Been working toward visiting Ecuador.

Basically there is a North part, with Quito

And a South part, with Guayaquil on the coast and Cuenca and a few other decent sized cities in the South.

Anyone been North or South?

Creativesoul has hit the nail on the head. It's a materialistic explanation, with the correct twist, and the mechanism that hooks the parts together that Quietman described so well. The fact that Quietman and Creative come across in their posts as humanistic and compassionate types is proof of what Creative says. It's not a totally deterministic system, and so emotions can be "learned" that's why anger management classes work and Buddhists are able to sit still for so long.

Sorry, I didn't read your post carefully. If it's rebooting at the Windows Startup Screen you can try slipping in the XP disk, and trying an auto repair--Don't "reinstall"; sometimes even without a repair disk it can make some correcitons. Otherwise, try unplugging it, waiting for minute, then reboot, then it's shop time.

Most of the time pcs reboot on their own because they have experienced a disruption "critical error" and machines are set by default to reboot at that point. You need to stop the rebooting to try and find the problem--or at least run Malwarebyetes (free--www.malwarebytes.com, and/or SpyBot Search and destroy; also go to Trend Micro and run a virus check online free. To disable the auto reboot on critical error, do the following: (Disable the "Auto Restore" point part of XP before running the above suggested fixes, just put "Restore Point" in the "Help and Support" section and it will tell you how to temporarily disable it. Good Luck.

1.
Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

2.
Click the Advanced tab.

3.
Under Startup and Recovery, click Settings to open the Startup and Recovery dialog box.

4.
Clear the Automatically restart check box, and click OK the necessary number of times.

5.
Restart your computer for the settings to take effect.

Kidding with someone you know, and knows you are kidding is morally acceptable.

"Making Fun" of someone you don't know for frivilous reasons or to impress your friends is reprehensible.

If you have issue with government, politics, religion, take the time and effort to orchestrate an intelligent argument or attack.

People capable of self deprecating humor not intended to elecit sympathy are rare. When you do something stupid that has no particular ill effect, do you laugh? If you do, good for you.

I like punk cause it's generally a little more frenetic, and anti-establishment, which makes you work at the lyrics more. Rap started that way, and still is pretty much in Europe. I didn't know anyone still wrote punk. Keep up the bad work!

Flat

Not exactly Lady--nice lineup of pcs on your profile by the way--it means to itch all over.

It happened to me once when I took a wrong antibiotic, and junkies get it when they are running low. It comes from ants. Ants have a smell because they secret formic acid, and the feeling of ants crawling all over you is correctly called.

Flat

Sweetlover and Greeneyes! Come on down!

Welcome Terri and Artman48!

So I went to the doctor and told her that the night before I had endured a long night of formication?

What was my complaint?

I liked it, thanks for posting it. I can hear the rap, but it's poetry--not just because it rhymes.

Flat

Network: William Holden, Peter Finch--"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

Bullworth: Warren Beaty

Welcome, and have fun

I'll often laugh at tasteless jokes before I can make a decision whether I ought or ought not laugh, if they're funny. Which is a funny thing because jokes that pivot on dehumanizing elements shouldn't be funny. Mind you this doesn't apply if I understand that an offensive joke is on the way. That is, if a story starts out, "Did you hear about the fag that . . ." or, "This bimbo walks into a logging camp and says . . ." then I can just walk away, or explain that I don't care to hear anymore AIDs or nword jokes, thanks anyway. But if I'm caught off guard I'll laugh at anybody or anything.
I've laughed at jokes about farmer's daughters and salesmen, about blacks, yuppies, Mexicans, elephants, Pollacks, Aggies, rednecks, WASPs, morons, Bohemians, women, children, priests, Popes, and Jesus Christ. To my chagrin, it seems that nothing is sacred to my funny bone.
My sense of humor often outstrips my sense of propriety, which is for the most part a good thing, because I wouldn't want to sacrifice my sense of humor for a keen sense of propriety--the former being more necessary for survival than the latter. That is, you can get along in the world just fine without a sense of propriety, but you'll never make it without a sense of humor.


Flatline

Good for you Buttons--and thank you Mikey. My ex used to do the same Buttons, put stuff on the curb with a "Free" sign on them. To be clear and fair, and less potentially disgusting though, none of the items had ever been opened or used. I only took the razor, as I said. I don't know why a person would want an electric shaver and a hot lather machine.

Flat

I live in an apartment complex, where people who no longer want useful objects don't just toss them in the dumpsters--one for recycling, one for trash--they are thoughtful enough to put them to the side of the dumpster areas. Only a half hour ago I took out the trash.

There, on the edge of the dumpster enclosure I found three boxed items. All were encased in those plastic mummy packs that are impossible to open without a knife or powerful scissors, brand new. One was a nose and ear hair removal tool--I have that tool though that doesn't necessarily mean I have nose or ear hair; another was a "hot lather" shaving machine, and the last was a 4-rotary-head, rechargeable electric shaver. My own shaver is old, and only has three rotary heads. Again, this is a brand new item, and I have to guess that some guy either misplaced his face, or some gal chose to clear her bathroom cabinet of items no longer needed. So, in this case, a presumably failed relationship worked out very well for me.

clear the paddles from the chest, turn off the juice and note the time, Flatline

The Who

I did include a disclaimer expressing my own opion of his treatment of women and pets. His opinion was in response to boxing. I will try and be clearer in the future. Got you away from the mirror for moment anyway.

Flatline

Uncannily close. Thank you for trying.

Flat

First let me say I am no fan of Mike--excepting his early days as a boxer. I can understand how someone might, in he heat of he moment, bite off a small piece of ear in a professional bout, or that anyone is entitled to use their face as a canvass in the manner of say, performers in the Cirque De Soliel. But, I can't conscience violence against women, or the abuse or neglect of pets--ferrets in this case, but species doesn't matter--that once taken into the home should be taken into the heart.

Nonetheless: In a recent interview Mike was queried on the nature of the mental aspect of a boxing match, the importance of planning and strategy. And I believe his answer applies as well to dating, and to other, otherwise well-lain life plans. "Everyone," Mike said, "has a strategy . . . until you get hit in the face."