dropping food on mine fields

[Paul Mackin]

Been having prurient lurker thoughts over this thread. Gazing through the
small window of my computer screen upon the scene below I think of that
other small Proustian window ( a scene in fact included in the recent "Time
Regained" movie).   Marcel,  perched on a chair in the corridor of the male
brothel (fatigued from wandering through wartime Paris he had mistaken
Jupien's brothel for a respectable hotel),  peers through a small oval
window into a darkened room where a figure is seen chained to a bed like
Prometheus to his rock receiving blows rained upon him from a whip studded
with nails. But,  no,  it is not the Baron de Charlus I see courtesy of  my
own NEC multisync.  I  hear clearly the crack of the whip but there are no
cries of pain. There is no "I beseech you, mercy, have pity, untie me, don't
beat me so hard?" No,  here is a much tougher customer to service.  I hear
only "hit me harder you pikers, is that all you can come up with?"  and
"please, whatever you do, don't stop."

One thing you can say about Doug. He's tough.

Sorry, on with the show.

        P.
.