James

[color=#B0251E]I've only ever purchased from one place, when it comes to importing from Japan. That was at Lik-Sang.com. Basically, shipping [i]is[/i] quite expensive, as Tony mentions. However, Lik-Sang do offer free shipping with some specific products (though this does depend on the product). Still, it really depends how long you are prepared to wait. The upside of Lik-Sang, from my own experience, is twofold. One, there are a ton of payment methods - more than I've seen elsewhere (I am forever thankful for their bank transfer option). Also, you get tremendous quality in terms of the service. Even their packaging is very solid and high quality - in fact, whenever you order an item, you even receive a bunch of glossy Lik-Sang stickers. In other words, there are a few small touches that give the whole thing a good quality feel. So, I'd recommend them on my own experience; I found them to be highly reliable and to offer plenty of options and services. If you do end up buying from them, at least you have seen a strong endorsement from someone else who has used them. But whatever you go for should be fine - I think eBay is definitely a good option if you want a cheaper used item particularly (and cost can be a big factor with online purchases from Japan, as indicated).[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Wow, good one, Sen. I'm liking this a lot. The amp is awesome and the vector work on the guy is top notch. Your stuff seems to get significantly better each time I see it, which is very awesome. I think this is probably my favourite piece from you. Well done. ^_^[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Out of any RPG I've played (though I haven't played many in the current generation), I think Final Fantasy X would have been the one with my favourite battle system. There are many reasons why I like it. First and foremost, it combined the strategic aspects of turn-based battles with a far more fluid character swapping system. The fact that you could see your turns in advance (and know when the enemy's turn would be) assisted greatly. Sure, it made the game easier to some degree. But it also allowed you to carefully plan your attack strategy. You knew when you were going to be attacked, so you could determine who would face the brunt of the attack and who would come in afterwards to retaliate. It was a nice system, it allowed for great flexibility. I liked the fact that I didn't have to choose my characters pre-battle and then get stuck with a particular bunch. If I wanted to change my mind or try a new strategy in-battle, I could. It was as easy as the click of a button. I also liked the Sphere Grid and the general flow of the battles themselves. Summoning was handled really well (despite not being able to fast forward the introductions) and it was, in my view, more interesting than in previous games within that series. The fact that summoned-beasts actually had their own capabilities meant that they were more than just "powerful attacks" - some battles hinged on effective use of Summons. So, that was welcome for me. In general, I also loved the way the interface was laid out...and I enjoyed the combination of more traditional elements (like HP/MP) with the slightly faster and more fluid pace. But having said that, I can't say I've really come across an RPG where I've hated the battle system. I never minded the first person battles in some older RPGs, although my experience with that is still limited. But it was never something that made me dislike a game, for instance. The only game in recent memory that I didn't particularly like, with regard to battles, was Star Ocean: Till the End of Time. Apart from the fact that I scored a buggy copy, and apart from the fact that I found the story and characters to be mind-numbingly boring, the battle system itself merely seemed [i]okay[/i]. I didn't have a whole lot of time to get used to it, but...it didn't really have anything that I found particularly attractive. It almost felt a little sloppy.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Okay, I've finally seen it. Now to deliver my verdict. As an avid Ring/Ringu fan, I was disappointed. I was not disappointed in the story - it was fine. In fact, considering that the film could simply have taken more ideas from the Japanese version (it took few), I was quite surprised. Not only did it effectively gel with The Ring (the adoption of Samara and her history before coming to the Morgan family), but it also made some quite logical connections. For example, the first film suggested that Aidyn (or however you spell his name) had some kind of connection to Samara. Unfortunately, this was never really explored in the first film (and thus was somewhat pointless). The reason the connection exists - at least in terms of the remake - was because Aidyn's Japanese counterpart (Yoichi) played a very specific role in the story, in terms of his connection to Sadako (Samara). So it was as if they took the surface idea but did nothing with it. In The Ring 2, Aidyn's link with Samara is not only fully explored, but it becomes the central focus of the film. In that sense, I think The Ring 2 is a very logical step forward. If you have seen Ringu 2, you know that there was a lot more to Sadako than just her curse. So in that sense, The Ring 2 manages to merge some of the Japanese film's concepts with concepts from the first American movie. And in that regard, it was as much of a