BSR

My uncle used to work for Holland America. Yeah, passengers die on cruises all the time, especially the longer voyages because the demographic tends to skew older. For the annual world cruise, no crew member could remember one during which a passenger didn't die.

Not an expert, but I thought Telechapero was the go-to escort site in Spain.

Not an expert, but I thought Telechapero was the go-to escort site in Spain.

I saw the end of the Kyrgios-Khachanov match. It was indeed an epic. Kudos to Kyrgios for struggling through it. Unfortunately, I think he's toast against Rafa. Last night's match was grueling, and Nick isn't the fittest. Even with a full day off to recover, I doubt Kyrgios will be 100% for the Rafa match. And if you're less than 100% when facing Rafa, forget it.

I saw the end of the Kyrgios-Khachanov match. It was indeed an epic. Kudos to Kyrgios for struggling through it. Unfortunately, I think he's toast against Rafa. Last night's match was grueling, and Nick isn't the fittest. Even with a full day off to recover, I doubt Kyrgios will be 100% for the Rafa match. And if you're less than 100% when facing Rafa, forget it.

LOL, totally nailed it, Fucsovics does look like a Tom of Finland drawing come to life. Martin's looks don't really do it for me, but I am mesmerized by his body. Whenever he's on court, I stop watching the tennis because I'm riveted to his physique.

Yeah, pro tennis players swear by it. You'll see tons of cryotherapy pictures posted on their Instagrams. Apparently in the short term cryotherapy helps with recovery after a tough match. In the long term, the big benefit is overall reduction of your body's inflammation. As for @Stormy's jogger, the only detail I don't get is the barefoot part. I can understand a cryo aficionado running in just a pair of shorts, but why barefoot? Isn't he afraid of bits of glass??

Here's a video of how to take an onsen for foreigners. Some useful tips, plus the guy is a cute Aussie with a killer accent and a nice body.

My favorite tennis player by far is Novak Djokovic. I live & die by his results. My love for Novak is purely tennis-based & platonic since my fandom has nothing to do with attraction. Of course, he's my pick to win because I pick him to win every tournament he enters. As defending and 7-time champion at the Australian, Novak is also the pick of many tennis commentators & reporters. As for which guy I like watching for non-tennis reasons, plenty to pick from. Marton Fucsovics just upset #13 seed Shapovalov. I'd watch Fucsovics's matches just for the shirt changes. Can you say CUT??

Why do you make assumptions? So sorry your parents never taught you what happens when you assume. I played tennis avidly for decades. I still follow the sport passionately. Winners find a way to win. Losers find excuses. I would post more, but the first day of play at the Australian is in full swing. Gotta watch!

Or maybe, just maybe, winners find a way to win whereas losers find an excuse.

And the winners who were playing on the same court and breathing the same air?

Yes, the International Olympic Committee standard is to stop competition at 300 ppm (I assume that means particles per million) whereas the regional government at the AO established a limit of 200 ppm. Both Rafa & Roger addressed the issue in press conferences, both stating that they felt comfortable with the air quality rule. Novak noted that air quality is actually worse at other tournaments, like Beijing, yet players don't make an issue of it. I haven't seen any comment from Serena. It is interesting to note that of the five players who went on the record about the playing conditions, four lost in qualifying whereas none of the four players who beat them complained, at least not publicly. The fifth player Vasek Pospisil sits on the ATP Players Council and is something of a spokesman for lower-ranked players. He has used his position mostly to push for more prize money in the early rounds to allow more lower-ranked players to make a decent living. It sounds like he's speaking out on this issue on behalf of the "serfs," although we don't know how many players he represents. Just the other four on record, or are there are a number of other players who are upset about the issue but didn't feel comfortable speaking publicly? In any case, the air quality has improved significantly. The readings for the last two days have been ~40 ppm, which is about as good as it gets in any urban center. Let's pray that the air quality issue, as well as the entire brush fire crisis, continues to improve.

If I'm spending $200-400/hour or $1k-2k for an overnight, hell yes, you better believe it's all about me Me ME! Without apology.

I don't understand why you think my post was "sad." Given the large number of players in qualifying (256), it's fair to say that relatively few (Schnur, Broady, Clarke, Brown & Jakupovic) have spoken out about the issue. I read that conditions improved markedly on the third day of qualies, so that might explain why outcry has been relatively muted. Novak had a practice session outdoors yesterday yet didn't utter a peep about air quality. If any of the top players were to say something, Novak would be at the very tippity-top of the list. His silence on the matter speaks volumes.

I was mistaken. Novak played for a fundraiser (which raised US$3.5 million, btw) in Rod Laver Arena. Unfortunately, I can't verify if the roof was closed or not. I follow a couple of the more vocal serfs, er, lower-ranked players (Vasek Pospisil & Noah Rubin) who are speaking out on the issue. Given the number of players in qualifying (256), relatively few are complaining about the air quality. Whether that's because the majority are unaffected or because they just don't want to stir things up, I have no idea.

