Linda Z

Thanks for sharing your perspective, Socksness. I never viewed baby dedications as an empty ceremony, but as the parents' public declaration of their commitment before God to bring up their kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The parallel I see is in the wedding ceremony. Marriage isn't in the ceremony, per se, but it's a public declaration of a couple's commitment to each other before God. Couples could (and do!) get married without a ceremony and be no less married, but many choose to make their commitment with their family and friends witnessing the event.

I was wondering the same thing. As far as I knew, Waxt LxKe had a Geer franchise here in the Cleveland area. I know there are Geer-associated fellowships in Cleveland because I know a family that goes to one, and takes his classes and goes to camps that, as I understood, are connected with CG. Was I misinformed about the WL and CG connection? I heard a long time ago that WL tried to get a franchise and didn't succeed, but that he got one later. I know that WL held CG in very high regard at one time, so I'd be surprised if they weren't affiliated with each other. Jard, any info?

I'm surprised no one commented on this yesterday. I didn't have time to post. Self-proclaimed prophet Jeffrey Lundgren is now dead, finally paying with his own life for the slaughter of 5 innocent people in a small, quiet town in northern Ohio almost 17.5 years ago--two parents and their three children, all followers in his radical religious group. The prosecutor said that Lundgren had said he had shot the youngest child (7 years old) in the head more than once "to see if he could hit the same place twice." He was one sick pup, and I'm glad our state is no longer spending our tax money to feed, clothe, and house him. The prosecutor who succeeded in getting the death penalty in this case was present for the execution and said he was "saddened by it." I guess you had to be there.

Roy, we're glad to have you here. If you're not welcome over there, it's their loss. We love you just the way you are.

Thanks, Cynic. The small spaces don't bother me, but you're right about the public showers. They usually leave a lot to be desired. NLL's idea of a solar shower might work, though. David, those photos have stirred the hippie girl of long ago who still lurks somewhere in my soul. I could so see myself "semi-retiring on the road" in one of those. Of course, gas prices being what they are (and what they could be in the future), I don't think I'd be on the road so much as parked most of the time. :D And by the way, is that your mandolin lying on the bench in one of those shots? Do you have an autographed copy of Jane Lidz's book because.....hmmmmm!

Excellent, thought-provoking stuff. Thanks, ILB!

potato, hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

I remember one of LCM's rants in the lunch room, when he claimed some kid got hit by a car because a Corps woman in the child's area took a pencil from work. Anyone from the early to mid 80s remember that one? He was apparently obsessed with office supplies.

Funny you should mention chiggers, WD. That's one of the memories I have of Kansas that stands out the most! In my youth, when I used to hop back and forth between Calif. and Ohio by train, Kansas was one of those states that just went on and on and on forever. Flat and boring until you got to the western end of it. I'm sure if I ever lived there I'd find a reason to like it. I've liked something about almost every place I've ever lived.

NLL, here's a link to some interior shots of various floor plans. And I'm not sure a hunk would be able to stand up in this little thing. :D http://tab-rv.com/tour/index.php

Socks, that's funny. Maybe he asked about your name because he was hoping you'd ask about his name, so he could tell you a funny story about it.

I like the way you think, Lori! Yes, chat was fun. I hardly ever go there, but I'm glad I did last night with all you great folks.

Simon sez: I'm glad I'm not drinking anything, or it would be squirting out of my nose about now. Oh, Lord, not Kansas!!! I do remember campers shaped like this, but these are really lightweight and much cuter. 'Course one drawback is I'd always have to camp somewhere with showers. You can get a Porta-Potty for it, but no shower. I might have to rethink this whole living-on-the-road thing.

Hahahahahaha Jim! DMiller, those are the ugliest campers I've ever seen. Roomy, though! T-Bone, eek, no Rock. Unless we could time warp it back to before the suits started popping up and call it something else. Hmmm, I know! Let's call it a Love-In! Thank you, my dear exsie, for your offer of lottery assistance. St. Bingo hasn't been all that good to me lately, so I may have to start praying to someone else. Who's that saint of lost causes? St. Ant'ny? Or is he for lost car keys? Krys, I may sound adventurous but in reality I'm about as brave as a kid who pitches a tent in his back yard. Hitting the road solo sounds like a good idea, then I picture myself camped in the woods and hearing a loud roar and suddenly wanting my mommy. I would have to address my fear of bugs and large mammals--not to mention vagabond axe murderers who hang out at campgrounds--before the adventure could begin. Or maybe just park it in my driveway. Or hire a bodyguard.

