Why is the laundry more important?

[wildsweetone]

yeah right...

sorry to disappoint you dear. i am the first to admit that my knowledge of the mechanics of writing are practically non-existent. everyone i edit for knows i edit on instinctive feelings (including you), and i pick up typos. if i don't know something, i ask until i find out.

i didn't think it was fair to pass on Quasi's knowledge and call it my own. heck i'm only human and i make mistakes. i don't want to be perfect, i'd be bored stiff in seconds if i was.

i guess i like helping for the simplicity of helping, and i'm lucky enough to know people who help me.

so, anybody wanna cook dinner? geez i'm sick of dreaming up edible meals lol

 

[DVS]

Re: yeah right...

so, anybody wanna cook dinner? geez i'm sick of dreaming up edible meals lol

Edible meals? Just open a can of something. That's what I do. Can you tell I'm single?

 

[Quasimodem]

Originally posted by wildsweetone
thank you Quasi dear, . . . I'll direct the author here and let her see your words of wisdom . . .

My Words Of Wisdom are courtesy of "How To Say It" by Charles N. Lurie . . . at least the SENSIBLE part!

[a complete non-sequitur]

Has anybody seen The REDUCED Shakespeare Company perform "The Complete Works of WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (abridged)" .

I did last night, and it is the closest I have come to Termination by Jocularity !

If you get a chance to see them, do. Take my word for it.

 

[wildsweetone]

i've added 'How to Say it' to my list of books Quasi, thank you.
and actually, i liked your insensible part too

gee i didn't even know the Reduced Shakespeare Company existed! i'm glad you enjoyed their performance though. i hope something similar (if not the real thing) comes here.

DVS with my son eating as much as he has done in the last year, one can of food is like an entree.

 

[sirhugs]

whip --> beating --> rugs!

Joe do maids in pommy-land still do that? beat rugs?

darn it I feel another story coming on...

maids, uniforms, rug beating sticks, Lord, manor, castle, turret, dungeon, chains, uh oh

seems you have yet another story idea.

how about instead of sorting laundry, you sort ideas? then, just like you decide to do blues or whites first, chose either the last item from the big pile or the top item from the small pile. You can sort by category, or theme, or state of development ( drafts here; plots there; characters in search of a story in between; dirty little ideas, like socks, hiding under the bed.....)

send your surplus to Story Ideas forum ( the Godwill bin of Lit?)

 

[DVS]

Just a side mention...

We have an preforming group of people who preform kinky stuff on stage, in my area. They preform BDSM things, such as spanking, whipping, violet wand things, and even fire play on stage.

Their next show is going to be entitled KINKSMAS!!!! They're going to do a Christmas themed Fetish Show, complete with a Santa who'll find out if you've been naughty or nice...
I'll let your mind work on that for a while.

Some things are staged for effect, but nothing is fake or simulated. It is amazing how popular they have become, with the main stream crowd. I guess it is just a way for vanilla people (who think kinky in the closet?) to be "in the lifestyle" for an evening? And, the Holloween night was something called STRANGE! But, strange in a good way, of course.

I keep wondering when the doors are going to fly open and the cops are going to raid the place. But, they have been getting away with this for a while, now.

So, is the world actually changing for the better, here? Where are all of the women's groups who usually protest the demeaning treatment of women, and the religious right who protest the devil worshiping acts of sin that happen on stage?

Don't get me wrong. I love how this change seems to be taking place. It is just one of those things that you constantly look around and wonder when someone is going to blow a whistle and yell "OK, everybody out of the pool!"

NOTE:
They do have a web site, if anyone is interested.

 

[DVS]

Re: Just a side mention...

NOTE:
They do have a web site, if anyone is interested.

The web site is below. But, it seems it is down for the present. Don't know why. Maybe just technical difficulties? Or, did those women's groups and/or religious right finally find their mark?

http://www.contranaturam.com/

 

[jon.hayworth]

Maybe enlightenment is coming to the States. If you take a look at the rulings in the Spanner Case the same enlightenment has not manifested itself in the UK or in Europe.

And with some of the proposed changes to the Rape Laws in the UK we are all going to be in danger. Unless everyone gets their partner to sign a consent form, they will be in danger of not having ensured that they have taken steps to ensure positive consent.

