EZEtoGRU

I agree with this. The best preparation is to have a plan and the means to end it all. Cyanide perhaps?  I don’t think I could pull a trigger.
 
  Trying to exist in survival mode doesn’t interest me at all. Really…what’s the point?

From what I understand it doesn’t necessarily lead to DVT but can be associated with it. Some who get DVT have already had venous insufficiency. But I have heard of cases of DVT with people who have not had venous insufficiency. 

The closer I get to semi-retirement the less I like the idea of owning another property.  When I can get a really nice air bnb home with a private pool etc.  for 4-5 grand a month...

If I did want to know more I'm sure not clicking on the Fox News link.🤮

Just discovered this thread.  I was in Phoenix earlier this year to see Madonna.  Anyway, I had a rental car but kept seeing Waymo vehicles driving around completely empty...so no passenger inside.  It was so weird initially, but after the first day I was used to seeing it and really didn't pay attention.  Amazing how quickly one adjusts to new technology.  I would have no problem taking one on city streets but not ready to take one going on the freeway.

It might be a regional thing.  Growing up in Michigan, Hash Browns were always the shredded kind not the other kind shown here (for me those would just be called diced or cubed breakfast potatoes).  

According to the potato professionals at Ore-Ida there are apparently both versions. I guess it depends on your background or familiarity.
   

Or they arrive where half on my plate is undercooked and the other half is all burnt and dried out.

Just make a batch of hash brownies, go to McDonalds, & order from the breakfast menu.

I don't find good hash browns to be that complicated. The best ones do require a small amount of prep work, but it's easy. Simply parboil whole potatoes for 12-15 minutes with skins on. Remove them and let them cool a bit. I don't remove the skins, but you can. Cut them to your desired size and shape, and fry them in a pre-heated skillet with a combo fat of olive oil and butter. Salt and pepper to taste. If there is a secret, it's to leave the potatoes in the pan for 5-minute intervals over medium-to-high flame before turning or tossing. If you toss too early or too much, they won't brown properly.
Actually, olive oil alone produces wonderful fried potatoes. You do not need any butter. Certain olive oils will offer a buttery aftertaste.
In the last 2 minutes of frying, add chopped rosemary and chopped garlic, if you like garlic. Toss to mix well. Taste a potato for salt. Your potatoes should be picture perfect and taste like a pro chef made them.

I saw a headline this morning that a pardon is being considered. If you're wealthy enough to purchase one, my gut is telling me it can happen. It's a good time to be a criminal in America.

