jimmie50

I have never been much of a sports enthusiast and certainly never followed any type of football, but have read news articles about the corruption in FIFA. I do recall issues with the timing of the competition in Qatar due to extreme heat, but only vaguely. While you are probably correct in that the disgraced and banned former FIFA president cannot keep his finger out of the cookie jar, so to speak, and should probably refrain from making any comment whatsoever...I can't help but wonder given the current situation in the US regarding immigration, how much of a deterrent that will be to possible attendees. Based upon what is happening currently in Minnesota, I have never felt more unsafe in my own country. Regardless of how much of an avid football fan I might be...given the current political climate here I would be very hesitant and even fearful to consider coming to the US. It is downright disheartening.

They just join a long list of people and organizations with no backbone...starting with the US House and Senate.

Me. Feb. 20 until April 2. Would love to connect with some forum members while there.

At one time I seem to recall FaFa Massage & Spa advertised a pair of twins. Not sure if they still work there or not. I have only seen one of them listed on the daily Line updates.

I guess this is what some people refer to as a throuple? A threesome would just be something sexual. Not my cup of tea, but to each their own.

What is the latest on your kitty? Has she come home from the vets? What about her eyesight?

Personally, I am in full agreement and support of these bans for children and youth under 16. Coming from the education field, I would walk across campus and observe students sitting across from each other completely engaged with their phones...texting the person sitting directly across from them!!! They don't know how to have actual conversations with each other or how to communicate without their devices. Like @Ruthrieston, I go out to eat with friends (my age) and see young families sitting at a table all with phones in hand. There is no casual family conversation taking place. Just scanning social media, playing games, texting or what have you. They don't even bother to look at each other. No eye contact except with the screen. So sad.

In the states, I don't usually go out to the clubs or bars. To be honest, not even sure where they are located in Denver. If I go out here, it is usually for dinner with friends or to a show. When I was in Bangkok, I tried to eat between 5 and 7pm. I don't like to eat any later than that. Then I would go back to the hotel to relax and freshen up. The night I went to Moonlight I got there after the show had started, so probably after 10pm. I went earlier...around 9pm when I went to Hotmale and was the only customer for awhile. I actually preferred going early, so will probably follow that routine when I return next month. As for attire, I am almost always in shorts and Hawaiian shirts. Unless I had some important meeting at school, dress codes for students and staff in California were very lax or non-existent. Most of the staff attire was very casual. Probably 95% of the time I was in shorts and the floral shirts. That is pretty much what I wear when in Thailand, too. Because of the cold and sometimes harsh winters in Denver I have had to adjust that long pants, sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. Hate it!

You can get them in the US from Amazon, but you have to buy a case of 24 bars. You cannot get just one or a small quantity.

Same here. When I was in college, I had one professor who smoked a pipe. I thought that was really cool and decided I want to try smoking one, too. Had never tried smoking before. Sat around one afternoon at school with a group of friends, had purchase a pipe and some cherry tobacco, lit up and started smoking away...not have the first idea what I was doing. Inhaled so much that I became physically ill and was in bed for like two days. That convinced me there and then to never try smoking anything ever again. Lesson learned. Never had any desire to try any type of drugs.

Up until today, I had not followed the story about Brooklyn's Instagram posts. As I have stated in numerous posts on this forum, I am not a fan of social media, nor do I have accounts at Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. I use Line primarily for communication with folks in Thailand. I will also use WhatsApp (I know...now owned by Meta/Facebook), but only as a last resort. I have two online forums I visit...one occasionally but rarely post because of the toxic environment...the other is this one which I post often and really enjoy. I really agree with this statement. ...billions of people have entirely forgivably got sucked into a world where they are the product, where they work for free for the tech lords, who successfully devalued the idea of privacy at the altar of their big lie: that “being connected” via their networks is far more important than privacy; that it is a win for humanity; that it is social. But it isn’t. Societies are in a mess. Literacy’s in a mess. Young people’s mental health is in a mess. The world’s in far more of a mess than it was when the techlords found it. I actually started to read the news articles that shared some of Brooklyn's post because of the comment made by David Beckham. His comment that children are allowed to make mistakes certainly seems to imply that fault lies with Brooklyn and his posts are the mistake...not anything David or Victoria has done. Would be interesting to know what their other children think about the posts. I also found it interesting that a former employee of David's who claimed they had an affair back in 2004. Of course, he denied the affair. Her response at that time to his denial was that he was “trying to portray an image of perfection that was nothing like reality.” Her comment regarding Brooklyn's post was very interesting: “Fascinating admission from Brooklyn,” the 48-year-old replied alongside a red heart, “The truth always comes out.”

What about the browser DuckDuckGo? I have been thinking about using it instead of Google.