I forsee lots of big problems.

jon

 

[wildsweetone]

seems you have yet another story idea.

how about instead of sorting laundry, you sort ideas? then, just like you decide to do blues or whites first, chose either the last item from the big pile or the top item from the small pile. You can sort by category, or theme, or state of development ( drafts here; plots there; characters in search of a story in between; dirty little ideas, like socks, hiding under the bed.....)

send your surplus to Story Ideas forum ( the Godwill bin of Lit?)

sounds like a good idea sirhugs, thanks

the trouble is what actually happens when i get the urge to write is that something triggers a spark in my braincells. it might be a single word, or picture, or event. that spark flares to constant light and i'm on my way.

if i brainstorm, words fling themselves at me, then i 'feel' the setting. once that happens, look out, i need a keyboard or pen.

i have written the odd page or two then discovered they don't actually make a complete story in themselves. for example i had a picture appear in my mind one day of a pair of hairy bandy legs waving back and forth across my vision. the resultant half a page was something that i haven't been able to find a specific story for as yet. but it's filed away in an unnamed white box for when i need that little something.

i have only briefly peeped into the Story Forum. basically i wasn't comfortable there and i have no need to pick up more ideas. if somebody needs ideas, then feel free to pm me and i'll pass a couple on - but beware, i don't deal in plots. - gee it sure feels good to be able to say that.

i hope one day to have all the ideas that pass through me in amongst the stories i write. i doubt that i'll ever lose the ability to find an idea, i think it's because i'm too openminded.

having said all that, i may take another peek into the Story Forum.

thanks for jumping on the thread and telling me your thoughts dear, they're much appreciated

 

[wildsweetone]

kinskmas... why did a vision of the Rockey Horror Picture Show spring suddenly to mind right then?

i couldn't get the website to work either.

jon, what's the Spanner case? i don't recall it.

 

[jon.hayworth]

Wildsweetone, any one else interested,

Spanner, I will try to paraphrase the case.

Was some gay men - one called Spanner - who were into pretty heavy sado masachistic practices.

One guy went to the hospital on a totally unrelated matter, the hospital saw some scars and old injuries evidence of torture and called in the police.

Next the Police pull in the guy he says the injuries were result of consential sexual activity. Police now pull in all the guys associates and charge all of them with Assaulting one another causing Greivous Bodily Harm.

Men go to court plead not guilty - it was consential - Court finds that you cannot consent to being assaulted.

Upheld in Appeal Court - Upheld in the House of Lords.

Final appeal level is the European Court of Human Rights surely their human rights are being broken? No the full court 17 Euro Judges uphold conviction with only one dissenting judge.

If you want to read more the url is.

http://www.barnsdle.demon.co.uk/span/span1.html

Have fun - some of the reports are quite entertaining but overall the case is a depressing take on minority rights in Europe.

jon

 

[wildsweetone]

omg the world is going nuts eh.

this Spanner case is a complete waste. i haven't read the entire thing (am meant to be on my way to work)... but i've read enough to realise that the Brits are as bad with their red tape as the rest of the world.

fancy not being able to 'play' in a consentual manner. if i say it's okay to do something specific to me, say spanking... then doesn't that mean i agree to being spanked? what right does another person have to overrule my agreement?

on the other hand... what if the 'play' turns deadly serious, what if the spanking turned into torture? if i still consented then it would be okay. right? how do you know i am consenting without being under duress? where does undue duress come into existence under these conditions?

perhaps it's more that those in high places feel they could lose their control over the masses. indeed, who has the wider control when all parties consent? is it not a beginning to the loss of government power if play, as in the Spencer case, is allowed?

are we not living in a world with limitation?

darn i've waffled and i'm late - later!

 

[DVS]

Well, just because we have a small local group of people who are doing things on stage, it doesn't mean the U.S. is opening up. It just means this group hasn't been found out by the anal restrictive groups who think their way is the only way, and the rest of us are flopping around like fish out of water, begging for their holy bath.

I am sorry to hear about the Spanner thing. I was hoping that Europe and Great Britian were more liberal than that.

There are numerous munch groups being harassed in this country. New York had a festival and someone tried to get inside with a video camera to film the participants. Although, they had off duty police as guards and this stopped them cold. Good ol' New York Cops!

The group Leather and Lace of St. Louis had their yearly 'Beat me in St. Louis' bash and protestors called the hotel and threatened to cause trouble. These preople tried to cause problems saying the yearly bash was unsafe, and also unsanitary. They said there were plastic sheets on the floor in a room where naked women were suspended and whipped.

