“It’s the holiday season, so hoop-de-do and dickory dock”.
Good Lord, song lyrics were so lame in 1963!
Now you know why Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is already a classic and a perennial chart-topper! (These photos are from the amazing Christmas concert I saw in Las Vegas in December 2017.)
So, let’s start again. It’s the holiday season!
To me, this means putting up my Christmas tree and decorations for three months, while many are getting their Halloween on!
I hope this finds you happy and healthy! Some of us keep in touch year around through social media and some of us only once a year with Christmas cards. And, I love and appreciate each and every one of them!
I’m very grateful for all I’m blessed with in life.
I’m still the morning meteorologist at the NBC affiliate in Decatur, Illinois. I’ve been here almost four years and I have another year left on my contract!
My dear sister, Tammy, had another health scare this summer. She had a stroke and a risky, emergency surgery and is in physical therapy now. Once again, she was told she definitely has to stop smoking, exercise, and eat right. Sadly, she hears “blah, blah, blah”!
She also spent another week in the hospital before Thanksgiving and it’s been a struggle bouncing back. She told me she hasn’t smoked since getting out this time!
Since my cards go out Thanksgiving week, let’s start where I left off last year.
Last December, Tammy and I visited one of my favorite cities, Palm Springs, California. I hadn’t been there since the late-1990s. (And, I started a mustache and kept it through Labor Day weekend!)
I love the Marilyn Monroe statue!
And, it was great seeing my friend, Robert, again. We met through our dearly departed friend (and “Mom”) D’nell over 30 years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Thank you again for lunch, Robert! I loved my turkey burger at Billy Reed’s.
And, in October, we took a road trip to Branson, Missouri, to chill out.
I cooked a couple of our meals and we ate out a few times.
Tammy chose Lambert’s (the home of the Throwed Rolls) and we also had a seafood buffet and a nice Sunday brunch.
I splurged with dessert — half blackberry cobbler and half peach cobbler with ice cream, caramel topping, chocolate chips, and chopped nuts.
We took several photos around Branson on the Strip. I absolutely loved the gorgeous octopus outside the Aquarium.
And, the parking lot of Ripley’s was fun!
While we were there before fall foliage was in full color, our balcony view of Table Rock Lake was stunning.
So, why didn’t I travel internationally in 2023 after visiting Greece in 2021 and Costa Rica, Cancun, and Turkey in 2022?
It’s all thanks to a little four-pound bundle of energy coming into my life in late February!
That was February 25, 2023, when I picked Xanadu up in Taylorville, Illinois!
So, my hints over the past few Christmases, “maybe it’ll be in ‘Xanadu’ – ♪♪♪ “a place where nobody dared to go” where “a million lights are dancing and there you are – a shooting star” ♪♪♪!”, were to let you know something about “Xanadu” was in the cards!
Yes, I finally got my pug, so #Pug20-something became a reality!
It’s been an interesting nine months!
Xanadu is absolutely adorable and she has the most expressive little face.
However, she’s a total nightmare. I described her on-air one day as “17 pounds of mischievous”.
She has no boundaries and I now know why pugs are described as little “dictators”! But, look at this little face! 🙂
As I look to the future, I hope to calm Miss Xanadu down some and to be a great dog dad.
My next birthday is a milestone one and I hope to be spending it in Las Vegas seeing Kylie Minogue in concert.
While she started her Vegas residency in early November, I was unable to snag a ticket!
My friends, I wish you love, peace, health, and happiness in 2024!
“May hope and faith conquer fear and hate this Christmas”
Hello there! It’s been over two months since I last shared some random thoughts. Real life gets in the way!
So, Happy Holidays! Let’s talk!
BEST CHRISTMAS EVER
The holiday season is in fully swing and I plan on making this the best Christmas ever! (Well, if not the best, definitely one of the best.)
This year, I have my wacky little pug, Xanadu, to make the holidays more festive.
Also, my sister, Tammy, suffered a stroke late this summer and then spent almost a week before Thanksgiving back in the hospital, so we’re going to party like it’s 1999!
You just never know how much time you have left, so I’ll enjoy this Christmas as if it’s our last one together.
That’s her all dressed up in Branson, Missouri, in October.
CHRISTMAS SONG LYRICS THAT MAKE ME SMH!
“Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” begins, “You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen, but do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all?”
Wait, if Rudolph is the most famous reindeer of all, which he is, of course we know his name!
Also, in the Carpenters’ “Home For The Holidays, Karen sings, “From Atlantic to Pacific/Gee, the traffic is terrific.” Wait, who’s ever thought that traffic is terrific when traveling, even it’s home for the holidays?
FAVORITE CHRISTMAS GIFTS
I’m now at the age where I have everything I want in life. Material things don’t impress me much!
As I think back to my younger years, four gifts come to mind as my favorites.
The first toy I remember asking for and getting was a red cash register like this one.
I’m sure playing with money as a kid helped me excel in math and money management today!
My favorite Christmas present growing up was a Panasonic tape recorder that I got in 1976.
I spent hours listening to the radio recording songs, making montages, and I remember making a “Hurricane Allen” tape as the storm hit Texas in 1980.
The first song I ever recorded was “You Don’t Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show)”, which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it won a Grammy for Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.
While I didn’t know it then, Christmas 1989 would end up being one of my favorites — it would be the last one with my mother, Dessie. (That’s her with my cousin, Steve).
She died in early November 1990, so that Christmas was a sad one and definitely my least favorite.
However, she left me with two gifts that I still have to this day. My mother had already put our Christmas presents in layaway.
That Christmas, I had chosen a $30 stone-washed denim jacket and the VHS (yes, VHS!) copy of “Pretty Woman”.
Thank you Tammy for paying off that layaway!
CHER “CHRISTMAS”
In the ageist world we live in, it makes me so happy when two women, Dolly Parton and Cher, in their late-70s are burning up the music charts. (Three now — more on the other one shortly!)
Typically, artists score huge hits on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with their Christmas releases because those formats are usually the ones that change over to all holiday music in November or December.
With her lead single from her “Christmas” album, “DJ Play a Christmas Song”, Cher hit #1 on the AC chart.
But, an even bigger accomplishment is that the song is at #38 on the Top 40 airplay chart and it’s getting airplay at dance stations, too!
While I love that song, my other favorites on the album are “Angels in the Snow” and “Drop Top Slay Ride” with Tyga. My absolute favorite is “Put a Little Holiday in Your Heart” with Cyndi Lauper.
GRADE: A
“ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU” IS STILL SUPREME!
Mariah Carey performed the holiday classic for the first time this year on an award show (the MTV VMAs). It was superb and she looked and sounded like the queen she is.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO A RARE DOLLY MISFIRE
The “Queen of Country Music” is now rock and roll royalty as her latest album, “Rockstar”, earned rave reviews and hit #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Before Cher this year, “A Holly Dolly Christmas” was the last Christmas album I bought in the fall of 2020.
I loved the album, except for the duet with Jimmy Fallon on Mariah’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. It’s horrible, especially Fallon!
BRENDA LEE “ROCKIN'” INTO MUSIC HISTORY
Back in the 1960s, “Little Brenda Lee” or “Little Miss Dynamite” was a pop superstar and she turned that success into a country music career in the 1970s.
Now, Brenda Lee sets music history with a song she first released all the way back in 1958!
During the 2019-2022 holiday seasons, “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” racked up nine weeks at #2, held out of the top spot by Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”.
