Andrew gets laid, single X post

If you don't want to read about non explicit gay sex, you know what to do.

After a couple of decades or more of staring at each with desire but never speaking, the guy who worked for the same company as I did, although in a different area, around ten years ago I found him on social media, and e-communication began, but we both had partners and it was never going to be easy to hook up. 

We connected online again a few years later, and then a few more years later. 

Two plus years after Ray died, I suggestively messaged him again after a long time of not doing so. Great to hear from you, he replied. I am in England, Channel Islands actually and I won't be home for about five weeks. Every few days we would keep the candle burning by messaging each other. I must say, I waxed and waned about meeting him. At my age I am no longer driven by hormones, a blessed relief but he was very convincing and I guess I was too. A week and a half after he returned we met for coffee near his home, and then adjourned to his place for some fun. I had no confidence that after all this time, it would work but hey, it did and went really well, with both hunger and passion. 

We may just see each in a friendship way and/or maybe a repeat session. I don't know and don't care too much. He is a nice guy and I would be happy to see him again socially, and as I left his place and walked down High Street, Northcote, I was chockablock full of endorphins and in such a relaxed and dreamy state. I caught the tram back to town and I needed something at QV (shopping centre).

Oh my god. I could hardly move to trudge up the hill to QV. I was absolutely exhausted, and all of my joints were aching. 

For those in the know, I did take PrEP before I met him and I will for the next two days, as I was told to by my doctor.

As I am writing at nearly 9pm, I still feel exhausted, although more relaxed. 

I think doing the biz with passion and energy is best left to the young, but I have no regrets about today. I am just too old and lazy to make it a habit.

Buildings

Now housing a number of a bars, this fine 1899 Albert Park building was once called Red Eagle Hotel, earlier Windsor Hotel. A stroll of a couple of hundred metres and you are at the beach, and there are many cafes and restaurants nearby. If you want to have a decent drink at a bar, the number 1 tram passes by.

My father banked with the E.S.&A Bank. English, Scottish and Australian bank, I think. It went on to become the ANZ Bank, Australia and New Zealand. I'd never noticed this sign remnant until recently. Below it says, The E. S. & A Bank Ltd Administrative Offices. 

 

The tv programme The Block took on this building some years ago and the show's participants renovated the building, including the installation of a hanging vertical garden, which died soon after the show ended.

The garden was resurrected and has been kept looking healthy for a few years now.

 

As I returned from a visiting the zoo by the 58 tram, I noticed this old building in a rather prominent place. How much longer can it last before its demolition and another shiny tower is built on the site. 

Senior Moments

Ray's sister gave us a money box, which if you had an incident of a senior forgetfulness, you were required to put a coin in the money box.

For some years, from the beginning of Covid, I never paid cash anywhere. Now at times I do, and I get change back, with coins going into the Senior Moment money box. Today I emptied it into the device at the bank and it slowly counted the coins, rejecting one foreign coin, and the total was $30. Amazing how it mounts up.  

Senior Moment fell out of fashion for 'brain fog'. 

Call it either, I have no idea where I was going with this post below. I really should have pasted in the FB link, and I would have remembered. But wait, I did put the link in that takes you to Huffington Post but to nothing specific. Oh well. Tough tittie. My words of wisdom will not be written. 

A horrible irony: The Internet was a boon to introverts, who have found a social life they never had and "met" countless people on Facebook, etc., and who are very comfortable in correspondence, such as in interviews like this,

Monday Mural

Sami is the Monday Mural leader, and here is my contribution this week. 

I believe this mural is in Barkly Street, St Kilda. We all need to love; friendly, passionately and deeply.

Look, there is even a Love shop in the background. 

Sunday Selections

As usual I am joining with River and others for Sunday Selections. Now what do I have to show you?

This cat toy has a a motor to make the arm move about and a red laser pointer. Jass found it uninteresting, until we removed the arm, disabled the laser and put cat treats inside the toy, which has an opening for the treats to fall out. She has become quite adept at patting the ball around to get the treats. 

Sorry cocky, we don't feed the native wildlife.

Oh what a mess at the back of public telephone box.

I didn't even know you could text from a public phone. Public phones are now free in Australia, as they make huge amounts of money by being covered in advertising. 

Kosov now has the full set. 