They said the plastic was for body fluids released in sexual release, and also blood. They also went to the point of 'suggesting' there was urination and defecation going on.

Yes, in some cases there were plastic sheets on the floor, but only under some of the dungeon furniture that might leak oil or where the legs could damage the carpet. Of course, these RR groups tend to leave out the parts that would explain everything.

There is a group in Miami that has being harassed, and even in Iowa and Kansas City it is happening.

A munch group I was in had plans for a simple dinner, and it was just dinner with friends. This was just this past summer. We asked for a private room, because it was also going to be a meeting. Someone (we now think it was a restaurant employee) had the gumption to call and threaten to picket and to call the media, because the restaurant was allowing a group of woman beaters to meet there.

The restaurant called and said they weren't bothered by it, but just wanted us to know ahead of time. That particular group had a 'no conflict' section in their bylaws, so we couldn't go and cause a possible problem for the restaurant.

This was why I wondered why that web site was down. Maybe these anal people were protesting the ISP or something. There is one local guy who goes around the country when gays and lesbians get together and pickets their events. He isn't satisfied with just the local heathens, he has to branch out and go national. He even has his wife and kids hold up picket signs.

Unfortunately, when all of the dust settles, there will always be these people that want to stop these parties from happening. They think the devil is behind it, and they just can't see how anyone would want to participate in this sort of thing, on purpose.

What ever happened to live and let live? Why don't they go over to the countries where women are still stoned to death, when they are raped, and the rapist goes free? Go to the countries where the husband can throw acid on his wife's face or gasoline on her and set her on fire, because she displeases him. Why don't they to these countries? HUH? Justs go over there, and leave the rest of the world alone.

 

[Quasimodem]

DVS,

That these groups can even meet quasi-openly, is an indication of just how relaxed the general public has become.

Of course, there are always some anal types who take time to interfere with anything which gives the appearance that someone may actually be enjoying their life.

Politicians are always looking for easy targets, to camouflage the fact that they are useless at achieving the goals for which they were elected.

My experience, was nearly being arrested for cruelty to animals.

I was walking my cat on a leash, when a neighbour turned me into the police. At one point, there were three squad cars on my street.

The police rapidly decided that no such thing, as cruelty, was going on. They left, after advising me that I could sue my neighbour for malicious persecution, or some such thing.

I'm playing with my neighbour's head, at the moment. As I walk by, with my cat, I mention to other neighbours what my lawyer has been advising.

Naturally, I have not consulted a lawyer. Eventually, the neighbourhood will learn that I am only ‘cruel' to litigious people.

BTW: For anybody wanting to walk their cat on a leash, I will tell you my secret.

I wear a Walkman, carry several hours of cassettes, and follow wherever the cat wishes to go. In actuality, he walks me on his leash.

Some cruelty, huh?

Luckily, no reporter got hold of the story, or I would be known as "The Cat Strangler" on the Six O'clock News.

The creed of news reporters used to be: "Get it first, but first, get it right."

Now, the creed is: "If you can get someone to say it on camera, you can repeat it, if it will hype ratings, no matter how slanderous the quote may be." After all, the news is only reporting what the other person said.

 

[wildsweetone]

in a similar way my work with special needs kids is often frowned upon.

i have learnt that it is people who do not know (nor wish to know) or understand that which is 'different', are generally the ones who prefer to keep their prejudices wrapped around their bodies like a cloak shielding and protecting themselves against some unknown possible attack from god alone knows where.

it is something i have yet to learn to deal with. i talk about giving each other respect and love and caring for one another... but when i come across this kind of crap it still sickens me. how odd that it should come out now as i've finally taken the bull by the horns and begun writing about it.

re Quasi's cat... i've also learnt that my cat puts up with me, not the other way around... darn cat.

('Lifeless' that weird story i wrote a couple of weeks ago is still showing as 'pending' and it has one view. lol nuts eh.)

 

[DVS]

re Quasi's cat... i've also learnt that my cat puts up with me, not the other way around... darn cat.

If I tried to put a collar on one of my cats, I would be going to the emergency room with nasty scratches. So, could I sue them for human abuse?

('Lifeless' that weird story i wrote a couple of weeks ago is still showing as 'pending' and it has one view. lol nuts eh.)

