Nope, not talking about politics – I try to keep it as apolitical as possible here. However, I am talking about parking and parking lots 😁.
First, let me start by saying I have light PTSD when I walk in parking lots because almost 12 years ago, I was hit by a car while walking across a parking lot. My head is on a swivel anytime I am in a parking lot, and I will hug parked cars as I head to the store just to minimize the chances of it happening again. Yesterday’s little adventure started giving me anxiety
So yesterday, I drove my (not so little 😜) behind over to my local grocery store. It is one that has slanted parking slots and arrows to tell you which direction to go. As I move down the lane, there is a car (#1) ahead of me, waiting for another car (#2) to back out. At first I thought, I’ll wait until he parks, then see if there is a spot up closer than where I was at the moment. A normal routine for many of us. And then things got crazy.
Next thing I see is a second parked car (#3) started backing into car #1 while trying to get out 😬. Fortunately, he stopped in time, but it was close for sure. Then, I noticed that car #2 was trying to back up in a way that would allow him to go the wrong way down the aisle! Like what the f🤬🤬🤬? And these aisles are not really designed for two cars to drive side by side without getting extremely close to one another. Again, something I’m sure some of you have witnessed (or done 😜) yourselves. I thought, screw this and pulled into the closest spot to me. As I get out of my car with my bags, I look up to seeifthe log jam that was happening was resolved and I see another car (#4) adding to the mess. You see car #2 was parked across the lane, trying to figure out how the hell to go in the wrong way, while car #1 was still waiting to pull in, and car #3 was still waiting to get out of his spot, when car (#4) decides to drive the wrong way down the aisle 😳. Not only is he going the wrong way, but he is trying to drive around the dumbass in car #2, who couldn’t figure out which direction to turn his car (left, dude, go left ⬅️ 🙄) and poor car #1, the car that had been in front of me. Follow me so far 😁? Now I’m thinking what the absolute f🤬🤬🤬 is going on. Apparently, car #4 didn’t see that it was already a cluster in that aisle and he’s just going to add to it 🤦♀️. And I realized that the dumbasses in car #2 and car #4 need remedial driving lessons, in a parking lot 😆😆.
And all the while, people are walking up and down the aisle, heading to or away from the store.
At that point, I just dipped over an aisle that had a lot less shit going on and walked to the store, shaking my head, waiting for the crunch of metal that thankfully never came 😮💨.
Yep, I sat through another episode of The Courtship. And I can see the producer’s sticky little hands all over everything. Since Capt. Kim left last week, they have to find a new pasty to stir drama with and it looks like that may be Mr. Mumbray 😒.
The episode starts off with the sister and BFF processing the previous night’s events. That’s all I have to say about that 😆.
We then find the men playing poker and gossiping about what Capt. Kim said to Ms. Remy, with Mr. Chapman griping that Capt. Kim should have talked to him man to man if he had issue with him. Hey dumbass, he didn’t have an issue with you until you tried to provoke a fight over what you assumed he said to Mr. Remy 😡. Let me say it again – he put the decision to leave solely on himself, he gets to do that. And fyi, he didn’t shame her for her decision to stay the night with Mr. Chapman, just said he emotionally couldn’t handle it.
On to the Daily Tea – today’s activity, a Masquerade Ball 🎭 (yes, I know this is the comedy and tragedy mask 😜) with a surprise, dun dun duh. Side note: Ms. Remy’s dress for the ball is gorgeous. Also, in case you’re wondering, the parents are still m.i.a. – they return next week though. Mr. Holland, the only suitor left who has not been on the dance card (foreshadowing, perhaps?) takes time to professes his affection for Ms. Remy and his desire to have more time with her. All of the suitors take a spin around the dance floor before there comes a knock at the door and a stranger in a mask enters, which would be weird if it wasn’t a masquerade ball 😆.
So who is this handsome and incredibly cocky stranger – why it’s a new competitor (insert hard eyeroll here 🙄). I ask the producers, isn’t there enough drama without constantly adding new suitors? Come up with a new gimmick.
New suitor is Mr. Miles Nazaire, who hails from London, and states that guys girlfriends tend to fall for him and that it’s not his problem, but the boyfriend’s problem. And I already don’t like him. He an Ms. Remy dance and then he is introduced around the room. However, it seems Mr. Mumbray is already familiar with the gentleman, stating that he has a history of stealing people’s girlfriends (👆👆). My impression of Mr. Nazaire is that he just takes whatever he wants, damn everyone else 🤮.
In the meantime, Mr. Bochicchio (Mr. B for short) took the opportunity to repair his relationship with her brother. He does some damage control 😁.
The next day, we see Mr. Mumbray has found some baking supplies (cough, producers, cough) and whips up a homemade cake for Ms. Remy and her court. Of course, on the way to present it to them, he passes by the other gentlemen and most wish him luck as he makes his way to the castle.
The cake is a success, and he is asked to join them so that they can (interrogate) get to know him better. However, another knock at the door and, in the most obviously over produced scene, Mr. Nazaire interrupts with a three-tier cake (no he didn’t make it) and gifts for the court (and now my eyes have rolled out of my head an onto the floor 😒). He then proceeds to ask Ms. Remy on a date, to which she agrees, and she leaves Mr. Mumbray just sitting there 😮. So, the producers are manipulating the situation so that Mr. Mumbray looks silly for bringing a simple (but homemade 😊) cake and then have Mr. Nazaire whisk her away for a date – which could and should have been Mr. Mumbray’s date. But that’s not how it works on these shows. I will say that Ms. Remy could have declined, and I’m annoyed that it’s the second time she has left with another guy while a suitor (or suitors in the case of dinner) were there to see her. It’s so incredibly rude and I wonder how much choice she had in the matter (cough, producers, cough). And, of course, we see the other men discussing this turn of events upon Mr. Mumbray’s return to the suitor cottage.
The only other scene I would like to discuss before the farewell ball, is Mr. B sent a note asking for Ms. Remy to meet him where they first kissed. Once there he says that the reason, he doesn’t want to say he will be able to commit 100% to getting married at the end of two months is that this situation is not reality and he want to make sure they would be compatible in the real world. Hmm, where have I heard this before 🤔? Oh yeah RIGHT HERE, I SAID IT! And I commend him for realizing it as well. So, he takes the opportunity to ask about the little things that people usually ask when dating, are you a morning person, do you drink coffee, do you have your own house. Basic things that can say a lot about a person. By far the most relevant thing I’ve seen on this show.
Ok this is going long, again. FF to the ball – three suitors are called out, Mr. Holland (cough, producers, cough), Mr. Judge and Mr. Nazaire. And as much as I want Mr. Nazaire to go home, surprise they are all safe. And as the host Mr. Edwards (who I still need to see more of) says “let this be a reminder that Ms. Remy and only Ms. Remy is in control here”. He actually said that with a straight face 🤣🤣🤣.
And that is the end of ep. 7. Let’s see what ep. 8 has in store for us next week.
Final thoughts:
Best line of the night Mr. Hunter sarcastically stating “Well at least he’s not good looking (pause) f🤬🤬k he’s good looking” 😆😆😆.
If you haven’t seen the scripted show UnReal – give it a gander if you can find it. It’s a spoof on the Bachelor but is probably a somewhat accurate portrayal of what happens behind the scenes of these type of shows (minus the overly dramatic effect of course), hence my “cough, producers, cough” comments 😁.
If you click The Courtship tag at the bottom, it will pull up all of the previous Not a Recaps of this show.
Happy Monday My Lovelies! I hope you all had a great weekend! Mine was relatively productive so Yay me🍻! I had the most fun Saturday night because my friend Robb and I went to a community theater production of Clue. As it was closing night and the ad-libbing was fantastic, so it made for a great night, despite the 45-minute drive there and back 😁.
In other news – I have made some progress (after seven weeks 🙄) on my master shower. I FINALLY have an appointment to (hopefully) fix it or at least get it on the schedule to get fixed. I guess threatening to sue them (it was the fourth option I gave them) did the trick 🤪. Wish me luck ☘️.
Now, let’s have some fun with today’s post.
I have always known that I have a weird and nearly useless superpower. I think everyone does. That one thing that you are good at but only helps you most, if not all of the time. But yesterday, I realized that I have a second useless superpower, WooHoo 🥳.
My first superpower is that I can tell when something is crooked. And I’m not talking obviously crooked, I’m talking off by millimeters. Pictures, shelves, things on a swivel, anything that could possible sit unevenly, if it’s off, I can tell and I can usually adjust it (when possible) without the need for a level. Even if I’m building something, I can just look and tell it’s not straight. And when I’m working with someone on a project and tell them that, they usually have to pull out a level to prove me wrong (which I rarely am). It used to annoy my ex to no end whenever I would say “That’s not straight” and he would level check it to only find out I was right 😆. A weird but somewhat useless superpower (unless you count irritating my ex as useful 😜).
