To all my JU friends and aquaintances, I would like to wish every one a very Merry Christmas and a happy, safe, prosperous New Year. I have enjoyed the interactions this year, both the positives and negatives. The thing I enjoy most about JU is this open interaction between people who might not necessarily mix in 'real' life. So thanks one and all for the on-going education. I will continue to look forward to learning more thanks to you all. Particularly, I would like to thank Shovel...

Having not been online to check my blog for a few days, I came on today to a wonderful sight. I've passed the 10,000 points mark for my blog. I know it doesn't really mean anything but it pleased me regardless. Wow, 10,000 points... I can remember when I wasn't even close to 5k and excited about the prospect of hitting that particular mark. Now, without me watching or even doing any points whoring to boost it, I'm over the 10k mark. Woohoo... Thanks to anybody and everybody who read ...

I’ve been out of touch for a few weeks now, apart from the occasional commando run into the JU community. The reason for my lack of blogging is I’ve been on holidays. I hadn’t had a good break for 18 months or so and as the rest of this year is going to be very busy for me, I decided to take some time to recharge the batteries. It also gave me a chance to catch up on a few jobs around the house before winter starts. I spent time writing and recording some music with my new collaborato...

As this is the first online community I've ever been part of and as I am pretty slow on the uptake, I'd like some help from JU. I've noticed an increasingly large amount of abbreviations in use. Some I've worked out, others I have had to ask what they mean and yet more, I've no idea about. The abbreviations I'm referring to are such ones as IMO, IMHO etc. I'm sure there is probably a list somewhere but I'm asking JUsers to respond with abbreviations they know and use and ones they know...

I’ve not written anything on JU for a little while now. Sure, I’ve responded to other’s posts but actually putting something up myself has been a little difficult. This is because I’ve not had the time to sit and formulate anything, although I have a bunch of ideas I’d really like to put down, but because I’ve been too busy both at work and at home recently to even spend a hour just writing. And I miss it a lot. I am also feeling a little guilty for not having answered a number of email...

I still consider myself a newbie to the JU community but in my time here, I’ve made some great new friends. One of the biggest surprises I’ve found is how similar we all are in a lot of ways. To be honest, this was the last thing I expected. It has highlighted to me how particularly small the world really can be and has given me a greater sense of hope for our collective futures. I’d like to particularly thank the people on my favourites list for making my time here stimulating and rewa...

The last few articles I've put up here, despite selecting the 'Display in Forums' selection, are NOT showing in the Forums. Consequentely, a lot of my regular readers, who pretty much surf the Forums, are missing my articles. I'm not so egotistical to think they would be upset because of this but I am wondering what the heck is going on. Can anyone give me any ideas as to how this problem can be fixed?

I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here at JU. Australia doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, but personally, I really like the idea of a day of thanks to remind us all of how fortunate we are. Having been here for a couple of years now, I've made some great, real friendships, evenn though I've never met any of you face to fce. I value all my friends here as much as I value my friends in the real world. You guys and gals are a disparate bunch who constantly challenge me and keep me...

One of the few problems I have with JoeUser, as a site, it the time difference. A lot of the activity occurs while I’m pushing out Z’s on the other side of the world. It can be somewhat frustrating because it means often times, my responses are missed because everyone else has moved on to the next conversation, article or what have you. There is nothing anyone can do about this, I know, but I was thinking what I would like to know is where JUsers are, in terms of the time. For instance,...

I've just set up a Gmail address and if anyone sends me their details, Toni and I would love to send some christmas cards to our JU friends. The address is dynamaso@gmail.com Looking forward to hearing from you.

Toni just rang to say there has been an earthquake in Hawaii. Apparently, there have been no fatalities reported, but Oahu is without power. I just hope Tex and the boys are alright. Adrain must be beside himself with worry, on top of everything else he's having to do.

Yeehaw, my home line is finally connected. It took a whole lot longer than I had anticipated, given I was told over 3 weeks ago it would only take 3 to 5 days. Oh, well, at least it has finally happened. Now I have no excuse to keep up with all my JU friends. I'm looking forward to getting a couple of pieces of fiction I've been working on for a while up for all to read. Of course, being able to sit on my balcony, with its ocean views and talk to you all more regularly is something I loo...

Those of you who know me know I’m a musician and a huge music fan, as is my wife. As a big fan, I have often been asked to name my favourite piece of music of all time. As a big fan, this is probably one of the hardest questions I’ve ever been asked. I’ve never been able to supply an adequate answer because there is so much good music in the world, narrowing it down to a single album has proved to be impossible. I’ve stood in front of our substantial collection many times but could never ...

I just realised it has been nearly a month since I posted anything here. Time really does fly when you’re having fun? Okay, time flies when one has to unpack a large pile of boxes, rehearse for a big gig and cope with an ever-increasing workload. To make matters more frustrating, my promised broadband connection is taking as long as a dial-up modem to be connected. Why is it that every communication company I’ve ever dealt have mastered the art of stuffing-up a simple order? Okay, every ...

We’ve moved, finally. I am sore in places I’d totally forgotten about. Carrying boxes up a number of steps and back down again is probably the best exercise I’ve had in ages. But it feels great to finally be in our new home. The views from the balcony off our living room are worth every bead of sweat. Mere descriptions of this panorama fail to fulfil the actual view. Simply, it is breathtaking. I will have to get some photos of it and put them up for all to see when I can find the came...