I don't know for sure, but it sounds like you have a cookie problem. Either that, or Lit is having a problem. Cookie problems usually take care of themselves. Lit problems do too. Well, at least it looks that way to we outsiders.
(1) I don't think it should take that long to get a story submitted.
(2) A story shouldn't ever say pending, if you have any views.
(3) I couldn't find your story on any of the lists. It can't have a view if it can't be viewed.
(4) There's no 4, I just like making lists.

Oh, remember the lady who was being interviewed on 'TODAY'? The one who said thiefs instead of thieves? Well, I can top that one...

We have a new governor in my state. A woman. Nothing wrong with that, but she did something quite similar to the other lady. I forget the actual word, but it was quite the same mistake. And, it was only a day before the election. Just think what her competition could have done with that blooper, if it had been spoken a few days earlier!!

 

[jon.hayworth]

Hey DVS,

I try to keep quiet on the subject of U.S. domestic politics - a believer in democracy I believe in every nation's right to make their own mistakes etc.

But if bloopers disqualified a man or woman as a candidate for political office - How did George W end up in the Whitehouse?

Not that we are any better John Major was forever inventing new words or syntax.

Now to that other subject of the moment Animals - the interesting type not the Political sub-species of the Human species. I have a dog - A smooth haired Lurcher, that unfortunately has no brains and all instinct. Last night (my bad back literally screaming with every step I took) I had to walk the dumb mutt (BEN) going along an unlit lane out of the grass on the verge springs a small black feral-cat. Ben tries to give chase and I measured 6 feet on the roadway. GRRRRRRRRRR Fucking dogs, fucking cats.

Still got to walk him though - life's a bitch! Heck if it had been a bitch he'd have dragged me across the county.
jon

 

[Quasimodem]

('Lifeless' that weird story I wrote a couple of weeks ago is still showing as 'pending' and it has one view. lol nuts eh.)

Just the opposite of what Steinbeck said about the world spinning in greased grooves."

... Either that, or Lit is having a problem. Cookie problems usually take care of themselves. Lit problems do too. Well, at least it looks that way to we outsiders ....

I have noticed that, often, no new messages show in any FORUM, yet when opened, they contain messages, I have never seen before.

(4) There's no 4, I just like making lists.

Mankind is divided into two kinds of people, those who divide mankind into two kinds of people, and those who don't. - I forget who said that first, but it was from the '40s.

Apropos to nothing, I note that 'mankind' seems to be an oxymoron.

 

[DVS]

Hey DVS,...if bloopers disqualified a man or woman as a candidate for political office...

Not that we are any better John Major was forever inventing new words or syntax.

Is he related to our Bush, do you think? Something to think about.

...Ben tries to give chase and I measured 6 feet on the roadway. GRRRRRRRRRR Fucking dogs, fucking cats.

Still got to walk him though - life's a bitch! Heck if it had been a bitch he'd have dragged me across the county.
jon

I have a very good friend who was walking her young black Lab about two weeks ago. She is about 100+ lbs. soaking wet, and so is he. But, as far as muscles go, he has the edge.

If you remember your schooling about such things, equal and opposite forces tend to stay at rest, even if there is kinetic energy at the center fulcrum between them. But, if one of these equal forces gains momentum, the other will follow. And, if the primary momentum is substantially greater than the secondary opposition, motion can accelerate. Even if surface friction is present, the primary force has the edge, once it has momentum.

My friend was walking her dog, and the dog saw a squirrel. Taking chase, my friend became airborne, and bounced around like a rag doll for up to 10 feet. She finally was able to let go of the leash, and she came to rest at the foot of a tree.

She doesn't have a bad back, but she sustained scrapes and bruises and the like. Her grand daughter was with her, watching the whole thing in horror.

She was sore for a few days after, and her grand daughter is no worse for seeing it happen. The dog didn't catch the squirrel, and came back, because he knows where his meals come from.

He is a young dog, still learning, and he has had a troubled past, before my friend got him. She is great with animals but I told her she needs to wear proper attire for these trips, such as skatebording pads and helmet, in the mean time. And, she could carry weights sufficient enough to counter the next 'flight'.

It's funny now, looking back. But, I know you were not thinking it was funny when you took your ride, huh?

 

[DVS]

I have noticed that, often, no new messages show in any FORUM, yet when opened, they contain messages, I have never seen before.

I have seen the same thing. I get a message that there is 1 new post to a thread, and when I get there, there are LOTS of them!

