to a second round.
"Why not?"
"Are you trying to start something Joey? Boys don't pee in front of their sisters. That's wrong."
"Exactly. We don't do it in front of our mothers and sisters because it's wrong. You know why? They're girls."
"Yeah," Dennis said. Then, "Oh."
They shook hands, and with the new rule in place, Dennis suggested a game of tackle-tag. It was his favorite game. To tag someone, you had to knock them down. Tripping or shoving often were enough, but we usually went home scuffed and dirty. Dennis approached the game with brute force, and the rest of us responded with agility and speed, so we were pretty fairly matched.
Joey tried to treat me like a girl, I guess, which made it easy to get away from him when he was "It." He'd tackle the guys if he had to, just the way they taught him, but not me.
When it was my turn to be "It," Joey was closest to me. He ran, dodging me, until I grabbed his arm and threw myself at him. He landed on his belly with me on his back.
"Holy cow, Sue, you hit hard."
"Yup. You're "It." I scampered away from him. A few turns later, he was "It" again and came after me. He caught my one leg as I was climbing a tree and pulled me down. I landed on top of him, breaking my fall.
He laughed and picked me up by my waist to hold over him like a trophy. "Tag. No tag-backs. You're 'It.'"
"I'm not on the ground," I said. "To tag someone, they have to land on the ground."
He pulled me against himself and rolled us over, pinning me under his body. He rose up on his arms and looked into my eyes. "Now you're tagged." He stayed there for a moment on top of me, smiling. Then he stood up, helped me to my feet, and ran away.
Joey fit in well enough, but sometimes he'd wander off. I was curious about those times, so I watched him, to see where he went. I followed him after a while and found him sitting on a big rock in the shade, staring down the hillside at the surveyors figuring out where new streets would go. "Penny for your thoughts, Joey."
"Oh!" He jumped like I had appeared by magic. "Hi, Sue."
"What are you doing?"
"Sitting on this rock."
"May I sit with you?"
That was how it started.
Joey and I became friends. We spent the whole afternoon sitting in the shade on that rock, swapping stories and getting to know each other. The entire gang of us "Daisy Drive Devils", as our parents called us, were friends. We played together almost every day. The day after Joey and I talked, the Devils played as a group, and we were together every day until we woke up one morning to a steady, soaking rain. No one ever called each other on rainy days, since none of us was allowed outside because we would catch our death. None of our mothers understood that we would get wet walking to the bus stop that fall, too.
We sat alone in our living rooms and watched Looney Tunes, The Three Stooges, and game shows on television. My parents had an older "console" model, a blond oak cabinet beast. It had four big wood and cloth doors on the front. One revealed a round black-and-white picture tube, a big one, as big as the plate Mommy put the turkey on at Thanksgiving. The really neat thing was the record changer behind the second door. It played 33-1/3's and 78's and could take as many as six records at a time. There was even a removable fat spindle for a stack of 45's. The base of the record player had an AM radio tuner. The door below that didn't open, but it hid a speaker as big as the picture tube, and under the TV was a storage cabinet for albums. It was top of the line, but after Joey moved in, I didn't spend much time in the living room, except when "Lassie" was on, Sunday nights.
I was helping Mommy with the breakfast dishes, watching the rain through the kitchen window, when the big black telephone on the table next to the refrigerator started to ring. Since I was drying, Mommy told me to answer. "Hello, Brown residence."
"Is that you, Sue? This is Joey. Do you want to come play at my house? My mother says it's okay."
"It's raining."
"I can come over with a big umbrella to get you."
"Do you want to watch television?"
"We could, or we could play in the basement or my room. Maybe we could trade baseball cards or something."
"Let me ask Mommy."
In ten minutes, Joey was at my door. I was waiting for him, my shoebox of baseball cards hidden under my yellow rain slicker.
That first day at Joey's house was an eye-opener. I had never been in a boy's room, but I thought all they did was play with toy trucks and soldiers and Lincoln Logs. Joey did stuff the other boys didn't do. He played the piano. He read books. He drew pictures. He was probably the toughest and strongest kid on the block, even though I did beat him arm wrestling once, but he had another side. Joey showed me different things in life.
He was a collector. He had baseball cards, coins, stamps, and models. I had my card collection and some dolls I took very good care of, since they were going to belong to my little boy and girl some day. I knew the value of things. Joey had some really neat stuff, and he liked things the other kids didn't.
Every time it rained, I went to Joey's house or he came to mine. Our parents had gotten to like each other, so our getting together was encouraged. We were close friends. We shared secrets, fears, and dreams. We were never bored or lonely like the other kids seemed to be when the Devils couldn't play outside.
Joey's parents joined our church, so we wound up in the same vacation Bible school class in August. By the time fourth grade started, the grown-ups saw us as a puppy-love couple, I guess, but we were just part of the gang to the rest of the Devils.
