Ric Ocasek - Paulina Found Him :(

For those who haven't heard yet, The Cars front man, Ric Ocasek was found dead at 75 (I had no idea he was that old), by his wife, one of the first original 80s Supermodels, Paulina, Porizchova (54).

I wish people born after 1990 knew how big this couple was in the 80s, and much The Cars were a part of the soundtrack to our entire  teenage-hood in the 80s.

Every guy wanted to be him and every girl wanted to be her and live what we imagined was their fabulous, rock-n-roll/supermodel life :)

They met on the set of The Cars video, "Drive" (Heartbeat City, 1984) - although Benjamin Orr is singing lead on this one ...

They were married for 28 years - which is a record for rock stars and supermodels - and had 2 sons, but just recently legally separated in 2018 - supposedly amicably.   

IMO, Paulina was (and still is) one of the most beautiful of the original Sports Illustrated 1980s white supermodels (which began with the first Sports Illustrated swimsuit models) and Iman was the most beautiful African American 80s SI supermodel.

First there were THE original SI swimsuit 80s supermodels - Cheryl Tiegs, Christie Brinkley, and Carol Alt. Then Kim Alexis, Paulina, and Iman.  Then Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell, then Elle McPherson and Claudia Schiffer and, well, you know the rest since. 

Supermodels aren't quite the big deal now as they were in the 80s, though lol.  If you didn't know your supermodels, you were  "like, a MAJOR geek, totally" lol.

(I find this hilarious, now, considering my icons have clearly changed significantly since my teenage years lol.)

They were the original fashionistas - today, you might even call them the original "Super Influencers," , too :)  

Supposedly, Paulina and Iman were considered  the most intelligent of the SI girls.  

In fact, unlike Melania Trump, Paulina was not only legitimately a supermodel (Sports Illustrated cover multiple times) - but she really does speak 5 languages - fluently. In fact, there's a rumor that Melania cannot actually speak 5 languages fluently, and that Trump's PR people "borrowed" Paulina's actual history to puff Melania's image - to include the struggles of growing up in initially a communist country when young (Paulina is from Czechoslovakia, rather than Slovenia). 

Except when Paulina was discovered, she moved to live with her grandmother in Sweden and the Swedish government battled the Czech government for her parents to be allowed to leave to accompany her on modeling stints - but lost.  

Regardless, fitting the 2 most iconic/intelligent supermodels, Paulina and Iman,  would marry 80s rock icons, isn't it?

In fact, Sports Illustrated asked her to pose in a swimsuit again for their June 2019 issue, at age 54 - and she did it - to prove women can be sexy at any age :)

Paulina, 1984              Paulina, 2019

Ladies, OF  COURSE it's airbrushed and strategically shadowed to cover flaws - but they were back then, too, especially the cover lol. 


But note in the actual photo spread, the pics are not airbrushed - supposedly at Paulina's request - so young girls especially can see reality and strive less to be perfect/flawlesss - but simultaneously make her point about how older women can be sexy, despite flaws.


And still, you know dang well we never rocked a bikini like that, at age 20 OR 54 - even if we were airbrushed and had plastic surgery lol.
And admit it, Ladies - you know you wore all the department-store and "The Limited" mall knock-off versions of everything that she and the other supermodels wore, back then, despite dissing them out of jealousy, now, tell the truth lol.

My favorite Cars song is still one of their first, before they semi-sold out mainstream, and were better known for guitars than electronic keyboards (sorry, it's true) although Ben Orr is singing lead on this one, too (also deceased, pancreatic cancer in 2000) ... "Just What I Needed" ... (The Cars, 1978)







Even though the video for "You Might Think" (Heartbeat City, 1984) won all the video awards and changed MTV forever with new technology, this song was actually my favorite song with Ric singing lead (after The Cars hit the big time/went mainstream)  ... "Magic"(Heartbeat City, 1984)





Apparently, Paulina posted this pic to Instagram of fans leaving flowers outside the townhouse they once share together, with just two words: "Thank You"  ... :(

... RIP,  Ric ... 

Thank you for the fun-side to the soundtrack of my teenage years :)

 

PS - Texts between myself and a childhood friend (since age 6) regarding Ric Ocasek. 

Suddenly, we were 16 years old again. 

Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Rick Ocasek :'(

J-Lynn: I just now saw that!

Me: Who's gonna drive us home, tonight???

Prince, Tom Petty, Ric ... someone must stay with Bono at all times now.
J-Lynn: Seriously, if Bono goes, I will know it's all over.