Sorry for the use of the smilie. My normal reserved self does lapse at times.

Not sorry for the second use of the smilie. I like to show my teeth. My dentist is wealthy!

 

[DVS]

Re: Re: Just a side mention...

The web site is below. But, it seems it is down for the present. Don't know why. Maybe just technical difficulties? Or, did those women's groups and/or religious right finally find their mark?

http://www.contranaturam.com/

Well, I asked Jericho if their web page was down, and he said probably. I guess they have been having trouble with their ISP and not real happy about it.

He said that is the correct address, and hopefully their ISP will get their shit together, soon. Just keep trying it, and keep your fingers crossed.

 

[SlickTony]

and follow wherever the cat wishes to go. In actuality, he walks me on his leash.

However did you keep it from going under bushes and parked cars and places like that? I had a Siamese cat once which I walked on a leash, a long time ago, and that's what he always wanted to do.

 

[wildsweetone]

hmmm there are some weird people around and actually, i think most of them live in the northern hemisphere

who ever heard of people walking their cats on leashs? geez if i tried putting a leash on my cat he'd not be a happy pussy eh. mind you if he heard me calling him a pussy he'd not be happy about that either.

we used to take our golden retriever for a walk, the cat came too. the dog was the one on the leash though. the cat walked kind of like the kids do now when we're in a shopping mall... about 15 to 20 paces behind us.

like the kids, the cat stops when we do, he even looks around as if to mean he wasn't really following us, just like the kids. one day, i'm gonna walk fast in a shopping mall, then hide and watch the kids go past. then, i'm gonna follow them. that'll fix em. i tried it with the cat, but he's too darn clued up for that kind of trickery.

but as for the cat... oh well, he still seems to manage to put up with us. but he is not impressed when i wake him from his snooze and boot him out the door before i go out. not impressed at all.

he brought us a present. actually i think it was me he was giving it to. he knows exactly how much it impresses me to see the occasional headless rat. this last one was darn big though. he's got me scared now. maybe i should suggest we get a cat door for him. it seems, every time i wake him and put him outside, he brings me these presents.

suffice it to say, today, he is sprawled out catching the thin strip of sunshine that's laying across the width of the bed. there is not a slither of him that's outside the strip of sunshine. how does he do that? he's stretched himself to somewhere near a metre in length. i'm impressed!

actually, i might set the outlaws on him. i like watching him cringe when he gets 'cootchy cootchy cooed' under the chin for five minutes. well heck, he deserves it after bringing me a headless rat.
eww

 

[SlickTony]

WSO, thanks for the warning. I thought it was very moving, but no, it's not a stroke story.

I came up in the Metro Houston area, and have very seldom been anywhere but the south, except for my time overseas. And yes, we did walk our cats on leashes. That was because they were Siamese, and the book we had acquired on Siamese cats said that it was possible to walk them on leashes, that in fact, they enjoyed it or could be trained to enjoy it. Actually, I didn't think they took to leash training any better than any other cat. I understand that the Indian hunters that used to run cheetahs keep them on leashes, so I supposed anything is possible, but I would not bother to try to leash a cat nowadays. At any rate I don't have Siamese cats.

I think it's so dear of them, the way they follow the sun all over the house in the course of the day.

 

[DVS]

...well heck, he deserves it after bringing me a headless rat.eww

I remember a long time ago when a friend of mine called me..."come over, NOW! Bud has caught a bat, and I need help getting rid of it!"

Well, I didn't live far away, and this sounded like an interesting way to fill an evening.

---to give you a bit of background, Bud was a pure white Persian cat. And, this person was the owner before Bud was given to me. They try to breed Persians to be white with blue eyes. But, in this breeding process there are sometimes side effects.

One of the more common ones is the cat comes out deaf. Bud was a beautiful cat, with green eyes. He would have been a champion for sure, if he had come out with blue eyes, and hearing. His father was a champion, and there is a famous picture of him on a Hallmark greeting card.

But, that is where I come in. This friend of mine, and Bud's former owner also had a large Doberman and a large Rotweiler. I do mean LARGE. The Rot's neck was 28 inches. At the time, that was also my waist size. The Doberman was a small horse. When he was standing beside you, his back was easily in petting distance, without your leaning a bit. You had to raise your hand, to pat him on the head.

