LaosLover

Love the iconography and in Sudbury UK, where I used to live, the Mason Hall had a beautiful old pub inside of it. Heavy tory membership, a lot of overlap with the Conservative Club. In the American South, it's more of a networking thing, like Chamber of Commerce. It's also racially divided; black and white masons to this day have separate organizations, with the black ones having trippier, more Egyptian interiors. Washington DC is the Masonic Building capitol of the world. The black music style known as Go-Go originates from live shows played at Masonic Lodge venues.

The internet has all but killed drink-buying by strange men who may be serial killers (or Trump supporters). Audition first on the app (it's 5 boys for every girl), pray your banter in response to her 2 words texts sufficiently impresses, and then go to your job-interview date at Starbucks. The heady days of cold approach are gone, never to return.

I'm 70, my white wife is 60. I just looked at a pic of our wedding 10 years ago. She looks like the Mom of the woman in that picture -of course, somewhere along the line, I stumbled into looking like claymation Fred Flintstone. My wife says, "after menopause, the collagen just full out of my face, leaving it looking like a deflated balloon". It's at least somewhat true. But she's still very physically and mentally into me; possibly the last person on earth who will ever be so. I can't buy that, I can't realistically seduce my way into that. Believe me, I have tried elsewhere. I could have def gotten with the slimmer, younger and English-fluent guesthouse owner when I first got here -she'd have done the deed, but she wouldn't have been gagging for it. Do people here with younger partners: 1) find that into-them factor with them? 2) don't mind it being less than optimal?

Not seeing a downside here. A woman who puts on make-up to be attractive to men is def on my team. If that make-up leans a little whorish? Bonus points, partic if it's below the neck.

As a newcomer with low language skills, I lean a bit Kevin-ward, but am in no way a Kevin-level sucker. Cuck-Kevin would be more like it. For the dinner bill, 150 would have been my bluff, with a lot of head-shaking drama, with 2 100's at the ready if they mention Muay Thai. I'm vacationing in Hua Hin. The tuk tuk has 4 prices for a run around town: 40 baht for a local, 60 baht for an expat, 80 baht for a Lonely Planet-type who likes to haggle, 100 baht is the asking price. I tend to go for the 100 baht deal just because it's hot out, I do feel bad about local income, and 20 baht makes virtually no difference in my life. Also, when there's a line of tuk tuks like outside of a mall, a driver who goes cheap will be razzed by his little tuk tuk posse around him. Let me free him from that brute peer pressure -and let me cover his next M-80 energy drink while I'm at it. It's worth 20 baht due to the whole Thai-face thing. I read a book about it; they take a lot of white people behavior to heart. Dipping another toe into Kevin-dom, A lot of time, the tuk tuk likes to deposit me on the wrong side of the road, leaving me to cross 4 lanes of traffic. I always make them take me around, after some grimacing and scolding, and then I alway toss them an extra princely 20 baht. Whereas Kevin would feel that that drive around gesture would entitle them to dinner at The Sizzler.

This is the saddest story I've ever heard: Unable to get an English teaching job in Central Bangkok, a job I've seen drunks with stained pants doing, and falling off of a log to get.. For 5 years, he toiled, far from Bangkok's golden spires, hoping, like Jude The Obscure, to some day prevail. But he still couldn't cut it; when he got a generic, low-ball offer from dumb-land, he was off like a shot. Sorry, this does not qualify as an I moved to Issan because that tree in a field was calling to me account.

The peanut is neither pea nor nut. It is a legume. Am I right?

As a 20 year reader here, I'n going to go with no. It may have happened. But like the guy above me, they've all been sworn to secrecy. it may overlap with their time in Special Forces. A lot of the happy fish farming stories are from people who did similar things in their home country. I really enjoyed growing my own tomato's, but if I never do it again, I'd be good. When I'm mega-old, I'll prob get back into it. This bland observation will probably feel over-agressive to some sensitive roof top warbler "-Whhh-why are you telling me this? I don't knowwwww you".

Bob Guiccione was a god to me. At least in the realm of over-done neck jewelry. Few people were as awash in such brilliant bad taste, and that's even with backing out Caligula. I'd rather be Bob Guccione than the the other two. By a mile.

"Add Lake to the ticket". Someone who now gets fined for making goofball voting fraud in court too many times. Was just laughed out of court recently. What the appeal? Maybe the manly, non-conformist hair cut. Always some gender anxiety with the Trumpies. Def "add lake to the ticket". Please. Arizona is already leaning dem. Make it a blow out. Like Andy Capp above is crying for.

The repubs have a bunch of one issue voters on demented stuff like guns and fighting with drag queens. They can't win anywhere urban and now the suburbs are increasingly done with them too. School shootings + abortion pill fighting = not enough soccer moms to put Lardo over the top. Only rural goobers like this dross. Their campaign song should be Jimmy Crack Corn And I Don't Care -because that's pretty much their sole policy plan. What say very special non-conformists who suck greedily at the teat of socialized medicine that he would cut in a heartbeat? The last time I floated this truth, a very special non-conformist said: "you use a lot of words". Seriously, this is the argument game level here with died in the wool socialists who love someone who's on record as hating them. It's like a bad bar girl relationship. The dems have a much broader coalition for expanding medical services, abortion on demand (or even casual display of interest), and voting rights. I'm giving money to the dems for the first time in my life. Everyone I know is. Next year, we put these Gomers in their place and we make it stick.

Only one US president ever hid in a bunker. That was Trump being moved into "a protective area" of the White House while some moderate protesting was going on outside. Guiliani was another bunker fan. He wanted one built for him to command from at the World Trade Center. Bunker boy #1 would have been squashed like a bug under the rubble. Biden never sat in a bunker for a single moment. You know that. This is just more loopy, faux non-conformist posturing, like you're an angry columnist at The Sun. 'Haven't heard anyone call themselves a non-conformist with a straight face since the beatnik era. Welcome, time traveler. Long may you revel in your wholey made up in the shower non-conformatism. He can't win, he killed too many of his dopes with his covid policy who might have shown up. When I was a kid, we had the expression, 'avoid something like the plague". Trump: "Nuh-uh". Meanwhile, 4 million new voters will have come of age since '16, overwhelmingly anti-Trump. I'm looking forward to his (second, second!!!) humiliating drubbing from his opponent who admittedly does have a whiff of Weekend at Bernie's about him. The election was fixed and Impotent Loser couldn't do a thing about it. Then a coma victim wipes the floor with him. Twice. Sweet.

Surprisingly, Harlem NYC has a fabled fencing team. It's not just a white and posh sport. But it mostly is.

Gotta be The 3 Musketeers. 1973 version by the director of Hard Day's Night. Most of the actors had spent some time in classical theatre and could really fence. But prob any of the many versions of 3M would be fencing-heavy. There was also a good sequel, cobbled together from outtakes that the actors didn't get paid for. Laughed at Rabbit Proof Fence. One of the only Australian films that even a few Americans know about that doesn't have Mad Max in it.

May all your zany songfests be joyous.

Gotta say, some day science will be able to determine the diff between one night market and another. Just like you fervently want more roof top singing heavy in your YouTube mix, I'd like to see a ban on all footage of hippies eating meat on a stick. These videos are 20 minute long. In your estimation, what % should just be ga-ga scenery going by? I look forward to your tales of Udon high life. Did you too lift your voice in song, or is that another no-go area for you to discuss?

I have a lot respect and humorous affection for this person, who walked the walk and followed his dream. His Thai was medium(ish). He was early 50's, and prone to highlighting his gym-toned body here. He mentioned that he always showered before going out on the evening prowl. Respect. He says he pulled a couple in the region for free. So double-respect.

Issan isn't ever going to get many young tourists (or old ones either). Yeah, even despite those views, those views -which were just derangedly just "missed". The young, they want views. Lots of them. You have to come to Thailand many times to want to take an Issan vacation. For 20 baht more on the pad thai, you could be on a beach or in a cultural center. Only very few people regard a dinosaur museum as a cultural center. Very few people is code speak for: You.

"He missed a museum with some old broken pottery shards in it -and the views!!!! He missed the views!!!! He's a young guy pitching to other young viewers -why don't they care about that museum like I do!?!

"I'm out of gas and running away".

How long and detailed should a v-log about Kalisan be? Longer than Eyes Wide Shut? Must every rusted tin roof be explored? Leave no son tam unturned!!!!

I loved my 12 years in The John Denver fabled Blue Ridge Mountains (I know,I know, nobody asked -the whole vexing conversation thing). Awe-inspiring. I've likewise taken every day train line through Issan and marveled at the Texas-tropical beauty of it. But were those trains rides extensive? I'm going to guess no in advance. If I were moving to the states for first time, would I pick Appalachia for someone? Only if they love Jesus and meth. Issan? Only if you really want to love Statue-Buddha, not big thinker-Buddha -and fight to date a karaoke singer at a night club in nowheresville.

How big of an Issan travel dick do I need to play? I was once on a first name basis with Nobby, the Germanic smoke house god in Nong Khai, In a perfect world, he'd weigh in. This is just another passive aggressive conversation killer from someone with absolutely nothing to say. The story of me ending up in the wrong U-place is funny. But no one asked me to tell it. So I can't. As I understand it, it's not someone's business.

Love Issan to death, but C'mon. No one needs to see every square foot of it. If you go to America, you don't have to visit Alabama AND Mississippi. You can even just skim the redneck riviera of N. Florida and call it done. In Issan, the towns are also very spread out and usually lack distinctive downtowns. I once flew by mistake to Udon instead of Ubon and didn't realize it for 2 days. Only Ethnographers and Lonely Planet writers need more than 2 weeks in Issan.

The usual brit feint of running away: Nut shur wot yer goin' on about, moyt. Try not to bullmicly drink the moonshine like the rest of your ilk.