McCackie,

Oh, I think that women are worth it, all right. Ultimately, what else is there in life ? You just have to get the foreplay right, as I said. Of course, you also have to get the fore-foreplays right as well, not to mention the various post-post-foreplays too. That's a lifetime's effort, and it's called marriage.

It might feel like that pigeon tapping the bar five thousand times before he gets the pellet of food, but wow ! it's worth it. In reality, the everyday life in those five thousand taps is as satisfying as the five thousandth. You should be so lucky :)

Cheers,

Joe

Women don't know what they want.

The best advice for men is to always keep themselves in trim and well dressed. Have their own mind, an independence that is never taken away by that really stupid advice that, 'a happy wife is a happy life'.

Men who are needy and constantly pander to women, not that any poster here is recommending that, don't realise that is a certain recipe for a long droughts in lovemaking. Any that occurs is either sympathy (women are not known for much sympathy where a needy man is concerned), or a necessary concession to keep the wallet and shelter for the present. Either way it is a chore.

The elephant in the room is why is do women who have had independence for yonks still feel the need to go on and on and on about 'unsatisfactory' men? What is it with all of those 'men are *expletives*' columns in the daily rags?

Whatever happened to Nancy Sinatra's boots (1966!)? Problem solved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbyAZQ45uww

Jesus, her husband can levitate and all this woman worries about is watching some crappy TV show? Some people have strange priorities.

No, most women are twisted inside. Women are liberated and will hand it out for free. Just don't let them sink their claws into your home.

Hi McCackie,

Rather bitter and twisted, as Charlie Sheen would say ? Having led a sheltered life, I can recall only one woman, about forty five years ago, who took more than her share of the family home - perhaps because, come to think of it, she was the one working, he was boozing her money away. Fair enough.

Hi LEGO,

Yes, the War disrupted so many people's lives: so many men didn't come back (Clive James' father, for instance); many came back very damaged (whingey Germaine's father: he neglected her, poor dear).

My father was on the munitions trains from Sydney to Brisbane throughout the war and afterwards, used to drink heavily and knock our mum around. She got an order out against him, we kept moving from place to place around Lakemba and Chullora. How the hell we survived I don't know: a woman couldn't get anything for the first two years, and could blow that if he came back for a few nights; start all over again.

I recall her working at a factory while she put us three kids, 5, 4 and 2, in the play-ground next to it, she would duck out every break to make sure we were still there. But I think that only lasted a few days. An old lady looked after us with a lot of other kids in a small room with benches for another few days, we sat there all day with our arms folded, no talking allowed. You develop an awareness of mortality pretty early, don't you ?

Our grand-dad looked after us for a few months, but our mum couldn't afford to keep him: she says he came there skinny and left fat. I think we spent a lot of time at our grand-mother's in Gymea while our mum worked in s metal factory. But she found another bloke, a lovely, quiet man - in fact, my only memory of my real father is him beating up our soon-to-be step-dad.

Yes, Gen X and Gen Y kids, how easy our lives were.

Cheers,

Joe

Fella's, I think we just got the cold shoulder.