In seventh grade, Mom and Dad let me go to the Friday night dances with the rest of the kids. I always went with my girlfriends, and Joey went with the boys, old Daisy Drive Devils or teammates from the sports he played. At that age, boys stood on one side of the gym and girls stood on the other, both groups talking about members of the other group.
Joey knew my preferences in music. He liked some of the more modern, edgy stuff, but I still loved the crooners. I saw him break away from his gang and go talk to the school principal, who was serving as DJ. I thought he probably requested a Beach Boys song, since he and his buddies liked that stuff, but instead, the principal got on the mike. "I have a song request. Here's your chance, gentlemen. Ask a lady to dance."
Andy Williams sang. Joey was the first boy I ever slow-danced with. I still remember all the lyrics to "Moon River." Feeling his hand holding mine as we moved, I knew I wasn't a child any more, and that things between us would change.
Monday in school, it was obvious they had, at least in the eyes of our classmates. Girls I didn't even know told me they thought I had a cute boyfriend. Joey told me that all his buddies referred to me as his girlfriend. All that from one dance. We talked about it the rest of the school year. Our friends were right. We belonged together.
Joey and I started going steady in eighth grade. The locket he gave me for my fifteenth birthday is in its original box in my nightstand. He bought it with money he earned doing jobs around the neighborhood. It's still one of my most prized possessions. He turned sixteen before I did, so he drove us to the mall so I could pick out the dress he would buy me to take me out to dinner that night. When he kissed me goodnight on my front porch after our date, he gave me one last gift – a picture of him to put in the locket I wore whenever I dressed up for him. It's still in there.
All through high school, Joey and I were inseparable. I became a cheerleader, co-captain of the squad senior year, mainly so I could be near him. Our parents were thrilled. My folks loved Joey, and the Ramsey's treated me like their daughter. They trusted us, knew that we had taken a vow in our church youth group to remain pure until marriage. On my eighteenth birthday he gave me a "sweetheart ring." We were in love, the kind of love that lasts, one built on friendship rather than hormones.
Don't get me wrong about hormones. Joey grew from a cute boy the girls whispered about in seventh grade into one they drooled over in high school. Guys looked at me all the time, too, but everyone knew we were off-limits. I was his girl, and he was my man. Everyone understood. It was how the world was meant to be.
As seniors in high school, we knew we had the grades credits to get into college. I didn't need to go, since I was going to be a wife, homemaker, and mother. Joey and I had talked about it for years. He was going to follow in his father's footsteps by serving his country. When he was done, we would get married and he would continue his education.
Prom night was the night that a lot of couples had sex for the first time. Joey and I were king and queen of the prom. More than one of his buddies made comments about what we would be doing later that night, since we weren't going to the post-prom party. One of my girlfriends teased me in the rest-room at the prom, too.
"Are you and Joey going to do it tonight?" she asked from the next stall.
"Do what?" I asked. I had my lap full of prom gown skirt, trying to squat over the toilet to pee.
"IT. Are you two going to do IT tonight?"
"If you mean are we going to have sex, the answer is no."
"Why not? You two have been going together for, like, forever."
"Yes, and we promised we would wait. You and I talked about this."
"I know, but it's Joey. He's like, your world, isn't he? You're going to marry him, aren't you? And he's so gorgeous."
She was right. It was Joey, my gorgeous man, the man who made me feel like a beautiful, well-loved woman. Yes, other couples were going to be having sex that night, couples who would never get married, who didn't love each other like my boyfriend and I did. They didn't understand that real love doesn't need sex. That two people can feel like they have one soul without being physically intimate. I thought about my parents and grandparents. Surely they didn't have sex anymore, but they still were deeply in love. That's how Joey and I were.
Being in love was natural, like getting out of bed in the morning and brushing my teeth. Marriage and family were a given. We knew what some of our friends did. We knew we should wait. Sex was for newlyweds, something we would be when he got out of the Army. He left for boot camp three days after graduation.
It was the summer of '69.
His letters during basic training were so full of love, I thought he might surprise me and ask me to marry him when he got home. I would have. The minister's study would be good enough for me. We were more in love than ever, having been apart, and we knew it, but Joey avoided any discussion about long-term plans. We lived in the moment.
The night before he shipped out, we were in the basement family room he and I helped Dad build, sitting together on the couch.
"Baby," Joey said, "Do you think you should wait for me? You know there's a chance I'll never come home. I could die over there. Maybe we should break up so you can get started on finding another guy."
"No! There won't be another guy, Joey. I'm yours. I've known that more than half my life."
"I feel the same way," he said, wiping my tears with his neatly folded pocket handkerchief. "I can't imagine feeling like this with anyone else. I thought about asking you to marry me before I ship out, but I decided that's not fair. You're young and beautiful. You're going to be here, and Lord knows where I'll be. Please, Sue, just write back to me when I can write to you."
I wanted to give him my virginity that night. He deserved it. He was the only man I would ever sleep with, and he wasn't trying anything! "Joey, do you want to make love?"
"Please don't ask me that. I do, but I won't. We've waited this long, honey. If I come back, we'll see if we still love each other."
