APPLE1

I never mind the general "icks" that come with any vaccination. In some ways I welcome them. It's a conformation that my immune system is working to fighting a foreign invasion, and learning learning how to fight the invader stronger and faster the next time it appears. 

Then you probably haven't caught it to-date.  I haven't either.  Nor have the other two people I share a house with.  It's rare to say the least.  Certainly not expecting it to be able to dodge it forever.  🙏

I estimate that a little over 50% of the providers I have met with came. It often gives me some questions. 
Is it sense of obligation to a client, or desire? Sometimes one? Sometimes the other? 
Sex should be fun. I don't want anyone involved to be miserable, so I am always willing to continue when any party expresses "almost there" or "could you do X." 
But, when we have the conversation about how our session will go, is it rude, or direct, to just lay out there that "I can be an active participant if you want to cum, and if you don't want to, that's fine too." 
Would providers feel less pressure and more relaxed having that knowledge from the start? 

I estimate that a little over 50% of the providers I have met with came. It often gives me some questions. 
Is it sense of obligation to a client, or desire? Sometimes one? Sometimes the other? 
Sex should be fun. I don't want anyone involved to be miserable, so I am always willing to continue when any party expresses "almost there" or "could you do X." 
But, when we have the conversation about how our session will go, is it rude, or direct, to just lay out there that "I can be an active participant if you want to cum, and if you don't want to, that's fine too." 
Would providers feel less pressure and more relaxed having that knowledge from the start? 

https://app.rent.men/AXXLucHAIRYmacho
Met with him probably a year and a half ago. I will start with a summary:
Was it bad - no.
Would I repeat - no.
He is big and uncut. Seemed a little shorter than 5'8. Pics a little out dated. He wasn't in as great of shape, but not bad. Friendly Personable. Clean. Not a good kisser. Not rock hard.
Certainly, everyone's experience may be different, but I don't think we had a connection. I feel like he put forth a lot of effort, and tried to give me what most expect from him. We had talked about my expectations prior to meeting, and once I got him back on that path, the session improved, but not 5 star.

If someone expressed to me, “I don’t think of you as a client anymore,” I don't think I would have believed them if it wasn't followed by "so I can't take your money anymore."
I also try to remind myself that any relationship involves give and take. I shouldn't be the one always giving, or taking. If every activity we do socially is dependent on my means, it's not a good start for a relationship. It's not always easy to do when you are "established." However, for the value I place on a good relationship, eating baloney sandwiches from a paper bag after a walk through the park seems a small sacrifice if that's all the other one can afford on the dates they pay for.

I have never fallen for a provider. After reading stories here, I will be the first to say that I am lucky.
One thing that I wonder about your provider experiences is, how long are you engaging with them? Overnights, weekend, or vacations with a provider aren't MY thing for a number of reasons. I have to believe though, that longer hires create a greater risk of falling for a provider.
If you are hiring for longer periods, maybe hiring for shorter periods will allow you to still enjoy the hobby a bit, and not become quite so emotionally involved.

Reminds me of a work trip to a small town (Springfield Ohio maybe?) shortly after I came out. I checked the phone book for "Gay" listings and the only number listed turned out to be some 'pray away the gay' hotline. I had better luck on later trips to other cities

My brother and I are very close in age to one another. 
He's allegedly had zero sexual partners. 
I proudly admit I've had a few thousand.  I'm doing my part to boost the family average since his number is so low (We all make sacrifices to help our family 😉)

Not to sound heartless, but we can't live in the past. It's obvious how he feels about you since that fight, including now. If he wanted to, he could look you up and chat. He doesn't and probably never will. I'm not sure it's him being cruel. Everyone handles closure differently.

Move on.

I was wondering if your friend knew or at least sensed in some way that you were in love with him and so used your “insult” about a girl he liked as an excuse to cut off ties.  Maybe he felt uncomfortable because he was straight or because he didn’t feel the same way about you or even because he did feel the same way about you but couldn’t deal with same-sex attraction at that age.
If you were indeed best friends and hung out together all the time, your “insult” just sounds like such a non-reason for ending such a close friendship (come on, nobody’s that sensitive) that I have to think something else had to be going on.

After ordination, maybe you serve as his altar boy on occasion. This could put the odds in your favor; Lord knows there's precedent!

A few years back my microwave died, and I upgraded to the 4 in 1. Microwave, air fryer, convection oven, and broiler all in one box on the counter. I love it! Counter footprint is small, and there is no bringing out small appliances or shifting them around. 

Corbin is one of the masseur i always go to. Average massage but very generous in extras. I always get to see him if he travels in Chicago. I subscribe to his OF. I dont know. I am just into older guys with big tool. I always asked him to do me which he doesnt have problem. He made me feel like so much more. 

I have just one real oven, but my toaster oven is on the larger side and has a lot of settings. I've become a real fan of the "Keep Warm" setting for just gently warming something up without worrying I'll leave it in too long.

I love sous vide cooking. I can make dinner for 60 in my small Manhattan kitchen using sous vide, one oven and sometimes a multi cooker.  

Mike Carey's comment convinced me that it would be foolish to get rid of the snow shovels, so I'm saving them---just in case. (After all, if we do have a blizzard, where does one acquire snow shovels in Palm Springs?)

The hell with the papers! The burning question in my mind @Charlie is did you get rid of the snow shovels, or are you still preparing for another brutal Palm Springs winter? 😉 

👏 And here lies the answer to survive and thrive in any community.  And with the advent of AI, even more so.

What to do with it? I have started going through the shelves in my late partner's home office space, and I discovered numerous folders of photographs he had taken over the years in places he had visited. I am not interested in the photos, and I don't think anyone in his family would be interested (he was an architect and they are mostly of buildings that caught his eye), so I bit the bullet and threw all the folders in the trash--the trash bin was so heavy I couldn't lift it, and had to wheel it to the curb. I feel slightly guilty for throwing it away, but someone would have to do it eventually because I don't know what anyone else would do with it. Next I have to start on all the pages he cut out of magazines and newspapers.

White Americans are not popular right now in many places around the globe, but if you are kind and far from stereotypes, I am sure you will not have any bad experiences. 

I've traveled extensively ex-US the past year, Europe, Asia, north Africa, Central America, etc and echo what people have already said. There are a few rude people no where you go and no matter what nationality, however I've not had any issues being American. Most people are smart enough to understand that citizens and their government don't go hand in hand. 
Let me ask you a question - What do you think of the current political situation in Switzerland?  Not much, eh?  Same for people in Europe.. they know the headlines but don't really concern themselves much with what's going on outside of their own country.  
Lastly a tidbit from my recent trip to Mexico. I told my friends and family from the US I was going to the Yucatan and they said "That sound amazing!" "Have fun!" "Take pictures".  And while in the Mexico I told me Mexico friends I was returning back to the US and the reply I got was "Be safe".  
I wouldn't worry about ex-US travel. Be good to people you meet on your travels and they'll be good to you.

I feel like the older I get, the basement and attic and the associated stairs have become a bit of place to hide crap I don't think about, need, and should have just thrown out a long time ago. 

I have almost always had an attic or a basement in which I store the things I don't use but can't bring myself to throw away. Now that I have neither space, I find that my two-car garage is overflowing with the stuff, so I can barely squeeze in my one car. I keep telling myself that I need to go through it and throw things away, but every time I start, I find things that I forgot I had, and can't bring myself to just discard it: do I really need to keep my late spouse's old architectural projects for a house I haven't owned in years? what about snow shovels (in Palm Springs)?.