My Lemons My Lemonade

My Second Attempt at Today’s Post

How I feel today…
Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

I swear I have the best intentions somedays with my post topic and it just goes sideways. Everything I wrote was very blah and unfocused. There is something about the first line I write that either drives the piece forward or into the ground, which is the direction of my first blog attempt today 😆.

Anyway, happy October My Lovelies! I had intended to blog Friday, but I didn’t get back from my little Charleston jaunt until late Friday and I was fried from all of the driving (I’m sure you’ve all been there 😊). I was hoping to talk about the Tabitha Brown event today, but I’ve caught an ear infection and it is driving me to distraction! I haven’t had an ear infection in probably 30 years (even though I had chronic ones as a child). Unfortunately, I didn’t get to a doctor until after my trip and let me say the minor pressurization (ooh, got the spelling right on the first try – yay me!) in the car cabin was not helpful 😬.

But I survived the journey and am trying to get back on task, even though all I want to do is sleep right now 🥱. While I will go into more depth about the event when I feel better, one thing I wanted to talk a little bit about, and get your take on, is the anxiety I experienced waiting for the speaker to take the stage. It was the biggest crowd I had been in since the pandemic shut down and I was freaking out a little, which manifested as massive impatience on my part. And my poor friend bore the brunt of it (I acknowledged it and apologized to him). In all fairness though, the people were entering really late and pushed the start time back half an hour at least and we had arrived early so the extra wait time was frustrating (I’m not the most patient person either 🤷🏼‍♀️). It also didn’t help that I have pretty much been a recluse since the beginning of the pandemic aside from shopping and small events around town. This was the first time I had been around hundreds of people and that was definitely a contributing factor for sure.

So, I’m curious, how are you handling the new normal, especially when it comes to crowds? Is it challenging your comfort zone and if so, what tricks do you have for managing any anxiety as a result? I’d really like to find a better outlet than impatience to manage my anxiety. I’d like to be able to get on plane one day without getting myself kicked off 🤪.

That’s my tale for today. Tips and tricks greatly appreciated by all – sound off below!

Note: Apologies, not my best work (not my worst either 😜). I’d forgotten how irritating an ear infection can be not to mention exhausting. I promise to do better this week 😊.

Follow Up – We All Need A Break

A couple of weeks ago I shared photos of a trip to Jamaica that I took with my younger sister and her friend (sister’s b-day trip 😊) and I said I would post the picture of the professional diver when I had a chance to find them.

Well today I went looking and found them 🎉. And I want to share them with you in hopes of keeping your spirits up.

First up is the lower patron platform I posted before. That jump is about 8 feet above the water for context.

Next are locals diving from the cliff across from where I was sitting taking photos. If I had to guess how high it was, I’d say it’s about 20-25 feet above the waterline.

Lastly, we have the professional diver himself, from a platform that is 40 feet above the water. For point of reference the diving platform height for the Olympics is just shy of 33 feet (height of a 3 story building 😬). So he is a full 7 feet higher than Olympic divers for those who think “I could do that”. No, no you can’t 🤪.

Unfortunately, I was at the wrong angle to see him enter the water.

Again, if you ever head to Jamaica, Rick’s Café in Negril is a great place to see. But if you are going to “cliff” jump, be sure to bring money to ~~bribe~~ thank the lifeguards for doing their job 😁.

Watching So You Don’t Have To

Or listen to me! 😁

It’s that time of the week where we talk Mama’s Boy. I’m really doing the lord’s work here – keeping you updated so that you don’t have to watch, even though you should 😆. If you think I don’t realize that I have a strange obsession with this show, you would be wrong 🤪. (Aside: my brain is so broken I tried to spell obsession “upsession” and it took me longer than it should have to figure out my mistake 😳). Realizing my life isn’t as weird as theirs are provides me a certain amount of pleasure.

Let’s get started!!!!

Shekeb, Emily and mom Laila: Brief update, Shekeb thinks that his mom and girlfriend can work things out if he can get them to sit down and talk. To accomplish this, he arranges a spa day for the two of them, but only tells his mom about the meetup and blindsides Emily. Who thinks this is not going to go well? Anyone besides me, ✋? I was like “don’t do it Shekeb” but did he listen to me? NO! We’ll see if there is any fallout next week.

