As others and yourself have said, you've improved significantly as a writer. Still, despite the punctuation tease, this is a good story which I'm glad to have read in its original form. One down side is that it motivated me to read some of my old LJ entries... Wow, I'm so glad I've switched them all to "private"; I only wish it was because they were too risqué, but in reality I was (and am) a dreadful bore who can't write his way out of a very thin paper bag.

True, it's certainly rougher than what you've written more recently, and, there, are, many, commas, but it was still fun to read. It does give us the missing background for the "text and phone call" post, making it even more enjoyable.

Another very enjoyable read; thank you for writing it. Based on many descriptions like yours and having visited the place (although on a limited basis, to be fair), I don't think I could live happily in L.A.; while some of the same problems do exist in NYC (overcrowding and high cost of living), I've never lived somewhere I loved so much. Not a knock on L.A. or any other place, it's just that for some odd reason, New York just clicks for me and did from the first time I visited. The fact that I don't like driving probably would make things worse.

Very nice. Yeah, it's safe to say you are indeed a writer. Don't think I could write as well (I'm quite the dilettante). I do enjoy a good read, though, and the above certainly qualifies. Thanks for digging it up and sharing it with us.

I'm one of those who said "shut up, wesley" when you asked, same time you did. I still like Wesley as I did back then, but that line is kinda hard to forget. Anyway, another great "Memories"; shame there is none for the foreseable future, but thank you for continuing RFB, which I'm sure will be very enjoyable. I'm not the only one who enjoys what you bring to a podcast (by the way, there are only two podcasts I listen to religiously: smodcast and MotFcast [hoping you'll take it as the compliment it is meant to be]). I listen to both at work, bringing entertainent, amusement and interesting insights on days where my corporate-owned-soul desperately needs it.

I vote [Best] episode. However, you made me look very unprofessional at work, breaking out in laughter quite often (typically after Wesley's "Wheeeee"s). Good Job.

I do hope you'll continue with some type of podcast; Futurecast is great, but if there's something else you want to try, I'm sure many of your current listeners will give it a shot (and most likely, enjoy it). Including myself, of course. By the way, I liked Wesley from the start (being a computer (and science) geek even back then helped identifying with the character, I suppose). Seeing sort of a kindred spirit on the show was pretty cool.

There's something I don't get: couldn't Q-like-powered Ryker have given Wesley a new, non-godawful shirt?

The most fun I had in a game? I was driving it and loosely followed D&D rules; players (all experienced) didn't initially know what their characters were (they simply woke up with no clear memories) and none had a stat sheet at their disposal. As they were playing, they discovered bits and pieces about who and what they were, which made for some of the best roleplaying I've seen. I just had some plot points, but otherwise the game was pretty much open to whatever they decided to do, so even I didn't really know how the story would unfold. Any system could have been used as the basis of that game, but a tweaked subset of the simple rules in D&D (red box) was more than enough. It was neat.

D&D was way simpler than AD&D, the red and blue sets especially. It was weird to have two separate systems from the same company, although I must say that when they came up with the Gazetteers, it made D&D far more interesting to me. God, I'm such a geek. I'll be quiet now.

Good point and I do agree. I mentioned the FF because it has a special place for me and my RPG buddies; it was so hard to get back then in a Quebec small-ish town, so when we finally did it was cause for a celebration.

What, no love for Fiend Folio?