our 97th weekly open mike
Let’s see what happens when your host (me) has nothing to say. Step right up, speak your mind, tell a story, sing a song, whatever.
9/12/2026
Anything goes: 9/12/2026
14 responses to “Anything goes: 9/12/2026”
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This time, a poem
Afternoon, by Dorothy ParkerWhen I am old, and comforted,
And done with this desire,
With Memory to share my bed
And Peace to share my fire,I’ll comb my hair in scalloped bands
Beneath my laundered cap,
And watch my cool and fragile hands
Lie light upon my lap.And I will have a sprigged gown
With lace to kiss my throat;
I’ll draw my curtain to the town,
And hum a purring note.And I’ll forget the way of tears,
And rock, and stir my tea.
But oh, I wish those blessed years
Were further than they be!-
Hey, that’s pretty good. Dorothy Parker! Thanks!
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Decided to have breakfast at a deli in the town where I used to live when i first moved to the Portland area back in 2020. The coffee is good, but I prefer the diner vibe over this, the solitary diners all eating and maybe occasionally chatting with one another. I’m the only solo here, it’s all old folks chatting at their tables, elderly couples sharing scones, etc. I’m killing time waiting for the library to open, and may catch the train later to hit one this one beer bar—it’s fresh hop season which is a big deal to all the beer enthusiasts of which I’ve sometimes been but am feeling that enthusiasm beginning to wane.
The mornings are getting more crisp. Feeling that autumnal energy.-
Huh. Not sure I’d given it any thought, but now I’m realizing that eating alone is better when there are other folks eating alone, too. Comradery at the diner, even if we none of us lone eaters say anything to each other. And once in a great while, we actually say howdy.
Never found a deli or sandwich shop with the diner vibe, but it’s theoretically possible, it there are tables, other folks eating alone, and especially if staff offers coffee refills. A lot.
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Yeah this was the first time I really noticed that too, when it’s all people in groups, they all pretty much just talk to the people around them (and I mean, why would they talk to people at other tables?)
I was walking around this neighborhood today where I hadn’t walked in a long time, and realized there was a diner there that I want to try now. I regularly walked that area in 2020-2021 when restaurants were still take out only and forgot it was there. May give it a shot next time.
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Of course, I don’t really want to talk at the diner, other than telling the waitress my order and saying thanks on my way out. Still annoys me that the staff at Mrs Rigby’s Diner knows my name and they often say “Hello, Doug, how you doing?” because my twit brother once phoned the diner and asked for me.
Not getting around as much as I used to, but in the old days I’d definitely eat at any mom&pop diner in my neighborhood, spotted out the window of my bus, or in any neighborhood I frequently frequented.
It’s my opinion that virtually none of the true diner experience is available at Denny’s. Never do I ever want a giant corporation to make my breakfast.
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A dearly departed acquaintance of mine had a rule where he would quit frequenting an establishment if it became obvious the staff were becoming familiar with his habits, calling him by name, remembering his usual order, etc. Most people would enjoy that, but some of us are wired differently.
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It’s borderline for me. I *am* fat and ugly and wear distinctly weird clothes, so being remembered is a risk. It’s OK if the waitress remembers my “usual” order, so we can skip a few sentences. But I really don’t want to be greeted by name at a restaurant, and I eat less often at Mrs Rigby’s because of it.
Because of my twit brother.
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For me it’s nice to be remembered, though I don’t like people commenting on what I’m ordering, my habits, etc. I’m glad that there isn’t a breakfast place I enjoy in my immediate neighborhood, it helps me change things up more.
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When I lived in Wisconsin, a very good diner opened within easy walking distance of my apt. We ate there often, and the convenience was great, but I always preferred a drive or a bus ride to Bob’s Diner instead. These days it would be a very long train ride…
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No Longer King of the Jerk-offs
I knew that playing around on Internet porn sites would warp my fantasy life, usually for weeks until free from the residual influence, and that was one of the reasons I hadn’t been on them for three years. What I didn’t realize was that going back to reading sections of very dirty episodes in a porn book, while also looking at naked cuties printed off the internet, would have a similar effect.
I had been on a self-pleasuring roll this summer, having orgasmed seventeen times in a row, successfully using my stale fantasy rotation with the marijuana aphrodisiac, the best results in the recent years. When my dentist noticed abnormalities in my mouth and asked if I smoked I told him just weed a couple nights a week and he said to come back for another checkup in a month to see if there were any positive changes or if I should see a specialist. (I decided to not smoke for that month and hoped that could help clear up the condition.)
Without the drug-enhanced orgasms I took out the old tools and they worked every time, still screaming at climax though not with the drugged-out intensity. When I went back to my fantasy rotation with the weed I ended my streak of success and the last five times I’ve failed to launch. I know my fantasy life does need some new life, fresh flesh, and the only way to get back on or near my summer roll, I know from experience, is to take time off, reset and start over. (But I just can’t stop, I really want that orgasm to clear the decks and I just can’t get it.)
Could insomnia be related to the lack of creating orgasms? After averaging less than one night a month over the last four I had three in August and already three more in September, just two weeks in. (Before this the last bad month was an astounding five in March when I hurt my leg and couldn’t walk in the park for a month.)
What else could be the cause of my drought? I did have a pretty intense August, when my good streak ended and my bad one started, having a root canal and then a painful palate biopsy. I took light pain meds for ten days, stopped eating raw serrano peppers and smoked from the same joint. Could it be the weed? The residual anxiety from the intense month? Mostly I’m blaming the soft core porn I went back to but need to research the effects of painkillers on the libido, right? Maybe eating raw hot peppers are actually aphrodisiacs also? I stopped eating them last month, after decades of use, when I suspected they could have caused the lesions on the roof of my mouth.
The biopsy thankfully came back negative but I still can’t come, three weeks and counting. I know there will come a time when I’m done for real but for now I’ll blame the porn and wait for redemption.
(Not trying to come all over you guy’s faces, this is just the only place I can post something like this, I think.)
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Jeez, man, I was expecting the usual report and assessment, but this sounds like bad news. Condolences, and if prayer worked I would send one your way.
So you get hard, and start ‘bating, keep ‘bating, but never reach the destination? Not to be too pollyanna, but that’s happened to me a few times and despite never getting there I still enjoyed the ride.
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still waiting for my story and photo to appear, a day or so later
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Like the small print says, “Comments with attachments or multiple links are held for manual approval.” I’ve been Mom-sitting since Thursday, and her internet was spotty, sorry…
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In defense against spam and bots, comments with attachments or multiple links require my approval, which might delay things.
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