Tipdin

I can't believe so many of you would be so easily fooled by such a... visual trick. If you need to make it look bigger, shaving won't trick anyone with a brain, and if they have no brain, they aren't worth the trick. C'mon! Quit being so naive and hyper-critical. If it's the right guy, the size won't matter. And if it matters to you so much, you'll never feel adequate - or are you thinking you're the best thing around and trying to impress us even more? THAT attitude will ensure YOU are never Mr. Right, and not Mr. Rightnow as often as you'd like to be. If you like a manicured look, fine, but thinking it will magnify what's left...? Get real... Although, I do like the suggestion of friends helping friends.

Icky? Silly girl, that's part of what makes it so fun...!

Oh, the imagery! Thank you! ...and thanks for being brave enough to keep it real! Some of us like reality!

Each case is different. My partner and I have been (officially) together for nearly 20 years and he is 20 years older than I. Age differences do not automatically mean anything. We have many of the same values and beliefs, an important aspect of any relationship. We have tons of things in common as well. There is very little that I would say prevents two people of significantly different ages from forming a relationship. What has become an issue for us is age, itself. I'm in my fifties, he's in his seventies and we're beginning to have to deal with age-related illnesses and limitations. Although I'm 20 years younger, he's probably in better health than I am. I was a dancer and physical fitness nut. My knees and back are now shot. I've also been fighting cancer for some time. My partner has smoked for 60 years and has emphysema. We're finding that stairs are our number one enemy. Some thought is needed before entering into any relationship. Age does not always represent a hurdle that's too high.

Every writer needs a good grammar and spelling checker. The less a writer knows about grammar and spelling, the more important it is to use the checker. Your imagery is odd. How does hot sunshine rain or make historic buildings look like giant towers? How does a person place a key under a door? (That door does not fit the opening?) If someone is running into the wood, are they slamming themselves into a fence? Or did you mean forest? With wording like what you have given us, more detail is required to make the meaning more accurate.

Why are so many people afraid of, or turned off by hair? Most of the men in my family are SUPER hairy, we're talking over the shoulders, no division between neck and chest, hobbit feet, unibrow, the whole works. Hair doesn't bother me in the least, in fact, because of my family, I think that men look odd without hair. I had way more backhair than most of my friends had on their chest! But it seems many guys loath the way their bodies look, and I think that's sad. So I'm just wondering, what is it that turns everyone off about hair? Is it just the need to floss afterward, or what?

It's difficult to assess EXACTLY what keeps me interested. What I have noticed about the stories I enjoyed the most was that most of them did not let me get to know the characters extremely intimately. Like the Harry Potter books, we get to know the characters - to a point. We're not privy to every thought or feeling though; it allows the writer, (thus the story) to have options. Regardless of genre, keep stories moving, don't allow the details to drag the plot to a standstill. Nearly every book I enjoyed most had some point to make regarding a greater good. The "nobody" that sacrificed, transcended rather unimaginable odds for the greater good, sometimes not even for their own world. Among the stories that have captivated me are a variety of characters. Not all human, but usually a look or personality that would stand out or one with which I could personally identify, (read, live vicariously). Of course the overall plot must be something in which I would be interested. Most issues in today's world I have to deal with in my daily life so I have no desire to read about what I already know, have, or done. I want a different world, a different life, a different take on things - an escape. Otherwise, I can just read the newspapers. I keep me eyes open for stories with "normal" gay characters as well. I've had enough of the stereotyped queens, and hags, both in my real life and my readings. I don't need a bitchy-boys or diesel-dykes, both have been done to death and are boring beyond tolerance. A love interest(s) is fine, but you might as well skip the love scenes - they won't be as good as my imagination, nor as..."personally satisfying."

Why would anyone WANT to resist? That's just plain silly! Kelly may be a bit ticked, but she'll get over it!

Where one lives has an effect how one views the world. How does where you live affect your writing? ...or does it?

I prefer the beauty of a natural landscape.

Experience does indeed change one! (At least it should; hopefully for the better.) My best friend who is HIV+ and I lived together in the 1980s for a couple of years, so I learned how to live with someone that is positive. That's no big deal. I love him like crazy, but I'm not sure I could be sexual with him. Gosh, that's such a big thing to think about! (I meant the HIV part, not... - well, never mind...)

