TruHart1

My love of opera came from quite a selfish place to begin. As a young, junior high choir and church choir tenor, I began taking solo singing lessons from my school choir director in 7th grade. I enjoyed learning about singing technique, though I was gifted with only a light tenor voice.
My dad loved to play (self-taught) guitar and sing, mainly old country music like Hank Williams, my mom enjoyed singing hymns in our church congregation, so neither liked opera. My dad got so tired when I was listening to opera once that he yelled into my room, “Isn’t she (the soprano) dead, yet?”
Anyway,  neither of my parents ever cared for opera at all. As a young singer of about 12 or 13, I decided opera had to be the ultimate “highest of the higher arts!” Really a pretty selfish reason to begin listening to the art form, for some sort of perceived or hoped for, increased social status.
 I began listening to a local college radio show which had a weekly music broadcast which played excerpts from Italian, French and German operas, one opera each week. Around the same time, my parents gave me a birthday present of a reel to reel tape recorder, so I could record these programs, and listen repeatedly to “educate” myself.
What happened, though, was that I began to love opera and certain operatic singers, especially sopranos at first. Two of those radio broadcasts especially enlightened me: excerpts from Faust, with de los Angeles, Gedda and Christoff, and excerpts from Boheme, with de los Angeles, Bjorling and Merrill.
A year or so later, I discovered the Saturday afternoon MET broadcasts, and I became a true “opera lover.” After that, there was no going back. Although I realized opera per se was not a ladder to social status, I became a lifelong follower of the art form!
TruHart1 😎

My love of opera came from quite a selfish place to begin. As a young, junior high choir and church choir tenor, I began taking solo singing lessons from my school choir director in 7th grade. I enjoyed learning about singing technique, though I was gifted with only a light tenor voice.
My dad loved to play (self-taught) guitar and sing, mainly old country music like Hank Williams, my mom enjoyed singing hymns in our church congregation, so neither liked opera. My dad got so tired when I was listening to opera once that he yelled into my room, “Isn’t she (the soprano) dead, yet?”
Anyway,  neither of my parents ever cared for opera at all. As a young singer of about 12 or 13, I decided opera had to be the ultimate “highest of the higher arts!” Really a pretty selfish reason to begin listening to the art form, for some sort of perceived or hoped for, increased social status.
 I began listening to a local college radio show which had a weekly music broadcast which played excerpts from Italian, French and German operas, one opera each week. Around the same time, my parents gave me a birthday present of a reel to reel tape recorder, so I could record these programs, and listen repeatedly to “educate” myself.
What happened, though, was that I began to love opera and certain operatic singers, especially sopranos at first. Two of those radio broadcasts especially enlightened me: excerpts from Faust, with de los Angeles, Gedda and Christoff, and excerpts from Boheme, with de los Angeles, Bjorling and Merrill.
A year or so later, I discovered the Saturday afternoon MET broadcasts, and I became a true “opera lover.” After that, there was no going back. Although I realized opera per se was not a ladder to social status, I became a lifelong follower of the art form!
TruHart1 😎

Not really. I was exposed to opera from the time I was a child, because my mother was a trained classical singer.  We listened to the Met performances on the radio every Saturday, so it was a familiar form of music for me from an early age, although I didn't actually see a performance till I was in my teens.

I can't wait to get back to the city to see him again.  He's a total muscle dream -- big, hard, knows how to show it off, share his body, and get into the head of a client starved for muscle and tons of hot contact.  He's handsome, uber masculine, and totally focused on providing an outstanding experience.  

Will do! I agree—the Met has been very intentional, for more than a decade now, about expanding opera’s reach, especially to younger audiences. They’ve done it through accessible pricing, cinematic broadcasts, educational programs, fresh and modern storytelling, and digital platforms that make the art form feel more approachable.

< So I had my first real sexual experience at the age of 41 with an escort. >
 
Add 22 years to that number. I came out last year at 63 (was happily married, then widowed) and had my first gay sexual experience at that age (I'm not counting fumbling in backyard tents as a 12-year-old). I couldn't imagine starting my dating life as a 63-year-old gay virgin. So I hired an escort. He was brilliantly kind, gorgeous, generous and patient. I'm now hooking up regularly with a variety of guys through Grindr, Tinder, etc., and also have a couple FWB. I still see that first escort at least once a month and, occasionally, a new escort when traveling. Convenience, attractiveness, safety, lack of pressure and judgment -- those are among the other reasons. Also, having been with the same guy on nearly 40 "dates," we've developed a familiarity that is comforting to me. And we both know it's not going to become something more. It's worked out beautifully for me.

