lookin

Good to see you, zipperzone!

I knew I had seen that color scheme before! Don't that take ya back! . . . Full disclosure: As a kid, I loved my trains. Even then, I admired a well-built caboose.

Ingredients: 1 cup sushi rice 1 sheet of nori (dried seaweed), cut in half 1 oz sashimi grade tiny limp dick Preparation: Cut tiny limp dick into thin strips. Put a nori sheet on top of a bamboo mat (makisu). Spread the sushi rice on top of the nori sheet. Place tiny limp dick lengthwise on the rice. Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder. Press the bamboo mat firmly and remove it from the sushi. Cut the rolled sushi into bite-sized pieces. Wash down with several large glasses of saki. Enjoy!

Here, let me help you get started . . .

That's true, but I also think that many of us who supported and elected him are doing a shit job of acknowledging what he has done and giving him some time to accomplish the rest. I missed Maddow's list, but I can easily name two handfuls of accomplishments. He faced a formidable array of problems on inauguration day. If his administration had done nothing but prevent the collapse of the U. S. economy and stop pissing off our long-time allies, I'd have been a happy camper. The arms agreement with Russia and the public stand for eliminating nukes was gravy, and made me a very proud American. I still think he'll deliver on the majority of his commitments, one by one. But I wasn't expecting perfection, and I sure wasn't expecting it within the first eighteen months. I can understand diehard Republicans berating him for not fixing everything in a year and a half, but why are the rest of us rending our tunics because there are still some problems left to deal with? Shouldn't the guy at least be able to finish one full term before he's declared a failure? As you say, the Democratic establishment bears some responsibility for getting the word out. But I believe that a thoughtful electorate also bears some responsibility for acknowledging the depth and duration of the problems we faced, and that fixing them will take years rather than months. Instant gratification may be a worthwhile objective on a game show, but I don't think it's something we should expect from our government. We know where that can lead.

A post from the vaults. It seems HooBoy found his boyfriend Foxy on Flirt4Free.

Who said that?

Sounds very convenient: erection, ejaculation, and absolution all in one handy stop. Can glory holes in the confessional be far behind?

OK with me!

Thanks! Do you happen to know who this guy is, and whether or not he likes jewelry?

I recall AdamSmith winning a posting contest a year or so ago. I was struck by the fact that MER was encouraging people to post, while Daddy seemed to consider it an irritant at best. My fault entirely. Not here twenty-four hours before highjacking a thread. I'll show myself out.

Was it you who mentioned some Ralph Woods sightings on a Montreal thread over at Daddy's? Meant to acknowledge that, if the only thing I did in Montreal was see Ralph Woods twice in a week, I would have considered it seven days well spent. That kid does it for me and from everything I've read or heard, he's a nice kid too. I'm glad that marcanthony recalls seeing him with a big smile on his face. (I expect both Ralph and marcanthony had big smiles. ) Back on topic, another thing I like about the MER site is that they've figured out a way to allow erections to be posted.

Thanks! Is there room for one more?

Can't speak for everyone, but for me it's the variety of subjects, amount of content, and number of posters that keeps me going back to Daddy's. If I visit once a day, chances are I'll find a number of interesting posts. If I post something there, it will likely get views in the double digits, and may get a response or two. I really like the quality of posts and thoughtfulness of posters here on MER but, in recent months, it's possible to come to this site and not see a new post since my last visit. And, if I post something here, it may get seen by only a handful of others and not get a single response. Usually, that's OK, since the fun for me is in creating the post. Still, it's always nice to get some feedback. For me, anyway. No doubt, MER has a great message forum but, right now, Daddy has the eyeballs. At least when the shingle's out. Your observation that I sometimes feel like I'm a pain in the ass in Daddy's eyes is, as usual, on the mark. It's not at all pleasant to find the lights switched off every few months. And maybe the day will come when folks stop going back. As for posters patting one another on the back for numbers of posts, you're right that it's not exactly the same thing as getting a Pulitzer. I think it's just a harmless way to reach out to someone and say something nice.

I've always admired the way TampaYankee and others have moderated this forum. I think they laid down some very clear guidelines in the beginning and from time to time added some "teaching moments" as you say. These were always thoughtfully reasoned and presented, which I'm sure took some time. But they were also quickly enforced if someone didn't respect them. I've always liked those who have remained here, although many thrillseekers went elsewhere. Don't know if you recall EscortSpeak, which was as close to an unmoderated forum as I've seen. There were a lot of posters when it started, but people fell away pretty quickly as the various "Death Wishes" began to pile up. It was entertaining in moderate doses and with proper attire. There must be a lot that goes on behind the scenes in any forum that users don't get to see, and I'm grateful for all the volunteers who make it possible.

