RSD1

Let me tell you, I totally fulfilled my lifelong retirement dream, and it only took 40 years of hard work wrangling pigs on a farm in the Midwest USA and saving every cent to get here. That’s right, brothers, I dedicated my best years to hauling hogs, and now? Now I’m wrestling with local swans and the proud owner of not one, but TWO adjoined apartments on a high floor in the esteemed Omni Tower, with a smog city view that would make anyone choke, and right smack in the middle of Bangkok’s Soi Nana. Yeah, that Soi Nana—the one that’s a true melting pot of “entrepreneurs.” Picture this: a whole community of East African “professionals” who live here too, renting apartments and getting into nightly fights that bring in the police for regular break-ups. Not to mention all the Arabs and Indians slumming around, owning apartments here too. The cops are practically on standby, whether it’s to handle a squabble or round up folks for “visa irregularities.” Between 8 PM and 2 AM, the lobby transforms into a visual feast, with no fewer than 50 ladyboys strutting through, plus a rotating crew of “working ladies” from the Stans—Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, you name it. Living here feels like being inside the belly of the anaconda. This is paradise, folks, and I wouldn’t change a thing. If you’re jealous of my setup, well, I get it. You probably thought paradise was palm trees, beach chairs, and cocktails, naah bro, this is the real dream!

I'll bet a lot of the old moaners here on AN have had their own "tranny surprise" experience here in Thailand at one time or another, maybe even more than once. That's why this whole topic bothers them all so much.

Sounds like a good resolution in the end. John actually came out of this pretty lucky I think. He lost a bit money on the house, but it could've been worse. If it hadn't been for you setting off the alarms then he might've ended up unwittingly marrying this ladyboy one day. He should be counting his blessings that he knows the truth now instead of moping about it. Did he ever mention how they met?

Plant it and it will grow!

When you reach that level of misery, is it still possible to fire a bullet at least once you throw your wood on the fire? Or it that not working too?

Sounds like you've got a strong case of forum topic envy. That only happens when one has no life and forgets to take their meds. For the rest of the world whom aren't suffering from these issues, your only as good as you last set of pecker tracks.

There’s a good chance that Lek is benefitting financially from this relationship—after all, this is Thailand. If that’s the case, Lek would probably want John to think she can fulfill whatever he’s looking for in a partner, including someone to have kids with. So, it’s very unlikely Lek would ever want John to know she was a bloke at birth and can’t be his “baby mama.”

Any reason you stopped growing your own? To much hassle? Not worth the effort? Just curious. I assume the reason it that greenhouse grown weed is so cheap to buy now at around 20 Baht a gram on average that why bother growing your own outdoor weed. I would never grow my own. I don't really have a good outdoor location for it but, even if I did, I couldn't be bothered to mess with all the nuances of it. So much can go wrong along the way and the plants could die or have other problems. Then you got both the drying and the curing process where other things could go wrong too. And it's so much simpler to find some bud that you see, you like, and then you just buy it. I am sure there is a bit of fun and gratification in growing your own, and you can also be sure that no harmful chemicals have been used in growing it, but still I could never be arsed to be a grower. I also have about 10 different strains on hand to choose from at any given time that I've purchased. Can't have that variety so easily when you're growing it yourself either.

Don't bother. Or I should say, don't try it. Not worth the risk. You can buy all these things in Thailand. They may cost a bit more here, but it's by far the smarter way to go. Especially transiting through Japan with this stuff. Most likely there won't be a problem, but in Japan they don't have a sense of humor about these things. FAFO

When is this topic going to be shut down? It's miserable, pathetic, and so wrong in many ways.

