lookin

All the above understood. What I'm wondering about is Facebook, and why they would be cruising the site, you should pardon the expression. I'm not a Facebook member, so it could be that they have their own search engine or are developing one. I just haven't noticed them before. Seems I recall Facebook doing some pretty snarky things in the area of privacy and, if I knew they somehow got even my eye color in their database, I'd think about taking additional precautions. By the way, many thanks to the folks who got us all these great smileys! Best collection I've seen on any message board.

Sometimes when visiting the Forum, I check the bottom of the main page to see who's here. I'm used to seeing 'Google' logged in, as their bot crawls around grabbing and indexing MER content for their search engine. Usually 'MSN/Bing' is here too, snagging our stuff for Microsoft's search engine. According to this article, webmasters can keep bots from indexing their pages, but I expect most webmasters welcome them with open arms as they drive traffic to their sites. Try typing "Annual Palm Springs Weekend" into Google's search engine, and you'll find Oliver's kind invitation on Page 1 of the results. Add "escort" to the search term, and we garner three of the top four hits! Personally, I'm not overly concerned about my stuff showing up on Google, but I do keep in mind that every word I type will be in their search engine archives within minutes of my hitting the 'Enter' key and, as far as I know, will stay there forever. That's why I rarely include more than two or three of my little proclivities in a single post. As if Google and Microsoft weren't enough, just a few minutes ago I noticed that 'Facebook' was here too. Never saw them here before, and got to wondering why Facebook would be interested in our modest doings. Any ideas?

In fairness, shouldn't a couple of their guys get invited to the Palm Springs Weekend?

Oh, dear! You haven't been canoodling with that bodybuilder again??

TY is indeed much loved. Additionally, your post sent me looking for a favorite clip that also blends a hammer and a way with words. Enjoy!

I've hardly been able to think of anything else for the last two days, missing all the Christmas sales, and turning down dozens of New Year's Eve invitations. Still, nothing. I enjoy 'Lucky's Place', so my suggestion would be to stick with it until somebody comes up with either an absolutely irresistible alternative or an itch for change that's just too strong to be ignored. Not that I've given up trying.

The website I found him on says he's a fitness model named Raymond Martinez. I put a couple more pictures of him in the Potluck thread. Not sure if he's the same guy as Alan Valdez who is certainly no slouch in his own right! Maybe there's time for one more lapdance before retiring.

I should have been clear that my friend is the one who said, 'I'm not a size queen but I can be impressed.', and not the guy in the picture. If my friend were the guy in the picture, do you think that I would be here posting at MER day and night? But he isn't and I am so maybe I'll go put some more of his pictures over in the Potluck thread. PS: My real friend is some years older and some inches less well-endowed than the guy in the picture. I know he'll be delighted when I forward all your kind invitations over to him.

I've heard the same good things from a friend who retired there a year ago. PV would definitely make my short list.

Greatness??

As a friend of mine said, I'm not a size queen but I can be impressed.

I find I agree with all of my esteemed and learned fellow posters. (Well, except for that firing squad stuff. ) He did sign up for military law, so it applies to him, although I doubt military law really requires him to "verbally confirm that he is alright" every five minutes. If true, that piece doesn't seem either humane or constitutional. But, applied fairly, military law is what he gets. I also share Lucky's sense of despair that some are willing to kick him to the curb before he's even been charged, let alone tried. What if we or a loved one ever needed the justice system to be there for us? More urgent, in my opinion, is whether we think as U. S. citizens that we have a right to due process. If we pretend we don't, or pretend that Private Manning doesn't, then pretty soon we won't have it. I think we're giving up a bunch of rights these days and, in my opinion, agreeing to snatch away the rights of others is only going to speed up that process.

Well I sure don't and these posts definitely have me curious! Since it's the holiday season, why not slip a little gift on his desk when he's not looking, and see which way the wind blows? Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa!

No problem. I'm sure there'll be other things to do.

I dunno. I keep worrying that Fred Phelps will be out googling Palm Springs weekends one day, and stumble across our happy home. Of course, with our luck, he'll probably decide he likes the place and start posting under KansasKutie.

If my calculations are right, that's sixty-one pounds, just nine pounds short of an Irish Setter. Congratulations! I probably lost about the same, but it was over a period of five years or so. I'm wondering what changes you've noticed after losing that much. For me it was going up stairs easier, and fitting in some clothes from the back of the closet. Are there any differences you've seen?

Wowsa! Thanks!! Do tell!

Good one Lucky!

