nate_sf

Embarrassing mistake, sorry about that guys! I wish I was still sitting next to the pool... ?

Oh wow... can I receive a care package? ?

I'd be happy to organize the 2022 gathering. I'd helped out @ArVaGuy a few years ago so can take the reins having benefited from that experience. @ArVaGuy and those before him did a great job setting up the template, and I think overall the series of events works really well. I think the suggestion of switching the brunch from Sunday to Saturday is an interesting one. That might give people more flexibility in planning their weekend, and an opportunities to schedule follow-ups with new acquaintances given they'll be meeting earlier in the weekend. Though the DC gathering coincides with MAL, and MAL is loads of fun, there may be some who are less interested in MAL but still interested in meeting up. I think the past events, with a Friday happy hour meetup at MAL and the brunch in the gayborhood provided something for everybody. The year I got involved we added a happy hour at a gay sports bar to further widen the appeal, and I thought that was fun even though I'm not particularly sporty. In any event, I already booked my flights and hotel so I can say with certainty that there will be a 2022 DC gathering, and I'm happy to commit to organizing it so people can be confident in making plans. Flights were pretty cheap when I booked, and they still might be. As @Keenan mentions the MAL Hyatt is long sold out, but there are some nearby hotels participating that are offering MAL rates. You don't need to register for MAL to book at the participating hotels, and you can also attend much of MAL a la carte if you just want to try it out for size. If you're interested in attending, please send me a message through here or directly through my email at nate@natebeck.us so I can contact you as the date approaches (your info will be kept in confidence).

Daddy was a mentor and a friend. When I was just starting out, he gave me advice on my advertising: what photos to include and not to include, text of the ad, and how to handle appointments. He really enjoyed mentoring us guys. My favorite time was meeting with him several years ago for lunch at a casino restaurant he enjoyed frequenting in Vegas. He flirted shamelessly with the waiter, and more or less held court. We were there for hours, and I just thought to myself, just sit back and enjoy the ride. He seemed to be in his element. Like so many others here, this site has been a huge part of my life. I've learned so much, been entertained, and met great friends. I, and we, owe so much to him. RIP

So speaking of Palm Springs... :rolleyes: ...any suggestions for restaurants for meals that are not part of the official agenda? I haven’t been to PS in a couple of years. Anything new and notable?

Though I found the ad mostly obnoxious, I really loved this line.

This sounds like my gym locker room. Masks are required indoors including the locker room, so guys end up walking around with nothing but masks. Would seem like a fetish in other settings...!

Yes for me. I think he's very sexy.

I’m guessing the way you can tell the gays from the straights is their swimwear. I don’t think the straight guys would dare wear speedos!

Desert Open Studios is the same weekend, for those of you artsy types: https://www.desertopenstudios.com/ I've never been, so this could be something fun to discover I hope!

It’s wonderful to hear from you! Meeting you at the Chicago gathering those years ago was a highlight, and your posts have always been a delight. Regrettable circumstances this time around but I‘m with the others in sharing hope and sending good vibes your way. ??? Please share as much as you’re comfortable with here. We’re indeed a family and here to provide support. Especially for a salty broad!

I'm in the same boat. I had Covid back in May, but was on the fence for attending since I doubt I'll be vaccinated. But then a couple of weeks ago I took another antibody test and it showed I still have antibodies, even nine months after the initial infection. My understanding is reinfection is extremely rare. But I don't want to throw caution to the wind. I talked it over with my husband, who was infected at the same time as me, and he said he was fine with me attending. Also my 85-year old parents have now had their second shots of the vaccine, so I'm less concerned about getting them sick. Plus where I live mask wearing is still mandated pretty much everywhere, so that protection is still there. This could easily be its own conversation, and there have been lots of discussion elsewhere on the forum so I hope it does not hijack this thread. But I wanted to share my risk assessment and my thoughts on deciding to attend.

