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We must have been separated at birth! Most of my posts are there because I had fun writing them. They made me laugh anyway when I put them up. It's always a pleasure when somebody else enjoys them too, but often there's just crickets. And that makes me think. Do folks enjoy them, and just don't take the time to comment? Or am I the only one that thinks they're fun? I don't really know the answer. I don't want to ask people to start slapping their knees and pounding their keyboards to tell me something is funny if it's just a big snooze. It seems that would only encourage me to keep posting drivel that nobody enjoys reading. And I don't think that would be good for the Forum in the long run. So, I think I'm going to continue just posting stuff that I enjoy putting together, comments be damned. It may not generate the numbers that some are looking for but, in my opinion, it stands a better chance of bringing folks back for more. At least it stands a better chance of bringing me back for more. Am I missing the point here?

The Golden Age of Tearooms? Happy to book an advance copy!

Good gosh, AdamSmith, I had forgotten how much great stuff you posted and how much I learned from trying to flop along behing you and Stu Cotts and other esteemed contributors! With August just around the corner and not as much posting time as I'd like, I wonder if it would be OK with Lucky to pull up some favorite posts from years past - others' mostly and maybe one or two of mine own - for a fresh airing? Would it bore the regulars more than it would entertain the new bees? A Best of AdamSmith would be sublime! Not to mention Lucky's Greatest Hits and the Portable StuCotts. What say you Lucky? I've got one on Priapus I'm dying to resurrect!

I think you raise a good question, TampaYankee, and it's one I've been giving some thought to. We all know the old saw about a picture being worth a thousand words. Not only does a picture cover the same ground as a thousand words, but it does so in a fraction of a second and makes the point almost instantly. In years past though, it wasn't easy to find a copy of a picture that did the job, and it wasn't easy to insert a picture in, say, a typed memo or handwritten letter. Today, with billions of pictures available on the internet, as well as electronic communication that makes inserting a picture almost as easy as inserting an exclamation point, pictures are nearly as available as words are. And I think the way we communicate will continue to move in the direction of using more pictures and fewer words. It's always been a challenge to find the right words to say what I want to say, and now it's a challenge to find the right pictures to say what I want to say, and then to find the right balance between words and pictures. An electronic forum like this one is a perfect place to practice, and I appreciate the indulgence of others while trying.

Setting aside, for the moment, frottage, AdamSmith must be rubbing off on me. I recall the word "august" also meaning "marked by majestic dignity or grandeur". Which conjures up a slightly skewed take on The August Challenge, and one not entirely out of place in Lucky's lordly thread. Make a remark, it's ridiculous to leave all the conversation to the pudding!

Good to see you, zipperzone!

I knew I had seen that color scheme before! Don't that take ya back! . . . Full disclosure: As a kid, I loved my trains. Even then, I admired a well-built caboose.

Ingredients: 1 cup sushi rice 1 sheet of nori (dried seaweed), cut in half 1 oz sashimi grade tiny limp dick Preparation: Cut tiny limp dick into thin strips. Put a nori sheet on top of a bamboo mat (makisu). Spread the sushi rice on top of the nori sheet. Place tiny limp dick lengthwise on the rice. Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder. Press the bamboo mat firmly and remove it from the sushi. Cut the rolled sushi into bite-sized pieces. Wash down with several large glasses of saki. Enjoy!

Here, let me help you get started . . .

That's true, but I also think that many of us who supported and elected him are doing a shit job of acknowledging what he has done and giving him some time to accomplish the rest. I missed Maddow's list, but I can easily name two handfuls of accomplishments. He faced a formidable array of problems on inauguration day. If his administration had done nothing but prevent the collapse of the U. S. economy and stop pissing off our long-time allies, I'd have been a happy camper. The arms agreement with Russia and the public stand for eliminating nukes was gravy, and made me a very proud American. I still think he'll deliver on the majority of his commitments, one by one. But I wasn't expecting perfection, and I sure wasn't expecting it within the first eighteen months. I can understand diehard Republicans berating him for not fixing everything in a year and a half, but why are the rest of us rending our tunics because there are still some problems left to deal with? Shouldn't the guy at least be able to finish one full term before he's declared a failure? As you say, the Democratic establishment bears some responsibility for getting the word out. But I believe that a thoughtful electorate also bears some responsibility for acknowledging the depth and duration of the problems we faced, and that fixing them will take years rather than months. Instant gratification may be a worthwhile objective on a game show, but I don't think it's something we should expect from our government. We know where that can lead.

A post from the vaults. It seems HooBoy found his boyfriend Foxy on Flirt4Free.

