SHOPPING AT THE PUSH OF A BUTTON

It's the Left-Side, dashing in for a hot minute. I just had to share this latest innovation in shopping, since, as we all know, Right-Side is a black-belt shopper.

While we both shop like fiends on Amazon, this may be making it a little too easy! I already have the feeling R-S will be wearing out that coffee pod button! Take a look:

JAY Z WANTS YOUR TWENTY DOLLARS, STREAM ON

From The Right-Side...

Call me a penny-pincher (The Left-Side finds hilarity in that idea), but I am just going to go ahead and take a HUGE pass on the Tidal wave that is coming from Jay Z and his rich and musical buddies.

My iDevices hold my iMusic. I'm good.

Rolling Stone reports that Tidal was purchased for many millions. Does the exact amount even matter?

Now, the new kids on the tidal wave (Madonna is one) want $10.00-$20.00 per month to stream music into your head and heart.

As a lifetime lover of music, I have the music in me (Kiki Dee, I bow). Music flows via our cable system, iPads, iPhones, satellite radio, and CD (yeah, but rarely these days).

I pay for music, always have, I don't have a problem with musicians making cash. They should.

So, if the artists joining J 'n Bey, get richer from this, and have control over their product, swell.

However, like joining a book club, wine club or any other such outlet, I am not one to make the most of a pre-planned-purchasing situation. I am more of a free-spirit-purchaser.

In my world, music channels come with cable (they are not that great, so we play our iTunes through our television system, a lot), Amazon Prime has free music (in the sense that we are Prime members) and I haunt and search iTunes on a very regular basis.  For $.99, I get what I want, when I want it and it stays on my iDevices (invented that term, don't tell Apple). In a pinch, LS and I can even resort to VINYL we have stashed. So, I'm good.

But, good luck with Tidal, all you multi-millionaire music moguls. Rock on.

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INTIMIDATION AND CIDER DONUTS

From The Right-Side...

Juno Beach Café, in Jupiter, Florida,  just sounds like it should be a place the Jetsons zoom into for a light snack before hitting the sand and surf in the Outer Limits.

Juno Beach Café, Cider Donuts.

However, it is a bustling haunt The Left-Side and I dive into for a hearty breakfast on random Saturdays.

It is one of many breakfast/brunch favorites, but this Saturday we discovered something new (for us). Cider donuts. The server professed them to be light and airy (I think she threw a little shade at other nameless donut establishments, maybe), and made by a local dough-person.

The LS ordered them right away, to nibble on, pre-entrée arrival.

The mini-rounds of dough arrived in an assortment of flavors (plain, chocolate and red velvet). Turns out they were, indeed, light and airy. Maybe a tad too airy. Maybe we are used to those wicked heavy donuts she referenced in her cider donut pitch.The chocolate dipping sauce saved the day, in my opinion.

This, near-the-beach, place is open for breakfast and lunch, and we are  REALLY looking forward to the end of  'Season' in So-Flo (one more month, approximately), so we can have it to ourselves...well, almost.

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Eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner is fun, but so is cooking and having an evening in.

Publix, Palm Beach. This couple KNOWS they want wine!

So, let's talk specialty buying, shall we?

Being a super-seasoned shopper, I let little intimidate me in that realm. Very. Little.

Hell, it takes a lot to intimidate me. I mean we are all just people, right?

But, am I the only one to get anxious (okay, that could be a little dramatic) while in line at specialty outlets like DD's Cupcakes in Jupiter, Joseph's Grocery or Carmine's Grocery in Palm Beach Gardens?

Yeah, I think everyone behind me, and in the entire damn store, already knows exactly what they want while I have to stand and stare into glass cases just to see what my options are on a given day. Fish, delicate pastries, cupcakes, cheese, fine meats...all take time to select, right?

I mean even the Deli at Publix (a grocery store with bad spelling skills) can make me order stuff I did not even want, just because there is a line behind me and I feel pressured to hurry.

Well, the truth of the matter is, I figure if the shoppers behind me don't like me taking my time they can take a hike. However, these days...they are more likely to tell ME to take a hike and help me to the path leading to the nearest cliff!

Gotta dash...

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OH, FRIZZ, FACEBOOK CAN NOT TELL ME JACK

From The Right-Side...

Here we go again.

