SouthOfTheBorder

agree. I viewed being able to see private pics & video as extra information, to make better hiring decisions - and not wasting a bigger spend on hourly fees if there was something in the private pics/video that was a turn-off. Pretty sure it has worked out in my favor several times over, meaning a solid investment. Recently let my premium membership lapse so haven’t noticed the change in pics & video. That seems to change the equation.

any new construction “building up” meaning a high rise building, will start at $1.2million anywhere you’d want to live. They aren’t building high rise residential towers in subprime or less desirable areas. The most recent new development starts at $1.6m for a low floor 2 bedroom apartment. The property taxes on $1.6M are $30,000 annual + the HOA will run $20,000++ minimum. That’s $50k annually if you paid cash for the apartment, plus skyrocketing homeowners & auto insurance. You can buy apartments in older buildings for much less near the beach - starting around $700,000 that would require renovation and the HOA would be much less. But, many of those buildings haven’t been maintained properly or inspected for decades. Just remember the collapse of the building in Surfside, FL a couple of years ago. The residents knew of major problems yet nobody wanted to pay to fix it. That’s a common thing there - so many older retired people in those buildings that won’t pay for anything. For decades, the main attraction to Florida was beautiful weather in winter/spring & very inexpensive w no state income taxes. Now the weather is unbearable for most of the year - unless you like heat, humidity & rain. While no state income taxes, everything else is very expensive. I don’t know what happens when properties become uninsurable because that means banks won’t lend money to buy. Insurance is a huge & growing problem that has not been addressed. Many insurance companies have pulled out of Florida completely. if you’re considering a move there - rent for at least 12 months and get a realistic view of quality of life, weather & cost of living.

I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida over several decades & know it well. It used to be beautiful in the winter - clear skies, mild temperatures & dry. Last winter & spring, it rained almost every day with high heat & humidity. The weather has changed dramatically over the last 20-30 years. Last summer the temperature of the Atlantic (in South Florida) and in the Gulf of Mexico was 100+degrees at the surface. That never happened before for such an extended period of time. The rising sea, even if not visible on the coast has filled in the porous aquifer under Miami/Ft Lauderdale and other Florida cities so when there is heavy rain and/or king tides, there is nowhere for the water to go - which means massive flooding. Downtown Miami floods all time with roads impassable & flooded out cars. Less so in Ft L, but last April there was a “thousand year flood” with hundreds of flooded out vehicles & roads impassable for several days. It’s not going to get better. for now Key West property is holding up. It’s not a nice place tho - very small island with cruise ships docking every day letting off thousands of passengers that generally destroy the quality of life for residents & other visitors. You cannot escape them. It used to be charming before the cruise ships, now tacky bars, shops & restaurants all for cruise ship people. Also floods frequently but not as bad as Miami & Ft L

It s already happening. Listing prices are routinely being lowered now throughout Florida, including Miami & Ft Lauderdale. The price growth over last 3-5 is not sustainable. The only thing that kept it alive was somewhat reasonable interest rates. The property taxes are higher (higher percent of assessed value) in Broward County (Ft Lauderdale) than Los Angeles. Home insurance in Florida is the most expensive in the country and many places are uninsurable. The list goes on & on & on. The only people who think it’s a good idea to move to Florida are people domiciling there as formal US residence and traveling the world. A billionaire like Bezos (who is moving to Florida) isn’t going to actually live there. Or people who really haven’t spent much time there. Florida real-estate has and many boom & bust cycles. The bust is here.

I’ll take your word for it. Although that seems like fishing in a dry pond. Those guys are arguing about whether a $2 or $3 tip to the gogos in Bangkok is too much. Not exactly big spenders.

Maybe someone remembers this guys name - he was Puerto Rican & worked between New York and Miami in the late 90s. Maybe the biggest dick I’ve ever seen. Seems like he was somehow associated w Antonio Biaggi (who I’ve met many times and is great). He used to be on the back covers of the gay magazines in S Florida. Legendary in his time.

oddly, my oven seems to prefer it that way. and actually doesn’t mind if the pizza is a bit to big for the oven. a good pizza is always hot & gooey. I’ve found if you take the pizza in/out of the oven very slowly, it gets to be just right. if not you can always increase the frequency & turn up the heat. My oven can take it and is quite reliable - many have remarked on its excellence and abilities. Sometimes I move it around to see if works better in different positions - the best one seem to be when the door can completely open & allow the biggest pizzas inside. It takes some time & an effort, but it always gets there. And it’s remarkably resilient as it can be used many times in just a few hours. I love my oven.

LOL and prefer super XL because I have a deep oven to keep it warm. And I like to have it again in the morning, which I find is better the second time

me neither - in NYC, I like to pick mine up in person and pay when I arrive. Not sure whether it’s an incall or outcall, just no (you know what) yes on pineapple, but not usually. my preference is for meaty w thick crust and very hot

@coriolis888should be thanked for alerting people of a problem there. The known & ongoing site security issues may not show up in all browsers. Proceed at your own risk. I imagine getting hacked by cyber criminals would be most unpleasant when they have access to all kinds of personal data. there might be one good thing about the other site - since none of them actually hire anyone, you’ll probably never see threads about *DEPOSITS*

pretty sure I could think of more outrageous pictures. those images created such a backlash because they paid to make sure it would be hard to avoid for anyone online. It’s Jeff Bezos - I think he knows how to do it.

nailed it. we should consider ourselves lucky !