success as anyone could hope for. The problem with this movie comes in two forms, I think. One, the effects were quite poor -- worse than in the first film, surprisingly. The main problem, I think, is that there was an overuse of average CGI and not enough emphasis placed on lighting and camera work. This is surprising, given that in the Japanese films, Hideo Nakata placed very strong emphasis on beautiful/subtle camera work and moody lighting. Perhaps he was simply trying to make The Ring 2 [i]look[/i] like its American predecessor -- but the result is ultimately a pretty diluted visual experience. You get a few cool moments, but you don't get anything especially unique. Even the more original moments (which are good ideas in principle) are hurt by the way they are displayed. When it comes to the Japanese sequel (Ringu 2), we already knew about the tape and we'd seen Sadako do her stuff. So that wasn't surprising anymore. Yet Ringu 2 managed to remain incredibly creepy with plenty of new ideas - in particular, there was a lot more to the story and the mystery was unravelled quite a lot more. We learned more about Sadako's family and when combined with the "science experiment gone wrong" vibe, the end result was something pretty unique and frightening on its own (in my view, Ringu 2 is more scary than its predecessor). So, in The Ring 2, the effects were generally poor and poorly used. And this ultimately hurt some genuinely good ideas. [spoiler]For example, Samara's hair coming out of Aidyn's mouth and Aidyn using Samara's powers against various people - this was explored a lot more in the Japanese films and it only appears toward the end of The Ring 2[/spoiler]. Part of the problem, I think, is also pacing. The first half seems fairly redundant - the movie only picks up and starts doing something interesting in its second half. If the film had spent more time examining Samara's history and if it had spent more time featuring the [spoiler]"posessed Aidyn"[/spoiler], we'd ultimately have a better film on our hands. As it stands, the second half was far more enjoyable. So ultimately, I find it a bit hard to rate the film. My biggest beef is the fact that so many good ideas just weren't produced correctly. It didn't have the impact that it [i]could[/i] have had, given the director. So that disappoints me. But by the same token, it [i]does[/i] manage to deliver a story that is interesting in and of itself. It's a story that, thankfully, gels with not only the first film, but also introduces some elements from the Japanese movies (though it could probably have leaned on the Japanese films a lot more, to be even more creepy). So I have no real complaints about story - my main complaint there relates to pacing and how much time is devoted to what parts. I tend to find that people either enjoy this franchise or they don't. It's a bit like zombie flicks. If you take them the wrong way, or expect them to be something they aren't, you won't enjoy them. Pure and simple. The Ring is very similar. There's no denying its innovation - I mean, in terms of the entire franchise (Japanese and American films included). For those who are looking for a sci-fi movie, or something extremely rational...you won't find it here. Don't forget that The Ring is based largely on Japanese folklore, which involves demons and ghosts. It's a supernatural film. It's not about demonstrating everything in a realistic way; though the Japanese films go to some pretty significant lengths to actually combine science and spirit. If you hated the first movie, or if you didn't like the Japanese films, you absolutely won't enjoy The Ring 2. That's a given. But if you're a fan like me, The Ring 2 will be bittersweet. You'll enjoy it on some level and you'll appreciate the new things that it uncovers. But you will be wanting to slap Nakata for taking some great ideas and delivering them in fairly mundane ways. And that, in the end, is unfortunate. Still, it's worth seeing - there's some entertainment value there and if nothing else, fans will appreciate some of the hints to the Japanese films.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I think Baron is right; it's impossibly to apply a blanket standard to something like suicide. I think that the vast majority of people who attempt suicide are seeking attention, though. This is not necessarily an intentionally selfish act (more on that in a bit); I think it is a way for certain people to gain attention when they may have difficulty getting it in other areas. This isn't to say that a suicide attempt isn't serious - obviously if someone is seeking attention that badly, there [i]must[/i] be something wrong. And that should be investigated, obviously. But having said that, suicide is also the ultimate form of emotional blackmail. I know of two cases that happened recently (one was a family member of mine, one was a work colleague of my mother's), which basically involved committing suicide to make other people pay a price - in other words, a kind of "I'm going to commit suicide because of you and you'll have to live with that for the rest of your life". In an odd way, it's almost like...an act of mental/emotional rape on everyone who knows those people. It's almost a [i]violent[/i] and aggressive act, you know? Obviously, if these people are willing to commit suicide, then something is wrong. Again, I don't want to suggest that these people are just doing it for fun. However, I do