"You're scaring me. I can't lose you." We spent the night on the couch, kissing, cuddling, and finally sleeping in each others' arms, dressed except for our shoes.
I got a job at the diner. I didn't have any job skills, but I worked hard. I didn't need anything more. My job would keep me occupied and earn some money, a nest egg for when Joey and I got married. I wasn't the bra-burning type. I would be happy with a couple of babies and a nice kitchen. I didn't want a career other than wife and mother. Maybe, when the kids were grown, I would take some classes, but hopefully, being a grandmother would take up a lot of my time.
Joey had been gone for over two months. From the dates on his letters, it seemed like he wrote to me and his parents almost every night, but mail service from the jungle was sporadic. Often, we went for a week or more without any news. The letter about him being being pinned down by snipers was in the last bundle I had received, over two weeks earlier. As always, I was sick with worry, but I knew things would be okay. They always were.
One night, Joey's parents rang our bell. My dad opened the door.
"Joe, Marge, how are...." The smile crumpled off Dad's face.
Joey's father shoved a paper into my dad's hand, and ushered his crying wife onto the sofa.
"Hon, Joe and Marge are here. Come down here now," my dad called up the steps.
Mom rushed into the room, and saw Dad reading a telegram. Joey's parents were holding each other. "Oh my God!" Mom wailed, and threw herself at Marge on the couch.
Dad finished reading. His hands were shaking. "He's M.I.A.? Missing in Action? Joe, Marge, that could be good. That just means he's separated from his unit, or he and some other guys are holed up somewhere with a busted radio, doesn't it?"
"It means they don't know whether he's dead but they haven't found his body, or if he's injured and dying in the jungle, or whether he's in some hospital, so damaged they don't know who he is. He could be a P.O.W."
Marge and Mom started wailing in unison. I did nothing. I probably had the same expression on my face Dad did, since I was so much like him – stunned silence, no tears, no anguish – nothing. Numbness.
Finally, Dad said, "Maybe not. At least they haven't found his body, so he must be alive."
Joe, Sr. spat, "Or blown to bits or burned beyond recognition or,..."
"Stop it!" Marge screamed. "Just stop it! This is my baby we're talking about! Mine! I carried him inside my body for nine months, pushed him out of me, and then fed him from my breasts! Mine! You're supposed to be making this easier for me! Dammit! You're not helping!"
"Sue, would you get Mr. and Mrs. Ramsey some iced tea?" Dad asked in his dead voice.
Joey's mom wailed, "I don't want any damned iced tea! I want my baby back!"
I'm strong, or maybe I'm slow, but it finally sank in. I might never see my Joey again. I was alone. Mom was awash in tears with Marge and Joe. I looked at Dad. I never saw such a look of pained love from him before. He helped me to the loveseat and held me while I cried. For the first time in my life, I saw him cry too.
Joey's parents went home when Marge ran out of tears. Joe helped her to her feet, kissed my mom on the cheek, shook Dad's hand, and then hugged me. "I'll call you or stop by every day, whether I hear anything or not. I know Joey wants me to do that."
When the front door closed, Mom said, "I need to go to bed." Dad followed her up to their room and closed the door. I sat on the loveseat blowing my nose, wondering whether I would ever feel Joey's arms around me again. When I went upstairs, I was exhausted from crying, but I couldn't sleep. I paced, looked at photo albums, read his poems, and stared at his self-portrait he had painted for me. I cried for two days, trying to decide whether I could ever be happy again.
On the third day, my boss called from the diner. "Sue, I'm trying to write next week's schedule. Will you be able to come in?"
"I'll be in tomorrow for my breakfast shift, if I still have a job."
I was early for work the next morning, and I stayed for another shift because one of the evening counter girls called out sick. I worked as many hours as I could to keep from brooding at home, earning a lot in tips from people who knew Joey. After a year of burns from spilling hot soup and coming home smelling like fried onions, I knew I had to do something else. I went to the local campus of the state university to become a teacher. Maybe helping children discover themselves would help me wait.
College was hard. I hadn't used my brain for much lately except figuring out checks as a waitress. I spent a lot of time on my schoolwork. That's always the way I was with school, especially after I met Joey. He was an all A student in elementary school, something only a few girls could do. I really didn't think of myself as a "girl" back then. I was one of the guys, and my grades showed it. Joey was the most masculine boy my age, and he got better grades than me. He inspired me. He taught me to love to learn.
We were competitive all through school. We loved studying together and partnered for projects whenever the teachers let us. We teased each other about our grades, the one with the fewest red marks on their paper lording it over the other. He never let me forget that he had the better grade point average at graduation, by a lousy thousandth of a point. Now, I had no one I cared about to compare myself to.
Getting far enough in my studies that I actually dealt with little kids helped, whenever I was with them. At night, I grieved for the babies I might never give Joey.
