Like any major urban centre, Toronto has its landmarks and attractions; things the visitors are encouraged to see. From opera to architecture we're used to seeing these objects of civic pride measured against other cities knickknacks in the never-ending competition for tourist bucks.

Then there are the activities you don't usually hear about, the ones you can't necessarily enjoy with the entire family. Some are praiseworthy (gay couples from the States coming up here to get married), others leave a distinctly bad taste in my mouth (swinger couples visiting Club Wicked; is that the best we can do?) and a few are really weird (Reg Hartt screenings; more about him later).

Somewhere in between the last two is Dimitri the Lover and his Toronto Real Men meetings. If you don't already know, he is the latest iteration in a long line of pick-up artists (PUA) offering up the secrets of seduction to hapless guys all over the country.

I was paid $12 an hour to break up marriages.

Well, at least that's what some of my friends accused me of when I worked as a chat hostess for a local dating service, which I've dubbed, "Homewreckers."

I actually hadn't thought of my days there - all 30 of them - until new commercials for the adulterous web site recently started airing again, usually during Blind Date late at night. A few years ago, I was at my wits end working at HMV, barely making above minimum wage. So I figured any job that paid better was worth checking out.

I saw in the back of NOW an ad looking for chat hostesses. It wasn't under the adult classifieds, so I made a call and was soon given an interview at a midtown office building.

I visit the popular online photo-sharing site Flickr pretty much every day, and I use it in the most conventional way - to post my own photographs, check out those taken by others, and engage in interesting dialogue with fellow Toronto-area photography enthusiasts. Often interaction with members in Toronto groups results in face-to-face time at socials, and sometimes real, close, off-line relationships can be forged. It's social networking at its finest.

With the exception of adding the lovely (NSFW) SuicideGirls to my contacts list, I've never used Flickr as a source of porn, or as a way to hook up with and get laid by local women because I've never felt the need and I'm content with my current resources for pleasures of those sorts.

But a recent, accidental discovery and a little bit of investigative role-playing made me realize that if I were a horny Toronto-area housewife looking for a fresh lay, I could score some home-delivered action, via Flickr, at the click of the mouse. The opportunity is also there (although the competition a little more fierce) for me as a dude to score a willing babe or meet an open couple for some experimental escapades, should that sort of thing tickle my fancy.

After a brief hiatus TnO is back with a special Valentine's Day post. Mind you, this post isn't for those of you who knew what you were doing on the 14th a month ago. This isn't even for you poor bastards who are desperately searching for something, anything, to impress your significant other with and show them that you care.

This is for those of you who have complicated feelings about this day; that silent majority. I feel that I am qualified to speak to you because I have been a not-so-proud card-carrying member for most of my life.

Who would've thought that saris, traditional Indian female garments, could be compared to the "exoticness" of leather miniskirts?

But, in a somewhat dated article published by IndiaDaily, apparently, Toronto girls of Indian descent are riding on the boom of Bollywood films and "busy making big bucks with sari stripping."

Reporter Tareena Raina said the girls wear saris to attract dudes and strip off the layers of clothing behind hotel doors. She also claimed this is also catching the eyes and ears of politicians, Bollywood directors, actors and producers, anxious to board a plane to Pearson to check out "this massive display of Indian sex."

So, I was curious: does this apply today? We've seen hordes of fans line up for Guru at last January's Elgin Theatre just to get a glimpse of actors Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, dubbed by Western media as India's "Bollywood Brangelina." So there's no question Bollywood in Toronto is still a huge market.

But when I asked around about sari stripping, no one really knew what the hell I was talking about.

God knows I've tried... monogamy I mean. Girl after girl, all of them possessing wonderful characteristics; many of which put together would make most guys bend down on one knee and pop the big question.

But not me.

I still want that special someone, don't get me wrong, but I want that someone to want more than just me. I want them to get off on that first time when you know you're interested in someone else and pursue it with the full knowledge that they have my approval and that it turns me on just the same.

Maybe I'll be there and maybe I won't but I want them to enjoy it just as much as I would when I'm in the same position next month.

Sounds simple, right? I mean, two people who are committed to each other should be able to explore various intimacies with other people with the full knowledge and approval of their partner, right?

It's anything but.