From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=22">angieubaldo</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Congrats to all the front page picks!  thanks kirk for choosing me!
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1120">Chances</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Kirk - Thankyou for the picks this month. I am doubly honoured. I sometimes think what I write is crap compared with a lot of what I read here, but there must be something of merit in it. Some great all round writing this month from lots of different authors - well done. <BR>
<BR>
Max-Rom - I gave Athena the benefit of the doubt when I saw she'd posted a work from the Blender as her own on her website... shocker.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

ATHENA; So now it is your turn on the rack for certain. What do you have to say for yourself??? Taking someone elses work changing a few words and calling it your own. I'm not the type to poo poo this, sorry young lady, YOU DID WRONG! You obciously wanted attention badly, and now, you have it!!!<BR>
<BR>
Kirk needs to take YOU off the front page for certain as this is an insult to anyone who writes poetry.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=13">B.K.</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Kirk; Looks like you knew this and posted it front page anyway. May we have your thinking on this??? <BR>
<BR>
bk
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1">Kirk, Blender-Keeper</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

I didn't realize it so freely borrowed from the song. "Tea and Sympathy" is an expression that's been a round for a long while, I thought Athena's work was a play on that.<BR>
<BR>
I gotta go to work, I'm trying to think of the most appropriate response and act this evening or so.<BR>
<BR>
What poems was she trying to rebrand as her own?
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=23">Kirk</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Actually, it was a movie title in 1956, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049829/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049829/</a> , and could easily predate that.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1189">darwin</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Champagne!<BR>
<BR>
Wow, after a nice distressing weekend of car accidents and parental visits, your comments were quite welcome!  <BR>
<BR>
As for it being natural.  I suppose it is.  I'll just be sitting around and something will pop in my head, and I have to stop what I'm doing and put it down on paper.  Or else it will be a memory that suddenly emerges, or my remembrances of someone from years past....<BR>
<BR>
Whatever it is though, it just grabs me and it seems to have more power over me then I have over it.    <BR>
<BR>
Thank you though for your kind words, they meant alot to me, I just wanted you to know that!<BR>
<BR>
Darwin
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">cryingshame58</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Another great front page....Always like reading because I don't always read every submission and get to read the best of the best...congrats to all that was selected...<BR>
Pam
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1103">ladyinwaiting</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

WOW...what a pick<BR>
Congrats to all the front pagers...awesome work
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=10">Galadrial</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

No offense Bk...but you are getting a bit shrill...Kirk can't be expected to memorize every lyric, or every poem...<BR>
<BR>
It happens sometimes. At one site I posted to, a woman posted Robert Frost's poem---A Winter's night?<BR>
<BR>
She changed the last word of each couplet, and argued that the new poem was HERS...<BR>
<BR>
Takes all kinds...but Kirk does his best.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1189">darwin</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Champagne!<BR>
<BR>
Wow, after a nice distressing weekend of car accidents and parental visits, your comments were quite welcome!  <BR>
<BR>
As for it being natural.  I suppose it is.  I'll just be sitting around and something will pop in my head, and I have to stop what I'm doing and put it down on paper.  Or else it will be a memory that suddenly emerges, or my remembrances of someone from years past....<BR>
<BR>
Whatever it is though, it just grabs me and it seems to have more power over me then I have over it.    <BR>
<BR>
Thank you though for your kind words, they meant alot to me, I just wanted you to know that!<BR>
<BR>
Darwin
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=23">Kirk</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Gala, <BR>
No, I think BK read my front page comment (which is still missing a paren, whoops) as saying it was a more grown up version of that song, when I just meant it was a play on the phrase.<BR>
<BR>
Guh, that's a really annoying scene. And of course it's very difficult to do any kind of automated checking for that because enough of the words are changed.  And this case is particularly weird, because it is almost different enough to stand as a seperate but related work.  <BR>
<BR>
Anyway, Jason Pettus wrote back, he's gotten a bit more traffic thanks to the coverage and link. That's good, he deserves it.<BR>
<BR>
In terms of the "state of the blender" in general...if you look at the counts of "XXX other pieces sent in" over the past digests, it has taken a dip lately.  Oddly however, it still seems like I'm getting a fairly constant number of front page picks without relaxing my criteria.  
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1172">Athena</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Congratulations to all the picks this month.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1131">indefensible sushi</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Galadrial:<BR>
<BR>
Re. your comments on BK - EXACTLY. The courage to say what others - many others - are thinking is way underrated.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1172">Athena</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Wine and Sympathy is a "bump" to the existing song "Tea and Sympathy" which was a song that was special in a past relationship of mine.  I altered it to convey something different that relates more to my current relationship.  I apologize for offending anyone.  And Kirk, if you want to take it off the Front Page, go right ahead.  I can understand everyone's comments and  feel that the punishment would fit the "crime."<BR>
<BR>
Good luck with your writing everyone; I will check back from time to time on the Blender because I enjoy reading the latest posts from the more talented folks here and I respect the work Kirk has done with the site.  But I will no longer be posting.  Take care.
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1323">libs0813</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

kirk, thanks for picking that submission.  you made that moment eternally live by hosting this community.  about that submission, that moment will forever be a memory.  last wkend mike and his friends helped me pack (i moved from midtown to dunwoody, northern part of atlanta) and we just reaffirmed we are just friends now - in the strictest, truest sense of the word.  i know this is what i want because i want to move on and get over him, but it saddens me that we may never kiss again and talk like we used to.  when he was boxing up my things, he came across a cd that he likes so well, he said "rock on, dude", one word that used to be "babe", reaffirmed it all.  
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=487">bp</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

~wow Kirk, i'm truly floored to be placed in such a terrific<BR>
group of writers....congratulations front pagers and to all<BR>
that take that leap of faith in presenting a little piece of themselves to the scrutiny of others.....<BR>
<BR>
bp
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1139">jwb71913</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Outstanding picks this month, quality vs quantity.  An amazing selection of beautiful work.  Congrats to all.   Jim
<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1">Kirk, Blender-Keeper</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Re: the "Tea/Wine" work; I'll probably leave it where it is, but make sure it is clearly labeled on the front page.<BR>
<BR>
For the record, "bumps" along those lines need to be very clearly labeled as such, either in the "comments" or at the top of the work itself, or both.<BR>
<BR>

<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=872">cryingshame58</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

Ladyinwaiting...<BR>
Sundaze is a perfect title...bravo on that submit...you sound like a lucky woman!<BR>
<BR>
Passion Painter...<BR>
All your recent submits were a great tribute to someone...she must be very special and it shows through your works how much you admire her...<BR>
<BR>
CS58<BR>

<HR>
From: <a href="/blend/av.cgi?id=1176">aparajita</a><BR>
Date: 6 October 2003<P>

passion painter:  <a href="/blend/wv.cgi?id=2003.10.06.11.30.1595">A Woman Needs a Man</a>, all i can say is wow. i wish i had've written this. thanks.
<HR>