Nope but it was a lot of work putting 50lbs in a 10 lb sack!

or penipause
Why does everything a woman think about when she thinks of men is the penis?
With that thinking wouldn't menopause clearly be called
'Ginapause'?

Then you could look at it from still another angle and call the man's version MENopause and the woman's version WOmenopause...

Yes, you may whip me now, I deserve it.

I was a professional wrench for over 30 years but I am now disabled.
Even tho my passion remains, my body can't comply.
Plus, being disabled, I an on fixed income and I live in an apartment duplex with no garage.
I still have most of my tools but its so bad, I can't even change my own oil anymore.
Hell, I put air in my tire the other day and could barely stand back up!

BUT, I have a lifetime of knowledge and experience and I've owned more than 5 muscle cars, rebuilt a few project cars and associated with gear heads and wrenches since I was an early teen.

My first project car was when I was 15 years old. It was a 1967 Road Runner with a 383 cowl injection, four on the floor.

Some people like NASCar or OWR but I was always into modified stock. I did a lot of street racing in my early twenties.
Nearly every friend I had owned a project car or had something tore apart in their garage.
I knew every junkyard owner by first name and always got really good deals. Once got a 400 big block for $50. Slapped it in and it ran like a graped ape!
My current truck was priced at $3100 and after I tore into it and started telling the small lot dealer everything that was wrong with it I got it for $1500. Plus, I made him get it fixed and a fresh inspection. I've had that truck for going on 12 years now and barely needed to fix anything. Bump the key and it starts. It is getting long in the tooth tho. 2 years and I can put antique plates on it. Has over 250,000 miles on it.

I pay cash for my cars. I don't want to pay off a dead horse. The only car I bought on credit was the oldfamily car but that was a dealer demo with only 2800 miles on it and when I gave it to my X, it had 300,000+. I had it for decades.

In high school I was in the Lancers Club. Lancers was a car club. It was sponsored thru the school clubs and restricted to school rules (during school hours on school premises). We sponsored quite a few river parties and keggers on our own.
We also did car shows and main street creeps.

Recently I was surprised to find myself in a main street creep in a small local town near my current residence. It still happens!

I used to uncap my headers on my Chevelle and do main street creeps. That throaty motor roar would echo off the buildings, Glorious!


It IS A Good Topic!

DMG, I understand what you are saying.
The thing is, what some of the participants to this thread have already said is accurate.

Mingle2 is a dating/social site.
The way I see it, there's the dating side and then there is the community forums whch serves as the social side.

You have two tools to choose from. Expecting a saw to be a hammer doesn't really work too well. You can use a saw as a hammer but it isn't very good at it.

If you are looking for someone to 'date' use the dating side.
If you are looking for conversation and general friendships use the forums.

What you can do when you see a profile which inspires you to converse, you can send them a message on a subject and refer them to the forum side of the site.
It helps even more when you start a thread in the forums first, establish a conversation then 'link' them to that discussion in the forums.

Then, if they are interested in the subject matter but not you as a potential date, they can join the discussion with you on a platonic (friendship) level.

Its also important to remember people come and go from this site without notice.
Back when Date Hookup went belly up, there was an influx of new participants in the forums. Over time, many have left Mingle forums yet still have an inactive profile on the dating side.

One last thing, ya gotta realize everyone who is active in the forums are active for their own reasons...same with the dating side. Its best to forego general conclusions and expectations and take each one as a unique individual. While some may seem stereotypical, in reality we are all unique.

When I was younger (in my prime) I never thought about it. I had no real experience seeing what women went thru. Then my X started going thru it and Oh Boy, that was intense. For me, sleeping beside her, the hot flashes were the worst. Then there was the depression and mood swings which were worse than when she was pregnant or menstruating.

Now, older...I want a woman who has already been thru that life change and has emerged as a new person out the other side.
I'm not looking to reproduce (done that) and I'm not interested in experiencing another woman going thru it (done that).

It is often said men go thru a 'mid-life crisis'.
Many mid-life crises are psychological. There is however a physical change which happens in men at a certain age range. While nowhere near the intensity of women's menopause we too go thru physical changes.

I refer to it as the "Old Man Groan". We get to a point in life where our bodies start to tip.
I started feeling the effects in my mid 40s.
My muscles started to loosen, I started feeling the weather, the taste of foods started to change, I started to feel tired.
I could no longer leap into the bed of a pickup truck. I started drifting off watching TV. I started adopting the 'old man groan' I had heard my father make. Even Dr visits for checkups changed. Drs started imposing physical restrictions on me. In my younger years, I was NEVER sick. Suddenly, I started feeling pain and sickness a bit more intensely. Colds and flus lasted a bit longer.

