Charlie

I have thought about fostering, but you have pointed out one of the problems: I may have a hard time giving the animal up, especially if I bond really strongly with him. Another problem is that sometimes fostering an animal lasts a long time, and he might have to return to the shelter if no one wants to adopt him and I can't keep him any longer. It also is often the big dogs that need fostering, because adopters often want smaller animals, and I, too, would prefer a smaller dog. Nevertheless, it is still an alternative that I would consider.

This is a topic that cuts close to the bone for me (notice the canine reference?). My dog was a stray with no ID, so I don't know exactly how old he is, but when we adopted him from the shelter 10 years ago, the vet estimated he was 2 or 3 years old. I have never owned a dog that lived longer than 15 years, which is pretty much normal for most small to medium size breeds. I have been thinking a lot about what to do when he is gone, because I have owned dogs for much of my life, and my usual instinct is to visit a shelter and adopt. But is that a good idea when I don't expect that I will live another 15 years, and if I do, I probably won't be capable of taking care of a dog for all of that time (pets aren't usually allowed in assisted living or nursing homes)? Is it fair to buy an animal for my emotional satisfaction now if he is going to end up homeless when I am gone? I found my previous dog in a shelter to which he had been surrendered by family members because his elderly owner died when he was ten years old, and I could sense how lost and confused he felt until we adopted him. I see how often my current dog seems to mope since my partner died last year. It's a quandry.

One of the things that has affected people of all ages who are interested in making new friends is the development of social media, like the site on which you raised this topic. More and more people are sitting at home in front of their computers rather than physically interacting in person. Most of the people on this site who I think of as "friends," because I interact with them online regularly and know a lot about their personalities and beliefs, but I don't even know their real names and could walk past them on the street without recognizing them. I don't want to deny the importance of this kind of friend, but it is not the same as a friend whom I could call to get together for lunch or ask for a ride to the doctor. Going to a movie with a friend and discussing it afterwards is not the same as commenting about it here, although both may be satisfying experiences. When I moved to a strange new place where I knew no one, I found the best way to make new friends was to join groups where I could interact with others who had a similar interest. For my spouse it was volunteering at a place which helped people who were recovering from a stroke, an experience which he could understand. For me it was joining a tennis club and learning how to play a sport which I had never tried before. We all need real friends as much as, or even more than, Internet friends.

Only one drop-out from a course was a very low rate. I don't know why the student dropped out.

I was never in the closet at work--I was a college professor--but no one I worked with actually asked whether I was gay (I think they may have taken it for granted, because I lived in the center of the city with another man). When I proposed to teach an elective class in gay literature, the department chair didn't ask about my qualifications, but he wondered whether anyone would sign up for it, so I said, "We won't know until we announce it, will we?" So we did. To my surprise, most of the students who signed up for it were straight (or claimed to be) but curious about the subject. A young woman who was a student in a previous class of mine was the only person who asked me--privately--if I were gay, so of course I said yes, and she signed up. To my relief, enough students signed up for the course to run it, and on the first day of class I expected that someone would raise a hand and ask if I were gay, but no one did. We were a couple of weeks into the class when I was explaining something, a student raised his hand and asked, "How do you know so much about that?" so I matter-of-factly replied, "Well, I'm gay myself." A few students exchanged knowing looks with one another, but no one said anything about my answer. By the end of the semester, only one student had dropped out, and the question of my orientation never arose again in class.

I think it's because there are few other woman's sports that get much international coverage, and Russian and eastern European women with any physical ability at it will get support from the government if it appears that they have the talent to represent their country in competition on the international stage. That has been harder to accomplish since the tennis federations have banned use of the Russian flag next to the player's name because of the Russia/Ukraine war, so some of the top players have actually started playing as representatives of other Eastern countries' federations, like Kazakhstan (e.g., Elena Rybakina), even though they are ethnic Russians. Daria Kazatkina recently left Russia altogether and emigrated to Australia, mostly because she is a lesbian and therefore the Russians don't want her representing them anyway. If you asked most American fans about Victoria Azarenka, they probably couldn't tell you her origin (Belorussia), because she and her son live in the US and seem more like Americans.

It covered a couple of my implants, which weren't cheap.

I bought it yesterday at Albertson's (where it was on sale).

I suspect that most US citizens think of Canada as a simple unit, when in fact it is in many ways as diverse as the US, and not only in geography and climate. A native of Nova Scotia may have as little in common with a native of central Manitoba as a New Englander with someone from New Mexico. Anyone thinking simply of moving to "Canada" needs to be thinking in terms of a particular place in Canada and its distinguishing characteristics..

Umm...what is going on here?

No. If I need a chemical stimulant to perform, I don't want to spend the money on the experience.

A related question would be: How do you know when you are too old to rent a provider? I stopped when I realized that I could no longer get hard even with a gorgeous hunk who was trying really hard to please me.

Last night he took off his shirt at the end of the match, and the camera zoomed in. But I don't know that I care for his new almost-shaved head look.

I explained the study to my dog, but he still stops constantly to sniff interesting (to him) smells along the route, so my walks are not very effective as exercise for either of us.

He gives a real location in Center City, not the default City Hall.

Latitude simply refers to distances north or south of the Equator. Chicago and Rome Italy, are approximately the same distance north of the equator, but I don't think many people would consider them similar in climate. which is dependent on many other factors as well.

Now here is an example of someone who uses the Map Me function to give real information about where he is located (which is not actually in Palm Springs but in Palm Desert).

My spouse never hired providers, because for him, sex was only satisfying if it was the result of mutual attraction. My reason for hiring providers was much more mechanical: for me, sex was satisfying if it was the result of the person having the right tools, and using them with proficiency.

I have found a few advertisers in Philly who give their real location on the MapMe function, but most just use the default , which is City Hall. The default in Palm Springs, for some reason I can't figure out, is on Alejo Road near the intersection with North Indian Canyon downtown, an undistinguished residential block, so I am always pleased when I see someone use a location somewhere else, which means theirs is probably real.

Spencer's if you like outside dining on a nice day. Billy Reed if you definitely don't want to be seated outside.

That headline definitely intrigues me: my father worked in a factory that made cardboard boxes.

It's odd that he lists his location as Philadelphia, but his "near travel" location as Old Greenwich, CT. It takes at least 3 hours minimum to get from Philly to Old Greenwich no matter how you travel. It probably means he has family or friends to stay with in Old Greenwich, and if he is going to be there when you want to get together, he can arrange it. Of course, he is also another advertiser whose "map me" application shows his location as Phlia.City Hall.

I think the only reason for doing this calculation by states is because the laws which affect sexual behavior are decided at the state level, not at the local level. If I were trying to decide where to live or visit, I would be more interested in polls at the city level.

I would like to know where I am going before I book. But it is true that a lot of advertisers in Philly opt for the default location, which is always City Hall. Ironically, years ago City Hall courtyard was one of the common places to find street hustlers.

Let me count the possible places to put this: manspreading, the view from down here, tattoos, backwards ball cap, beards, autoerotica......(?)