feel that in the majority of cases (suicide attempts), it's about seeking attention. Of course, everyone has different reasons. Some people do simply feel that they can't function as a human being anymore and suicide is the only answer. I would be lying if I said that I'd never contemplated it in my life - but I am not one to talk about it every five seconds. Why? Well, for the most part, I actually felt angry with myself for having such thoughts. I mean, for being so willing to hurt everyone around me by doing something like that. It [i]felt[/i] selfish. In a funny way, no matter how badly I'm doing...I don't think I'm one who could ever actually commit suicide. Committing suicide would kind of be the antithesis of everything I am as a person - I'm not one for revenge and I'm not one to deliberately make those around me pay.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I think there are definite rules to writing, when it comes to punctuation and so on. But in the case you mentioned here, if it was a monologue, then I think it doesn't matter whether you use "he'd" or "he would". Afterall, dialogue/monologue is all about the characters themselves and in many novels, you'll find that authors deliberately skew the writing to create a certain accent or something like that. So this can be a problem with people who are editing your work. They have to strike a balance between correcting things you've intentioned (such as a certain style of writing with dialogue or monologue), while simultaneously ensuring that your English is correct in general. I don't really know if I have any quirks, except that I probably use certain words more often than others now and then. But I think everyone does that to some extent anyway. Other than that, I don't think I do anything that would be considered bad English or something (except that I tend to write in "international English" rather than American English, but that's another story and it depends who you are writing for/talking to).[/color]

[color=#B0251E]C'mon guys, this is no good. You need to tell us [i]why[/i] these are your favourites; simply listing names isn't enough. Please pay attention to our quality requirements.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Bringing up Michael Chrichton's "State of Fear" is a really bad idea too, because that novel has been roundly criticized by the scientific community. Of course, movies like The Day After Tomorrow are far from accurate -- but it's also totally inaccurate to suggest that global warming simply doesn't exist. There's just too much evidence to the contrary.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Please don't share piracy-related information at OB. [b]Edit:[/b] Apparently this was a joke thread. Apologies, Baron. However, the first post was pretty light on content, so the thread will remain closed. I do want to reiterate, though, that I don't want to see any serious piracy-related content at OB - whether that includes burning of games themselves, or distribution of ROMs.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]As far as I know, stories of giant squid attacking ships are actually somewhat based in reality -- you may have seen the giant squid that occasionally wash up on various beaches. I believe it was only recently that one of the largest types was found; it was basically longer than a school bus. So it's a funny type of mythology that actually has some very slight link to reality (in the same way that religious mythology from various periods - aboriginal paintings for instance - has a similar link).[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Come on guys, keep it civil. It's not a big deal. If someone contributes one vote in favor of their work, I don't see a problem. The only problem is if people try to artificially manipulate the system by attempting to vote multiple times, from multiple accounts. But I view that as being unlikely, given the amount of time it would take to actually do it.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Most of the information I have about this subject actually came from a televised documentary, which included various Biblical researchers as well as various members of the church. Unfortunately I don't remember the specifics, but they spent a significant period of time discussing the New Testament and the way in which it was formed. It seemed to pretty much boil down to the decisions of a small group of people -- the Nostic texts were considered to be essentially anti-Christian at the time. But the impression I get is that this is largely because they were contradictory to many of the other Gospels, despite being produced within a similar time period. As you probably know, there were actually Nostic churches at that time, which were essentially a type of protestant movement. Actually, some of these gospels seemed to have links to texts within the Quran, which is also interesting. I wish I could provide you with more information and specifics, but I didn't tape the documentary. It was incredibly interesting though, primarily because most of it was actually being discussed by senior members of the church, from different countries. There was actually a very serious view to understanding the drastic changes made in the Bible over its history, which I found to be highly refreshing. So, this is why I think it's better for me to leave the discussion to those who really want to get into the nitty gritty of the whole question about the Quran's validity. While I have my doubts that many here are Quran experts or anything, I feel that if they're enjoying the discussion, that's fine. I personally don't think I can get invested in such a discussion, lol.[/color]

