2022: Show Me What You Got

2022 is underway and I can’t believe we’re already two weeks into the new year. I hope it’s off to a great start for you. At least, a good start!

With my annual Christmas letter, I revisit and recap the previous year as we move into the holiday season. And, each January, I share some things I’m looking forward to in the new year. So, here goes…

2020, PART THREE

While I’m not looking forward to it, sadly, we’re entering the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With new and emerging strains, the infection and death rates continue to soar after some improvement last spring and early summer with available vaccinations.

Being vaccinated and boosted, I hope to stay safe and I hope the same for you.

SPENDING MORE TIME WITH MY BFF

The holiday season wasn’t the best for my sister. Tammy spent a week in the hospital before Thanksgiving and almost two more weeks beginning on the day after Christmas.

While the befuddled doctors tried to figure out what exactly was going on and what needed to be done, I spent a lot of afternoons with her since I could just imagine how boring the stay was!

She’s feeling better, but the mystery surrounding the water retention and the incredible weight gain remains. It’s likely tied to congestive heart failure.

They also discovered that the two stents from the 2011 heart attack have closed and the heart is very weak.

We’ll be making a trip to St. Louis very soon to have a more advanced team give her options that may correct the problem and restore a quality of life again! 

SOME PEOPLE JUST SUCK

Sadly, during those three weeks in the hospital, her youngest son didn’t even have the decency to even visit. (He was also blew off seeing her on Christmas Eve after they planned it!)

This isn’t disappointing to me because that would imply surprise.  I’m thoroughly disgusted!

Meanwhile, her other son and her boyfriend only visited once! Good thing her daughter-in-law and a co-worker came by to see her several times!

It goes back to the old saying that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family.

Well, luckily we CAN choose a new “family”. That’s a good thing because some in people’s real family just suck!

Oh wait, was I supposed to sugarcoat that? Too bad!

CANCUN

Before that first hospitalization, my sister and I were booked to spend the first week of December 2021 in Cancun, Mexico.

Our plans of sipping frozen Miami Vices and other potent potables and eating unlimited food while soaking in the sun and listening to the waves (and staring at sexy men) were postponed.

Shots, shots, shots in this spring 2018 Cancun flashback!

Oh, hey Erik!

Wait, these shots are a different color!

Um, Tammy, how many did we have? Oh, who’s really counting at a time like this? 🙂

Hopefully, she’ll feel well enough soon (again, I’m saying “well enough”) to re-schedule that trip!

ANOTHER TRIP

Meanwhile, I have another solo trip coming up in late March! I’m ready to enjoy the solitude in a part of the world I’ve never been.

But, it’s still not one of three continents I’ve yet to visit — Antarctica, Australia, and South America.

PASSPORT RENEWAL

My passport expires in the spring of 2023 and while I’m still debating, I’m leaning toward letting it expire.

While I’d still love to visit Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and the islands of Greece (along with Denmark, Morocco, and Israel again), it just might not be in the cards.

TWO CONCERTS IN 2022?

Seeing Kylie Minogue in concert is still on my bucket list.

If it happens in a festive foreign city, it’d be even more incredible!

If you’re not familiar with Kylie or if you just want to have a smile on your face for the rest of the day after just three minutes of bliss, watch this!

Also, I want to see the oh-so talented and sexy Ben Platt.

If that happens, it’ll be in March in St. Louis!

TWO MOVIES

At this point, there are just two movies that I want to see in theaters in 2022. It’s been two years since I saw a movie in a theater!

I’m so ready for my large popcorn and large Coke Zero and free refills!

“Halloween Ends” arrives on October 14, 2022 and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, which hits theaters December 23, 2022. Yes, it’s about Whitney Houston with Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis!

#PUG2022

And, if I don’t make it to theaters to see those two movies, I’ll see them at home with #Pug2022 and I might even share my popcorn!

Speaking of #Pug2022, I could’ve become a pug owner earlier this month. There was one left in a litter locally.

However, there were two problems: it was a boy and the timing wasn’t right. There are some things going on that would prevent my becoming a “dog dad” until the second half of the year!

