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Topseed

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  1. Santa Fe's housing prices, while never cheap,  have skyrocketed since the pandemic. It's now an expensive place to live.

    As a former resident, these observations:

    * Anglo Santa Fe's population skews toward older people, and toward couples.  My younger friends there refer to New Mexico as the "Land of Entrapment".

    * Access to health care can be iffy. A common topic at cocktail parties is for people to discuss how they leave the state (for Mayo/Scottsdale, or MD Anderson, as examples) for many procedures.

    * Access to basic service providers can be frustrating. A plumber? Good luck. Getting an appointment honored? Maybe.

    * If you enjoy air travel, you'll shlep to ABQ, but even then your non-stop choices are few. Get used to dealing with transit through DFW, among others.

    * It's an early-to-bed town. The sidewalks roll up by 8:30pm.

    * A goodly percentage of the population are part-time residents....predominantly wealthy Texans who flee Houston in the summer. 

    * Santa Fe has never been known as a well-run city. Getting home renovation plans approved now can take a very long time....and only if within the city's very narrow guidelines.

    * Once the opera and chamber music seasons end in mid/late August, cultural life slows to a trickle. 

     

    Yes, the climate can be wonderful. Ditto the restaurants, albeit at a cost. The full-time residents are decently friendly. But know what you're getting into. 

     

  2. Many, ranging from Casey Donovan, Tom Hartung, Jake Tanner and Todd Baron to Josh Weston, Tony Zerega, and Peter Wilder to Rick Hammersmith and Jesse Santana to Alam Wernik, Devin Franco, and Nate Grimes.

    Rick Hammersmith easily tops the list in terms of sex appeal, intelligence, and fun in the sack.

  3. And for a different spin:

    I was fortunate to work in an industry during the 1990's that was prone to overpaying its participants. In short, I was at the right place at the right time and, when it became clear that the gravy train was ending, I retired very early by conventional standards in my late 40's.

    Fast forward two decades.

    A very close (and much younger) friend has been in my life for the past decade. It was clear from the start that he prized time with his family and our travel over generating income. He and I have traveled frequently (and yes, we have a sexual relationship), and all on my dime. Now that he is in his early 50's, he now realizes that he is very much living hand to mouth. He occasionally asks for a "loan", though I have no expectation of repayment.

    I find myself wondering if my earlier generosity on funding our travel was misguided. Have I "enabled" him to coast through the past decade? And what next? My crystal ball for his next 5, 7, or 10 years is murky, as he has no clear path to regular monthly income.

    I'm wondering if I should cut the cord on funding his travel with me so that he faces his economic reality and (here's hoping) does something constructive about it. Or do I rely on him to figure out his own life choices? I care a great deal about my friend and want him happy.

  4. I mentor/coach many people, most of whom are full-time performing artists. 

    Sexuality rarely enters our conversations.

     

    Instead, I strive to offer observations without judgement, confidentiality, empathy, challenge, and support based on my long career in both the investment world (where I observed both business success and failure) and in the non-profit realm (ditto). Ultimately, it's about striving to live in the truth, determining how many other people (if any) get a "vote" on one's life's direction, and having the fortitude to make a new decision when necessary without concern for "perfect timing". 

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