Anguish, anger, and fear of being alone forever were my life. Love was something other people had. I had baseball cards, a stack of letters, some jewelry, and an oil painting. A woman at church helped me to cope. As bad as things were for me, she seemed to have it worse. Her husband left her pregnant when he was killed by a drunk driver. It was unfair. It made no sense. Her tragedy was more final than mine and left her a single mother. The woman was smart and strong. She managed to focus on the good memories she had of her man and tried to move on, and taught me to do the same. Nothing I could do would bring Joey home to me, alive or dead. I had to live for myself.
Classmates asked me out. There were some really cute guys, a few that could have been fun to date. But I didn't. I had lunch with them at the snack bar, or met with them in the library to study, but they were friends. I made them understand that. I already had a man. If that meant I went to my grave a virgin, so be it.
I was in my senior year in college, starting my student teaching. Lesson plans were finished for the week. I was taking it easy, watching a new episode of "Sanford and Son" with Mom and Dad. The front door burst open.
"He's alive! Joey's alive!" Joe yelled, running into the living room. Marge was right behind him, crying and laughing like she had escaped from an asylum.
Dad grabbed the paper from Joe's hand. "Do you know when he'll come home?"
"He's being evaluated, whatever that means. He's in a hospital in the Philippines, but they're bringing him stateside soon. We don't know much about how he is, except that he's alive," Joe said.
"That's enough for me," Dad laughed. "I was saving this for a special occasion. This sounds like it." He went to his liquor cabinet and brought back a fifth of expensive Scotch.
When the bottle was empty, Mom and I made up the sofa-bed in the family room for Joe and Marge. Dad was in no shape to help, and Mom wasn't much better. I lay awake for hours after everyone else was snoring. My Joey was coming home. What had happened to him in the years he was away? Did he still love me?
The five of us flew to California to meet the ship that brought him home. We didn't get to see him at the dock. He was whisked into an ambulance that we tried to follow in our rental car.
At the hospital, his doctor took us to his office. Joey had been shot and captured. His injuries weren't life-threatening, and they stopped the bleeding at a Viet Cong field hospital. He was taken to a prison camp for debriefing.
"We're all adults here, and I believe in telling the truth, so I'll be blunt," the army doc said. "To the Viet Cong running that camp, 'debriefing' meant torture if they thought a prisoner knew something useful, followed by long periods of confinement. Joey was a rank-and-file infantryman, so he wasn't very useful to them, but they kept him alive as a bargaining chip.
"American soldiers tried to take the camp, and there was a fire-fight. Our guys were prepared, and the Cong ran out of ammo. They apparently tried to beat their captives to death when they knew the camp was going to be taken. Private Ramsey sustained a severe skull fracture. When he was liberated from the camp, he was in a coma, nearly dead of starvation and exposure. He's much better now. Recovering nicely. With hard work, he should make further improvements. We're keeping him sedated, but you may see him for a minute each."
I was allowed to go first. A nurse led me to a window that looked into his room. I could hardly recognize him through the bandages on his head. Tubes, wire, bottles, and bags were everywhere. He had a cast on one leg, where surgeons had repaired the badly-healed fractures from his initial wound. His other leg had scars from long-healed sores. Skinny arms extended from his hospital gown, tubes in both of them between old cigarette burns. Always so big and strong, my darling looked like he was half his old size. He had a tube down his nose, and he was out cold.
We walked into his room. "Talk to him, honey," the nurse said. "He's in deep sedation, but some patients say they remember things when they wake up."
"Joey? Joey, it's Sue."
His chest rose and fell slowly.
"Joey? You're home now. Well, not home. You're in a hospital in California. We came to visit, me, my folks and your parents."
"Time's almost up, honey," the nurse whispered.
"I love you, Joey," I said as I backed out of room.
We stayed for a week, visiting him for a minute apiece each morning, afternoon, and evening. The day before our flight home, the doctor met us in the waiting room outside Intensive Care. "I have good news. Private Ramsey is showing excellent improvement. He's doing well enough that we've lowered his medication. He's in a "twilight" sleep right now. He hasn't opened his eyes or spoken, but I believe that's coming. We'll be able to make arrangements to transfer him to a Veterans Administration hospital near your home soon."
That day, it was Marge's turn to go in first. She spent her full minute in his room holding his hand and crying. When Joe went in, he sat close to his son's head, telling him he would be home soon. Then it was my turn.
"He's asleep, Sue, but talk to him," Joe said when I passed him in the doorway.
"Joey, it's me, Sue. I'll be able to be with you a lot more soon, when you're in a hospital near home. I've missed you so much, Joey." I laid my hand on his outstretched one and held it, like I had every time we visited.
This time, he made a noise.
"Nurse, he's talking!"
"He's been doing that ever since last night. He's probably feeling some discomfort from his latest surgery now, so there's a little moaning."
"Oooh," Joey whispered. "Oooh. Oooh."
"What's that, honey? Are you in pain?" I asked.
"Ooooooh. Ooooooh. Sssssss." He worked his tongue around in his mouth. "Sssssuuuuueeee."
