Most Commented Lifestyle Blogs (2,470)

That's fairly recent, the whole hugging thing, when I was younger (and mammoths roamed the earth, I know, I know) you offered your hand and the stranger or acquaintance shook it and jolly good show what what. Now I'm introduced to a stranger or meet an acquaintance and somewhat to my alarm they close in for kisses (praises be I am in Spain, 2 kisses, and not France, 3 or more) or a hug. What? I barely know you! Even men meeting men do the half-hug / backslap thing here, and it was becoming increasingly common in Scotland before I left. Is it international now? I need a teddybear to handle my social hugs for me.



Don't get me wrong, I love real hugging. I would change my profile to say 'I could hug you so hard all your broken bits will join up forever' except that I get enough odd mail as it is already. but here's the other odd thing - the hug, it seems, is only for acquaintances now. When you know each other better, see each other often - no more hugging. Now that's just wrong. Them's the people I WANT to hug and cuddle and pat and scrunch just because I am so very pleased to see them, or when we are parting to tide me over to the next time I see them.

Seven years ago, I started working for a company that was 40 miles from my home. Nearly all highway miles, I've tolerated bad drivers and never ending road construction. With no traffic and obeying the speed limit, it's around 50 minutes one way, door to door. On a bad day it's more than 90 minutes to reach the office.

Except for the crazy drivers, I actually enjoy driving. Unless I were a professional driver getting paid to be on the road, it shouldn't be part of my career. I try to optimize my travels and visit projects before I get to the office, but that's not always possible. Sometimes, I have meetings at office first, then I travel out on appointments.

When I started this job, I owned an old Toyota Celica and after 220,000 miles I bought a new Hyundai Veloster in 2014 that's past 125,000 miles and the 4th set of tires.

My first choice was to purchase a house near the office, but that was totally out of my price range. Then I considered renting an apartment, but I didn't want to walk away with nothing to show for my efforts. That got me to condo shopping as that is the least expense to make things work. My wife had an apartment in China and was fine with that lifestyle. While there are lots of freedoms with a house (and no Homeowners Association) that would be traded for someone else maintaining the place but I would have to accept a list of 'cannot do' this or that, typical with condo living.

Shopping on and off for two years got accelerated in the last 6 months. Although house prices are rising, I found that the units I viewed usually were sold and quickly taken off the market. The last agent I dealt with has more sales than all the others combined and I decided to go with her. She was very helpful in making a purchase.

What I got was someone who already printed reports for the units we planned to visit and actually knew something about each one and not reading details from their cellphone like the other agents I met. Mentioned in previous blogs, the last one I saw was matched more of the conditions for a purchase. For example:
Price range, less work needed to be able to move in, no one had died in the unit, bedroom was on the east side and away from the heat of the afternoon sun, easy access from the entrance gate, laundry in the unit and not community coin laundry.

I made an offer, negotiated a bit, placed a deposit. Approved by the mortgage company and the homeowners association, I was cleared to move ahead. The home inspection showed no leaking roof and no trouble with the appliances. That said, I coughed up the money and met with a cashier's check for the closing.

The sellers had all their furniture and belongings removed the day before the closing. I arranged to have utilities turned on in my name. They left me a bar of soap in one bathroom and a bottle of water in the refrigerator!

The purpose of this blog is to track my progress with the renovation and document the pitfalls as well as the successful moments.

yes yes no questions allowed but seriously, how confined are you in your area?

Tuesday I had to do an emergency trip as a passenger with my dog and it required applying for authorisation for 2 people in a car. The authorisation had to be printed off for presentation on request. I then sat in the back seat on the far side with the dog in gloves and mask. Me and driver, I mean. Not the dog.

Just wondered how that compared to what most people would have to go through to get a sick dog to a vet - if anything. The fine if we hadn't got the authorisation would have been around 1000 euros and potentially being turned back.

Would really help if any comments included country or even province / state. It could be interesting.

Out just the other night. A friend and I meet up at a local bar. We both have a few drinks....sitting around talking and such. Another person we both know, a friend starts talking with us. He pulls out his phone and starts sharing some sexually explicit videos of women.

I'm a straight guy, so I decide to watch a couple of his videos....of course while he is holding his phone right in front of my face. Okay, the first two made be just sit there in disbelief, but the third one still has me just....well...

There are two women laying down with their legs spread...naked. There is a third lady who is aligning them with each other. What happens is just outright disgusting in my opinion. I can just imagine that you are hoping I will share what I seen, but believe me, it is probably going to be disturbing for many here....and while for others...I don't know.

Anyway, the point of this whole blog is what my friend said to the the guy showing us the video...and the guy's answer.

My friend asks, how can you satisfy a woman like that?

The guys says, I don't know...but I stay away from women like that.

