mrrnice2

Congratulations Ms Penelope. :) I cannot imagine a more loving mother than what you shall be.

Just finished a public speaking engagement on an emotion filled topic. It went really well, and am congratulating myself for choosing to stay here rather than do the 5 hour drive home tonight.

Happy Birthdasy Rachelle. May this day be the start of another good year ahead.

Welcome to Cerb Piano8950. Always nice to see a new member and especially one for whom it seems that the format and demeanor of Cerb is what you are looking for. You are correct that this is a pretty respectful place in the public forums, and there seems to be something for everyone regardless of exactly what it is that they are looking for. Good humour, serious discussion, unexpected turns, and did I forget to mention not only beautiful women, but women that you will enjoy have conversations and interactions with. Good luck in this amazing community.

Well well well. Who would have thunk it? Not a single player left. How disheartening. Guess I have to finish the lyrics. I fell into a burning ring of fire I went down, down, down and the flames went higher And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire The ring of fire. Now if this were a political convention I would have to throw my support behind someone. But the way this is going for me, that would be the kiss of death. :) So, I shall let the fates determine the ultimate outcome. Pretty sure we are going to have a new winner this year though. Sorry Shymale, but not looking good. The nice thing about hockey is there's always next year. Go Habs Go.

I am definitely a brown guy personally. More important is this. One can NEVER go wrong with the little black dress. :)

I would 100% support and agree with Lee's comment. Travelling is expensive, air fares are not refundable, though you do get a credit for future use within one year, and every change in a flight once it has been bookeds costs $75. Costs at nice hotels are well up there. Transportation to and from the airport and eating on the road are all significant expenses. A cancellation or a no-show which is even worse I'd think are literally taking money out of the pocket of the travelling SP. Respect them for who they are and what they do.

I have somewhat of a different take on the story, but that may be due to my misunderstanding of the issue. I of course have no issue with the fact that the guy was being completely ignorant by refusing to pay or trying to negotiate. What bothers me however about the story is that the people involved may lose their jobs or be severely reprimanded not for trying to cheat the worker, but rather for seeing a prostitute in the first place. These guys are American, and I do understand that the laws are different in that country, but even still, it is the idea that seeing an escort is the cause for the ruckus in the media (Canadian media as well) and the secret service. We have a LONG way to go before this whole environment becomes socially acceptable.

I believe that Cat's post, # 20 in this thread on best excuses was one of the most hilarious pieces of writing that I have read on CERB. http://www.cerb.ca/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=61441&page=2

I had reason this morning to think about this question, in regards to protocol, best protocol, appropriateness, being appreciated, that sort of thing. In the beginning of my Cerb days I began to do something that I still continue to do, and that is to communicate with an SP who I was planning to meet by PM's or email, quite substantially, well before a meeting. This gives me a sense of the person that I am going to meet, and I presume the same is true from her perspective. What I did do as well however, was to send a family type picture of myself, with the comment that it probably would be nice for her to have an image of who it was that would be showing up at the door. The initial reactions I got were of surprise that I would do that, and then of appreciation, and indications that it is very rare that a client does that and that it was nice. I did however have one SP say when we met that she also really enjoys the anticipation of not knowing what a client looks like so that when she knocks on that door she has the same butterflies that I as a client have. So, I am just wondering what others think. Would you as a client send a photo to an SP that you have made arrangements to meet with? Would you as an SP like to have that provided or would you prefer the surprise factor? I certainly have an opportunity to see what the SP looks like from her photos, so is it true that what is fair for one is fair for all?

Music From Big Pink was my selection for an all time favorite album. Levon Helm was a huge part of The Band. Sad to hear of his loss.

Such an interesting question that you pose here. My reply is strictly personal and solely based on Cerb experience. I have heard alot of the 'other' boards and have chosen to stay solely within the confines of Cerb, because Cerb has never let me down yet. My first immediate thougfht when I read your post was, "Why if he does not like the rates would he be contacting you again?" Rates are inviolate and non-negotiable and I really thought that was a given, across the board. My response to a low evaluation however may not be the same as for others on here. If a woman on Cerb has only a single recco and when I read it I do not find that special 'something' that tells me that this was a truely memorable encounter, then I would to a small degree question whether I wished to see the lady. That of course is tempered or counter balanced completely by the fact that I trust my vibes and I rarely see a woman who has not posted significantly on Cerb, so though I may not have met them previously, I DO feel as if I have a 'feel' for what they will be like. Really not sure if this answers your question, but it is how I look at it.

Congratulations Porthos on Godhood status. This deserves a celebratory drink with all of your Cerb friends. Cheers.

Well Lee and Penelope are necking, I mean still running neck and neck, but there are a few of us a little or a long way behind reminding them of the story about the tortoise and the hare. Jazy may be one to watch out for!

Wow, this is pretty amazing. How can one like a Boston Bruins fan? Well I guess that just shows how many other great characteristics that Meg has to overcome her one weak spot. She is a positive intelligent presence on the board, is willing to laugh at herself, and she sends me nice little notes or puts nice little comments on my posts on occassion. And she has great legs too. One day I'd love to meet her in person.

Waking up with the man-cold.

Well not for breakfast but a dozen nice trout will make a nice dinner for some friends and I. :)

21 friggin degrees, sunny and another day in store like it for tomorrow. Was outside most of the day, just back from where I did a little coaching at a local school and now off for the first time to fish. Me, a bobber, quiet solitude, and maybe even some trout for breakfast. Close to the perfect day.