Matt, Kim, and mom Kelly: Well, the day has come to tell Kelly about Kim’s yearlong job in another state and Kelly makes it mostly about her and Matt. Kicks Kim out of the room to talk to Matt and now Matt’s questioning his support of Kim’s decision. Like we all didn’t see that one coming. He actually says he feels he can be more honest with Kim about how he feels with his mom by his side (yep I rolled my eyes so hard they fell out of the back of my head 🙄). Matt also assures Kellly that he is not going, and she makes him promise never to leave her. Called Matt an asshole again this week. Interesting note – when they were telling Kelly, Matt sat next to her and left Kim on an island by herself, at least that’s how the optics looked. Seriously Kim – RUN 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️. All the way to Houston and don’t look back.

Bryan, Tracy, and mom Jayne: Bryan and Tracy are taking what they call a family honeymoon. Bryan got his way about bringing their kids and mom on the honeymoon 🙄. Jayne is excited to try out the spa services – on their dime! Bryan tells he not to run up the bill and Tracy is biting her tongue so hard it might damage it 😜. Now mom is supposed to watch the kids while they have adult time. First, she dumps them on the parents at the pool taking over after a while. Next, while Bryan and Tracy are having sexy alone time in the hot tub at the spa (PG -rated mind you – it was a public place) Jayne enters and joins them in the hot tub! Like read the room lady 📖! And when Tracy enquires about her children, Jayne says she dropped them off at the hotel daycare, without parental consent! How Tracy didn’t lose her shit is beyond me. Let me say this – whenever I have taken care of my niece and nephews, I didn’t do anything without my sisters’ permission – ever. I take that shit seriously. Tracy is so pissed she decides to leave and get her kids. Jayne appears blissfully unaware that she has done anything wrong. Squarely on Tracy’s side in this whole matter. Quote of the night: “This is the best honeymoon I never had” – Jayne. Just no, Jayne.

Mike, Steph, and mom Liz: (I saved the best for last) Let me see if I can break all this down as quickly as possible – Mike is the asshole. Wow easier than I thought 😁. Ok, I’ll give you a little more – Mike asked Kelly not to go to LA (they live in CT) for the job she was offered, that he wanted her to stay, get married, and build a life there. To that end he bought a condo – close to his mom. And according to Steph , Liz is running the show when it comes to decisions about the condo, even though Steph lives there 🙄. So, this week starts with a fight the night before Steph’s birthday, although they have been fighting a lot over what Steph calls “petty things” (we’ve all been there). He goes to his mom’s house for the night and Steph spends the her birthday alone. She treats herself and heads out for the day, expecting a gesture from Mike when she gets home. And what did she get from him? If you guessed nothing, 🛎🛎🛎 you would be correct! No card, no flowers, not even any dinner arrangements. His argument – her birthday is 10 days after Valentine’s Day and they agreed that gift would also serve as her birthday gift. But to do nothing, even if he is mad at her, is not the way to go – especially since she just wanted some sort of small acknowledgement. He eventually apologizes. Her bigger issue now is that she doesn’t feel he is serious about her and their relationship, so he thinks the way to remedy that is to let the parents meet – something she had asked to happen in the past but isn’t so sure is such a good idea as they have been fighting constantly the last few months (and the parents know 😬). I think the real problem is she resents him for asking her to stay then puts building their life together on hold because his mom thinks they are too young to marry! This relationship is turning into a shit show and I can’t wait to see how the parents meeting is going to go, especially since Liz is not a fan of Steph’s. I am Team Steph all the way here 😁.

So that’s the latest on I Love a Mama’s Boy. More name calling (which is quite cathartic) and judgement next week.

Why Do I Have Pets Again?

Happy Monday my Lovelies! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Mine went a little left of center because pets 🤦‍♀️.

Let me start by saying, my girls Reese (dog) and Sabre (horse) are fine. However, things were a little questionable looking for Sabre on Saturday 😬.

