I hope this isn't tacky of me.... Mod please delete if inappropriate

[Roberta of Houston]

Okay I cross posted to *** so if I am a spammer please feel free to spank me ruthlessly!

Hey,
Roberta here. I am leaving for NYC on Friday. Unfortunately I have had a few cancellations.
Anyway, I now have some unexpected availability. Please note that I do not see more than one client per day (call me weird...I'm funny that way) , so serious inquiries only okay? (I prefer evenings if that helps anyone)

Anyway, I have the following date available :
Saturday March 10th .

I DO require a deposit unless you are a previous client. However, if the gentleman who cancelled will permit me to use him as a reference of sorts-- I am sure he will verify that he recieved his refund (minus a small cancellation fee) within minutes of his cancellation.

Thank you very much and please try not to flame me into oblivion!

Warm Texas Hugs,
Roberta of Houston
http://www.ivyleagueservices.com


[Edited by Roberta of Houston on 03-05-2001 at 06:55 PM]

[tucket]

.

[Edited by tucket on 03-06-2001 at 05:12 PM]

[nypete]

Too bad someone already bought you that sought-after copy of "Critical Issues in Contemporary Culture." It's just what I was planning on buying.

[MrNY]

aren't they :)

[Amanda Witherspoon]

Now, now...don't be doggin' my gal pal Ro...;)

I have a wish list too. I see this is being discussed on *** NY also....so this is for everybody that responded to either thread.

People discussing their support/opposition...well that sorta cracks me up. Who's to support me or oppose me on what I place on my very own website that I created and paid for? No, I do not expect everything on my list...and neither does Roberta. We like to show some of our interests. Yes, some people are very interested in offering a gift and ask me what I like. I receive many of my requests for books and CD's that I have on my list.

The point is...(and let me be as gentle as possible, I don't want to sound like a nit-picky beee--otch!) if your budget can't handle it........(for those that are bitching about rates) then find someone else. It's very simple. It doesn't do any good to anyone when you make yourself look bitter by expressing your distaste for something the provider has on her website, and then incorporate rates in the conversation...as if she has any obligation to lower them just because you've made a few comments about it. Know what I mean?

I know some of you are trying to be lighthearted, but it really is a direct insult to ladies when you make negative comments about their rates...no matter what is said. It is saying, "I don't think you are worth this." Which basically, my friends, is not very gentleman-like. If you feel that way, move on, see someone within your budget, and have a great time with her.

I know Roberta very well, and she just happens to cater to a different clientele. Not necessarily a wealthier one, just more social. She is worth every penny of what she charges, and I'm sure that you would enjoy finding that out for yourself. She is an amazing lady...so let's not "tsk-tsk" wish lists...or rates...or anything else that you find at fault with a girl that you have never seen before. It's in poor taste.

AW:)

[Ezrlove]

Bravo Amanda.....

Unfortunately being a gentleman is not a qualification needed to post on this board.

[fletch]

Having a contrary or, heaven forbid, an unfavorable opinion is not a disqualification from being a gentleman.

[Ezrlove]

Originally posted by fletch
Having a contrary or, heaven forbid, an unfavorable opinion is not a disqualification from being a gentleman.


Show me where there was an opinion and I will show you the gentleman.

[nypete]

I've never met Ms. Houston, but I can't imagine that she could possibly be so thin-skinned as to take offense at the very good-natured ribbing offered in this thread. Rates are absolutely fair game for comment. And anyone who posts a reading list that sounds like a syllabus from the Committee on Social Thought can handle some teasing.

[Roberta of Houston]

Originally posted by nypete
And anyone who posts a reading list that sounds like a syllabus from the Committee on Social Thought can handle some teasing.


awwhhh shux.... nevermind.... fa get abowt dit...

*sigh*

[Amanda Witherspoon]

Don't get your panties in a wad, my dear NYPete... I do believe I mentioned that for the most part, there was some lightheartedness associated with this thread (I hate it when people don't really read, don't you?).

