Athos

I'm a Toyota driving stamp collector who needs to lose weight and is planning a trip to British Columbia to lower my blood pressure. I refuse to disclose which of these things might or might not be true, except that I don't drive a Toyota. I'd really like my profile to include more bbq sauce. Porthos

Happy Mother's Day ... I hope all the mothers out there have a fabulous day, surrounded by those who love them. Porthos

My daughter's dance recital. Watching the wee ones, dancing on stage for the first time, I thought about when my daughter was that age. When she came on, I sat there thinking where did my little girl go? She's now this incredibly poised, talented, graceful, and beautiful young woman. It was a great evening and I'm quite bursting with pride. Porthos

Getting a major piece of work off my plate. Now a couple of days of "relative" down time, and then on to another project.

I'm pretty new to twitter, but enjoy it immensely. @porthos2500

coffee with cream ... if cream isn't available I'll take milk, but might prefer to go with black instead. Tea ... always clear ... maybe a slice of lemon

Emily darling ... I have to say that I agree with MrGreen. I can certainly understand how furious you must be. But, on the plus side, I really don't think anyone but your loyal fans would have known that it was you they were referring to. And we love the fact that you travel as much as you do. Newfoundland, as much as I love it, can still be a parochial, extremely conservative place. This will have the church ladies in an uproar, but won't have much traction beyond that. Porthos

There are lovely ladies in both Fredericton and Saint John (I'm assuming you didn't mean St. John's ... gotta learn the difference if you're going to be accepted. j/k). I'd suggest you see a few ladies, find out who you connect with, and the regular part of it will develop naturally. Porthos

sometimes it's less the touch that you crave, as the person doing the touching.

learning that a good friend's child may be sick with a terminal degenerative disease. Praying the signs are wrong. Porthos

This is an interesting thread and I think people have made some really excellent contributions. For myself, I long ago came to terms with my so-called "double life". As others have said, though, I really don't think of it that way. All aspects of my life combine to make me who I am. Just some people see me in different lights. I think that most of us have multiple identities, multiple roles. People in one context see and understand us in a certain way, which is different than how others might see us. Of course, in an ideal world all of these things might blend together, but it seems to me that rarely happens. Not only is it better for you if some people don't know things about your life, often it might be better for them as well. To the extent that knowledge and understanding is recipricoal ... if you know about me, then I likely know about you ... it makes sense that we have private areas that others don't share. Of course, we can choose to share, and that's the wonderful thing about inviting someone into your life and allowing them to understand you in a fuller way. It's rare to find someone like that, but when you do it is a truly wonderful thing. If you're in that situation, cherish it.

I had the opportunity to find myself in Ottawa this weekend for a conference. I don't get to Ottawa nearly as much as I would like so I decided to take advantage of the time. Nathalie Lefebvre is someone who caught my attention on the board some time ago. Her posts had suggested a woman of incredible intellect, and her pictures indicated a remarkable beauty. I also find her blog posts and poetry to be wonderful glimpses into the personality of an engaging woman. I was very much looking forward to meeting her. Well in advance, of my conference we began PMing back and forth. The conversation was delightful, and I was very much looking forward to this encounter. The appointed day finally arrived and I found myself at Nathalie's in-call. In other recommendations much has been made about the tone Nathalie sets for her encounters. I can certainly attest to the accuracy of all of these recommendations. She is a delightful woman, who immediately puts one at ease, and creates a a wonderful, playful and sensual environment. She treats you as if you were a long and cherished lover, and quite quickly, you can't help but feel the same way about her. Nathalie's in-call is a charming apartment that sets the mood perfectly. As we talked, Nathalie had a surprise in store for me. Those who have been following her posts will know that Nathalie has decided to offer Nuru. We chatted a bit about that, and she asked if I would be interested in trying it out. I would be her first Nuru customer and she wanted the opportunity to practice. I've enjoyed Nuru massages before, so I quickly agreed. Who could possibly say no?? Out came the Nuru mattress, the gel was warmed, and wet slippery fun quickly began. Nathalie may be new to Nuru, but it certainly didn't show. She poured the warm slippery liquid over her body, then over mine, and then we explored various styles of body rub. Nathalie's background and experience in Yoga and Thai massage was certainly evident. Her flexibility made the Nuru experience one that I will never forget. It was a totally wonderful and playful experience. Nathalie lets you know when she is enjoying herself, and her giggles and laughter are a true delight. Of course, as is always the case, details are best left between the participants, but if anyone would be concerned that Nuru might take away from the traditional experience, I can say put those concerns aside. The gel itself is odourless and tasteless, so all of the usual activities can proceed as usual, just with an added dimension. It only enhances the overall experience and makes it more incredible. I hope that the next time I'm in Ottawa I'll be able to see Nathalie again, and enjoy another Nuru experience with her. Definitely the highlight of my weekend.

I suspect it's simply a human thing. As we go through life we face many forks in the road, and meet many people along the path. In that sense, there are always "what if" questions. What if I had done that differently, what if I had followed her when she left, what if I had returned that phone call, what if I hadn't ignored the warning signs, what if I had said "I love you" when I had the chance. All very human ... learn from mistakes, and try not to repeat them. A lot of wisdom in this thread. Thanks for starting it.

Happy Birthday Cleo ... Hope you're having a fabulous day. Porthos

I tend to think we all have regrets, choices we wish we could have over again. The key, it seems to me, is not to allow yourself to be defined by the choices you didn't make ... by the regrets. Move forward and don't dwell on the regrets. But also think carefully about choices, and your actions and interactions with those around you. Try to live so you minimize those regrets. Porthos

I'm feeling incredibly happy and content with my life at the moment ... more than I have in a very, very long time. Porthos

I would think it unnecessary to mention ethnicity in contacting a lady. If a lady has preferences or restrictions around ethnicity or race, then it's really up to her to ask as part of her screening process. I think you should assume the ladies will be colour-blind unless they say otherwise. As for height ... that just isn't an issue. Go have fun!!!