You see, Jim, the guy I board my horse with, has started putting round bales of hay out in order to slowly transition the horses from the grass to hay before the grass is gone for the winter. Solid plan. Unless you have Sabre in your midst, who apparently prefers the hay over the grass, go figure. So much so that Jim calls me concerned because she went straight for the hay and burrowed in for a good meal. Unfortunately, by Saturday, she was acting like a horse on the verge of colic. He wanted to get the vet out to “oil her up” (if you’re a horse person you’ll understand 😆) before it became an issue. Of course I said yes, an emergency vet visit is less expensive than a hospital stay, and by Saturday night she was feeling a lot better. She was also turned out overnight in a paddock without hay as a precaution. I’m very thankful Jim is as attentive as he is 😊.

An ounce An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Benjamin Franklin

On Sunday I went for a visit so I could walk her around the paddock and get her off the hay, which is where I found her upon my arrival 🙄. As we were taking our stroll, the palomino started calling for Sabre, even though we hadn’t left the paddock and she could see her 🤣🤣🤣. I think that’s when they all decided they didn’t want to be away from my Sabre so we all took a walk together (see photo below). Horses are funny critters sometimes.

Thankfully, when I left, she had decided to return to grazing the lush grass and I haven’t heard a word since (no news is good news kind of thing).

So you see, left of center, as is everything in my life 🤷🏼‍♀️ 😆. I hope you had a less stressful weekend with your pets.

Pre-Weekend Updates

Thankfully, it’s been pretty quiet on the southern front. But there are a few updates to share 😁.

First the 🐜 situation seems to finally be under control. I haven’t seen a live one in weeks, nor have I found many little carcasses either. So, YAY ME! Of course, now that I have invoked the mere idea that they are gone, I will probably see one soon 😬. Let’s hope not 🙏🏻.

Second, I found out that the owner of the silver car that visits the pavilion – pot smoker. My neighbor was curious about the car as well so buzzed him with his drone and that’s how I found out what the deal was. I should have guessed that 🤷🏼‍♀️. And no – I don’t care.

Third, I’m getting out of my city, if only for an overnight trip 🎉. A friend and I are going to a book reading in Charleston and taking the “scenic” route, which means drop my dog off at my parents for the night near Myrtle Beach then on to Charleston. Not exactly the most direct route – but the only person I know that would be able to dog sit in Camden is the one I’m going to Charleston with 😆😆. FYI – Author: Tabitha Brown, Book: Feeding the Soul. Should be interesting and at least I get to spend time in one of my favorite cities.

Next, what have I been reading? I think the last I spoke on this subject I talked about the book Silver Tears. Since then, I have read The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix, Billy Summers by Stephen King, and Bloodless by Preston and Childs. Final Girls I enjoyed – the author has an interesting spin on some classic 80’s horror movie survivors, Billy Summers is decent once you get through the first half (“F🤬🤬king Marge”) but I will never not read Stephen King, so there’s that 😁. Bloodless – if you follow their Pendergast Series, you might want to check it out, although this one was a little more out there than most.

The last update is more of a what’s to come – Goddess help me, I’m about to sign up for my first dating app 😱. I’ll let you know, once I’ve gone through with it.

I will leave you with a little dream nugget to ponder: I am acting in a show where I play Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s mother and I ask him “When I say your mom’s name what is the first thought you have of her?” and the dream fades out. So many things wrong with that scenario and I have no point of reference for why any of that occurred 🤪.

You know the drill – thoughts, interpretations or dreams you’d like to share – put them in the comments 😊.

My Love Affair With Bravo May Be Over

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Just a little out loud (with my tongue in cheek) thinking today 😆.

I have watched reality tv on Bravo for close to 20 years. From the beginning of The OC Housewives to Project Runway, I have seen my fair share of interpersonal dynamics on these shows.

But the ending of this love affair was bound to happen. Hell, I thought it would have happened years ago. But the sociological underpinnings have kept me coming back year after year. Then 2020 came along and changed a lot in my mind in how I view these shows now. I find myself much more critical of the nonsense and hypocrisy, more so on the Housewives than the other shows. The only joy I am finding in Housewives lately is reading recaps and the comment section on various blogs to see who has the favor of the viewers that week.

