By Choice

[Efbee]

Hello
I'm new to this forum, I'm glad I found an interesting forum that doesn't revolve around dating. When I read the Forum title it didn't seem to be for me because "A Lonely Life" isn't what I had up to a few years ago but also because I can be introverted as well as outgoing - I'm a paradox - and thus am very comfortable with being alone. My favorite hobbies are in the arts and reading and both of those hobbies do not require anyone to be around for me to enjoy them. I enjoy being by myself... I love it and it's by choice.
Then I started reading a few of the threads and realized this forum is exactly what I'd been looking for: a place for people who are alone but not necessarily lonely. Just a forum to hang out online and read interesting points of view and hopefully participate without offending anyone.  
That's all for my "about yourself" section. I like this forum already... 

I'd like to thank the moderator(s) for accepting my signup and maybe in the near future, I can figure out how to fill out my profile and maybe add a photo of my dog or something.

Be well

 

[Finished]

Welcome to the forum! I see you are interested in using this forum for dating. Not! Ha! Ha!

 

[Sidewinder]

Some site members are lonely, but not all of us, lol... there's a BIG difference in being alone and being lonely, and like you, I don't mind being alone, though I'm also outgoing at times. Besides, as a bachelor living with four cats, I'm never REALLY alone, lol. I've actually shared & enjoyed quality time with the cats today... they make great companions, better than some humans I've known in the past. Like you, I've done plenty of reading too, nothing wrong with enriching your mind. During my 'school daze' I was definitely NOT a team player, I gravitated toward solo sports like sailing & skateboarding... later in life, after the Aaaarrrgghhmy, I got into technical rock climbing, where one actually WANTS a climbing partner for belaying purposes. I've done my share of free soloing too, but roped climbing is safer on large cliffs. Anyway, welcome to the forum, there are good people here... and a few whiners, lol. Cheers!!!   

P.S. Whenever Finished posts a reply, take it with a grain of salt... he's the resident whack job, lol.  

 

[Efbee]

Welcome to the forum! I see you are interested in using this forum for dating. Not! Ha! Ha!

Thank you! Glad to be here.
And yes, LOL... Dating: haha!!

 

[Efbee]

Some site members are lonely, but not all of us, lol... there's a BIG difference in being alone and being lonely, and like you, I don't mind being alone, though I'm also outgoing at times. Besides, as a bachelor living with four cats, I'm never REALLY alone, lol. I've actually shared & enjoyed quality time with the cats today... they make great companions, better than some humans I've known in the past. Like you, I've done plenty of reading too, nothing wrong with enriching your mind. During my 'school daze' I was definitely NOT a team player, I gravitated toward solo sports like sailing & skateboarding... later in life, after the Aaaarrrgghhmy, I got into technical rock climbing, where one actually WANTS a climbing partner for belaying purposes. I've done my share of free soloing too, but roped climbing is safer on large cliffs. Anyway, welcome to the forum, there are good people here... and a few whiners, lol. Cheers!!!   

P.S. Whenever Finished posts a reply, take it with a grain of salt... he's the resident whack job, lol.  

Nice to read you, Sidewinder. Thank you for the welcome. I did have a feeling there'd be guys in these forum with the same state of mind I'm in. I have a french bulldog, a couple of turtles and some fish. The dog, Bill I called him, has enough attitude for two adults so I'm rarely bored with him. I also wasn't a "teamplayer" in high school, I rather liked bodybuilding, gymnastics and swimming. I didn't like having to count on others to shine in sports or at work so my career was mainly spent working by myself or with a couple of guys under me. 
I also like climbing. My children used to call me Spider-Man but I mainly always climbed trees, cellular towers or rooftops.
I will be keeping an eye out for Finished, thx  lol

 

[Finished]

I'm kind of suspicious of the cat thing...... Ha! Ha!

 

[Efbee]

I'm kind of suspicious of the cat thing...... Ha! Ha!

Hello, Finished.  I heard some rumors about you 

 

[Sidewinder]

Hailing from a broken & suddenly-impoverished home, I was terribly antisocial in my youth... couldn't relate to the rich ******** in school, wasn't big enough (yet) to pound the bullies, etc. So I definitely gravitated toward sports and activities where I flew solo... even in my adult life, I wound up driving a truck over the road, and actually enjoyed it in my 30s and 40s, though the industry has gone downhill since the glory days in the 90s. I never told prospective employers, "I want to be alone in the truck!" Instead, I told 'em, "I don't mind the additional responsibility." Lol. And that's also a powerful lure to a guy like me: the honesty of it all. If you fresia up in trucking as a solo driver, it's ALL on you... conversely, if you do a stellar job, nobody else can take the credit, lol. No 'kindergarten politics' at the office when you're driving a big rig, and I wasn't a model employee either, except in the sense that I was never late and the company could rely upon me to get the job done. Otherwise, I burned shitloads of company fuel while playing the tourist, used the 10-ton road tractor as my personal ******* RV on days off at home, took the thing into the dirt and used it for camping with friends & family, the whole nine yards, lol. Ah, yes, those were the days... I had some good times while traveling around the country, you can read a few of my narratives in my 'Tales of Adventure' thread in the 'Express Yourself' forum. I don't regret a minute of my 'trucking daze'---as we drivers used to say, "The worst day of trucking is better than the best day in an office or a factory!" Of course, things were different back then, I'm not sure I'd want to do it now, lol.    