I fell into a burning ring of fire........ I am in trouble. May soon need some TLC.

I am going to throw out some considerations that might be food for thought. These thoughts are based on concerns for discretion, safety, attendance and in hopes that this will be an amazing event that will lead to future ones to follow. There is no way that any specific date once selected is going to work for everyone as schedules are sometimes fixed in stone and cannot be arranged around. However, the further in the future that a date is selected, perhaps the more leeway people will have in being able to clear their schedule in order to attend, so I am going to suggest something even as late as mid-September. I DO know that a number of Ottawa members have previously expressed interest in attending a Maritime social and a later date might help some of them as well in their planning. Having attended two socials in Ottawa within the last year and since I believe in the motto of "Don't fix it if it ain't broken," then I would like to share some of their ways of doing things in hopes that we can learn from their experience. I believe that I am correct that some of their initial forays into socials did not go well because guidelines for behaviour, dress, discretion were not in place. With the socials that I attended there were a number of ground rules in place and people were asked to adhere to them. For the most part people do so, and the events were great fun and successful. The time for the event in Ottawa was from 6:30 until whenever it was over. People did arrive at 6:30, and by 8:30 the majority of attendees were there. In both cases people tended to be out and on their way by midnight when it really did seem to clear out. I know with certainty that many men had prearranged dates with women who were attending, so that was another reason that many left well before the wee hours of the morning. Any door prizes that were donated were distributed by a draw that took place at 10 o'clock. The event was publicized to the bar as a singles/dating group with BREC as the name of the group (CERB spelled backwards). As people entered they simply asked to be directed to the BREC social. There was a definite pre-arrangement made with members so that it was known well in advance who would be attending. A table at the door was manned by the organizers to meet people as they arrived and to ensure that only those who were supposed to be there came in. Depending on the location, discretion need be emphasized. If washrooms are not inside our private area then people will be in and out of the room for that reason. Smokers will be in and out of the room in order to address that, and generally people were asked to keep their Cerb personas to the Cerb room. It was suggested that dress be business casual. Dress for ladies was asked to be toned down somewhat so as not to draw unnecessary attention to the gathering. It was made clear to the ladies that this was to be a non-solicitation event. Now we all know why Cerb exists, however the intent was to have this to truly be a social, a meet and greet, and for the ladies to use it as that while at the same time giving them an opportunity to make future contacts. Name tags were given out at one of the socials that just had the first name of the attendee. Cerb names were disclosed in personal conversation. Ladies were not charged to attend. If the suggested cost of $20 does not cover it, then $30 would not be unreasonable for the men. The cover paid included appetizers that were brought in throughout the evening and each lady attending also received a small gift bag. In conclusion, I would make one final suggestion and that being that an alternate location be determined and booked that is not ever to be published in this thread. The date can be made public if the location remains confidential to those who will attend, and they need not know that even until the last few days, other than a general area. Thanks to those who are spearheading this event and I hope that it comes off and that I shall be able to attend. MN2

That is a REALLY good point of information. Might I suggest that someone be willing to accept PM requests from those interested and in that way share the date as it becomes firmed up. As well, 10 - 2 would work but there are also us oldies who would rather 8 - 1 ????

And off we go. :) Hey Lee, did you allow a mulligan in the rules? Oh wait, that's golf. Frig!

I do have a robot like this and oh my, I am glad I don't have a dog like that! http://www.youtube.com/embed/xWMkOwq2qIU?rel=0 Great commercial though.

As long as a potential date is clear for me on my schedule and gets confirmed, then I know that I would be there. I'd also hope that if the date is far enough in the future and it is 100 % confirmed, some of our Ottawa and points west CERB friends would plan to attend. :)

Ha! Wonder how many have gone through this. I said to myself one morning, "Well, hey, maybe it would be a good thing to do to re-wallpaper that old spare bedroom. It'll only take a weekend. Nothing to it." Famous last words. Well, hey, I stripped off the first layer of old paper but it gouged into the layer underneath that, and I ended up taking off four layers of wallpaper with the bottom layer having been glued there with some early 1900's version of crazy glue. Mission accomplished. Well, hey, its a 100 year old house, maybe it would be good to repair the old original plaster. So, the cracks were opened, filled, sanded, refilled, sanded, and the dust seemed to permeate everything. Ceiling and walls and mouldings painted. Mission accomplished. Room ready to go. Well, hey, maybe since I went this far I will get rid of that old carpet and put in something new. Out came the old carpet, then the two layers of linoleum underneath that. Mission accomplished. Well, hey, since I am having flooring guys here, maybe I will put hardwood in the upstairs hallway. Decision made. Mission accomplished. Well, hey, maybe since I will have hardwood in the hall, it is natural to bring it down the stairs. Decision made. Mission accomplished. Well, hey, it would be a shame to throw away those old original hand carved newel posts and bannisters, so it shouldn't be too hard to strip the paint off and keep some of the original woodwork. I can do that. Well, hey, the heat gun helped get the multiple layers of paint off but hey, look at the old black stain that seems to have seeped right into the wood, like a mm deep or more. I can scrape and sand that out, and of course, recarve the newel posts. Decision made. Mission accomplished. Well, hey, I seem to have plaster dust and sawdust in every room in the house. Well, hey, its spring. One is supposed to do spring cleaning. Mission - not accomplished. :) That weekend project sort of got away from me! So, what's your story? I heard one once about the guy that had a leaky tap in the kitchen and before they were done thet had spent $30 000.