BSR

The first video I posted was more of a modern-day queer tango number. Here is a more old-school routine, closer to the dance's origins that @Tangogent mentions, a couple of tough guys duking it out on the dance floor. By the way, one of the dancers Fernando Gracia (the slightly shorter of the two) is a former world tango champion. When you see the ease with which he executes the complicated footwork and tricky lifts, you can totally see how this guy is a world champion.

Thanks for the tip on how to get access to his reviews. Wow, I can't stop laughing! Even funnier is that he says in his ad copy to read his reviews *snort*

The English half of his ad is a word-for-word translation of the Spanish ad copy, with two exceptions. The "up to 50 years old" line appears nowhere in the Spanish write-up. He also omits the paragraph about "write when you are sure ... " I guess you could always ask about the age limit, although I myself would hesitate to because he seems awfully touchy about asking questions ("do not write to ask what is already said here!").

I'm a huge fan of queer tango, have been for years. If you type "queer tango" into a YouTube search, tons of great routines pop up. This is one of my favorites:

One of my favorite songs of all time, the beautiful poetry of José Martí set to great music. Here is the best version I found on YouTube, sung by Cubans from all over the world. My favorite singer is Equis Alfonso (1:52). Wow, the man's voice is like silk.

This is brilliant. I used to be a die-hard country fan until the genre changed into something I don't even recognize any more. How I miss the old days of Brooks & Dunn and Willie Nelson. Country music nowadays is just garbage. Florida Georgia Line? Kacey Musgrave? You couldn't pay me enough to attend one of their concerts. Country music had three primary themes: a corny sense of humor, traditional bedrock values, and the white man's blues. This rather unconventional, 21st century country song is actually a throwback to the old school, that corny sense of humor - like "She Got The Gold Mine, I Got The Shaft," "Lord, It's Hard To Be Humble (When You're Perfect In Every Which Way)," and "I Got Friends In Low Places." I love it! On a related yet completely unrelated note, here is a guy from Mongolia who doesn't speak English yet somehow learned to sing the George Strait classic "Amarillo By Morning" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXkoY4-HmZs

Although I've never ordered cheese in lieu of dessert (too much of a sweet tooth), I've been to a few restaurants that offer a cheese course at the end of a meal. All of them were posh spots on the Las Vegas Strip. While I've heard of the tradition at private affairs, I've never attended a dinner party with a cheese course. @mike carey must have fancier friends than I do I think the custom stems from cheese's affect on blood sugar. A diabetic friend (type 1) says cheese helps keep his blood glucose in check. It has to be a high-fat cheese, and he doesn't need much. So it makes sense to nibble on some cheese after a rich meal, whether at a posh restaurant or a fancy dinner party.

After living in Spain, I got in the habit of eating salad or vegetables after the main course. I disagree that it's an affectation. Consuming fiber at the end of the meal (well, except dessert) just makes sense, because it aids digestion. Even at some fancy restaurants, when I ask that the salad be brought out after the meal, they will mistakenly bring it out before the main course, presumably because habits are tough to break. I don't really care if the server might think I'm weird or pretentious. I'm the one paying, and salad at the end of the meal is a reasonable request.

Even at Cracker Barrel, such service merits a complaint to the manager. At a posh spot at the Bellagio, it's downright unforgivable. Server positions at fancy Strip restaurants are impossible to get unless you have the right connection because those servers make some serious bank. Friends who have worked at a number of different Strip restaurants tell me that they averaged ~$500/night in tips. On top of that, they are making far more than the typical server wage. Instead of the $5/hour national average, servers at Las Vegas Strip restaurants make $12-13/hour, plus get excellent health insurance. In other words, your lousy server was making ~$150K/year. Restaurants that offer top-notch wages should be hiring top-notch servers. Unfortunately, in the "it's all about who you know" culture of Las Vegas, far too often the manager hires his girlfriend's cousin with no experience over a qualified applicant. So two takeaways about dining at posh Strip restaurants: 1) I never ever tip more than 20% because the steep menu prices are paying the server's pre-tip $13/hr wage, and 2) absolutely say something to the manager if you have a problem with the service. In light of what you're paying, and how much those servers are making, anything less than impeccable service is unacceptable.

R.I.P. Shelley Morrison. I still crack up when I think of her bitchy banter with Karen Walker. I didn't know that her character was supposed to appear in just one episode. Obviously many many fans loved her character as much as I did.

Is in-store traffic down? Or overall sales? I know that brick & mortar sales are down significantly but assumed that online sales more than made up for that drop.

I wonder if Carroll's reaction had something to do with race. I've heard from a number of older blacks that it was quite common back in the day (during segregation, pre-civil rights) that blacks were addressed by their first names whereas whites in similar circumstances were addressed as Mr./Mrs/Miss (this was before the advent of Ms.) + surname. I get that young'uns don't abide by the same norms as the older generation, especially with social media putting everyone on a first-name basis. I'll give the benefit of a doubt to any young person who addresses someone by their first name, presumptuous as it may be. But I also understand why Ms. Carroll felt the need to correct the young fan.

Yeah, a couple of times. Las Vegas is more of a "cash is king" city than most because so many people make their income in cash, whether on the up & up (waiters, bartenders, strippers, poker players, etc.) and the not so much (use your imagination). With so much cash in circulation, there's also a lot of counterfeit bills in circulation. I've been passed a counterfeit $20 and $100. The fake $20 was annoying, but the fake hundy hurt. I scrutinize bills I take a lot more carefully now. An expensive lesson, but that's life.

My response to this relative would be "Starve, Bitch!", but maybe that's just me. Back to Palm Springs ...