- This is long so I’ve added headings to let you skip the parts that are boring.
Aknowledgments
I hope this is helpful for someone contemplating their first trip to Brazil. This is my way of giving back to the many people on here who helped me with their generous advice in the various postings. Thanks.
Please forgive the ramblings and injudicious assumptions of a neophyte and be kind in your comments.
Context
After 41 years I’m a widower trying to distract myself from the realities of living alone. I’m also a bit of a sex fiend so … what better distraction. I’m still in good shape for my age. About the same weight as when I was 25. Yes this was a trip to see the largest Pride Parade in the world but it was really a sex vacation - and I had a lot of it - in just five days!
The Trip
This was fast. I have two kids (cats) that I can’t leave for more than a week, so that limits my vacation. I like it short and intense anyway. 10h direct Toronto to SP overnight. Four days in SP. Morning flight to Rio. 24 hrs in Rio. Afternoon flight back to SP, change airports and overnight back to Toronto.
The Pride Parade
Yes it was spectacular. Worth seeing once. I’m glad I chose to stay where I did. Probably the only hotel with rooms overlooking Paulista. I could see the crowd without having to be in it. The room was overpriced but as a first timer it was safe, gringo friendly and couldn’t be better located. Next time there are really nice upscale (but cheap) AirBNBs in Consolação.
Safety
This issue has been done to death so I just add my brief experience. I have some tolerance for sketchy neighbourhoods but I’m fairly prudent (Toronto: the gay neighbourhood can be rough at night. Our homeless are often severely drug damaged and wild. LA: my introduction to the city in 1989 was driving in from LAX and meeting a fully armed take down in front of the old Spagos’ in West Hollywood. I was maintaining  a fibreoptic-switch at USC during the Rodney King riots. Amsterdam: in the 90’s I’d regularly cross Vondel park in the early hours). SP: I kept to Paulista, Consolação, Bella Vista, and a little Jardim. Mostly during the day although I often walked back from Lagoa in the evening. I didn’t have any safety concerns at all. Once (because I got my directions wrong) I ended up looking for an address in Republica in a very sketchy neighbourhood. NOT advised. I was in a more upscale part of Republica later (Aurora) but … if you must Uber in and out. Chili Pepper - just Uber in and out (hide your phone - it’s not difficult - I’d never go anywhere without it).
Rio: I think in planning I swapped hotels four times looking for a place for just one night - mostly over safety concerns. In the end I was right next to Copacabana Palace ( a place I would never stay at). The place I stayed was already to gringo overlord infested for my liking but as a first visit… I Ubered to Club 117 on the Tuesday night and on the Wednesday morning I walked the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches walking back one street in. At that time in the morning, if prudent, it appeared reasonably safe. There’s a lot more homeless here than in SP. Ipanema is quiet - very residential. Copacabana is all hotels, tourists and tourist hustle.
São Paulo: Espaço Lagoa
Wow! Kid in a candy store! And I was popping them like candies (or they were popping me). The numbers, the size, the girth - just amazing. The thing was, it wasn’t just their physical attributes, their beauty (omg Brazilian men are stunning) or the number of them but also their smiles and friendliness. I know it’s a business and they’re good at their jobs but I felt these guys were especially good at the “customer relations” side. They wanted you back; they wanted to build a relationship. I came back every day for four days and they were there hugging me. And part of that of course is that I’m a generous tipper. This is a very tough life and I can’t help it. I’m sure the news travelled (every day their price went up). The last day I only had time for three. They were all fabulous. They were beautiful and beautifully endowed. They performed with real passion, energy and aggression - really draining themselves. They may be good actors but they made it seem like the real thing to me. It was fun.
São Paulo: Chili Pepper
This was on the Sunday just after the Pride Parade. I probably got there too early although it was quite busy. Probably one of the nicest and largest saunas I’ve ever been in (maybe Hollywood Spa in LA or Thermos in Amsterdam). The layout sucks. All the rooms are at the back with next to zero traffic. Almost everyone (a predominantly Millennial and younger crowd) were concentrated in the 2nd floor dark area humping like rabbits. I scored two reasonable hits. In the end I’m not sure it’s a place for me.
Rio: Club 117
I went on a Tuesday, too early because I had a later appointment. Rooms were free. I really didn’t see enough to pass judgement. The sex I had was very good. Physically, technically excellent. It was however a bit robotic. There was a sense of trying to always encourage the extra fee, to maximize the revenue now without any interest that we might meet again. This is what I call the “tourist hustle” and It’s what Rio is all about. There’s little “client relationship” and it’s all about making as much now as possible. Maybe I’m being too harsh. I’ll see next time. 
RM & Garotocomlocal
There’s little of what’s available in Brazil on RM. A few of the upscale creators with northern links (Timtales) Good luck in trying to get a response from them. For most providers I think the subscription fees would be a killer. Grorocomlocal.com.br has 1028 providers listed for São Paulo and 458 for Rio de Janeiro. There is some form of certification and subscription but I’m not sure how much or how good it is. I don’t trust it that much - it’s a step up from BackPages but maybe not that much. I when to Brazil with the intent of hiring just like RM since I had no experience of places like Lagoa. I had a Brasilian number and communicated in Portuguese through WhatsApp. I put out requests to twelve providers. Seven never responded. Two asked for pictures (I sent my RM link). They ghosted me. I hired the remaining 3 with one ripping me off. In the end Lagoa is better and safer.
São Paulo vs Rio
- Caveat: I don’t go out walking at night so judge accordingly
So … I like big cities. I live in Canada’s mini-manhattan (haha). And SP is Manhattan writ large. I stuck to Paulista, Consolação, Bella Vista and a little bit of Jardim. All very walkable - provided you don’t mind hills. That took me by surprise. I knew the areas quite well from studying the maps except I didn’t understand there were so many damn hills! It’s like San Francisco. In fact there’s a real feel of that in Jardim. Other parts feel like LA. There’s a funkiness about the restaurants and bars in Consolação (the gayborhood) that isn’t either. The people are friendly but don’t expect a lot of English. Yes there are probably a lot of tourists there but it’s so damn big it doesn’t influence the city at all. Security is everywhere. It must be the biggest industry in Brasil. Even the smallest retailer ha a security guard. Military Police cars are cruising along Paulista every two minutes. Not so much beyond, however.
Rio is tourists. Copacabana is wall to wall hotels on one side and tourists stalls on the other. As a result English is more common although not really anymore common among the gorotos. Ipanema is much more residential with only  a few hotels. The condos are immaculately kept and all hermetically sealed behind secure walls and cameras. Being there, close to boteco Belmonte, would be ideal. I left feeling like I should have stayed longer and seen more. I still feel that way but I feel like it’s likely to be one and done. I don’t see it as a regular destination. I’m intrigued by Salvador. As my old friend Nelson Freire used to say “o tempo dirá” - time will tell.