"Yes, Joey, it's me. It's Sue!"
His hand twitched, like he was trying to squeeze it the way I was squeezing his. He whispered "Sue" again. Then he slept.
By the time he was transferred to the local VA hospital two weeks later, Joey was awake a lot of the time. He didn't talk much, and when he did, he seemed confused. The staff said his rehabilitation would take a long time. Because of his head injuries and the deplorable conditions in which he had been imprisoned for so long, we should be prepared for only a partial recovery.
The first day I went to see him, he was propped up in bed, asleep, but facing the TV. I pulled up a chair and sat next to his head. "Joey, can you wake up?"
His eyes flickered for a moment, and when they opened, I saw fear.
"It's me, Sue. I came to see you."
"Sue. Sue. Why am I here?"
"You were injured in the war. You were in a prison camp, but now you're in the VA hospital near home."
"Oh. Why are you here?"
"I came to see you. Do you want me to go?"
"No. Stay. Don't leave me."
Every day after I was done with student teaching, I went to the hospital to be with him. Every day, he was better, until one night about a week before before my birthday. He was agitated that evening.
"What's wrong, honey? You seem upset," I said.
"Your birthday is next week. I can't go buy you a present," he said.
"That's okay. Getting you back is the best present in the world."
"You don't understand. I can't go get you a present because I can't walk. I haven't walked in years. That cage they kept me in was too small to let me stand up, even if my leg had healed right. I went to physical therapy today. My legs are so weak I can't stand on my own. How can I ever get a job and go to a store to buy things for you if I'm like that?"
"It doesn't matter. You're alive, and I'm with you again. I don't need anything else."
"No. I'm no good to you now. I'm a broken-down wreck. You need a man."
"I have a man."
"I'm not a man. I'm an invalid."
"You're a patient. You were shot. They tortured you and kept you in a tiny bamboo cage for years. You were near death from starvation. The bastards fractured your skull. It's going to take time for you to recover."
"You shouldn't have waited for me. I don't know why you're here. Why aren't you married and having babies?"
"I don't want to be married to anyone but you. I don't want any babies but yours."
When visiting hours were over, I kissed him, like always. Joey really kissed me back for the first time.
The next day, he was sitting in a chair. "I have to pee," was the first thing he said.
"Do you want me to help you to the bathroom?"
"No, you can't do that."
"They tell me you can bear some weight on your good leg. We can probably get you there."
"No, Sue, I can't let you do that. Find an orderly."
"Joey, I'm strong enough if you'll help me."
"Don't you get it? I have to pee! I need someone to help me onto the toilet. I can't let you do that," Joey protested. "Now please, go find a man to help me."
I came back into the room with a burly orderly, but Joey was adamant that I wait in the hallway while they took care of things. "I can't hold onto him and the railing and still keep my gown closed. Please, Sue, respect my privacy."
When the orderly left the room, I went back in. "I didn't mean to embarrass you," I said.
"It's okay. It just wouldn't have been proper for you to see me with my skinny butt hanging out of this stupid gown."
"I understand, Joey, but someday, I'll see that skinny butt in bed next to me."
"When we're married, silly." It was out of my mouth before I knew it.
"You don't want to marry me, Sue. I'm not the man you fell in love with."
"I didn't fall in love with a man. I fell in love with a boy who once let me beat him arm-wrestling. I fell in love with the boy who danced with me to "Moon River." I fell in love with the guy who gave me this," I said, pulling my precious locket out from where it was hidden by my sweater. "I'm in love with a man now. You, Joey."
"But I'm not the same man."
"Yes you are. Whatever you can or can't do, I love you." I leaned down and kissed him. Joey kissed me back pretty hard, the way he did a couple of times the night before he left for the war.
When we let go, tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm going down to physical therapy tomorrow, and I'm going to work until I'm healthy enough to take care of you, if you still want me."
On Easter Sunday morning, Mom, Dad, and I piled into the back of Joe and Marge's car to meet Joey for services at the hospital chapel. He was beaming, obviously very excited, but he wouldn't say a word as he led us back to his room on his cane.
When we got to his room, he sat in his armchair. "I can come home next week," he said.
"That's great news!" my dad exclaimed.
"They said if I could do something, I could go home, so I've been practicing a lot." He stood up and hobbled over to where I was sitting. Trying to mask the pain on his face, he got down on his bad knee. His father handed him something. "Sue, I should have done this five years ago when it was easier. Will you marry me?" There was a diamond ring in the little box in his hand.
"Oh my God!" I burst into happy tears, and leaned forward to kiss him, being careful not to knock him over. "Yes, Joey, my God yes, I'll marry you!"
"My therapist said he'll work with me until I can carry a nurse around. When I can do that, when I'm strong enough to carry you over the threshold, we'll get married."
It was supposed to be a small ceremony. At least, that was what we wanted. Our families had different ideas. Joey's platoon leader, who had been in the prison camp with him, was the best man. Mike recovered from his injuries faster than Joey. He came to visit when he could, driving three hundred miles one way, helping Joey keep his spirits up. The young widow from church who supported me through those lonely years when Joey was away was matron of honor, and her little boy was the ring bearer. Both our moms cried their way through the whole thing.