Granted, my disability creates a lot of symptoms of Old Man Groan to this day but before I was disabled, I started to feel it coming.

Most men will not talk about it openly. Many want others to believe they are still 'in prime condition' and try to hide the Old Man Groan.

In dating, this can be deceptive or a down-right lie.
"I Love Mountain Climbing" but in reality they haven't climbed anything they haven't needed to in over twenty years. Then you date them and plan a mountain climbing adventure and they either refuse outright or make excuses why they can't.

In the past I wanted a clubhouse and attended many.
Now, my clubhouse is my house. I no longer feel a need to be a socialite.
I can do anything I want, anytime I want, anyway I want. Plus, I never have to pay that monthly dues to do it.

At one time, the local Eagles Club was the best club in town. Followed by the Elks Club then the Moose Club. The local VFW had way too many rules and like all the clubs, drinking was the active past-time.
Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and Independence Day parties were fun. The different Valentine's day dances were crazy and the children's benefit drives were hectic.
Still, I made a lot of friends (and some enemies) thru the clubs.

In high school I was in the Photography Club (school darkroom access) and the Lancers Club (a car club). In my Junior year I also tried out the Astronomy Club (my school had a small planetarium).

As a kid I started a few 'clubs'. Bicycle club, Comic Book club and a "Spidey" club (we climbed on rooftops of buildings in town), LOL, I could climb just about anything.

Back in my prime, when I was working, I had a 76 Vega with a 350 4 speed I restored. Sadly I didn't get as much as I could have because I didn't lay a fresh coat of paint on it...but it was mechanically strong.

During the same relative time, a coworker's 'project car' was a Corvair which he converted to fron engine and slapped a Cadillac 500 engine into.
He had to rework the suspension and modify the body.

He told me it handled like a drunken squirrel but it would lift the front end without effort. It would never pass state inspection and that prevented him from selling it till he found a collector, then he made serious profit off it.

In college, as a dorm project car, we made a 4WD Pinto wagon. (we did a lot of parties at river banks and caves). LOL, we painted it a gaudy Hot Pink! When I left my dorm, I sold my share of the title for $450 after asking for $500. I dropped because I was a short timer and wanted to clear myself. Plus, at the time I already had a 67 Chevelle (loved that car).

I think the most important thing to try to remember is that each and every relationship is different.
As time marches on, we change too. Our values change and our tolerances change.

What Worked in the past with a specific person is unique to those circumstances.
Consequently, what Didn't Work in the past with a specific person is also unique to those circumstances.

If you are currently in a living with relationship with someone and its not working, it may be prudent to examine the unique circumstances of that arrangement to see what has changed. Since relationships are at least two people, consideration must also be given to the other person in that relationship. Find out what changed, for them, which changed the relationship.

Finally, its wise to remember that what worked or didn't work in the past or what worked or didn't work right now has little to do with what will or won't work in the future...because everything changes with time. Including the main reason why living together seems like a good idea.

Living life changes us all.
As we change, we either become more of the person which attracted them to you or we become less of the person which attracted them to you. Also vice-versa. We either become more attractive to them or less attractive to them and looks has little to do with it.
Anyone who claims they never change is deluded.

I've been watching Outer Limits for the past few days and I'm nearly done.

Next, I'm gunna give the 2021 1st season of Invasion a go...



Earth is visited by an alien species that threatens humanity's existence. Events unfold in real time through the eyes of five ordinary people across the globe as they struggle to make sense of the chaos unraveling around them.

Here in Mississippi we have a 50 mile long car show every year!








Right down the block from my place

Both the successes and the failures in my life made me the person I am now.
I love the person I am now.
Wouldn't change a thing.

However, if you use the wisdom you gain in life to make good decisions, you fail less often.

A few years ago I met my current GF using Mingle2.
She never even opens the forum community side of the site.
She is local (lives 5 miles from me).
She is within my age group (6 years younger).
We exchanged a few messages (6-8) thru Mingle2's message center, exchanged phone numbers and set up a meet (which she didn't show for). Another few more phone calls and another meet (which she did show for) and we have been GF&BF ever since and still going strong.

She knows I still participate in the forums but since we are both adults, its non-threatening.

To do this I had to rethink my soul-seeking methods:
1. I needed to realize a real woman is not perfect at my age range. They don't look like models, they probably have children and grandchildren and they are not likely to play games to scam you.
2. I needed to stick with what I know. I know my town. I needed someone local who actually lives in or close to my town. Dating/relationships require personal contact to flourish.
3. I needed to trust her. I chose discussions which would have tripped up the average scammer.
4. I needed to lighten up a bit and walk in reality. My flexibility allowed me to give her a benefit of a doubt and it worked out in my favor.
5. I needed to put away my expectations and actually see her as she is, not as I want her to be.