Things To Look Out For
* Be careful as a pedestrian in SP and Rio. The crossings aren’t well indicated and where they are just because you have a green light doesn’t mean the cars will give you right of way. Stay alert!
* ATMs appeared to be more aggressively scalping you than I remember in Europe. Their exchange rate is ridiculously low and they tack on a hefty fee if you refuse and use your bank’s. Try and take cash with you. (I did but I got greedy and needed more. In some situations, however, greed was good).
* I didn’t get to explore much in Rio but I never came across an ATM or a bank (security?). Thankfully there was an ATM in my hotel. In SP (of course I was staying on Paulista) they were everywhere.
* Generally food is not spectacular. It’s like one big Denny’s. It’s serviceable. There are plenty of Michelin starred restaurants to try but I’m not good at eating alone in a restaurant and without the language …
* Carry a power bank! The last thing you want is to be stuck with a phone running out of charge. It’s your life line (Uber is your friend).
* They were starting to install contactless bank payment at the metro Consolação. Soon all major cities will have this so no need for specific metro passes.
Things I Would Change
* Spend more time in Rio. The place is magical and despite the limitations (see above) there’s a lot of good sex to be had. You can be prudent without being paranoid.
* Never try to change airports in SP in one day. Leave yourself room if you have to do it. It’s too nerve racking.
* Learn at least rudimentary Portuguese. I had tried but .. Google Translate only takes you so far. It’s tough to use when you get a WhatsApp from one provider while getting fucked by another.
 

Oprah’s judgment came into question for me when she gave us Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil.

Not hash brownies!!
One of my culinary pet peeves for the last 40 years is that seemingly no-one knows how to make hash browns anymore.  They used to be served crispy golden brown with a savory buttery taste.  They paired well with breakfast egg dishes and were a delight(albeit not healthy) to eat.  What happened? 
I travel all over North America and rarely find even decent hash browns anymore.  They often arrive undercooked, oily, soggy, and hardly browned.  Worst of all, there is rarely even a hint of any flavor.  The most common version you see now is barely cooked shreds of potato in an oily mess with zero flavor.  
I'm not a cook, but I assume that butter is no longer used in the cooking process anymore and most places opt to cook them in cheaper oils.  Why are they so often undercooked?  How did has browns used to be prepared versus now they are done nowadays.  What changed?  Any thoughts?

AKA… Surviving Jim Jordan!

I was in Ft. Lauderdale for the entire weekend and went to Johnson’s Fri/Sat/Sun nights. I stayed multiple hours all three nights. I felt the line-up was pretty weak overall. No true body builders. A few muscled guys but no one seriously big. 2-3 guys had very handsome faces but most of the rest were average looks-wise IMHO.   As mentioned above by others, the overwhelming majority of guys are Latino. I’m fine with that as I speak Spanish.   I did not see any of the Montreal dancers there all weekend. I guess they are all back dancing at Campus in Montreal for the summer. 
 
There were female and trans patrons all three nights. Thankfully they were not obnoxious and didn’t do a lot of screaming and shouting. 
 
I still had fun. However, I saw nothing there that would cause me to rush back anytime soon.   I’m aware that the Florida clubs are now in the slow summer season. Some of the hottest dancers only dance during high season from Jan-Apr.  I think I’ll wait till Nov/Dec before I go back.   Time to look at getting back to Montreal!!

I was in Ft. Lauderdale for the entire weekend and went to Johnson’s Fri/Sat/Sun nights. I stayed multiple hours all three nights. I felt the line-up was pretty weak overall. No true body builders. A few muscled guys but no one seriously big. 2-3 guys had very handsome faces but most of the rest were average looks-wise IMHO.   As mentioned above by others, the overwhelming majority of guys are Latino. I’m fine with that as I speak Spanish.   I did not see any of the Montreal dancers there all weekend. I guess they are all back dancing at Campus in Montreal for the summer. 
 
There were female and trans patrons all three nights. Thankfully they were not obnoxious and didn’t do a lot of screaming and shouting. 
 
I still had fun. However, I saw nothing there that would cause me to rush back anytime soon.   I’m aware that the Florida clubs are now in the slow summer season. Some of the hottest dancers only dance during high season from Jan-Apr.  I think I’ll wait till Nov/Dec before I go back.   Time to look at getting back to Montreal!!