Me: Should we offer our 24/7 nursing services? Someone's got to do it, might was well be us? ;)

J-Lynn: Yes! Bono needs us!

Me: Dang straight. We've had plenty of practice as caretakers.

J-Lynn: Right? We would be the best ever!

Me: Okay, I'll call him. He's on speed dial. KIDDING. I wish. Love you.


J-Lynn: Love you too.

Rest in peace, Ric - thanks for providing the soundtrack (along with others) to our teenage years.

______________________________

PPS - It's a shame people have to post their last, private moments with someone to social media to end wild speculation.

But these days, when no cause of death is immediately reported, people automatically blame the still-living partner -  especially if a woman.  

And unfortunately, these days, what people don't know, they make up - if someone has a random, wild speculation pop into their heads, they state it as fact, and that's enough to make it real.  

No, it isn't - proof should still be required before stating something is a fact. 

Remember proof?  

Not that thing said or done that could be interpreted 12 ways and debated about/decided upon in a fair court of law (which apparently is becoming a thing of the past as well) - but irrefutable proof) before you state something is a fact instead of your opinion? 

Yes, Ric and Paulina have been separated for 2 years, after 28 years of marriage - that is a proven, legal fact. 

However, that does NOT automatically mean there was animosity, and both have stated it was amicable and they were still the best of friends.  

In fact Paulina, and their 2 sons, Jonathan and Oliver, were staying with Ric to care for him after cardiac surgery. 

And by the way, she had her own money - hello, she was a supermodel (and author)? 

We need to step out of the dark ages and Salem witch hunt days and step into the light and enlightenment.

Let's all stop automatically blaming other people for an individual's very real physical health issues or mental health issues/suicide - as well as learn how to distinguish between fact and opinion again. 

Sure, stress can exacerbate such issues - but no one is to blame.

Addressing people's wild speculation via social media should be the last thing grieving people should be worried about, right now.  

Nevertheless, Paulina and her sons posted private final moments.  It won't end speculation for overactive minds, of course, but still noteworthy. 

Paulina gave a brief synopsis of what happened, then asked to respect their privacy while mourning

With their sons, Jonathan and Oliver,  posting to The Cars social media account this last "doodle" from their father, found on his armchair, on the day he died ...

Morning Meander for The Best Donuts in Lexington :)

(Updated.) After our morning walk, Mark was determined to find fresh, mom-and-pop style donuts.


Now, you would think, living in a Southern city, these would be everywhere - but they're not.


In fact, you would be surprised to find how lacking Lexington is donut shops, other than chains like Krappy Kreme (Krispy Kreme) and Dunked-in-Dirt (Dunkin) Donuts - with terrible coffee.


(Me, I'm not a huge sugar-in-the-morning fan, anyway, except maybe Greek yogurt with honey sometimes. I prefer salty in the morning, but my husband loves them and whatever makes my honey happy :)


So, there's Spalding's as a strong #1 for best place to get donuts in Lexington ...









... which truly are phenomenal, traditional, old-school-style, slightly crispy donuts ...









... (plus they've now added on specialty donuts).


However, if you're not in line for Spaldings by 6 a.m, even 5 a.m. on Saturdays? Never mind, you won't get in. Plus last time I checked, they were still cash only, no debit cards for people who don't carry cash on them anymore.


The #2 best place to get donuts in this area, in our opinion, is Frank's Donuts in Georgetown, with the original location in Paris, Kentucky (opening in Lexington soon) ...







It's not as flashy and hipster as the others, but never judge a book by its cover!


This is the only place I know of that has raspberry-icing, blackberry-icing, and blueberry-icing donuts (second shelf) - fresh, puffed gooey deliciousness!







But it's a bit of a drive - and again, if you're not there by 9:00 a.m., you're SOL.


We considered going to Magee's, which we love - which is actually our choice for 4th best place to get donuts in Lex (see #3, which is Doughdaddy's in Versailles, at end of post ) ...



















... but Mark works right across the street from them and people bring them for meetings all the time - PLUS - with it being so close to campus, it is the #1 destination for breakfast during football and basketball games, and since UK is playing Florida today, at home, there will be a wait line that wraps around all the tables and the block, we didn't feel like waiting an hour ...










Plus, I consider Magee's more of a cookie place than donuts - deliciousssssss!


Speaking of UK ... The Wildcat cookies are here, the Wildcat cookies are here!






Then, there's a newer place I can't rate for you because I haven't been yet. Mark has and calls it "hipster" - it's called "North Lime Donuts" ... (on North Limestone Street of course) ...









