To Ron: "I'm finding Apollo net a little frustrating as all the men who contact me and I find appealing are over 3000 Miles away in the US. The locals only seem to want to send me close ups of their privates accompanied with text with all the charm and literary merit of graffiti on a public toilet wall."

From Ron: I'm sorry this gave me a wake up smile, but what you say is often true. A man in heat is a sometimes amusing thing, and many a man still thinks of the Internet with the mentality of a public toilet.

In the mean time, try to find some good men who have interesting things to say, even though they live many miles away. I have no local gay friends (our best friend died, and the rest are closeted), but I enjoy the company of men across the country and around the world whom I think of and write. Yes, I know it's not the same as physical intimacy, but male bonding fills an ancient need, and no men do it better than gay men. Best of luck.