Book clubs and sheet stains

From The Guardian, a story about book clubs breaking up. This isn't about whether people in book clubs don't read the chosen books. 

Karen Stillman, 47, a North Carolina native, has first-hand experience. “For over a year, four women would turn up to our book club without having touched the book, saying they hadn’t had a chance to read it. These women are all retired! How did they not have the time?”

Karen must be a working person, and she has no idea about how busy retired people can be. Where is all this spare time I am supposed to have? I have zilch, and I can't fit into a day everything I want to do. Oh for some boredom with nothing to do. I needed to get that off my chest.

On to other stuff, about Phyllis and Kosov staying with me at sister's. Sister, Bone Doctor and Jo parked here while they had a night in town, I think for Jo's 18th birthday. A slap up dinner, a visit to the theatre to see Beetle Juice. Jo had dressed up for the occasion and looked terrific, especially when she had her photo taken with Eddie Perfect. He looked so handsome in the photo. 

Now to the personal. It is a bit of a battle to get Kosov to empty the recycling bucket into the big blue bag to transfer it to the recycling bins in the basement. I've told them before that I don't want to get up in the morning and see the recycling bag sitting near the door, but it was again, so I told them again. I noticed next morning it was sitting in the toilet. 

As Bone Doctor et all were departing to the city for fun, I asked Bone Doctor if the blue bag was still in the toilet. She said no, but it gave her an opportunity to say that when P&K slept for two nights at her home, the sheets were a bit messy. 

Shit! And that was what she intimated about messy. 

I told Phyllis later that night, and pointed out that I was embarrassed and I was disappointed. He seemed puzzled.

The next morning I woke to find a long note on the desk. It was along the lines of Phyllis wanted sex but Kosov did not feel comfortable doing so in someone else's bed. The marks on the sheet were from eating chicken gravy, what I would call chicken curry, in bed. They do that here at home all the time, eat in bed. P&K were very apologetic about not leaving the bed clean, and so they should be, whatever the marks were, and asked me to pass on their apologies, which I did do the next morning with an explanation. P&K's personal hygiene is beyond reproach. Later, I received a return text from Bone Doctor to thank me for sorting it out, and no problems.

Whatever, my immediate family has never fallen out, and I will do everything to ensure it never does.

When Sister was here, I asked if it would be ok for Phyllis and Kosov to attend Jo's 18th family birthday party, and with a slight hesitation, Sister said yes. After the sms from Bone Doctor, she later messaged to ask if Phyllis and Kosov could make a curry for Jo's birthday party. Of course they said yes. 

P&K and myself are in a relationship of a kind. It is not sexual, it is not romantic, and I don't have words to describe it, but I like it. Who knows how long it will last. It will be as sad day for me when it ends, if it does in my lifetime.    

I hired a male sex worker for my 70th birthday. It didn’t go as planned

I am not 70, so it is not about me. It was a column written in our newspaper The Age. You can perhaps read it here.

The story is about a 70 year old single but sexually experienced woman who paid an extraordinary amount of money to hire a sex worker, something like AU$1300 for 3 hours, plus a few hundred for a hotel, for her 70th birthday present to herself. It wouldn't be much of a story if it all went well, would it. 

Older women and sex is something that enters my curious mind, curious in both senses. In my opinion she overegged the blancmange. She was trying to buy an emotional experience resulting in sex. She spoke to the bloke before hand more than once. She found they had things in common. She liked the sound of him and liked his looks. She was concerned about how he would react to her 70 year old body, and she should not be. It is a commercial arrangement. She made great preparations at the hotel before his arrival. While it remained all very polite and civilised, she realised it wasn't working and asked him to leave, which he did. 

The next day she called him and asked for a refund, which he did. She took no blame and decided it was his lack of professionalism. Maybe, maybe not. 

But honestly, why did she do it in such a hard and expensive manner? She lived alone so I kind of get why she wouldn't want a sex worker in her home. Why wouldn't she be content with a quick fuck with a hot rent guy for an hour in a motel room? If it was a gay man, it might be over in 30 minutes. I suppose it was a birthday present to herself and she wanted to go the whole hog a romantic experience. I don't think that is something that is you can buy.

The author mentioned a film with a similar theme. I have not heard of the film but it sounds interesting, Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. It stars Emma Thompson, so that is one positive, the second being the male actor Daryl McCormack, is quite attractive. Have you heard of it or seen it? I want to see the film and from my investigations, the easiest way is using YouTube for the cost of $5.