This year, Brenda released an official video for the song with appearances by Trisha Yearwood and Tanya Tucker. That extra push took the song to #1 on the new Billboard Hot 100.
Brenda Lee is now the oldest artist ever to top the chart at 78, beating out Louis Armstrong, who was 62 in May 1964 when he hit #1 and Cher was 52 when “Believe” reached the top in March1999.
Also, Brenda Lee now holds the record for longest stretch between #1 Hot 100 hits — 63 years, one month, and two weeks.
She was last at #1 on October 24, 1960 before “Rockin'” topped the Hot 100 this month!
SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW ON THE HOT 100
So what happens now that “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” topped the chart?
With all the press around the Billboard Hot 100 #1 achievement and an appearance on an Opry Christmas special, I expect Brenda Lee to hold at #1 next week.
After that, I predict that Mariah Carey will top the Hot 100 for the last two weeks of 2023.
If that happens, it’ll extend the stay for “All I Want For Christmas” at #1 to 14 weeks!
AND,”FANCY LIKE CHRISTMAS”!
Country music superstar Walker Hayes is a hottie and has a beautiful family.
In 2021, he scored a #1 hit on the Billboard Country chart that peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 with “Fancy Like”. (It ended being the second biggest country song that year and the #4 country song for 2022, a two-year Top 5 winner). I liked the song and many of you did, too.
However, this holiday season, Hayes went back to the well and released “Fancy Like Christmas”. While just listening to the song a couple of times, I didn’t care for it (even with a shout out to Mariah).
And, damn it to hell, I couldn’t help to be charmed by Walker and his family when I watched the official video.
It made the song more bearable, even likeable!
Oh, when I was choosing a photo of him and his family to share, I wasn’t expecting this one from 2019. You’re welcome!
THIS SOUNDS TASTY, TOO!
MY FAVORITE CHRISTMAS SONGS
So, as I wrap up today, I’ll share my ten favorite Christmas songs with you. Interestingly, I first posted a Christmas song countdown back on 12-12-12 (2012, that is).
However, while the my top ten songs are the same, the rankings have changed!!!
10. “Pretty Paper” (Willie Nelson)
9. “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” (Michael Buble)
8. “The Secret of Giving” (Reba McEntire)
7. “O Holy Night” (Josh Groban)
6. “Wonderful Christmastime” (Paul McCartney)
“Step Into Christmas” (Elton John)
“Happy Xmas (War is Over)” (John Lennon & Yoko Ono)
“Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (Band Aid)
“Merry Christmas Darling” (The Carpenters)
“All I Want For Christmas is You” (Mariah Carey)
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
“May hope and faith conquer fear and hate” this holiday season.
In early November 2022, when I returned from almost two weeks in Turkey, I knew that would be my last international trip for a LONG time.
My passport was set to expire in May 2023 and I decided not to renew it and I became a “dog dad” to a silly little pug, Xanadu, in late February this year.
Well, things change! I was approached and asked to go on a work-related trip. Initially, it was going to be Hawaii. Of course, I said yes.
However, Hawaii didn’t make it past the planning stage. And, the excursion became a European trip with a cruise on the Rhine River in April 2024. So, I renewed the passport!
Although I went to Cancun, Mexico, in 1993, it was before passports were required there.
When I got my first passport in 2013, I was fortunate enough to use it often over the past decade with trips to Turkey, Greece, Morocco, Bangkok (Thailand), China, Israel, Scandinavia, and Europe, along with Mexico and Canada.
I used that passport for the first time ten years ago this month. I’m walking down memory lane and I’m taking you along with me.
After work that October 2013 morning, I was off to Chicago for my first trip to Europe. Although the trip was a Danube River cruise, I’ve always been fascinated with Switzerland.
And, since it didn’t cost anything extra for flight changes to Zurich, I made a 24-hour whirlwind visit to the global city and one of the world’s largest financial centers!
SWITZERLAND
Once I got to Zurich, it was too early to check into the hotel, so I walked around and explored the “Old Town” district.
Once showered and settled into my room, I walked for hours (about 12 miles) to Lake Zurich for a better view of the architecture, the people, the Lake, and the Swiss Alps.
On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at the most awesome grocery store, Coop. The place was packed with Zurich residents and tourists getting stocked up for a weekend night. The wine department was very popular.
I bought two bottles, a cheese platter, two loaves of bread (an olive variety and a Pane loaf), and two desserts (one was a caramel torte and the other was basically creme-filled donuts).
This Saturday evening Swiss snack ended up being dinner.
While I’m a very adventurous eater (especially now), I gave up beef more than a decade ago. (I also don’t do internal organs or deer).
As I looked at the menu at a restaurant I stopped at, the Cordon Bleu was deer and not chicken! There was also deer stew, deer this, and deer that. If deer wasn’t your thing, there was something with boar!
So, the Swiss buffet of wine, bread, cheeses, and desserts was perfect for a Zurich Saturday night. And, after being up for 39 hours from work Friday morning, to driving to Chicago, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean Friday night, and touring Zurich Saturday, sleep was nice.
The next morning, the hotel hosted a nice complimentary breakfast.
It was glorious waking up and seeing the Alps in the background and hearing chiming church bells all morning.
My observations about Zurich: If I spoke German, I would definitely live there if given the opportunity; the city is beautiful and the backdrop of the Lake and the Alps is incredible; I didn’t run into Zurich resident and international pop star Tina Turner (RIP); and finally, Zurich men are very thin.
I don’t know if it’s because they walk a lot or ride bikes (very popular here) or eat deer and moose, instead of beef, but I couldn’t believe how thin a majority of them are. Sorry America!
And, a final note, there were so many DDG (drop dead gorgeous) Europeans walking around strutting their stuff in their jeans of many colors!
That is snow on the Alps from the Zurich flight to Budapest.
Originally, the cruise was to start in Budapest, Hungary, but there was a mechanical problem at a dam and the cruise ship couldn’t get there, so I landed at the airport there and took a two-hour bus ride to embark on the cruise in Bratislava, Slovakia!
BRATISLAVA
Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, is one of the youngest capital cities of Europe, yet its history dates back more than 2,000 years.
Once in Bratislava, a maintenance problem at a lock delayed our cruise from departing the first night.
This gave us a chance to view the city and we finally left Bratislava around 11 p.m. the next night.
Here’s a dessert on the “MS Sound of Music” cruise boat. It’s called “Somloi” (a duo of Drunken Sponge Cake in Black and White with Vanilla Pudding and Chocolate Sauce).
VIENNA
We finally set sail and I awoke to a foggy morning on the Danube River docked in Vienna, Austria.
Vienna is well-known for classical composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Strauss.
It was here also that psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud made his name.
There was an exhibit on display in Vienna honoring his artist grandson, Lucian Freud, who died in the early-2010s.
His works are known for their “psychological penetration and for their often discomforting examination of the relationship between artist and model”. Needless to say, unflattering photos of naked men and women grace the city. Sexuality isn’t taboo there like in the United States.
Along with this advertisement for the show highlighting Lucian Freud, boobs and penis art and mannequins grace the windows in many stores. (I censored this photo with the blue star!)
And I witnessed something very cool. The Austrian Military and the Police were outside the Chancellor’s office. The U.S. Ambassador to Austria was in Vienna presenting her credentials to the country’s Federal President.
They even played “The Star-Spangled Banner”!
