BSR

I dunno, from @Ali Gator’s description, the neighborstud actually might be. Besides being scorching-hot, the young man sounds like a hella nice guy. Sounds like a dream escort. Ali has to figure out the risks, because the reward is obvious. If the parents are likely to find out, yeah, that could get complicated, maybe even ugly. True, in a small town, everybody knows everything about everyone else. But in a big city (no idea where OP lives), you can live your life quite anonymously. Best of luck to Ali with whatever he ends up deciding. Just one thing: if you do hook up with him, could you PM me all the juicy details?

My only other advice is to rent a hotel room. Of course it doesn’t have to be fancy — as long as it’s clean, comfortable, and a good distance from your neighborhood, parents’ workplace(s), parents’ hangouts, etc. If you book a hotel across the street from the parents’ favorite restaurant, Murphy’s Law, you’ll be walking into the hotel together as the parents are pulling up for dinner, eek! Parents: “Son, what were you doing with the neighbor last night, going into the Courtyard?” Son: fumbles a bit … “We were grabbing dinner at the restaurant.” Parents: “But the Courtyard doesn’t have a restaurant, not even a snack bar.” oh gawd, so awkward …

Thanks to my Iguazú cabdriver/tour guide, I found out that the free version of Google Translate now offers oral translation. When you say something in English, it instantly gives a written translation in Spanish — or vice versa, just have to click a button to switch. I even tested out a number of sexual phrases, and while the translations aren’t perfect, they’re good enough to be understood. If he’s your type but you don’t know Spanish, download Google Translate, and copy & paste the translations into WhatsApp. Obviously, warn him first that these are GT translations just in case the wording is off or weird. RomeroLatinBoy is hot!Hot!HOT! I hope he’s still around when I get back to the US.

How exactly? Im a bit baffled that some think this is so problematic. It’s your neighbors’ son, not your boss’s or best friend’s. I’d bet my bottom dollar the young man is quite aware of your attraction to him. His mention of looking for odd jobs was thisclose to telling you he’s advertising in RentMen. Be very discreet, which I’m sure he understands even better than you, have fun, and in the immortal wisdom of Linda Richmond, “no big whoop.” He sounds like an enterprising young man. Whether he buys the car business or pursues something else, it sounds like he’ll simply be too busy to continue escorting much longer. If you miss this window of opportunity, you’ll be hating yourself for a very long time.

Thanks for posting because it prompted me to re-watch, first time since it debuted. Great song, Steve is drop-dead gorgeous (and still is), and for a small-budget music video, it’s impressively well-produced. I love the moment when the friend jumps in the water in just his underwear then tosses them onto the pier, sexy AF.

Almost complete blockage of an artery, caused by a hereditary condition that causes plaque buildup. The doctors say he survived what is normally a fatal heart attack only because of immediate medical intervention (a doctor present was able to use a defibrillator) and his excellent fitness level.

I saw a report of why Danes tend to stay so slim and suffer fewer heart attacks. It’s part of their culture and lifestyle to take long slow walks, often for hours a day. They may not cover much distance and they take plenty of rest breaks, but at least they’re active whereas we Americans spend comparable hours seated, often eating out of boredom. I’m guessing Danes don’t carry backpacks filled with chips & soda for their strolls. If you simply don’t have time to walk for hours, I read a good tip: constantly break up your walk with bursts of high intensity. For example, quicken your pace for a minute until you’re huffing and puffing, sprint up a hill, or find steps to climb up & down before resuming your normal pace. The problem with walking at the same pace all the time is your body becomes very efficient and starts burning fewer calories to do the same workout.

He suffered a severe heart attack. That’ll age a person.

I’m proud to say I still do. The guy’s f*ckin’ gorgeous.

Dried shrimp and shrimp paste are staples of Filipino cuisine. I have a love/hate relationship with Filipino food. Some dishes I love, others I hate, and dried shrimp is deep in the “hate” category. “umami flavour”?? More like Chelsea Harbor at low tide. You couldn’t pay me enough to eat it.

I don’t know if it’s available on US Netflix; but if you spot La odisea de los giles (Heroic Losers is the US title), it’s a ton of fun. A small-town community that gets bilked of all their savings in Argentina’s 2001 economic crisis schemes to get their money back. The subtitle is “they messed with the wrong losers.” If you’re ever in the mood to root for the underdog, you gotta watch this comedy-drama-thriller. PS: I googled it, apparently it’s available on Amazon Prime Video. When I checked the Amazon app using a VPN for the US, it says “Prime Video.” Oops, doesn’t belong in the Netflix thread! But go watch it anyway.

I’d like to point out that he’s very handsome as well. That said …

I’ll be curious to see the first reviews because the chop sounds too extreme. Nip & tuck is one thing; 25 minutes is more like a gaping flesh wound. I agree — even if tickets were slashed 50%, I still wouldn’t bother with the Sphere version. This inspires me to re-read the novel, which I devoured as a wee lad. The movie’s great, but the book is amazing.

I agree 100% that something provisional should be put in place while the memorial is being built. I just don’t think a crosswalk is appropriate for the reasons cited above: not just Muslims, I also see stepping on something as disrespectful, plus as @Vegas_Millennial points out, all sorts of groups want their own crosswalks and street signs, which distracts from their intended purpose, public safety. How about a bronze plaque in a nearby city park? It’s a lot more dignified than a crosswalk that people are constantly stepping on or driving over. The plaque would remain in place even after the memorial is completed in 2028. PS: I am disgusted to the point of outraged that it will take 12 years for a proper memorial to be built. I can only imagine how the victims’ families feel.

