Random Friday Thoughts — September 22, 2023

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!

Anthony

Random Friday Thoughts — June 23, 2023

Happy Friday and for you summer lovers, enjoy it for me.

Now that it’s officially summer, fall is just 92 days away.

Thank you for taking time to check out my random thoughts.

SUBMERSIVE SAGA

This past week, crews were searching the North Atlantic near the site of the “Titanic” wreckage for a submersible called the “Titan” with five men inside. They’re likely dead.

U.S. and Canadian ships and aircrafts intensified the search about 900 miles east of Cape Cod and about 13,000 feet below sea level.

While it’s a tragic end to the story, you’d never have seen me on that regardless of the cost! No thank you!

I’m claustrophobic enough that I don’t even want to sit in the middle seat on a plane!

If I want to see the “Titanic”, I’ll watch Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio as Rose and Jack!

A TRUE TRAGEDY OFF GREECE & SPAIN

At the end of May, I talked about people willing to die for a chance of freedom and a new life.

It was mainly about how many migrants die while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy.

Earlier this week, a migrant boat sank near Spain’s Canary Islands and dozens are feared drowned.

On Thursday, Spanish government maritime services rescued 227 other migrants from four boats off Morocco’s west coast.

And, just last week, more than 300 Pakistani nationals died off the coast of Greece when the overcrowded fishing boat they were on capsized. About 750 men, women, and children were on board.

The refugee crises involves tens of thousands seeking sanctuary from poverty, persecution, and war.

How sad!

BOYCOTTING — WHAT’S DIFFERENT

I know you haven’t lost any sleep over it, but I was thinking about the difference between the Bud Light boycott and me not spending my money (basically boycotting) at Chick-fil-A!

I’m not hypocritical by shaking my head at those avoiding Bud Light beer because it featured a trans woman in a promotion.

Clearly, the people mad at Anheuser-Busch are transphobic, even if they don’t know what that means.

I loathe the chicken chain because of its blatant antigay stance and its funding of antigay agendas!

By the way, I’d love to try its peach shake, but I sure the hate would make it tasty less peachy!

So, I’ll just watch Elio enjoy his peach in “Call Me By Your Name!” 🙂

WHAT PRIDE IS & ISN’T

A WORK OF FICTION!

Typically, I read biographies, autobiographies, and books about real life events.

For years, I’ve been moving a box of old “Time” magazines (2017-2019) from place to place and I finally read them. While doing so, I jotted down some fiction book titles that sounded interesting and read them.

I’d highly recommend three of them, I’m indifferent about one, and would skip the last one.

“THE CARE AND FEEDING OF RAVENOUSLY HUNGRY GIRLS” by Anissa Gray (2019)

I highly recommend this book.

It’s about a family coming together after the oldest sister goes to jail. It’s then up to her siblings to raise her two children. This is a very touching book about family dealing with the past while trying to figure out the future.

Additionally, the book really touched me because I can truly relate to one of the characters — she’s gay and she has an eating disorder.

GRADE: A-

“THE OTHER AMERICANS” by Laila Lalami (2019)

A Moroccan immigrant living with his wife outside of Palm Springs, California, is killed by a hit and run driver.

His grown daughter, Nora, a musician living in San Francisco, comes home for the funeral and butts heads with her mother and sister.

While home, she meets up with an old high school friend, Jeremy, who helps her cope with her dad’s death while battling his own demons.

He also helps her with the investigation into her father’s death.

GRADE: B+

“99 NIGHTS IN LOGAR” by Jamil Jan Kochai (2019)

This is a riveting coming-of-age story about a boy living in the United States making a journey home to modern-day Afghanistan.

While there, 12-year-old Marwand, one of his brothers, and his young cousins go on a 99-night search across Logar for the family guard dog, Budabash, after it bites Marwand’s finger off and escapes.

We learn more about the dog and its relationship with the boy when he visited six years ago.

It was also very enlightening about their culture.

GRADE: B

“DRIVING YOUR PLOW OVER THE BONES OF THE DEAD” by Olga Tokarczuk (2019)

This book was originally published in Polish in 2009 and translated in 2019. I absolutely love the title!

It’s the dead of a European winter out in the middle of nowhere Poland.

Janine prefers animals to people, so she’s not too upset when her neighbor she wasn’t friendly with ends up dead. His death is followed by other deaths with strange circumstances.

Janine becomes an eccentric sleuth trying to find the killer using astrology and the police aren’t impressed with her nosiness and methods.

GRADE: B–

“MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER: A NOVEL” by Oyinkan Braithwaite (2018)

This book is about a Nigerian health care worker helping her sister cover up the death of her boyfriend that she claims threatened her life.

However, it seems her beautiful, younger sister has bad luck with guys because another boyfriend ends up dead and, again, involves her sister in getting rid of the body.

But, the older sister draws the line with her “serial killer” sister when the younger one starts dating a co-worker she’s crushing on.

Much of the book was entertaining, but the ending was unfulfilling!

GRADE: C

“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY” (THE MOVIE)

I finally got around to seeing the $45 million Whitney Houston biopic, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” that made almost $60 million in theaters last winter.

Naomi Ackie was great as the iconic singer and I enjoyed Stanley Tucci as music mogul Clive Davis.

I’m still grossed out by the real and movie version of Bobby Brown!

GRADE: B

“I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY” (THE SONG)

“I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” was released as the first single from Houston’s second studio album.

It entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #38 on May 16, 1987. It reached #1 six weeks later on June 27, 1987, the same day her album “Whitney” debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 (known then as “Top Pop Albums”). That was the first time ever for a woman!

The song also won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

“I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) is my favorite Whitney Houston song.

At #2 is “So Emotional” (1987)

At #3 “How Will I Know” (1985)

and at 4, “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” (1999)

MY LIFE: THE FIRST 35 YEARS

In the summer of 2020, with the pandemic raging, I started thinking about the events and the songs that influenced me most in life.

On September 11, 2020, I counted down my 35 favorite songs of my first 35 years (1964-1999). However, because I had so much fun with it, I decided to countdown my 101 favorites (there were 101 Dalmatians)!

I also counted down the 13 biggest events, personal or worldwide, that affected me the most.

If you’d like to have some fun and enjoy the soundtrack of my first 35 years of life, click here and take a walk down memory lane with me:

https://anthonypeoples.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/my-life-the-first-35-years/

THAT’S IT

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

Anthony