Charlie

I am currently reading Young Benjamin Franklin by Nick Bunker, an in-depth examination of Franklin's life before he became a world-famous figure. It is a brilliant explanation of the influences that created his character. (As a longtime Philadelphian, I have always been fascinated by Franklin and his place in American history.)

I suspect that most of the celebrities that showed up to see the match only wanted to be able to say that they were there when Novak won the Grand Slam, and were probably more annoyed than disappointed. It certainly was a surprise that Medvedev won as easily as he did; there will be lots of Monday morning quarterbacks explaining the result, but to me Novak just looked old for the first time that I can remember. I kind of wish that the Big Three all retire with 20 slams apiece.

Since we are not identified on the site except by our handles, it is hard to find out what happened to so-and-so if they stop posting, unless another member knows them off the site. Some people announce their departures, but most just disappear. On 9/11, I am reminded how many people died suddenly and unexpectedly on that day; it was a couple of weeks before I discovered that someone I had known years earlier but no longer had a contact with was on one of the planes.

Don't forget that the posts above are eleven years old! The poster who mentioned him has not been active on this site for eight years. I haven't seen an ad for Ryker since the Rentboy days, and at this point he would be in his late 50s, so he is likely retired.

Back in the day, I would occasionally drive from Palm Springs to the LA area (100-125 miles, the distance of a normal commute for many southern Californians) to meet a provider, but that was my limit. When I lived in Manhattan, I wouldn't even go farther than Brooklyn Heights. The prospect of sex has never been important enough to motivate me to fly anywhere.

I can't even remember now why it was prescribed for me at one time, but I do remember that I didn't like it, because I felt like I had the beginning of an erection quite often when all I wanted to do was pee.

The men's final is as predictable as the women's was unpredictable: #1 vs. #2, for the second time this year in a slam. I found the women's draw more interesting to watch for that reason. Felix is a talented, likable young man, but he is too mentally fragile to become a top player. It's remarkable that he has gotten to #15 in the world without being able to win a single ATP title at any level.

Raducanu actually is the first qualifier, of either sex, to make a Slam final. She had to play a lot of matches, but she didn't have to eliminate opponents as formidable as Fernandez's triumvirate of Osaka, Kerber and Sabalenka.

I have never had sex with anyone with blue hair, and I never will!

I think that this is an important point. Many people found this site through the reviews site, of which it was originally a part back in Hooboy's time. After the two sites were separated, "Daddy's Reviews" was still a feeder for this site, and many new participants learned of its existence because of the connection. Most discussion in the early days was about escorts, but over the years that has diminished considerably, and it has become a conversation medium for (mostly) gay men about all sorts of interests, from politics to sports to opera, and escorts are only one subject. Some of the most prolific posters don't even seem to have much interest in escorts at all any longer. I think the question is really about how to attract new members without sex with escorts as the lure.

OK, before the tournament started, how many tennis pundits predicted that the women's final would be between two unseeded bi-racial (Ecuadorean/Filipina and Roumanian/Chinese) teenagers, both born in Canada to immigrant parents? How many commentators could even name the players who fit that description? Whoever ends up in the men's final will be a lot more familiar names than those two, at least for now.

The photographer looks hotter than the model. The photographer looks hotter than the model.

Perhaps he does this only to supplement his Social Security payments.

Is it my imagination, or are the cigarettes in the mouths of the two on the left photo-shopped on?

An escort in his 20s whom I hired many years ago told me that he often hired escorts just to see what he could learn about his competition.

A real shocker: Alcaraz retires partway through the 2nd set, apparently because of some kind of physical problem, after speaking with a physio but without getting any treatment. Even Auger-Aliassime seems baffled by the development. Maybe these long, thrilling matches, which have been wonderful to watch for the past nine days, are taking too much of a toll on the winners (Krejcikova looked like she was hardly trying against Sabalenka, and lost 6-1, 6-4.)

I cringe listening to the ESPN commentators trying to pronounce the name of Botic Van de Zandschulp, and usually butchering it. It's not that hard, folks! Just take it phonetically, the way I hope you were taught in school (that's a hint: just take "school" and add a "p" to the end of it, and you will be close enough to the pronunciation of the last syllable).

The women's draw was loaded with former grand slam champions, including the winners of the last five US Opens, yet the only one of them all to make it as far as the quarter-finals is Barbora Krejcikova, the current French Open champion, and she almost had to be carried off the court at the end of her match yesterday. I think it is safe to predict that someone new is going to join that cohort on Saturday.

I would be happy with everything except the escargots.

BTW, what has become of Washington? He used to be a commentator; I sat next to him on a plane coming back to the US from Melbourne after the 2003 Aussie Open, where he was one of the commentators for the US broadcasts.

I was the product of a mixed marriage: my father was born on the UES, but my mother was born on the UWS. I haven't lived in Manhattan for almost four decades, and have forgotten a lot about it.

I'll go out on a limb and say I think Tiafoe is the new Donald Young. The American commentators have been desperate for a long time to find a Black male star to succeed Arthur Ashe, that they keep hyping players who are good but not great, and unfortunately, I think Tiafoe believes their hype and is crushed when he can't live up to it. He looked so crestfallen last night when he lost to Auger-Aliasseme in a rather routine match. I'll bet he gets the same kind of hate mail that Stephens gets and is embarrassed to admit it.

When I first glanced at the thread title, I thought that UES might be United Escort Service.

Philly? They both appear to be in Chicago.

We have to be tough old guys to live in the desert. 😁