If yer waiting till you find a 'perfect' match, you will probably die alone.
Use the wisdom you have gained so you don't make the same mistakes over and over.
Be patient, wise and flexible.
Try to see the person as they are.

As I said, That is specific to the person you are with.

If, for instance, you visited me.
I would do things with you that allows you to experience my countries culture. Some museums and cultural venues, long drives to different small towns so you could see and meet the 'everyday' people, small taste tests of different foods and light shopping at different stores. Perhaps take you on a clothing store tour so you can see how you look in different attire. Then an evening talking about what you witnessed and experienced.

If I were to visit you, I would want to see your country and understand the cultures and traditions you know as 'normal life'. I would want to try some of the traditional foods and go shopping at traditional stores. Then, sit down together and talk about what we did and how it is different to me.

Something I have noticed, John, is even women who have low self-esteem react positively to personal respect. Yes, there are many strong-willed women now. There are also still many women trapped by traditional values who yearn for equality in their relationships.
In an effort to 'break free' of those impositions they try to initiate 1st contact. You must be wary of this because unlike actual strong-willed women, they tend to fall quickly back into their trapped lifestyle.

Then you have the threat of online dating scams. Many times, 1st contact from a woman online isn't even a woman. Its merely a method to exploit your vulnerabilities so they can extract information or money from you. After awhile, it gets easier to identify them from actual 1st contact women. You build up a resistance to the ploy. Their methods of contact become recognizable. You grow a 'thicker skin'.

When I am entertaining I like to cook, make desserts and creative snacks. I also like to discuss and make fun of social standards. We laugh a lot.

By myself, I spend a lot of time with my computer.
I like watching movies and studying how they are made. Sometimes I will watch the same movie multiple times using the pause button to examine details.

I like tweaking my files on my computer. I like making lists, you may have seen some of the lists I've shared here. I like gathering data and pictures about movies and shows. This entails a lot of web searching and downloading. Then, I put all that stuff together in the file as a whole study.
Like a fan-based trivia bomb. Plus, from time to time, I open and reread those files.

I like making music playlists (I have a lot of music). I like discovering new music and reading up on bands and different instruments. Ever heard of a Harp Guitar? A Guitar bow? Maybe a Moog Guitar?
Ever seen Animusic? A fire organ? Water drums?
Occasionally, I play with music creation software like Noteworthy Composer, Hammerhead Rhythm Station or online guitar and keyboard apps.

I maintain a small forum community, I edit a wiki, I compose fanfic short stories, I moderate at multiple forums, I participate at many more.

I collect literature (scifi & fantasy). Both written and audio. I listen to fiction audio blogs. I read both online and offline. Plus I type and read the internet.
I have a passion for the sciences. Specifically, the physical sciences and cosmology. I read Google Scholar articles from scientists. I enjoy using my imagination to rationalize the nature of the Universe based on what I have learned from the different websites and articles I've read. Then, I surmise my rationality and share it with others online, as you may have seen in some of my posts here.

My life is full of my hobbies. This is because I am disabled and can't work. I have nothing but free time.

When I was working tho, I made my career my hobby and approached it with the same gusto.

While I have many, many hobbies, I am always adding new ones. They give me a rich, full life.

If this is a thread game, Its not working. Mainly because you have no idea who will reply next.

If this is a wish fulfillment for your next actual dating encounter, I exist in the now and in the now my relationship with my GF is quite healthy so, I'm not looking.

If this is a general exercise in practical possibilities for your next date, it could be fun but without actually knowing the next person you date, its difficult to dream of possible activities.

Some people want to party hardy and let go.
Others might want personal and quiet.
Some may want to explore new things.
Others might want to eat or drink or make out.

It REALLY does depend upon the person you are with.

Personally, I enjoy a wide range of interests and activities but I am restricted from my disability.
Those restrictions affect the activities I can do.

I like long walks on the beach at night but my legs swell up when I am on them for long periods. By nightfall, its often difficult for me to stand, let alone walk on the beach.
Walking anywhere for duration is painful.

I'm also no longer a socialite. I don't enjoy popular venues as I used to. I don't do night clubs or concerts anymore. I can but only for a very limited time. Plus, I feel society is insane and I don't trust social gatherings.