I’ll leave you with a couple of interesting notes about Austria:
Vienna is the capital and the largest city in Austria. Of the five million that live in the country, 1.8 million live in Vienna. (The second largest city in the country is populated by only 265,000 people.)
And, of those almost two million, 82% live in rented apartments, 11% live in townhouses/condos, and only 7% of people in Vienna own homes. Of course, those number change outside of the city.
I close out the Austrian part of my trip by honoring another of Vienna’s stars, the late singer Falco, with one of his hits, “Der Kommissar”, although he’s better known for “Rock Me Amadeus”.
DURNSTEIN AND MELK
Since the cruise started, we traveled at night. After another night of cruising the Danube, we arrived in Durnstein (wine country in lower Austria) and another short cruise took us to Melk (also in lower Austria).
It was another foggy morning as we walked through the very small village of Durnstein, which is known for its wines and apricot brandy.
After sampling free shots and chocolates, we sailed along the Wuchau Valley and it was spectacular.
We then arrived in Melk, Austria, to tour a monastery that is almost 1,000 years old and it was incredible.
It was one of the most beautiful churches in the world. (Okay, I haven’t spent a lot of time in churches except while traveling! But, it was spectacular.)
PASSAU
We then traveled to Passau, Germany.
While I’ve seen some beautiful sights in my travels in the United States, like Lake Tahoe, California, the boat cruise today out of Austria into Germany had to be one of the most breath-taking views I’ve witnessed.
In the afternoon, we docked in Passau, also known as Dreiflüssestadt, “the city on three rivers”.
We walked along the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz rivers, visited the shopping district, and St. Steven’s Cathedral, which houses the world’s largest cathedral organ.
While very interesting, Passau was the least favorite city we visited, so far. We still have two more days in Germany with stops in Regensburg and Nuremberg.
REGENSBERG
After visiting Passau, a community that was heavily damaged by summer floods that year, we woke up to another foggy morning that promised sunshine.
However, as we toured Regensberg, the 56th largest city in Germany, the sun deceived us and it remained overcast and very cool.
But, shopping was vibrant on my walk through town.
I loved the bridge of locks where lovers have their names inscribed on locks and they put them on the bridge and throw the key into the river. Should they break up, the locks are then cut off!
NUREMBERG
When we started our Nuremberg tour Saturday afternoon, we stopped by Zeppelin Field, which had been a central part in rallies for Adolf Hitler.
Since the fall of Nazi Germany, the area has lost its flashy look from the 1940s and is rather bleak, just like the time it symbolized under Hitler!
We visited another castle that overlooked the city and the site where the Nuremberg Trials took place in 1945-1946 to prosecute prominent members of the military and political leadership of Nazi Germany.
On a happier note, I checked out the Farmer’s Market and had a drink in a small cafe.
I’ve always been intrigued by what a Campari and soda would taste like so I ordered one and it was HORRIBLE. (Campari is a bitter infusion of fruit and herbs in alcohol and water.) Yuck! It was too bitter for me. So, I had a Jever beer and it was much better (and I’m not a beer drinker)!
Then, it was time to board our boat for the Captain’s Farewell Dinner.
My meal started with the appetizer, Pan Fried Scampi with Beet Root Risotto, and ended with Baked Alaska “MS Sound of Music” style!
And, of course, plenty of local wines! Why choose one?
The next day started with a two-hour bus ride to the airport in Munich, Germany, to start my trip back to reality.
And, on this trip, I met Barbara, who was celebrating her 70th birthday and her daughter came along.
Barbara (on the left) and I still stay in touch!
IN SUMMATION
My favorite city was definitely Zurich, Switzerland, and my second favorite was Bratislava, Slovakia, and luckily I spent almost 24 hours in each of those cities.
It was interesting going on the local tours of villages and hearing the history and seeing all the castles and brightly colored buildings.
The food was amazing on the “MS Sound of Music” cruise and the staff was incredible.
With breakfast and lunch buffets daily, cake and coffee each afternoon, free-flowing wine at the amazing four and five-course dinners, along with a cheese spread after dessert each night, I only gained three pounds on the cruise!
My final thoughts are that we need to brightly paint all of our houses in the U.S. to add some color and fun.
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Welcome to October! I have some things to talk about, some things I’m excited about for this fall, and, of course, I’m ready to decorate for the December holidays!
Have a fantastic weekend and thank you for checking out my Random Friday Thoughts!
WOULD YOU EAT THE SEAFOOD?
It’s now been more than twelve years (March 2011) since a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the tsunami that followed destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) is now releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater (7,800 tons) into the Pacific Ocean!!! The first round of discharges (also 7,800 tons) in August and September went smoothly.
The wastewater discharges are expected to continue for decades!
Fishing groups and neighboring countries, including South Korea, are strongly opposed to this. And, China has banned all imports of Japanese seafood.
TEPCO says the water is treated to reduce radioactive materials to safe levels. It’s then diluted with seawater hundreds of times to make it much safer than international standards.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says if the safety plan it reviewed is carried out as planned, it’ll have a negligible impact on the environment, marine life and human health.
Now, would you feast on seafood coming from Japan?
IT FINALLY FEELS LIKE FALL!
Pug Xanadu and I took advantage of the recent warmth.
But, we’re very happy it’s turning cooler.
Since she’s 9-months-old, this is her first fall and it’ll be her first real winter. I’m thinking she’s not going to like it — especially the cold.
‘TIS THE SEASON (YES, THE BIG ONE)!
A few weeks ago, I posted this.
Well, it’s official. Mariah Carey says so!
The Queen of Christmas announced her holiday concert tour for November and December that’ll play 13 cities across the U.S. and Canada.
In 2014, 2015, and 2016, Mariah performed her Christmas concerts only in New York City. However, in 2017, she played NYC, three shows in Europe (Paris, Manchester, and London), and Las Vegas, which is where I saw her.
That’s a little photo montage of the show I saw and here’s what I had to say about it back then: “She [Mariah Carey] was absolutely gorgeous and flawless and her voice was crisp and angelic. The sets were magical and stunning and for just over 90 minutes, all my unhappiness was a distant memory!”
I think I need to take a road trip and see the new show!
PUMPKIN WHAT?
We know “pumpkin spice” season is getting longer and longer and Christmas items pop up in stores earlier. However, fall has now invaded our December holiday staple — egg nog!
I’ll try it if it goes on sale!
MY LATEST OBSESSION
I can’t wait to visit Las Vegas again and see the Sphere at the Venetian Resort in person.
I’m so intrigued by all of the pictures of the $2.3 billion (yes, that’s billions with a “B”), 17,600-seat arena that officially opened in late September with the U2 residency.
It’s the most expensive entertainment venue in Las Vegas history!
“THE WOMAN IN ME”
On October 24th, Britney Spears is scheduled to release her first tell-all memoir, “The Woman In Me”.
Trust me, with the stuff the pop superstar has been through, if she’s honest, this should be an interesting read.
Spears reportedly got $15 million from Simon & Schuster for telling her story!
MY FAVORITE BRITNEY SONG
“Everything”, from 2004, is my favorite Britney song.
It was the follow-up to “Toxic” from the “In The Zone” album and it reached #4 on the Billboard Top 40 Airplay chart.
“KARMA: MY BIORGRAPHY”
Also, coming this fall, Boy George will release his biography, “Karma” on November 9th.
I’m really looking forward to the book. I read his 1995 autobiography, “Take It Like A Man” with Spencer Bright.
