Random Friday Thoughts — September 29, 2017

After a month long absence, I decided to share a few random thoughts.  I hope you enjoy them and this last weekend of September.

“LESBIANS, WE’RE UNDER ATTACK”

That was the funniest line I heard on television since my last “Random Friday Thoughts”.  With out Googling it, do you know what it’s from?

In the episode, a blackout hits a neighborhood and a frantic gay man runs next door to and shouts this to his lesbians neighbors.  Of course, the immediate blame goes to Russia or Isis!

The answer is at the bottom of the blog. 🙂

STAND, KNEEL, OR SIT

A huge national debate is underway about something that’s been going on for more than a year now.

Are NFL players or professional athletes being disrespectful to the American flag and veterans for not standing and saluting the flag during the National Anthem?

You have your opinion and I have mine, but this is not what I’m talking about today.

#45 tweeted that the NFL should fire players for disrespecting the flag.

Let me just say that we live in a country where you should NOT be fired because a PRESIDENT disagrees with you or you disagree with him or her.  That’s ANY president!

However, we do live in a country where you can be fired in 28 states just because you’re LGBT!

Now, there’s some food for thought!

OH, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY! 🙂

OLD MEMORIES, NEW BEGINNINGS

Now that the dust is settling after the blog I shared with you last week about our break up and pending divorce, it’s time to move on.

But, it just so happens that the return of “Random Friday Thoughts” also coincides with our six year wedding anniversary.

Since it’ll officially be history next year at this time, I’m going to share this video of our reception party one more time because it was one of the most exciting times in my life.

We organized it all — from beginning to end — and it was a “magical” evening not just for us, but for our friends.

Remembering the past and looking to the future — for us and for everyone!

Ironically, after five years, I see that the “s” was left out in the “Anniversary” title on the video, but spelled correctly under the video.  Oops!

NORWAY

Oslo was a beautiful city and I loved the scenic bus ride to the snow-covered mountains. Bergen was also an amazing city.

It was fun to climb all the way to the top of Floyen, a mountain inside the city of Bergen.

We also sampled fresh Norwegian fish and chips.

We were told that Norway is one of the most expensive cities in the world.  We found that out when we bought two 3-liter boxes of wine (one red and one white).

In the U.S., those two boxes might have cost $36.  There it was about 775 Norwegian Kroners  (98 U.S. dollars)!!!

Our next box in Sweden cost only about 20 U.S. dollars!

SWEDEN

While on one of our restroom stops in Sweden, Ray and I took advantage to get steps in.  We saw a nursery across the street and went in.

What was strange is that we entered through the side with the outdoor plants.  We looked at them and then walked through the store.  As we approached the front of the store, Ray mentioned that we hadn’t seen one employee during the entire time.

I looked at the front door and it didn’t open until 10 a.m. and it was only 9:30 a.m.

We casually walked very fast to the back of the store and back out the way we came in!

Could you imagine getting arrested for being inside the store without our passports or identification on us since it was on the bus across the street?

Fun times. 🙂

DENMARK

Copenhagen was the most incredible city.

There was a farmer’s market that featured the most amazing produce, fresh seafood and meats, sandwiches, olives, and desserts.

The University of Copenhagen Botanical Gardens were beautiful.

The next day, we explored the city on our own and found the “Copenhagen Food Truck”, an indoor building featuring all kinds of cooked delicacies.

Also, there was the Yoko Ono exhibit called the “Wish Tree Garden”, where you could post a message on a piece of paper and tie it to the tree.

If you ever get a chance to visit Scandinavia, you’ll love it!

“THE BRAVE”

I checked out one of the new fall series, “The Brave”, on NBC, mainly because I have a crush on Mike Vogel (“Cloverfield” and “Under The Dome”).

It was very entertaining and suspenseful and the pilot episode ended with a major cliffhanger, so I’ll be back next week to see what happens.

Anne Heche also stars.

Sadly, only 6.2 million people checked it out.  It followed the lowest-rated season premiere of “The Voice” in that franchise’s 13-season history!

“ELLE”

Isabelle Huppert earned a Best Actress nomination at this year’s Oscars in this chilling movie about a woman being raped in her home.

Instead of reporting the crime to police (there’s a back story), she takes another route to ensure her safety.

While a great movie, Huppert’s performance definitely makes it stronger.

A well-deserved nomination.

