BSR

My aunt & uncle decided to raise my cousins as bilingual English-Tagalog. They spoke to the kids exclusively in English but sent them to Tagalog schools. Oddly enough, even though all 5 are grateful to speak English as a native tongue, none of my cousins are raising their kids as bilingual. I never asked why since I assumed it was a delicate subject. I never researched what languages are spoken in Baguio. I just assumed it was Tagalog-speaking because that's what all my cousins speak. You're right, I wouldn't really need to (re)learn Tagalog, whether in Baguio or Manila (where an aunt lives). I follow a Mexican YouTuber who lives in Manila yet knows maybe 10 words in Tagalog. He gets by just fine with just English & Spanish: English on the job (he's a dentist; Manilans are used to speaking English with their healthcare providers) and Spanish socially (with other expats from Spanish-speaking countries; no Filipinos speak Spanish as a native tongue any more). My aunt in Manila tells me plenty of retirees move to Manila knowing just English & don't bother to learn Tagalog. With my parents' generation, good English was very much a sign of social class because wealthy Filipinos sent their kids to schools with the best English instruction. Nowadays, good English might mean you went to good schools, or just that your parents could afford cable TV. For better or for worse, Filipino kids grow up watching trashy American TV shows -- American Idol, Survivor, even (eek!!) The Kardashians.

The full-time cruise ship life is more a lovely fantasy than a serious plan. More brass tacks is the possibility of returning to the Philippines, even though I haven't been back in more than 5 decades. I could sell my place here, buy a very nice place in Baguio (where my uncle and 5 cousins all live, and where the daily high temperature is 75° year round), and have plenty left over. In the Philippines, a full-time "katulong" ("helper," I think) costs only $40/month plus room/board. No labor laws cover katulongs, meaning they work morning, noon, and night, 7 days a week (only Sunday afternoons off) -- cooking, cleaning, driving, landscaping, whatever. My grandmother had two, one for cooking & cleaning and another for physical assistance (wheeling her around, getting dressed, bathing, etc.). From an American perspective, yes, it's horrible exploitation. But bear in mind there is no social safety net in the Philippines. For millions of Filipinos, it's life as a katulong or homelessness. If you think being homeless here is bad, imagine in a 3rd World country. Even without Medicare, I'm pretty sure the math works out that the Philippines is a better option. Even if you pay out of pocket, medical costs are a fraction what they are here. Plus I'd have lots of family around me in Baguio (I'd just have to get used to the Noah's Ark rainy season). However, I have plenty of reservations about it. I have a 100% American mindset, and some things about Filipino culture & society drive me up the wall. I'd have to re-learn Tagalog, which shouldn't be too difficult (I still understand it pretty well), but I dread learning a language at my age. Most important, I'd miss the good old USofA like crazy. Oh yeah, one more thing, there's the eensie weensie issue of the current dictator. Even when Duterte goes, the possibility of another tyrant taking over is uncomfortably high.

I recommend the mashed potatoes at a Joel Robuchon restaurant -- the recipe is 50% potatoes, 50% butter, and salt. They even use Échiré butter from France for its higher fat content (84% vs. 80% for American butter). No, not health food. But definitely last meal-worthy.

Wow, this thread really took me down memory lane. I remember reading Nava's first book A Little Death 35 years ago. I was quite inspired by it because the protagonist was a detective first and foremost, who oh by the way was gay. At the time, the few gay characters portrayed in TV & movies were too often tragic or tortured figures. And here is Henry Rios, normal (gay) guy who kicks some ass doing a tough guy job. I lived around the corner from A Different Light bookstore in my NYC days and read tons of gay literature. Even though I lived walking distance from the gay bookstore in Boston (forgot what it was called), I never got back into the habit. It's great to know that Michael Nava wrote 7 more Henry Rios books and even reworked The Little Death. I'll have to see if the Clark County Library has any of the series. I hope they do 1) so I can save money and 2) so I can avoid buying them from Amazon, which killed the gay bookstore (well, every bookstore). Thank you @Lucky for starting this thread. I would have completely forgotten about Michael Nava otherwise.

One of his "I am into" is kissing. Then he tells prospective clients he doesn't kiss. That alone is enough for a hard pass.

My family used to drive from Kansas City to Colorado for summer vacation. I don't remember much corn in Kansas (more Nebraska & Iowa, I think) but do remember endless wheat fields. When the wind's blowing, you understand the "amber waves of grain" metaphor. It's really beautiful. Aside from that (besides, wheat harvest ended in July), I wouldn't bother with my old home state. The old joke about the Kansas Tourism Board is they run a contest where first prize is a 1-week vacation in Kansas. 2nd prize is a 2-week vacation in Kansas.

The last time I went to Dick's Cabaret, each dancer was on stage for 2 songs (~10 minutes) but only naked for the last minute, even less if the dancer was slow to drop his drawers. I found that for just 20 bucks, the dancers I liked were quite happy to spend the entire 10 minutes totally starkers. Some even flopped their cocks and spread their cheeks inches from my face, without my requesting or even hinting. I wonder if the XRoom dancers could be similarly "incentivized."