Talk about creepy...until your post I never had given it much thought. However, something similar just happened to me. My brother-in-law just returned form a business trip to Los Angeles. He walked by me as I was sitting at my computer (MacBook), with my iPhone on the desk, and wearing my apple watch. I asked him how his trip to California was and as part of the conversation he mentioned visiting a supermarket called Raley's. I was familiar with it since I lived and worked in California most of my adult life, but there are no Raley's in Colorado, nor have I thought about that chain or had any reason whatsoever to do any online search about the store. Next thing I know, I am getting email with Raley's advertisements. Really weird.

Unfortunately, trumps idea of ‘making America great again’ means taking us back to the 1950’s. He longs for the days before civil rights when society followed a white patriarchal standard. He and his cronies want to turn back the clock to a time when discrimination based on race, sex, et al was legal. They want to re-write history and whitewash what is taught in schools. While the majority of Americans would say that we have made good progress to make society more equitable, the current regime is doing everything they possibly can to roll back that progress. Trump and his followers perceive the progress we have made since the 1950’s as discrimination against white heterosexual males. He didn't even acknowledge Martin Luther King Day yesterday with the standard proclamation until late in the day after an outcry from civil rights leaders across the nation. Even though October is traditionally celebrated as LGBTQ+ History Month, I am pretty sure there will be no mention of it from this administration, nor will they acknowledge Black History Month, Women's History Month, Native American Month, Asian American Pacific Islander Month, etc. Depressing as well as disgusting.

Interesting article. Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful post.

Does anyone know if this shop has changed names, owners or management? Their 'X' and Line accounts are still @brothermassage, but their website now says TinTin Massage and Spa. Here is the link. Is this the same place as Brother? https://tintinmassageandsp.wixsite.com/tintinmassageandspa

Wow. Brings back fond memories. Never been to that beach, but often went to the Beitou hot springs not far from there. Haven't thought about that place in ages. Certainly had some fun times there.

Same here. I had never used Grinder prior to my Thailand trip last October and had quite good luck with it. Have never tried Scruff, Jack'd, Hornet or any of the other sites, so really cannot compare success rate. Will definitely use Grinder again on my next trip. Individuals I met last time looked like photos and were as described. Just my experience, though.

So the name of the island is Samae San Island. Appears plans are progressing and will probably be in Pattaya the first week in March for around 10 days.

Thanks. I was questioning why they didn't provide any location info in that post. Probably best not to add that Line account. As for the twins, I've done four hands before a couple of times over the years and just don't enjoy the experience. I am sort of on sensory overload with two therapists at the same time. Prefer just to concentrate on one. Would probably pass on the twins.

Does anyone know if they have opened a second location, and if so where that might be? In their daily LINE updates today there was a link for FaFa Massage & Spa 2. Plan on visiting this shop when I am there next month, but curious about the new location. 扶桑|fafa Massage&Spa2 มีบัญชีทางการ LINE แล้ว! เป็นเพื่อนกับบัญชีนี้กันเถอะ คุณจะได้รับข้อมูลข่าวสารที่เป็นประโยชน์มากมาย แตะลิงก์ด้านล่างเลย https://lin.ee/TWiGjFl 扶桑 | fafa Massage & Spa 2 We now have an official LINE account! 🎉

That was the original plan. As it turns out, one of their rental units in Bangkok is going to be open so I am going to stay in Bangkok most of the time. I am going to be in Pattaya, too, for one or two weeks in March, but waiting on them to let me know the dates they are available to take me. It will be a weekend due to school and work schedules. They will stay the weekend and then return to Bangkok. I will return to Bangkok on my own...either by bus or hire a car service. They are planning to book some type of day trip to an island off Pattaya...not sure of the name of the island. Maybe someone will know the island. Here is a link to video they sent me: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1551397432791844 They are making all of the arrangements. I just go along for the ride. lol. To be honest, I am more of a 'city boy' and never have been much of a beach person. Kind of glad the condo in Bangkok is going to be available for me to use instead of spending 7 weeks in Pattaya. Still gets me out of the cold Denver winter and I think I will have more fun in Bangkok.

So, does this mean you are currently in Bangkok? Did I miss some travel update...or is it already 2027?!? LOL.

Same here. If none of the hosts are able to be taken off for some fun, then it doesn't interest me all that much. Cannot see the value of paying money just to have someone sit with me for a drink. Just my take on the situation.

I will be in Bangkok beginning February 20 thru April 2. At the encouragement of another forum member, I might take a trip to Pattaya for a few days during that time period, but have not made any specific plans for the side trip just yet. Would be great to connect with forum members while there if anyone else will be around. Happy to exchange contact info via DM.