Yes, that would make sense for the health of the players, but logistical problems arise. Because of their size, the three show courts require a lot more ushers & security, although that should be a relatively minor issue. More important, with 128 matches to be played in the 1R of qualies, the 3 retractable roof courts can accommodate only a small percentage, even if matches were scheduled morning, noon & night. Of course, players relegated to outdoor courts would complain about fairness, and rightfully so. It seems that Tennis Australia has opted for equal conditions for all. I found out that the 8 indoor courts are useless in this crisis. While the courts are indoors, they have permanently open ventilation cutouts, as opposed to a self-contained HVAC system. So they're actually worse than the outdoor courts because once the smoke finds its way into the building, it remains and even accumulates. I don't know if it's feasible to seal up the cutouts and install an HVAC system in time for the main draw. Money isn't an issue because Tennis Australia has very deep pockets, but it sounds like a big project in very little time. As bad as the conditions sound, I'm surprised there was only one retirement, although a few other players said they were affected by the air quality. I hate to be so cynical, but IMO little if anything will be done about this issue unless one of the top players speaks out & demands changes. Since Novak is so hyper-conscientious about the purity of everything that goes into his body, he is the most likely candidate to take on the issue. Unfortunately, because of the exhausting ATP Cup, Novak has yet to hit the practice court & may not until Thursday.

Hopefully this post doesn't get this whole thread thrown into Politics & Religion ... If Pete Buttigieg looked like that naked, then as God as my witness, I, lifelong Republican, would vote for Mayor Pete in a heartbeat :p

Poor to the point of hazardous air quality was a problem for some players on the first day of qualifying. One player, Dalila Jakupovic from Slovenia, even retired during her match because of a coughing fit. The AO and Tennis Australia claim that they are monitoring the problem but did not get more specific. Air quality is expected to improve for tomorrow. A few issues: Jakupovic complained that qualifiers are in an impossible position. If they refuse to play because of air quality, they get fined. Qualifiers, the minor leaguers of tennis, simply cannot afford a fine. And as Noah Rubin (a Challenger-level player of some prominence because of his widely read blog) points out, one has to wonder if Tennis Australia would force top-ranked players to play in such conditions. For those not so familiar with the sport, tennis has its royalty (Serena and the three gents with double-digit Slams: Roger, Rafa & Novak), nobility (top-ranked players or former Slam champions, like Maria Sharapova), and serfs (lower-ranked players, especially those ranked too low for direct entry, thus having to qualify). When royalty speaks, the sport of tennis grinds to a halt. When nobility speaks, the powers-that-be will listen but don't always take heed. When serfs speak, well, you can imagine. Novak is in Melbourne now but probably resting since he played to exhaustion during the just-concluded ATP Cup in Sydney (preliminary rounds were also played in Brisbane & Perth). When he hits the practice courts in a couple of days, let's see what he has to say about playing conditions.

A while back I won a couple of Celine tickets in a raffle. I was thinking of selling them since I had no interest in seeing her, but my mom said she'd like to go. OK, so Mom & I went to the Colosseum and ... OMG! she is unbelievable in concert. Even though I can't say I'm a big fan of her songs, her voice is simply spectacular. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

As a client, it's tough to know exactly how to behave in such a situation. On one hand, as much as I understand that it's up to the client to initiate intimacy, you can't treat an escort like a machine. It's not like renting a car. But then to get charged the regular fee for the Platonic Friend Experience ... yeah, I empathize with the feelings @Rick M went through. So I appreciate the response from Benjamin Nicholas, a professional escort's take on the situation. Unfortunately for Rick M, it sounds like one of those lessons learned the hard (and expensive) way. I'm sorry this happened to you.

The students caught up in the sting are far from innocent. "The fake university told the students they could be enrolled in their school to get into the United States on student visas and then never attend the school as part of a 'pay to stay' scam." For all those foaming at the mouth at the Evil Orange Man, please note that this fake university sting started during the Obama administration.

I can't post the tweet here because it's a copy of a reply, but from the official Australian Open account, tournament officials stated that in the unlikely event that the smoke precludes outdoor play, they will close the 3 roofs and schedule play on the 8 indoor courts. Since the indoor courts have very limited seating, the AO will lose ticket revenue but the tournament will be played, come what may. The lion's share of ticket revenue comes from the 3 show courts in any case. For any tennis geeks out there, can you name another player in the men's singles draw who will benefit more from closing the roofs than Novak? If they close the roofs, Roger & Rafa fans will be furious.

I usually avoid the Gallery threads but am glad I opened this one. The posted photos confirm that I am not a size queen, at all. Not only do I find this guy super-attractive (like most of the guys in this thread), I'd pay a tidy sum to hire him if he escorted. When a guy has such a beautiful face & body, size just doesn't matter much to me. As long as he gets hard (and small guys tend to get particularly stiff), I'm as happy as a pig in sh*t.

Because life goes on, even in the face of disaster. The ATP has shown its concern for the tragedy by running a fundraiser to help. Since I don't follow the WTA side as closely, I don't know what they're doing. Brits are stalwart believers in a couple of principles related to this issue: stiff upper lip and getting on with it. I can't imagine anything short of WWIII interfering with Wimbledon. @mike carey can speak to this issue far better, but my guess is that Aussies are very much forged of the same steel. They will carry on in the face of adversity. I know that the inaugural ATP Cup is currently being played without skipping a beat in Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane.