Fatal Blurb

On their wedding night, the young bride approached her new husband and asked for $20.00 for their first love making encounter. In his highly aroused state, her husband readily agreed.

This scenario was repeated each time they made love for more than 30 years, with him thinking that it was a cute way for her to afford new clothes and other incidentals that she needed.

Arriving home around noon one day, she was surprised to find her husband in a very drunken state. During the next few minutes, he explained that his employer was going through a process of corporate down sizing, and he had been let go. It was unlikely that, at the age of 59, he'd be able to find another position that paid anywhere near what he'd been earning, and therefore, they were financially ruined.

Calmly, his wife handed him a bank book which showed more than thirty years of steady deposits and interest totaling nearly $1 million. Then she showed him certificates of deposits issued by the bank which were worth over $2 million, and informed him that they were one of the largest depositors in the bank. She explained that for the more than three decades she had "charged" him for sex, these holdings had multiplied and these were the results of her savings and investments.

Faced with evidence of cash and investments worth over $3 million, her husband was so astounded he could barely speak, but finally he found his voice and blurted out, "If I'd had any idea what you were doing, I would have given you all my business!"

That’s when she shot him.

You know, sometimes, men just don't know when to keep their mouths shut.

-- Posted today on the Pleasure Grove Yahoo! Group site.

She is Stunning!

Last December, I called Jonathan Seitz of Seitz Photography Studio, located in Norcross. I had spotted his business card and brochure in The Grove’s front office one day. Having long desired professional nude photographs of Connie, but not as yet finding the right photographer, his brochure piqued my interest. After viewing the pictures displayed in the brochure, I knew immediately that he was the right photographer for us. Clearly, he is highly skilled at capturing the beauty of the human form in a variety of erotic, but very tasteful poses.

During our conversation, I learned that he and his wife, Beth, do periodic naturalist photo shoots at both Serendipity and Caliente resorts. He is the photographer, while Beth reviews the digital pictures with clients after the photo shoot, edits the photographs and handles sales. They had never shot at The Grove, but were planning on doing so when the weather warmed in the springtime. Not wanting to wait that long, I told him I would call after the holidays for an appointment at his studio.

Next came the hard part: convincing Connie to pose in the buff. Under most circumstances, she is very comfortable with nudity. However, like most women, she is self-conscious about some aspects of her body. The notion of having these aspects permanently recorded in a digital file and displayed on the internet did not sit well with her. After broaching the subject shortly after my conversation with Jonathan and getting a negative reaction, I let it drop for several months.

However, a few weeks ago, I learned that Jonathan and Beth would be at The Grove on April 1st and 2nd. I again asked Connie if she would be willing to pose, and much to my surprise, she agreed. I believe she felt more comfortable posing at The Grove in a familiar nudist environment, rather than visiting a strange studio not knowing what to expect. I called Jonathan and made an appointment for 12 o’clock on Saturday, April 1st.

On that morning, around 10:30, I escorted Connie into the club house were we found Jonathan and Beth hard at work setting up a full studio and photo display. We introduced ourselves and took the time to look at the many photographs on display. While the pictures in the brochure were beautiful, this display was far more striking. Connie felt more at ease after visiting the location of the studio setup, meeting Jonathan and Beth and reviewing their work. We returned to our room where Connie used the time remaining before the shoot to put on her face.

I won’t go into the particulars of the photo shoot, although it was interesting to watch. I will report that while initially very stiff, Connie, with Jonathon’s help, eventually relaxed and morphed into a workable subject. And I will also report that, to me, the results are stunning. I was stunned when I first saw the pictures and I am still stunned two days later as I write this. Connie is a beautiful woman. I never take that for granted, but these pictures bring out her beauty in a way I have never seen before. There are a few shots of us as a couple; at best, I didn’t break the camera or degrade the portfolio too much. But this is all about Connie and the results, at least to my eye, are breathtaking.

Stan Comments on Lulu's Post

Much of our country’s current foreign policy is derived from an extreme ideology that has evolved among conservatives since the fall of the Soviet Union. The thinking goes like this: since there is no superpower left to stop us, the time is right to reform the un-democratized nations of the world, especially those that control oil. (During Clinton’s second term, conservatives said that it’s not about sex; now, they claim it’s not about oil. Yeah, right.)