My restrictions and limitations affect my date-ability for most women. However, I do have a great imagination and I am creative in the activities I can do. I'm a natural entertainer and I am quite jolly. I treat the people I am with respectfully and acknowledge them as persons. Most people like to be around me.

So, it doesn't really matter what we are doing, as long as my pain is manageable, we have a great time. However, when the pain gets too much, I withdraw and become quiet. If I keep the physical exertions to a minimum, the activities I can do last longer.

I know my limits. I also know those limits are more than many women can bear. I'm not suitable for all women. Luckily I've found a woman who really enjoys me being me. We enjoy our time together no matter what we are doing.

There can also be other things which prompt females to 1st contact males.

If you have ever looked at different area demographics sometimes its obvious who will contact whom first.

In some places, women outnumber the men. Sometimes there are demographics that reveal women to men ratios by age who are widowed/divorced and single occupant households. Demographics also reveal mean household income and other statistics. I've even seen demographics reports of stds and health problems per city.

There is also an online phenomenon which tilts the scales. Some dating websites are heavily populated by women vs men.

We must not dismiss the fact women are steadily gaining status in societies. Women (and men) are breaking from traditional roles. You can see it in business and recreation so why not dating roles?
While many women still want traditional dating etiquette, their personal self-esteem and egos are greater than they were a few decades ago.
In some cases, women now rewrite the rules of dating to fit their new social authority.

Personally I see women as people too. I acknowledge their individual identities. I don't see them as property, slaves or inferior.
I like strong personalities so I prefer women who contact first. As a teenager and young adult there was pressure to make all the decisions, make all the first moves and that involved a lot of mistakes. I married under those same rules of relationship.
It wasn't till I divorced that I realized my traditional "thinking" was outdated and unjust.
I needed to 'rethink' how I thought about women.
I needed to afford women the same personal respect I gave to men.
I'm no longer interested in playing puppet master in my relationships. Subsequently, my relationships have grown stronger and both of us have grown personally as individual healthy self-esteemed components of the whole.

Being in a healthy relationship, I no longer pay attention to the 1st contact rules set forth by tradition. I see men and women as people equally, unless that individual says or does something which changes my stance.

Even my general friendships have changed for the better. A 'forthright' woman gains my respect for her as a person. I'm not offended by first contact nor am I offended by her strong personality.

Part of gaining wisdom is learning the right lessons from the experiences of life.
Choosing wisely also means choosing wisely in how you react and behave during social encounters.

Preaching 'do unto others as you would have others do unto you' is not the same as living it.

Been watching random episodes of The Outer Limits (1995)

There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are now controlling the transmission. We control the horizontal, and the vertical. We can deluge you with a thousand channels, or expand one single image to crystal clarity... and beyond. We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive. For the next hour, we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to... The Outer Limits. Please stand by.

Season 1
The Sandkings [1.01/1.02]

Control Voice: [opening narration] Some of man's greatest achievements have been motivated by a driving need for love and acceptance. What happens when that need for recognition becomes a desire to be revered and then worshiped... like a god?

Control Voice: [closing narration] Increasingly, modern science pursues powers traditionally reserved for the Almighty. But those who encroach upon the province of the gods realize too late that the price for entrance... is destruction.

White Light Fever [1.06]

Control Voice: [opening narration] The one certainty of the human experience is death. But what might happen when our effort to prolong the inevitable starts to turn that battle around? Will someone, or something, step in to ensure the final outcome?

Control Voice: [closing narration] For one man, the battle against death is over. But for the rest of us, the war rages on. At what point does the cost of survival... become too high a price for us to pay?

Under the Bed [1.11]

Control Voice: [opening narration] It is said only children are willing to believe in the possible existence of unknown creatures. When these creatures are discovered scientists will classify them by genus, class, order and species. But to children aren't they simply the monsters that they already know?

Control Voice: [closing narration] Our world has been mapped, the oceans charted, animals and plants named and indexed... or so we believe. But there are still places grownups forget they've been and it is children who remind us that there are creatures that lurk in the dark and... under the bed.

Damn weather anyway!

Its cool a new pulsar has been discovered.
But, emitting a huge burst of energy like clockwork is what pulsars do. Its why they are called pulsars. Three times an hour is pretty slow for a pulsar.

I wonder if it is a threat to our solar system.
Pulsars emmit gamma ray bursts. If it is new (just became a pulsar) and close enough to us it could increase the cosmic radiation in our solar system.

The Earth is still protected by its electromagnetic field but it could increase the danger to astronauts who venture out on deeper space missions like going to the Moon or Mars.

If I get time and remember to look, I will read up on it...I find this stuff interesting.
Thanx