... which though I'm not hipster, still looks like my kinda artisan-style place ....









... but Mark and I didn't like feeling that we have to dress up for breakfast on Saturday morning, especially just after a big walk.





Sports shorts, T-shirts, and baseball caps work just fine on Saturday mornings, please :)


And some have brought them to Mark's work for meetings and he hated them. He says the icing is super good, but there's nutmeg or hazelnut in them, and he hates both, so cross that off the list.


Thus, we heard they are opening a Frank's in Lexington, and the site is on Google Maps, but it didn't say whether or not they were open yet - so we decided to find out.


However, we wanted to bypass anywhere near UK's campus, as there's a football game and lots of traffic - so I convinced my husband to take New Circle Road East to bypass it (having lived here much longer).


FYI, this is how our nonsense conversations go ...

Mark: "Argh, I HATE New Circle Road. It's almost as bad with bumper-to-bumper, red lights every few feet - and there are no trees, it's getting so run down."

Me: "Seriously, Mr. Detroit? You want to talk about run-down? C'mon, let's go this way for a history lesson, we might learn something. It's all in the way you look at it. The architecture tells you a story."

(Teasing): "And it's educational in other ways, too. I mean, where else would you find 1000 billboards for Trump-voting, white-male-owned predatory businesses like mortgage lenders, cash lending, lawyers, liquor, strip clubs, condemning ads for Jesus and addiction help, all in one place? lol"


"See? White Trumper predatory nuts have got vulnerable, tragic, broken, and poor covered, from birth til death, all in billboards, here. 'C'mon see us, your benevolent white patriach, you can't trust anybody but us - WE'LL save you,' lol. Sure, by pushing them further into debt to you/economic slavery.


Because guess who owns the majority of these predatory-on-the-poor businesses? You guessed it - wealthy, Trump-voting white men."


For instance, this known Trump supporter and predatory hack is from Florida and puts these signs up everywhere in poorer, largely African American areas, all over the South - including all over New Circle Road here in Lexington ...

However, John Morgan was just caught paying graffiti artists to "vandalize" his own signs with gang-graffiti writing in poor sections of Southern cities with larger people-of-color populations (see article here).


(Note the "vandalism" still says"#For the People and the messages aren't necessarily negative - just like his original ad lol.)






Isn't that just a stereotypical Trumper thing to do? Claim things are "rigged" and you've been "robbed," but you're the actual thief and rigged it yourself? lol



What's that called again, ladies and gentleman, when mentally ill and/or soul-depraved - men OR women - chronically project their own motivations and behavior onto others?


PROJECTION.


Very good, ladies and gentlemen, you're finally catching on. I hope.


By the way - turns out vandalizing his own billboards was not illegal, nor can it get him disbarred for lack of ethics and racial targeting/profiling. Morgan got in zero legal trouble for doing so and still practices - other lawyers just became suspicious when the signs were all vandalized on the same day in different cities, had it investigated, and called the press, putting warnings on their own websites noting he was official caught doing so.


Oh, but there are more rich white male Trumper predator-of-the-poor ads to be found on this side of town populated predominantly by people of color...

Mark: "Lol. See? Another depressing reason not to go this way. Hey, speaking of attention-seeking billboards, I'm going to put up one of my face as an ad to my own website I just thought of, like all the other narcissists, and call it "MarkIsAwesome.Com."


Me: "Lol, Oh? And what would draw people to your site, other than your awesomeness?"


Mark: "Just selfies and pictures of every meal I eat, every day, like everyone else does."


Me: "Lol. Wow. That's some riveting shit, honey. And yet it works for so many, inexplicably."

"Okay, now see, here's the historical part though ... this was the first part of New Circle Road built, the original suburban sprawl, in the 1950s - it was the happening place to be, the birth of white suburbia, an evolving story of America, told through civil engineering and architecture."

"Considering Lexington is one of few American cities not built on water, it was originally built like a starburst, with rays coming from main street as a central location. As it grew, they needed a way to connect the "rays" around town. So now it's more like wagon wheel - and New Circle Road was built in 1950 was the bypass road connecting the "spokes."


"They began building the second, outer loop, Man O'War in the late 1980s, but it was never finished - it stops dead at Versailles Road at the gates of Calumet, right next to Keeneland, in a "C" shape and that is because they couldn't get the Wright family - owners of "Calumet" baking powder and other goods, as well as triple crown winners, Whirlaway, Citatation, Alydar, and Affirmed. They almost sold, Calumet almost went belly up, but international Polish businessman, Henryk de Kwiatkowski, flew in in the 11th hour and bought it right underneath developers' noses in bankruptcy auction. It will never sell now (hopefully) - no longer prized winning race horses, it's a pretty successful stud farm. Plus it's a beautiful accoutrement to Keeneland Race track. "

"Anyway, that's another story, back to first loop, the original rim of the wagon wheel, New Circle Road ..."

