old bob

Hi Michael, May I ask what you mean with your comment about bi's ? As a bi myself, should I be hit ? Did you made bad experiences with bi-guys ? If you prefer, you could answer per PM I hope my comments don't upset you. Yours did me

Hey, now you have a challenge You have him as a friend. Go slowly, don't push but don't give up ! Take it easy, if he is worthy, going step by step, from friend to boyfriend is a long way. As bi myself, I can talk from experiences . Your (and his) problem is perhaps he don't want a monogamy relationship. Are you ready for that ? Thats the main question :wacko: . Nevertheless, good Luck. Old bob

I like to drink a fine and genuine wine, selected alcohols and liqueurs, almost during and after lunch or dinner, an "irish coffee" when weather is cold, not to forget an old Chivaz as night cap. I don't like "cheap" wines and cocktails. When i meet friends in a coffe-house or a Bar, we drink usually what is a tradition in the French part of Switzerland : a bottle of a fine Swiss white wine from a "good" year ( you can't get drunk from a 7dl bottle for 4 ! I remember very well the only times I got really drunk in all my life : First, it was at a celebration in my student-fraternity, to get drunk was a must, I was 18 and we had to follow the crow ! I met there a guy who became one of my best friends, we were both sitting together under a table, laughing and drinking what remained in a dozen bottles around us. The second time, I was 21, alone, sad (somebody I liked very much had left me) and I decided to get drunk to forget the loss . I had a collection of about 30 small bottles of different liqueurs and I drunk all one after the other, sitting on the edge of an open window and throwing each empty bottle trough the window.Fortunately, another friend found me and put me to bed ! I didn't remember anything the next morning From then, I had the chance to become ill each time I drink to much, so stopping drinking for itself was easy. So I was always "appoint" as the "driver" in each party I was invited !

The discussion becomes more and more interesting with each post ! Just some points more from my point of view : Steve, you are right with your remark about discovery in adolescence, particularly when you consider the age scale of the reader (and author) population in GA : the majority is below 30 ! But life expectancy grows in the western world and I can imagine with the years that more and more elders will find their pleasure reading and writing in GA. The problems of "old gays" could be an interesting source of stories, based more on experiences and memories than on discoveries, as a good example, the story "requiem" written by CJames in the Fall 2007 Anthology. Unfortunately, my English knowledge is too poor to bring my contribution here. The story I'm writing now (in French) about my "adventures" during the last 50 years could also be a good example of discovery of feelings and love . I'm sure a reader would find as much pleasure as I have to write it .

Hi Robbie, I quite agree with you, but I think the loss of passion belongs to the readers and not to the authors ! You prove it yourself, why didn't you read a story on here in many months ? tired, or lack of time or busy elsewhere ? Isn't it your fault and not the fault of the authors ? Or maybe I didn't understand your comment well, due to my lack of fluent English ? Old Bob

Reading all the comments above gave me the opportunity to ask (first to myself) a few questions as an analysis of gay stories as brought in GA. What is a gay story in GA ? Just a story in which gays play a role. It mustn't be a fiction and it mustn't be romantic. The only restrictions are given in the rules, it should be red by young people in the age of 13 without problems for the moderators ! Which qualities the readers ask for a good story ? First to be readable (!). The main criterion : the pleasure of the reader. The description of the characters, the situation at the beginning, the evolution of both characters and situations have to offer to the reader the possibility to identify himself with one or more characters. The unfolding must have a beginning and an end, which is not so easy to realize ! Then the style must be original, singular, odd. The way the characters speak, the words the author put in their mouth, must not only bring a contribution to the progress of the story, it must suit to the feelings of the actors. The writing must be fluent. Dialogues, reflections and descriptions should alternate and give the reader an impression of real life. I know, my standards have very high, but as a non fluently English speaking reader, I have a very easy control method : I always try to translate the phrases of the author in my own language (French). When I success to express myself the sense and the feelings of the characters as the author want to bring it in his story, I know it's a well written story. Aside GA, I only know another site (among the few of them I use to read) which brings so many well written stories as in GA. Romance is infinite, and GA is the best proof of it. Old Bob Just another point : James said : There could be others reasons for that than the "Edge of a genre".In the French literature, I know several famous authors who didn't bring a new book for years and then suddenly published a book which won an important price and sold many hundred thousand exemplars. The reason of their silence : just tiredness and the lack of inspiration. Our authors are also humans and have the right to rest !

Certainly not ! The possibilities offered by romantic fiction involving gay people are infinite. And we must not forget another point. Which other site offer more than 5'000 people possibility to read stories in GA and also in other sites and discuss them here (see story caf

If I remember well, we had already a topic or a poll about the same subject I smoke pipe, as did one of my teacher : Carl Gustav Jung ! I stopped smoking cigarettes 60 years ago, but I still like smoking one of my numerous pipes after lunch or in the evening. Tobacco wasnt the reason of my cancer (prostata), I have no heart or lung problem. Pipe is helping me to think and to write. I like all the busy work to keep my pipes clean. Why should I stop ? Old Bob

Hi Myr and other members from the beginning I'm a fan of History and what I like most is to go back to the beginning years ago of states, communities or organizations which today are strong and wealthy. So I went back through our member list and trough this topic till December 2003, more than 4 years ago. A lot of us (inclusing myself) already thanked the founders, that's not the reason of this post. As I'm interested what happened in the past, I'm just asking 2 questions : Why is Myr Nr.3 and where are members Nr. 1 and Nr. 2 hidden ? Why did this topic stop after only 1 year of nice posts ? Tanks in advance to who could answer. Old bob

Another story site on my list Thanks glomph ! Old Bob

Hi Kevin, Why a poll ? You have the answers already : 14 posts, 1 for, 13 against, that means 93 % against !! But the question is : Why does DST come back every year since about almost half a century (here in Switzerland) ? Its useless, doesn't bring any energy saving, the peasant are against ( it disturb the milking of the cows) and still nobody stops it. There should be some advantages, but where and for whom ? thats would be the real poll to post ! Do it !

