unicorn

In December, my husband connected with a handsome young senior financial executive with the cruise company, "Frank," while we were on a cruise in Antarctica. We socialized a bit together while on the cruise, and mentioned that we were going to go on a cruise with a sister cruise company (within his company's umbrella) in February. My husband said that we'd keep in touch and try to meet in Miami before our next cruise left (he lives/works in Miami, and the cruise was leaving from Miami). A week or so before we were going to leave, I asked him if he'd arranged a meeting for Frank and us, and he said that he ghosted him. Apparently, they were texting each other, and Frank texted "I know about West Hollywood gays, LIKE YOU," and also asked "So what are YOU doing up at this hour?" (it was 3:30 AM on a Monday, and he was up for whatever reason; I can only assume Frank was getting ready to go to work?). So that was the last text. In the meantime, I met an interesting internet personality at a Christmas party, whom I'll call "Fred." Neither of us finds him at all attractive, but I find his life story interesting, so I asked if I could invite him over for some drinks in January. We had drinks at our place, and got to know him better. Since I was so interested in his story, I did pepper him with questions. I felt I got to know him better, and I asked my husband if we could have Fred over for dinner sometime after our February cruise. He said he didn't want him over for dinner, but a wine & cheese before dinner would be OK. I asked my husband why he didn't seem thrilled at meeting Fred, and he complained that Fred hadn't asked any questions about us, and only talked about himself, but he was willing to give him another chance. I told him I felt partially responsible because I asked him so many questions. I also asked him why he didn't apply these same standards to one of his closest friends, "Frodo," who always turns all conversations on himself. Unlike Fred, Frodo is usually considered very handsome, gets essentially anyone he wants, and is always bouncing from one man to the next. He responded that he was OK with Frodo behaving like that because they've been friends for many years. So the day for the wine and cheese came, and, hours before the meeting, my husband announced he wasn't "feeling well," and so Fred and I had a wine and cheese while my husband stayed in bed in our bedroom. Fred came over at the conclusion of the hour and told my husband he hoped he felt better soon. I suppose this was a way of "ghosting" Fred. This blocks my ability of getting to know Fred better, because my contacts will be limited to inviting him to one of our summer parties, and maybe going with me to the rare shows I want to go to but my husband doesn't (obviously we go to 90% of shows together, but there are some he can't stomach, such as the Neil Diamond musical, so I find someone else). There are usually other people to whom I'm closer that I'd usually invite, but these would be my only opportunity to maintain contact with Fred. I guess I can't recall I've ever "ghosted" someone before. If things weren't going right, I think I'd try to communicate my needs, and give that person a chance to adjust his behavior. In the case of Frank, I suppose one could argue he was being rude, although I suspect Frank may be on the autism spectrum, and may just need guidance (Frank was on the cruise with a cousin, not a friend or romantic partner). So if you think you're having communication issues, would you generally offer feedback, or just ghost someone?

The number of diseases one can get from dirty earbuds is almost countless... 😉

What would be your concern?

You're diverting again (instead of apologizing, as usual) for being FACTUALLY wrong about Zoroastrianism being an official religion in Iran. And the overwhelming majority of nations in the UN General Assembly is hardly the "American view," quite obviously. Without even delving into the facts, if you had known the official name of the country, you'd have known what the only official religion of the country is.

Putin doesn't seem to have followed your sage advice. He's been helping the Iranians. I'm sure that'll really endear himself to Tumplethinskin. It might push the rug-wearing thunder-nugget to let Ukraine get more weapons?

Zoroastrianism is NOT "one of Iran's official religions." It is a recognized minority religion, but non-Shias, and especially non-Muslims have been persecuted by the Iranian government. https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2006/71421.htm "The constitution declares the "official religion of Iran is Islam, and the doctrine followed is that of Ja'fari (Twelver) Shi'ism." The Government restricts freedom of religion. There was a further deterioration of the extremely poor status of respect for religious freedom during the reporting period, most notably for Baha'is and Sufi Muslims. The country's religious minorities include Sunni and Sufi Muslims, Baha'is, Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians. There were reports of imprisonment, harassment, intimidation, and discrimination based on religious beliefs. Government actions and rhetoric created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all religious minorities, especially Baha'is and Sufi Muslims. To a lesser extent, Zoroastrians, evangelical Christians, and the small Jewish community were also targets of government harassment. Government-controlled media, including broadcasting and print, intensified negative campaigns against religious minorities – particularly the Baha'is – following the June 2005 election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The U.S. government makes clear its objections to the Government's harsh and oppressive treatment of religious minorities through public statements, support for relevant U.N. and nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts, as well as diplomatic initiatives towards states where religious freedom is a concern. Since 1999 the Secretary of State has designated Iran as a "Country of Particular Concern" (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act for its particularly egregious violations of religious freedom. In 2003, the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 58/195 on the human rights situation in the country; it expressed serious concern about the continued discrimination against religious minorities by the Government. In 2004, the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the human rights situation in Iran. In March 2006 the U.N. General Assembly adopted Resolution 60/171 expressing serious concern about the continued discrimination and human rights violations against religious minorities by the Government. Also in March 2006, the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief issued a statement of concern about the treatment of the Baha'i community in the country. The Special Rapporteur's statement claimed that Supreme Leader Khamene'i has instructed security officials to identify and compile information on Baha'is..."