There was a second book, “Straight”, in 2005, although I didn’t get a chance to read that one. Keep reading and I’ll share my five favorite Boy George and Culture Club songs.
What’s yours? Think about it!
NEXT WEEK IS FRIDAY THE 13TH!
“THE PEOPLE WE HATE AT THE WEDDING”
When it comes to movies, I’m more of a drama fan than comedy.
However, I recently enjoyed “Mafia Mamma” and I just checked out “The People We Hate At The Wedding” with Allison Janney, Kristen Bell, and Ben Platt.
Their characters are invited to a European wedding of Donna’s (Janney) daughter and the half-sister of Alice (Bell) and Paul (Platt).
I love the craziness and messiness that Alice and Paul bring to the wedding.
Also, it was such a pleasure seeing Dustin Milligan (Ted from “Schitt’s Creek”) again. He still looks delicious and was so awkward and funny.
GRADE: B+
“WOMEN TALKING”
This Oscar-winning movie (Best Adapted Screenplay — written and directed by Sarah Polley) is based on the 2018 book by Miriam Toews.
The book (and the movie) is just as advertised — it’s about “Women Talking”. While this account is fictional, it’s based on a true story.
Between 2005 and 2009, in a Mennonite community in Bolivia, 151 women and girls (ranging in age from three to 65) were raped at night in their homes after being knocked out by an animal tranquilizer spray.
The men in the colony blamed it on demons or ghosts, until a group of them were caught.
The movie and the book deals with the decision the women have to make while the men are away trying to free those accused.
In a barn loft, they debate their future — stay and do nothing, stay and fight, or leave.
I read the book first and it was so compelling and heartbreaking. I finally watched the movie last week and the acting was superb. However, after reading the book, I could only watch it in 30-minute-plus blocks over three days!
GRADE: B
MY 5 FAVORITE BOY GEORGE & CULTURE CLUB SONGS
With Boy George’s biography “Karma” coming out just in time for the holidays, I thought about my favorite songs from Culture Club and Boy George. What’s yours?
“I’LL TUMBLE 4 YA”
Boy George in “Take It Like a Man”: “Jon, Roy, and Mikey took brief dancing lessons. It was hilarious. Mikey proved to the only black man with no rhythm.”
“IT’S A MIRACLE”
“MOVE AWAY”
Boy George in “Take It Like a Man” called the video shoot a “two-day catastrophe” and a “mess” with his make-up sweating off. He said, “I had no grip on time or reality.”
“THE WAR SONG”
Boy George in “Take It Like a Man” called the video “epic”.
“KARMA CHAMELEON”
Boy George in “Take It Like a Man”: “We all loathed the finished video, but wherever we traveled in the world, people said, ‘Ooh, the ‘Karma Chameleon’ video, you all look so happy.”
BOY GEORGE BONUS And, while I love several of Boy George’s solo hits and his dance tracks as a DJ, “The Crying Game” remains my favorite.
Boy George in “Take It Like a Man”: “My greatest satisfaction was securing a Top 20 U.S. hit with “The Crying Game” and going back to New York after a seven-year absence. It was great to see it through clear eyes.”
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Nine months of the year are almost behind us and the spooky, the thankfully tasty, and the merry and bright seasons are ahead of us.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts this week.
HAPPY FALL FROM MISS XANADU
Crazy pug Xanadu is 9-months-old now and up to 17 pounds! She’s definitely taking in the sights of autumn.
And, she’s a total garbage mouth and loves the crunch of half-eaten acorns left behind by squirrels.
At first, I didn’t pay too much attention to her munching them — other than the awkward poop since they don’t break down.
However, after she got sick and vomited the other night, I did my research and learned that acorns are toxic to dogs!
Acorn poisoning will first cause vomiting and can lead to kidney and liver damage. And, in rare cases, death!
The more you know!
BOOK BANS
PEN America reports that book bans were up 33% across the United States during the 2022-23 school year compared to 2021-22.
And, it should come as no shock that Florida leads the U.S. at 40%. Texas is in second place in book bans. (Other states in the top five: Missouri, Utah, and South Carolina.)
The largest group of targeted books are those with LGBTQ+ themes and from queer authors.
People, if you don’t want to read them, move on and entertain yourself!
HOMOPHOBIA & COUNTRY MUSIC (SHOCKER!)
Gay country singer Adam Mac recently dropped out of the Logan County Tobacco and Heritage Festival in his hometown of Russellville, Kentucky.
His reasoning — he heard that board members were “concerned” he’d be “promoting homosexuality” while performing.
Since then, several friends of the LGBTQ+ community in country music have come out in support of Adam Mac including Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini, along with queer singers Chely Wright and Brandi Clark.
While they may have contacted Adam Mac personally, no male country music star has publicly supported him!
For the record, I didn’t know of him before this controversy. But, I’m going to give him a listen now — just because.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRESIDENT CARTER
On Sunday, my idol, President Jimmy Carter turns 99-years-old.
For anyone, turning 99 is remarkable. It’s even more so for President Carter because in February, he entered home hospice after a series of short hospital stays.
In the past seven months, he and his wife, Rosalynn, who is living with dementia, at age 96, have stayed out of sight.
However, they made a surprise visit last weekend at the Plains Peanut Festival, where they live!
Also, President Carter is the oldest living president and he and his wife, Rosalynn, have been married for now over 77 years, making them the longest-wed presidential couple.
CRAZY PUG LOVES HELPING
Back in August, Sophia, a colleague at work, left to pursue another career opportunities and I baked her a peanut butter-chocolate ganache cheesecake. It was rather tasty!
Well, pug Xanadu loved helping with the pre-wash cycle. Ironically, I didn’t add the music (Dead or Alive) to the video.
It was playing in the background, but worked well with her madness of licking the spatula! 🙂
“WHAT HE DIDN’T DO”
I started listening to country music some after coming across Cole Swindell’s “Drinkaby” earlier this year.
This Carly Pearce song caught my attention and it’s one of my favorites now.
On March 27, 2023, it reached number one on the Mediabase chart, becoming the first woman in 80 weeks to top the country radio charts with a solo track.
Some believe that the song might be about her ex-husband, country singer Michael Ray.
JUST SAYING
For Carly Pearce, her man was left for what he didn’t do.
For some (or many), it’s what “he did”!
“TENSION” BY KYLIE MINOGUE
As you know, I’ve been excited for months about the release of Kylie Minogue’s 16th studio album, “Tension”, that came out last Friday.
I bought the 14-song deluxe version and it’s an incredible follow-up to her 2020 masterpiece, “Disco”!
As much as I enjoy “Padam Padam” and “Tension”, the first two singles, and both are perfect choices, my favorite song on the album is “Hold On To Now”.
I expect this to be the third single.
Another standout is “10 Out of 10” with Oliver Heldens. It was released as a teaser before “Padam Padam” was chosen as the first single.
And, “Vegas High” is superb! (If only I had tickets to see one of her 20 shows at the Venetian in Vegas!)
While every song on the album is solid, my other favorites are: “Things We Do for Love”, “Story”, “One More Time”, and “Green Light”.
Of the three extra songs on the deluxe version, “Love Train” is my favorite.
“THE SUSPECT”
I came across this five episode-one season British police procedural television series and it was enjoyable.
Clinical psychologist Joe O’Loughlin (Aidan Turner) is called in to assist police after a woman was found dead in a cemetery from 21 self-inflicted stab wounds.
As the show progresses, O’Loughlin becomes a suspect in the murder.