When they barked, the house shook. But, because I was always around them when growing up, I was their friend. Actually, I was the one who would house sit and feed them, when my friends were gone. Max was the Doberman and Deacon was the Rotweilier. Both acted like puppies when they knew you. Deacon would come up to you, give you a look like "I'm here, you may now pet me" and proceed to lean against you. But, because of his size, he would nearly break your leg from the knee down, in the process. But, I digress...

Anyway, a deaf cat with these two dogs, the cat was constantly losing out. They never hurt him, but can you imagine being snuck up on by these dogs while you are sound asleep? That's how I acquired Bud.

But, this particular time was when Bud was only about 2, and these owners lived in an apartment. Bud loved to go out on the patio at evening time, and get a June bug, and bring it into the living room. When he thought you were watching, he would chomp down on it, with a loud crunch. Then, that one gone, he would go out for another.

This time, my friend wasn't really watching, and all he saw were what he said were large wings and he quickly got a towel and draped it over this winged creature.

So, I arrived (like the Lone Ranger there to save the day) to see this towel on the living room floor, with Bud sitting near by. My friend, being in obvious shock from this wouldn't go near the thing. I thought it was a bit unusual, because this guy isn't a small person. Maybe it was the trauma of the event still fresh in his mind.

Anyway, I walked over to the towel, and slowly lifted it up until I could see what the hell it was. Soon, I saw a wing, but it wasn't a bat wing. It was only a large moth. Now, granted, it was a LARGE moth, and when it is in the mouth of a cat and all you can see is wings and such, your imagination could run away with you.

But, this moth was large enough (at least a 3 inch wing span) that the small skirmish with Bud's June bug dissecting teeth and claws had not killed it. The towel had only calmed it, and it slowly came back to life. Bud was ready to pounce, but I went into my life preserving mode.

It seemed to me this moth was so large, it deserved to live out it's life. So, I gathered it up and released it into the night. Bud was only slightly pissed, and soon was back to catching his June bugs, and my friend was feeling a bit embarrassed about the whole evening.

And, life has it's ways of carrying on. Bud lived a long and happy life. He got cancer and I had to put him to sleep at 15. Max got displashia (sp?) and was put to sleep at 9. Deacon, at 10.

My friend's wife divorced him, and she ran off with a dance instructor. Man, that was one strange divorce, let me tell you.

Just a bit of how strange it was...
This was a marriage anyone would have thought would last for ever. But, time does sometimes change people. She decided she wanted to take dance lessons. She had always wanted to be a ballerina, as a child.

But, she got her money's worth and before long, she had asked for a divorce. Strange how it works, but the first to leave the house in these situations can allow the one left can take possession of the house. Sometimes that is how you divvy things up. Possession is .9 of the law, and all that.

Anyway, my friend had been given a chrome plated 38, by a friend. Some sort of present, I think. He had never even fired it. The wife got up early, one Saturday morning, hid the gun above the basement ceiling tile, and then called the cops.
"please, come quick! My husband is acting strange, and he has a gun! I don't know what he might do!"

Well, within a few minutes, the cops were there, and she took them to where the gun was "hidden". They then took my friend (still in his underwear) out into the front yard and cuffed him. He was taken to the station for questioning. Nothing he could say would change their mind, at that point.

All of this came up to nothing. The only problem was the gun wasn't registered, so the cops kept it. But, in the period of time he was incarcerated, the wife had called a locksmith and changed all of the locks on the house.

Well, it didn't take, but she did have possession of the house for a while. In the end, she got the car (a small BMW), and she took that with her to San Francisco. She and the dance instructor were going to become famous! It didn't happen.

The car wasn't taken care of and was in bad need of shocks, and it didn't even make it to California. It is sad, and my friend hated to see that happen to his car. But, some people (no, I refrained from saying women...) don't know that cars need continual maintenance, and this was a prime example. BMWs are great cars, with proper care.

Never heard from the wife again, but we think she did finally make it to California. All in all, I think my friend came out the winner in the whole thing. He got the dogs and the house, and she got the BMW. I also think there was some money exchanged, because they also sold their business.

Yes, my friend ended up getting the house, after all of his trouble. The wife decided she needed transportation to California, so she decided to take the car in settlement. Smart, if she had taken care of it, too, though. I guess her dance instructor had no car. That should have told her something about him...

Sorry, I tend to digress, in my old age. Didn't this start out as a story about a cat and a bat?