[quote name='Retribution][SIZE=1]I feel like a broken record. [B]What does it matter that it's been altered?[/B'] It carries the exact same message ... the Word of the Lord. But off of the faith idea, it embodies the same values as it did when the books were first written.[/SIZE][/quote] [color=#B0251E]I really hesitate to get into these threads, but I do want to say something here. I think you are missing the point and are perhaps unaware of the Bible's history to some degree. First of all, the actual content and message of the Bible has changed many times over the course of history. This is a result of the inclusion and exclusion of various texts at different points. The Nostic Gospels, for instance, were never included within the New Testament - primarily for political reasons (obviously you can't enforce a law if another law contradicts it, for instance). Even the "King James Version" speaks for itself. Obviously it's not the original unedited document, if it's a [i]King James Version[/i]. lol Some of the earliest texts from the Bible included references to all sorts of things, which obviously never made it into the current version. Cannibalism is a good example. So, to some degree, the Bible has changed over time, as part of its relationship with civilization and culture at different points in history. I think Chabichou is trying to illustrate the idea that while the Bible has changed significantly, the Quran has not. Honestly, I can't speak about any changes in the Quran, because I simply don't know enough about it. I just wanted to clarify the reason why Chabichou might be pointing that out and why it does actually matter, if we are talking about relevance.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I liked this, but I did have some confusion. When you talk of octopi attacking ships and stuff, you are referring to Giant Squid I presume. Do squid actually get put under the plural word of "octopi"? I thought squid often had more than eight arms, but I could be wrong. I say that because there are a few areas where this report seems to talk about squid rather than octopi. I also saw footage of a gay octopus on Donahue once. That was interesting.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]While we are on the subject of vitiligo...I had always thought that Michael Jackson [i]does[/i] have the disease, but that it comes out in splotches on the skin. And so, he apparently bleaches the rest so that his skin is one uniform colour. At least, that's what I'd heard reported and it seems reasonable enough to me. I would assume that making your skin uniformly darker would be tougher than making it whiter...but since I'm nowhere near being an expert on that subject, I really have no idea. But honestly, I don't really even know why this entire subject is all that worthy of discussion. Surely it gets over-discussed in the media as it is. I have ideas about what's going on and everything (like everyone else does), but honestly, I really don't care at all. The more I hear about it, the less I care.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I agree with you, Charles. I should just briefly point out that my intention wasn't to compare Mario to Zelda -- my intention was to use Mario as a generic word for any video game. This could be Mario, it could be Zelda, it could be Pokemon or it could be Final Fantasy. My view would really be the same no matter what the game, even if it were a very story-centric title. This isn't to say that I wouldn't welcome or support voice. It's just that I think the emphasis is frequently placed on the wrong area. As long as Nintendo provides some sort of option (to have voices on or off, regardless of quality), I really don't mind one way or the other. I just don't think that Nintendo should necessarily jump on the bandwagon because of a particular trend. To continue from that, I basically totally disagree with triforcelad. The gaming crowd wants movie quality graphics? What if I like films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas or Spirited Away? Just as two examples, one could argue that despite their difference in application (ie: animated versus live action), those two films might happen to be artistically more unique and compelling than something that is both live action and bland. Not to say that you can't have a stylized or artistically rich live action film, of course (see Kill Bill). It's just that, again, we get into this question of photorealism. For some games, photorealism is fine and it works. Gran Turismo for instance. But I would hate it if every game tried to look like a photograph. I'm glad that the new Zelda isn't doing that. If you consider the art style, you're really not talking about something that is actually "realistic". It looks more life-like, perhaps, but it's quite stylized. And if you look at, say, Okami for PS2...you see some amazing artwork that we might miss, if all games were to become "movie quality".