The foundation has had 9+ years and a budget of almost $20 million to build a memorial. In my opinion, the foundation is 100% responsible for whatever “erasure” people might be feeling. I suspect that a comprehensive audit of the foundation’s balance sheet will reveal a world of verrrrrrrry interesting information.

I interpret “in line with” as “at the same latitude.” I googled it because that didn’t sound right. The northernmost point in California wine country (northern edge of Mendocino County) is at 40 degrees N whereas the southernmost point in Canada is Point Pelee ON at 41.9 degrees N, a distance of 130 miles. If you’re in Napa or Sonoma, the heart of California wine country, the distance is 240-250 miles. But if by “in line with” you meant “near,” in the grand global scheme, 130 miles isn’t much.

Factoid I heard recently: 24 US states are farther north (if you take the state’s northernmost point) than the city of Windsor ON.

Unfortunately, some (just one is already too many) nonprofits are very much for profit, for the profit of the organization’s executives in the form of exorbitant salaries and party-like-rock-stars expense accounts. The donors have every right to know WTF happened to the $20 million, and the victims’ families all the more so. If there was malfeasance, and there is plenty of cause to suspect there was, people must be held accountable.

I wrote my previous post from the Plaza de la República, ~20 minutes after seeing “La ballena.” The play also hit me pretty hard, but I had to think about it. After some reflection ~2 hours later, I was able to understand it on a deeper level. And then this morning, while discussing it with my teacher (I was taking 2 hours of private classes a day), I actually started crying because of the play’s simultaneous beauty and sadness. Maybe because Spanish is my 2nd language (although I was able to understand all the dialogue just fine), more likely because it simply took me longer to process, “La ballena” impacted me almost (just?) as strongly as it did you. Thanks again for the recommendation.

Thanks, I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Iguazú. I won’t be able to enjoy the Brazilian side because I couldn’t figure out the online visa application to save my life. Plus it’s supposed to rain the whole time I’m there. Oh well, even in less than ideal weather, I’m sure the waterfalls are still beautiful.

Yeah, gotta say, I never liked the crosswalk idea. Of course the victims deserve a proper memorial. The Pulse tragedy was more than 9 years ago, wtf?? When the memorial does finally get built, I pray they get it right. Their families deserve at least that much.

I am sitting in the plaza south of el Obelisco, just after attending the performance. I don’t know if I loved it, nor did I cry like a baby, but I very much enjoyed it. Yes, the cast was fantastic, especially the daughter, the nurse, and of course the lead. There were a lot of empty seats in the theater, unfortunately. You wish that more people would make the effort because the script and the cast’s talent should be shared with as many as possible. The play was a terrific way to spend my last real night in Buenos Aires. I’m still here tomorrow but have laundry, cleaning, and packing to do before a crack o’dawn flight Saturday for Iguazú. Thank you for the recommendation!

The biggest livability factor for many is the ratio of median income to median home price. As a general rule, median home price 3x median income is considered affordable. In Canada the ratio is a whopping 9x! It’s lousy in the US as well, 5.8x, but not quite as backbreaking as our northern neighbor. I got ratios only for Vancouver 12.7x, Toronto 10.7x, and Montreal & Calgary 6x. To compare: LA 10x, San Francisco 8.5x, New York 6.8x, Boston 6x. But cities in the Midwest are much more affordable: Oklahoma City 3.1x, Cleveland 2.7x, Detroit 1.9x. Many millennials are frustrated they can’t afford to buy, and many Gen Z are still living with their parents. If home ownership matters to you and you’re not making a high finance or tech bro salary, do your due diligence before making the move.

I was reviewing this thread because I was thinking about my experiences in Buenos Aires and Madrid. Anyway, Castellano (Spanish) is the only official national language in Spain. Catalan (plus its dialect Valenciano), Gallego (yes, it’s “Galician” in English, but that word makes my brain short-circuit), and Basque are co-official languages only in their respective autonomous communities. Also, the Basque language is Euskera, but the Basque Country is Euskadi. As for the original topic, now that I’ve been studying Spanish in Buenos Aires for almost 3 months, I can say from first-hand experience that it absolutely does not matter where you study Spanish because the grammar is the same the whole world ‘round. Yes, tons of differences in vocabulary and colloquialisms, but the rules and structure of Spanish grammar are remarkably consistent no matter what country. My classmates who have studied all over say the same thing. One spot that might have been overlooked in this thread is Montevideo. The BA language school I attend has a branch in Uruguay, and a classmate who spent a month in the Montevideo academy said it was a great experience, both in and outside the classroom. So go to whatever country that tickles your fancy (well, maybe not Venezuela, for now at least), find a good language school, and have the time of your life! PS: I met a Cuban in Madrid who had recently emigrated from Cuba. Apparently conditions have gotten a lot worse there, alarming because they were already pretty damn bad. He told me blackouts occur almost daily. They last 2-4 hours in Havana, and out in some provinces, blackouts are the rule not the exception, i.e., they have electricity only 2-4 hours a day. Cuba is the most fascinating place I’ve ever visited, but I wouldn’t go right now.

@caliguy and @Lazarus made me take a second look at the mugshot. I agree, with a shave & haircut, mugshot Jamie would look pretty good. I think what struck me was the stark contrast between his beautiful smile during his SC heyday and the sad (empty?) look in the latter photo.