The #80 Blog

I last updated my blog. I seem to always go on these hiatuses, sometimes they last only for a few months, other times much longer. And I seem to always come back. I suspect it's mostly because I still like HF, after all I have made some nice memories on here.

Things seem to have changed a lot around here over the years, and especially as of late. I had been wondering what was going on, until a few days ago I came across what I believe to be a contributing factor in this recent change in the overall vibe of HF. I mean, this place has always attracted those whose interests include engaging in discussions about sexual matters. I have been quite active in the appropriate sections of the site myself. However, in the recent years it seems that more and more people are becoming members here solely for their sexual gratification. And I had wondered why the sudden increase in the number of new posters only posting sleazy things, usually just once. I can totally appreciate these topics being discussed in an intelligent manner, with good logic and stuff, but I don't know folks, what I've been seeing lately is far from that.

The possible answer to this phenomenon might be what I found the other day as I was coming online on HF through my search engine of choice. I don't have HF bookmarked, so I just type in "hip forums" and search every time I come here. What I found a few days ago among the hits I got for "hip forums" was a particular website that dealt with dating/hookup type topic, which had this list of dating/hookup sites. Among which was, for the weirdest reason, Hip Forums, with an even more strange sounding description that went along the lines of "Hip Forums is a great, cute dating site". Wait, HF? Dating site?? What the fuck did I miss?!

So, as an old-timer around here, I've noticed these things and have put two and two together, and it appears that a lot of recent new members just might have seen a list similar to the aforementioned type, or some other recommendation where HF is presented under a skewed light. It's just something that occurred to me. I don't care as long as our new members are here to engage in intelligent, meaningful discussions on any topic, sexual or not. And hey, if sexual gratification is achieved as the result of being a solid, personable member then that's totally fine in my book.

Maybe I'm getting older than I'd like to admit I am, and my attitude is no longer as free-spirited as it once was. Or, maybe I make sense. Whichever way it is, I felt like writing a blog about it. Ah, HF. Good to be back, lol.

I pulled an all-nighter two nights ago to prepare for an early start on a new friend's project that I was invited to take part in. So, yesterday morning, he and I got some people together and started working on this thing. I won't get into the details of it because, you know, I'm the mysterious one around here, lol.

The morning session went very very well. Everyone was feeling good about the progress we were making. Then, the afternoon session saw some major difficultly. The weather turned horrible, we had some situation with some people who were supposed to participate in the project, and the whole work had to be put on hold for a number of hours.

So, the afternoon session basically became an evening session when we finally organized a group of reliable people to participate in the project. I actually called my girlfriend to help us out by taking part in this, too. For this session, I was able to offer a number of suggestions, some of which proved to be rather popular, and we got to incorporate a few select ideas into the project. Positive vibes all around. The session went really well in the end, despite the earlier difficulties in the afternoon.

My friend believes some people weren't meant to participate in the project, hence the frustrating issues experienced earlier in the day. Once we got the right kind of people into it, it was all smooth sailing again. We won't be seeing the finished product in another week or so because finishing touches need to be added, and stuff of that nature, but we are definitely looking forward to seeing the results. I know I am.

Seems I'm always plagued with some kind of foot/leg type issue when I visit my girlfriend in her country. I don't know why, but it just happens.

It's been a bit over a month since I got here. As a mere visitor and not a resident, I must say I love it here, however, if I have one thing to complain about then it's that I hurt my feet/legs every time I come here for a visit. It sucks because I otherwise love to walk all over this city, as I have done in the past(prior to getting the ankle ailment due to too much walking). I was really hoping to get some walking done here as I know it would help me lose the poundage I want to get rid of. But so far, I've been totally relying on my girlfriend's driving me around. Either that, or the wonderful public transit system they have in this city.

I've been trying to give my feet a rest, and I've been putting some medicinal cream on them. I now have gel insoles in my shoes to ease the impact of walking. But it seems that my feet need more than a mere couple days of near-complete rest at a time. I'm pretty positive they'll get better if I don't go out for like a couple weeks straight, but that's just not a realistic option, period. Maybe this pain I'm feeling every time I take a step is meant for me to embrace.

But, man, the pain sure does suck.

I just gained a new friend today. Nope, not a person. In fact, there is a pair. Boobs? You wish, lol.

Ha, the truth is that I just bought my first reading glasses today. I'm getting to be the age where my eyesight is starting to bother me just a tad. I'd initially avoided them for fear of further damaging my eyesight, but I'd since found out that wearing glasses in itself doesn't diminish the eyesight. So, I went ahead and bought a pair.

