rvwnsd

My parents met at work. My dad was smitten by my mother and she was playing hard to get. She was a master of the double entendre and would say things like "I have cookies, would you like some?" Interestingly, I have a sketch he did while in art school. It is of a woman holding a roast turkey on a platter and a man admiring it. They man looks nothing like my dad, but the woman looks just like my mother. He made the sketch ten years before they met.

I only knew my paternal grandmother (the rest passed away before I was born) and she was "gramma." My parents were "mommy" and "daddy" until I was about 10 or so and then they became "mom" and "dad." A friend once noted that when discussing my parents I'd say "my mother" and "my dad," but never "my mom" or "my father." Never noticed it until he mentioned it.

"LOL" really ought to be typed in all caps.

His ad was placed in January, 2016. I wonder if this is less about age-shaving than it is about neglecting to update his age? Regardless, I'd be more than happy to let him shed some of that fur on my bed.

Some of the pics are from "Copperhead Canyon," a Titan Men film he appeared in - circa 2008.

So, @BasketBaller - how'd it go? Or is it ongoing?

No, @Kevin Slater, MySpace was replaced by the pterodactyl. AOL was replaced by MySpace.

And you get to see Forum drama! It's two-fer T, uh, well, Saturday.

Aww, man, I am very sad to hear that.

Two peas in a pod.

This is one of the reasons I buy furniture from Macy's. When looking for a coffee table I saw one at Macy's that was quite nice, but it was round and I wanted oval. No problem, said the sales associate - they had an oval one on display across the store. Liked it. My companion said jokingly "too bad the table isn't displayed with everything else you bought at Macy's." The sales associate asked me to show her what I already had and proceeded to call two stock guys to bring the table and side chair over where the sofa was located and arrange it the way my living room is arranged. Nine years later, the coffee table still looks wonderful in my living room.

THAT's the other thing I liked about these chairs - no assembly required. Glad to hear Lowe's took care of you and your friend. I found them to be very service-oriented in San Diego.

Ya know, I am not a fan of the escort wanting a pic before meeting.

If my brother and I were to take a DNA test I'd be surprised if the results of the two weren't quite different. We are full brothers, but he looks almost exactly like my dad and I look almost exactly like my mom. He thinks and acts like my dad and I think and act like my mom.

Nope. The only difficulty I've encountered when using a mobile device is copying links, but that's an issue with every site and app.

Patio furniture! Oy!! I've had the same experience as you and your friend. Where did I find chairs that fit on my balcony and were the right size for me (6'4" and all leg)? Walmart! (The nice one in North Scottsdale). Most were too low or had a million pieces to assemble.

I think you hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head. In my experience, my privacy settings have blocked escorts seeing my visits to their ads (I've asked!).

Alright, @rocky, you have yourself an escort who will see clients in Times Square. Better hurry - time's a-wastin'!

I neither completely agree not completely disagree with this comment, mainly because I'm not completely sure what you are trying to say nor am I sure what the OP meant when saying "I was open with everyone at work." I consider myself to be "out" and "open" at work. I haven't made a formal announcement, but I was open about my previous volunteer work as the facilitator of a coming out group and, when in a relationship, would discuss what my partner and I did on the weekends. My group managing director and I have discussed the notion of me carving out work time to plan and implement a coming out group in my current city which could lead toward starting an LGBT center. That said, I don't introduce myself as "Rvwnsd, Homosexual Director of Operations." In terms of being "open" or "out" at work, my advice to members of our group was this: do what feels right to you. For me and for many colleagues, being open and out means having the same types of conversations our heterosexual colleagues had. What we did with our spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends/friends/kids/neices/nephews; new restaurants we tried; TV programs we watched and so forth. A female colleague recently got married. We met her wife and she refers to her as such. No one bats an eye. However, it is completely inappropriate for anyone, regardless of sexual identity or gender, to discuss pursuits of a sexual nature or to pay unwanted attention (such as leering, checking them out, touching, and kissing) to colleagues. Period. When a member of our group asked the group for advice on what to do about a male co-worker he found to be attractive we almost universally said "nothing." Two members, one very young and the other very elderly, asked the guy what he would think of a man checking out a female co-worker. The member who asked the question got the point.

