youngboldone

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. 
 

Hiring a straight guy is part of the fantasy for some clients. I suppose it doesn’t matter if the providers actually are straight (by whatever definition you want to apply). The point is you’re indulging a fantasy, and that’s about you - not them. If they can fulfill that fantasy for you, does anything else really matter?
It’s like watching a movie, or even porn. Suspend your disbelief for the sake of enjoying the content. I don’t believe Meryl Streep is the devil in heels in real life when she goes home. Nor do I believe those guys in porn are actually stepbrothers.
Getting the most out of hiring a self-identified (read: self-marketed) “straight” man is your responsibility, not theirs. If your provider can be what you want them to be for the time you’re hiring them, it shouldn’t really matter how they identify inside their head apart from work.
You’re paying for fantasy, their time, body, and services. You’re NOT paying them to live their life in a certain way, or think certain thoughts, or feel certain emotions directed at certain people, or to agree with your definitions of human sexuality. 
In my humble opinion, the only person limiting their own enjoyment of a straight provider is the client.

There has been much hand-wringing over the years about the chosen forum weekend. In fact, with Stagecoach/Coachella/Easter/White Party/Indian Wells/what-have-you, every weekend is very busy in Palm Springs thru the winter/spring. The forum weekend host generously gives his time to this and tries to balance warm weather with his own winter/spring "snowbird" schedule. 

+1

Thanks for the recommendations @youngboldone

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr;   Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides;  The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne;  A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara;  The Lowland - Jhumpa Lahiri;  The Overstory - Richard Power

For me, it's making scrapbooks of my travels and/or reading.  I love just sitting for hours reading a good novel, or a play (I have close to 800 in my collection), or my New Yorker magazine.  

For me, it's making scrapbooks of my travels and/or reading.  I love just sitting for hours reading a good novel, or a play (I have close to 800 in my collection), or my New Yorker magazine.  

All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr;   Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides;  The Heart's Invisible Furies - John Boyne;  A Little Life - Hanya Yanagihara;  The Lowland - Jhumpa Lahiri;  The Overstory - Richard Power

For me, it's making scrapbooks of my travels and/or reading.  I love just sitting for hours reading a good novel, or a play (I have close to 800 in my collection), or my New Yorker magazine.  

Just made my reservations at Hacienda.  Can't Wait.
I got the last room.  I saw that TruthBTold made reservations and thought I need to act now..  I don't recall any other attendees of this event staying here.

In a breathtaking departure from my normal practice I have just made flight and hotel reservations months out from the event (flights considerably cheaper, Inndulge not so much).
I'll be flying in and out of LAX and plan to rent a car to go to Palm Springs, and I've booked Inndulge from Thursday to Tuesday. It's a bit early to be excited but I'm looking forward to another great weekend of friend- and, err, fellowship, and to making new friends. Bring it on!

Reservations made!  This will be number four for us.  Looking forward to it!

Booked my room at the InnDulge; you guys are so fast! There were only two types of rooms left available (not two rooms, jus two types of rooms, Superior-View and Deluxe View), so I couldn't get the cheaper, non-pool-view rooms like last year. 😕
Hoping I can save up to invite a escort I've been having my eye on who's out of state.
But see you guys there from Thursday to Monday!  Bar being sick, I'll be going!

Reservations have been made. This will be number fifteen for me!

Reservations made!  This will be number four for us.  Looking forward to it!

Reservations made!  This will be number four for us.  Looking forward to it!

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!  May your day and year ahead be filled with continued good health and fun travel adventures!

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!  May your day and year ahead be filled with continued good health and fun travel adventures!

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!  May your day and year ahead be filled with continued good health and fun travel adventures!

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays!  May your day and year ahead be filled with continued good health and fun travel adventures!

My dear SF -
From one "mature" "young" man to another:  May you have a wonderful day with family.
And it's always fun to parse The Weekend before and after with you!😄☺️😉
Hugs and more.

I don’t see the point in posting statements like these to ads. The time wasters are going to do what they do regardless. If anything, they are the least likely of anyone to read and understand -much less respect- the statement, or anything else in the ad. If someone can’t afford to hire and they know full well they can’t, they still reach out and waste time asking a bunch of questions.
Hiring is a fantasy. Engaging a provider makes that fantasy feel more real, even if you don’t meet the guy. I get it, and I can’t stop people from doing this. It’s just part of the business I have to deal with on a daily basis by filtering out the bad apples when they start showing red flags. As soon as they do, I make my best effort to decline them politely end the conversation. When necessary, I go the extra step and block them.
Meanwhile, by including statements like the above on the ad, you put off some of the would be serious clients by making them feel like they’re bothering you. Not everyone who contacts you is going to book you. That’s normal. No amount of complaining or disclaimers is going to change that behavior. 

If you're a lawyer or a Doctor, I'm sure $400 is not a problem.  But for average Joes, this is simply highway robbery!!  There has to be a line of demarcation when enough is enough, and I say that is $300.  I get the old supply and demand side of economics, but there must be common sense.  It's just buggery, not creating new art or writing a play.  My solution (tongue and cheek, so to speak) is that customers form a union and demand LOWER fees, or we go on strike!

But seriously, guys, $300 is more than enough.

Safe travels back to Ohio!  Enjoy the scenery, and savor the moments!