I personally do not believe the veracity of the administration’s stated justification for the war. I do think our intelligence was flawed, but I don’t believe the WMD argument was ever the real issue. If so, we would have invaded Iran, not Iraq. After all, it is Iran that is governed by an Islamic theocracy; it is Iran that is known to harbor Islamic radicals; and it is Iran that has made nuclear advances. Why did we invade Iraq then? Well, because we could; and because Hussein had been a pain in the ass for a decade; and because he went after Daddy.

Now, having said all of this, I do believe there is a 50-50 chance the world will be a better place in ten years because of our actions today. Like you, I don’t hate Muslims, but I do believe Islam needs updating and that its clerics need to stop preaching hatred. This can only happen when its adherents have hope and a degree of control over their lives. Democracy works, but it can’t be force feed, at least not in the short term, and certainly not to a people who associate more closely with a tribe than a nation. No one in the administration wants to admit it, but Iraq is in the throes of a civil war and the outcome is far from certain.

Sadly, much of our country is fearful right now. Long before Bush and Iraq, family values struck an accord because of fear and chaos in the lives of many. People began comforting themselves by connecting with large, impersonal and very conservative religious congregations. These congregations place religious issues above all else, including the Constitution and common sense. If only a small percentage of the single issue abortion voters could have expanded their horizons, Gore would be president today and we would not be in Iraq. That’s how much religion shapes world events.

During the Crusades, Christians battled Muslims and the religious war continues today, hundreds of years later. Christians and Muslims have a very different vision of the world, each wanting a society, and every society, to be based on their particular religious values and beliefs. Islamic extremists are so fanatic that they are willing to fly planes into buildings, killing thousands of innocent people. Christian extremists are so fearful that they are willing to drop bombs, killing thousands of innocent people. All religious extremists justify their actions based on the belief that God is on their side.

I think the Iraqi quagmire can be attributed to a combination of oil, fear, religion and incompetent leadership. However, there are so many folks around us, especially here in the Southeast, who are disinterested in explanations or causations. They blindly and automatically assume any dissent is unpatriotic. They seem to forget that the young men and women who fight and die in Iraq and elsewhere are protecting our rights, including our right to express unpopular views.

Thanks for speaking out, Lulu.

Lulu Speaks Out

Lulu is a friend of mine. On her blog, she posted a rebuttal to one of many mindless pseudo-patriotic letters floating around in cyber space. The letter and the full text of her post can be found at:

http://www.geocities.com/lulupallooza/032006.html

Excerpts from her post follow:

I realize this may not be a popular opinion, but I DO CARE. I don't have it in me to hate people based on what some … people have done in their lifetimes.

I don't hate all "white" people for all but eliminating American Indians from "our" land.

I don't hate all "black" people for the crime rates that are up in some areas.

I don't hate all Germans because of Hitler and his regime.

I don't hate the people who believe in their bible and their God …, but believe people of a different race, religion or God forbid if they make love to someone of their own sex, are going to hell.

I refuse to hate the people who wear Confederate Flags proudly, even though the meaning of that flag to many people equals pure hatred for the black people of America. (Much like the swastika that Nazi's wore … it started out as a benign symbol, but became a symbol of a "superior" race, or in other words, ignorance. As someone brought up by the Jewish faith, the swastika still scares me, but when I see it, my first thought is still that the person sporting the symbol is ignorant).

I don't hate people who blindly follow our President (current or past, Republican or Democrat) without questioning his motives.

I don't hate the soldiers who did their jobs, following orders of their boss, the President, to destroy a nation that had never threatened the United Utates and yes, I mean Iraq.

And I DO NOT HATE everyone who practices Islam because a bunch of cowards who share the same religion used it as an excuse to murder thousands of people on September 11.

So yes, I care. I care that prisoners of war were mistreated, because that meant the American Soldiers involved failed to do their jobs….

I care that the Koran was desecrated, because I wouldn't desecrate your bible and wouldn't expect you to desecrate others.

