BasketBaller

A disgracefully long time since I updated, but nothing much has changed in the boys' lives as their college time moves on. My oldest is applying to grad schools, and his girlfriend is applying to law schools. He's only a few months younger than I was when he was conceived. Yesterday was a virtual replay of last year. I picked up older brother at the BWI train station, DePaul twin flew into BWI, bringing his Irish roommate home for Thanksgiving, then we picked up Navy twin in Annapolis and then, home. This morning the twins are cooking side dishes for my folks' dinner, and older brother and I are watching the Macy's parade and trying to explain it to Irish roommate. I'll try to update more often, but in the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

I know lots of families have creamed onions, but for some reason we always had the plain boiled pearl onions that come in a jar. I think everything else on the table was fresh and homemade, but I guess my grandmother or someone decided peeling and boiling her own onions wasn't any better than the jar. So, we always have them. I would miss them if we didn't.

No, but I'm a Navy brat, and grew up on and around Naval bases. Many military relatives, too. And, of course, one of my sons is a Midshipman at the US Naval Academy so the tradition continues.

No strong preference, but I note that patterned tp has the design on the outside, it only shows when it's going over!

Is the height adjustable? My grandma used a walker for some time in her last years and hers could be raised or lowered a bit. If the legs have a series of holes, it probably is.

In the 80s I started playing organized sports at about 9, but it wasn't affiliated with my school at that point. We showered after practice and games and as I recall we just took it for granted. But I was still pretty young when I began to recognize that I liked looking at the others too much, and began to carefully avoid doing that. I still showered with everyone but was pretty efficient about it, and I didn't take part in much of the horseplay that went on. In middle school we had gym class but no one showered after that. Still, we changed in front of each other. Then I went to an all-boys high school. I don't know about the other classes, but if you were on a team you had PE last period so you could start practice right after school-- which meant there were guys from all four years in one class. Once practices for the various teams ended, I think everyone showered, it was just part of the jock culture. If there wasn't practice, most of us showered anyway. This was during my feverish denial of any attraction to other boys, and even if it was risky I showered too, just to prove I was like everyone else. I never got a boner but seeing some of the guys naked made me feel very uncomfortable-- I know now because I liked what I saw. In some cases I avoided becoming friends with some who I was too affected by, and I regret that a bit. (Not because I wish anything had happened, but because we could have been friends.) My sons went to the same school, and I have no idea if anyone showers after gym class. But they too were always on teams, and I know from waiting for them after practices and games that some players, maybe two thirds, came out of the locker room immediately, having just put on a warm-up suit or something, and a smaller number came out later after obviously showering and changing-- you could tell from the wet hair! I don't know if they've remodeled the shower, but it used to just be a square room with shower heads all around. So looking at the floor or wall was something I did too.

Here's an earlier thread with some interesting links. https://www.companyofmen.org/threads/nude-swimming-at-the-y.114780/

Hmm, my index finger and ring finger are the same length. I've been sexually active with both men and women. Coincidence?

A Canticle for Leibowitz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz

Amen. With lots of friends present, okay.

May Bonehead romp through the stars with Sirius at the heels of Orion.

Imagine how much joy you gave Bonehead during his life, a life you saved. Sending good thoughts.

I love good coffee, it's my main vice. I occasionally had a stretch of drinking too much but have managed to stress quality over quantity, I drink less, but better, coffee now. As for soft drinks I was an infrequent drinker, but the introduction of flavored sparkling water has hooked me. I'm certainly not worrying about getting dehydrated these days.

I love wasabi, but then I love horseradish in general. When I was growing up, if we had roast beef or lamb for dinner, my mom had horseradish on the table.

22 years, I was the younger, and it was a woman. With a man, 12 years and I was younger.

I think Tyler might have won if his answers to the jury questions had been better. Having played a pretty brilliant game, he didn't express that well at all, his statements during the finale were muddled and confusing. I'm not sure anyone made up his or her mind based on the jury interview, but Kaycee was more coherent and made her case better.

I certainly didn't do that all the time, maybe on the weekend when I had the time.

Did anyone keep watching this? The finale is tomorrow night. I thought it was a good season- tons of blindsides!

What I hate is walking past a candle shop in a mall and the overwhelming perfumey stink hits you in the face.

There's usually a thermostat somewhere to set the temperature, although some places don't have it accessible to anyone but the staff. Yes, people pour water on the heater to give a blast of hot steam-- and if there are others in the sauna they sometimes complain! Just like humidity during the summer the steamy air makes it feel even hotter.

Certainly no more than 30, probably more like 20 usually. You actually sweat more in the sauna, although the moist air of the steam room fools youinto thinking you're sweating. After a few minutes in a hot enough sauna you start to sweat profusely.

After a workout I used to love to do the traditional sauna experience-- sit in the heat until you were perspiring freely, then a cold shower, then back in to work up a sweat, then another cold shower, and so on. It gave me a real endorphin rush and relieved any soreness from the workout. The wet heat of the steam room was relaxing and more comfortable but the sauna had more of an effect. I have developed mild rosacea, though, and heat triggers it, I turn red as a lobster and it lasts for over a day. So no sauna for me these days, and lukewarm showers only.

Yes, I should say that in my high school and college years, there were no older men in the locker room with us, the most variation was the span from freshman to senior. I've heard that in the past PE teachers monitored the showers to be sure boys were taking them. That had vanished by the time I was around.

My experience in school was mixed-- showers not required, some boys took them, some didn't. I know a lot of them just wore their underwear under their PE gear so never got naked. But it was different on my various basketball teams. I think everyone showered after practice or a game, and at our school that meant an open room with showerheads on the walls. Some other schools we played had those shower towers. I was fine with being naked with everyone but as I began to fight harder against my sexuality I kept it pretty quick and learned to keep my eyes to myself, harder to do at those towers. Still changing and showering was what "normal" guys did, so I did it too. Ironically, once I acknowledged my attraction to men in my 20s I relaxed a bit in the locker room, although I still reflexively keep my eyes under control. At my sons' school I have no idea if guys showered after PE class, probably not these days. On their teams, I remember some kids were out of the locker room almost as soon as practice or a game ended, and others took some time, I assume showering. My boys, growing up in an all-male household and sharing a bathroom their whole lives, couldn't care less, and I know they showered because I washed the towels!

I think I remember all the men I've had sex with, good or bad. By the time I got to college I couldn't remeember all of the girls I slept with in high school.