lookin

Also no better argument for not being a Sun reporter. Trash reporting at its worst, I think. What child needs to read this about her mother? Since when does having eleven false teeth rise to the level of news? Who will benefit from knowing that she had a 60% blockage in one artery? Or that her bath water may have been 150°? 'Sources claim', 'possible suicide attempts', 'possible falls', 'skin slippage'. Bilge, in my opinion.

I bottomed out in my late forties after losing my partner. I was in commission sales and didn't feel like selling anything. Or getting out of bed, for that matter. At my lowest, I even borrowed five hundred bucks from my Mom, who was getting by on Social Security. I started taking Prozac, with the downside of shutting off most feelings, both positive and negative, but it did let me put one foot in front of the other and get through the day. I had a terrific grief counselor who, when I told her I'd have to start seeing her half as often for financial reasons, told me she thought that wasn't such a good idea, and halved her fee instead. It took a year or so, but I was able to turn things around at work, pay my Mom back, and get off Prozac. I kept seeing the grief counselor for years, reverting to her original fee plus some, and learning a bunch about myself and life in general. One thing I learned is that, for me, ten years is a long time to do one thing. Some folks settle into a career that satisfies them for a long time, but I enjoy learning new things. Once I've got the juice out of the orange, I like looking for a nice ripe mango. So, yes, FourAces, I did start over with a very positive outcome. I think the secret is to keep your communications open with a good friend or two and look for some professional guidance if you feel you are heading in the wrong direction. And, as gcursor says, volunteering is a great way to keep a healthy outlook. You seem like a very social guy who finds home wherever he is, so you may have an easier time than you think. Hope you know that you have some friends here, and please don't hesitate to keep reaching out. We all look forward to seeing your next act.

Doesn't this belong in the fetish forum?

Still, Hi's suggestion is nothing to . . . well, it's not a bad idea.

Thanks! I knew you guys would have the goods. FourAces, you are no doubt right that he has me marked down as a freeloader, and I have had the experience you mention of finding a room locked tight when my feet were at the door. There was a time, though, when Mr. Hottie could have cost himself some business. A few years ago, when I was feeling a bit more flush, I got as far as clicking the Buy Credits button when a brown-eyed brown-haired cutie from St. Petersburg was ringing all my bells. The process got a little tedious and when I popped back to see if he was really worth filling out the form, he was gone. At the time, a minute in private cost six bucks and it seemed a bit steep for any but the most irresistible flirt. However, had he indulged me a few minutes longer, he might well have turned me into a paying customer. MsGuy, I envy you the ease and discipline with which you seem to navigate the Flirt4Free site. I worry that if I were always a click away from buying another round of credits, I'd find my Visa bill busting out all over. And that's not counting any side trips to St. Petersburg or Bogota. However, should I happen to stumble upon the winning ticket for this week's lottery, not only would I buy a fistful of credits, I would seriously consider renting exclusive live feeds from the Flirt4Free studios and streaming them right here into the Pub. Do you think I have a prayer?

I'm one of those who doesn't stay logged in all the time, and sign in only when I'd like to see a photo or make a post. I like the fact that there's a sign-in button on every page, but run into a snag after I do sign in. It always brings me back to the main page, from which I have to navigate back to the thread I wanted to view or post in. It would be really nice if it would bring me back to the page from which I signed in. Of course, this is not the worst thing that ever happened to me and, if it can't be changed, I'm sure I'll get by. But it would be a nice-to-have if the programmers could manage it. I also like the fact that the site is looking a little better every day and would be delighted if I could say the same.

