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FET

Out of the blue, I got a Whatsapp message yesterday from a guy I used to know in Singapore. Mutual friends, so we ended up hanging out together. A lot. He is a prick, so I avoided talking to him when I could. So it's been a good 5 years since I talked to him. I've gotten calls before and all of them are asking me about repatriating back to the US.

We set up a meeting and he tells me that he's thinking of moving permanently back to the US, specifically close to where I live. I give him the pros and cons, especially that the area doesn't have any securities industry. He's slurring and its late in Singapore, so he's probably drunk.

He says that he is actually thinking of retiring here, so the jobs is less important. Then he lets me know that, even though he's calling from a Singapore phone number, he's actually in town. He's by himself at his parents house. And he's just had surgery on his shoulder after he shattered it.

I was like "how'd you do that?"

He says he broke it when he fell full force on it when he had a gran mal seizure on account of his brain tumor. I was like "oh shit". He was then "yeah, they did surgery on it and cut as much of it out when they thought it was still benign. I realize that he's slurring because of the brain cancer.

I stop talking as my brain processes what he said. "Glioblastoma?", I ask.

"Yeah", he says.

It then hits me with a horror that I've never experienced before in my life. He's not retiring. He's coming back to die near his family. I already about glioblastomas. Median survival time is 13 months and odds are not good.

I talk with him for a bit more, but my stomach is churning as I'm putting it all together. He said he was alone, but he had a wife and kids - so he must have gotten divorced. And him reaching out to me info gathering is not the real reason - he's already made the decision. He's reaching out to me because he wants to talk and doesn't want to die alone. But I don't like him and I beg off the call as I am freaking out because I'm talking to a dead man.

I have been in scary situations, but that is the one and only time I experienced horror. I was shook up yesterday and it's been on my mind all night and today.

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Have you had a socially-distanced get-together with friends?

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Whaddya reading now?

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Apart from loud, fat, obnoxious. What are other minor signals that a tourist is American?

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Sewing

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Fancy food

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Reality shows you still watch

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OUR CRUMBLING DEMOCRACY

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PRO

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CAL

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The only reality show that I still watch from time to time is that of our current President and administration.

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New York, California, Texas move toward pro sports' return

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/29190501/gov-andrew-cuomo-encourages-ny-teams-reopen

California Gov. Gavin Newsom later said sports could resume without fans in his state as soon as the "first week or so of June."

Speaking at his daily news conference, Newsom said sports could return "without spectators and with modification and very prescriptive conditions" if the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations in the state continue to decrease.

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"A South Korean soccer club’s attempt to fill empty stands at its stadium with mannequins backfired when fans watching online reported that the dummies were in fact sex dolls.

FC Seoul officials installed the dolls in a bid to make the stadium look less empty during its first match of the K League season against Gwangju FC on Sunday. Because of coronavirus restrictions, fans were not allowed to attend the game but were able to watch on television.

The dolls, sporting face masks, were displayed in a variety of positions, some seated and some standing. Many of them posed with their hands in their air and wore the club’s official uniform. In total, there were 30 mannequins — 25 of them female and five of them male, according to the BBC.

But while social media erupted over sex-doll allegations, officials said they believed the dummies to be “premium mannequins” — despite being produced by Dalkom, a company known for producing adult products and sex toys."

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A/V club

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I suppose I do watch one once in awhile - Check Please Bay Area on PBS. Gives some good ideas on restaurants to try (well at least before Covid-19).

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Nope. Don't watch that stuff.

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