I was a joke--an obvious one. Everybody understood this (including yourself, since you went to the trouble of switching the emojis I used from a laughing one to a quizzical one). Obviously, almost no one is alive today who can remember events from the mid 1940s, so I obviously didn't think you were in your late 90s or 100s. Thank you for your response about the name change from Persia to Iran, although if it really has Zoroastrian roots, you'd think Iranian officials would want to scrub it, since the Iranian government has harassed the Zoroastrian minority (although that religion, but not Islam, has its roots in Persia). FWIW, I personally find Zoroastrianism one of the least stupid religions on the planet. For the most part the newer a religion, the dumber I find it (with Scientology and Mormonism/Moronism being so incredibly stupid I can't believe anyone would fall for that).

So like you to change the emoji I wrote from a laughing one to a quizzical one, to completely change the meaning of my statement, from an obvious joke, to one suggesting a lack of understanding. Lying by data manipulation. Moses must be proud of you. Are you like Trump, who likes meaningless "awards" based on deception? OK, here's your Golden Weasel Award:

Speak for yourself. I was decades away from being born. 😄 That reminds me of the time Queen Elizabeth II was visiting Jamestown, Virginia (in 2007, at its 400th anniversary), and her guide said "You'll recall that Jamestown was England's first settlement in North America...". She gave that speaker a dirty look. I suppose he should have said "You'll recall from history books...". 😉 You may need to explain to us hoi polloi why Iran is a more secular name than Persia. If it's so secular, why didn't the ayatollahs change it back to Persia? 🫤

I would think that without ensuring fair elections with UN monitors, it's going to be same old-same old. At least I think that unlike the Afghanis, who are split into tribal factions and know only of "might makes right," I have a sense that Iranians are ready for democracy. I could be wrong. Just killing one leader after another doesn't solve any long-term problems. It just kicks the can down the road.

My hubbie and I will be going on a Danube trip in May, including several countries in which my understanding of the local lingo is either zero (Hungarian) or close to nonexistent (Serbo-Croatian, Bulgarian, Romanian). I'm thinking of getting translating earbuds, but don't know anyone who's actually used them. Have you had the opportunity to use them? How well do they work?

I ran across what I thought were some hot photos of this man with birthmarks. I looked him up on LPSG, and apparently he's AI! I then also noted that his birthmarks changed. He has a Pay-Per-View site (to which I did not subscribe). After careful exam, the birthmarks did move around. He goes by "Alex Pumar," or "Alex Pumare," stating he's 25 and living "somewhere in the USA." He apparently just popped up out of nowhere a few weeks ago. Soon we'll be paying PPV/OnlyFans, etc., for AI content. If they're going to charge us for artificial beauty, I hope they get the technology for hot androids soon... https://linktr.ee/alexpumar86 https://www.instagram.com/alexpumare/

On a personal note, I'd sure like to be able to safely visit Iran one of these days. Hopefully it won't remain a theocracy until the day I die.

Reminds me of that movie... 😄

I would encourage to OP's actions to be guided by a urologist, and not by YouTube ads. The presence of paraphimosis really makes matters more complicated and more urgent than simple phimosis. PhimoStop is only indicated for Kikiros Grade 2 or less: As I mentioned earlier, paraphimosis can lead to gangrene, which has truly debilitating consequences:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/02/rightwing-brazilian-influencer-junior-pena-arrested-by-ice "A rightwing Brazilian influencer who claimed Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown targeted only “crooks” has been arrested by ICE agents in New Jersey. Júnior Pena, whose full name is Eustáquio da Silva Pena Júnior, declared his support for the US president in a recent video message to his hundreds of thousands of social media followers. “I [support] Donald Trump – I like the guy,” announced the South American TikToker and Instagrammer whose account purports to show “the reality of the United States” from a migrant’s perspective. In a previous video, Pena reportedly urged Brazilians to stay calm and not “despair” after reports that ICE agents were rounding up migrants, including Brazilians. “But they’re all crooks. The lot of them,” he falsely claimed of the migrants being seized. On Saturday, Pena was himself reportedly detained and sent to the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. One friend told the local newspaper the Brazilian Times that Pena had been taken into custody after missing a court hearing. The detainee’s lawyer, Andrew Lattarulo, was reportedly trying to resolve the situation and prevent him being transferred to another state. The Brazilian influencer has reportedly lived in the US since 2009 and hails from Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, from where a large number of people have emigrated to the US and Europe...".

He's working hard trying to rig the elections. He thinks he can. I'm not sure he can do as much as he thinks he can. He's mostly acted like he's above the law (because he essentially is), but at least there are some brakes being applied by the Judicial branch.

On today's ABC News with David Muir, he said that "Martin Short's family break their silence on his daughter's death!". His daughter had only died the day before! He made it sound as if Martin Short "owed" him some kind of statement the moment his daughter died. It seemed rather disrespectful to my ears. The clip is at 16:35

I was tempted to add this to a different string but resisted the temptation...

Don't worry. The last time snow was recorded in downtown LA was in 1962.