I do agree with you on something. You do have the right to discuss rates. BUT...you don't have the right to tell me, or anyone else...that they need to be lower just because they are not in your ballpark, or you do not feel we are "worthy" of that rate. For all you know, Roberta could put a spin on her sessions that indeed make them worth the $$$$$ and then some. Of course, I am not saying that you have said any of these things. I basically mean men or women in general that manage to throw a bitch session everytime someone raises their rates, or charges more than the norm. There are reasons for everything...

When I make comments about being gentlemen...well, let's put it this way: you are not helping yourself by posting in an ungentleman-like fashion. Directly insulting a provider in the manner I described previously does just that--discredits you and/or others that post in the same way. This is not an opinion. This is a fact, based on numerous conversations in Provider-Only forums about this very subject.

But, I fear I am merely repeating myself as it does not seem you read my original posting thoroughly, or perhaps you took it the wrong way...either way, my apologies, and I certainly don't mean to sound as if I am targeting you.

Amanda :)

[nypete]

No need to apologise.
Hey, I dig a woman who is into gnosticism as much as any man. It really puts the "G" in "GFE".
But that wish list is so evocative of that classic of the hobbyist genre, Woody Allen's "The Whore of Mensa".
Oops, that wasn't an insult, was it?

[guy catelli]

i, too, like to make my own choice that (hopefully) would show that i were not totally clueless about what a particular female companion would actually enjoy. (i hope that i succeeded on the happy occasion when i met Miss Witherspoon!)

but, a gift list can sometimes be more helpful in this than an interests list. an interests list tends to reflect the image the listor, male or female, hopes to project. whereas, a gift list indicates things that a companion would really want taking up time and space in her life.

for example, suppose a prospective companion listed etymology as one of her interests. i might be inclined to get her an etymological dictionary as a present -- but, not the one she really wants.

but, if i knew that she would like Klein's, while i would not get her that (naturally, i would invest that kind of sum in more time and companionship ;)), i might get her Robert Graves's classic, The White Goddess. http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0374504938.01.LZZZZZZZ.gif

because, the thesis of The White Goddess strongly suggests a solution to an etymological puzzle. as everyone knows, the words librarian and libertine are derived from the same etymological root: the latin word liber, which means both "book" and "free". why does the same word lead to meanings so incongruous, ie, a librarian and a libertine?

it is not an entirely idle question. as is also well known, the pursuit of the liberal arts (that is, the skill set requisite to a life of liberty) inevitably leads one to the library.

but, the idea of universal education as the prerequisite of universal liberty was born in the enlightenment. the ancient Romans, to my knowledge, never gave a second thought to either. so, how was it that the same word, liber, meant both "book" and "free" to the Romans? (the cover itself of The White Goddess gives a hint.)

in summary, the book list leads to the interest area, which leads to an interesting gift, which, Fortuna willing, leads to interesting time and companionship.

[nypete]

Hmmm, make that "The Trick of Mensa".

[guy catelli]

Originally posted by nypete
Hmmm, make that "The Trick of Mensa".

i like that ;).

[guy catelli]

dear Miss Witherspoon,

as is well known, i've always taken great delight in your wonderfully warm and down-to-earth wit and wisdom.

so, it is to my great surprise that the tenor of your posts above is so unlike 99%+ of those of the lady whom virtually all of us have come to love. i am a bit concerned regarding those readers who are just newly acquainted with you and your writings.

and, as someone who has done a bit of writing on the subject of 'business models', i am also concerned that publically threatening seemingly amiable consumers with being placed on a secret blacklist if they openly complain about pricing practices or marketing methods is "bad for business".

the intent may be lighthearted (and, yes, i can read ;)), but i don't have to tell you how these things can get distorted, in other venues, out of all resemblance to their original intent.

of course, i entirely agree with you that publically criticizing a lady's professional fees or marketing presentation is always bad form.

unfortunately, i feel it will never be possible to completely avoid there being an overlap between what escorts (justifiably) feel is insulting, and what clients (justifiably) think is the consumer's right to know and make fair comment.

i feel that the best that can realistically be hoped for is that we all do our best to try to shrink the overlap as much as we can, and let 'the magic of the marketplace' take care of the rest.

in short, i know that you are more than bright and charming enough to garland the cactuses above with enough yellow roses to take away much or all of their sting.

btw, congratualtions on texas's finally regaining control of the White House from arkansas, while fending off a stiff (in more sense than one) challenge from tennessee.

however, don't get too comfortable with the arrangement. four years from now the empire state will have regained its proper perch on pennsylvania avenue. and our nation's 1st first gentleman will be the man from hope.

yours always,

guy



[Edited by guy catelli on 03-07-2001 at 11:09 AM]

[Amanda Witherspoon]

Perhaps I'm getting jaded? :D

(Personally, I don't see such a difference...?)