GRADE: B+
“JUSTIFIED: CITY PRIMEVAL”
“Justified” ran for six seasons on FX (2010-2015).
I binge watched in early 2021 and loved it, especially Timothy Olyphant.
It’s tells the story of U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Olyphant) having to go back to his home state of Kentucky in the Appalachian Mountains as punishment for shooting a Miami thug in a questionable manner. Givens has his own set of justice that doesn’t set well with his bosses!
The series returned for eight episodes this summer with Olyphant returning as Givens.
He left Kentucky to raise his daughter in Miami, but finds himself in Detroit.
He’s looking for The Oklahoma Wildman, Clement Mansell, played by the oh so tall and oh so delicious Boyd Holbrook.
His favorite choice of dress — a kimono and tighty whities!
Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis (“King Richard”) brought some star power to the cast and that definitely help balance out the huge mistake of having Olyphant’s real-life daughter play his character’s daughter in a few episodes!
GRADE: B-
MORE HENRY KISSINGER
Last week, I started sharing things I learned from Walter Isaacson’s 1992 look at the incredible life and career of President Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State and National Security Advisory Henry Kissinger.
Here are a few more:
When Kissinger entered government in 1969 to the time he left in 1977, his weight ballooned from 155 to 215 pounds. He loved junk food and his diet consisted of “sausages, bratwurst, eggs, cream, fried onion rings, and meat loaf”.
And, when I read biographies and autobiographies, I love hearing about real things, like what these people eat and enjoy in life. And, how lavish they live.
When Kissinger retired from government work after President Carter moved into the White House in 1977, he and his wife bought a four-bedroom duplex in Manhattan. While very impressive, what blew me away is that the dining room could seat 40 people at four large round tables!
And, finally, U.S. Democratic Senator from New York Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who worked with Kissinger at Harvard and in the Nixon White House, often repeated, “You do not understand. Henry does not lie because it is in his interest. He lies because it is in his nature.” And, because of his conspiratorial nature, Moynihan says he “helped bring on” Watergate.
ON A BRIGHTER SIDE —KISSINGER’S WIT & HUMOR
Isaacson did share several incidents of Kissinger’s humor. Here’s one:
After President-elect Carter won the 1976 election and was getting ready to move into the White House, Kissinger headed off to Brussels for a NATO meeting.
A reporter asked him, “Can you tell me what you consider to be your greatest success and your greatest failure?”. Kissinger replied, “I don’t quite understand your second point.”
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Fall officially begins this weekend (Saturday at 1:50 a.m. Central Time). I’m already decorated, so get busy!
My two goals for October: eat apple cider donuts and make a cocktail or two with apple cider.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts this week.
THE WEATHER IS TO BLAME FOR THIS SHORTAGE
Extremely dry weather in the Mediterranean and the third hottest summer on record in Spain is driving up the price of olive oil!
Spain is the world’s largest producer and exporter of olive oil and the average price has now more than doubled since this time last year (up 130%).
The global prices for olive oil surged to $8,900 per ton in September and American experts say it’s showing “no sign of easing”.
“LIQUID GOLD”
Now that the price is skyrocketing, thieves are raking in the money by stealing it.
NBC reports about 50,000 liters of extra virgin olive oil were stolen from an oil mill in Spain in late August. It was valued at about $450,000!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAMMY!
My little sister, Tammy, celebrates her birthday this weekend.
I’m baking one of her favorite desserts — Sawdust Pie, a very popular pie at Patti’s 1880’s in Grand Rivers, Kentucky.
HOPING AND PRAYING FOR CHANGE
Thankfully, my sister and I have both outlived the years our parents did (47 and 55). And, since I’ve being honest, I’m very surprised about Tammy. She’s like a cat with nine lives.
She’s already had heart attacks and strokes and she’s been told many times that she has to change her ways (stop smoking, eat healthier, and exercise).
In early 2021, we seriously thought she was dying and we were already making arrangements, but she rebounded. She had another setback this summer with a stroke and it was another dire situation.
And, since then — still smoking, not eating right, and no exercise!
Tammy, my dear sister, I’m being greedy now. Make those changes for us if you won’t do it for yourself!
“RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE” (THE MOVIE)
It’s been some time since I watched a LGBTQ movie that really touched me and made me want to fall in love again.
Recently, I checked out “Red, White & Royal Blue” on Amazon Prime and it was touching.
Both leads, Taylor Zakhar Perez and Nicholas Galitzine, were sexy and charming and Perez has a beautiful butt! (Okay, he did!)
The movie starts at a royal wedding and a scandal ensues when the $75,000 wedding cake crashes to the ground after a shoving match between Alex Claremont-Diaz, the son of the U.S. president, and England’s Prince Henry.
So, they’re called in to do “damage control” and prove to the world that they’re friends and not enemies.
Well, one thing leads to another and since it’s a love story…
GRADE: A
“RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE” (THE BOOK)
After watching the Amazon Prime movie, I decided to read the 2019 book by Casey McQuiston.
I read the 2022 collector’s edition that featured a new chapter written from Prince Henry’s perspective.
There were definitely some funny lines and scenes in the book that didn’t make the movie and there were some funnier lines in the movie compared to the same scene in the book.
I love that the book goes into much more detail than the movie, some details graphic. While the movie was sexy, the book was more erotic.
One more thought about the movie after reading the book — if you’re making a movie that’s going to tick some people off anyways, cater to the ones that want to see it. Go all out!
MY FAVORITE GO-TO MOVIES
While I’ve watched “Red, White & Royal Blue” twice already, my two favorites that I’ve watched many, many times that still give me hope for love are “Latter Days” (2003) and “Shelter” (2007).
And, I absolutely loved 2017’s coming-of-age “Best Picture” Oscar-nominated “Call Me By Your Name”, although it was more of a one sided-love affair. (I saw it in early 2018 and it was my favorite movie that year!)
DON’T BOTHER ME THIS WEEKEND!
Why? Because I’ll be dancing around with pug Xanadu to the new Kylie Minogue album, “Tension”.
The album’s first single, “Padam Padam”, was a huge hit worldwide and it was her first radio hit in America in almost two decades!
The follow-up, the title track, “Tension”, is racing up the charts around the world.
MY THOUGHTS ON HENRY KISSINGER
Former President Richard Nixon’s Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger was a very interesting man.
I just invested two weeks reading Walter Isaacson’s 1992, 767-page biography and I’m really torn about the man, who is now 100-years-old!
There’s no denying Kissinger was a genius and very intelligent. However, while he was a world-class diplomat, he was rude, insecure, and duplicitous. After learning more about him, I’ve concluded I don’t like him.
Yes, he made life safer for Americans and people around the world, but he also has a lot of blood on his hands.
He and Nixon could have ended the Vietnam War earlier than they did, so people continued to die. And, then there was the India-Pakistan War in the early-1970s. Those details are below.
“KISSINGER: A BIOGRAPHY”
Walter Isaacson’s biography of Kissinger was well researched and thorough.
I felt like I was auditing a course in Kissinger and the first 100 pages or so were painfully boring.
After that, getting caught up in his brilliance and sneaky duplicity was captivating. It’s mind-blowing how someone could have a larger than life ego and be so insecure!
Here are a couple more things I learned:
In the India-Pakistan War in December 1971, Kissinger’s approach was costly, especially in lives lost since the U.S. chose the side of the morally wrong Pakistan, which massacred hundreds of thousands of its own people.