Timing is everything! I still have to use my passport a few more times this year!

“Xanadu” – ♪ “a place where nobody dared to go” where “a million lights are dancing and there you are – a shooting star” ♪!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — October 29, 2021

Hello there and Happy Halloween!

The way I trick or treat continues to change. Yes, I’ll still take Snickers, Baby Ruth, Milky Way, Almond Joy, and Twizzlers if you offer.

But, this is more my way of thinking now!

I’ve only posted two new features over the past six weeks.

The first was about the biggest events and my 100 favorite songs of the second era of my life from 1999-2021 (since I did one last year for my first 35 years).

Here’s the link: https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2021/10/08/my-life-the-next-era-1999-2021/

The last one was some stories about my recent birthday trip to Greece.

Here’s the link: https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2021/10/22/my-big-fat-greek-holiday-2021/

I supplied the links if you didn’t get a chance to read them the first time or if you want to re-visit them.

While I’m not ready to start back my weekly “Random Friday Thoughts”, I want to share some with you this week just for the fun of it.

Happy Halloween! Be safe and beware of psychos!

I don’t mean the ones that are intentionally scary because of Hollywood and Halloween! 🙂

A “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” MEMORY!

Ten years ago, my golden retriever, ABBA, went trick-or-treating for the last time.

Here she is during “surgery”!

She went as a lobotomized dog with a rubber brain under the bandage. However, as you can see, she decided that part wasn’t for her when the trick-or-treating started! 🙂

ABBA was such a trooper and she got her own fun-size “3 Musketeer” bar and loved eating it!

Yes, I took it out of the paper! 🙂

At the bottom of today’s blog, another fun and very scandalous Halloween flashback of me partying in Houston in 1992!

“HALLOWEEN KILLS”

After a year delay because of the pandemic, I was excited to see “Halloween Kills”. After seeing it, I’m glad I watched it for free on Peacock instead of paying to see it in the theater.

First I’ll share what I liked about the movie: I loved that some of the actors from 1978’s “Halloween” returned. Some may be in 2022’s “Halloween Ends” and a few won’t!

The movie also filled in some of the blanks from what happened in 1963 when Michael Myers first killed to his 1978 killing spree in the original movie that kicked off the franchise.

To add to some of those tidbits, a new actor played Dr. Sam Loomis and the resemblance was startling! (Donald Pleasence died in 1995 after starring in five of the franchise’s first six movies. “Halloween Kills” is the 12th installment!)

The next to the last kill in the movie was phenomenal and the moment of death is classic. Also, the final kill was surprising and shocking!

Now what I didn’t like about it!

For starters, the lack of a storyline for Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode! After seeing this movie, I get it that they’re saving her for the “finale” (yeah, right) of the franchise.

The whole mob scene at Haddonfield Memorial Hospital went on way too long. The mentality of the mob was eerily similar to the real-life deadly events at the Capitol in January 2021 in Washington D.C. And, to think that the fictional mob scene in “Halloween Kills” was shot in the fall of 2019!

While I enjoyed the movie as a whole, I’ll never watch it again!

This movie’s predecessor, 2018’s “Halloween” made $255.6 million worldwide. “Halloween Kills” is a box office smash at $93.8 million worldwide against a $20 million budget.

Final thoughts: The trailer is better than the movie, you see many of the kills, you saved money by not going to see it, and you didn’t waste almost two hours!

GRADE: C

P.S. ONE MORE “HALLOWEEN KILLS” THOUGHT

Watch the 2018 “Halloween” movie instead. It’s much better.

Here’s what I said back then and I gave it a “B”:

“It was very entertaining and I loved the winks back to all of the other movies in the franchise that this one pretended didn’t exist.

I loved that the movie was very violent (Michael Myers as a practicing dentist!).  It could be because he’s psychotic and has been locked up and drugged for 40 years!

While the movie was great, it didn’t scare me since nothing can compare to the 1978 original!”

