LivingTheDream

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Posts by LivingTheDream

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  28

  My first cigar

  by LivingTheDream in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my first cigar.

  not soon after i faded, i was on a company shindig and they were providing hand rolled cigars to everybody there.

  i watched in amazement as this dominican guy rolled them in front of my eyes with great care and skill.

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  LivingTheDream

  What I've learned from this thread here is that when it comes to cigars, you get what you pay for. Point taken.

  Also I've learned that many of us got "brave" after fading or leaving the WTS and started living a little bit...

  Brock Talon
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  22

  New book - "Journey to Gods House" by Brock Talon

  by AnnOMaly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this thread's in tandem with clarity's started here in the members only section.. remember the jwn poster livingthedream from 2 years ago?

  his threads often had me in stitches and he had a real knack of hooking you into the story so that you kept reading.

  who of us could forget the account of the booming voice of 'god' ordering a double chocolate chip ice cream?

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  LivingTheDream

  Cedars - Please send me a PM on what you think about the ending of the book...

  Brock Talon
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  22

  New book - "Journey to Gods House" by Brock Talon

  by AnnOMaly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this thread's in tandem with clarity's started here in the members only section.. remember the jwn poster livingthedream from 2 years ago?

  his threads often had me in stitches and he had a real knack of hooking you into the story so that you kept reading.

  who of us could forget the account of the booming voice of 'god' ordering a double chocolate chip ice cream?

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  LivingTheDream

  AnnOMaly,

  I pretty much lost track of almost everyone in the book actually. When I left Bethel, I put all of that behind me.

  When I faded from "The Truth" about 13 years ago, I put everything else behind me as well.

  Never looked back.

  It wasn't until I stumbled upon JWN 2 years ago that I started thinking about any of this stuff again. Writing it all down was great therapy for me that I didn't realize I even needed.

  I guess I had that book sitting in my brain for 30 years.

  --

  I have since tried to search for many of these folks however. I'm actually not done with that research. What I've found may appear in other writings later...

  Brock Talon
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  21

  My first gun

  by LivingTheDream in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my first gun.

  i realize that not all jws avoid guns.

  if you live where they hunt for food, it was ok to have guns as a jw.

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  LivingTheDream

  Regarding:

  Magazine vs. cartridge...

  Sorry folks. Still a newbie to guns as you can see and using incorrect terms from time to time. No disrespect intended.

  I'm not entirely sure how that mistake could be misconstrued as disrepectful though. Hmmm.

  In any event, a spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down...

  Is this a penis thing?...

  I suppose men like some things more than women: shooting guns, driving fast cars, tipping g-strings... But that doesn't mean that many open minded women won't like them as well.

  That said, there are a number of things women like more than men: watching soap operas, reading romance novels, attending Lady Ga Ga concerts.

  Still, I've never heard once in my life a man ask: "Is this a vagina thing?"

  Brock Talon
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  21

  My first gun

  by LivingTheDream in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my first gun.

  i realize that not all jws avoid guns.

  if you live where they hunt for food, it was ok to have guns as a jw.

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  LivingTheDream

  My first gun
  
  I realize that not all JWs avoid guns. If you live where they hunt for food, it was OK to have guns as a JW. But really, how many places was that? It wasn't around my house at least. Nobody I knew had one. So, I never even touched a gun until I was middle aged and out of "The Truth".
  
  After my fade, I began to make many different kinds of friends. Some loved music. Some loved food. Some loved sports. Some loved strippers. But lots of them loved guns. Don't know why. They just did. Pistols, revolvers, shot guns and rifles. I felt like an idiot around the subject of guns. Decided to do something about it. Darn it, I'd get my own. Why not?
  
  "Home protection" seemed to be the universal OK reason to buy a gun. So, that's what I told the guy at the gun store. He handed me what he said was the new "hot" gun of the year. A Springfield Armory XDM 9mm, with Night Sights. It came with a holster and extra 19 round cartridges. Bought a gun bag, gun cleaner, gun targets, eye protection, ear protection, 500 rounds of practice ammo, the whole nine.
  