Two aunts live in an active adult community in FL. You have to be 55+ to buy or rent a home there, but don't ever call it a retirement community because the residents (almost all of whom are indeed retired) get all upset. It's way far away from what I would call "civilization," an hour south of Orlando, with not much in the area outside the gates except a good hospital. Otherwise it's all big box stores & fast food restaurants. But within the community, they have every activity imaginable. The health club is enormous & state of the art. They have multiple lap pools, jogging paths, tennis courts, and 36 holes of golf. At the community center, you'll find a club for everything under the sun: ballroom dancing, photography, pottery, bridge, mahjong, travel, sea kayaking, spelunking, you name it. Both aunts have picked up terrific new hobbies (salsa dancing for one, Texas hold 'em for the other) and made so many close friends. They both say that the community is paradise for them. For me? I'd rather live under a bridge. You have to drive at least an hour into Orlando to get to a gourmet restaurant. French pastry shops or Italian gelato? Maybe Orlando, but Ft. Lauderdale would be a better bet. Culture, like the ballet? Drive to Miami. Strippers, sugar babies & escorts? Make sure to fill up before heading out. The worst of it is that I would feel like the Only Gay Man On Earth, at least within the gates of the community. I asked if any gays live there (out of ~12,000 residents), and the gossipy one said she didn't know a single one. Not that they discriminate, of course, it's just not the kind of place a gay person or couple would choose to retire in. I'm glad my aunts are so happy, but I'd rather shoot my toe off than live there.

Nowadays I can't imagine a senior would need to move into assisted living just because they could no longer cook for themselves. With so many meal delivery options (services that deliver frozen meals to your door or UberEats, etc.), a senior doesn't have to cook as long as they can afford those services (and manage a microwave). Yes, they can get expensive, but so is assisted living.

No strippers? No sugar babies? No escorts? Sorry, that's just not a life worth living.

If that's the rate he's advertising, then one of two possibilities: 1) He's not getting much response. If escorting is his primary source of income, then he'll have to lower his rate. If escorting is a side gig, then he might be OK with just a few appointments a week. Or 2) He gets plenty of business, and he's making a great living. Either way, the market decides. Even though I (and plenty of other board members) can't afford his rate, my guess is that plenty of New Yorkers can. If his steep rate is working out for him, good for him!

Hmm, you have to wonder about the guys writing those reviews. A $15 cover charge is a pittance compared to what you'll spend on drinks, tips, and lap dances. Anyone grousing about a $15 cover is probably not the kind of customer either dancers or management want in the first place. I don't know what drinks cost, but if the reviewers are complaining about a $15 cover, then I'm guessing drink prices aren't that outrageous. So I have to fill out a form before I can see hot guys shoving their goody package in my face? Uh ... where do I sign?!

There's a trio of young 6'6" Russians. The first I've ever heard of Medvedev as a sex symbol is this thread. Alexander Zverev (born & raised in Germany, but Russian parents & spoke Russian at home) has plenty of groupies, but he doesn't do it for me either. The tall young Russian who drives me nuckin' futs is Karen Khachanov. (stress on 2nd syllable of his first name, silent "K" in his last name). He's often referred to as the missing Hemworth brother. While he definitely could pass for Chris & Liam's brunette brother, I think Karen is way cuter than his Aussie "brothers." http://www.tennisnow.com/images/2018/February/Khachanov-2-24-18.aspx

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend a visit. Ogunquit is so beautiful, prettier than a postcard. Because of its large tourism business, there is so much to do, especially given the size of the town (Wiki cites the 2010 census population at 892). I went once for July 4th, more to see the town itself, which I absolutely loved, but I wasn't expecting much of a fireworks display. After all, fireworks are expensive, and how much can a small town budget? Holy zoinks, was I wrong! Ogunquit fireworks were incredible! Even with the big July 4th crowd, getting a good spot was so much easier than fighting the masses on the Boston Esplanade. I just wonder about Ogunquit as a year-round residence. Winters are awfully chilly in Maine, and much of Ogunquit shuts down in the off-season.

Still can't counter my argument. The truth can be so ouchy-painful sometimes, LOL.

You explode with nasty sarcasm because you can't counter my argument. When I pressed you to post the specific Trump tweets about Baltimore and explain why they are racist, you responded with vague platitudes. When I asked @marylander1940 to cite specifics of my bigotry against minorities, he had nothing. If I had a buck for every time a leftist made a bullshit accusation of bigotry/racism, I'd be richer than George Soros. With myriad BS accusations of racism that leftists toss about, actual cases of racism get drowned out. If you truly cared about racism, that would make your blood boil. Yet leftists persist in their pernicious practice, because for all their virtue-signaling to the contrary, leftists care about no one outside of themselves and no cause outside of their own selfish benefit.

What about Ogunquit? It has to be the gayest small town in America. I love small towns because the people are the nicest you'll ever meet. Knowing everyone you interact with makes people treat others so much better. My big problem with most small towns would be the fear of feeling like the Only Gay Man On Earth, but that would hardly be the case in Ogunquit.

Another leftist liar ... I asked you to list all the mean stereotypical things I have said about minorities because I knew you had nothing. And whaddya know, this is your response. Leftists make bullshit accusations of bigotry as a political weapon. Of course, anyone who truly cared about bigotry when never make a bullshit accusation, because BS accusations rob attention from actual cases of bigotry. Leftists only pretend to care about bigotry when the awful truth is the only thing leftists care about is their own selfish benefit. That, dear @RealAvalon , is why today's leftists are the most grotesquely selfish beings in the history of the human race.