The TOP DOGS (I picture them looking like this doggy placemat) at FB are jumping into our lives, uninvited, via a new feature called, On This Day.

On this day, this placemat failed me.

Let me preface this by saying that on THIS particular day, I failed and FB knows nothing about it.

All I had to do was grab a doggy placemat for the chow and beverage dish (for the mutt).

The placemat I selected is super cute and whimsical. Whimsical and I just never mesh, so it all adds up to an epic FAIL...as you can probably see. Mat...dish...imperfect fit. I probably should have known a dog-face shaped placemat with no eyes was not going to turn out well for me.

There is something not right about this.

But, back to Zucky's nerds and their little OTD plot. Seems they plan to rummage through our crap, decide what they think is worthy and pop it into a page for us, and only us, to see (uh-huh).

WHY?

Seems kind of stalker-ish and creepy to me. Plus, if I want to know what I did a few years ago on this day, I will shift through my photos all by my little self.  Besides, I already know my hair was an enormous frizzy, cottonball of humidity on this, that and every other day.

Let Zuck's kiddie pool dig into their own bad hair day photos and post those beauty shots! At least I have a reason for my locks of frizz, I live in South Florida. What's Zucky's excuse?

Gotta dash...

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DOWNTON IS DITCHING, EARLY MAGGIE IS DIVINE

From The Right-Side...

Oh, dash (in the British sense of the word), it is official from the Abbey.

The fancy doors are slamming shut on Downton Abbey after this season. No more Anna and Bates taking turns being jailbirds! No more Lady Edith getting the short end of the royal stick. No more Mary!

The truth of it, for me, they have no place to go after Carson and Mrs. Hughes get hitched. They are the true bad-ass bitches of that manor, and once they share the marriage bed...my eyes can't take it!

Dame Maggie, the Dowager Countess, MADE this show. Dismiss all those young-snips, Lady Violet's acid tongue was chilling and riveting.

But, forget the dignified Lady Grantham for a few minutes, and cast your eyes on Mags all dolled-up in a sequined jumpsuit on the Carol Burnett Show.

Yeah, she's a true DAME, in every sense of the word!

Gotta dash...

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A 12,400-MILE ROAD TRIP

From the Rig ...er, Left-Side:

Hey, hey. While Right-Side is away, LS will play.

This news item got my attention today:

Russia is considering plans for a 12,400-mile superhighway from London to Alaska

Wow -- talk about a road trip!

The article in Business Insider describes it:

"The proposal, outlined in the Siberian Times, would see the road follow a similar route to the Trans-Siberian railway, through cities including Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk and Vladivostok. A new high-speed train line would also be constructed, along with pipelines for gas and oil."

Since Right-Side and I are avid train travelers (we once took an almost-9,000-mile journey aboard Amtrak), how amazing would it be to go from London to Alaska on a train?

And since it's Russia, I bet you could order some amazing vodka cocktails along the way. Put us on the waiting list! While we're waiting, here's a video about the journey:

Gotta dash before LS gets back ...



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CATSTACAM, AND BREAKING FLORIDA

From The Right-Side...

Although I do all the social media nonsense...Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Ello, I really only utilize Mark Zucks creation with regularity. I tried to like Pinterest, but WHO has time for all that?

But, when the Left-Side spied the latest social media jazz, well, Instagram moved right to the front of the line. Kinda.

Catstacam Turns Your Cat Into an Instagram Photog

Click the link above for more, but it  seems Whiskas got tired of just making kitty-kat (yes, I know) cuisine and is developing a camera-collar so you can spy on your feline's zippy life when you are hanging at the dog park with, Fido, your most favorite pet. You can't kid a kat!

A cat-camera-collar is coming!

In a nutshell...camera-collar goes on cat. Cat prowls around town (or your sofa), photos are snapped and when the kitty nears a Wi-Fi connection...CLICK...posted to your cat's Instagram account. We all know every cat has their own social media account.

In all honesty, the prototype photos I have seen are more boring than my own Instagram account, I did not think that was possible.

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From the Left-Side: The Cat-Cam. Let's think about that for a minute. So your cat is walking around your place with this 24/7 camera that automatically snaps pictures and sends them to InstaGram. All I can say for you cat owners is make sure you check for cats before you step out of the shower of you may be the next Internet sensation.

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There is some lame-ass movement to split Florida into two states.

Now, I'm not saying this has no merit. No, it is lame-ass because the state should be divided into FOUR states. If you are going to slice sand, do it right!

Just slice up Florida!

Having lived on both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, I can vouch for the fact that this little gun-shaped peninsula is all over the map (pun stays) when it comes to differences. I mean we are talking night and day in all possible ways. Vastly different.

The Panhandle doesn't even belong in the state.

My proposal for making things right, state-wise, in Florida...

Give the Panhandle back to the rightful owner, Alabama. They need that extra coastline.  Maybe baking in more sunshine will help their brains, because they need all the help they can get these days.

New states now become; North Gulf Florida, South Gulf Florida, North Atlantic Florida and South Atlantic Florida.

The Keys become like the Virgin Islands or something. Free-Range territories or whatever. Do they really even count?

Gotta dash...

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LS: Actually, the Keys already consider themselves a separate country -- the Conch Republic, established in 1982. Read about it here. Or just watch the video:

TRADER JOE'S CHEAP WINE IS NOT OUR COCKTAIL

From The Right-Side...

Well, it was bound to happen. Rain crashing down all over the Trader Joe's parade of good stuff. First a walnut recall, now wine has been targeted in a California lawsuit. I would say it is a plot by places like Wal-Mart (my loathing of that place has no bounds), but poison is poison and has no place in wine, at any price, if the allegations hold up.

The Left-Side and I are huge fans of Trader Joe's, but we typically partake in their food items. No nuts, and very few bottles of their wine, thank you.

Not that we are opposed to cheap, sweet nectar, sealed securely under a cheap cork or screw-cap.

But, wine is usually something we pull from the cheap shelves of Total Wine. Finding great buys (sometimes swill) is our version of a fabulous treasure hunt.

However, this current dust-up over potentially harmful substances being crushed  into adult grape beverages, and passed out as cheap-fun wine, gives me pause.

First, this is one excellent reason to ALWAYS have champagne with your meals. It is ALWAYS the perfect wine choice (check with Food and Wine hacks if you doubt this factoid), for any meal or occasion. Personally, sipping Veuve Clicquot is my version of paradise, but other bubbles also find their way into my flute.

Second, just say it with vodka. I mean with a vodka-infused martini, one never has to worry about poison. Well, some vodka could be considered poison, but you Clash 'n Dashers know the good stuff from the rot!

Martini shaking is simply fabulous, even if you go old-school and use gin (we don't).  Nick and Nora Charles may be fictional, but this video montage of cocktails contains not a single glass of wine.

Whether this is a major plot to get wine-sippers to unleash some major cash, or a real threat all corked up...who knows.

We will continue to shop at TJ's,  make classic cocktails and watch classic films. It's classic.

Gotta dash... 

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Left-Side, checking in. It's definitely shaken, not stirred, around our pad in the classic Nick Charles fashion. On the rocks or off, Right-Side bravely samples the latest creation from the mad mixologist of North Palm Beach, otherwise known as yours truly. As Tyler Fitzgerald (Jim Backus) says in "Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World": "It's the only way to fly."

SPOTIMAP TAKES US ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH MUSIC

From The Right-Side...

I've got the music in me, and now we can all have music from around the world without leaving home.

Thank you, Spotimap.

This fun adventure is super easy, you just go to Spotimap and click on a city, anywhere in the world. You are given a selection of songs, you pick one and you are there...in spirit.

Clicking on the South Florida area, the closest I can get to my actual city is Miami, but who that is just splitting vinyl.

Selecting, Moon Over Miami, I discovered this great song, by Mr. Ray Charles (here via YouTube, not Spotimap).

Oh, you do need to upload the Spotify app, if you don't already have it, so it takes a few extra seconds. No big deal.

Listening to music is my thing. All sorts of music grace my world.
The music channels on cable, Amazon music, satellite radio in my car and my iTunes on my phone and iPad are always blasting away.

All genres of music fill my heart will Glee (although that show certainly did not after the first season).

Connecting my iPad to the television so I can listen to my  Playlist on fabulous speakers brings joy to my soul and dancing to my feet.

Now, I can feel myself floating (virtually) all over the globe, via the music offered up on Spotimap!

What a great way to welcome the first day of Spring!