Edit: ****, Finished, at least give the cat a female form... jeez, you're making me look bad, lol.  

 

[Finished]

^ At our age we can't be too picky.

 

[Sidewinder]

Speak for yourself... lol.  

 

[Efbee]

Hailing from a broken & suddenly-impoverished home, I was terribly antisocial in my youth... couldn't relate to the rich ******** in school, wasn't big enough (yet) to pound the bullies, etc. So I definitely gravitated toward sports and activities where I flew solo... even in my adult life, I wound up driving a truck over the road, and actually enjoyed it in my 30s and 40s, though the industry has gone downhill since the glory days in the 90s. I never told prospective employers, "I want to be alone in the truck!" Instead, I told 'em, "I don't mind the additional responsibility." Lol. And that's also a powerful lure to a guy like me: the honesty of it all. If you fresia up in trucking as a solo driver, it's ALL on you... conversely, if you do a stellar job, nobody else can take the credit, lol. No 'kindergarten politics' at the office when you're driving a big rig, and I wasn't a model employee either, except in the sense that I was never late and the company could rely upon me to get the job done. Otherwise, I burned shitloads of company fuel while playing the tourist, used the 10-ton road tractor as my personal ******* RV on days off at home, took the thing into the dirt and used it for camping with friends & family, the whole nine yards, lol. Ah, yes, those were the days... I had some good times while traveling around the country, you can read a few of my narratives in my 'Tales of Adventure' thread in the 'Express Yourself' forum. I don't regret a minute of my 'trucking daze'---as we drivers used to say, "The worst day of trucking is better than the best day in an office or a factory!" Of course, things were different back then, I'm not sure I'd want to do it now, lol.    

Edit: ****, Finished, at least give the cat a female form... jeez, you're making me look bad, lol.  

It must've been tough for you at school. Me, I wasn't the tallest but the one who did punch hard and didn't care about the consequences and since most kids don't want to go to the principal's office I could pretty much be left alone when I wanted and participate when I wanted. I did do some boxing but then we moved away to another country and that was that. 
Funny, one of my childhood dreams was to be a truck driver. Then the whole technological boom happened and I found out I was more suited behind a laptop than behind a wheel. Didn't have to go far from home, could even work from home sometimes and it helped the kids knowing daddy was home after class. I loved the fact that they could get home and still be supervised and safe. 
And you're right, the 90's was good ol' time.

 

[TheRealCallie]

Welcome

 

[Efbee]

Welcome

Thank you! 

 

[Sidewinder]

Not so much tough as unpleasant... I started school a year early and also skipped a grade, so I was younger and physically smaller during high school. That all changed when I joined the Infantry... upon my return to my hometown, bad karma caught up with some of those bullies when I deliberately beat 'em down and publicly shamed 'em, lol. After that, no more bullies... funny how that works.   


I hear ya about being there for the kids... I never married or had kids, but I have around 20 nieces & nephews, so I never felt left out when it came to that whole family scene. In fact, I was the "good time uncle" who took the kids camping in the big truck, giving their parents a break in the process. I'd pitch a tent and let the kids sleep in the truck... last place I wanted to be during time off was in the sleeper, lol. 


I also took the kids sailing, that was always a blast... just my way of keeping the nautical tradition alive in my family. My pop was a submarine commander, and one of my seven brothers (one sister) followed in his footsteps and became a CDR, USN Submarine Service. I chose the USA INF, go figure... but that was mainly for the bonus money offered at the time. Still, no regrets... I have good memories of my time in service.  

 

[Efbee]

Not so much tough as unpleasant... I started school a year early and also skipped a grade, so I was younger and physically smaller during high school. That all changed when I joined the Infantry... upon my return to my hometown, bad karma caught up with some of those bullies when I deliberately beat 'em down and publicly shamed 'em, lol. After that, no more bullies... funny how that works.   


I hear ya about being there for the kids... I never married or had kids, but I have around 20 nieces & nephews, so I never felt left out when it came to that whole family scene. In fact, I was the "good time uncle" who took the kids camping in the big truck, giving their parents a break in the process. I'd pitch a tent and let the kids sleep in the truck... last place I wanted to be during time off was in the sleeper, lol. 


I also took the kids sailing, that was always a blast... just my way of keeping the nautical tradition alive in my family. My pop was a submarine commander, and one of my seven brothers (one sister) followed in his footsteps and became a CDR, USN Submarine Service. I chose the USA INF, go figure... but that was mainly for the bonus money offered at the time. Still, no regrets... I have good memories of my time in service.  

Thank you for your service! btw 
I didn't much like military life. I'm not one to take orders so easily as I found out so 4 years was plenty enough for me. I served in the paratroopers. Nothing fancy but plenty of exercises. And yeah, isn't it funny to see bullies finally learn what it's like to be bullied and beat up? I was the "anti-bully patrol" at school. I always wanted to fight but I wanted to fight those who liked to fight weaker than they are. I was a cocky little brat, though.