[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I think the confusion comes about when Charles implied that he didn't intend for the poem to have a double-meaning, when he must have. lol It's not just this poem, but it's also other poems by Charles (such as the skateboarding poem), which have had deliberate and obvious double meanings. From what I remember, the skateboarding poem was obvious but in a sense it was a little more subtle. This poem jumps between multiple subjects from line to line and in doing so, it does occasionally come across as a very strong attempt to include specific sex-related words (ie: balls or erect or whatever). [i]So[/i], I think Charles' intention has really been fulfilled here. The poem is about cats. But it also has undeniably strong sexual overtones, which give it a humorous quality that people will or won't appreciate. I like that Charles specified that it was about cats at the end, though. Had he not, I think it would have had less purpose as a poem. I mean, it would have come across more as a raw excuse to simply include as many dual-purpose words as possible in one poem. At least this way, it [i]does[/i] speak about a particular subject and there is the implication that the writer's double-meanings are not intentional. That in itself seems to be part of the joke, as if the reader should feel bad for thinking such naughty things. And that additionally makes the poem all the more clever, really.[/color]

[size=2]Hours earlier, he'd been cooling his feet by the water's edge. And now, Aetheran was sitting in the middle of a vast grassy plain, just outside Memoria, with his new companion. The Draconian sat with his legs crossed as he eyed Aetheran curiously. "I do wish you wouldn't stare at me like that," breathed Aetheran, "it makes me most uncomfortable." The Draconian smiled (if you could call it a smile; it was more of a faint curl at the edge of his lips). He rarely spoke, despite the fact that he'd been travelling alongside Aetheran for several hours. Aetheran had never been more confused in his life. Here he was, sitting next to a Draconian named Lablanc, with the imposing Memorian silhouette in the distance. He briefly considered Madam Hogbeam's advice - she had told him to search for a tree. In fact, he had been told to search for the largest, oldest tree in the Victorian forest. He had indeed found the tree. And he had even spoken to it. It spoke back to him, but the voice came from high up within its branches - a tall, wiry Draconian was responsible for that voice. The entire experience seemed highly foreign to Aetheran, who had never before left Emerald Cove on his own. After hours of walking, Aetheran had requested that the pair stop to take a break. "So, tell me," Aetheran began, "why were you hiding among the branches? Were you intending to give me a heart attack? If so, you were almost successful." There was a sternness to Aetheran's voice, despite the fact that he was somewhat frightened of Lablanc. In fact, Aetheran was a little frightened of all foreigners, he admitted to himself. Lablanc's vague, half-smile disappeared and was replaced with a solid stare. "One never knows when imposters are about," he said quietly. "I had to protect myself." Aetheran raised an eyebrow. "From what? Me?" Lablanc nodded. Aetheran almost chuckled to himself (almost, only because Lablanc's stern expression made him too uncomfortable to laugh or joke). "What you do not yet appreciate," Lablanc continued, "is that this world is much larger than you know. There are many places you have not seen, many people you have not met and many types of horror you have not witnessed - nor even imagined." Aetheran replaced his hat and stared off toward Memoria's intimidating silhouette. "Is the world really so bleak?" he asked. "It is odd that we Nymph-folk can bear responsibility for the seasons, which affect the lives of people we have never even seen." Lablanc gestured toward Memoria. "The entire world is not bleak, but one must always be cautious. We are living in dangerous times; more dangerous than generations past. Thoughts fester underneath the surface...dark thoughts and dark designs." Although Aetheran understood what Lablanc was saying in a general sense, there was one burning question in his mind. "What does this have to do with me?" he asked. Lablanc paused slightly before he spoke. "You haven't seen anything beyond the forests of Victoria, but let me assure you, all lives on Gaia are intertwined in one way or another. Your life is intertwined with mine - and our fates are shared with all of those in this world, including the citizens of Memoria and the other major territories." "That still doesn't answer my question," said Aetheran. "How does my life have any significance to you or anyone else outside the cove? If I were to die tomorrow, another Nymph - who would no doubt be more skilled than I - would take my place." "I am not talking about the seasons or the solstice," said Lablanc with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I am talking about something far more important: the Innocence." As the sun moved across the vast blue sky, Lablanc explained his purpose in summoning Aetheran. He did not, however, reveal all details about the Innocence; he considered it unnecessary and the King of Memoria had been specific in commanding that all Innocence were to be brought to the palace. Lablanc did not want to risk scaring Aetheran to death, especially considering his relatively sheltered life. A key to the success of the endeavour was to ensure that the Innocence - or at least, their descendants - took the task at hand seriously and more importantly, that they did so willingly. The pair continued their journey to Memoria. It was an experience that simultaneously excited and frightened Aetheran. Although his perception of the world had been almost totally destroyed within a few short hours, he now felt a slight sense of purpose. Where he had not long ago been sitting in limbo - in a place with no purpose or reason - he now understood that there was more to being a Nymph than simply performing the duties of a Nymph. He wasn't entirely convinced of this fact, but it was refreshing and reassuring to know that the world outside Emerald Cove cared little for the Flow Test and whether or not one Nymph succeeded or failed. [/size]