The closest I've got to renting hotels by the hour is a day rate rental. Dayuse is an app that offers rentals for several hours at a time. And more recently hotels themselves have begun offering day rates as a way to boost occupancy during the downturn resulting from the pandemic. Yesterday my husband an I rented a room for day use at the new Grand Hyatt at the SFO so we could escape construction that we've been having at our house, and it was a nice break. We booked it directly through the Hyatt website, so could accrue points and all that stuff. The day stay rate also included discounts on food and beverage, and half off the parking. But even if you book for the night and only use the room for a couple of hours, the hotel will not care. Hotel management fully understands what people use hotel rooms for, and I'm guessing a percentage of guests do not actually stay the night. If you're shy about checking out before nightfall, in most instances you can just leave the key card in the room and slip out. They will already have your credit card on file, so will just close out the bill in the morning and email you the receipt. I've done this loads of times and never had an issue.

I saw both of my parents naked from time to time when they had showered and were getting dressed. They were pretty blasé about it. While they thought there was nothing shameful about nudity (they came of age in the 60s), they didn't parade around naked either. It was just part of getting ready in the morning. We had a swimming pool, and Dad used to take a skinny dip each morning before work and swim a few laps. Again, didn't make a bid deal out of it, but I guess he figured it wasn't worth dealing with a swim suit for a quick dip. Maybe he picked that up from boarding school, as boys' swimming was still done in the nude at some schools when he was a kid. I never asked him about it though, so it's just a guess.

Writing a check to buy groceries.

Similar with me on the last car I financed. The bank had a really good interest rate. But then when I got tired of looking at the balance of what I owed, I started making double principal payments. It got paid off faster than I’d imagined. So not quite paying cash, but the pain of financing went away soon enough.

As far as expensive cars go, I'd think this is a good choice. Yes, you'll lose a lot of value in the first year if you're buying it new, but this is the kind of thing you could hold onto for a long time if you wanted. Toyotas run forever and the maintenance is pretty reasonable. They also hold their value pretty well. The Land Cruiser might even do better than average in retaining its value... I was looking for a used one last year and they seemed to carry a premium, at least where I live. So the question would be, can you afford it without busting your budget? If so, then why not. Only other thing to consider is gas consumption if you're not used to driving a big vehicle... it can be a surprise when you fill up at the pump, and then fill up again. But if you're only driving 10K miles/year it's probably not a big concern.

I like hairy. B or D.

When I was in junior high, I was giving an oral report on something or another, and was trying to sound scholarly by using the word "organisms." However as luck would have it, I said "orgasms." Several times in the report, no less. I didn't realize until later. That would explain the odd looks I got! Years later in college, a professor was giving a history lecture and made the exact same mistake, "orgasms" rather than "organisms." That time the lecture hall burst out laughing, as did he.

The other category that younger people may qualify is essential workers such as grocery workers. A buddy of mine who's in his 20s was able to get a vaccination because he works at Trader Joe's. I've seen guys advertising as having antibodies for a while now. I would not rely on self-reporting... I can imagine a guy saying he's sure he's had covid, and is sure he has antibodies but may not have confirmed either. Or if he's had covid and tested positive for antibodies, how long ago. That said, I had covid back in April/May. Two weeks ago I went back to get tested for antibodies out of curiosity, and I still have them nine months later. So it's possible.

Yeah... I mean a hard dick is a hard dick, right? Not like we haven't seen them before.

I took the plunge to check out his OF page. It's pretty tame overall, but he is certainly sexy. Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of butt pics, so if that's your thing there is a lot to see. Great ass for sure. Not much in the way of dick pics, just a few glimpses of some bits here and there, however he offers an erect full frontal photo for $40 and a 2-minute video of him playing with his erect dick for $70. I haven't taken the plunge on either of those.

For some of my work meetings people have used Google Hangouts instead of Zoom. Hangouts has a closed captions option that will caption in real time, and it’s quite good. But then I just sit there mesmerized watching the captions roll out as people talk and I don’t pay attention to what’s being said, so I have to turn them back off.

There was an article in Bloomberg Businessweek a few weeks ago that talked about this, in the context of buildings being overly sanitized to our detriment: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-12-16/covid-pandemic-microbiomes-could-be-key-to-stopping-spread-of-future-viruses It's an interesting read. It's not so much saying to stop cleaning, but talking about how cleaning should be done and why the harsh disinfectants are the wrong approach.

Yes! Thanks for pointing that out. I have a pair of tight Express jeans and they look great from the front but lousy from the back. What happened to my ass? For me Levi’s 510s and 511s fit best as tight jeans - front and back.