I know there was mention of sex toys destroying the sensation of female anatomy.....but with what I seen and from the responses that came from that....I am starting to think that a horse can't sexually satisfy some women.

Is this a new way in society for women...with the sex toy industry?

....and men are suppose to be the pigs?

I can't believe the change in him since we came to Spain - oh, he's never been what you'd call devoted. There was a lot of open space in this relationship, but he was home every night. Well, nearly every night. Most nights. Even if I went to sleep alone he was there when I woke up, pressed up against me, well you know how it is. All lovey-dovey, eyes only for me, no-one else matters, yeah yeah. Whatever.

Fifteen years.

Now he comes home just to eat, gobbling his food, then he's gone again with barely a backward glance. He'd probably say it's my fault for dragging him on one too many property hunts. Huh. It's just an excuse. He's offended by living in a van and looking for better, that's crystal clear.

Well, fine. FINE. Throw away 15 good years. See the tear in my eye? No, because you won't. You can go to hell.

Stupid cat.

What if this might be the Big One.


What would you do? For me, I really do not even want to think about it, but in reality if it is the Big One, should not there be some sort of plan in place? I just seen a show...well...the ending of the show anyway, where it interviewed two guys what they would do if a virus spread. Their solution was to move out to the woods.


The big automobile manufacturers just closed their doors. They are letting prisoners out of prison. This, just within a week of this becoming the main news of the day. I remember when they were talking about Bidon and Bernie. lol It seems as if each day a new drastic measure is being taken.

I am assuming, each day this lasts, the worse it may become.

I have heard it said that what damage the virus don't do, panic may. So, I would say being in a panic is not a solution, but planning might be....

Is it possible the police force might not exist out of either fear of illness or out of illness itself?
The same with government?
The same with fuel supplies?
The same with television?
The same with telephones?
The same with internet?
The same with electricity?

How fragile have our lives really been? A good time for some introspection I suppose.

Panic is not a smart or good thing, but planning is.

Stay safe all....enjoy what we have taken for granted most if not all of our lives...and I suppose we can hope for the best out of all this.

I dedicate this blog to a friend.

We all fail at something in our life, but how many times does that short term pain turn into long term gain? The answer is more times than you could imagine.....take a look

Oprah Winfrey was fired from WJZ-TV for being too "emotionally involved" with the stories she reported. She has since gone on to be one of the most famous and rich personalities in the world

Vincent Van Gogh only sold ONE painting out of 900 in his life

Lady Gaga got dropped by a major record label after only 3 months

Steven Spielberg was denied by USC'S prestigious film school not once but twice

Michael Jordon was rejected from his high school varsity basketball team

Dr. Seuss first childrens book And to think I saw it on Mulberry Street was refused by 27 publishers

Ang Lee failed Taiwan's college exam TWICE.....THIS ONE'S FOR MY FRIEND


All these people went on to achieve great success in their lives because they believed in themselves and were persistent in their paths

When you get a 90 on an exam and you got one wrong isn't that the one you always remember?

Anyone have any similar experiences?

I know I’m going to offend some people with this but here are a few things that make me look as though I’m sucking a lemon, okay? The people doing them seem to feel it is their absolute right to do it in public and to hell with the lemon-suckers. It is happening more and more often and you know what? Not everyone loves watching. Rein it in a bit.

A couple noisily and lengthily kissing, especially if they are groping each other at the same time. The whole world doesn’t love lovers.

Especially if you’re slurping.

Eating noisily with your mouth open throughout.

Talking while you’re eating, especially if I get a fine spray of food and your gob in the process, gets a DOUBLE ew

Peeing against a tree with people around - at least go round the tree, okay?

Whipping out an engorged tit and openly feeding your kid. The older the kid, the more embarrassing it is for the rest of us. Kids that bang on mummy's shirt and demand 'titty, mummy, titty!' - oh, hang on, I think there's a youtube vid. I'll find it for the comments.

Picking your nose, especially if you then turn it into a meal. Bon appetite.

Talking very loudly on your phone – particularly effective on a long train trip in the “quiet” carriage. Don't forget to be very boring and repeat yourself at least 4 times.



Yes yes yes all absolutely natural and perfectly lovely and you can be as offended as you like. But now you know not everyone thinks it lovely behaviour.

So there.

It was reported last week that Trump's ex-Executive Assistant Molly Michael told investigators that Trump regularly reused paper in a bid to save trees.

He wrote to-do lists for her on the back of White House notecards used to brief him while in office, rather than recklessly binning them in landfill waste collection. They were only spoiled on one side with sensitive information and classification markings.

Molly Michaels went on to recycle the card through an FBI reclamation scheme.

Is it me, or are all the personal attacks on people here on the blogs reducing the blog activity by people? If so, what a great way of trying to make a meaningful connection with somebody....encourage them not to return.