Nice to hear about everyone's Thanksgivings.

Hi, Kobby! Nice to see you!

It's nice to see you too! How've you been??

Ours was good. Just the Grits family at home this year. It’s 73 degrees and sunny today so everyone has gone out to play, and now it’s quiet. But not for long, I imagine.

*grumbles*


*brings up fahrenheit to celsius converter again*



22 degrees? Now?? Where do you live, next to the pyramids?

KOBBY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy [censored]! Kobby!

I'll be heading off to Jolly Old England for a few weeks to visit family for Christmas / New Year / pagan solstice festival or whatever's happening. I'll have limited access to the internet, so unless anyone guesses the Where Am I real soon, I'll have to toss the cake and see who grabs.

Then you simply must say hi to all the English members of chorrol!

Ghastley, hope you have a great trip and nice visit with your family for the holidays!

ghastley, I hope you have a marvelous trip and the best holiday visits ever!

Lucky you! Have a wonderful time and enjoy your trip Ghastley!

Happy Valentine's Day all!

*hugs mALX*

Yes! Hearts and chocolates all around!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I had a little medical surprise last week, and it’s taking me longer than I’d like to catch up with things now. There’s no drama, and most importantly no long-term result that would mess up my hair. I’m just behind on everything.

Thanks for letting us know, Grits. Hope things get back in order for you soon and glad that your hair suffered no messing.

Good to know there isn´t anything that´s cause for worry

Well, Chorrol, it's been fun. I can't say it's been real, nor real fun.

This place helped me through a very dark time in my life. My dad had just died, I had gotten married, and someone whom I thought was my best friend betrayed me. Y'all welcomed me with open arms, encouraging me to write, kept me sane during Kayla's fic, understood when I wasn't ready to end it and started it over. I also met the best friend I could ever ask for on here, as well as an amazing pen pal.

I've read some of the silliest fics on here. I still sometimes go back and read my favorite chapters of Maxical's story, just for giggles. But I think it's time to completely stop coming here.

That community shift a while back...ignoring it doesn't make it better. It made things worse for me. Being unable to discuss what happened made me feel unsafe. Not in a life-threatening way, but in a way that could lead to harsher things down the road. I don't do well with "silence and compliance."

And what bugs me the most is that I had to hear from others that people were saying that I was saying hateful things to others. And that anyone would actually believe that I was some hateful jerk that would say mean things about others. And then ignoring me when I refused to take sides.

So, this is it, Chorrol. I will no longer update my fics(not that anyone was reading them anymore) and I will no longer ghost this website, hoping that someone wonders where I am. I know it's over. It just took me a long time to accept it. I try to do things as least dramatic as possible, but this warranted a long letter.

This is the last time I'll be logging in. Peace.

Even though you won´t see this then, I refuse to let you think you won´t be missed. Because you have been, and you will be



All the best to you, Liz. I hope we meet again sometime, somewhere

Y'know, I'd been wondering what happened to Liz ever since she dropped out of the last attempt to kick some life into the rp section, when she just kinda went silent. Now I'm just kinda confused.

WOO HOO! My older son (the one who is in the Army and I never see anymore - he is coming home in a couple weeks, it is my Birthday gift from him!!!! (But he had to wait till he could get leave to come home).


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT !!!!!!!

Oh, mALX, that is awesome!! How long is the leave?

**

Hey, just a question for the American viewers-

Donald Trump is all over the media here in Australia and they are talking about Super Tuesday and the run up to the election. I was wondering just what % of people vote in the US? Is it under 50%?? Under 40??

Australia hits you with a fine if you do not vote. And then has the audacity to use a 2 party preferred system and hand your vote to someone else....

He will get only a few days, but ... I haven't seen him in years now, so I'm dying of excitement !!!!

MALX - That is wonderful news on your older son! I know the Army has been keeping him busy!

*

Wolf - Let me try to answer some of your questions in what I hope is an objective manner.

At this stage, our two main political parties are each sorting out who they are going to nominate to run for President for the November 2016 election. They use a ‘primary’ process and citizens who are registered with their parties can vote in these primaries which each state holds on their own schedule over a couple months. The term ‘Super Tuesday’ simply refers to the fact that next Tuesday quite a few states will be holding their primaries on the same day. The end product of the primary season is that each party will hold a convention and, based on the primary results, select the nominee they will put up to run for President. Turnout from members of the two parties for the primary process varies wildly, depending largely on how motivated/excited/pissed off members of that party are. The primaries are, again, controlled by the political parties not the government.

The general election in November, however, is controlled by the government (states and federal) as laid out in our Constitution. As I’m sure you know, voting is not compulsory here as it is in Australia. Over the last 100 or so years, overall voter turnout for US Presidential elections (which occur every four years) has averaged slightly under 60%.

That's fantastic news, mALXie!! What a birthday present! I see your son leaving with a full stomach from the home-cooked meals and a sore neck from the home-cooked hugs!

I'll squeeze him like a boa constrictor !!!!!

Ha! And give him another hug from all the Chorrol members, mALX.