I fetishize hiring.  The phenomenon itself to me is sexy.   Nothing degrading or desperate about it to me. The very first time I thought about it, I was in my late 20's, and I had a fantasy of hiring Gordon Grant.   I didn't just want to have sex with him, I wanted to pay him for sex.  A friend of mine who had connections in the porn world in San Francisco told me he could probably get  me a date with Gordon Grant and it wouldn't cost anything, but I never followed up on it.  Gordon Grant died before I could realize my fantasy.  Paying for it is just very sexy to me.    You show up, or he shows up, nothing is said about money.  It's just like two guys on a date, but the money is there and he takes it without a word.  Totally hot!!

Love and marriage may go together like a horse and carriage, but sometimes the horse wants to be unharnessed and frolic with a mare that catches his eye. My partner and I were happily married, but I was nevertheless sexually attracted to a variety of men, though not interested in a romantic relationship with them. We agreed from the start that ours would be an "open" marriage, so both of us had occasional sex with other men when circumstances were suitable. Back then, the commercial open marketplace for gay sex didn't exist, except for street hustlers, who usually were not my type.
As we aged, opportunities for sex with attractive men became very limited. Then one day, I happened to be alone in NYC, and in the Advocate I saw an ad for a sex service. Curious, I went to the address, told the man at the desk what I was in the mood for at that moment, and he directed me to a room to which he would send someone. I waited in the room for about ten minutes, and in walked a guy whom I could never have picked up cruising on my own. We had great sex, then I dressed and went back to the desk out front, and paid. Soon I learned about finding freelance providers on the Internet (I had just bought my first desktop computer), and from then on my only sex outside marriage was with the professionals, because it was quick and easy, with no danger of becoming emotionally involved with someone just because we had sex.

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

I like your misspelling.  meeting versus meating

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

It’s very simple. I see a man on RentMen who makes my heart beat faster. I then vet the aforementioned escort - by reading their reviews, sending inquiries to a few of the reviewers who describe them as a “life-changing experience,” and finally, asking on this forum if anybody has ever enjoyed this man’s company. If he passes all these tests, I contact him about meating!
Then the best part. I set up an appointment for a certain date and time, we meet for a planned period, and I leave. The great thing is there are no surprises, I don’t have to meet a stranger’s ideas of who I am, or try to impress him. If our chemistry is great and he agrees, he may even become a regular.
I  am lucky enough to continue enjoying a number of regulars as I pursue this wonderful hobby. Additionally, there are quite a number of men I can count as friends whom I first met as escorts. This is why I hire!
TruHart1 😎

Any excuse is a good excuse to post a good bulge pic: 
The TRUE star of WKRP, Gary Sandy's pants.

Andrew … sigh. I drove 5 hours to Peoria once to spend a Tuesday evening with him. Amazing man in every way possible. Funny, kind, hot as F, creative, and me made feel like a rock star. I offered a generous tip which he politely refused saying it was too much. He finally accepted half, and proceeded to reward me with yet another orgasmic drenching of man juice.

I wonder if you would have had a better time with Andrew. The first time I met Andrew I think it was either right before he started going out with Sean, or soon after they started going together. Andrew was really nice. We were doing a few non-consecutive nights as it was during the Grabby's in Chicago.  I wasn't going to the Grabby's. I was there for work-related business. I flew into Ohare from Tacoma, and he picked me up in his truck. And we went to the hotel we were staying at. So we had that one night. I think thr next night was the Grabby's. He was going to it and had booked a hotel for himself for it. We got together again the day after for a few days.
 
I met with Andrew once or twice after that. The guy was talented. He could pretty much cum on command. I remember once while topping him he asked me if it was okay if he could cum at that point. 
 

I do miss Andrew. The last time I saw him was in 2012 in Dallas. I was just  out of work/career. So I couldn't afford a regular meeting. But I asked him out to lunch, and he accepted. We went to an Olive Garden in Addison (northern Dallas suburb). 
 
 

I've heard more than one gay community voice say that the decision to put L first was in gratitude for the number of times lesbians cared for sick and dying gay men during the AIDS crisis.   I was too young and in the wrong part of the country to see that first hand. But I believe it.  
I will gladly put L first if even some of the L community cared for the rest of us in that time when the country, culture, and our families left us to die unattended.
 

The Rainbow Bridge was the one the Norse gods used to enter Valhalla. (See what you learn when you're a fan of Wagnerian opera.)