Hey everybody, I'm definitively against DST ! Daylight saving time (DST; also summer time in British English) is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Today, I woke at 10 am and I lost 1 hour of deep peaceful sleep . And my first step in the morning was to change all clocks, watches and electronic devices all around the apartment, 12 times the same bl****y operation, and for what ? To make it it back in 6 months ? Do we need really this ? :wacko: Old Bob (lacking sleep hours)

Hey CJ, I support words for words what Graeme said above I remember our first exchanges of posts 2 years ago ( about weapons and others ) your first tries posting a story in Summer 2006 Anthology (Going on Vacation), your increasing "investment" in GA (stories, forums, anthologies) and now you are really the KING ! I dont know how you can manage your time for doing all this , about 8 posts per day + the time needed for researching and writing your stories. Tell us your secret And good luck for your next posts and stories . Old bob

MAZEL TOV (for those who dont belong to us : strictly good luck, meaning "congrats") On the other side, we must not forget that a lot of Jewish communities all around the world are as much anti-gay as Christian Fondamentalists. Here, in my town, we have 3 Jewish communities : orthodox, liberal and conservative (these with long bears !). Neither is gay-friendly. Want to know more, see : Jewish views on homosexuality Take care Old Bob

Where you come from ? Where will you go ? Answers to these questions are only believes. Staying on facts, you can only say that your DNAs come from your parents and parents of them. From the moment you came on earth, you have to deal with your genes and your free will is limited. What happened before and what will happen after has nothing to do with science ! Either your faith brings you the answers, or the question is without importance and without signification. After 78 years of living experiences, the only thing I know is that I don't know. For me, my future death will be the highest experience and bring me all the answers I need. In the meantime, I'm just enjoying the life without asking any more . BTW, being bi is perhaps an advantage, it appears that I have more choices than others . Old bob

If I were 42 (like you) without any long term relationship, I would first study very hard the details of the contract, for instance : - Are the risks covered through different insurances (life, illness, aso) ? - Normally, work contracts abroad include yearly paid holidays home, with travel expenses paid. Is it the case ? - Where will you live ( in protected areas, in open places, among the locals or separated from them ) ? - Could you talk with others who made already same contracts with the same company and ask them about their experiences ? - Are you sure about the bonuses ? Any risks that the contractor could pretend that you haven't right to them, because of the way he considers the work done by you ? - Will you work alone or in group with other American employees ? At the end of your contract, you will be 47 or even 48. Several of my friends who worked years abroad had a lot of psychological difficulties to retire and go to rest. They didn't bear the changes. Are you sure you will ? My personal advise : If all the questions above are well answered, I would go ! BTW, when I made bankrupt 30 years ago, I had also an opportunity to emigrate to India and work for an UNO organisation. I was ready to go, but i wasn't alone (wife and 4 children) so i decided not to go. It was a hard decision but the opinions of all family members were more important that mine. Sometimes, i regret my decision .

Hey Kevin, You forget the most important point in your "study". "Why take a life partner?" is a wrong question, because it's only a theoretical question. To find or not a life partner doesn't depend on your choice or will. If it will happen or not is something you can't decide alone. Fate, Destiny or if you prefer Hazard rule your life. If you have the chance to come together with a person with whom you think you could stay, than the question, and its answer, will come from itself. "Searching" a life partner is the best way to spoil your chances to find one. I hope you will soon or later live the confirmation of my point of view. Take care, Old bob

Nick, You are a man. I agree with Kevin. Sometimes, we are not on the same line and our opinions diverge, but I have the greatest respect for your faith and I'm sure it will help in the sorrow you have to endure now. We are all with you. Stay strong and once the sun will shine again. Old Bob

Hi everybody, I remember times (before 1977) when we lived a happy life in our offices, working with typewriters and calculators, communicating with telex, copying with stensils- copiers, even writing with pen and ink. Today, I couldn

Hi Rose, thanks for your congrats A long time of joys as well as up and down periods. Often we had to fight, but always for the best. We sometimes almost separated, but the reasons (and the feelings) to stay together were always stronger as the reasons to fight. From the beginning we were a team, going on through "vents et mar

1952 - 2008 : 56 years till now. And it's still going on . I think I'm the winner . old Bob

Well, I really dont know what to say else than to wish you a good new start and to be strong enough to go through this mess. I remember, I was 50, I lost everything, my companies were bankrupt, I had to sell my house and to begin a new business, starting from zero. It was a long and hard fight, but 5 years later everything was OK again. I learned a lot, learning who and where were my real friends, friends for what I am and not for the money I could spend. You seems to know what you are really worth and I'm sure you will also success. Good luck and take care. Old bob

Business : normally text (Email, because you get an immediate answer) and you keep a written trace. Private : normally call, because it's more fun than duty and I like teasing .

Funny question . I like diversity Mineral water, French ("Perrier" or "Badoit") or Italian (San Pellegrino"), Juices (orange Gold, grapes, apple and others), Iced tea (Nestea), And why not fresh water from the tap (we have here one of the best, clean, without chemicals, direct springwater !) Sometimes cider (fresh from the press. I tried coke, but for me it's not a drink, it's a medicament :wacko: . BTW, what's the connection between this question and the comments of gay stories ? And why not a same question about other alcoholic or part alcoholic beverages?

No problem . Je comprends le joual et un de mes fils a pass