"So, after the war, when the economy was booming, with segregation still in effect? Man, this was white utopia lol - roller rinks, drive-ins with carhops on roller skate serving your food to your hot rod, bowling alleys - whites only, of course. Even if you were a child of color, no skating, bowling, or carhops for you :("


"Then all the white people starting moved further out in thew newer developments with even bigger lots and bigger homes - and as segregation ended, people of color bought their secondhand American dream - only white people preyed on them in a process called "redlining" - selling them crappy loan mortgages and car loans with astronomical interest rates and balloon payments, or raising the price higher than they were now worth, destining them to fail - there were, and still are, cash advances, pawn shops - anything to make more money off the poor, legally bind and keep them poor - it was a way to keep them economically segregated and enslaved."

"They would give them loans when other people wouldn't, not out of being kind, but as a way to prey on them, keep them down, enslaved economically."


"And the people of color weren't stupid - but they had no other choice if they wanted a car or home, even a sloppy second-hand American dream was better than what they came from."


"White people then blamed the poor people for things getting run down, when it was white fault for preying on the poor/making them pay double the price for their sloppy-seconds anyway, keeping them in the pit - economically indebted/enslaved."


Mark: "Sounds about right. It makes me sad. And like I said, no trees."


Me: "Yeah, that was a thing in the 50s, tear down ALL the trees when building strip-malls and half-acre subdivisions, I'm not sure why. But it's important we don't turn away from, and learn, from our past - all of it, the good, the bad, and the ugly - making sure not to repeat the ugly. Because we need to stop blaming people of color for everything - we did this, to this part of town, ourselves."


"And past the ugly billboards and pawn shops and shady mortgage lender, cash lending places, and bad credit/high price car lots - there are still some little historical gems tucked away, nonetheless, now open to everybody."


"The good, the bad, and the ugly about evolution of modern civilization is all here. And we must never forget that the American dream comes at the labor and expense of our poorest people - America was never "great" for everybody. So we take the good, but don't white-wash the bad and the ugly - do our best not to repeat it."


"One of those gems is the Parkette Drive In built in 1951 ..."

... with the same vintage sign out front, with car hop atop ...


















And it's still old-school diner food - try the Poor Boy and crinkle fries (not to be confused with a Louisiana Po'Boy, which is shrimp).




Then there's Burgers and Shakes, built in 1957 ...







... where up until a year ago, you could still buy a burger for less than a dollar ...







Are they the best burger and fries in Lexington?


No - but fun if you want the whole drive-in/diner experience (particular Parkette).


(IMO, the best burger and fries in Lexington is at Saul Good - but that's another post ;) 

Eastland Bowling Lanes, built in 1959 ...









which became Collins Bowling Center ...









... which only recently closed in May of 2017.


Note that old 50/60s building material looked super cool and shiny modern back then, but it does not age well ...



Rundown? Maybe. That shiny 50/60s stuff doesn't age well anyway.


But it's still an important reminder of post-war white American still-segregated excess - all the good, the bad, and the ugly that came along with it.


So we finally make it to the new Frank's Donuts - Lexington, on 3rd Street - and it's not open yet!!!


Thus, we decided to go out Versailles Road.


FYI, it's pronounced "Vuhr-SAILS" here in Ken-tuck, folks - if you say "Vehr-SIGH," it's a dead giveaway you're not from here and they'll chase you out of town with torches and pitchforks. Just kidding. Sort of.


Same with Louisville - it's "Luhvuhl," almost one word/not quite 2 syllable. Not "LOO-ey-ville" or "Lewisville." And Athens-Boonesboro - it's "AY-thens-Boonesboro," not "A-thens-Boonesboro."


Midway between Lexington and Versailles, just past Keeneland Race Track - is a little BP gas station that doubles as a donut shop called "Doughdaddy's" - which IMO, is actually #3 for third best donuts in this area.


That's right, I said a gas station - what did I just say about not judging a book by its cover?


Sometimes little dives are the best. Granted, usually not gas stations - but trust me on this one? If you're going to Keeneland in October - stop at Doughdaddy's on the way :)













Try the sour cream or maple donuts, they're AWEEEESOMME.