I live here, in the Minnesota River Valley. https://www.gayauthors.org/forums/uploads//1299557487/gallery_8580_328_225593.jpg

I understand much of what you're saying and feeling. One of the first men I ever dated died of AIDS. It was frightening, but all of my tests came back with good news. Several years later, my partner was tested and found to be HIV positive. He died a couple of years after that. Once again, all of my tests came back with good news. I'm not sure how I managed to escape, but I certainly am grateful. In the late 1970s, early 1980s sex was just a fun way to spend time together, either with friends or strangers. It was recreational and an intimacy that I shared with most of my friends. And then everyone started getting sick. All the friends that I had been "with" were starting to die. I felt guilty, and started taking care of them when they became sick. As more and more men were losing their jobs and homes, and being turned away from the hospitals, I spent an increasing amount of my time and money caring for my remaining friends, - and then other men that were forced to live in abandoned buildings without income, heat, or water. When guys were well enough to do so, they could come to my house and shower, shave, warm up, relax. But eventually, I carried food, clothes, and medicine to those men when they were to weak to leave the crumbing, wet basements or whatever roach-infested building they may have found a corner in. I tried to comfort them and hold them when they died. (My worst week was when I had 6 or 7 guys die, three all on the same day!) I was part of a group of guys that would beg hospitals and drugstores for help. I knew some male nurses that were gay, and they would steal medicine for us. The hospitals would not allow HIV patients into the building, but they were nice enough to look the other way when medicine for them went missing. It was the most horrifying and terrifying time of my life. Over 100 funerals in one year. That's insane. Boyfriends, partners, friends, most of them are all gone. Loving someone who is HIV+ is easy. But after what I have gone through, I just can't do something that would mean I have to go down that awful path. Even though there are good drugs today and HIV patients can actually go inside the F-ing hospitals now to get care...! Ten years ago, I found out that my current partner was cheating on me. He claims he used condoms. There hasn't been any sex between us since. We have separate bedrooms now. There is absolutely no excuse for NOT saying something if you're HIV+. There is absolutely no excuse NOT to use a condom - no matter how long you've been with your partner. It really is a matter of life or death. If you don't use condoms, you are placing your life in someone else's hands. Do you trust them, THAT much?

It sounds like reading a series may be a bit like throwing the dice at a casino. You never know what you'll get. ...of course even with a single, you don't know what you'll get. Life is just so IFFY...!

I think you have captured the essence of what people have said very well. Most ANY thing can get old if it drags on too long. Whether a single or a series, if it's good, it's good. The secret I guess is for an author to know when enough is enough, and for a reader to know if they're looking for a quickie or a commitment.

At this point in my life, I think I agree with you. There are so many things going on in my life that I can never be sure that I will get the chance to read ANY other book, much less finish a series of related books.

This was a brave thing to do, I applaud him.

For me, part of the belief that love can appear at first sight is simply believing that it's possible. Being open to the possibility allows for it to happen. However, I also believe that our lives consist of more than what we can see, define, touch, understand. Unexplainable events happen every day. And what's wrong with that? I like the idea that there may be a surprise around the corner. Knowing everything and boiling everything down to its mathematical essence takes away the magic and wonder. Life (for me) really needs to be more than a chemical process in a lab setting. Only in the last few years has the public been hearing about pheromones. Or the tiny nasal organ that can pick them up. We never knew that pheromones existed, much less the powerful influence they have. Perhaps some receptors are hyper-sensitive to certain pheromones and that's what we call love at first sight...er scent. Chemicals in our brains get released for specific purposes, triggered by specific situations. Dark chocolate, exercise, and love making all cause similar chemical reactions in the brain. Perhaps our brains release chemicals upon the sighting of specific things that for whatever reason mean something to us. When I see a handsome guy, I -feel- a reaction. When I see a handsome guy - who is buff and hairy, the reaction is far, FAR stronger. Conditioned response? Probably. But the point is, the body reacts in all sorts of ways to all sorts of stimuli. We're still learning about it all... I enjoy the mystery!

Raise ticket prices a couple of bucks? Some of the players in this state could build a new stadium with their pocket money! The 8% sales tax here is in addition to income tax, education tax, property tax, gasoline tax, and a whole list of incognito taxes called fees. There were many years when the total amount of tax I paid out of my gross income for one year was nearly 50%. (I think they should call the leftover income gross!)

In Minnesota, depending on where you live, it's around 8% of the price of most products that you buy. It's extra money you pay that is supposed to go for important things. But here, it also goes for things like sports stadiums - a complete waste! With the money athletes and team owners make, let them build their own stadium!

I saw that movie and agree for the most part, it was not great or even very good. It was interesting - sort of.

We pay enough taxes as it is. Online should be a safety zone.

Generally, I skip the sex scenes. Often, they are either they're poorly or they make me jealous...

Second Life and genealogy are my major hobbies.

Do you know anything about him? He and I had just started to collaborate on a large project when he vanished. I have not heard from him in a long time. If you know him, I would simply like to know if he is ok.