OneFinger

I've been on a number of cruises with Atlantis and have really enjoyed them. The level of their entertainment is certainly better than RSVP or a "standard" cruise. And, I love being surrounded by people like me. A lot of the theme parties are geared for a much younger crowd and I usually don't participate. But, I have seen private police wandering through the crowd and I assumed they were looking for illegal activities. And, we were warned well in advance of the cruise NOT to bring drugs with us. I'm glad to see them cracking down sellers. Also appreciated the little bit of info that search warrants aren't required at sea. Interesting fact I didn't know.

I assume you're not shooting blanks.

It's always difficult when a parent passes. You're in my thoughts and prayers. Thanks to Oliver for letting us know.

Beautiful article and I'm glad at the way it turned out for the husband. When I was on active duty in the Navy, I never would have dreamed this could happen. We've come a long way.

Even since meeting Oliver I've wanted to attend one of these weekends. Unfortunately, it falls the same weekend as our company annual meeting (mandatory attendance). Wishing you guys a fun time and wishing I could be there.

Congrats on losing 80 lbs. That's fantastic.

OneFinger: 132 posts. Thanks to MsGuy for asking the question that was on my mind, too.

Not sure what thread you're talking about since this was at the top of the list. I did look at the AT&T thread by Totally Oz. But, I understood very little of what was said there. Talked with my company today. They use Sprint 4G and indicated they might just give me one of the company air cards to test drive when I start going on the road and getting set up in my new (part-time) location.

I've lost 5 lbs between Christmas and New Years. That puts me at a total weight loss of 75 lbs since I started my new eating / exercising routine. I’ve now lost the equivalent of an Irish Setter dog and a Chihuahua (sure don’t miss the Chihuahua). I’ve also now “graduated” into a smaller pair of pants. So far, I’ve lost a total of 8 inches off my waist.

I currently use my local phone company for my ISP. But, lately, the quality of their service is lacking. Plus, I'm going to be splitting my work time between a couple of states. So, I'm considering getting rid of my phone company connection and going to a 4G air card that I could use at home and my work location. Any suggestions on air card services? I know several people at work that use Sprint which claims to provide unlimited usage for about $60 per month. My cell phone is with Verizon and I understand they also offer 4G but it is NOT unlimited. Would welcome any thoughts or suggestions for those that travel or use a wireless ISP. And, if I decide to go with a limited service (like Verizon), does any know what the "average" household uses per month? Also curious if some wireless ISPs block certain sites (such as this one). Are there privacy issues I need to consider? FYI, relatives have suggested using my cell phone to piggy back an internet connection. But, my cell phone is ONLY a cell phone. I don't have text message, e-mail capabilities, a camera, etc and am not really interested in changing from a basic cell phone.

How I wish you were wrong but you're probably spot on. But, I can still hope change is in the wind.

...a Christmas Concert. Every year the Mormon Church puts on a Christmas concert in their +20,000 seat Conference Center. (That's over 80,000 in attendance!!) In addition to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, there is a guest vocalist and a guest narrator. Last year the guests were Natalie Cole and David McCullough. This year the guest artists were David Archuleta (whom I think is a closet gay) and Michael York. However, in an unprecedented gesture, the Mormon Church also hosted a number of gay activists at the concert. According to the local ABC television station: SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - In the spirit of the season, the LDS Church is reaching out to the gay community. ABC 4 News has learned that the Church invited several prominent gay leaders to its Christmas concert this weekend, including Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black... http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/EXCLUSIVE-LDS-Church-invites-gay-activists-and/Mg7j-3Gf_UGVLRKeKAEKkQ.cspx I'm wondering if relations between the Mormons and the gay community are starting to thaw?

Personally, I think it would be a mistake just to hand over money as a "gift". You could be setting yourself up to additional "payments" without compensation. But, next time he hints, I'd ask if he's considered doing some odd jobs for additional income. Hopefully he'll take the bait and ask what kind of odd jobs. I'd then mention modeling, massage therapy, yard work, etc. and see how he reacts. You might also mention that you've hired people before for a massage and they seem to make good money. That should be enough of a door opener that his response will let you know if he'd consider helping you with your "odd" jobs.

There are several escorts I'd like to get loaded and then click them. I, too, think this is great idea.

Congratulations on your loss. Isn't it amazing?!? One of the hardest things for me to get used to is being cold all the time. I'm now wearing sweaters at work, turning up the space heater, and I've added another blanket to the bed. At first I thought maybe I was getting sick. But in comparing notes with co-workers who are on the same program, we're all having cold issues. That's also true for a weight loss support group that I attend. It's just a normal part of the process.