I will always respect those who put everything on the line everyday. Army, fire, paramedics etc






Thanks Acadian! Wow, just under 60 on average. That is higher than I thought.

If the land Down Under ever gave us the choice, none of us would turn up.

Kiln. Minque. Black Hand. And now Liz.

Who's going to be next, I wonder?

I thought Black Hand was banned?

Happy Mother's Day all you Mothers!

Happy Mothers Day to you, mALX!

Here's wishing all ladies of chorrol who bear that title a simply wonderful day!

We sometimes talk about creating new characters, but mothers have the astonishing ability to actually do so. We are graced indeed to have several here among us.

Hey, I still pop in from time to time. Being a father of two kids, managing a staff of 20 people, and having a mountain of bills keeps me considerably busier than I used to be but I still swing by a couple times a week. Not quite as easy as when I was 17 or so when I dropped in every hour or two.

I'll miss a huge number of people who used to be regulars here but I understand that life gets in the way. Some also make personal decisions to leave forums for one reason or another and I won't hold that against them, although it is sometimes difficult to accept when people you like disappear or make the conscious decision to leave.

Oss! Warms the heart to know that one of the old guard is still here!

I will be coming here again, didn't realize at first how much I missed this place...I also miss many of the oldies who used to come here but chorrol is my home, has been and will always be! I'm so sad if you also leave Lizzie...please don't you are one of the ones I have and still do appreciate very very much! Please stay Lizzie, I need you!

We've missed you too, minque! Just not the same without our Wise Woman. Yes, Chorrol does feel like a comfortable home doesn't it? And I join you in wishing Liz will return to us as well.

Thanks a lot Acadian! So nice to find out one is not completely forgotten! See you around old friend!

Remain or Leave?...

Right...

I know that lately I've been away more than here, so this won't be any problem whatsoever...But there's been long-standing reasons why I've stayed away...

Unfortunately, I now realise that I just can't do this any more...There just isn't any point...I'm too old and too ill to be arsed anymore...


I'm completely done now...So, farewell...A great many of you have been awesome...And I have loved my time with you...

If anyone ever wants me...I'm findable...*Shrug*...You just have to work it out...

Toodles...

Rob...

Aw, McB

McB, I’m gonna guess this is over the fact that you and CT disagree on the British question of leaving or remaining in the EU that resulted in a vote to leave yesterday. I thought that, although your disagreement was obvious, you both threaded the minefield of political internet discussion with aplomb. I realize that Britain is sharply divided and passions run high, but I detected no personal insults or lack of respect between you and CT. You both simply made reasoned points. As I have never seen a heated internet discussion change anyone’s mind, I think you were both wise to deduce that good folk can disagree and let it go.

I urge you to reconsider your role here at chorrol. You have been, and continue to be, a delightful forum-mate and I know many would miss your clever good cheer greatly. With age (although you are a relative youngster to some of us. . . ) and illness, I should think that belonging to our caring little group here to be a good thing. None of us are perfect - and it is that very knowledge that lets us appreciate and embrace each other despite the fact that we each have quirks or even sometimes wrestle with our own demons.

Stay with us, dear friend and let us help share your burdens in some small way.

Ditto!

From the message McB sent me, which seemed both uncharacteristically angry and carried far more profanity than is normal for McB, I would say he's taken my post rather more personally than I'd intended.

I would attempt to reply to him, but given some of the language used by him I have zero reason to believe he'd read it.

Aw, I'm so sorry; Thorney! One of the reasons I try to steer clear of discussions on politics and religion = no one agrees and everyone feels strongly. I avoid them like the plague.

Thanks for the info, CT. My limited understanding of the illness McB referred to is that it affects his mood and temper in unpredictable ways. I believe that is why he has oft been scarce – to spare us from over-reactive outbursts. My hope is that he will, with time, calm down, apologize for his profanity to you and rejoin us. We have seen him through this cycle at least once before. Thank you for not aggravating things.

I'm sorry to say that I don't know that this will be the case. His departing post was written only minutes after the message he sent, but the tone is remarkably different. If the message was the product of such an outburst, he seems to have gotten it out of his system before posting.

Yeah, he probably left to keep from saying any more than he already did to you. Don't let it upset you, you did nothing wrong in stating your opinions. Political discussions are known to bring out the worst in people because no one can ever agree on anything politically.

It shouldn't have happened, but sometimes that doesn't mean it won't. It is upsetting to get an angry PM like that; I usually just set my box to "ignore" someone who is out of line so my day isn't upset any more than the first time.

But Acadian is right; as much as we all love McB; it is kind of well known that he has issues that cause him to have erratic behavior; and he is usually very sorry afterwards. If he didn't apologize to you, but left = probably still upset with what you said, so is leaving so he doesn't continue sending angry PM's to you.

It is for the best in a situation like that sometimes for him to take the needed breather so he can get it handled without the forums suffering.

But we all love him very much, and hope he does return when ready. He is always welcome back, we understand his illness gets the best of him sometimes.

....


What??


McB is gone!!???!??

I love it when people blame me for everything bad that's happened in their life.