A:)

[LIDAWN]

when we get to gether i have a great game for you to play.. it is a mensa..
Quarto.. get it practice cause i am gonna beat you badly..
as for the other game i still get to beat you lol.. i find you wit and candor charming..
i find your meandering through all other conventional routes of conversing beautiful and intruiging.. i mostly love that you know an excellent IQ when it sits in your face...... winkss and hugss..
I too enjoy miss witherspoons commentary and adore her southern web page..
Ya'll cum back now ya hear..
HUGZZ DAWN
http://www.cajuncumfort.com
yes rates are under tha faq's page.. shhhhhhhh

[guy catelli]

Originally posted by Amanda Witherspoon
Perhaps I'm getting jaded? :D (Personally, I don't see such a difference...?) A:)

dear Miss Witherspoon,

i've amended some of my remarks above to try to take away some of their own sting (or at least smother the burrs in sorghum). perhaps all of us are a little more strident in defense of another than in self-defense.

i'd like to provide a little context for my remarks. there are those little boys who are even naughtier than most of us here, and who insist that client candor, no matter how appropriately expressed, will inevitably be suppressed by the dynamic of a coed board. the less they have to twist and distort with their twisted and distorted little minds, the happier i am.

i'm sure you know where i'm coming from on this ;).

yours always,

guy

[SkellyChamp]

holier than thou once agains

[guy catelli]

Originally posted by SkellyChamp
holier than thou once agains {sic}

pax tucum, filius meus; etcum spirito tuo.

[justme]

On the topic of manners... it was an early lesson for my siblings and me to never issue unsolicited gift requests. Such behovior was considered very ungentlemanly (or ladylike).

I wonder why there has been less hubbub over a providor's right to charge as she wishes when clients post that a woman is worth more than she charges.

liber, libri (n) - book
liber, libera, liberum (adj) - free

My proto Indo-European is a bit rusty so I'd be interested in knowing the common root to these two different Latin words.

[Edited by justme on 03-07-2001 at 03:02 PM]

[guy catelli]

Originally posted by LIDAWN
when we get to gether i have a great game for you to play.. it is a mensa...Quarto.. get it practice cause i am gonna beat you badly..... i mostly love that you know an excellent IQ when it sits in your face......

dear Dawn,

i have sent an email to mensa u.s.a. informing them, that a Cajun Princess has challenged me to a battle of wits, during which she will be seated upon my face.

i asked them, inter alia, if they thought that this would constitute a fair and unbiased testing environment.

if and when they should respond, i will so advise you and the rest of UG.

always,

guy

[guy catelli]

Originally posted by justme
liber, libri (n) - book
liber, libera, liberum (adj) - free

My proto Indo-European is a bit rusty so I'd be interested in knowing the common root to these two different Latin words.

by all accounts, <liber, libera, liberum (adj) - free> derives from:

"Liber, Liber Pater --
An old Italian fertility god of the countryside, especially of vines. The Romans equated him with Dionysus. His cult partners were Libera and Ceres. With Libera his festival was on March 17." see: http://www.geocities.com/cas111jd/rome/rome_gods4.htm

by most accounts, <liber, libri (n) - book> is derived from the name of a tree from which the Romans made writing material.

i know of no etymological reference work that explores the issue further. you must solve the riddle on your own. but, i have already provided a reference to a work that i believe holds the key.