GRADE:  B+

“IT COMES AT NIGHT”

This horror movie was a box office disappointment.

As the movie opens, we see a family attending to a dying elderly man, the wife’s father.  We know that he’s dying of a mystery virus.

With all the silly horror movies directed at teenagers that make so much money, I was bummed to see a movie of this caliber of story telling and acting fall by the way side.

Joel Edgerton (“Animal Kingdom”, “Zero Dark Thirty”, and “Loving”) and Christopher Abbott (“The Sinner” and “Girls”) star.

GRADE:  B

PICK HIT

I love this song from Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren and American singer Josh Cumbee.

It’s already reached the Top 5 in the Netherlands and the Top Ten in Belgium.

“LESBIANS, WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”

It’s from “American Horror Story: Cult”.

After three so-so seasons, “Freak Show”, “Hotel”, and “Roanoke”, “Cult” is one of my favorite seasons.

Sadly, it could be because of theme — the 2016 presidential election.

It also feels like salt in a wound!

If you haven’t started watching it, episode four is mind-blowing!

THAT’S IT

With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!

Anthony

It All Makes Sense Now!

You know I love to share with you and I use my blog and my writing as therapy.

Whether it’s humorous, about the entertainment world, politics, or equality, the topics are usually random.  You never know what I’ll write about next.

I started the blog in January 2012 and, before that, I joined Facebook in the spring of 2009.  It was right after Ray and I started seeing each other.

So, over the past eight years, our lives were played out in the public arena.  It’s given us the chance to meet some of you and to “friend” many others that we never met in person.  However, you’re still a part of our lives and we were a part of yours.

You saw everything from the fun meals and drinks we made, our holiday celebrations, our vacations, and our beautiful wedding reception (six years ago)!

As you know, I moved to Florida in early May and I haven’t been shy about it not being an enjoyable experience.  Part of that is the area, but the larger problem lies with me.

In a couple of blogs this spring (which I’m sharing again below), I said, “I lost faith in myself and in my fellow man and now, it’s up to me to find it again” after the 2016 presidential election.

In another blog, I wrote, “Change is stressful.  Change is exciting.  Change is different. Change is simply change!” and “In life, we go through it many times.  Whether it’s losing loved ones through death, break-ups or divorce, or just by spreading our wings to fly, change proves we’re alive.”

The reasons for the change and the move I expressed in the blogs were honest, but I didn’t share everything.  Some of you sensed there was more to the story and there is.

In early February, Ray and I decided to go our separate ways after eight years together. We called it “a break”.  But, we knew then that we had drifted apart and the circumstances weren’t going to change.

When I said, Florida “hasn’t been an enjoyable experience”, now you know the real, larger issue.

Moving here was a quick fix solution to our problem, a “band-aid” to cover something that needed more attention, but was neglected.

In retrospective, Florida is/was a mistake.  If I had it to do over again, I probably would have stayed in the Quad Cities, even as we moved forward with our separation and divorce.

After we started posting pictures of our trip to Scandinavia, we knew it was time to make it public based on comments of how happy we looked and it was good to see us together again.

That trip was already scheduled and paid for long before we made this life-altering decision.  The trip turned out to be our “swan song”!

Ray is moving on with his life and is experiencing things he was missing out on in the last years of our relationship.  Now, it’s up to me to do the same.

I wish him the very best in life and I hope he finds what we had for much of our time together and lost toward the end.

On Kygo’s 2016 CD, “Cloud Nine”, there’s a song, “Stole the Show” that sadly and perfectly sums things up.  Our relationship was on display thanks to social media and we didn’t mind.  But, now that the outcome is what it is, things playing out publicly is different.

If and when another relationship comes our way, we both might be more reserved to make it public and I hope, my friends, that you don’t take that the wrong way.

Here are those blogs I referenced above:

“It All Starts With Me”

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2017/04/07/it-all-starts-with-me/

“Change”

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2017/04/15/change/

All of this has me thinking of the most charming public couple, Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, David Burtka.

In a 2014 “Rolling Stone” feature on Harris, Burtka said, “There is a lot of ‘Oh, you guys are role models’, I’m superhappy that people look to us.  If anything happened, God forbid, I wouldn’t want to let anyone down.  But nothing will!  After you get to, like, seven, eight years, it’s like, ‘No one’s going anywhere’.”

For Harris, Burtka, and their twins, I’m happy that it’s true for them!

Anthony