At the reception, Joey danced with me when the band played "Moon River," but he sat most of the time. When it got late, his father gave him the keys to a new car for us to drive to the hotel where we would be spending the night. After the garter was retrieved and the bouquet tossed, we left.
"Mrs. Ramsey," he said after the bellboy carried our bags into the room, "I never thought I'd see this day." He picked me up, and I wrapped my arms around his neck to kiss him as he carried me to the bed, the first real bed we would ever share.
We kissed, hotter than we ever had, fumbling with zippers and catches. We laughed at our nervousness and frustration with strange garments, until I was down to my bra and panties, and he was only wearing his shorts.
His hardness strained against them, fascinating but frightening, moving, growing. "This is it, Sue."
"I've waited a long time, honey," I replied, reaching behind me to unclasp my bra.
"Wait, let me do that," Joey said. He pulled my bra off me, and knelt on the bed next to me, looking at my breasts. "You're perfect." His hand touched my bare flesh for the first time. "Perfect," he repeated as my nipple hardened.
I pulled him down on top of me, feeling his chest hair against my breasts and his manhood against my panty-covered mound. We kissed, tongues intertwined, until we were fighting for air. "Roll over," I said. I wanted a good look what was going to make me his wife physically. He raised his hips when I grabbed the waistband of his briefs.
Joey and I had made a pact that we would only go so far before we were married, so I had never seen his penis. I thought I had an idea of its size and shape from feeling it against me, hard through clothing when we made out, but seeing it bared, ready, and anxious inches from me was different. I was almost as scared of it as I was thrilled by it.
"I don't know what to do," I said.
"You got an A in health class in eleventh grade, Sue."
"So did you."
"We learned all about this there. I think we can figure it out," my new husband said, his hand pushing into my panties. It didn't take long for him to have them off, and to give me my first orgasm by someone other than me. He did it again, kissing my breasts, teasing my nipples with his tongue.
"I love you, Joey. It's time."
He got on top of me, kissing me as he fondled my breasts and then my pussy. He pushed himself up so he could see what he was doing, holding himself and taking aim.
"Do it, honey. I'm your wife now." I tried to calm myself to relax my body, while bracing for the pain. Every woman I talked to said it hurt, including my mother and my mother-in-law. They said it got better over time. I prayed they were right.
I was terrified. I expected him to find his mark, push himself inside me, injure me (tearing tissue is an injury, after all), and then rut like an animal until he shot inside me.
That's not exactly what he did.
Joey and I discovered something about me that very first time. He could drive me crazy with his penis. He didn't enter me for a while. He stroked me with it, played with me, up and down over my wet cleft, massaging my clitoris with the hard, wet, spongy end of it, and bringing me to still another orgasm.
When I calmed down, I saw the happiness on his face. "I'm going to do it now. I'll try not to hurt you more than I have to, baby."
His dick pried my lips apart just enough that they gripped it. I had never felt anything like this. Nothing so big. I was torn between my fear and my lust about it being where nothing had gone before.
"I didn't know it would feel like this," he sighed. He shifted his weight, trying to keep from pinning me under him. That made him move inside me, change his angle, something. It felt good.
He saw it on my face, and he grinned, moving a little more, this time just a fraction of an inch further into me.
I pulled him down for a kiss, one I knew we would remember. He kept up with his slow, tiny thrusts, finally coming to a stop against my barrier.
"I love you, Sue. I have since the day we sat on that rock and talked. I've always loved you, all through school, every moment I was conscious in Nam – it was what kept me sane. Now I'm home with you forever. Now I love you more."
He moved again to kiss me, and sank through. As soon as he felt me give way, he stopped, holding himself from going deeper, waiting for me to kiss him back. He gave me time, until I nodded, kissed him, and said, "More."
He was gentle, loving, caring, the way I needed him to be. Instinct, passion, and love guided us, but it hurt a little. I was very sensitive and tender. It felt wonderful, an odd mix of pleasure with pain. Our love was complete when he finally shot his essence inside me. He managed to keep his eyes open, the same as I did when I reached my first climax with him inside me a moment later. With everything we experienced, we loved more.
We wanted kids, prayed for them, but not yet. I went on the pill when we got engaged, and was quite satisfied with it. My breasts filled out a sweater better, and I had just a little wiggle when I walked, something I practiced when my parents weren't home to drive Joey crazy on our honeymoon. We cuddled after making love for the first time. "What if the pill doesn't work?" I asked.
"We start thinking about names."
"Would you want a baby this soon, Joey?"
"I'd rather be finished with some kind of school and into a decent job before we have kids, but I'll go with the flow. Maybe it's supposed to happen."
"I think I'd rather wait, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't practice for getting me pregnant." I caressed his muscle, the skin sticky with our drying juices.
