mike carey

That's a telling observation. For all the commentary about the coronavirus, it has yet to be established that it is more dangerous than seasonal influenza. It may well prove to be, but we don't know yet.

Epilogue Most of the various cards I had have been replaced now, some costs incurred but not too many, I have taken note of the speed and efficiency of the responses by the various issuers (Amex, as noted earlier, and HSBC were the best). My main bank, for some reason put a stop on my card but didn't reissue it. When I called tonight, they were most obliging and helpful so I'll have a new card to collect at a branch in the town I'll be visiting in a few days. Finally, this evening, the AFP called me (Australian Federal Police are the local police force in Canberra) to tell me that they had recovered my wallet in a stolen car, that the various cards seemed to be intact, and that I could collect it at the local police station. Most of what was in it has been reissued but there were some things that I hadn't thought about that I'll now have back, my US SSN card among them. I hope that I'll be able to use all the lessons I've written about, but you never know how easy it'll be to make some of the same mistakes again!

Thanks, I meant to comment on this earlier. This was my intention. I like to think I'm not the type to cry over spilt milk but it's easy to do so unintentionally, so I'm glad it didn't come over that way. Losing your wallet, or for that matter your mobile phone can be severely discombobulating and it's wise to consider what's in them and what you would need to do if you were to lose one of them.

Of course, the answer to the original question is, 'Shoes and socks'.

... and of the guys in the forum looking at the image.

It seems so, I tried to post a review of a well regarded escort whom I met via other channels. It was a 5 star review but I hadn't contacted him through RM so no dice. I attempted more as an experiment than anything else, and I don't think he needed the review, but it was salutary that I couldn't post it. I had thought of making RM contact first but decided not to.

Beautifully put!

Beautifully put!

Yes it looks that way. I was only aware of the first case, in Melbourne, but I had been watching sport all evening. No indications so far that the authorities here have been considering restrictions on flights, but that could change quickly.

Ok, I commented in a different thread but here goes. Alec Andrews - saw him once, would have gone back time and again if he had not retired. Sweet, sweet man. @peterhung85 - one time so far, hope for more, he's a delight. @tristanbaldwin - one hunk of a man, I've seen him more than once, one hot soldier.

I only met Alec once (so he qualifies as my input to another thread) and didn't meet Ryan. I couldn't manage to get to the US between his announcement and his actual retirement. I absolutely agree with your assessment of Alec. Their case my be illuminating on the subject of this thread and on people's thoughts on the viability of escort-to-escort relationships. There may be more difficulties if one member of a couple is in the business and the other isn't (same with porn actors). The fact that they both retired at the same time would seem to support my theory that one partner working is more a difficulty than both. I'm not an escort so obviously my opinion is pure speculation.

It's been figuring prominently in the news here. Border force and NSW Health have increased surveillance at Sydney airport with closer screening of pax on the three weekly flights from Wuhan (China Eastern). With the lockdown in Wuhan yesterday's will be the last flight for some time. So far the authorities are concerned but not alarmed, there have been no cases here yet and a only a handful of people have been tested for the illness. They are saying that it's not highly contagious but they assess that it has a 14 incubation period so the alert will continue. One major hospital has designated responsibility for handling any cases. The surveillance and checks are so far only precautionary and there's no talk of broader travel restrictions.

I can't speak for Uber (but @Epigonos did) but there is a taxi rank at the front and that's what I used first trip, 12 or so bux, minimal wait and there was a dispatcher there. I rented a car last year but that was mainly because I was driving to Vegas then on to LAX for my flight home.

IIRC they were an item before they took up escorting.

Some banks and card companies understand that they actually depend on the good will of their customers. Some do not.

Ain't that the truth! Towards the end of my service, Diners won the contract for the Defence corporate card (so perhaps 100k cards on issue). To start with it was a nightmare but it seemed Diners used the fact that Defence personnel were using the card to encourage merchants to start accepting it.

Thanks for that story @Charlie, so many instances of ways to become separated from cards and other documents. And another positive Amex story, there seems to be a pattern emerging (although no doubt the counter-examples will now emerge!). I well remember in the days before ATMs and all that sort of technology were linked globally, being able to cash a cheque on my Australian account at Amex offices in Washington and London.

@MikeBiDude, I'll be judging companies by how long it takes for replacement cards/documents to show up! Nothing quite so cold-war dramatic as yours, I suspect! I'm at home so at least your visa card issue won't apply. When the shit hits the fan (hope that isn't a uniquely Australian expression) Amex come through. They always did claim 'replacement world-wide' in their advertising.

Yes, something I'll have to look into. I currently have a very basic Samsung phone with no memory left for additional apps, and I don't know much about digital wallet apps. When I was cancelling one card, they said if I was using the app (presumably theirs, not Google Pay) the new card could be loaded immediately. Not sure if I could have used it for cash but once you have a card, any card, you have less need for cash anyway. All good suggestions, not just for me but for everyone as this can so easily happen and it's good to be prepared.

Australia Post has a reputation for that for parcels (not specifically for 'signature required' deliveries). You'd hear nothing then find a card telling you to go to the post office. I had to sign for the delivery today, one of those annoying devices where you use your finger to sign and your signature looks like you were drunk.

Probably safer than a wall safe, thieves seem likely to steal a safe intact and break into it at their leisure once they've left the scene.

Wow, 1430 on Tuesday and my Amex card was just delivered by DHL courier (it's a premium one, so I guess that's part of what you're paying for). I had notified them in the small hours of Sunday morning.

I actually have a copy of my passport (it was in my backpack so that could have been a challenge) and had my expired drivers licence. I could have used my car registration papers as ID for a new licence. Second copies stored elsewhere are in order, and of other documents as @deej suggested. Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions and precautions you offered, and thanks to others for their comments. Being caught as I was focusses the mind, but as some have noted hearing of someone else's experiences does so also, if less viscerally. I have the first replacement done, bought a new Canberra public transport card and called their information line and had the old balance transferred to it. I'll get the balance of my Sydney card refunded and tap a credit card in future (exactly the same fares, discounts etc), one card fewer to carry.

Yeah, I know! They must have rummaged through it, and dumped it when they didn't find anything of interest. The stuff was taken from my house so I had a starting point from which to look for things, and I just got lucky.

The point I am making is, that if your world collapses how prepared are you to pick up the pieces and continue. Some parts are relatively easy, some require you to be prepared.