Oops! Just found an Attachments section below the Post window that looks like it will let you attach an image from your computer directly to the post.

Other than uploading my avatar, I haven't found a way to upload an image directly from my computer. But I have found a way to post an internet image that has a URL. There's an icon on the Post Screen ( - eleventh from the left) that's an 'Insert image' button. When you click on it, it will ask for the URL of the image you want to post. Copy the URL into the box, hit 'Insert Image' and the image will appear in your post. I know there are websites that will let you upload images from your computer to the website, where it will be given its own URL, and you can follow the procedure above. There may also be a way to upload an image from your computer directly to the MER site but, other than my avatar, I haven't figured out how to do it. Maybe others know. Good luck!

I wonder what the Moderator's job entails? Sounds like it's very difficult and emotionally draining the way it's currently set up at Daddy's site. Does it have to be that way? What about just letting any Moderator delete any post he wants to for any reason at all? Deleted posts could go into a "Deleted Posts" folder and, if three or more of the other Moderators decide to "undelete" it, they could do so at their leisure. If not, it would stay deleted. There wouldn't need to be any discussion, no emails flying back and forth, no arguments, no justifications - just push a button any time of the day or night. Or not. That way, the burden would fall on the posters, rather than on the Moderators. If I want my posts to show up, I figure out what the rules are and follow them. If I can't figure out how to stay inside the lines, then nobody gets to see my posts. It's up to me as a poster to figure out what's acceptable and act accordingly. If I make life hard for others, I get ignored or booted. Isn't that what being a member of society is all about? Occasionally, I might get my nose out of joint. I might decide to stop posting altogether. But no one else would have to suffer for my behavior. And maybe it wouldn't take five years to find another Moderator. Now, if it turns out that folks really enjoy the sturm und drang, punctuated by the occasional 'lights out', that's another issue.

I tried keeping up with both sites for a while and found some of my favorite posters on both, so it wasn't a big hassle when Daddy took a vacation. These days, I don't have time to follow two sites, and am wondering if it would make sense to just load up a UHaul and shift my few belongings over here. But I'd hate to leave my favorite posters behind, if and when Daddy re-opens, and I've heard there are some Daddy's posters who wouldn't be caught dead over here, and some MER posters who wouldn't be caught dead over there. Is this still true? As you say, folks do seem to gravitate back to Daddy's when he re-opens, but I'm never certain how long the welcome mat will stay out. All that said, I do appreciate the efforts by the moderators on both sites, and am more than willing to do what I can to make their lives easier.

Before 9/11, I rarely traveled without one. They're particularly effective with squalling infants as the tiny dart disappears into the folds of their diapers and doesn't get noticed until the next change, usually after touchdown. I once got twins three rows back by pretending to sneeze while getting a pillow from the overhead compartment.

I'm still amazed by the number of harmful substances my generation survived growing up. I loved the taste of leaded paint as evidenced by the boyish teethmarks in my bedroom window sill. I looked forward to going with my father and smelling the fumes as he filled the tank with leaded gas. A favorite plaything was the shiny silver mercury my sisters brought home from high school science class. And we boys couldn't wait for the first tick spraying truck of summer so we could ride our bikes behind it and disappear in the thick cloud of DDT. Bat shit? You betcha. Bird shit? Bring it on!

Wikipedia - "The Jetex engine was a type of solid-fuel rocket engine produced for use as a powerplant for model aircraft . . . The most popular motor, the Jetex 50, was introduced in May 1949, along with kits for a model plane and model car using Jetex power. . . Jetex engines were powered by a solid pellet of guanidine nitrate, which burnt to release a variety of gases in copious volume, leaving no solid residue or ash. Thrust developed was fairly modest, suitable for horizontally launched flying models rather than vertically launched rockets. The exhaust gas was not excessively hot, which conferred a safety advantage." Try telling that to an overly protective mother! I lusted after anything that would get me in the air, however symbolically; but, alas, had to wait another few years until junior high gym class. Haven’t touched the ground since. Sorry, AdamSmith for highjacking this worthy thread, but MsGuy offered some childhood memories that were too good to pass up. I’ve never fully got my head around space exploration, as it seems, and probably is, limitless. I don’t know how to fit it within all the other priorities we have as a species. But I did see an interesting program the other night that showed a big thingummy on the moon that generated power and beamed pure energy back to a receiving station on earth. I seem to recall it was a lunar nuclear power plant, but it may have been solar. The idea was that it would soon be feasible and economical to do something like that. Now that would bring space right into our living rooms. It also makes one think of a greater role for the private sector in exploring space and, inevitably, exploiting space. I can see it now: BlackHole Industries: “We pollute the universe so you don’t have to!”

Living in a free market economy: Priceless!

And the turbulence-resistant pince-nez surely?