My second superpower, which only benefits me, is that I can naturally determine how long I want to nap for, and I will sleep for just about that amount of time and wake myself up automatically, give or take 10 minutes (gotta allow for falling asleep 😁). Unfortunately, it only works for short naps (up to about 45 minutes or so) unless I am completely exhausted. I tell myself “I just need to close my eyes for about thirty minutes” and voila about 30-40 minutes later I wake up – like an internal alarm of sorts. A useful skill from time to time but of no help to anyone else 😆.
And in case you’re wondering, I do not consider my ability to make computers and electronics act haywire (as I have well documented 😜) as a superpower, more like my kryptonite ☄️ 😳.
Now it’s your turn, tell me about your nearly useless superpower. Do you use it for good? Regale me with your tales in the comments. Entertain me peasants 🫰🫰 (just kidding 😁).
First let me be clear, I have come to a point in my life that I will no longer waste time reading books that are not compelling to me. There are enough books in the world that will, so why keep reading something that isn’t working for me? I will cheat read to get the answers if so compelled 😜.
So, the latest book I picked up a few days ago is by an author I have read before and enjoy (leaving out the name to protect the innocent 😁). I have read her series work and a couple of outliers and usually like her style. But this latest one 😬…
First, each chapter is written from the prospective of a different character, although later some back-to-back chapters have the same character, and I found the continuity of the story lacking.
This format also made it hard for me to connect with any of the characters. Just as you start to understand one character your off to another. And each character has things going on in their life that is alluded to but having to wait until they get another chapter or two before you might get more information is aggravating. Not that I think that all needs to be revealed at once, but the information is parsed out way to slowly (and this is after about 50 pages or so 😒).
Next, as with the character exposition, the life altering event that is described on the book jacket has yet to occur. Again, it is drawn out way too long.
So, I did what any smart reader would do and skipped to the end 😆😆😆. The last thirty pages or so gave me all the information I needed, including a (ridiculous) plot twist. And I saved myself hours of trying to follow this nonsensical outline of a book.
Sometimes you just have to cheat your way through (or is that just me 😜).
One day I may go back and give it a second try (most likely not). Or I may just stick to her series. At least I know and like those characters 😁.
Note: I know this may “offend” (well irritate) some book lovers, but I know that at least one or more people has done this with a book. Or read about the plot somewhere online. You gotta do what you gotta do 🤷♀️.
Photo by George Dolgikh @ Giftpundits.com on Pexels.com
Hey My Lovelies! I am sorry I have been off kilter a bit these past two weeks. My brain has been feeling a little more swissed cheesed than usual, so it’s been hard to hold a thought in my head lately. And the ever-changing weather (80’s one day 50’s the next) is driving me crazy 🤪. I am hopeful that as we move more into spring, I’ll start feeling like my old self again 🤞.
But despite all that, I had a good Easter, even though I’m not religious. My sister graciously hosted dinner and that meant I got to spend a few hours playing with my favorite person in the world, my nephew! He always brings me so much joy 🥰. When I arrived, he came running up to me yelling “Aunt Gar” with a big smile on his face. It was then that I decided that I want the next man I date to act the same way every time he sees me 😆(I mean, who wouldn’t?).
I then spent the next few hours being dragged around the house to “play”. We played ball, trucks, dinosaurs, board games, hide and seek and so on. I especially loved playing board games, because even though he plays by his rules i.e cheats, he cheats for both of us (the fact is he doesn’t even know he’s cheating 🤣🤣). So, although he may win most of the time, it’s always a close game and prompts a rousing rendition of “I win, you lose” for a good five minutes 😁
However, the day did take a funny turn. You see at one point, while we were in the playroom, he ran off to tell his parents something and never came back 😮! And when I went to find him it’s as if he forgot he left me there[CA1][CA2] . And then he did it again an hour or so later. I think he is leaving me there because that’s where all his toys go, ergo I am one of his toys 😆😆😆.
But in the grand scheme of life there are worse things than your nephew loving you as much as his toys. As I said before, being childless affords me the luxury of being a kid when with the young ones in my life. And for me, it is one of life’s greatest pleasures 💜.
Well, I see I’ve come to the point I might have lost you for the Courtship. And that’s ok. I generally write for myself anyway and hope that you also enjoy my ramblings 😁.
But this week was a mixed bag for sure and I question my entire reasoning for talking about this show 🤪. But I digress. I will however try to make this short and sweet (unlike the mishigas of last week 😬). So buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Captain Kim bowed out y’all! And why you ask? Let’s see if I can explain.
This week, Mr. Chapman decided to sneak into the castle and seek out Ms. Remy (who was lying in bed perfectly coifed 🙄) with her best friend. She thinks it’s cute, so she invites him to stay and have the morning tea he brought with him (cough, production sent up with him, cough). Then he proceeds to brag about his brilliant maneuvering to the other guys. And the word competition rears its ugly head again 🤮. And, again, it seems to be about winning with some of the guys, not love.