It's amazing. I can actually read small texts. Furthermore, the frame looks pretty stylish. By owning these glasses, I feel like I've become that much more "distinguished as a gentleman", if you will.................fine, at least let me pretend, lol.

I actually own a few pairs of glasses already. Because of my work, I am usually wearing a pair of glasses that prevents optically harmful rays that are projected from the computer screen. But this is the first time I've ever bought a pair that can help me actually see better. I'm not wearing them right now as the screen is far enough away from my eyes, however, I AM wearing my PC glasses as I typically am. These glasses are like my friends, but the new glasses I just purchased today will always have a special meaning to them.

Ageing isn't fun, but there are some ways that you can incorporate into your life where things might start to appear more entertaining. It could be how you colour your (grey) hair, or it could be items such as clothes, hats, or glasses. What I think really makes a difference, however, is how you approach it all. I believe it's important to want to appear attractive for the sake of retaining your inner grace. Of course, if you focus too much on the outer beauty, you are bound to walk the path of shallowness. But beauty pursued in a shallow manner is not graceful in the first place. It must come from deep within you.

And sometimes, even a simple act of purchasing a pair of cheap reading glasses can be an opportunity to speak to your inner self, because, if you're like me, you give it a lot of thought to it. You research the safety aspect of wearing reading glasses. You spend a lot of time choosing the right type of frame and colour. You basically ask your inner self, "are these really the ones?" And if the answer is "yes", then you get home that day with a new friend.

There are certain people who catch my attention. Something about them causes me to notice their presence. I have a tendency to perceive this phenomenon as their "aura's" catching my attention. Interestingly enough, I seem to draw some of these people, too. The hair salon I go to is one of such environments where this two-way phenomenon seem to occur repeatedly.

There was a stylist whose smile would light up the entire place. It was simply impossible not to notice her presence. Of course, as a customer, I wouldn't say anything as I had already picked my hairstylist and he had, in turn, chosen a different stylist as my colourist after trying a couple of stylists for the task over a few appointments. My colourist was fantastic, and she and I got along very well. But this one stylist with the smile, there was just something about her. Then my colourist had to transfer to a different branch. Guess who filled in the spot.

But it's interesting because, during this time, someone else was catching my attention as well. She somehow stood out, but ever so discreetly. Nevertheless, I noticed her warmth even before I interacted with her. Now, I am aware that the people I've mentioned have so far been both female, but bear with me. We'll get to the dudes in a moment because I definitely see their aura, or some sort of personal "glow" about them, as well. At any rate, guess who was chosen to assist my new colourist.

So, like I said, I do notice men's "glow" as well. In fact, my hairstylist is an older gentleman who appear confident without being intense. He is a chill guy, but he is an artist and he lets that fact show via his work. He actually reminds me of one of my old friends in that they both have their own unique ways of carrying themselves. Oddly enough, I'd first gone to a different branch to get my hair trimmed by someone who was even higher up than him. But fate is an interesting thing. For some reason, I ended up with my hairstylist at his branch.

Before he assigned a specific stylist to colour my hair, there were a couple of guys who would take the spot. One of them I don't really interact with very much, but there indeed was something charismatic about him. The other guy has always been very friendly(we still chat whenever I'm at the salon and we both have the time to), and in his case, the glow about him has intensified over the years. That sometimes happens where you have someone who might not have a very bright aura in the beginning, but as they gain valuable experiences, their glow becomes brighter.

Getting back to the stylist with the smile, sadly, she had to quit due to personal reasons. In fact, the other girl also ended up quitting as well. I still somewhat keep in touch with them both, however. The colouring spot was then taken over by someone else, a dude this time, but he is also quitting toward the end of this month, too. So, I went in just a few days ago to get my hair situation dealt with before my trip to my girlfriend's country. He coloured my hair one last time before his last day at the salon, and before I left, he introduced me to the person who would take over his spot after he left...............

Turns out, it is someone else I've been noticing, lol. She is one of the assistants who have yet to officially become a stylist, but there is something graceful about the way she carries herself. She actually assisted my last colourist with my hair once, and she had been very thoughtful and personable. Although, I hear that it was essentially my hairstylist, being the boss at the branch, who decided she'd be my next colourist. Prior to that, I'd been told one of the very first guys who dealt with my hair colours years ago would fill in the colouring spot. I would have been happy either way, but it's always nice to meet new people.

But these are people with positive, bright auras. The ones who project negative auras are an entirely different story altogether.