Fortunately, my two favorite recap shows, Reality Checked with Amy Phillips on Sirius Xm and the podcast Watch What Crappens are my saving grace 💜. I love Amy because she tries to keep her recaps upbeat and positive, which isn’t always easy given the content sometimes. Ronnie and Ben, who do Watch What Crappens, just do hilarious takedowns of the shows and I appreciate their point of view, whether or not I agree 😆.

Nevertheless, I have some favorite Bravo shows – Project Runway and Top Chef get high marks from me, but they need to reintroduce some of the challenges from the earlier seasons, because there were some doozy’s back in the day 😁. Million Dollar Listing – real estate porn I can get behind 👀. And I’m still hanging in there with the Below Deck franchise. However, when Captain Lee goes – I’m out 🤪. Family Karma has had a decent two seasons, but if they get full of themselves like many reality stars tend to do (looking at you Housewives), I’m dipping out there too.

While my love affair isn’t completely over, Bravo’s star has dimmed quite a bit in my eyes (insert my patented, ridiculously over dramatic sigh here 🤣🤣🤣).

Note: Bravo would do well to remember “If you’re not evolving, you’re dying” -Marcus Lemonis

Lighter Fare

Just because it’s cute
Photo by Flickr on Pexels.com

The other day got a little heavier than intended, but that’s how my world is on occasion. However, today will be a lighter approach and do you know why? Because its Mama’s Boy discussion day! I am bound and determined to convince one of you to convert to my way of thinking on this show 😆😆😆.

For your sake, I’m not going to recap, not really. I thought instead I would talk about some of the couples, whose side I’m on and why. This will either be really interesting or fall flat, who knows 🤷🏼‍♀️. But we will get through this together 😁.

Shekeb, Emily and mom Leila: When the season began, I was firmly on Emily’s side – especially with having Leila apologize for calling her a pig last season 😡. Shekeb and Leila just wanted to leave the past on the past, but I’m with Emily, an apology is owed. Then last night happened and I’m more team Shekeb needs to get away from both women for a while. While looking at engagement rings, Emily had a list of wants that totaled 40K – for a ring?!? In her mind the bigger/more expensive the ring the more it means he loves her 🤢 (yes, she actually said something to that effect). Then over lunch she states that she wants to be a stay-at-home wife then mom and wants Shekeb to pay for everything. Now as a person who lived a stay-at-home wife life, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. But I also didn’t just lounge at home, as she is wont to do – I had a lot to manage. It just came off so gold diggerish, Emily lost me as an ally, even though I still think she deserves an apology from Leila.

Matt, Kim, and mom Kelly: I am firmly on Kim’s side all around. I often am yelling “what an asshole” at Matt. And let’s just say Kelly is A LOT (or as the youngsters say EXTRA 😆). Now Kim has a yearlong job opportunity in another state and Matt calls her selfish for being interested in taking it. He actually gets pissed off when she is trying to discuss it, like ADULTS should do. His issues are 1. if she takes the job it will push their wedding back (which might not be a bad idea) and 2. the garage on his parents property (like 50 feet from the main house 🙄) that’s being converted into a home for them is almost complete and it’s a slap in there face after all the money his parents spent (he might have an argument here, but it is only for a year and her plan is to return there after the year). He talks to his dad even, though she asked him not to say anything to either of his parents (at least he didn’t talk to Kelly 😮‍💨) and dad says he need to support her – YAY dad. But then the talk turns to getting on Kelly’s bad side/wronging her (that’s how they think Kelly will perceive this news 😬), dad doesn’t want to be around when they tell Kelly. Matt pays lip service to Kim about supporting her (spoiler alert – she’s not buying it, and neither am I) and says he can’t move with her, that hopefully they will figure it out.

While there are three other couples, I’ll leave two for next week and finish with Theous, Tia, and mom Carolyn. They are new this season, so I’m just getting to know them, but Theous and Tia are engaged and live together. I haven’t chosen a side, but definitely leaning towards Tia. She gets support points of taken off for allowing their dynamic to last for 10 years and probably thinks the show will help change it (say it with me now – Yeah, right!). But the fact that Theous, who is in his 40’s can’t even pay his own bills (as in he makes money, but mom actually writes out/sends the bills and balances his check book) does not bode well for this couple. Time will tell.

So that is my not a recap recap 😁. Who’s intrigued now?