He isn't Italian and is slightly older than your age parameter, but @Eric Hassan would most definitely show you a good time if he is available. He has no problem traveling to Times Square. In fact, I met him at one of the Hilton Garden Inns down there a few months ago. Here's a link to his ad.

If you were not logged in and still received a message from an escort, it sounds like a coincidence. Alternatively, it could be a bug and you could send them a note reporting it.

Sounds like an escort was browsing member profiles and sent you an email.

Perhaps the guys who hire and review him are all unflinching ballcap-and-black-boot-wearing, missionary position-liking bottom daddies and like what he has to offer.

Here's my perspective... Not a particularly wise statement and could be construed as harassment or at the very least inappropriate and offensive. I would not classify this as harassment or discrimination. Inappropriate, maybe and it appears to have offended you. To me, relatively innocuous. THAT is an inappropriate statement and, to me, discriminates on sexual orientation and gender. Wonder whether she would like any straight men? If the topic of conversation was "non-white friends," I could see the relevance, but that is a topic that does not belong at work. Wow - that smacks of age bias. Quick question: why did you give her your license? I'm with your co-worker on this one. A man eyeing up another man in a work setting is as inappropriate as a man eyeing up a woman. Unwanted attention and leering apply to people of the same gender as well as people of opposite genders. In fact, in this year's version of my company's anti-harassment video one of the examples was a gay man paying unwanted attention to another gay man. If the other guy or the woman complained to ER about your behavior this might explain why you were fired. However, one is usually warned and coached/counseled first. I am also surprised. However, in a recent training class at work we had a case study about a financial services firm (not the one I work for) where a New York-based employee observed behavior that appeared to be unethical and illegal, reported it to his supervisor, and was retaliated against. The employee was transferred to Chicago where he reported it to his new supervisor. The new supervisor immediately reported the incident to his management, the company's employee relations division, and its ethics office. As a result, the company had to disclose the behavior to a regulator who fined the company and the person in NYC who committed the bad behavior. The person who did the deed and the manager who did not take action were both fired. That being said, I am surprised you did not consult with your company's employee relations team when the first offensive behavior occurred. If the company has a diverse and inclusive workforce it seems ER would have been interested in hearing about your experience. Is there a reason you did not say something? FYI - I am simply curious as to why you didn't saying anything. I do not believe that not reporting the offensive behavior justifies it or the actions taken against you. Did you happen to ask your former SVP what "performance issues" got you fired? For that matter, when you were fired did you ask? You mentioned that none were offered, but I am wondering whether they would have provided something if you had asked. Again, not excusing the vague reasons. Nonetheless, it is unfortunate that you had this experience and I am sorry you had to endure it. In terms of seeking compensation, unless you file a complaint with the EEOC I don't see you receiving money unless you sue. If you ask them for compensation now they will likely say "no." They are also not likely to respond to threats of posting negative comments on social media. That can be construed as blackmail. Probably would not help if you chose to sue/file a complaint nor would it be helpful when finding another job. If you want to use social media to vent, I'd suggest checking out other comments first. If they receive consistently great comments about the workplace your negative comments will appear as sour grapes from a disgruntled former employer who was fired for cause. That's not to say the comments are without merit, just saying you might do yourself more harm than good.

If you are staying in a hotel, your best bets are the Loop, Magnificent Mile, or River North. There is also a Days Inn in Lincoln Park, a Best Western in Boystown, and three boutique hotels in Lakeview that are worth checking out. If you are staying in an airbnb, I agree with the neighborhoods others have recommended and would add Old Irving Park and Logan Square on the Northwest Side (just make sure you are within walking distance of the Blue Line) the western edge of Lakeview (anywhere near the Brown Line), Lincoln Park, and Ravenswood. If you happen to be visiting in summer be aware that many vintage apartments still do not have decent air conditioning or even no AC at all. If you think sleeping in 80 degree heat with 80 percent humidity sounds like fun then you will be all set. Otherwise, make sure to inquire about AC. As @azdr0710 mentioned, Chicago is a great city for walking. Also, it is a great city for eating and drinking.