And if you want a little salt instead of sweet (or both)?









Try the bacon and maple donuts - don't knock it until you've tried it (I said "ew" at first, too).


Much like chicken and waffles, contrary to what you'd think, the salt/sweet mix is absolutely delicious.


They're a Doughdaddy's original - the only place I know of where you can find a bacon/maple donut :)


Ding, ding ding - today's winner was Doughdaddy's donuts - ah, hit the sweet-and-salty spots for both of us perfectly today :)


Not to often, though - terrible for you - just every once in a blue moon :)

Untentionally Hilarious 1-Star TripAdvisor Reviews Of the New 7 Wonders of the World

(edited) So, I can't do a better or more hilarious job narrating these than Natalie Compton did, in the WaPo this morning, and yet still, I'll add a few words ;)

*Sigh*

Typically, it's my over-privileged, entitled fellow Americans who write these reviews, of course.  

Now, truth be told, I typically scan the reviews myself, just for general trends or things to watch out for.  You know, if you see one bad review, you ignore it as one bad experience or a lesson learned, but if you see a general trend, stay away.  

Unless of course one review is from a regular reviewer or a fair review (rather than an angry, bitter ex or something), and it says something like:   "Erm, apparently when not renting their guest house on AirBNB, the owners cook meth in here?"  or something lol.

When reading them, I do often giggle to myself at how spoiled we Americans are - everything must be bigger and better,  stainless steel and sterile - all at the cheapest price, of course ;)

And we tend to still demand this sort of service and quality in poorer countries, just because we're Americans who feel falsely entitled to everything in this world. 

So without further ado, here are the most unintentionally hilarious 1-star TripAdvisor ratings of the New 7 (man-made) Wonders of the World  ... starting with the least clueless/funny to the most :)

Well of course, that travel tip goes without saying - you should always avoid seeing remarkable works of art that several countries collaborated on as a universal symbol of your Christian faith - because it's too hard to take a selfie there. I mean, doesn't everybody? ;)

Then of course, you can go too much the other way and fixate only on your faith, despite other events, or other groups that were persecuted there ...

Now, you weren't paying attention to the tour guide, were you? 

Because though there is documentation that Christians most certainly were murdered and crucified in Rome, you left out the part about how despite Pope Benedict XIV claiming that the coliseum itself was used to murder Christians, there is actually no historical evidence to support that Christians were murdered at the coliseum itself.  

You also left out the part about how they weren't alone in their persecution - because there is also historical documented evidence that the coliseum was built from spoils of the temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD, after Romans raided the temple to punish Jews for rising up and revolting against them, because of chronic persecution/oppression, and brought back 100,000 Jewish prisoners to help build it.

Other events took place there, too - including plays, orations, music festivals - and our modern-day stadiums are still based on the ancient coliseum model.

Yes, there were essentially bloodbaths there, and the Romans oppressed and persecuted many people of other faiths - but the coliseum itself wasn't selective based on faith - the "games" there were neither a condemner nor respecter of persons based on faith alone - even lower-class Roman citizens themselves fell prey to the "games."

As I said, modern-day football stadiums and football itself is based on the games at the coliseum - and like Natalie, the WaPo author of this article says - you know dang well you watched Gladiator like 900 times, anyway, so get real.
And never mind the structure is almost old as Christ and has somehow withstood wars, fires, earthquakes and thieves?

Hey - maybe you'll get lucky and Trump's wall will be built coliseum/stadium style - then you can just stay home and watch Mexicans and Muslims be killed, instead, 'Christian' brother!  Amen!  ;)

???

 Oh sweet Lord - "looks better in the pictures" ...

Are. You. Kidding. Me. With. That???
Do you know how many people would give a limb to go see the Taj Mahal just once in their lifetime?

And talk about creepy - you're disappointed because you couldn't see the actual tombs?
The very fact that you don't realize the whole point of the Taj Mahal - beauty and light that transcends, death, decay, and darkness - is proof you never should've gone there in the first place, because you clearly don't get it.

Okay, I realize that this guy is actually trying to make fun of the selfie people, but why would you give the site itself 1 star?  lol

It's not the Incans fault, we Americans act like rude, disrespectful idiots at sacred historical and cultural sites.
And you think the locals don't know that it's a source of income for them to sell their wares?

But it's far from a "money tree."  

You try making a living in Peru on what they make.  They can't even really afford to pay the entrance fee themselves.

And what about the remarkable similarity to Asian terrace farming and Indian and Southeast Asian architecture, despite supposedly having no contact with the East until Cortez's arrival the next century, hm?  Not impressed?

Okay, so ... you may stay at home with the other guy and wait for Trump's wall as a tourist attraction, too, while the rest of us appreciate other things the rest of the world has to offer.

I'm sure your American ADD will be entertained by plenty of fireworks, semi-automatic weapons, tanks, and cheerleaders, that will be at its grand - erm - closing.

Perhaps you can take selfies, too, during the large, Lord-of-the-Flies-style bonfire, during human sacrifices of Mexicans and Muslims?!?

Perhaps you can even take a beer bus there, like this next girl ...

LOL - Since I've visited Chichen Itza myself, this one was nearly my favorite - because I actually had one of the best and most spiritual experiences of my life, at Chichen Itza, and this person's attitude is just so ... entitled American.

In fact, the only thing nearly ruining for me were people like this chick, who take "beer buses" to to historical sites, leaving their cans and chips bags all over the grounds.  

If I didn't know better, I could've sworn Miranda Sings wrote this review lol.





For those of you unfamiliar with Miranda Sings,  - no, she's NOT serious - she's the hilarious parody character of your typical, garden-variety, American YouTube narcissist, created by comedian/actress, Colleen Ballinger lol. For example, this is Miranda's instructional video for Jerry Seinfeld on how to become famous like her lol. 





And for proof she's not like that (and how she came up with the character), here's her, as herself, on Jimmy Fallon - unfortunately, many people don't realize this is a character and either hate her because of it or actually emulate her (which she finds scarier) lol.




But back the TripAdvisor review, clearly the Miranda Sings wannabe did NOT bother to read other people's travel guides, reviews, and/or do's and don'ts (or even use common sense) before traveling there, because she fell for every tourist trap in the book anyway.  

Hint on being respectful at important historical/cultural sites: Never take a "beer bus" - they're best kept to sportings events.

And again, not impressed by the "bearded man" and southeast Asian cultural influence mysteries, like depictions of elephants, though they're not indigenous to Latin/South America?

No?


Sigh, okay then. Take another beer bus and treat Mexicans like trash in their own country, again, but call them rude, when they tire of your entitled attitude - I dare you lol.


You're lucky they even got your dumb gringo ass there, instead of dropping you off in the middle of the jungle, never to be seen or heard from again lol.

Here we go, another person who never read others reviews or the do's and don'ts of traveling - you never buy the trinkets right outside of tourist attractions - especially not for $180 lol.

The fact that these vendors are even right on site means they don't respect the cultural history themselves.  

If you want to barter with the locals elsewhere, that's fine, but never, ever buy from the vendors just outside the site itself.


And again, is it Petra's fault that you're an idiot? lol

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner - I think this is my favorite.

Pile of bricks?  Yeah, one despite being built 200 years before Christ, is still remarkably preserved, and you can see from space because of it's continuity.  


Okay, so ... go back to your precious job and see if you can build anything at all that lasts for centuries - then make sure you, and others, take a beer bus to it ;)


Thanks for the travel tips, fellow "Christian" Americans - embarrassing us around the world for over 250 years. I'll be sure and NOT behave as you did, at these places :)
_____________

PS - OMG, the commenters lol - even more hilarious (and sad).  

Thus, my comment there: 

And this poor soul became depressed by the article ...

So I replied to her, hoping to make her feel better - because she gets it when so many others don't  :) 

Oh Thank God, A Rom Com that Makes Us Laugh Out Loud Again. I Mean, It's Been Years ...

(*PS added) So, I was about to say RIP, Rom Coms that are actually worth watching - and by that, I don't mean OTT, implausible, feel-good rom-coms, I mean realistic rom-coms  that both men and women enjoy and aren't OTT.  Gone forever are the days of "When Harry Met Sally," in favor of superhero movies, right?   

Seriously, Hollywood - I realize superhero movies are the only thing this divided nation agrees upon, right now, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  

I mean, I never thought I'd say this, but ... I can't even keep my Super-Chrises straight anymore, Pine, Hemsworth, Evans, or Pratt? lol.

In fact, though I smiled often at "The Big Sick" in 2017...

I think even the last regular comedy I laughed out loud at, and was willing to watch more than once, was 2015's "Spy" with Melissa McCarthy.

However, hold up on that death of Rom-Coms that are actually laugh-out-loud funny and willing-to-watch again-immediately thing ...

... because on my day off, on a break from house-cleaning, I just watched the first Rom-Com I've seen in a very long time that made me laugh out loud, several times - and it's Netflix.  

