isn't it always the way? . . . just when u manage to convince yourself that something is a complete waste of time, it comes through for u and manages to wipe away all your previous frustration . . . i'm talking about on-line cruising which substitutes for the beach and the park from November through March . . . at first, the experience seemed full of possibilities and almost as easy as ordering in dinner but four years on it seems more like so many screen names, so little action . . . until one recent Saturday afternoon when i felt like i won the AOL equivalent of the Powerball lottery . . . PeterG9454@aol.com IM'd me, not for the first time, but for the first time since i had spotted him in R's Picture Gallery one rainy afternoon in the Pines . . . he can't be for real, can he? i asked . . . oh yes he can replied R who also flashed his highly-recommended grin . . . i didn't tell R that more than once i had accused PeterG9454 of being a fake . . . maybe this explained why he continued to IM me . . . truly hot guys with great bodies and fetish-free profiles probably aren't accustomed to rejection . . . so as soon as i ascertained that he did remember me, i confessed that since his JPG had been independently verified i was ready to send him mine . . . two exchanges later we had a date . . . i didn't doubt he would show--guys who mean business don't usually waste a lot of time playing 20 Questions--but i did wonder if he would stay . . . not that i have a bad self-image, but i do know when some body--or face--is out of my league . . . i greet my AOL dates in bright lighting so that we both can see what we're getting into . . . height was my only advantage so when he suggested that we move into the bedroom after an obligatory grope, i felt exactly as i did when Rudolph waved me into Studio 54 . . . once inside, i began to glow . . . we removed our clothes in slo-mo and gently ran our fingertips over each bodies . . . tender kisses and nibbles too with no rush to orgasm . . . porn as u might see it on the Lifetime channel minus the dialog . . . the only thing i can remember him saying is you'll have to come over to see the flat screen TV i bought on Ebay . . . hope does spring eternal even if it means waiting months for the bulbs you plant to bloom.