Meanwhile, Ms. Remy, in her interview, says she will do whatever feels right. I mention this because when you do “what feels right” there may be consequences for those choices (Captain Kim, perhaps?)
Next up The Society Papers announcing that a bacchanalia (yep, I totally used spell check – you try to spell it write without looking it up 😆) will take place that afternoon for all the single people 🍾, meaning her poor sister and brother are left out of the festivities. But the best friend is included – to what end I don’t know since she’s not allowed to date the suitors 🤷🏼♀️.
So, it’s a bunch of dancing, drinking and each suitor has to present an original poem, which is quite a mixed bag, but A for effort 😊. And, of course, the opportunity for one-on-one time with the heroine for some of the gentleman. No orgy though, so not a true bacchanalia.
Mr. Chapman’s antics from earlier in the day, earn him a completely private audience with Ms. Remy and an invite back to the castle for the evening (😉 😉). I’m sure they just “talked” all night (yeah, right 😜).
The next day, as the gents are all hanging out, Mr. Chapman thinks it’s a good idea to discuss his whereabouts from the previous evening (the men all live together, so of course his absence is noticed). Now he didn’t say anything actually happened, but he intimated it (idiot 🙄), which obviously doesn’t sit well with the others (particularly Capt. Kim ☹️). But Mr. Judge gets good news as he is invited to accompany Ms. Remy on a date, to paint and picnic in the countryside. And as he is a wrestling coach, well you can guess what happened 😁 (PG rated of course).
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Capt. Kim, Mr. Cones, and Mr. Hunter discuss how the previous nights events affected them. Capt. Kim is not taking the news well at all because he was betrayed in a recent relationship, so trust is hard for him and the thought that she may have had sex with another suitor just doesn’t sit well with him. The other two remind them that they have to respect that this is her journey (fair point) but Capt. Kid Kim (🤦♀️) says it’s his journey too (an equally fair point). In the end everyone has to decide what is best for them.
And now you see why Capt. Kim bowed out and the consequences of Ms. Remy’s choices. I also think that Capt. Kim really believes in the chivalry and etiquette of the time and has participated accordingly, while others have not. I can appreciate that.
But before he bows out they are off to the Farewell Ball – where Captain Kim (at his request and possibly hers), Mr. Bochicchio (almost made it without having to spell his name 🤪) and Mr. Mumbray. It is during the dance that Capt. Kim says that he can’t continue on because it is too hard for him as he knows what happened last night, shocking Ms. Remy 😳. He truly places leaving on himself, not her (i.e. he didn’t sex shame her, thankfully), but she is still upset that news of her tryst has gotten out and she excuses herself for a moment, because she knows that there is only one way (cough, producers, cough) this could have gotten out – Mr. Chapman, her partner in crime, and she is questioning who she can trust.
With The ball ends but Mr. Chapman decides he needs to confront Mr. Kim for making Ms. Remy cry (eyes rolling out of my head as I type this). He thinks Capt. Kim was trying to hurt her even though he has no idea what was said. It’s all very macho on his part. The reality is Capt. Kim knew he just couldn’t stay in this situation and that’s the essence of what he said. Now Mr. Chapman could have kept his mouth shut about the whole thing but didn’t. So, who is really to blame?
Dumbest line of the night – Mr. Chapman (to Capt. Kim) saying that he is trying to determine if he is the woman he could see marrying. As if the others aren’t ?!? Do you actually hear yourself? It’s a wonder I don’t strain my eyes with all the rolling they do during this show.
Thus, we conclude this episode with a near fist fight and an upset heroine. We’ll see if the not recapping continues next week…
Since I was delayed in getting this out, I thought I would give you some bonus content at the bottom, in the form of the suitors and their job descriptions (those crossed out have been eliminated). I dug into this data because I was curious to see how many actors or models were participating because it makes me suspect that they are in it for the wrong reasons. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, although I think some of the other careers may get a boost from being on this show 😒.
Now before I begin, I should note the names of the two suitors who joined after the elimination in ep. 3 – Mr. Judge and Dr. Hatem. Since they are still around after avoiding last week’s elimination, I thought I learn their names 😆.
On to the episode. The Daily Tea aka the Society Papers arrive with today’s activity – Archery! But before they head off, Ms. Remy and her court, who just happen to be outside (cough, production, cough) when a carriage arrives with a mystery guest. A new suitor perhaps? Of course, not it’s Ms. Remy’s brother Dom (and he is good looking, but sadly taken). After a quick catch up the parents make some lame excuse to leave (cough, production, cough) but the father asks Dom to vet Mr. Bochicchio, Dr. Hatem, and Mr. Judge And just like that the parents are gone.