“CRUELLA”

If horror isn’t your thing and that brand of “Halloween” violence may be too much for you, another fun Halloween-ish movie to check out is “Cruella”. (“Halloween-ish” because Cruella likes to dress up!)

While it came out in May, I just saw it on my flight back from Greece and it was very enjoyable.

This movie introduces us to Estella Miller, who as an adult becomes Cruella de Vil. Oscar winner Emma Stone (“La La Land”) is incredible.

But, my favorite character was Baroness von Hellman played by two-time Oscar winner Emma Thompson (one of those Academy Awards was for acting and the other was for writing.)

GRADE: B

HOLD UP, ONE MORE “CRUELLA” THOUGHT

While Stone was incredible as a young Cruella and will be returning in the sequel, she’s no Glenn Close from 1996’s “101 Dalmatians” and 2000’s “102 Dalmatians”.

But, then again, Emma Stone has an Oscar and Close is, sadly, an eight-time Academy Award nominee without a win! Sacrilegious.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Who doesn’t love donuts (or doughnuts)? I know they are so, so unhealthy, but yum.

“THE DONUT KING”

I just watched the informative and entertaining 2020 documentary, “The Donut King”.

It tells the story of Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy, who came to United States in the 1970s, and built a multi-million dollar empire by baking donuts.

I was blown away by the fact that almost all of the privately owned donut shops in California at one time were owned by Cambodians!

This is a great rags to riches story! But, there’s a twist — how he ends up losing his fortune!

GRADE: B+

ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE “DISCO”

If you regularly read my blog, you know that I was absolutely enthralled by Kylie Minogue’s critically acclaimed, “Disco” album last November. It brought fun and optimism to a pandemic world!

And, I almost lost it in the fall of 2020 when Kylie commented on my tweet!

Now, I’m so excited that Kylie is ready for another round of late night partying, escapism, and disco beats with “Disco: Guest List Edition”!

It features duets and remixes with Dua Lipa, Jessie Ware, Gloria Gaynor, and Years & Years (Olly Alexander).

While that would be exciting enough, there’s also going to be a deluxe version, which features five discs (the original “Disco” deluxe album, the new Guest List Edition of duets and remixes, the Live Infinite Disco Livestream concert DVD, and a CD disc of the music from that virtual concert, plus a BluRay of the concert!)

I’m in heaven!!! I’m also captivated by the new video from Kylie and Years & Years “A Second To Midnight”, the album’s first release.

I keep watching it over and over! Is it November 12th yet? I want my new “Disco”!

AND, ONE MORE KYLIE NOTE!!!

The Queen liked a second tweet of mine this summer with three blue hearts! 💙💙💙

Now, if only there could be a “Disco 2022 Tour”, I’d never have to see another another concert after that!

“PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY”

My final movie thought is about “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway”. While it was entertaining, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the original.

Back in the spring of 2018, I highly recommended “Peter Rabbit” and gave it a “B+”!

GRADE: C+

“AMERICAN HORROR STORY: DOUBLE FEATURE”

The latest season of “American Horror Story” just wrapped and it couldn’t end soon enough.

It was divided into two parts (six episodes of “Red Tide” and four episodes of “Death Valley”).

While I enjoyed some of it, it was the worst season of “American Horror Story” and there have been some stinkers!

I definitely didn’t enjoy most of the season, yet I kept watching!

GRADE: D

Now that this season is over (and the series has been renewed for three more seasons!), how do the ten seasons rank in my opinion?

#10 “Double Feature” (season ten, 2021)

#9 “Freak Show” (season four, 2014) — The highlight!

#8 “Hotel” (season five, 2015)

#7 “Roanoke” (season six, 2016)

#6 “Apocalypse” (season eight, 2018)

#5 “Coven” (season three, 2013)

#4 “1984” (season nine, 2019)

#3 “Murder House” (season one, 2011)

#2 “Cult” (season seven, 2017)

#1 “Asylum” (season two, 2012)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Houston 1992

And, then there’s this one from 2010. I think I made a great Lady Gaga!

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony