It’s already the middle of May and before you know, Memorial Day and the “unofficial” start of summer will be upon us.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my random thoughts.
PANDEMIC PETS
I saw a sad story that a large number of pets bought or adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic are ending up in shelters now that people are heading back to work!
I’ve heard this about rabbits at Easter and Santa bringing pets to family that underestimate the amount of love and attention it needs.
How sad and tragic! 😦
#PUG20-SOMEDAY
As you know, #Pug2020 was pushed back to #Pug2021 with the pandemic. Since it’s already May, it’s looking more likely that it’ll be #Pug20-SOMEDAY.
Since I’m waiting to move into a more modernized apartment in my complex, the pug is on hold.
Plus, now that I’m vaccinated, I want to travel some when more of the world is vaccinated!
SO, TO HONOR PUGS (& THE CARPENTERS…
AND, MY FAVORITE THE CARPENTERS SONG
VACCINATION RATES
Here in the U.S., we’re doing great. 35.8% of Americans are fully vaccinated and 46.9% have at least one shot.
In Illinois, 35.3% are fully vaccinated and 49.7% have one shot down!
However, worldwide vaccination rates pale in comparison. Only 4.3% are fully vaccinated and 8.7% are halfway there. 😦
MORE TRAGEDY IN INDIA
Earlier this week, dozens of bodies were found floating down the Ganges River in eastern India as the country battles a heartbreaking surge in coronavirus infections.
While authorities don’t know the cause of death, 71 bodies were retrieved from the river Monday night alone!
A local official, Surinder, in Ghazipur says, “Due to the shortage of wood, the dead are being buried in the water. Bodies from around 12-13 villages have been buried in the water.”
Overall, India has had the second highest number of confirmed cases with over 24 million and over 262,000 deaths. Experts say the real figures are likely much higher!
The United States still leads the world in cases (32.8 million) and deaths (584,000+)!
ON A BRIGHTER NOTE… “SCHITT’S CREEK “
I was late to the party, but I finally got around to binge watching “Schitt$ Creek”. OMG, it was too funny!
Every cast member is excellent, but my favorites were Catherine O’Hara (Moira Rose), Annie Murphy (Alexis Rose), and Emily Hampshire (Stevie Budd). Okay, I absolutely loved Alexis!
This was my favorite, favorite, favorite Alexis moment. I won’t say what happened just before this to illicit this response, but I watched it time and time again. LOL
Of course, the comedic timing of the Levy family: Dan (David Rose), Eugene (Johnny Rose), and Sarah (Twyla Sands) was vital to the show’s success.
And, the addition of Noah Reid (Patrick) and his romance with David made the shows even sweeter. I absolutely loved when David performed Tina Turner’s “Simply The Best” for Patrick. (This’ll have to do since YouTube doesn’t have the video!)
And, then Dustin Milligan (Ted Mullens)
and Steve Lund (Jake) made the Schitt’s Creek experience even sexier! Oh, you just gotta love humor and eye candy!
One of my favorite Moira lines: “David, your inability to retain information that doesn’t directly pertain to you might actually require medical attention!”
Speaking of David, we have things in common.
My two favorite are Mariah Carey and our love of eating!!! And, we could have a third if any of you know a “Patrick” in his 40s or 50s in Central Illinois! 🙂
The six-season series is on Netflix.
RIP NICK KAMEN
Unless you spent time in dance clubs in 1986, most of you probably haven’t heard of Nick Kamen.
The English singer and model died last week at the age of 59 of bone marrow cancer.
His only hit in the U.S. was in 1987 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart when “Each Time You Break My Heart” made it to number five.
He had his friend Madonna to thank for that.
She recorded a demo of the song, but passed it on to Nick.
“Each Time” also reached the Top Five in the U.K. and to the Top Ten in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
However, here’s how many of you that were obsessed with MTV back in the 1980s knew Nick — from his modeling days with this Levi’s 501 commercial.
Last week, Madonna remembered her friend with this tweet:
“THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT”
I mostly read biographies, autobiographies, and books on real events. However, I deviate into fiction sometimes.
And, I normally like to see a television or movie version based on a fiction book first. (Reading “Hannibal Rising” before seeing the movie spoiled that for me. Or, maybe the movie version of “Hannibal Rising” was just bad!)
Yet, I just read Chris Bohjalian’s 2018 book, “The Flight Attendant”, and it’s incredible.
An alcoholic flight attendant wakes up in Dubai after hooking up with a hot man in first class on her flight.
The one night stand or doing the walk of shame would be the least of her problems. She wakes up and the bed is covered in blood! His throat has been slashed and she can’t remember what happened!
Did she do it????
It’s now a HBO Max series that was renewed for a second season (expected in late 2022).
Since I don’t have HBO Max, I haven’t seen it. But, read the book.
“THE ROAD TO JONESTOWN: JIM JONES AND PEOPLES TEMPLE”
Jeff Guinn’s 2017 book was a concise and compelling read.
Here are some final things Guinn shared that you might not remember or have known:
Jones’s personal physician and Jonestown’s doctor Larry Schacht had been working to perfect a cocktail of Flavor Aid, tranquilizers, and potassium cyanide to make it taste less bitter.
When Jones asked one of his girlfriends in his inner circle, Maria Katsaris, if it was quick, she said yes and then lied, saying “it’s not supposed to be painful at all.”
Yet, in “The Poisoner’s Handbook”, Deborah Blum writes, “The last minutes of a cyanide death are brutal, marked by convulsions, a desperate gasping for air, a rising bloody froth of vomit and saliva, and finally a blessed release into unconsciousness.”
This all led to the Jonestown tragedy where more than 900 of his followers were poisoned with that cyanide-laced Flavor Aid drink. (One-third were children that were killed first and found at the bottom of the mass of people.) 😦
PARTING THOUGHTS
Even today, people don’t recall any of the good that Jim Jones did before he became delusional and a drug addict.
What people remember is “not drinking the Kool-Aid” when it comes to religious leaders and institutions and politicians and their fanatical views.
Sadly, it wasn’t even “Kool-Aid”. It was the cheap imitation, “Flavor-Aid” — just like Jim Jones was a cheap imitation knockoff of God!
ANOTHER NICK KAMEN FAVORITE
“I Promised Myself” from 1990 was another one of my favorite Nick Kamen songs.
It reached #1 in Austria and Sweden and the Top Five in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
THAT’S IT
With all the craziness in the world, make it the best in your little part of it!
Anthony
What's Peeps Thinking About Now? It's Probably Random! 