Every once in a while, I'll click on one of the models from the MER banner and lurk in the open chat room for a spell. Flirt4Free assigns me a generic screen name, always beginning with 'California' and ending with several numbers. I have never typed anything in to interact with a model, never participated in a private or group show, and never purchased credits. (brief pause for the boos and hisses to die down . . . ) One such model is Ryoichi O, a cutie who says he speaks English, Spanish, and Russian, and who fiddles with his hair incessantly. He's fun to watch and seems to always have a few fans chatting him up. The first time I watched the goings-on, nothing of note happened. But the second or third time, I was booted from the proceedings with a message along the lines of: You have been banned from this chat room. This is usually for bad behavior. The next day I can sign on again but, after a few minutes, banned . . . usually for bad behavior. As always, I had not typed anything. Tried again last week, from the East coast this time, and nothing happened. But last night, back in California this time, I got booted again. And, before posting this, I signed in again, with the same result. Never happens with any other model and almost always happens with this model. I tried Googling this message to see if anyone else had received it, but no luck. The only thing I can think of is that he's had a bad experience with someone from California and bans all of us indiscriminately. I had considered that he bans all lurkers, but it happens so quickly that he doesn't allow time for someone to un-lurk. I'd love to know what's going on, before I develop a complex. Any ideas from the Flirt4Free cognoscenti here at MER?

. . . and please make me as smart as MsGuy who almost got me praying that he would win instead of me.

And maybe put a little hotplate under the nest to keep them moving around.

Ready . . . Set . . . Blow! Happy Birthday!

MsGuy, I do believe we were separated at birth! I'm sure I'll get used to it too, though I do miss the old color scheme which I thought was elegant, warm, and tasteful, much like many of my favorite fellow-posters. Perhaps it will return over the coming days and weeks. I know I will.

I do think we should carefully consider the face we present to the world, just in case the world would like to sit on it.

Here he is enjoying himself at Madame Tussauds in London.

Sounds quite tempting, though I worry the campus police might take a dim view.

I noticed we were both logged in to the thread at the same time, MsGuy. I just didn't know which one of us would hit the 'post' button first.

I understand Mister Keister has returned forty-two times, always with the same result.

Thanks for the heads up! Apparently she will be touring with another of my favorite Ozzies, Sir Les Patterson.

TurboTax, but not the on-line version. The software CD for both Federal and State costs $45. I'm leery of putting my tax info on-line and probably needlessly so. I like the format of answering questions, and the instructions are pretty easy to follow, with a help button if I want more info about any of the questions. What's especially nice is the way it imports relevant info from last year's return, asking if I've donated to the same charities and such. So the second year is easier than the first. I get the feeling that it's always making sure I'm not overlooking anything. When I've answered the last question, it's ready to roll. It asks a few more questions for the State filing, gives me the Federal and State totals, and an assessment of my risk of being audited. Filing on line is probably super easy but, again, I'd rather not. So it prints out all the Federal and State forms for me to sign and mail, including a cover sheet with the proper mailing addresses. There's really nothing it doesn't do and I've been using it for about ten years with no beefs.

I was initially disappointed in the bill as it stopped short of a single-payer model. My hope was that they'd do something simple like gradually extend Medicare to more of the population until, after a decade or two, everyone would be covered. When they didn't do that, I lost interest. However, as I learn more, especially about the insurance exchanges and the possibility of increased government involvement if private insurers decide not to offer any acceptable plans, I think it may be possible that we could move gradually toward a single-payer option. Hard to say where it will lead. Especially hard to predict is what will happen if the Supreme Court decides that the government cannot mandate that everyone either buy insurance or pay a penalty. I don't think the Court is expected to strike down all the provisions of the AHA, so much of it will be left in place. If they decide to strike down the universal coverage part of the Act, it will cause problems for the insurance companies who were counting on thirty percent more customers. That means they will probably price their offerings higher, and I think that means there will be more of an opening for a government plan. It seems to me that another benefit of moving toward a single-payer system like Medicare is that employers could eventually get out of the healthcare business, and that should make them more competitive with other countries which have adopted government-run systems. Hard to see how this will all play out but, if I had to guess where things will end up ten years from now, I'd put my money on a greater role for the Federal government than we have today. I'm not sure my reasoning is valid, and would love to hear what others think.

Not till now. Funny!

These would come in handy in my social life as well.

Dark humor. I wonder, gcursor, if you are a fan of Edward Gorey, as I am. From the Gashlycrumb Tinies:

Jimmy Carter has always been the proudest vote I've ever cast. To this day, the man walks his talk.