  With minimal training from my buddies, I took all evening loading and unloading those cartridges until it became easy. Took the gun apart and put it back together so I was comfortable with that. Went to an indoor range. Put it all together, slammed in the cartridge and locked and loaded the thing. Slowly aimed it at the target.
  
  Took a slow deep breath... squeezed the trigger. BLAM!
  
  BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!
  
  Each shot gave me more confidence.
  
  BLAM!
  
  I felt powerful. I felt exhilarated. I felt free somehow.
  
  BLAM! BLAMITY-BLAM-BLAM!
  
  I emptied it. Brought the target back to examine my handiwork with high expectations...
  
  Oops. I found that I pretty much sucked at shooting. My shots were all over the place. Oh well. I'd try it again. And again. And again. And again.
  
  These days I'm much better with my piece. I practice all the time now. My pistol sits in my code operated gun safe on my night stand. I might not be the best shot, but if anybody ever breaks into my house, heaven help him. He'll get 19 rounds of hollow point in him somewhere, I can tell you that. I have 3 extra cartridges waiting in that safe too, in case he has buddies and that one 19 round cartridge is not enough.

  Now I don't want to shoot anybody. I'm not that kind of guy. But, if my family is threatened and they are in my home, make no mistake: I won't blink.
  
  After I got pretty good with that pistol I started eyeing my second gun: A Mossberg 590A1 tactical 12 guage shotgun with Ghost Rings.
  
  But that's another story.
  
  Brock Talon
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  28

  My first cigar

  by LivingTheDream in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my first cigar.

  not soon after i faded, i was on a company shindig and they were providing hand rolled cigars to everybody there.

  i watched in amazement as this dominican guy rolled them in front of my eyes with great care and skill.

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  LivingTheDream

  I see I struck a cord of the cigar afficionados on this board. Great. Now I know I'm not the only one.

  I am wondering, how long after you left or faded from the religion did you give them a try? Did it seem strange at first to even be holding one? Who or what put you up to it?

  Me, it was only a few months after I faded and a timely company party that got me started.

  Brock Talon
• 
  22

  New book - "Journey to Gods House" by Brock Talon

  by AnnOMaly in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this thread's in tandem with clarity's started here in the members only section.. remember the jwn poster livingthedream from 2 years ago?

  his threads often had me in stitches and he had a real knack of hooking you into the story so that you kept reading.

  who of us could forget the account of the booming voice of 'god' ordering a double chocolate chip ice cream?

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  LivingTheDream

  AnnOmaly,

  You are one astute lady! You posting deserves answers since you started this thread to begin with and reviewed my book so fairly and eloquently.

  You must have received the paperback version of the book because we are not allowed to put page numbers on Kindle and Nook versions. I probably should have put page numbers in the table of contents for that paperback version, but I didn't like the way it looked when I tried it. I hoped that by my putting headings on each chapter it would help you find that chapter again if you needed to, rather than page numbers on the TOC. I guess I was wrong. I will correct this on the second printing... if I ever have enough books sold to justify that effort.

  My general rule of thumb was that I would obscure the name of any big shot that I was remotely critical of, but not worry about it if I wasn't really critical of them. It's why I named Fred Franz or Sydlik or Gangas, but hid other GB and hid heavies like the power hungry RW. I really didn't want my book to be about calling out people by name as bad guys. I was more interested in the lesson of the story rather than getting revenge on a particular person. GS (first name later revealed as Gene) was a different issue. I actually liked Gene very much at my stay at Bethel. But many ex-JW's hate this guy. I guess I didn't want those ex-JW folks to read my book, get distracted with that and say "Really, you LIKED that guy? Are you kidding?" So, after I wrote his parts, I later thought to remove his name too. I left in the first name by mistake in one passage that you have now pointed out. Oh well. I this still obscures him to all but the most astute and clued-in people like yourself though, so I have no regrets on that. I probably will take his name out completely on the second edition.