I'll probably wait for 3D until they get rid of the glasses. Unless of course Ralph Woods releases something.

Interesting question about 'gay' message boards being liberal. If I had to guess as to why there might be an overlap, it would take me back to compassion. At the risk of another generalization, I find most of the gay men I know to be compassionate. (There are exceptions, of course, and I'm sure we could scare up one or two.) The self-identified liberals I know tend to be compassionate too. I think on this message board, in particular, there are a goodly number of compassionate gay men and it doesn't surprise me at all that many identify themselves as liberals. The question about whether it's the only thing that "works" is a bigger one than I'm going to tackle here two fingers at a time. I can tell you that, for me, a worldview that doesn't include compassion would not work. In my heart, as well as my head, I want everyone to have a healthy and secure social net and if that aligns me with some looney liberal fringe, so be it. Pretending I don't care would not work for me. I tried it once upon a time, and it didn't work well at all. But trying to figure out what works for others, and how, and why, is for me a lifetime's work. It seems pretty clear that those who self-identify as conservative have a viewpoint that works for them. I've heard some refer to themselves as 'compassionate conservatives', but I'm aware of more who could be perceived as non-compassionate conservatives. They seem to do just fine, and are definitely feeling their oats these days. So, yes, I think that viewpoint can work too. However, I do find myself wondering if it will work as well when they eventually find themselves needing the compassion of others. Nope. Sure hope I never gave you that impression and am very sorry if I did. Yep. Willing and eager here. Limp. Mince. Lope. Trot. Leap. However we get along. But I don't think we should let them get out too far out of our sight.

In choosing both friends and politicians, compassion comes first for me. If they don't have that, we will come no closer. Respect is probably second or third. Compassion and respect are qualities that I have difficulty associating with Sarah Palin. - Somebody go arrest that homeless guy. He must be wanted for something! And check out those two Mexicans too. - The hell I will! Alaska's twice as big as England. That old broad should be curtsyin' to me! Unless it's over drinks with Levi Johnston, Sarah Palin and I will come no closer. It's fun to watch her keep stepping in cow pies and, as others have said, the entertainment value is way up there. But she causes me distress too. Well, not so much her, as the fact that there are tens of millions of my fellow U. S. citizens willing to elect her President and cheer her on as she tears down bridges we've spent decades building up. Can you imagine her negotiating an arms treaty with the Russians? For the next little while, I plan to enjoy her occasional flames, all the time wondering if I would have been one of those Germans in the 1920's laughing at that funny little man with the mustache.

Your take surprised me a bit too, RA1, and maybe I misunderstood. You've always seemed to me to be a guy who looks at things from all sides, and stays away from pigeonholes. These days, I get most of my news from the internet and have put together a bookmarks folder of various news sites. It's always enlightening to see the same 'news' delivered to different constituents. Can't do it for every issue, of course, but I don't feel comfortable taking a position on something important until I've at least peeked into a range of opinions. And, for me, the wider the range, the better. Thanks to JKane, I just checked my bookmarks to make sure Pravda is there. It is.

Well thankee kindly gents but modesty demands that the credit go to my fellow members for strewing the Forums with such choice nuggets that need the merest bit of bending over and picking up. I mean here we are in the midst of a thread on fiber and regularity. All that's left to do is find a snapshot of a beaver leery of making any sudden moves. Y'all have done the heavy lifting. (A friend reminds me that y'all is actually the singular and I should use all a y'all to include everyone. Not sure of the spelling though. )

A Booklover's San Francisco

Well, I knew the day was coming. I so enjoyed being a 'Tumescent Member' that it's somewhat harder becoming an 'Esteemed Member', so to speak. I like tumescence. In a member, and in life in general. To me, it's always implied 'good enough', with the potential to get even better. I enjoy a somewhat restful state knowing that I can usually rouse myself should the occasion arise. And 'Tumescent' is certainly a lot closer to my day-to-day reality than 'Esteemed' is or, perish the thought, 'Prodigious'. But, remembering the fun time we had coming up with these member names, I found the post that did it and am offering here a modest appendage, you should pardon the expression. Too bad the punctuation got clobbered in this vintage post, but it's still pretty readable. Most of the picture links are gone too, especially the ones to Kaique, an erstwhile Brazilian escort. To me, his pictures were such perfect examples of various member types that I'm uploading them here for your closer inspection and, I hope, enjoyment. Here's wishing my fellow members the state of arousal that suits you best! Curious Member: Dangling Member: Aroused Member: Tumescent Member: Esteemed Member: Prodigious Member: Olympian Member: