MK>>> Errrrr ... sort of ... from your perspective it would be less,
 MK>>> but from my perspective it would be more ... too much really.
 MK>>> ;-)

 SC>> I guess that idea just went out of the window then, huh? :-)

 MK> I'd say that was a good idea gone bad.  If I had any extra I probably
 MK> wouldn't mind but don't hold your breath on it.

Maybe one day either you or I or both will be rich. Like you said though,
"don't hold your breath".


 SC>> My oldest daughter has a digital camera and doesn't have a
 SC>> computer. She takes her pics to one of those machines where you
 SC>> put the disk in and can print out the pics. The ones I've seen
 SC>> turned out pretty good and didn't cost too much either. I know
 SC>> that one way you would really lose if you had a lot of pics
 SC>> to print is the ink. I don't even have ink here most of the time.

 MK> That is the big thing with those kind of things.  You end up spending
 MK> more on special ink cartridges and paper then the thing is worth.  I
 MK> don't take that many pictures these days to bother with that.  Besides
 MK> there are places that already can do it for me and also make different
 MK> sizes.  For what it is worth I think that is the way to go.

I took enough pictures but unless I had a windfall, I sure can't print them all
out. Right now they are on either floppies, CDs or my hard drive. I did print a
few out on regular paper, which doesn't come out as good, but I still have a
copy of them.



 SC>> Not really, I was talking about people's attitudes about the
 SC>> divorced person, not how the "system" handles things.

 MK> Ah!  Yeah all my married friends no longer are 'allowed' to hang out
 MK> with me.  I think their wives think it might be contagious.  :-)

Women must be more sensitive to these things. When I got married my single
friends kinda went on their way except for one, but my ex's single friends
still hung around. We were the first to get married with both sides of the
friends. After the divorce it seems that my ex hung onto a couple of his
married friends, but I didn't. I don't think it is so much that divorce was
considered contagious, just that both the men and women were afraid that the
divorced one might introduce their spouses to others to cheat with.


 MK> Yeah things definetly change, some of them definetly not for the
 MK> better, once seperated/divorced.  Although it is tempting to blame
 MK> someone else for what happens after it really isn't fair.  Over time I
 MK> got used to all the bad stuff that goes along with not being paired
 MK> off.  I guess neither of us will make it to the Ark eh?

Hey, maybe they will allow us on the ark together. ;-)


 SC>> This is funny because most people I know, even getting half,
 SC>> doesn't get much because I don't know any rich people.

 MK> I used to but I am not really sure they were really that much better
 MK> off given the higher maintenance it took to keep up with appearances
 MK> and also the divorces there were REALLY messy in comparison to those
 MK> who never really had anything to speak of.

Exactly. When you don't have anything to fight over the messy divorce is out.
With me, both of my daughters were already out of the house, which left me and
my son. He was 16 and stayed until he was 30. We lived close to my ex so my son
saw him almost everyday, which was more than he saw him when we were together.
My ex only had to pay child support for 2 years for my son and did it
faithfully. Once I had a steady job, I had my ex give him the money for things
he needed. My ex still helps the kids out when they need it. I just wish I
could do the same, but they understand.


 SC>> My ex and I didn't even have anything to split in half.

 MK> We did but handled it differently then most.  Possessions were sort of
 MK> obvious whose were whose due to differing interests and as far as
 MK> property went I signed it over to her and the kids since it was
 MK> considered a family thing.  I would have never bought into real
 MK> estate, or at least not in suburbia, had it not been for a family.
 MK> Later when she moved she sold it and after all the legal mumbo-jumbo
 MK> and real estate agent fees etc. there wasn't much left anyhow but it
 MK> helped out with the move so it all worked out in the end ... sort of.
 MK> Best it could anyhow.

My ex was the one who moved out but we rented so neither of us made out on
that. He moved into a smaller place since I needed the space for me and my son.
My lawyer wasn't very happy because my ex and I set our own child support and
never spent a day in court, which would have been more money for the lawyer. I
ended up paying him almost $400 for his secretary to type up the papers and him
to present them to a judge to be signed, then send them to me and ex for proof
that it was over. My ex didn't even get a lawyer. I told him that it would be
dumb for both of us to pay a lawyer since we could do everything ourselves.


 SV>> In fact, *I* was the one who got the debt because of
 SC>> my own
 SC>> stupidity. We separated for a couple years at which time I put
 SC>> all the utilities in my name. We got back together and I didn't
 SC>> see the point of changing the bills back to his name. My dumb ass
 SC>> lawyer didn't tell me that I could give him half of those bills
 SC>> to pay, and that could be done legally per the gas and electric
 SC>> companies. It was too late though by the time I talked to them.

 MK> I hear you.  That really sucks.  I feel for you.

I got it all straigtened out eventually, so it wasn't real bad.


 SC>> My situation is the same as yours. Well, I wouldn't go back
 SC>> because of the drinking, which although it drove me crazy living
 SC>> with him, doesn't bother me now. He has a heart of gold and is a
 SC>> great father and grandfather.

 MK> Me too except I don't drink that much.  Not enough that it is a
 MK> problem, especially to anyone else.  It certainly wasn't a reason for
 MK> either of us splitting up.

Well, the drinking wasn't the only problem really. I think it takes more than
one problem for a marriage to end. We just ended up wanting very different
things from our lives and it was best for both of us to not live together. I
still worry about him, especially with his battle with cancer, but I swear he
is going to outlive all of us. Like my sister said, he must be a cat and only
went through about 3 of his lives so far with 6 more to go. hehehe


 SC>> I've always had more male friends than female ones, even as a
 SC>> kid.

 MK> Depends what age, but as I got older female friends became fewer.  Not
 MK> sure why.  The ones I did have were excellent though, minus a few
 MK> girlfriends which is different.

I don't have as many male friends now either, but I also don't have as many
female ones either. Life goes on and people go in different directions. I got a
thing in email about how friends pass through your life and it is very true. If
I can find it I'll post it here for everyone to read. I even have pretty much
different online friends now than I did when I started out many years ago.


 SC>> Females have
 SC>> a tendency to want "girl talk" about husbands, kids, how to
 SC>> decorate the house, etc.

 MK> Same with guys except the 'how' part tends to be a bit more technical
 MK> then the women's 'how'.

True.


 SC>> and although I love talking about the kids and grandkids, I'm
 SC>> just not really into the other "girl talk".

 MK> Same with guys.  :-)

:-)


 SC>> With all the friendships I've had over the years with men, I don't
 SC>> understand why you think it is difficult.

 MK> Perhaps you and I would make great friends but you sound very much
 MK> different then most women I meet.

Thanks!! I'll take that as a good thing. ;-)

Sharon

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