“Within three days, some ten thousand people were killed; by the end of the year, the death toll would be more than half a million.” Additionally, 10 million refugees began to flee into India. (This likely led to President Gerald Ford’s loss in the 1976 presidential race since he was attacked in the race for the Republican nomination by Ronald Reagan and in the primary by the eventual winner, Jimmy Carter.)
According to Nixon’s Chief of Staff H. R. Haldeman, one reason the taping system that brought Nixon down was installed was to get Kissinger on tape advising Nixon (especially after the 1971 Cambodian invasion), since his views often changed without notice.
Kissinger later noted, “It was a high price to pay for insurance.”
ON A BRIGHTER SIDE —KISSINGER’S WIT & HUMOR
Isaacson shared several examples of Kissinger’s humor. Here’s one:
In late 1973 when he was brokering a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt after the Yom Kippur War that fall, a reporter asked Egyptian President Anwar Sadat if the U.S. would be cutting back on airlifting weapons to Israel. Sadat said we should ask this question of Dr. Kissinger.
Kissinger replied, “Luckily, I didn’t hear the question.” The reporter said, “I’d be happy to repeat the question.” and Kissinger said, “And I’d be happy to rephrase my answer.”
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
We’re halfway through September and there’s one more week of summer left. However, I’m sure many of us are already in the fall frame of mind.
I’ve already decorated for two reasons — I’ve been over summer for some time now and I also decorate early for Christmas!
Thank you for checking out my random thoughts.
TURKEY & NOW MOROCCO
Two months after I returned from an incredible trip across Turkey last fall, the southern part of that country and Syria was struck with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed almost 60,000 people and injured twice that many.
Now, more than 2,900 are dead in Morocco after a 6.8 magnitude quake last Friday in the High Atlas Mountains near Marrakesh.
I was there five years ago next month to celebrate my birthday. The people were so nice and I had such a magical evening in Marrakesh with my new friends — Pom, Sheila, Po Po, and Izzy.
The evening started with a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of Marrakesh at sunset and a jaunt through the crowded souk (an Arab marketplace or bazaar) on the way to dinner. Once we were dropped off, we made our way through a series of alleys and at the end of the maze was the incredible and gorgeous restaurant.
I felt like royalty at this lavish dinner with this gorgeous group!
Our three course tasting menu started with incredibly colorful and tasty Moroccan salads. I chose fish Tagine for my entree, and had pastilla with light cream and crushed almonds with fresh mint for dessert.
I’ll hold on to the fond memories of that trip and keep them (and Turkey and Syria) in my thoughts and prayers.
PUMPKIN SPICE CRAZE GETS CRAZIER!
Forget about Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts and their pumpkin spice coffees and baked goods, the pumpkin craze has gone to the dogs.
Anheuser-Busch is offering a non-alcoholic Pumpkin Spice Dog Brew.
Miss Xanadu will likely pass on this — she’s more of a vodka girl! 🙂
SOMETHING FOR THANKSGIVING
The Portland, Oregon-based company Salt & Straw is ready for the fall holidays with “The Harvest Festival Series” of ice cream. I’d love to sample the “Beecher’s Cheese w/Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls” and the “Pinot Poached Pear Sherbet”.
For the fall holidays in 2018, the company offered “Roasted Peach & Sage Cornbread Stuffing” (ice cream infused “with fresh-picked sage…handfuls of sweet and crunchy cornbread brown sugar shortbread cookies and spoonfuls of spiced peach jam brightened with a splash of peach vinegar).
And, “Salted Caramel Thanksgiving Turkey” (“sweet and buttery turkey brittle into a turkey fat caramel ice cream”)!
AND, OF COURSE, CHRISTMAS!
Cher announced October 20th as the release date for her first Christmas album, “Cher Christmas”.
So far, three possible covers have been presented and this is my favorite.
While there is still no track listing, I know that Cher and Darlene Love covered Love’s 1963 classics, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”.
Love wrote on Facebook, “This is one of the BEST duets I’ve EVER done!!! I’m so so proud and honored to be part of Cher’s FIRST EVER Christmas album and to be reconnected with Cherilyn Sarkisian whom I’ve known before she became CHER the mega star!!”
Other duets on the album feature Michael Bublé, Stevie Wonder, and Cyndi Lauper.
CAMELOT WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
70 years ago this week, (September 12, 1953), John Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Lee Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island.
The reception for 1,200 people was held at Hammersmith Farm, her mother and stepfather’s estate. And, because I love food, cake, and desserts, here is the wedding cake!
P.S. There’s also sexy Bobby Kennedy! Um, asking for a friend. How did his son running for president become such an idiot? (Okay, he was a drug user as a teenager and young man, but…)
A FAVORITE RETURNS
Red Velvet Oreos are back for a limited time.
We last enjoyed them in 2020.
“MAFIA MAMMA”
When it comes to movies, I’m more into dramas than comedy.
But, I recently took a chance on “Mafia Mamma” when Redbox offered it to me for $1. It came out last spring and it wasn’t a big box office smash.
It stars Toni Collette and I’ve loved her since 1994’s “Muriel’s Wedding”, one of my all-time favorites. If you haven’t seen it, you must next year for its 30th anniversary.
In “Mafia Mamma”, Collette plays Kristin, who works for a cosmetic company as an ad campaign writer under three sexist and juvenile men. And, she also catches her husband having an affair.
So, when she gets a call that she has to attend the reading of a will of her last living relative, her grandfather, who just died, she takes off to southern Italy.
And, yes, you guessed it. Her “family” is in the mafia and it’s funny watching this fragile American woman trying to run the family “business”.
GRADE: B+
“GOLDA: THE LIFE OF ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER”
Over the past weeks, I’ve been sharing some tidbits from Peggy Mann’s incredible 1971 biography of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Here are the final few:
An example in the book about how much Arabs hated Jews, this was a math problem that was still printed in textbooks in the late-1960s, “If there are eleven Israelis and four are killed, how many are left?” 😦
While the book was published in 1971, things were said then that are truly offensive now, like Mann’s line “And slant-eyedChinese Jews….”
Some know a lot about the Holocaust that exterminated six million Jewish people and some only know a little about that atrocious event! Here’s a description from the book about the men, women, and children before they were shunted into the ovens to their deaths:
“… each corpse was gone over by trained technicians. One pried open the jaw, knocked out gold-filled teeth. In a single camp, Auschwitz, seventeen tons of gold were collected in this manner. Another technician shave the heads of women. The hair was used in the manufacture of mattresses and textiles. An apprentice member of the team removed such items as watches, rings, and false limbs. Jewish fat was used to make inexpensive soap. Bones which did not burn in the ovens were used for the manufacture of phosphate. And the final ashes were made into fertilizer for German fields and flower gardens.”
“A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE”
This 1951 classic was nominated for 12 Oscars including four in the acting categories. It won three of the acting awards (Vivian Leigh, Karl Malden, and Kim Hunter). It became the first movie to win three Oscars in the acting categories. (Since then 1976’s “Network” and 2022’s “Everything Everywhere All At Once” did that.)
I’m surprised at how boring it was and the acting of Vivian Leigh and Marlon Brando was over the top. (And, that’s not a compliment!)
GRADE: C
MARLON BRANDO— WHAT A HOTTIE!
But, it was worth watching just to lust after a young Marlon Brando — if only Stanley Kowalski wasn’t so loud and obnoxious!