I care that our tax dollars are being spent on war, but that while that is happening they are cutting back the pay that the soldiers and their families get for being out there.

More than anything, I care for the men and women who are fighting for their country (regardless of which country they are fighting for). I hope that for their sake and the sake of their families that they come home safely to the ones who love them. I hope their lives return to normal.

I hope that after this is all said and done, they and the people affected (which in my opinion is ALL of us) do some research and CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK the things they hear on TV, the radio, their neighbors and yes, even MY email/blog entry.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I think a picture is worth a thousand words. Don't you? If you doubt the truth of this ancient wisdom, check out this photo. The lovers are hot enough individually, but in sexual union, words could never fully describe the passion and beauty exhibited here.

"I'm Married!"

Jack wakes up at home with a huge hangover he can't believe. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins next to a glass of water on the side table. And, next to the water, a single red rose! Jack sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. Jack looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirins, cringes when he sees a huge black eye staring back at him in the bathroom mirror, and notices a note on the table: "Honey, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to go shopping--Love you!"

He stumbles to the kitchen and sure enough, there is hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His son is also at the table, eating. Jack asks, "Son...what happened last night?"

"Well, you came home after 3 A.M., drunk and out of your mind. You broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and got that black eye when you ran into the door."

"So, why is everything in such perfect order, so clean, I have a rose, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?"

His son replies, "Oh THAT!... Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and, when she tried to take your pants off, you screamed, 'Leave me alone lady, I'm married!'"

Broken furniture - $85.26; Hot Breakfast - $4.20; Red Rose bud -$3.00; Two Aspirins -$.38. Saying the right thing, at the right time.........Priceless.

Trapeze Joke of the Week

Mountain Weekend

Last Saturday morning, I slept in, eat a leisurely breakfast, read the AJC sports section and did some “honey do’s.” It was a rather typical Saturday in the Powers household. Then, around mid-day, Connie and I made a spur of the moment decision to have a family outing. So we packed our bags, ran some errands, and around mid-afternoon, found ourselves northbound on I985.

We arrived in Helen around 4:00 pm and immediately checked in at the Best Western on the main drag. Our first stop was the leather shop where I had a new belt made. Our next stop was The Best Little Shop in Helen. Connie purchased bracelets for the girls and a necklace for herself. We crossed the street in route to an ice cream store; then we sat on a bench people watching while the girls devoured their favorite ice cream treats. Next, it was off to the park where the girls played for awhile before we returned to our room to clean up for dinner. We ate at a Mexican restaurant close to the “Hooch.”

The next morning, following a Continental breakfast at the hotel, we traveled to St. Paul’s in Cleveland where we attended mass at 10:00 am. After mass, we checked out of our room and returned to the same Mexican restaurant for lunch. On our way to the restaurant, we walked the river front for a short distance. The water was swift and very clear, and the outside temperature was already quite warm. It was another beautiful day in the mountains.

After lunch, Connie and the girls visited a rock shop while I chose to spend more time enjoying the Hooch, only this time on the opposite side of town. I trespassed on hotel property and parked my rear end on a bench next to the river. Soon, I was joined by my family. The girls removed their shoes and socks and frolicked in the cold mountain water for a good part of the afternoon.

All too soon, we bid farewell to Helen. It was indeed another beautiful day in the mountains.

Connie's B-day

Happy Birthday, Connie! Yeah, today is the day when you are another year older …. and another year better.

Love ya, darlin’!

Nice try!

John & Marsha decided that the only way to pull off a Sunday afternoon quickie with their 8 year old son in the apartment was to send him out on the balcony and tell him to report on all the neighborhood activities. He began his commentary as his parents put their plan into operation. "There's a car being towed from the parking lot,” he shouted. A few moments passed. "An ambulance just drove by." A few moments passed. "Looks like the Andersons have company," he called out. "Matt's riding a new bike. The Coopers are having sex!!"

Startled, Mother and Dad shot up in bed!!! Dad cautiously asked, "How do you know they are having sex??"

"Jimmy Cooper is standing out on his balcony too."

Trapeze Joke of the Week