Losing my virginity hadn't hurt as much as I thought it might, although I didn't care, since it was Joey. We made love again that night before we fell asleep, and in the morning before we got ready for breakfast. When we went to bed that evening I was still sore from stretching to accommodate him, as amazing as it had felt.
"Joey," I said, touching his naked body in the bed next to me. "I don't know how to say this, but I'm pretty sore."
"I'm sorry, honey." He kissed me gently and caressed my breast. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You didn't. Well, yeah, the first time it hurt a little, but it was you, Joey, my husband. We made love a lot, and I enjoyed every minute of it, but I think she needs a break," I said, gesturing toward my crotch.
"Should I kiss it and make it all better?" he murmured into my ear.
"Very funny."
"I'm not trying to be funny. Guys in the Army talked about it. I'd like to try it." He kissed me again, and then leaned down and kissed my breasts. "I hope I do this okay."
His fingers teased my curls as he licked and sucked on my nipples. We learned the night before how much I enjoyed that, but he kept moving lower until he kissed my belly-button. Then lower.
I knew people did this, touched their partner's intimate places with their mouths, but I hadn't thought about it much. My promise to God and Joey as a teenager, followed by those years of forced abstinence, meant that I was poorly prepared for this sex stuff. I let my body figure out what to do with conventional missionary intercourse, and I liked it. A lot. Now, my husband was between my legs, kissing the tops of my thighs.
"I love you, Sue," he said, just before his tongue reached me.
That first jolt of sensation, his warm, wet tongue on my tender lips, was like nothing I imagined. My legs spread on their own, and my hands went down to caress his scalp, avoiding the ugly scars where hair would never grow. He was gentle, licking at me, kissing my clit, pressing his tongue into the bruised opening of my vagina. I couldn't believe the sensations.
He brought me to orgasm quickly the first time, faster than I've ever been able to do it myself, and more intensely that he did in our love-making earlier. I was still riding that high when I realized I was going to go again.
I was trying to make sense of the waves of sensation and emotion that kept washing over me when I heard him say, "You like that, don't you?"
"Very much! Where did you learn to do that?"
"Listening to guys. They said chicks dig it. I also read some magazines my roommate's friends brought him in the VA hospital. Seeing your reaction was kinda fun."
"Didn't it taste funny?" His chin was wet, and I felt the moisture under me.
"No, in fact, you taste kind of good."
"Really? People say that's nasty," I said.
"I know, but I think they're wrong. It was pretty cool. I'll definitely do that again sometime."
I was so excited that I almost begged him to make love to me, but I knew that would only make me more sore. Poor Joey! If I was still that needy after what he did to me, how bad must it be for him? One glance at his manhood gave me the answer. It was only fair. We were married now. That changes the rules. "Joey, would you like me to do that to you?"
"Not if you don't want to," he said. His rock-hard penis bounced with his words.
"I never thought about doing it before. Do you know what I should do?"
"I heard guys talk about it."
I took him in my hand and stroked him, they way he seemed to like. "I'll try it." I held his manhood and kissed it. A drop of clear fluid leaked out. It was the same thing I saw on him just before he entered me each time. I licked him, tasting it.
"Oh, Sue!" he moaned.
That was what I needed to hear. My husband liked what I was doing, so I did it again. Then I opened my mouth, held my lips over my teeth, and lowered my head.
Joey let me do it at my pace. He played with my hair, never holding on to it, never forcing me. He loved me, I loved him, he loved what I was doing, and pretty soon I realized I enjoyed it too. I sucked him for a while, listening to him moan, and then licked him, giving my jaw a break, hearing him tell me how much he loved me. When he started moving his hips, I promised myself to swallow. It tasted, well, I don't know.... Different. A little salty, a tiny bit sweet, an odd texture in my mouth. Warm. Nice.
Like most newlyweds, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. We were both in love and in lust. We learned how to please each other, both quickly and luxuriously. Joey was stronger every day. He claimed that it was my love that did it. He worked his way through school, and with my income as a teacher, we got by.
We decided it was time to start a family, talked how amazing it would be if we could have a child by our fourth anniversary, so I went off the pill. On our third anniversary, Joseph Ramsey III was conceived. We both swear it was that night. I had been looking forward to it, an evening of dinner, dancing, and love-making. It would be a special night where we were newlyweds again, celebrating our love like it was our very first time, just like we did every year on this night.
In the days before, lying in bed with a bucket on the floor or sleeping in the bathroom, I wondered if it would happen. I was getting better, but I couldn't imagine having the stamina for a night out. We had sandwiches and canned soup at the kitchen counter as our anniversary feast. We skipped dancing entirely.
The next day, Joey had a fever worse than mine ever was. By the time we were both healthy enough to want to do something again, I had missed my period.
Joey and I learned to accommodate my growing size. We did everything we could to keep each other happy, and I believe we succeeded quite well. We were blessed with a full term, healthy baby boy exactly nine months later.
It was the summer of '79.