[guy catelli]

Originally posted by justme
On the topic of manners... it was an early lesson for my siblings and me to never issue unsolicited gift requests. Such behovior was considered very ungentlemanly (or unladylike)....

justme,

were it not evident that more than the usual amount of care and attention had already been paid to your tutelege, i would not have focused so much of my own attention on you.

while i am not greatly familiar with the mating rituals of the bourgeoisie, they seem to have an analogous custom that they consider to be quite 'gentlemanly' and 'ladylike'. i believe it's called "the wedding registry". and, when one considers the matter, wedding registries seem to exist for the exact same reasons that escorts' wish lists exist. see, for example: http://www.weddingnetwork.com/reglogin.jsp

with a certain generosity of spirit, capaciousness of imagination, and literary license, could it not be said that an escort's wish list is a sort of wedding registry?

after all, in this day and age, marriage is not as permanent as it once was. indeed, it seems that some unions are consummated in a matter of minutes.

furthermore, in keeping with the new republican regime and the concomitant 'new chastity', it seems that there are growing demands by escorts for unions that last a minimum of 2, 3, 4 hours, or, in extreme cases, a week.

in light of all this, i hope you will consider extending the kindness and goodwill of which i know you are capable to this custom that assists many and harms none.

guy

[justme]

I should be clear in stating that I see gift requests as nothing more (or less) than tacky, and thus kind of a turn-off. Certainly providors are free to turn of their client base in their ads if they so desire.

Gift requests = bridal registry... C'mon, you could've done better than that.

[nypete]

There are gift requests and there are gift requests. Asking for silverware is one thing. But Roberta of Houston's wish list consisted mostly of rather esoteric books. I find that charming.

[boris]

I'm no expert, but there's a long tradition of bringing gifts to courtesans in a couple cultures. I suspect that the ritual helped to set a tone for the client/guest that the encounter wasn't purely commercial but also quite personal. Money and barter also weren't so easily distinguished from one another in those days.

I rather doubt that the Veronica Francos or their ilk would have used Amazon.com, but what the heck, times change. I assume that Roberta has the list because clients do sometimes bring her gifts. I would rather have a bunch of books I care to read rather than hundreds of flowers, underwear, Burger King gift certificates, or one of those singing fish that hang on the wall.

It's a little paradoxical, but I think the line gets crossed when it becomes clear that the gifts buy you treatment you wouldn't get otherwise.

[Slinky Bender]

I guess I should return that jar of Vita Herring, huh ?

[boris]

You never know. They probably have escorts in Lapland who might show you quite a good time. They might use it the same way some of us might use whipped cream.

[Talisa]

I was starting to think I was the only who was raised that it is bad manners to request gifts or even hint at them. I was taught that a gift, any gift should be appreciated for the gesture itself and thus appreciated whether or not it was something I liked or wanted.

And I too have always found the idea of a gift list offensive. The client is paying a lot of money and in my view to put up a gift list is a way of saying "I expect a gift."


I have long been curious as to how a gift list strikes clients. Do you think it is rude and demanding or do you find it acceptable or even helpful? Do you feel pressured or obligated to bring an escort a gift if she posts a gift list? Gosh I could never imagine handing out unsolicited gift lists to my friends and family for my birthday or Xmas.

Gaetano, my darling, a bridal registry is quite different. It is tradition to give the bride and groom gifts to start their household and the guests share the burden of such an expensive undertaking collectively to help out the new couple. You don't give the couple a large sum of money AND a gift. So if an escort were going to work in exchange for gifts alone it would be perfectly acceptable to post a list from which to choose an appropriate gift. In this case I do believe Miss Manners would find a gift list to be very bad form.


Talisa

http://www.losangeles-massage.com
"Where Your Confidentiality Is Always Honored"





[Edited by Talisa on 03-29-2001 at 01:56 AM]

[MrNY]

Did Roberta ever make it to NY after all of that conversation ?!?!

She was so vocal on her days approaching the big trip .....

But, I didn't hear anything during and after ...

So, did she get here ?

Did anyone see her ?

How was her special-pre-paid hotel room ?

How was she and/or her service(s) ?

Did anyone use her registery ?

Inquiring minds wanna know :)


Post a review, gents !

[guy catelli]

see: http://209.164.24.17/newyork/posts/23032.html

and:

http://209.164.24.17/newyork/posts/23183.html