Sure, I remember! I think I was the only one

... to respond to your post! Ah, that was back in the good old days, when I used to respond to "orphan" posts, encourage people who seemed shy, answer questions no-one else did, give corrections to bad URLs, give additional information when a post left important things out, give links to similar material of the same kind, give links to good boy-pic sites, post the occasional joke, and generally help out whenever I could. But those days are gone... my posting is now crippled, in case you don't know. You thanked me, didn't you, in that post I responded to? Lots of people used to thank me for the posts that I made, for the information that I provided, for the links that I gave corrections for, for... for... for many things. But those days are gone... I'm glad you got the child-care job, but I'm sorry about what happened on that game site. People can be so vicious online! So I have learned. Well, you might like to finish reading that post of mine. IMHO most people here really need to read about that stuff. About Cabinet maker - he could just ignore my posts. So could others here. But they prefer not to. Go figure! It seems that the board has been taken over by those who "have drunk the [anti] Kool-Aid. Such a shame! I know from experience that relationships can take many forms. Two people meet, and if they find something in common then they together negotiate the (unwritten, unspoken) "rules" of the relationship. That is the way it has always been, and the way that it should be. I've had non-sexual relationships with lots of young people, of all ages and both sexes! I like young people. In many ways they are superior to the half-dead adults around. Young people are still adventurers, while older people have given up on playing, learning, trying new things, and generally having fun! Sex may - or may not - be part of a normal, healthy relationship between two people. But something has now gone terribly wrong in society... and we are some of those who suffer from it... Love and friendship are on a continuum. But they are great, and each provides its own rewards. And sex can be part it, too. Or it can stand alone. Either way is OK. Nobody satisfies all their needs through just one other person. That is impossible! I agree with what you think about people being able to decide for themselves who they like sexually, and not have their heads filled with "the man and woman idea". And it wasn't just the Romans who had mentors. People here are mostly ignorant of the rest of the non-Western world (which is actually most of the world!). They grow up in the West, and assume that they know everything about "the human condition" because of what they see around them here and now. They are ignorant of the history of their own cultures, as well. In general, they are just fools... Thanks for wishing me, "Happy posting!" But I don't see how it is really possible, given the situation here now... Anyway, good luck to you! And don't let the bastards grind you down! ;- ) marti [Brief notes on love, friendship, and sex, Western society] martirwithacausesticky