Off to the archery field, where there is only one target. The suitors learn that the parents are away so of course some of them want to act like teenagers. And so do Ms. Remy, her sister and best friend. Don’t know why the parents had to go for this to happen, but whatever. They also instantly bristle at the sight of another potential suitor until they find out he’s the brother. Dr. Hatem is the only one annoyed by this turn of events – lord only knows why 🙄.
On to the archery. Each suitor will get a shot at the target in an effort to impress Dom, as he will be choosing the suitors to dine with the court that night (no solo dates this week). And of course, he will talk with them, as time allows. Quick synopsis of the actual shooting: some do well, some suck andDr. Hatem shoulder checks the brother out of his way when he misses his shot, seriously annoying Ms. Remy in the process (dude, Dom is not your competition!). Along with the suitors, the court also attempts to shoot the arrows. When Ms. Remy steps up to give it a shot, she isn’t sure what to do (I really hope this was not a fake damsel in distress, looking at you production 👀) and Mr. Judge is smart enough to step up and guide her – even though he has no idea what he’s doing 😆. But it was a brilliant move, even though Dr. Hatem thought it was a “douche” (probably because he didn’t think of it).
We see the brother talk to Dr. Judge (makes a good impression), Mr. Hunter and Mr. Holland – partially to ask about Mr. Bochicchio, who has of course made time with Ms. Remy, again during the event (smart move I have to say 🤷🏼♀️). Dom interrupts Mr. Bochicchio’s time with his sister to speak to him. Mr. Bochicchio basically tells Dom that he’s not sure he could get to the marriage stage after 2 months (in this unrealisitic setting), the same thing he expressed to the parents 🤦♀️. His hesitancy does little to endear him to Dom. Oh and Dom also talked to Dr. Hatem about his ten-year plan, which didn’t include a wife or family – OOPS.
Skipping ahead to the family dinner – those invited include Dr. Hatem, Mr. Judge, Mr. Hunter, Captain Kim and Mr. Holland. It’s all talk about family and family meals, gatherings, ect. While back at the suitors’ quarters, the uninvited men try to convince themselves they don’t have FOMO over dinner, which they totally do 🤪. Mr. Bochicchio decides that he needs to speak with Ms. Remy in an effort to open up to her (really it’s because he know he f🤬🤬🤬ed up with the brother), so he sneaks out to interrupt the family dinner 😮. You know the one that he wasn’t invited to. Tacky as hell if you ask me.
Now, not only does he interrupt the dinner, but he also does it right in the middle of Mr. Judge’s life story – a story about his not-so-great childhood/family life 😬. The brother asks him to wait until after dinner is complete, which is absolutely appropriate, but Mr. Bochicchio appeals to Ms. Remy and she acquiesces – WTF?!? So very wrong on her part and rude to her other guests! And he took her away from her meal, which is an even bigger travesty in my book 😜. Suffice it to say he gave her some sob story in an effort to stay another week.
Mr. Bochicchio is now on every suitor’s shit list (shocking right?) and he doesn’t care, as long as he got a chance to “mark his territory”. And the inevitable “I didn’t come here to make friends” comes out. I also don’t think he made a good impression on her brother with his antics and lack of etiquette either.
And again, the gross competition of these kinds of shows rears its ugly head again. That and the fact that everyone plays by a different set of rules, some more fairly than others (which I appreciate more than the stunts that Mr. Bochicchio pulls).
On to the Farewell Ball where three suitors will dance for their lives: Mr. Hunter, Mr. Judge and Dr. Hatem. Mr. Hunter’s dance/speech comes off very sexual, Mr. Judge gets an apology for allowing Mr. Bochicchio to interrupt him, and Dr. Hatem gets booted (no wife in the ten-year plan did him in 🤷🏼♀️) and I learned his name for nothing. I will say, Mr. Judge went in for the kiss at the ball this week and it was a lot less aggressive than Mr. Bochicchio’s was last week and caused Mr. B (I just can’t type his name anymore) to roll his eyes because apparently, he is the only one who’s allowed to pull that move 🙄🙄.
Well, this has gone on longer than I planned, and I skipped A LOT! I really need for Mr. B to go because I seriously can’t keep typing his name 😁.
Until Friday, when ep. 6 should be up….
Bonus Info on the suitors
Original
Alex King – Online Fitness Coach
Captain Daniel Kim – Former Millitary, currently a Motivational Speaker/Lifestyle Coach
My Lemons My Lemonade 