Ticket prices for most entertainment events skyrocketed after Covid. It worked for a few years but was not sustainable. Everything tourism related is slowing down at the moment. I was in Savannah a few weeks ago for three nights. The weather was perfect (high 70’s-low 80’s and no rain). It seemed unusually quiet there. The hotel was empty. I never saw anyone else on the elevator.  All restaurants widely available  
I echo other’s comments on Vegas. Everything got over the top expensive on the strip.  I understand the newest strip properties of Resorts World and Fountainblue are bleeding money. Stories of people going to the casino and no one is there. Even talk of possible bankruptcy filings.  Janet is just another casualty of the times. 
The perfect storm has descended on LV and other US tourist hotspots:
* COVID revenge travel is over
* Canadians don’t want to visit the US
* Economy slowing down
* Folks fed up with high prices
* General unease about the economy. 
 
Something had to give. I just don’t see people spending money this year like they did the last 2-3 years. 
 
 

What a bunch of ugly tattoos on Bad Bunny. Nice body and bulge though. 

Ticket prices for most entertainment events skyrocketed after Covid. It worked for a few years but was not sustainable. Everything tourism related is slowing down at the moment. I was in Savannah a few weeks ago for three nights. The weather was perfect (high 70’s-low 80’s and no rain). It seemed unusually quiet there. The hotel was empty. I never saw anyone else on the elevator.  All restaurants widely available  
I echo other’s comments on Vegas. Everything got over the top expensive on the strip.  I understand the newest strip properties of Resorts World and Fountainblue are bleeding money. Stories of people going to the casino and no one is there. Even talk of possible bankruptcy filings.  Janet is just another casualty of the times. 
The perfect storm has descended on LV and other US tourist hotspots:
* COVID revenge travel is over
* Canadians don’t want to visit the US
* Economy slowing down
* Folks fed up with high prices
* General unease about the economy. 
 
Something had to give. I just don’t see people spending money this year like they did the last 2-3 years. 
 
 

Ticket prices for most entertainment events skyrocketed after Covid. It worked for a few years but was not sustainable. Everything tourism related is slowing down at the moment. I was in Savannah a few weeks ago for three nights. The weather was perfect (high 70’s-low 80’s and no rain). It seemed unusually quiet there. The hotel was empty. I never saw anyone else on the elevator.  All restaurants widely available  
I echo other’s comments on Vegas. Everything got over the top expensive on the strip.  I understand the newest strip properties of Resorts World and Fountainblue are bleeding money. Stories of people going to the casino and no one is there. Even talk of possible bankruptcy filings.  Janet is just another casualty of the times. 
The perfect storm has descended on LV and other US tourist hotspots:
* COVID revenge travel is over
* Canadians don’t want to visit the US
* Economy slowing down
* Folks fed up with high prices
* General unease about the economy. 
 
Something had to give. I just don’t see people spending money this year like they did the last 2-3 years. 
 
 

Ticket prices for most entertainment events skyrocketed after Covid. It worked for a few years but was not sustainable. Everything tourism related is slowing down at the moment. I was in Savannah a few weeks ago for three nights. The weather was perfect (high 70’s-low 80’s and no rain). It seemed unusually quiet there. The hotel was empty. I never saw anyone else on the elevator.  All restaurants widely available  
I echo other’s comments on Vegas. Everything got over the top expensive on the strip.  I understand the newest strip properties of Resorts World and Fountainblue are bleeding money. Stories of people going to the casino and no one is there. Even talk of possible bankruptcy filings.  Janet is just another casualty of the times. 
The perfect storm has descended on LV and other US tourist hotspots:
* COVID revenge travel is over
* Canadians don’t want to visit the US
* Economy slowing down
* Folks fed up with high prices
* General unease about the economy. 
 
Something had to give. I just don’t see people spending money this year like they did the last 2-3 years. 
 
 

He has been a Montreal dancer for a very long time...off and on.  I used to see him dancing at Stock 5-10 years ago.  I don't believe he is 32 though...probably closer to 40.  Also his name has changed many times.  He was tall, handsome, and very well-endowed at the time but I have not seen him since pre-COVID...so I have no idea how he is looking now.  
In the day, he was very open to activity during lapdances.  Who knows if that is still the case now.

Wait till the impact of tariffs hits…coming soon to a grocery store near you.  That is if your preferred item is actually available on the shelf. 
 
Get back to me in 60 days. 
 
 

Wait till the impact of tariffs hits…coming soon to a grocery store near you.  That is if your preferred item is actually available on the shelf. 
 
Get back to me in 60 days.