Phyllis bought a bus. 

Luggage hatch open. 

Mirrors swung out.

Interior lighting on. 

Jass rather likes Kosov's old laundry basket.

When one's car is in use by someone else, it is quite quick to visit Bunnings in West Footscray by the Metro tunnel train. Finding something historic is a bonus. 

The good, the bad and the fugly.

I am not sure where this cartoon came from but it inspired this post. 

I recently learnt about trucks, lorries if you like, world wide. Flat faced trucks are the standard in the UK and Europe. The driver has good visibility in front of them.

American trucks have a big engine sticking out in front of the cab and very poor visibility immediately in front of the driver's cab. With advent of cameras, radar and auto braking, this is probably not a huge issue now with new American trucks but it certainly was in the past when the drivers couldn't see immediately in front of them.

As Australia does, at times in picks up on the best from overseas, and the worst. We have a mix of both types of trucks but our inland long distance trucks are certainly like the one above. But we do also have long European style trucks.

On our outback roads, this style dominates.

GM is the US has made some horribly aggressive looking SUVs.

Now Japan has taken on the look, as you can in my parking garage. What is making cars look aggressive all about? We already know they are killing machines. Now they are looking more the part of a killing machine.

There's a whole lot more of these aggressive looking cars than these two in the car park.

Me's upgraded my tech

Advertising leaflets were placed in our letter boxes, which is not allowed but it easy enough for someone to get to the mail room to stick leaflets in letter boxes. I look at whatever a leaflet might offer, and mostly they go straight in the convenient nearby mail room rubbish bin.

This one grabbed my attention, my own internet supplier offering deals for new customers. I noted that once the bonus sign up discounted period ended, they would be on a better plan that I was.

I was paying $85 per month for my internet connection, with the modem spreading the signal to the whole of the apartment. Tvs, my desktop, phones, tablets, laptops, a few lamps, and Rover the vacuum cleaner all use the internet. My speed was 100mbs, and truly, I find that quite adequate and I was actually getting that download speed.

But for new subscribers, they would eventually end up on the $80 plan and get 700mbs download speed. I was outraged that I was paying more for less. 

It was time to talk to someone in the Philippines about my internet. 

Oh Sir, you are on an older plan.

It would have been nice if you informed me that there was a better plan for me.

I am sorry Sir. Our website clearly shows our plans.

Well, I will take the $80 plan and have a 700mbs service, thanks.

Sir, I have made the changes to your service. It will take some time to change and someone will call you.

Weirdly I was shuffled between various people on the phone but it wasn't too bad taking about 15 minutes. 

My expectation was that some buttons would be pressed somewhere and I would have an upgraded service. 

A few days later someone called to make an appointment. Ok, between 8.00am and 12 noon. I normally shower at 8.00, so I showered earlier on the day of the appointment. At this point I though the tech person might have do something in the basement or my floor's service room. I would just let him in.

He called about 8.30 and said he would arrive at 9.00. I let him in and he was a pleasant and competent man. He had to install a new box next to my modem. Lordy what a mess of wires. I had forgotten the name, and now I am forgetting it again. I think it was a LAN cable that connected this new box to my modem. I was told I don't own the new box, but as a homeowner, it wasn't that relevant. The LAN cable was bright yellow. That won't do at all in a public area of my apartment.

I've just remembered it is an ethernet cable, not a LAN cable.

Well, now I am connected, I should have 700mbs download speed, a huge increase from 100mbs.

Mr installer, 700mbs is an amazing speed. 

Sorry Sir, your building is old, your tech installations in the basement were early models and the wire from the basement to your home is copper. You won't get 700mbs but let me check. 

Sir, you are getting 365mbs download speed. If your building had newer equipment, and a fibre cable to your apartment, you might get 700mbs. 

After he left I went to JB HiFi and bought a grey ethernet cable and tidied wires and plugs as best I could, and that made the rat's nest, like Sybil's hair, look better. You only see the mess of the wires when at the end of the kitchen but they aren't really visible to visitors.

The black thing is the modem and the new white booster thingie sits flat on the bench.    

The end result, I have noticed a much higher speed for some things I might download, but for general computer business, such as blogging, there is no difference. It was hardly worth the bother, but then I am saving $5.00 a month. Did I mention I know how to look after the pence?