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Cooler weather is on tap this weekend for many across the country after our latest heat wave.
Thank you for taking time to check out my random thoughts.
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST POLLUTERS
China leads the world in air pollution.
This was when I arrived in Beijing in April 2016 and it worsened that afternoon. It got so bad, it looked like it nightfall!
Also, the United States, India, Russia, and Japan are in the top five (in order) doing the most damage to the Earth and creating our current climate crisis.
Temperatures are increasing, oceans are rising, the weather is changing, and ice caps are melting.
While we’re making progress, change is slow due to bureaucracy and the cost!
SO BLAME MARTHA STEWART!
Recently, the style icon was on a cruise around the fjords of Greenland.
She posted a photo of her enjoying a cocktail with the caption, “We actually captured a small iceberg for our cocktails tonight”.
And, then the haters gonna hate!
One Instagram follower wrote, “Martha the ice caps are melting don’t put them in your drink.” and another said, “I generally love Martha and the excesses of her life because she’s about beautiful gardens, homes, and food, but wealthy white people drinking their iceberg cocktails while the planet is in flames is a bit tone deaf.”
Okay, both are correct about the ice caps.
However, I don’t think Martha and her fellow cruisers were pulling a Yukon Cornelius and chipping away the icebergs for an Instagram photo.
And, if they did that, what bitches! (That’s sarcasm!)
Look at this way, they were recycling!
TASTY NEW COFFEE CREAMER
I drink coffee in the mornings at work, but I don’t love coffee unless (1) it’s iced coffee and (2) it has several artificial sweeteners and fun-flavored coffee creamer.
A new one is on the way this fall that’ll take you back to your childhood — peanut butter and jelly. The new “DUO” will feature strawberry jelly.
PRIDE MONTH (AND THE RAINY SEASON) MAY BE OVER
However, this photo of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias from June’s Chicago gay pride parade was just brought to my attention!
How did I possibly not know about this?
I saw him at the 2010 Chicago Gay Pride Parade when he was running for Senate and I’m still crushing on him!
STILL DISAPPOINTED WEEKS LATER
I was so excited when Kylie Minogue confirmed her first Las Vegas residency at the Venetian Resort’s new venue, Voltaire.
20,000 seats and I couldn’t snag one standing room only ticket ($250). I still have faith that more shows will be added and I’ll see Kylie later this year (or in 2024)!
BUT, I’M VERY EXCITED FOR “TENSION”
While I won’t be fulfilling my bucket list and seeing Kylie in Las Vegas, the “Tension” album release is just two weeks away.
That excites me and makes me smile.
Just last week, Kylie released the second single, the title track, and the video is so much fun. And, the song’s lyrics are hot and steamy!
Which is your favorite Kylie? I love them all!
Meanwhile, the first release from the album, “Padam Padam”, is an international hit (#1 in Israel and the U.K.) and it’s still climbing the charts here in the U.S.
It’s actually being played at Top 40 radio and is at #31.
“WHO IS ERIN CARTER?”
I hadn’t heard anything about this new Netflix series, so I took a chance on it and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Erin Carter, a substitute school teacher, and her daughter are in a grocery store when a robbery goes down. When her daughter is threatened, Erin reacts in a way that makes you realize she’s more than a mother protecting her child.
As of now, it hasn’t been renewed for a second season. However, I’d watch a second season!
Evin Ahmad as Erin Carter is sexy and a badass and her husband Jordi (Sean Teale) is absolutely gorgeous.
GRADE: A-
“GOLDA: THE LIFE OF ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER”
Last week I shared a few things from Peggy Mann’s 1971 biography of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Here are a few more interesting tidbits from the book:
The Arab nations’ banned Elizabeth Taylor’s movies because she married Eddie Fisher and adopted his religion and became a Jew.
Her political adviser Simcha Dinitz summed up her leadership when she was appointed Prime Minister (the previous leader died in early 1969 and the leaders didn’t want to appoint one of the frontrunners for the top job before the October 1969 election): “She has the best qualities of a woman — intuition, insight, sensitivity, compassion — plus the best qualities of a man — strength, determination, practicality, purposefulness. So we’re lucky. We have double qualities — in one person.”
Meir was very honest and clever with her remarks. In New York City, in the fall of 1969, at an elaborate event in the Grand Hall of the Brooklyn Museum with ancient Egyptian antiques and paintings in the background, Meir told the museum curator, “I promise not to stand in front of any work of art in case I get shot.”
In October 1970, addressing a celebration of the United Nations’ 25th anniversary, Meir told the crowd, “All of those around us, as well as Israel, have paid the terrible price of endless warfare. Billions of dollars have been spent on armaments instead of on war against poverty, disease, and ignorance. There are now deserts of death where there could be blooming fields. I say this today not in rancor but in sorrow.”
REMEMBERING GARY WRIGHT
Last Friday, iconic singer Jimmy Buffett died at the age of 76. When a huge star dies, lesser stars that die the same day or close to it are overlooked.
Singer Gary Wright died on Labor Day at the age of 80.
Wright only charted with three Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, but the first two were huge. “Dream Weaver” and “Love Is Alive” both peaked at #2 in 1976.
“Dream Weaver” is one of my favorite songs from my childhood.
“SUNSET BOULEVARD”
I decided now that I’m heading into my sunset years, I’m going to watch a few classics — movies older than me and some that may be more recent, but I never saw. I kicked it off with “Dog Day Afternoon” and I enjoyed it.
I just watched the 1950 classic, “Sunset Boulevard”, which was nominated for eleven Oscars (four in the acting categories).
It tells the story of a younger man, Joe Gillis, (William Holden), a struggling Hollywood writer, going to work for Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), an aging movie star trying to hold on to her fame and looks.
I liked the movie, but I would’ve much rather have seen it on stage with the amazing Patti Lupone as Desmond!
One final comment, after seeing some of Swanson’s facial expression, I know where Faye Dunaway may have gotten the inspiration for some of her crazed Joan Crawford expressions in “Mommie Dearest”!
“And now, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
GRADE: B
AND, SPEAKING OF GLORIA SWANSON
The Hollywood star had a not too secret affair in the late-1920s with Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., the father of President John F. Kennedy!
At the time, he and his wife, Rose, had been married for over a decade and had eight children! Their last child, Ted, was born after the Swanson affair cooled.
Later, Swanson would say of Kennedy’s wife Rose that she was either “a fool or a saint”.
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself since a new heat wave is building across the country, including Illinois!
Thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts.
NOW THAT IT’S “METEOROLOGICAL FALL”
“Meteorological fall” is September, October, and November, the three months between the hottest and the coldest months.
Some call Labor Day the “unofficial end of summer”, but if you want to just stick to the autumnal equinox (fall), that’s September 23rd at 1:50 a.m. CDT.
Photo Credit: Shairaa/Shutterstock
EMMY AWARDS POSTPONED
With the Hollywood writers and actors strike going on, this year’s Emmy Awards have been pushed back to NEXT YEAR on January 15, 2024.
I guess this gives you time this fall to binge watch shows and performances that have been nominated.
“MONSTER: THE JEFFREY DAHMER STORY”
When the true crime series, “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” hit Netflix in September 2022, it was a huge success.
The series and its stars — Evan Peters as Dahmer and Niecy Nash as Glenda Cleveland, Dahmer’s neighbor — started winning huge industry awards. The series and stars are nominated for 13 Emmy Awards (seven in the Creative Emmys category).
I watched it and it was an excellent crime series and the acting was superb!