I had planned to go to the South Island for the reasons you mentioned. My most desired destination was Queenstown, but after doing some more research, it seemed like it would be too remote, with too few options for access to food and accommodations. I didn't really want to do any driving. In fact, I wanted to be in a place where I could mainly walk and maybe rely on a bit of public transport when needed. So in the end, I made a compromise and booked a place in the city center of Christchurch. The cost was less of an issue for me, and I managed to get a really nice serviced apartment booked. What caused me to cancel it at the last moment was the fact that I mainly wanted to be able to go out on a daily basis and just do some walking in nature and be in some lush forest environments. Then I started watching blogs of people on YouTube who went to Christchurch, and I realized that a lot of the scenery there wasn't so scenic, especially the nature parts. To me, it looked a lot like dry, scrub brush, a bit similar to how I remembered Denver when I visited there a number of decades ago. So that's what pulled me back and got me to cancel my plans for that moment. There must be a way to go to the South Island and see some of that beautiful natural beauty and do some amazing walking without having to deal with big transportation problems, but I haven't spent more time yet thinking about it or working out how to approach it in the best way.

For once, this isn’t an alpha-versus-beta story. The OP’s reflection is more about the outcome of choosing to be caring and understanding, intentionally giving in ways that feel natural in a relationship. It’s less about ‘being weak’ and more about genuinely showing up for someone else, and how that choice can sometimes shift the dynamic in ways you might not expect. Being an ‘alpha’ in every situation can mean missing out on those deeper, quieter moments that come from being willing to make sacrifices and let things flow, rather than constantly reinforcing boundaries. Relationships, especially cross-cultural ones, often involve a rhythm that’s a bit outside our control.

The United States has always been that way. That's nothing new at all. The more educated people live in the big coastal cities. And the wealthy states on the coasts are also where the biggest and most respected institutions of education are located. That means the USA was also like that in 2020 when Trump lost. Trump also lost the popular vote both in 2016 and 2020, despite all those relatively uneducated people that you met. And the Democrats have won many elections, not just in 2020. So basing it on the people that you met during a cross country motorcycle ride through the rural parts of the USA is anecdotal. It seems Kamala has enough support to win both the popular vote and the electoral vote. But we will know more soon.

He's also saying no violence. January 6th anyone? With the leaders of the proud boys and the oath keepers in jail it certainly helps though.

He's now claiming he may not declare victory tonight. But that's what he did do in 2020 when he lost. Let's see what happens in another 8 hours.

Thank you. I started this topic to encourage open discourse, not to criticize anyone for their perspective. It would be great if supporters on both sides could discuss this respectfully and without insults.

He was dancing the "double pump" to YMCA when that photo was taken. The Village People, eat your heart out!

That's when the Fed funds rate was 0%. That's economically unsustainable. If inflation is at 2% then the federal funds rate should be around 3%. Interest rates should always be around 1% higher than inflation. That's what keeps inflation in check. By the end of next year, the Fed interest rate should be back down at around 3% based on rate cuts between now and the end of 2015. Mortgage rates should only be a bit higher then.

Posted telepathically?

2% interest rates only punishes people saving for their future.

Who you gonna pipe? Male or female?

Let's see. I've hung my hat out there so you can fact check me later. So let's have your predictions too.

The federal election system in the US is indeed in shambles. And the fact that elections are decided based on the electoral college is one of the biggest structural flaws imaginable and yet they've done nothing to reform that. But you will constantly hear Americans saying the greatest country on earth, with the greatest electoral system, and the strongest democracy. That was all conceived from the belief of American exceptionalism, which was a propaganda theory that they're started after World War II. At this point, it's far from the truth. At least many other countries are more honest. Many are as bad as the US, but they don't pretend that they are better. Why not predict the electoral college result too? In a worst-case scenario you're wrong. No big deal. Everything I've just written above has a chance of being wrong too. But it's good to lay out your cards and see how they play out. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

I would be really surprised if he wins the popular. He might've picked up a few more young male voters than he had the last time, but I think he's alienated a lot more women, Blacks, and Hispanics and I think he will get even less of the popular vote than last time. It could take two weeks to settle, it could even take longer. That part is hard to predict, but we would know the actual outcome much sooner. I was only suggesting that we would have the official outcome on Saturday based on 2020, the last presidential election.

I wouldn't focus too much on the legal and court cases. They seem to be a normal thing. Back in 2020 they just filled the media with an easy way to reload the news cycle on a daily basis but, in the end, materially they were all just a nothing burger. Such will be the same in 2024.