  Ray Franz the nephew was mentioned that way at first, then, typo, slip-of-the-brain, I called him brother later. My editor didn't catch it and neither did I on my many reviews. Oops. Another 2 edition correction needed.

  Finally, yes, Michael Jackson was suspected of child molestation, even way back then. He had not been put on trial for it at that time, but he still had that strange and unsettling fixation on children even in those days. So, the gay, child molester epithets flew at the Holy House of God, even in the 1980s.

  Brock Talon
• 
  28

  My first cigar

  by LivingTheDream in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my first cigar.

  not soon after i faded, i was on a company shindig and they were providing hand rolled cigars to everybody there.

  i watched in amazement as this dominican guy rolled them in front of my eyes with great care and skill.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  LivingTheDream

  My first cigar
  
  Not soon after I faded, I was on a company shindig and they were providing hand rolled cigars to everybody there. I watched in amazement as this Dominican guy rolled them in front of my eyes with great care and skill. Every guy he gave one to ogled it like it was a hot girl in a bikini.
  
  Growing up a Witness, I would not have ever even stayed at that booth, let alone get a cigar fo r myself, but now? What the hell. Why not? I had to see what this was all about.
  
  I got one. Ogled it. Smelled it. Rolled it in my fingers and chewed on it a bit. I admitted to a friend there I had no idea what to do with the darn thing. He was an expert. Had his own cigar cutter and humidor. Helped me get it lit. Told me how to smoke it.
  
  Cigars I am told are very different from cigarettes, which to me were always very smelly. This thing was different.
  
  I couldn't finish it as it was very strong. But I enjoyed what I did smoke. Got a bit light headed. It was better than a couple of shots of Knob Creek. Actually, I've found since, it's better WITH a couple of shots of Knob Creek.
  
  I don't always smoke cigars, but when I do, it's a Domincan.

  Brock Talon
• 
  52

  I'm new here...

  by Demokan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm 15, and i'm an unbaptized publisher... so i've been what you call "lurking" here for the past few weeks and i have some questions.

  i hear you guys constantly mentioning ttatt so where can i go to learn more about this (links please)?

  also i've already told my mom that i don't believe in the governing body and she is making me do even more!

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  LivingTheDream

  Demokan,

  You sound quite wise for such a young person, so you are already on a good path if you keep your wits about you and don't do anything too drastic over the next few years. That includes trying to talk anybody else into doing something themselves, even your sister.
  
  Even well prepared, knowledgeable and experienced adults often times cannot get their loved ones to see something they are are not ready to see, let alone a young person such as yourself. Try not to burden yourself with that right now. Just love your sister with whatever she does, but do what you need to do when you reach adulthood. You can help her when you are independant of your family later.
  
  In the mean time, honor your parents as much as possible, including any mandates on meeting attendance and everything else, but try not to commit to anything major until you are ready to do it, such as baptism, pioneering, Bethel service, etc. Just tell them that "Jehovah's wants me to do this when I'm ready, right? He wouldn't want me to do this just because you make me, right? When they answer "Of course not". Then respond "I appreciate your concern mom and dad, I really do. I know you have my best interest at heart. But this is a decision I have to make myself." That should give you time to decide what you really want to do.
  
  In the mean time, start to examine everything on your own. Read about and listen to all sides. The people on this board for example have a diverse set of beliefs and opinions and will give you varying types of advice, including me. It's healthy to hear them all. You won't agree with them all, but that's OK because it's impossible to agree with everyone.
  
  If you do these things, then you will be WORLDS ahead of where I was at when I was 15.
  
  Brock Talon
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  24

  Introduction to "Chip and Dale"

  by chipanddale in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  LivingTheDream

  Welcome chipanddale,

  Writing a book is a difficult endeavor to undergo, let alone to complete.

  Kudos on your efforts and desire to "let it all hang out" to the entire world. You have my support.

  Brock Talon