[color=#B0251E]Tony, how is your post going? If you have no ideas, I would be happy to finish up this chapter. I want to try and avoid leaving long gaps between things where possible.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I'm certainly happy to see bans handed out to those who frequently ignore staff requests to use spoilers. So, yeah, if this is happening frequently with some specific members, it's quite okay for Dagger to take action.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]I haven't yet seen this either (apparently it's not out here yet, surprisingly). But so far I've heard mixed comments. Apparently the plot is sort of thrown together, which makes sense but isn't exactly a good thing. As you may know, Hideo Nakata directed the American Ring 2. So story aside (presuming that the screenplay and such was written by someone else), I'm at least hoping for some good visuals and interesting scares. Afterall, he was responsible for awesome visuals in the Japanese films. I was really hoping to see this today, but as I said, it's not out just yet. So...maybe next weekend. Either way, I think I'm going in with blunted expectations. I'm just hoping for a few good frights - for something different, just as the first film was something different from what had come before.[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Tony had it right. If we stopped people from drawing or recreating something official, we'd have no art site. It's called "fan art" because it's fan-produced art, which is based on various official works. If someone directly rips an entire graphic from somewhere else and writes their own name on it, then yes, we'll take action against that. But if someone re-draws an official image or they create their own composition or whatever, that's fine. I think we tend to find a balance between the two.[/color]

[quote name='Shinmaru']I hope that this doesn't apply to those who don't want their old (and embarrassing) user names to become public knowledge. Ahem.

[color=#B0251E]So, I was thinking about blogging in general today. I saw a news report on CNN about it and I realized that the media seems to be very interested in this phenomenon right now. Many of you are probably myOtaku members as well as being OB members. One thing I find interesting about myOtaku is that a lot of people who hadn't been using blogs on other services (ie: LiveJournal, Xanga and so on) had still decided to start a blog on our own service. I found it interesting because I've never been able to maintain a blog elsewhere, but on myOtaku, I've maintained a blog for quite a long time now. That led me to two lines of thought: Why myOtaku? And also, why blog in general? So, I thought I'd create a thread dedicated to both myOtaku and blogging. Why not give us a link to yourOtaku and tell us a bit about it? Maybe you can share your blogging experiences and explain why you blog in the first place. [url="http://www.myotaku.com/users/james"]myOtaku.com: James[/url] is my page. Some of you who know me visit it regularly and others of you may have seen it in passing. Originally I wanted to use myOtaku to kind of get the ball rolling and to show people what they could do on their pages. In some ways I think I'm still doing that (with help from Aiyisha and her master coding prowess). I like the fact that maybe I can show people something that they hadn't thought of and they can try it out on their own pages. Or perhaps just seeing something different will spark an idea. I mostly use my page to talk about site and network-related stuff. I do sometimes include information about my personal life, but I tend to be pretty guarded about that online in general. It's interesting, because I've always considered a blog to be a regular type of diary - something related to your personal life. Although I do discuss things that happen in my daily life, I mostly enjoy using myOtaku to post my thoughts on a variety of subjects (again, mostly site-related). But I have noticed that people use their pages for many different things. Some (like [url="http://www.myotaku.com/users/panda"]Panda[/url]), not only include information about their daily happenings, but they directly involve visitors by posting questions and by talking directly to people who are visiting. I think that makes her page entertaining as well as being a place for her to muse over whatever is in her mind at the time. So, why do you use myOtaku? And why do you blog in general?[/color]

[color=#B0251E]Erm, I think it's a little inappropriate to be discussing your general views in this thread. This is a thread about forum Moderation, not parenting or anything else. So let's try to remain on-topic (or at least vaguely related to the topic). Of course, if you want to start a thread about parenting or whatever else, you're welcome to do so.[/color]