Who said that?

Sounds very convenient: erection, ejaculation, and absolution all in one handy stop. Can glory holes in the confessional be far behind?

OK with me!

Thanks! Do you happen to know who this guy is, and whether or not he likes jewelry?

I recall AdamSmith winning a posting contest a year or so ago. I was struck by the fact that MER was encouraging people to post, while Daddy seemed to consider it an irritant at best. My fault entirely. Not here twenty-four hours before highjacking a thread. I'll show myself out.

Was it you who mentioned some Ralph Woods sightings on a Montreal thread over at Daddy's? Meant to acknowledge that, if the only thing I did in Montreal was see Ralph Woods twice in a week, I would have considered it seven days well spent. That kid does it for me and from everything I've read or heard, he's a nice kid too. I'm glad that marcanthony recalls seeing him with a big smile on his face. (I expect both Ralph and marcanthony had big smiles. ) Back on topic, another thing I like about the MER site is that they've figured out a way to allow erections to be posted.

Thanks! Is there room for one more?

Can't speak for everyone, but for me it's the variety of subjects, amount of content, and number of posters that keeps me going back to Daddy's. If I visit once a day, chances are I'll find a number of interesting posts. If I post something there, it will likely get views in the double digits, and may get a response or two. I really like the quality of posts and thoughtfulness of posters here on MER but, in recent months, it's possible to come to this site and not see a new post since my last visit. And, if I post something here, it may get seen by only a handful of others and not get a single response. Usually, that's OK, since the fun for me is in creating the post. Still, it's always nice to get some feedback. For me, anyway. No doubt, MER has a great message forum but, right now, Daddy has the eyeballs. At least when the shingle's out. Your observation that I sometimes feel like I'm a pain in the ass in Daddy's eyes is, as usual, on the mark. It's not at all pleasant to find the lights switched off every few months. And maybe the day will come when folks stop going back. As for posters patting one another on the back for numbers of posts, you're right that it's not exactly the same thing as getting a Pulitzer. I think it's just a harmless way to reach out to someone and say something nice.

I've always admired the way TampaYankee and others have moderated this forum. I think they laid down some very clear guidelines in the beginning and from time to time added some "teaching moments" as you say. These were always thoughtfully reasoned and presented, which I'm sure took some time. But they were also quickly enforced if someone didn't respect them. I've always liked those who have remained here, although many thrillseekers went elsewhere. Don't know if you recall EscortSpeak, which was as close to an unmoderated forum as I've seen. There were a lot of posters when it started, but people fell away pretty quickly as the various "Death Wishes" began to pile up. It was entertaining in moderate doses and with proper attire. There must be a lot that goes on behind the scenes in any forum that users don't get to see, and I'm grateful for all the volunteers who make it possible.

Oops! Just found an Attachments section below the Post window that looks like it will let you attach an image from your computer directly to the post.

Other than uploading my avatar, I haven't found a way to upload an image directly from my computer. But I have found a way to post an internet image that has a URL. There's an icon on the Post Screen ( - eleventh from the left) that's an 'Insert image' button. When you click on it, it will ask for the URL of the image you want to post. Copy the URL into the box, hit 'Insert Image' and the image will appear in your post. I know there are websites that will let you upload images from your computer to the website, where it will be given its own URL, and you can follow the procedure above. There may also be a way to upload an image from your computer directly to the MER site but, other than my avatar, I haven't figured out how to do it. Maybe others know. Good luck!

I wonder what the Moderator's job entails? Sounds like it's very difficult and emotionally draining the way it's currently set up at Daddy's site. Does it have to be that way? What about just letting any Moderator delete any post he wants to for any reason at all? Deleted posts could go into a "Deleted Posts" folder and, if three or more of the other Moderators decide to "undelete" it, they could do so at their leisure. If not, it would stay deleted. There wouldn't need to be any discussion, no emails flying back and forth, no arguments, no justifications - just push a button any time of the day or night. Or not. That way, the burden would fall on the posters, rather than on the Moderators. If I want my posts to show up, I figure out what the rules are and follow them. If I can't figure out how to stay inside the lines, then nobody gets to see my posts. It's up to me as a poster to figure out what's acceptable and act accordingly. If I make life hard for others, I get ignored or booted. Isn't that what being a member of society is all about? Occasionally, I might get my nose out of joint. I might decide to stop posting altogether. But no one else would have to suffer for my behavior. And maybe it wouldn't take five years to find another Moderator. Now, if it turns out that folks really enjoy the sturm und drang, punctuated by the occasional 'lights out', that's another issue.