Now, I just have to decide what cities I want to visit, musically speaking. In the meantime, listen to Mr. Charles sing, Moon Over Miami, it is beautiful.

 

Happy First Day of Spring, Clash 'n Dashers!

 

Go get on the Spotimap and find your city.

 

Gotta dash...

 

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BACKSEAT DRIVING IS A GOOD THING

From The Right-Side...

The Left-Side can (and will, happily) vouch for the fact that I am a notorious backseat driver (why call it that when I am RIGHT there beside him?).

Even more notorious is the stretch of I95 in South Florida (they don't call it Die-95 for nothing).  This strip of blacktop (or whatever it is) lines the Eastern seaboard from North to South, and is jammed with road-raging maniacs, 24-7. Throw in rain, and it is a nightmare of epic proportions.

But, Norway takes things to an entirely crazy level.

I imagine that Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway, is 8.3 kilometers (I can't be bothered to figure that in miles) of potential backseat driving nightmares.

Opened in 1989, it is a white-knuckle steering marvel, and Norway's ninth-most-visited natural tourist attraction.

Attraction?

I look at the video and imagine couples inside vehicles. One behind the wheel, one giving expert instructions on the proper way it should be done.

The sight of the majestic and raging Atlantic crashing over, around and under this engineering masterpiece makes me cringe. I cringe and bow to the brave souls maneuvering all the twists and turns.

I will never look at I95 the same. It is just so tame, in comparison.

I will continue to be a dedicated side-by-side driver! It is an unwritten law in this country, Norway...who knows?

Gotta dash...

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CAPONE MYSTIQUE FOR A PRICE, MANSION FOR RENT

From The Right-Side...

Tax season is creeping up, and I can not think of a more mundane topic. Well, it is on my top ten list of mundane topics.

Al Capone ended it in style.

But, in keeping with the tax theme, let's think about Al Capone's mansion in Palm Island, Florida, which is open for viewing today.

Al knew how taxes should be handled (yes, he went to prison, but BEFORE that, he spent the cash on excitement instead of forking it over to the Feds). He paid the price for his crimes in more ways than prison, but that is for another blog, or not.

According to many sources, some of his cash snagged him that So-Flo mansion of the day (we are talking Prohibition era, and what was THAT nonsense all about?), where he lived and died after his stint at his other home, Alcatraz.

Naturally, the domicile has been restored, so there goes all the charm, in my book. Just one more cookie-cutter mansion, with all the luster, charm and mystery completely gutted and tossed to the curb. Keeping these gems in shape is one thing, stripping them of anything relating to their time of construction is criminal.

It bothers me that everything has to be 'totally updated' in every damned residence purchased. People (including me) need to STOP watching HGTV (I do love those Scott brothers). Leaving some of the historic touches is a good thing!

Not the Capone bathroom, but nice.

Apparently, not all is lost in the Capone digs as one bathroom seems to have retained its Art Deco (my FAVORITE style) flare. 

The one time (and final) home of that famous tax-evader is available to one and all. Temporarily, of course, and for a taxable fee-unless you have 501 (c) 3 status (which I really should have).

Gotta dash...

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LEFT-SIDE here. Hey, hey, readers! While we are on the topic of Al Capone, maybe you remember the famous Geraldo Rivera special, "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault."? Almost two hours of hoopla, hype and fanfare before the darmatic opening of the vault. Inside was ... 

BROWN-EYED GIRL, OR GUY, CAN NOW GO BLUE

From The Right-Side...

Once it was just a sappy country (NOT a fan) music song by Loretta Lynn's sister. No longer!

Blue-eyed girl. Let nature be natural.

Got $5,600.00 and want to forever change your brown eyes to blue without the bother of contact lenses?

Dr. Gregg Homer with Stroma Medical is your guy, and it only takes 20 seconds to lift that brown and expose the blue hiding underneath. Digital Trends and others have all the scoop.

Twenty seconds and a quick zip on down to Mexico or Costa Rica for those baby-blues! The U.S. is looking at this procedure through all their eye colors before approving peeling away layers of eye pigments.

This change does not happen like flipping a switch. You also have to wait several weeks for the blue to shine through. The dead pigment takes its sweet time to wash away (the body does it for you, so don't worry about that detail).

Who knew we ALL had blue eyes right underneath that layer of brown or whatever?