While always complaining about their lack of privacy 🙄

I came across a great article about cruise ship retirement that covered the brass tracks of full-time cruise ship living. It brought up some issues I hadn't thought of. First, even if you are a US citizen, I'm not sure you are eligible for Medicare if you don't have a physical address on US soil. Even if you do get Medicare, it won't cover any medical expenses on board or in a foreign country. Second, no pets! OK, that's fairly obvious, but it hadn't occurred to me. Since I always envisioned a pup as part of my retirement, that'd be a big sacrifice. And as @CuriousByNature points out, there are plenty of additional cruise ship expenses to consider. Two of the full-timers live on luxury cruise ships where the monthly costs (don't forget the singles supplement!) far exceed the poshest assisted living centers. Hey, good for them, but obviously very few of us have that option. Even mid-range lines (Celebrity, Holland America) probably cost more than assisted-living. Mainstream lines (Princess, Royal Caribbean) might cost about the same, if you can find a low singles supplement and can max out loyalty rewards. One thing that sounded like less of an issue than I expected was medical care. One of the full-timers is legally blind yet gets by just fine with the ship's doctor and seeing specialists in port. If you're in reasonably good health, full-time cruising can work. Also, there are residences at sea, cruise ships that sell condos for full-time living, but since most of them have yet to launch, not much information on them. Another positive the article pointed out is that some cruise lines do allow you to bring a guest aboard for a day (i.e., escorts!). If I could swing it financially, I'd love to live on a cruise ship, at least for a while, to be able to see the world in comfort, without having to bother with cooking, cleaning, or keeping up a house. I just don't see doing it forever. Either I would eventually tire of the vagabond life, or I would need more care than I could get on a cruise ship.

Denying delivery people bathroom access sounds like such unnecessary stinginess. Yes, the restaurant must have an employee restroom that they could let the delivery person use. And you'd think it would be in the restaurants' best interest to keep delivery people happy given that they rely on them for a good chunk of their business.

Some kids don't learn cursive in school. If they don't learn how to write cursive, how do they develop a signature?

Oops, I misunderstood, my bad. You mean like this? (referring to pic below) Yeah, I agree up to a point. The Russian bodybuilder took it to such an extreme, though, by pumping himself up with a dangerous substance. While I find these face tattoos and extreme piercings quite ugly, the guy in the picture didn't do anything to endanger his health.

To me, there's a world of difference between a facelift or a similar procedure that (hopefully) looks natural and poses minimal risk and pumping your biceps full of a dangerous substance to achieve grotesque proportions.

Wow, what an informative post! I never would have guessed gay(4pay) sex was so available in Morocco. How do you communicate with your Moroccan lads? Do you speak enough French or Arabic to get by? (I doubt many foreigners learn Berber.) Or do the Moroccan guys know enough English? It just seems like the language barrier would be an issue.

Living on a cruise ship would be a zillion times more fun than an assisted-living center. As the article points out, it might even be cheaper. But I wonder about access to doctors. I saw a feature on Mama Lee on YouTube, and lucky for her she's in excellent health. On the rare occasion that she has a minor health problem, the ship's physician can take care of her. But most seniors need much more medical care, for example, the thread about prostate cancer elsewhere on this forum. No matter what course of treatment a man with prostate cancer pursued, he'd have to abandon ship until remission. Many seniors deal with chronic conditions that require a specialist's care, far beyond anything a ship's doctor could provide. But hey, if your health allows you to do it, why not live on a cruise ship full time? Even if you have to abandon the lifestyle at some point, you'll have a helluva good time until then.

The hotel looks great, and the location is as prime as prime gets. After seeing that rather *ahem* impressive photo of your sugarbaby, I know you'd have a hella good time if you were sleeping under the Pont Neuf. But at this hotel & in that location, it'll be a trip you'll never forget. Uh, you will tell us all about it when you get back, right? *pleaseohplease*

"Did you have fun with fingerpainting today?" Hey, it's an icebreaker.

Where are you staying in Paris? Not the exact street address, of course, but what neighborhood, arrondissement? Ever since I found out that the Notre Dame restoration will be done by the 2024 Olympics, I've been daydreaming of another trip.

I just saw this. After completing the Golden Slam, Dylan Alcott celebrated by popping a beer and drinking it from his US Open trophy, LOL

I'm thrilled for you that you found a great connection on Seeking. Gotta admit, though, I'm a little bummed for your SB because it sounds like he doesn't know his worth. I mean, that cock alone ...

"Protegé" sounds so elegant. "Sugarbaby" not so much.

Like so many seniors, my grandmother got to an age that she was going to do whatever the heck she wanted, regardless of what anyone else said or thought. Because grandma was a die-hard Monica Seles fan, my aunt took her to the US Open, where they were delighted to find that handicapped seating was in a pretty prime location, with tickets cheaper than comparable regular seating. During the match, rabid fan grandma kept bolting up out of her wheelchair whenever Monica won a big point. My aunt & uncle noticed people in nearby seats started glaring at them. They asked grandma to stop jumping out of her wheelchair because they feared the people around them thought they were faking. Yeah, you can imagine how much grandma gave a sh*t about that. My uncle started snapping photos every time grandma leapt out of her wheelchair. My aunt cherishes those "busted grandma" photos to this day.

Here is Joan Rivers' response to those who condemned her for the Anne Frank jokes: "Sure I do a lot of jokes about Anne Frank. But when you do those jokes, it makes people remember what happened to her. That process of bringing her story back doesn't have to be a serious one. What I say is all nonsense, but it helps to keep her memory alive." When asked about her controversial jokes about Auschwitz, if there was any subject too serious for her to joke about, Rivers said, "I think that's how we get through life. That's how I get through it. You make people laugh. You laugh, you can deal with it. Done!"

Roddy McDowall was cute even when he looked bored A couple of beach shots with Liz

I had such a crush on Roddy McDowall