That's right, I said Netflix - though fast replacing the box office for quality - Netflix is mostly known for good and gritty - not good and pretty.

However, they somehow actually managed to to pull off a clever, witty Rom-Com that both men and women can enjoy.  Not exactly When Harry Met Sally, but close :)

It's essentially When Harry Met Sally, but with a fresh Asian-American take.  As Cosmo puts it ...

There was only one OTT moment towards the end, that made me roll my eyes (except his "proposal" made me laugh) - but the very, very end makes up for it (SPOILER ALERT:  She, as a celebrity chef, surprises him by opening a homespun authentic Korean restaurant featuring his mother's authentic Korean recipes, named after his mother).  

Now,  that's real - and much better and more meaningful than melodramatic, rain-soaked, public declarations of love in front of God and everybody, isn't it?

In fact, I usually don't tear up at Rom Coms, and I definitely didn't during his public declaration, but I DID tear up at her restaurant-honoring his mother bit.)

Speaking of both surprises and the melodramatic, Keanu Reeves suddenly showing up as Sasha's momentary love interest  -  was a total surprise.

The appearance of the A-list actor on a Netflix show, as Marcus' competition, made me laugh out loud - playing a weird, melodramatic, phony, self-obsessed caricature of himself, poking fun of both himself and the high-falutin' world of the privileged elite (including digs at weird, tiny, soul-less food dishes that leave you hungry and Balenciaga). 

This is just the beginning of the whole bit with Keanu, I don't want to give away the whole bit - just the prelude to an even more absurd and ridiculous bit, which was absolutely hilarious, culminating in Marcus punching Keanu in the face lol






Whaaaaaa? :)

Who knew Keanu was funny? 

Well, not THAT funny, and we're more laughing at him than with him, but he doesn't have to be funny OR a good actor.  (In fact, he nearly ruined one of my favorite movies, Dangerous Liasions, but I forgave him) - because just look at him.  He got that Chinese/Hawaiian/British-Canadian mix thing, going on, that has driven us girls wild for decades.

So nope, no spoiler clips for the best parts - because you know how trailers show you the best parts of the movie, so when you see it, you're like, "I ... should've stayed at home and and watched the trailer again, for free, while trimming my toenails?"

Not so, with this one.  Like I said, not exactly "When Harry Met Sally," good, but still worth a watch - and enough to make me to wish I was Asian now? lol. 

AND my pug loved the soundtrack.  

How can I tell?

True, he's lost the ability to walk now - BUT - when he hears music he likes, he lifts his head, looks towards the TV or laptop, then at me, and wags his tail  - which is my cue to pick him up and either dance around with him or sit him on my lap and bounce him to the beat - and he wags his tail and makes his pug smile face - then promptly falls asleep lol.

No, no, this is good, that means he digs it  - anything that makes my sweet old pug happy and relaxed is a good thing (and people too) :)

He sort of looks like this ... to include digging the beat and eventually falling asleep lol ...






The movie even met my pug's approval, two paws up!

PS - Rewatched this movie with my husband, without telling him about Keanu's surprise appearance (he loves Keanu for 3 different reasons than I do, in the form of action movies: The Matrix, John Wick, and Point Break).  

He, like me (and the people in the movie) also exclaimed "Oh my God - that's Keanu! Haha! That's F-ing hilarious" lol

 He said he hadn't laughed that hard at a movie in a long time; in fact, we watched it a third time at his request for what he missed (it moves fast).  

13 Reasons Why, 3 Years Ago Today ...

... I made the best decision of my life ... and married this guy ...



(Video actually made for his birthday a couple of years ago :) 






In October, we will have been together for 8 years - and it only keeps getting better and better :)


You've heard of that Netflix show, "13 Reasons Why?


Well, here are 13 Reasons Why I Love My Husband :)

#1 -  The fact that football season is still a month away - and Halloween is still 2 months away - but he's already excited and becomes a kid again with both events lol. 

#2. The look on his face after cooking his favorite meals, when I set the plate down in front of him.


#3. The fact that he loves, and laughs, at zombie and Bigfoot movies. (I don't get it at all, they're not my thing, but the fact that he laughs at them and loves them, makes me shake my head and smile.)

#4. How much he loves his home town of Detroit and gets so excited when someone here in Kentucky has a Detroit Tigers hat or an MSU shirt. I even found myself yelling out my car window at a neighbor, "Go Green!" when they were caught wearing their MSU shirt lol. (He appropriately waved, smiled, and yelled back "Go White!" lol)

#5. The way he talks to our dogs and explains everything: "Okay, Dad's going to go change out of his work clothes, and then he'll take you for a walk, and then we'll have peanut butter, okay, buddies? " :)

#6. That he gets even more excited, moved, and grateful to our creator for nature and animals than I do.


