TonyDown

That's what I was thinking, especially Jamie Bell. I've always liked him.

Finished Epi 4. Here's an interesting review. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/half-man-jamie-bell-hbo-max-tv-review-2026

If you didn't know Cilla Black, then I'd say ... What's it all about.... Burt Bacharach signed my copy of his memoir Anyone Who Had a Heart. Cilla Black is mentioned several times.

I saw The Christophers in a theater tonight. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Michaela Coel is perfect, IMO, playing the young, thin, artsy chick in London. She did everything with what the script provided. I look forward to her in other roles. Ian McKellen was....well, Ian McKellen. 👍 The plot seemed bumpy in a couple of spots but this is still my kind of movie.

I hadn't watched this show for a long time. I remember two of my favorites, back when I watched, were 3rd place finishers, Elliott Yamin and Melinda Dolittle. I tuned in last night. IMO, Jordan M. had superior vocal range and quality. Was surprised he didn't win.

Today the Internet recommended I watch Armistead Maupin's YouTube channel. I was not aware of his channel. I may join, so I can watch the "Members only" videos. I watched 3 videos. All of them quite interesting. Whether or not young folk care to hear about this history, IMO, it's important he has shared it.

I saw him today. But I booked yesterday.

So far, news reports point to the Andes strain of the virus, which can spread person to person. https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/06/health/andes-strain-hantavirus-explained

Would a judge question why the boss already knew he is a bottom, that he was already "out"? Since there is nothing wrong with being gay or bi, has the estranged husband painted more of a negative picture of himself, and perhaps his ex, than the bottom? IMO, if the bottom feels shame, then just work through it.

Anyone have experience with DanielBodyWorks? Reviews on his profile sound good. Pics look good. Cute! https://rentmasseur.com/DanielBodyWorks

This third book sounds like it might be slightly less depressing. 🙂

I also read the book in high school. I like Jacob Elordi, but Emerald Fennell is not my jam. I watched Wuthering Heights on HBO.

Douglas Stuart was interviewed on PBS Newshour about his life and new novel, John of John. There are a number of interviews and reviews found on the Internet. I skimmed a few, without suffering too many spoilers. I enjoyed his first two novels, Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo. John of John sounds very appealing to me.

His Rentmasseur profile currently shows San Francisco.

Even with our group health insurance plan at a leading research, design and manufacturing company, my coworker had to cash in a 401k as health care costs for her husbands debilitating illness ballooned. It shocked me how quickly medical expenses can paint us into a corner, even with employer coverage. A colleague from another company, ironically a medical device company, had to file for bankruptcy due to medical expenses wiping them out. I recently needed a bone marrow biopsy. That cost a crap load of money. The bills were huge. Without coverage, that would have wiped out a lot of reserves. I count on never having to drop coverage but realize that is becoming a reality. Such is life in the States.

Family Stone might be a cult favorite. It continues to play on various cable channels, often around Thanksgiving. I have watched it several times. Diane Keaton is awesome of course. There is a dramatic family dinner scene that centers around the gay son. It's not a gay movie but the gay story arc is pretty cool.

Any experience with Luckyyou? Name change? Younger Asian dude. https://rentmasseur.com/Luckyyou

Funny, perfect skit. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXErla4jWpu/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== (Sound is way better on Insta)

Twinless Blu-Ray will be released May 12th. I saw it way back during Sundance and would like to own the disc. If you still plan to see it, you might want to continue avoiding spoilers.

Might drive some nutz, but this guy makes me smile.

The above comment about "the last straw" is the same reason I moved on from a close friend. Your friend cut you out so easily, no discussion? Why would a friend do that? Was he wounded that much? Was it the last straw? Years later, my friend emailed me, asking if I would attend a reunion. I resisted returning to that kind of sophomoric behavior. That your friend's family members were in touch with you is interesting. They may have been your best chance to reconnect with him. Were you clear with them that's what you wanted? That you were able to cry about your childhood friend is encouraging. Your therapist may have touched on un-grieved loss. Continuely crying for months sounds like more work is needed. Kudos for writing about this. Perhaps writing a letter to your friend would help, the kind of letter one would never send, rather a way to express sorrow for things and exercise the boyhood heartache. A letter one might read to a therapist or other trusted sounding wall.

I was going to boast how many Wordle puzzles in a row I have solved, but I checked and found Wordle is mentioned in several other threads. So, discussing Wordle here seems incongruent with the thread title. Instead, I'll mention learning usage of the word incongruent during professional writing extension courses at University of California Irvine. As they say, never stop learning. Incongruent describes things that are out of place, incompatible, or lack harmony.

I haven't read reviews, to avoid spoilers. I thought his Baby Reindeer was great, the kind of series I was drawn to see the next episode. Epi 1 of Half Man was a bit of a chore. Maybe it's me, in the wrong frame of mind. I will tune into Epi 2. We have to, right? I like Jamie Bell, I must say.

Circling back, the city itself Des Moines was incorporated in 1851, named for the Des Moines river. The Des moines river was discovered in 1673 by French explorer, Jolliet and French Jesuit priest Marquette. This piece below suggests if Marquette had not died before returning to his home base, the origin of the name "Des Moines" would have been better chronicled, and so we would not be left with theories. The piece explains why the name is likely a French euphonized version of a native American compound word, as @mike carey touches on, a derivation. https://iagenweb.org/polk/bios-fam-stories/POPCI_Vol_1/DM_What_it_Means/DM_What_it_Means.html Wikipedia still claims Des Moines refers to The Monks. 😆 Tying this back to the OP, the remaining structure from the original Des Moines settlement is very near downtown, so that one might be able to walk or Uber to this historical building after visiting with the bartender at Blazing Saddles about potential massage providers. Yeah, that's a stretch. Or, we can wish for @BigDMike, as he explores, just as Jolliet did, that he hooks up with a rewarding and willing mate, such as Marquette.