mike carey

Some people can flaunt it (e.g. BN), others, not so much (e.g. me).

Clearly I should have driven home from the airport after Aotearoa, changed my clothes and jumped on an aeroplane to go to Washington and .... Nah, that wouldn't have worked. But. Guys. Have a great meeting in DC this weekend, don't do anything I wouldn't do (and as you don't know what I would do, that means do whatever you like).

Thanks, it was an amazing trip, we had a ball. I still have NZD in my wallet so I'll have to go back.

Yeah, 'thread', that's it, 'thread'!

I'm using a Windows 10 computer and Firefox, and I get the generic visit Tumblr image. I haven't been checking the gallery for a few days so don't know if it worked differently before. Same deal when I looked using Microsoft Edge. That would seem to indicate some sort of permissions problem, and as it goes to a Tumblr default image it implies the permissions issue is with that website.

I'm late to this discussion, but I think the hive mind has confirmed your initial gut feeling that it would not be a good idea. The list of answers to the question, 'What could possibly go wrong?' is not short anywhere, but I suspect longer in a conservative community. To the suggestion that there might be an answer other than a straight yes or no, I disagree. HBO makes films so the choice is binary. The calculus might be different if your story was being sought for a PBS radio documentary or a print piece, but those formats are not on offer, at least not now.

So sorry to hear about these issues, wishing you a swift recovery.

I'm used to being able to read the narrative comments on reviews while I'm at home in Australia and not being able to see them when I'm in the US. Before SESTA/FOSTA they were able to be read in the US. I was travelling with in New Zealand for the last two weeks with some US-based guys and they commented on the fact that they could see the comments. Escorts outside the US can post their rates on RM, unlike their American colleagues.

I had noticed the icon there forever (well, I don't know when it first registered that it was there) and had always seen my avatar there for my comments, so the speculation above about what the P represented was obvious to me. I hadn't noticed that it showed how many times I had posted.

One must endeavour to maintain one's standards!

Lol, I should retire gracefully from the field of play!

Lol, I should retire gracefully from the field of play!

Quite so, the point I was making in my post is that at this remove from the tournament itself it's not possible to know, and that based on experience so far the health hazard although possibly present in Melbourne, by then may not be 'significant'. Novak may have been raising his concerns, as you suggest, in case the hazard to tournament play turns out to be significant. As I mentioned earlier, organisers here have been proactive in reorganising schedules to mitigate hazards. He may also have hoped for an early decision from the AO organisers, such as closing court rooves, that may have been to his advantage.

Quite so, the point I was making in my post is that at this remove from the tournament itself it's not possible to know, and that based on experience so far the health hazard although possibly present in Melbourne, by then may not be 'significant'. Novak may have been raising his concerns, as you suggest, in case the hazard to tournament play turns out to be significant. As I mentioned earlier, organisers here have been proactive in reorganising schedules to mitigate hazards. He may also have hoped for an early decision from the AO organisers, such as closing court rooves, that may have been to his advantage.

Surely it's only about 10 bux?

I think we're more likely to 'get on with things' but not to pretend nothing was happening (stiff upper lip can be more like the latter) . You're right, the ATP Cup is underway and of the three cities Sydney is the only one that is smoke-affected, and worse so than Melbourne. I don't think that the smoke will be a serious health issue in Melbourne, prevailing winds are from the west and the fires are mostly east of Melbourne, so I think Novak is raising the issue or as we would say 'trying it on' to see what the reaction might be. As you mentioned, it's still two weeks off. In contrast, the lead up tournament that was to be played in Canberra was moved to Bendigo, a couple of hours from Melbourne. Canberra has the worst air quality in the world at the moment.

Once upon a time in Iran ... [MEDIA=twitter]1210100234271023105[/MEDIA]

I can understand you would think that way in a state like Texas, assuming that you regularly drive between cities rather than just in the DFW metro complex, and that's how I think here even though my most frequent drive is 200km with a couple of others in the 300-400km range. That said, from what I've been reading battery range is increasing fast but I'm still more inclined towards a plug-in hybrid than a pure EV. The other thing that will likely come up and surprise us more quickly than we expect is for the existing car companies to become the biggest players in the EV market at the expense of specialists like Tesla. Some of the European car makers are talking about phasing out ICV production sooner rather than later, and ticket prices are already approaching parity.

Oh, I don't want to go to sleep, I want to be awake and present!

Something like that!

One hopes not to gain such attention!

Happy anniversary! I guess that will give you something for which to celebrate Boxing Day in the future. (Here, Boxing Day is more noteworthy as the first day of the post-Christmas sales, when almost everyone bar retail employees has the day off and can shop, and it's the first day of two Australian summer sporting rituals: the Boxing Day [cricket] test, this year against New Zealand, and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.)

Getting in early I see, but there's no time like the present to get all those greetings in!

On this warm, if somewhat hazy (story of my life for the last month or so) Christmas Morning in Melbourne, my heartfelt wishes to everyone for a happy, safe and blessed Christmas* and a rewarding and healthy new year that brings you all you wish for yourselves and your loved ones. (* Other seasonal holidays available.)