#7. That he takes work as seriously as I do, and ensures the quality of his work - and works even harder than I do, despite being tired, sick, cold, hot, etc. - if he is asked to do it, he does it - without cutting corners, without making excuses - he just gets it done.

#8. The fact that he's taught me to be tougher - that I need to stop giving so much benefit of the doubt and stop letting others take advantage of my empathy. That sitting around praying for truth and change, like some sort of martyr, never works out well for me - because no one is grateful, giving ME the same benefit of the doubt or empathy, or even remembers sacrifices I made, so it's up to me to value myself enough to do this for myself.


That there's a time to put away the diplomacy and to tell people exactly where to go, because no one else will - and to stop giving a shit what people think about it because people like to make up their own narratives anyway.


#9. The fact that I've taught him to give a little more benefit of the doubt to people sometimes, and more importantly, I taught him - a former Army Ranger, responsible big brother to 4 siblings, golden gloves boxer, and a master's degree in IT - that it's okay to be silly, random, and absurd :) 

#10. After learning it's okay to be silly/absurd, he makes up better silly songs than I do about things, including "poopy songs" to facilitate our dogs when it's time to relieve themselves lol.

#11. That he's faithful and would still, inexplicably, rather hang out with me than anyone else in his life (?) - despite my graying hair and weight gain of 15 pounds since we married, and is so full of gratitude for every little thing I do, and still tells me I'm beautiful and sexy, every single day - when previous men never told me even once - though I have never felt beautiful or sexy my entire life.


#12. The fact that despite a couple of Trumpers best attempts to thwart his efforts at work and send him to Siberia, both because he didn't agree with their politics and especially to try conceal how good he really is in comparison to them - particularly taking advantage of, and actually making fun of, his initial stroke residuals (which are now gone) - he's now back where he belongs, by popular demand, finally getting the recognition he deserves.


Speaking of those 2 undereducated, underqualified, conniving little Trumpers, who acted all sympathetic about my husband's stroke to my face, then sent my husband to work Siberia and actually made fun of my husband's initial stroke residual symptoms (which are now gone) behind our backs?


Well - let's just say time reveals all - and their undereducated, inexperienced, good ole-boy cronyism, misdeeds, and admitted extramarital activities while at work finally caught up with them, as we speak :)
But let me just say this, "gentlemen" - and I use this term loosely - it has been verified by other people in the room, that despite your fake sympathy, you publicly mocked my husband's initial residual stroke symptoms (which are now gone) - so you better pray I never see you - OR your admitted extramarital, side-chick, office ho's who instigated it - outside of work, ever again lol.

Because in addition to the restoration of my husband, and despite my normally being very kind to everyone, as you've seen - I finally reached my quota with characterless, dishonest, arrogant, nasty little Trumpers like you, this week.


Thus, never forget that I, myself, am rooted in redneck, plus an educated, articulate half-redneck woman - your basic worst nightmare - and I can pull that girl out at any time I need her., which I'm happy to do over my husband.


So God help you, if I see you at the grocery store, a UK game, or even church - I'll make a public spectacle out you and famous, in this town - and not in a good way lol.

But from what I understand, neither you - nor your office ho's - will be at work much longer, anyway - it may take a long time for truth to come out, but nasty people always get what's coming to them, in the end - and the truth and true gems like my husband always shine through :)


#13. The fact that he fought his way back from that stroke, 2 years ago, now with no residuals AND despite the work nonsense I just mentioned above on top of it.

Mark and Dr. Azhar Aslam - the Pakistan-born MUSLIM interventional cardiologist who saved my husband's life (my husband had an undetected congenital patent foramen ovale or "hole" in his heart, causing blood to shunt from left heart to right, instead of go to the lungs for filtering, thus causing a leg clot to go straight to the brain and cause the stroke. Dr. Aslam discovered the problem through testing within 24 hours, "plugged" the hole, and now we're good as new. Others, like Luke Perry and John Singleton, were not as lucky. We are eternally grateful to Dr. Aslam for his "gift" to my husband.


Next to my daughter, my husband has been the biggest blessing of my life.

Happy Anniversary, Honey - thank you for coming into my life and blessing it - may we have many more years together ;)

(Tearing up as I'm writing this lol.)

I love you, more every day ... and yes, my life would suck without you :)