Now, it's the summer of 2012. I'm newly retired, loving the fact that I don't have to plan for next school year. The kids don't live with us anymore. Joseph the Third is married and living with his new wife in her native London. Suzanne (not Sue, Jr. – I put my foot down on that one!) is working on her Master's Degree, engaged to a living doll of a guy who reminds me a little of Joey when we were young.
We're alone together, the way we started. It's nice. We have each other. That and a rock to sit on are all we need.
Joey was happier than usual when he came home from work yesterday. "In a month, I'm a free man. Can you imagine?"
"I know. Thirty-one days before I have an old retired guy underfoot all the time. Are you going to expect me to entertain you?" I teased.
I did what he expected. I still need him as much as he needs me. I melted against him. "Should I entertain you like this?"
Joey picked me up to carry me to bed. I knew it would be especially good when he did that.
"Will you entertain me too?" I asked.
The look in his eyes made me wet, just like it has for decades. He does something to my soul, to my heart and my mind, just being here. It's something about the love and the fire in his eyes. I kissed him so violently he almost dropped me.
Pulling my clothes off me and touching me, as lovingly and thrillingly as always, he said, "I hope I'm not losing my touch, Mrs. Ramsey."
He isn't.
times | Rated
% | (
116 votes
Vote list (
) :
Lucky Mann
Lubeck Australia
Please login or register to rate this story
3 comments
2015-03-16 22:29:37
"Healing" This Story Spans More Than Six (6) Decades, Starting 1959 Nine Year Old Neighbors, Joseph "Joey" Ramsey Jr and Susan "Sue" - Best Friends, Sweethearts, Finacee's, Husband and Wife, and Parents Of Joseph Ramsey III and Suzanne Ramsy.
This is TOP OF THE SHELF great. As a romantic lifelong love story--from the ages of nine year old new neighbors--for more than six (6) decades Joey and Sue are in love! Their love for each other never wavers, except to grow and mature in stature, depth, caring and respect.
A love story developing for more than six (6) decades, never wavering, even through the Viet Nam war for Joey returning home scared and injuried, the story itself is a miracle. Sue never gave up--not even for a second did she consider abandoining her soulmate, "her man"!!
Accolades to the writer! I love a good romance--seemingly real and true--with an excellent ending. For me the story could improve ONLY had they been a blood-kin incestual brother and sister!
naughty nurse
2014-06-24 07:24:37
Beautifully written. You took me there. Thank you.
2013-12-26 23:23:23
Quite a love story. Well done Author.
:: Comments have been disabled on this story ::


text:
Greenpeace is campaigning to prevent the reckless destruction of Indonesia's remaining rainforests. We are doing so to protect endangered wildlife like the Sumatran tiger and orangutan, support forest communities, and to stop climate changing causing carbon emissions from deforestation. One of the leading drivers of this forest destruction is a company called Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), part of the Sinar Mas group of companies.
1 - 12 of 522 results.


text:
T-shirt - Men
- Delivery address of your choice
- In gift box + free gift card
- 100% quality guaranteed
More information about the men's T-shirts:
Model: regular
Sizes: S, M, L, XL, XXL
Colours: navy, white, black, grey melange
Material: 100% semi-combed cotton
Extra: reinforced seam in the neck
Washing advice:
Wash at 40°C (fine/wool program).
Do not tumble dry and no chemical cleaning.
Only iron print inside out (at low temperature).
This T-shirt for men printed with name and photo is the perfect gift for every man!
Are you looking for a real eyecatcher? If so, get a men's T-shirt printed with text or a photo. Whether you have a team outing, bachelor party or birthday, a printed T-shirt is an original and cool gift. But we totally understand if you want to design such a cool shirt for yourself. It will give your look just that little bit extra flair!
Our user-friendly T-shirt editor will help you to create your own T-shirt step by step. Pick the right size and favorite colour and you are ready to go. Now you only have to choose one of the super cool designs and the name and photo of your choice. Your design will be printed on the front, but do you rather want it to be printed on the back or both? No problem, everything is possible! We will make sure that your piece of art is made with love.
An instant price quote for a T-shirt - Men ?
Interested in ordering larger numbers of this gift? Please get in touch and receive an instant price quote. We are available on working days from 8:30 to 17:30 pm.
+44 20 3318 0348
Do you prefer to receive the quotation by email?


text:
Need a warm cozy jacket? The Columbia Womens Lush Plush Jacket is just the ticket to keep you warm and still looking stylish. The active fit is flattering yet functional. High pile in the body and sleeves provides extra cozy core warmth to keep you toasty on cold days while the thermal reflective lining, Omni-Heat, provides even more heat keeping qualities. The bottom hem drawcord will keep those cold winds out and warmth in. Stretch side panels create a beautiful fit on the body. Columbia Womens Lush Plush Jacket Features:
Omni-Heat Thermal Reflective Technology This technology helps regulate your temperature by reflecting and retaining the warmth your body generates, while dissipating moisture and excess heat to keep you comfortable.