GRADE: A-
CONTROVERSY
However, Netflix, the producers, and even the stars faced backlash from the families of the victims. They’re accusing those involved in the series of “profiting off their traumatic experiences” and “retraumatizing” the family all over again.
One victim’s relative stated, “I want people to understand this is not just a story or historical fact, these are real people’s lives.”
I fully understand that and they’re right. For them, I know the pain will never go away and seeing shows or documentaries about it dredges up the horrible memories.
However, it’s been 30-plus years and dramatizing events for television or movies are not new and it’s not unique to the Dahmer case.
I know if it was my family member, I wouldn’t be watching!
MY CONNECTION (?) WITH DAHMER
Back in the summer of 1990, at the age of 25, I moved from Kentucky to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While I was only there for a few months into the fall, I enjoyed my job as a bartender at “Partners”, one of the oldest LGBTQ bars in the city.
One night I went out drinking with my friends and co-workers in the seedier part of the gay district at C’est La Vie and Club 219.
Needless to say, I had way too much to drink and the scary alley, while unsavory, was a great place to puke before we moved on elsewhere!!!
I didn’t think too much about it at the time, but when serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested, I got chills. Club 219 was one of his favorite haunts and he picked up some of his victims there!
I used to keep journals and my night at Club 219 coincided with the stalking and murdering timeline of one of his victims.
He very well could have been lurking in the corner that night I was totally wasted!
“THE GREAT”
I just finished season three of the Hulu hit, “The Great”.
Both leads, Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult were nominated for Emmys in the lead comedy categories last year.
While I loved the first two seasons, I only liked this one. It had its moments.
As I watched this season, I found myself hoping this would be the last season. And, then when a major character was killed off (?), I realized three seasons were enough.
Well, be careful what you ask for. Earlier this week, it was cancelled.
If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend it.
SEASON 3 GRADE: B-
“GOLDA”
While “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are still dominating the box office around the world, “Golda”, the movie about Israel’s first (and only) female prime minister opened to a decent box office.
In only 883 theaters, it made $1.7 million in its opening weekend. (For reference, “Barbie” was played on 3,700+ screens.)
I definitely want to see the movie, but I may have to wait until it streams or is released on DVD since it’s not playing in Decatur, Illinois.
“GOLDA: THE LIFE OF ISRAEL’S PRIME MINISTER”
For many years, I’ve been obsessed with Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.
Peggy Mann’s biography is like a lover letter to the late prime minister. While a very easy and informative read, the book came out in 1971, which was bit of letdown for me.
It ended before the 1972 Olympics slaughter of Israeli athletes and how Meir handled that tragedy and it didn’t cover the last seven years of her life. Meir died in 1978.
One of the most interesting things I learned about Meir is that while she was born in the present day Ukraine, she grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Denver, Colorado, before heading back to Palestine in 1921 to help found the state of Israel (in 1948).
Her first job offer was teaching students English, but she turned it down. However, when she and her husband joined a kibbutz (a collective community based on agriculture), she took a job picking almonds!
In the 1930s, Meir went to work for a union that was one of the first to offer insurance to its workers called “womb to tomb” coverage!
Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion said of Meir: “Some day, when our history is written, it will be said that there was a Jewish woman who raised the money which made the state possible.”
In 1956, Ben-Gurion asked Meir to take the job of Foreign Minister, the second most important job in Israel. B.G., as he was known, said “She’s the best man in my Cabinet.”
When a reporter asked Meir how it felt to be a woman minister, she tartly replied, “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been a man minister.”
When she took the Foreign Minister job, she chose the name “Meir”, which meant “illuminate” in Hebrew. (It’s pronounced May-EAR). Her married last name was Myerson.
I’ll share more things I learned about Meir next week.
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Does that take your mind off the heat wave baking the country?
Thank you for taking time to check out my random thoughts today!
PAUL RUDNICK
If you love comedy movies, Paul Rudnick is likely a household name.
Rudnick is a New Jersey playwright, screenwriter, and author that I’ve enjoyed for decades now.
His play “Jeffrey” was made into the 1995 movie that I absolutely love and he was spot-on with humor and one-liners in his screenplays for “Addams Family Values” (1993) and “In & Out” (1997).
It was interesting reading his 2009 memoir, “I Shudder (and other reactions to life, death, and New Jersey)” to see how much of his life made it into his movies (especially “Jeffrey”) and into his books, like his new one that I love, love, love!
“FARRELL COVINGTON AND THE LIMITS OF STYLE”
Earlier this year, I read a blurb in “People” magazine that Rudnick was releasing a new novel, “Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style”.
I expected it to be funny, but I didn’t realize how beautiful and touching it’d be!
The story begins at Yale in 1973 when aspiring writer Nate Reminger, a middle-class Jewish kid from small town New Jersey, comes face-to-face with the drop dead gorgeous and insanely rich Farrell Covington.
The two are total opposites, but fall in love. However, it’s not meant to be — not because of their differences, but Covington’s close-minded, homophobic Kansas family.
Once Farrell’s family forbids them from seeing each other, I was captivated and wondered how the story would play out!
How would their lives be apart, would they ever cross paths again, and would the AIDS epidemic in the early-1980s touch them?
It’s an honest, naughty, fun, and touching read! I highly recommend it.
SEEING MYSELF IN NATE, SO WHERE’S MY FARRELL?
While Nate is a decade older than me and I’m not Jewish, I related to him and we shared many similarities.
I grew up in a small town (Kentucky) and went to college there (early-1980s). I was a television news performance major that dabbled in theater (acting).
I spent my college years living my fullest gay life even in the face of AIDS and death.
When you’re young, you think every man is going to be a prince and you’re going to fall in love. Okay, I did!
I’ve been in three long-term relationships. I found love, married, and divorced.
Now that I’m much older, I hope I find my Farrell. He doesn’t have to be insanely rich, but I wouldn’t complain though!
CHRISTMAS IS NOW JUST FOUR MONTHS AWAY
Santa, I know you’re heading into a busy time of the year.
Oh, who am I kidding — the elves are making the toys, the reindeer are exercising to build up their strength to be able to haul your butt around the world, and Mrs. Claus is baking treats to fatten you up.
I digress, my apologies.
Since I now have my little crazy pug, Xanadu, I only want one thing for Christmas since peace on earth is not a realistic ask!
Oh, hello James Marsden. You’re aging beautifully!
MY “COMING OF AGE” FAVORITES
Since I felt connected to Nate in Paul Rudnick’s “Farrell Covington” novel, here are my favorite “coming of age” club songs from when I started sneaking into Club DV8 in Paducah, Kentucky, when I was underage.
While I loved pop radio and Whitney Houston, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jody Watley, Jermaine Stewart, Debbie Gibson, and Lionel Richie (and, you too, Stacey Q) in the mid-1980s, these club hits blew me away.
How many do you remember or know?
ERASURE — “OH L’AMOUR”
TAFFY — “I LOVE MY RADIO”
COMPANY B — “FASCINATED”
NICOLE — “DON’T YOU WANT MY LOVE”
JENNIFER HOLLIDAY — “NO FRILLS LOVE”
UPTOWN — “(I KNOW) I’M LOSING YOU”
MIQUEL BROWN — “SO MANY MEN, SO LITTLE TIME”
HAZELL DEAN — “SEARCHIN’ (I GOTTA FIND A MAN)DON’T YOU WANT MY LOVE”
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 