Athos

The separate living space is so important. My sister didn't have that, so there was no separation. Hard to manage that over the long haul. So pleased for you Sophia. Porthos

Discovered that most people are glad I'm back at work .... And like Lee's trespasser the fact that some aren't is also a highlight, cause they are pricks!! Porthos

Awesome Lee. Hope you realize every one of those dreams. You certainly deserve it! Don't be a stranger! Porthos

That is unpleasant!! For me, spending the day discovering hidden messes that the person filling my shoes for the past year has left behind! Nothing catastrophic, but annoying and time consuming. Of course, this is keeping me from the work I need to be doing!!

It is fantastic that you are doing this. But make sure you don't let the task of caring for your father become so onerous that it takes too big a toll on you, or damages your relationship with your dad. My mother is nearly 90, and lived with my sister and her family for probably 20 years. She's now in a nursing home. As her needs increased, and her health declined, I could really see the toll it took on my sister. I think that in the end it damaged their relationship very deeply, although for a long time it worked really well for both. Porthos

Congrats and happy birthday.

More seriously than my last reply, going to the police is your best option. There is nothing illegal about being an escort, and the police understand that escorts can find themselves in vulnerable situations. They are far more interested in keeping wackos from committing violent crimes than persecuting escorts. There are lots of ladies on this board who have relied on the police to deal with harassing behaviour, and generally have found the police to be helpful. The fact that they are escorts has been irrelevant.

A good question! Enquiring minds want to know!!

Of course, my deepest sympathies over your mother's illness. I have always been pretty career driven. This past year I was in the situation where I could sit back, escape the pressure, and rediscover parts of my work life and personal life that I'd forgotten about. Several of my colleagues have suffered various illnesses, and I've recently had family members who've passed away from heart attacks, cancer, etc. it makes you take a step back and reassess priorities. I realized that for far too long I'd been letting my career priorities be dictated by the expectations of others, rather than my own preferences. I think I'd stopped even asking what it was "I wanted". It's good to gain back that perspective. It will lead to a happier, richer life. Porthos

I agree completely RG. Perfection is impossible, in part because no one could agree on what constitutes perfection. This is a functioning and supportive community. We care about each other, which is precisely why we feel the departure of prominent members as a loss. Like you, I've been a member of several boards, and they can degenerate into nasty, backbiting horror stories. CERB is awesome by any standard, and I'm glad I found it. Porthos

New patio furniture assembled. BBQ is on, and I'm out on the deck enjoying the new lounge chairs abd an ice cold corona with a very large wedge of lime!!

I don't really know. Many clients use agencies all the time, and it strikes me that the reputation of the agency is very important. Ultimately you'll have to judge whether the advantages outweigh the costs. I'm not sure whether it will affect any of your regular clients. I personally prefer booking independants and have rarely used an agency. I'm not dead set against it, but the inability to chat with the lady in advance, even if only by e-mail, always seems problematic. This might not be an issue for current regulars and cerb members who can pm you. It strikes me -- and I could be wrong about this -- that agencies cater to the same day or "whose available tonight" client. I prefer independants, in part, because I prefer to plan these things well in advance. If you think it's a good opportunity you might as well try it. Nothing really to lose. If you don't like the arrangement you can always go back to being independant. Porthos

I'm glad you started the thread Mrnice. I agree, this is a complex community. Providers, clients, all sharing a rather unique and intimate bond. At the same time, just as ladies may have lots of different reasons for being in the business, so clients may be looking for very different things. Add to that different class, ethnic, cultural and regional backgrounds,and we're a pretty mixed up bunch. I suppose, in some ways, when memvpbers decide to leave, it feels a bit like we've lost part of ourselves. It's a bit lie grieving (although I wouldn't push the analogy too far). At the same time, it feels like a friend has turned their back on us as well. When I see WIT's name with those asterisks it truly saddens me. I have to keep reminding myself that, for all of us,this is only one part of our world, and for most of us a hidden and secret part of it. I've left other boards, sometimes I've announced my departure and sometimes I've faded away. I'm really happy on CERB, and feel I've made good virtual friends. So, for the moment, I'll be hanging around, sharing my $.02 and posting pics. Porthos

I've hesitated to post in this thread, in part because I've been trying to figure out how I feel about recent events. To be honest, I'm still not sure how I feel. I would say that I don't find CERB very hostile at all. Certainly compared to other boards this is a haven of civility. Like any community, disagreements and differences of opinion will exist. I do think there may be a "board ethos", that is difficult to change (not that I think it needs to) and that sometimes people may feel they have to watch what they say. I hope that this would cause people to think about how they express themselves, rather than lead them to not express themselves. I must confess I felt quite upset by our recent departures, but as others have said, decisions are made for reasons we might only be able to guess at, and ultimately those decisions will simply have to be accepted and respected. Porthos

Sorry the deal fell through RG. It hasn't been on the market long, so be patient and I'm sure it will sell.

Sounds great ... Need a loaf of crusty bread and a good red wine! Discovered a new Thai restaurant tonight and had a great meal

Which I find quite unbelievable. I think the multiplier in the rep formula must have been in Santa Clause mode or something. Porthos