Charlie

"'What is truth?' said jesting Pilate, and would not stay for an answer." John 18:38

When I was in my early 20s and an impecunious grad student, I decided to try hustling one day. (There were no escorts in those days, because there was no gay media in which to advertise as one.) I knew where to go downtown to try to get picked up by someone who would pay, and I did it for several hours (I was young enough to be able to cum multiple times in one day), but I realized it was not something I was very good at, because I had a hard time performing with men I wasn't attracted to, so I didn't continue. Around the same age, I was introduced to a man who was looking for a kept boy, and I had a few dates with him. He was a doctor who was in his early 50s, and I found him quite attractive, which was the main problem: I could have enjoyed having an affair with him as equal partners, but I couldn't have been comfortable being used as a boytoy. When I explained that to him, he made it clear that he was looking for someone who would simply fulfill a utilitarian role, not complicate his emotional life, so we became merely casual social friends.

We had also planned to do a milestone birthday visit to Washington, DC, this year (it was my spouse's birthplace), but I don't want to get on a plane, and though I have driven there from California before, a driving trip that long through states where it may be hard to find places to stay overnight, not to mention restaurants, sounds too stressful. Then there is the question of what to do when we get there. There is no guarantee that any of the museums and other tourist sites will be open. I am fond of my brother-in-law and his husband, but I don't need to travel all that way just to sit around their apartment on Logan Circle chatting all day. I think we will probably wait till next year, and confine our domestic travel this year to familiar places within two or three days driving distance from Palm Springs.

I don't know that it made any difference who was in charge of the tournament. Serbia had lifted all CoVid restrictions--no social distancing, no limits on numbers of spectators, no face masks, etc.--and Novak was openly happy about that. He participated in basketball games with the other players, took them and their friends around Belgrade, posting photos of them enjoying themselves in public places, and generally promoted the idea that it was great to do everything "normally" again, as though there were no virus. Croatia did apparently try to limit the number of spectators in attendance on the second weekend in Zadar, but didn't publicize that fact. The live TV broadcasts frequently focused on the people in the stands huddled together chatting and enjoying the lovely summer weather. I heard nothing on the English commentary about the fact that Serbian elections were going on at the same time, with the incumbent administration looking to be returned to power. Just saying....

He looks Russian, but "Valerie" is a woman's name; it should be Valeri or Valery.

It's not just Djokovic; Grigor Dimitrov, Victor Troicki and Borna Coric have so far tested posititve, too. They have all been playing together in the same exhibition "tournament" organized by Djokovic, in front of packed crowds with no CoVid restrictions in the stands or on the court, and the players have been socializing in public at the same time. If it turns out that spectators, linesmen and even ballkids start testing positive as well, Novak is going to find himself facing some hostile fans once he steps out of the "Balkan bubble" he has been living in.

This morning it has been announced that at least four of the pro tennis players in that Adria Tournament that I have referenced in previous posts in this thread have tested positive, including world #1 Novak Djokovic and his wife. They not only played the tournament with crowded stands of spectators and no CoVid restrictions at all on court, they also socialized in public in Belgrade and Zadar. It makes the very strict conditions that the USTA is demanding that players and their entourages adhere to at the US Open in NYC look more reasonable. Croatia depends on tourism for almost a quarter of its economy, and they thought that holding the tournament in Zadar, a beautiful seacoast city, and televising it, showcasing the lack of CoVid restrictions, would encourage foreign tourists to return this summer. Bad idea.

My uncle was killed in Germany in the last months of World War II, and was buried in an American military cemetery in Belgium. Five years ago, during a trip to Europe, I decided to visit his grave. I contacted the administration of the cemetery, and learned that there was no record that any family member of his had ever visited during the 70 years since his death, so my spouse and I decided to go. It was a perfect summer day, and the cemetery is beautifully manicured. When we arrived, we were met at the entrance by the superintendent, to whom I gave a brief biography of my uncle that I had typed up for their records; he was 39 when he died, but he had no children, and his widow had spent the rest of her life in secluded depression in New Jersey. His five siblings were not the kind of people who traveled to Europe. The superintendent sent an employee, armed with a bucket and two small American flags, to guide us to the small white marble cross among the thousands spread out in semi-circular rows across the green fields. He placed the flags on either side of the cross, then carefully cleaned the name engraved on it (to make it easier to photograph) and respectfully withdrew and left us there. I was too young when he died to remember my uncle, so I didn't feel any rush of personal emotion, but I was moved at the care with which the cemetery was maintained despite the few visitors, and by the superintendent's information that a local family had recently signed up as sponsors for the maintenance of my uncle's grave. After a few minutes, the employee returned and handed me the two small flags, and led us back to the entrance. The last thing I needed was two flags to add to my luggage, but I carried them for the rest of the trip, and still have them.

