Charlie

As I drove from downtown San Diego through Mission Valley and Hemet to Palm Springs, I saw those three different prices. Crazy!

Mine was the second post in this thread, thirteen years ago, so I was curious to check what I was paying then: $1.38 for hi-test, in Philadelphia. The other day I paid $3.37 in Hemet, CA, for regular, and thought it was a bargain.

And indeed there will be time To wonder, "Do I dare?" and, "Do I dare?" Time to turn back and descend the stair, With a bald spot in the middle of my hair-- (They will say: "How his hair is growing thin!") My morning coat, my collar mounting firmly to the chin, My necktie rich and modest, but asserted by a simple pin-- (They will say: "But how his arms and legs are thin!") Do I dare disturb the universe? In a minute there is time For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. ............................................ I grow old...I grow old... I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled. Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach? I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach. I have heard the [escorts] singing, each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me. (courtesy of T. S. Eliot, with slight emendation)

Well, FOS, I think you have your answer: some people will think you demonstrate admirable self-confidence, some will think you are silly and tasteless (no matter what your physical shape), and many will neither notice nor care what you wear. Your choice of what to do will depend on which of those opinions matters to you.

I wear Speedos at home in the privacy of my own pool, because I feel they are the most comfortable way to swim (and when the sun goes down, I swim naked). But since I am waaay past fifty, at a public pool or beach, I feel more comfortable psychologically wearing a more conservative bathing suit, for the same reason that I would feel silly wearing the tight t-shirts that I wore for cruising when I was in my 20s. Sometime in my 50s, I realized that even though my body shape hadn't changed much since my youth, my attitude toward exhibiting it had. So, wear what makes you feel comfortable.

The first time I heard, a week ago, that the last words from the plane to ground control were "All right, good night," I thought it sounded odd. Now the officials are admitting that this was not a normal sign-off, and some of the plane's communication devices had already been deliberately turned off before then. The question now is: who was speaking?

But if that were the rational explanation, why not just ditch the plane into the water immediately? Why--as several sources are now suggesting--change the route to the west and fly for several more hours? So far there don't seem to be any logical explanations for the whole thing.

It's now being reported that two of the Europeans listed as passengers were not on the flight--both had reported their passports stolen in Thailand. Certainly suspicious.

When it is 117 here and someone reminds me, "But it's a dry heat," I want to smack him.

The story of Dr. Faustus is a medieval legend that long precedes both Goethe and Gounod. However, the late escort Adam Faust certainly chose his escorting name for that reason.

I have been late posting in this thread, because I drive a Prius, and I haven't needed to fill it since before Thanksgiving, so I can't even remember what I paid last time. I just came from my local Phillips76 station in Palm Springs, where I paid $3.66/gal for regular.

I have had pretty much the same experience with him.

Earlier this year, we adopted a nine year old miniature poodle from a shelter, where he had been placed after his owner died. He seemed to be almost in shock from the sudden change in his life, and although a poodle was not a breed I ever wanted to own, we couldn't resist his sad story and took him home. The first week he was polite and quite passive, but once he realized this was going to be a permanent home, he became a bundle of energy, and has brought us much joy. Obviously, we won't have him as long as we would if we had got a puppy, but old dogs need love, too (I should know).

Tab Hunter and Clint Walker.

I also noticed the different uniform numbers on the first two photos, but I don't think the third picture is the same guy. I also wonder if they are Oakland As players, since they seem to be playing in a small park, not the Oakland stadium.

$3.39 for regular today at my local Union 76 station in Palm Springs. Now I'm glad I bought that Prius last March when my Toyota dealer had no customers.

I have grown addicted to HGTV--I have always been interested in residential real estate, and it's fascinating to see what people want and don't want. The formats of shows like "Househunters" and "Property Virgins" are a little too rigid and predictable, but I still enjoy them, and, like deej, I'm impressed with their willingness to work with all sorts of shoppers, including gay couples and singles. Many of their regular hosts are also obviously gay, and some seem chosen more for their looks than their talents; why do my contractors never look like that?

Congratulations, milord.

Aren't all the photos of the same model?

I thought he was better looking than his photos. He was pleasant, but I wouldn't describe him as particularly "interactive"--I thought he was somewhat disengaged.

That he said, "I have bitterly disappointed all of you," clinches it for me: he still doesn't get it that everything doesn't revolve around him. He hasn't bitterly disappointed me, because I don't care what he does sexually, and no sensible stranger would care. The people he has bitterly disappointed are his family, and the sponsors who paid him bigtime for endorsements that they now fear will not pay off. I am just moderately disappointed that the golf tournaments are less exciting without him.

I just came back from a 2400 mile roundtrip up and down the west coast, in which gas was everything from $2.69 to $3.09.

What is all the hooha in this thread about Tiger telling "lies"? Does someone here know that what he has said happened is not true? Or are you just jumping to conclusions? As for the role model thing, I am not aware that he has ever claimed to be anything other than a great golfer; if people want to claim him as their model for something more (model husband, loving parent, servant of God, etc.), that's their problem.

Because my mother had colon cancer at 70 (she had successful surgery and lived, without any recurrence, till 102), I have had a colonoscopy every five years since I was 55. It's a nuisance but not a big deal. However, I read recently that there is a new non-invasive procedure which actually does a better job of detecting the polyps, but it will probably be a while before it becomes a standard procedure.