Shortfuse said: Publishers that people pay to publish their books are called "vanity presses," Shortfuse. I said nothing about her writing a book being an act of vanity. It's just standard publishing lingo. Settle down. :) I don't even know this woman...she's after my time. I wouldn't harrass her if I did. Don't be so silly.

The thing is, when people make a big deal out of something silly like the "initiation ceremony," I think it causes people to be skeptical when they read about the genuinely bad stuff that happened. I suppose if you were a young, impressionable kid when you did the initiation thing, you might have thought it was some big, mysterious, weird thing. But that wasn't my take on it at all.

Sprawled Out, that was the first thing I tried to find online, too, and I couldn't tell whether it was self-published. Shortfuse said: I'm not so sure about that. I did some editing for a vanity press years ago, and I seem to recall that the company also offered marketing services, besides just the editorial/printing services. It's been years, but I think for an extra fee the company would help someone get his or her book into bookstores, etc.

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?? I really think I want need have to have one. I wonder if my li'l Toyota Matrix could pull it. You can get 'em in this color or Jolt Silver or Orange Krush or Mellow Yellow. I kinda like the Mellow Yellow. I love it! It has a sink and a stovetop and you can get it with a little furnace and a little AC and an awning or a tent that goes over the whole thing. I think there's some gypsy blood in my veins. Seeing this makes me want to sell everything, grab a laptop, and go back to freelancing. I wonder how you'd keep the little puppy from getting stolen while you went into town for groceries. Those handles on the front are so you can push it into a parking space if you're having trouble backing it in, so I imagine a couple of strong guys could just walk off with it. Sigh. I can dream, but at least this makes the idea of having a little RV seem feasible. These are only around $14k with some extras.

It was certainly a big joke to me and to the others I was with when we got "initiated." It couldn't have been done any more tongue in cheek. Picture Gary Cxxtis and Del Dxxncan in long robes, trying to look serious but snickering. It was like a summer camp tradition. Nothing more.

I'm still confused about the release date of the film. I read further on the Web site, and it looks like it's been out for a couple of years, so maybve it was first released in Nov '04. But anyway, it is supposed to be shown on PBS this month. Looks interesting. Sunesis, it's obvious this guy was a huge force in the Jesus movement of the 60s, but I don't know if it would be correct to say he was THE founder of the movement. The flocking of the hippie youth to Jesus was happening in other parts of the country at the same time, as I recall. I hung out with some hippie (and non-hippie) Christians in S. Calif in my pre-twi days in the late 60s who I don't think had anything to do with him. The leaders of this particular group were a Presbyterian youth minister who got booted from the church for teaching about SIT and a rich old hedonist-turned-Christian. They were into home fellowships, not churches, and they were into (now I *shudder*) lots of "personal prophecy" stuff. The latter, IMO, caused this particular group's demise. If anyone sees this coming up on the PBS schedule, please give us a heads-up. I think it would be interesting.

Thanks Rocky & Simon. Simon, can you say "tsunami"??? 'Tis an honor to have been birthday-greeted in the 9th Corps retread. Danke, merci, gracias.

Thanks, everyone, for the warm greetings and kind words. I had a nice birthday and a lovely b'day dinner with my son. It's such a blessing to have him living nearby.

Thanks for introducing us to Eddie. Tell him you have friends who are rooting for his dreams to come true. Very sweet glimpse into the life of Eddie, bless his heart. "He has a poodle named Stuart." <---- I don't know why, but this really tickled my funnybone.

Heartman, don't be sorry. Just don't be surprised when views on any given topic brought up here vary. Widely. Personally, I can neither criticize nor defend CFF, because I've never attended one of their meetings or listened to one of their teachings. I know a lot of people who are involved in that particular group, and I think that's great for them if it meets their needs for fellowship. In any organization, things happen that you're not going to like. Whether what you've witnessed is an isolated incident or signals the widespread creep of legalism throughout the group remains to be seen, I guess. I saw a lot of dumb a$$ things done by people in twi that weren't representative of anything but their own dumb a$$ness. :)

Darn it, I knew if I tried to thank everyone individually I'd miss someone. Bowtwi, thank you for your greeting and for all your delightful tales of life with the princess. :) Krys, thank you, too, from my hear to yours.