Grigor Dimitrov, one of the tennis stars who played last weekend in the Adria Tournament in Belgrade that I commented on in post #257, has tested positive for CoVid-19. The tournament, which continued this weekend in Zadar, Croatia, was cancelled when the announcement was made by Dimitrov today before the final match. I remember watching Dimitrov and his opponents embracing at the net last weekend. It will be interesting to see if they or any others on the court test positive.

When I was young, many of my father's family members used to go to visit the family plot every Sunday, and would even picnic there. It was a way of bringing the whole family together again, the living and the dead. I think my mother found it creepy; I never even knew where most of her family was buried. I don't think any of my father's relations who are still alive do it any more. I now live far away from that cemetery, but several years ago when I was visiting New York, I made my way out there, and found it very moving to see the gravestones of my ancestors once more. Even though I know it is impractical, I still think I would like to be buried in the same plot as my parents, grandmother and godparents.

Was it "wrong" to laugh? I suppose from a moral standpoint it is never "right" to laugh at the misfortunes of others. Is it natural to laugh when the misfortune comes to someone you detest at the hands of someone else you detest for the same reason, especially if the misfortune itself is relatively minor and is likely to make the sufferer mad at his compatriot? Yes, that is only human. I don't think it is really Schadenfreude, which is pleasure at having avoided yourself the injury you observe happen to someone else.

I wonder how much fun he is by the 24th hour.

I finally started on President McKinley by Robert Merry, an excellent biography. I realized I knew very little about McKinley, who turns out to be a much more interesting character than I was aware. He was about as different a personality from Donald Trump as any Republican President could be.

The EU with or without the UK? It would make a difference.

Post #144 looks like a heavily photoshopped Berdych.

The Tramway up to the mountaintop has been closed since the start of the of the pandemic. The gondola cars are too small for distancing with more than a handful of people onboard, and its not worth the expense of running it with too few customers. Many other popular tourist attractions are also closed, but the Living Desert in Palm Desert has just re-opened and is worth a visit, likewise Joshua Tree National Park; however, in July and August they are uncomfortably hot.

It is not easy to predict what you will find this weekend, much less in a little over a month. Most of the gay venues in PS have been closed until very recently, and the bars are still not supposed to be open. However, I have been told that some of the bars have been circumventing the rules by claiming to have food service, and then ordering in pizzas or food from restaurants for customers to share. A neighbor told me he was shocked to go past the Tool Shed and see it open, so he went in and found it crowded, no masks or social distancing, and I was told the same about a bar on Arenas by another acquaintance. The governor today issued a new statewide rule (it had been a local option) that masks must be worn in every indoor venue where distancing is not possible, so there may be a crackdown coming.

I watched Fabbio practice shirtless back when he was still young and tat-free, as he is in the last photo.

That certainly would distract me from hitting the ball.

The "I'm into" section is not clear about whether he likes to play that role or is attracted to Daddies. I thought that might be what he is offering rather than what he is looking for; however, since that section also says "twinks," you are probably correct, since at 24 he probably doesn't have to "play" that role.

"A lot," "younger folk," "fairly crowded" are pretty vague generalizations. Admittedly, I use such language myself all the time in my own comments, but they are not the kind of hard data on which I would want to base a firm conclusion.

But where is the data about "areas where there is widespread use of masks and observance of distancing"? Those conditions seem to be anecdotal and impressionistic, not statistically verified. Masks and distancing may be required, or more frequently "recommended," in many jurisdictions, but there is plenty of verbal and photographic evidence that they are often not observed or enforced. There is a lot of fuzzy cause-effect analysis being done on all sides.

A 24 year old "Daddy"?

A 24 year old "Daddy"?

He wants clients who are "SUBMASSIVE." Does that mean the client should be a sub who is massive, or who wants to be a sub to someone massive, or does he just not know how to spell?