marius

Oh - and now Baldur, you are the ONLY other person I know who puts salt on oatmeal, excluding those in my family!

Robindcr8l

Baldur, just a thought, (probably out of line, too) but you said that while you were shampooing your hair with your soap, you decided to wash your whole self with it, too. I have always imagined you with more hair on your whole self than on your head! So in a way, I assumed you shampooed your whole self always! LOL

Marius, you're hilarious! (Have I mentioned that before?) Haven't found you to be abrupt or inconsiderate yet, just hilarious! But I'd like to know how it is that you are able to get a nap every day. What am I doing wrong here?? I can barely get a nap at bedtime!

marius

Snickerdoodle, you are funny! And, why are you distracting Baldur with a question about his hair and shampoo-ing when we are all dying to hear the story of when Baldur and Robert met? We ARE desiring this, yes? (still giggling - it won't stop) : )

The reason I can take naps is because I retired. I do have a home business but it doesn't bring in much and I don't do it much either. Meanwhile, as long as spouse is happy with my early retirement, I'm happy. And, may this happiness continue because I worked way too many years with the 6-7 day week stuff, long hours, the two jobs, etc. I was crazed then. Am much better now. : )

Robindcr8l

I may have to set up a new username on here called Snickerdoodle, just for posting in the forum! I like my new nickname!

Now, Marius, since Baldur is not responding to the "How I met my soulmate" question in a timely fashion, perhaps I should just make up a story about it for him. I'm very creative that way. And, after all, this is "All Robin, some of the time". But I'll give him a little more time to enlighten all of us nosy nancies out here!

Robindcr8l

And, by the way, Marius, I thought you made a very charming and engaging guest host here on Channel Baldur. Perhaps we can job-share the responsibilities?

Dragon

Just be careful there Snickerdoodle. If you make a new user name you know there are some out there who will accuse you of not only attempting to use it to manipulate votes and favorites, but they will also immediatly assume you are a certain thong obsessed friend of ours and much ado about nothing will ensue (at least 50 points for getting ado and ensue into the same sentence)

Dragon

Just realized I also got 'thong' into that same sentence, perhaps I should lobby for some extra points for creativity.

marius

I was a host? Thought I was just carrying on. : ) But, yes, if Baldur is hiring I'd be happy to job-share.

Meanwhile, I wish you would share your version of how Baldur and Robert met. Am sure it will have its own charm as will the real story!

marius

Hi Dragon!

Robindcr8l

Marius, I will have to ponder my story about the meeting before I write it and I have a date for happy hour with the girls in about an hour, so after a margarita or 2, I bet my imagination will run wild!

Dragon

Hi marius!

Robin, perhaps your version of Baldur and Roberts first meeting will involve a few margaritas too! Hehe.

belladonnis

Ok Ive got a question and I know that Baldur can answer it. I was looking in the pantry for something sweet and saw one of my kids snack pac Tapioca puddings so I thought I would try it. The question.......What exactly is Tapioca and where does it come from? Balder, marius, anyone....give me the low down.lol
I bet homemade Tapioca pudding is really good! The snack pack wasnt bad.lol

marius

Dragon - I like your laugh!

belladonnis - I have texture "issues" with some foods and Tapioca would be one of those foods. So, alas, methinks you will have to wait for another to get your answer. I'm curious about the answer too.

Baldur

Tapioca is the dried and ground starchy root of a tropical plant.
Baldur also happens to love it.
Other than being used in puddings it makes a good thickener for pies and other things. When I worked in a nursing home I used it often to thicken the liquid of stewed tomatoes just a tiny bit. The flavor is quite neutral and it worked well.
One can avoid the general 'fish-eyes' complaint one hears regarding this great product by using it in powdered rather than granule form.
I don't personally mind it looking like fish-eyes.

Dragon

I LOVE tapioca. I don't eat it very often but I'm absolutely smitten with the texture, it's probably my favorite part.

Baldur

Alright I will relate my first encounter with Robert though feel free to post the fictitious versions as well. I'm curious to read them all.

The Saga

Back in 1995 Baldur was already long divorced from his wife and living on his own in small but rather odd apartment in the bizarre East Side of Providence, RI.
My exwife and I always maintained a friendly relationship and my children would spend the weekends that I didn't work with me at my place.

In May, Baldur was reading an adult oriented magazine and noticed a classified ad for a screen-printing company based out of Massachusetts that sold 'bear' themed T-Shirts. We've already mentioned the concept of 'bears' in this forum. Baldur wanted to have a bear shirt and thus needed to call the number and speak to the proprietor.
One needs to understand that the internet was not as omnipresent at that time. Baldur did not have a computer.
Actually to the horror of many of my friends I also didn't own a car, or a television. Many were unaware that I even had a telephone. The phone was hidden in a cupboard in my kitchen, with it's ringer disengaged.
Baldur preferred a very low-tech lifestyle.

I called Mikey B and asked him to mail me a catalog. He was quite pleasant.

Days later I received the mailing and called to ask about shipping etc. I needed to send him a check.
Mikey proposed delivering the shirt himself rather than mailing it. He was going to be in Providence the very next Satyrday for Providence Gay Pride Day. He was going to march in the parade and then was going to a 'bear' cookout and a friend's in Providence. Perhaps I'd like to join him.....
Baldur thanked him but declined. He was welcome to drop by with the shirt but I wasn't going to a party where I knew no one at all, especially to one that I hadn't been invited to by the hosts.
Mikey endeavored to explain that within the bear community no one would look askance (+5 points) at an extra guest, there would be many.
He told me to expect him at 2pm and we could discuss the cookout then.

Now Baldur had to do 2 things.
First I had to make sure my children were back with their mother earlier than usual and I had to install a doorbell.
Perhaps I hadn't mentioned the lack of doorbell earlier. My apartment had obviously been an attic at one point and was only accessible through the back hallway of the building. There was also a fire escape but there was no easy way to gain admittance short of tossing pebbles at my window.
I found a cordless doorbell at Home Depot and installed it.

Since the school year was over my children's schedule was a bit more flexible. Instead of Friday/Satyrday/Sunday they came by Thursday/Friday/Satyrday. The ex picked them up and took them home before noon.

Mikey arrived and using his considerable charm convinced me to go to the cookout. He was staying with a couple friends and they were waiting in the car. They were planning on going out to eat first having been running around all day, then they were all going back to their apartment for a couple hours before headed to the cookout.

.......

marius

And ..... ???

Dragon

We're waiting with bated breath for the next installment.

lilalee

please continue......

Baldur

It will be sufficient to say that Baldur had more 'fun' that afternoon than I had ever imagined possible, and that was before even setting foot anywhere near the cookout. The situation needs to remain vague in this non-adult setting. We arrived at the hosts' house quite late, the party was in full swing.

Another thing that needs to be explained here was that the gay community in Providence is and was small enough that everyone knew each other. Here arrives Baldur like Cinderella at the ball, a complete mystery.
No one had seen me at the bars (as I'd never been to any) and socially I was an unknown quantity. The cookout oddly enough was within walking distance of my apartment.
Many of the guests were people who shopped in the same supermarket that I frequented but the hush hush whispers were all the same:
'Who is he?'

I had the presence of mind to make a gallon of homemade salsa to bring to the party which was gratefully accepted and summarily devoured.

Everyone needed to talk to me, except for one odd bearded older man he never took his eye off of me for the entire evening. Guess who!, ....Robert