Funny you should ask because I just noticed a big change today. I take the train to work every morning and usually sit on the aisle (couldn't fit into a window seat with the armrest). Well, today there were no aisle seats and had no choice but a narrow window seat. Couldn't believe that I actually fit and it was comfortable. I've also noticed the change in the stairs. And, for almost a year now I've had no feeling in my feet due to neuropathy. I now regained much of that feeling. I feel like I'm being reborn.

Lucky, I can guess where you're hiding the guinea pig. But, can you imagine where to hide the elephant penis?!?! So glad to be rid of both of them.

Well, I hit a milestone this week. I've now lost an elephant's penis and a guinea pig. I really miss them both.

Mormons continue to view homosexuality as the sin "next to murder". However, they are now allowing openly gay people to be members as long as they are celibate. I know several gays that continue to believe in Mormon doctrine, adhere to celibacy, and are allowed access to Mormon temples. Since the Prop 8 backlash, Mormons have become very vocal about gay-related violence, suicide, and bullying. They actively preach from the pulpit against that type of thing. But, on the other hand, they still endorse the Evergreen Foundation and shock therapy to "cure" gays. The current President of the Mormon Church is someone I've known personally for over 40 years. He and my father were very good friends. He knows I'm gay and has never treated me differently than anyone else. IMHO, he is a caring and compassionate individual. However, there are still some homophobes in the high ranks of the Mormon Church. I believe there is a very strong "war" going on behind the scenes between those that want to ban all gays that those that are more inclusive. Personally, I'm one of those who supports taking away the Mormon Church's tax exempt status because of their political activism. I think they've crossed the line.

Believe it or not, there are a couple of gay "break-offs" from the Mormon Church. Members of these gay churches have similar beliefs to main-stream Mormons and they do practice polygamy.

Approved is now the operative word. According to the television station owned by the Mormon Church: SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Salt Lake City school board has approved an anti-discrimination policy that includes protections for gay students and faculty. The board approved the policy on a 4-3 vote Tuesday. District officials told The Salt Lake Tribune they believe they are the first district in the state to include sexual orientation. The district already identifies color, disability, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion and gender as protected classes. Nine Utah cities, including Salt Lake City, passed ordinances in the past year prohibiting discrimination in employment or housing. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13575141 Does anyone know if Hell has frozen over?? Ten years ago, I never thought I'd see this.

LOL, very valid point for that line of work.

While it's been several years since I was on active duty, there was a unwritten code of ethics among the military gays that I knew. I served aboard a submarine where there are very close quarters and limited privacy. Not once did any sexual activity go on between crew members while aboard the ship. Now, when we were in port and off the ship, that's a different story. I can't imagine blow jobs going on inside the tent cities of Afghanistan or while flying an F-16. I serious doubt there would be fucking in the foxholes or bunkers while at war. There's a time and place for sex. And, in my observations, most military gays are well aware of socially-accepted boundaries. I mean, when was the last time you had sex at work??

I served in the Navy and had 2 lovers (one in San Diego and the other in Connecticut). Many crew members knew I was gay and socialized with my lovers and myself. In fact, one of the crew members set me up on a date with guy who became my lover in Connecticut. I held a top secret security clearance and was even decorated by the Secretary of the Navy. The same was true for one of the other gays on my ship. It was my observation that the gays always received the highest performance reviews and were typically assigned to some of the more critical positions. Since leaving the military I worked in the defense industry. Again, I was granted a security clearance for my position in a nuclear-related field. While I've never advertised my sexual orientation, I've also never tried to hide it. I see absolutely no reason why gays shouldn't be allowed to serve unrestricted in the military. And, with an all volunteer military, the gays that are serving are there because they WANT to be - not because they were drafted or forced to serve. Conditions when I was on active duty were much different than today. IMHO, the young guys today are much more accepting of alternate lifestyles. So, if my gayness to my shipmates was no big deal almost 30 years ago, why is everyone getting their shorts in a bunch about it today??

The family and I saw this yesterday and we all thoroughly loved it. I highly recommend it. Perhaps my background influenced my perspective on the movie since it is based on a real story. The movie kinda represented the actual facts but I still found it to be a exciting movie. I'm really anxious to see 127 Hours. Unfortunately, that wasn't playing in the area where I spent Thanksgiving. But, will definitely see it.