nycman

I grew up in a lower middle class family in rural America. Through hard work, planning, and perseverance, I was able to leave that place and live beyond my wildest dreams. So yes, it’s alive and well in me. In my experience, people expecting it to be handed to them on a silver platter are sorely disappointed. Those that work hard at it, soar.

I’m stunned that you even got him to reply. Several times I reached out ahead of time on various trips to Vegas. Never once did he reply. Now I just laugh when I’m in town and I see his ad. He certainly reinforced my "don’t hire locals in Vegas" rule.

Yawn. A boring "protest" at a boring opera. This isn’t news.

Yeah, I’m not a gift giver and I hate when people show up with gifts. If you must, a bottle of wine or flowers is a "safe bet", but…. A bottle of wine? Ok, but the odds of me ever drinking it are near zero. I have a nice enough wine cellar, thank you. And now I have to label it so I don’t accidentally re-gift it to you. And yes I do bring a bottle of shitty re-gifted wine to a party when I know you’re of "those people" who will be offended if I don't. Flowers? I just filled the house with flowers before you came over. I don’t need more dead things to throw away in a week. If it’s a birthday event, I make sure everyone invited knows I don’t expect or want a gift. Nonetheless, I’d say 25% show up with something. Which I think is rude because it makes the other 75% (who did what I asked) instantly uncomfortable. Anyone working the event is well trained to make your "gift" disappear as quickly as possible so as not to make my other guests feel awkward. They also know they are free to steal anything they want from the gift pile. I get that certain people were raised to "never show up empty handed", hence my wine/flower exception above, but I find it stupid. I have everything I could possibly want and/or need. Your "gift" is your presence. Worst gift? A couple gave me a pair of vegan sneakers and basically demanded that I put them on at the party. They were never invited back. Best gift? A really shitty gallon of vodka from the local Military Base PX. It was a serious gift initially, but it quickly became a "joke gift" that was passed around from house to house at friends’ parties for years.

I’m I the only one who thinks it’s hilarious that the price tag is still on the cucumber?

No

If anything, I think this text exchange proves my point. He was just asking. You’re the one that jumped to a conclusion. Try this instead… Client: “Are you single?" You: "No" If they keep prying…."I’m sorry, I’m not comfortable talking about my personal life". But at least give them the benefit of the doubt in the beginning. Otherwise, I think you might come off looking defensive and not very personable. (Hopefully this comes across right. I’m honestly trying to help. Not be a dick.)

Maybe it’s just polite conversation? Don’t overthink it.

God dammit. Ok. OK. OK! I’ll fucking fly to god damned Kanas City….. (starts checking flights….NYC to MCI) Well, at least I finally found a way to burn those Delta miles! Wait!….the #1 TripAdvisor hotel in Kanas City is the fucking Holiday Inn Express?!?! Are you fucking kidding me?!?!? @TruHart1 you better help me find a nice hotel…or we’re fucking at your house!…grin

Nice guy. Super cute. Looks like his pics. A little shy and reserved. He does indeed like Fem Men (which I am not). So our chemistry wasn’t great, but he delivered what I asked for. No complaints.

From that article: "The popular legend that the Eskimos put their old people on ice floes and set them adrift is wrong in detail, but it’s not terribly far off in the broad strokes." "Ice flow" Versus "We move the entire village in the middle of the night while you’re asleep and leave you to die" po-tay-to, po-tah-to…. I feel like we’re saying the same thing.

His (and his brother’s) creations often delighted and terrified me. Frequently at the same time. Any mind that could dream up Sleestaks, Witchiepoo, and Sigmund the Sea Monster….is a genius. RIP.

Indeed. And it’s who I think it is (it was a long time ago), he was over 6’4’’ and had the local nickname of "the world’s biggest bottom". He was also an incredibly kind and gentle man.

I have been on the Queen Mary 2 in 30 Foot seas. Unfortunately, your fear is well-founded. There is no turning back and it can be rough. As @Vegas_Millennial stated above, you really have to take sickness medicines before you get seasick in order for them to be effective. And most of them make you very drowsy. In fact, that’s half of how they work. They make you sleepy, so you don’t really care that you’re bouncing all over the place. Although I’m not very prone to sickness myself, when there’s literally hundreds of people around you vomiting all over the place (including the crew) and you’re bouncing up and down 30 feet in the air for three days straight, it’s pretty much inevitable. In addition, in seas that rough, it’s not really safe to move around the boat so there’s nothing to do. Honestly, I wouldn’t even dream of doing a transatlantic journey on anything other than the QM2. She’s a true ocean liner and she’s built for that stuff. Nonetheless, 30 foot waves are 30 foot waves. She may keep you alive, but you’ll still wish you were dead. Having said all that, I still wouldn’t let it deter from a transatlantic journey on the QM2. The above advice on cabin selection is spot on. If you’re someone who gets seasick walking across the street, then I would start sickness medicine (most likely a scopolamine (Dramamine) patch) the day before I start my journey. Otherwise I would just watch the forecast and ask the crew what the projections were. They usually know pretty well a day or two before how rough the ocean is going to be.

Have you tried upping your headgear game? He seems to be into that….grin

"he was confident he would land a job somewhere, and that he had had “some really greats conversation” with “several stations in the deep south.” You get fired in NYC for inappropriate online videos….and you think you’re going to land a job…in The Deep South?!?!?

I lost it with the tinfoil mermaid in a bathtub…lol

I agree, Prague is just a short trip from Berlin, but I’ll play devil’s advocate. The Prague boys do nothing for me. Admittedly I don’t like twinks or blondes. Nonetheless, the Prague boys always seem to over promise and under delivery. It’s like going out on a hundred prom dates with girls who think they’re sexy/sluty but in reality they’re just boring. Whereas Berlin is like being a freshman in college and dating a college senior who confidently blows your mind. It’s the most sex positive environment I’ve ever experienced. Very little judgements and lots of fun. Confident. Sexy. Men. Obviously, it all depends on your tastes and who you meet. I alway say "it only takes one man to change your whole attitude about a place". Maybe I just haven’t met "the one" in Prague.

Is that like hugging my Aunt Bertie at Christmas? Hard Pass.

because sometimes the cute little eye roll emoji…just isn’t enough.

It’s tricky. I always try to give with an open hand, but a simple "thank you" card goes a long way towards insuring that same generosity is there the next time an "unexpected need" arises. And it always does arise eventually. To me the worst is finding out that your generosity to help a relative "pay the rent" was instead used to fund a vacation in Florida because "it’s been a really stressful time for us and we felt like we deserved it" (no joke).

Now there’s a body that can make any gay happy! Top, bottom or sideways. That ass? On a 6’6’’ Brazilian man? Be still my heart!

"I also offer overnight cuddling…." How cute is that? I have to admit there are times in my life when I’m more turned on by that than a rock hard dancer’s ass.

You don’t get invited to parties much…do you?