It’s unmoderated by the owner, so it is different. There’s a small clique of members there that tells the owner what to do when somebody pisses them off - so the “moderating” isn’t about violating rules, it’s if you offend the clique & then they get people banned. there was purge of several of the most prolific posters sometime in the last 12 months & it was all people who posted non-Thailand information. Mainly about Brazil, DR, Colombia, etc. Once those guys were gone, the activity went way down given there is very little of interest other than Thailand. Like here - you don’t need to be a registered member to visit the site. See for yourself - except you might get hacked, evidently.

You are the OP. And you did ask for thoughts. He gave you his thoughts & maybe it’s as simple as that.

The owner of “the other site” is disengaged from it. The security certificates frequently lapse and those unsafe messages come up. That’s best case scenario. Could be something else entirely & much worse.

There is no easy road to success in any profession. It’s all about hard work, dedication, adapting to change, a positive mindset - and being able to overcome challenges without getting stuck in why it can’t happen. The simplest way to be successful is to identify the people who are successful and do what they do. And if those same successful people are offering specific ideas, advise & help on how to do it - even better & an invaluable resource. In my professional life, I had to coach lots of people on how to do better in a super competitive work environment. It was a 50/50 chance that the employees could survive, “get it” and eventually thrive in their work. The ones who failed could not take direction & were always making excuses about why something couldn’t happen or that they had unique circumstances - they got stuck in a negative mindset. I think being a successful provider is difficult because it requires an extensive sexual repertoire & being very good at all those things to appeal to broad range of client interest. In addition, they need to excel in the business end (advertising, screening, booking, & analysis) which requires a completely different skill set. How many providers can do all those things & do them well ? A very few who are the real pros.

I have no idea what this means. I see alot of providers in various places. Most providers I see are either in my home (known people), their home, or a hotel I happen to be in. Very very few hotel meetings where the provider has the room - almost none. There has never been a conversation about the need for a hotel room between a provider and me. If I do meet a provider in their hotel room, there should be no guilt trip on me because a provider has chosen to get a hotel room in whatever city for whatever reason. if they have a hotel room, then my assumption is they’ve done an analysis to make sure it pays off. But, the room & cost is not my problem or concern - I’m booking an hour or two only. The discussions about hotel room goes to the business model the provider has chosen & where they actually live. If attempting to “tour” for whatever reason and visit multiple cities in short periods of time, that has its own set of issues baked in. Seems a risky business model unless the provider has figured out how to screen & book effectively in short periods of time. just my opinion - a big travel commitment on either end isn’t worth it given the effort required and potential to be disappointed. I’m always going make the best choice among a set of options that just doesn’t require that much work. I want to reduce my investment of time & travel in every situation where the outcome is unknown. That equation may change with known providers where the outcome is more certain. I feel like the entire discussion is unnecessarily complicated. If i was a provider, I’d choose to locate in an area target rich with potential clients to use my service. These are always going to be big metropolitan areas with people making more money, more disposable income & more gay men/bi men and tourists/executives. Not complicated. Hint - they’re not in Sioux Falls SD or similar

very wise. when I react to something beyond my control, regardless of right or wrong - I’ve given up my power. and you’re right - it’s the small daily frustrations w people, places & things that in the big picture don’t mean much. that doesn’t mean I’m a doormat & sometimes push-back is required, depending on circumstances. the response, if any, should be measured and not escalate a benign situation. Not reacting in the moment definitely helps. I find myself asking, will I see this person ever again & does it matter ? usually it’s a no. and if it’s a no, then walking away is the best move.

I can think of lots of sub-topics just please - no *deposits* seems to have been thoroughly covered interesting to note how this negative thread turned positive - let’s have more of that

A thread on the unwritten rules would be very helpful. I’d love to see it

that is fantastic - nothing says vapid more than a weather person in LA, where it’s basically the same everyday. And Good Morning LA was next level for every stereotype & cliche about Los Angeles. Ms Sanchez encapsulates it all in human form. ALL OF THIS MAKES PERFECT SENSE

you have a point & it makes sense. In this case, I read something critical of Bezos/Sanchez and the Apple News feed probably doesn’t distinguish between critical or not, it just sends more Bezos/Sanchez. My primary news source is not Apple News, so I didn’t think this was everywhere. But for people that get primary news from FB or similar - I can see where it can create a false sense of what is really happening. No wonder we are so fucked up. It’s a monster just feeding whatever outrageous content people will consume.

I think I need to see @Jamie21and @Vin_Marco

I always pay upfront with new providers so there is no confusion or question. It’s my choice & always seem appreciated. Usually there is a look of surprise, which I enjoy. I operate on slightly different norm & it works for me. I try to pay in big bills so no reason to count it. I wouldn’t be offended if someone counted it tho. If upfront money is requested or demanded, that’s a red flag and things probably won’t get better.

because I mean it & it’s true .