My parents took care of this for me, so I can take a pass on the pigment lift. The Left-Side has gorgeous hazel eyes, and they shall remain as originally designed.

Officially, they are brown, but those dizzy medical people didn't look closely enough at birth and just slapped brown and sent him packing.

People should be happy in their skin, and eyeballs, and stop messing with Mother Nature!! She's a badass, if you haven't heard.

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She is of British origin, so this is a stretch.

St. Patrick's Day has dawned, and our mutt is totally getting into the spirit of it. Either that or she is plotting her escape by hopping on a boat the next time we take her for a walk by the North Palm Beach Marina.

 Gotta dash...

THE GOOD AND JEALOUS WIFE

From The Right-Side...

Regular television programming is as mundane as this Monday. However, The Left-Side and I did bother watching, The Good Wife (on streaming only), and found it entertaining enough. Note the past-tense.

Christine Baranski and Archie Panjabi have given, what could have been a draggy-piddling-snoozefest of a soap opera, life. The screen sizzles when they appear (for completely different reasons), and I was an official fan. Again, past-tense.

Not one to gossip (ahem), I have heard that Julianna Margulies is not an official fan of Kalinda (Archie P.). Not official, just according to gossip sites...I may, or may not, read with regularity. Who knows?

What is official is the departure of the fascinating character, Kalinda. Bad move!

In the game of Fact or Crap (yes, we have played it many times), would that Margulies gossip tidbit be the first or second? Only The Good (or jealous) Wife knows, but Ms. Margulies should know her little lawyer show needs Archie/Kalinda. A lot!

The case is closed for me, as I have not been interested enough to tune in this season. But, Christine B. better stick around, because without her...the jury says...this show is guilty of boring the audience within an inch of watching ANY other show.

Even the presence of  Mr. Big (Chris Noth) can not keep the wife interesting!

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Faith and Begorra, Clash 'n Dashers!

St. Patrick's Day is tomorrow and I bought a load of green party stuff and say, Faith and Begorra to all you Clash 'n Dashers!

Gotta dash...

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JUPITER DONUTS BECOME CUPCAKES

From The Right-Side...

Jupiter Donut Factory (in Jupiter, Florida) is ALL the rage. So, on a random morning, The Left-Side and I dropped the mutt at a place called, Groomie's (for guess what?), and headed off for a donut adventure.

Cupcakes, So-Flo style, at DD's in Jupiter.

I am not going to kid you, I was all for making an early morning dash to the joint, but TLS was all about ambling here and there around the Palm Beaches.

Long story short (and I can make it short when I want), by the time we got to the donut dive it was...wait for it...sold out, hence closed!

Grinning and bearing it (with a little eye-rolling in the general direction of TLS), we hopped on over to the other corner and grabbed cupcakes at the fabulous, DD's.

Again, TLS just had to be different and order a box of mini-cupcakes.

MINI?

Mini-cupcakes from DD's.

The words mini and cupcake intertwined should be shot into orbit like a buttercream frosting made with margarine.

Being the rational one of our twosome, I ordered four regular cupcakes and left him to his mini nonsense.

DD's is a third generation operation and owner Diana Morgan keeps her confections all natural (meaning guilt-free in my world).

Cupcakes the way they were meant to be. Large!

In the end, we will hit the donut factory earlier next time. But, we didn't really need no stinkin' donuts when large and small cupcakes were sitting right there at DD's.

Gotta dash...

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Now hold on one butter-frosting minute, Ms. Right-Side. It just so happens ordering MINI-cupcakes makes a lot of sense. I can get eight for the same price as four, and get to try lots of new flavors. Plus the size is just about right for a tasty dessert. 

Wonder if they sell donut holes at Jupiter Donut?? -- LEFT-SIDE.

POWDERED ALCOHOL MAY SHAKE IT UP

From The Right-Side...

Having a sassy cocktail from alcohol powder in a pouch just sounds super classy (insert large dose of sarcasm). Mostly, you add water to a packet of frozen booze and get the party started.

Not Palcohol.

Indeed, Palcohol (what a groovy name) has made the scene. Kinda.

Frozen vodka, and other liquor-based concoctions, has been given the approval nod by the Feds. But wait...some states (Colorado being one) are throwing a giant NO on the potential party packages.

Too much potential for abuse they grumble (from a state with legal weed, please), too easy for minors to get their grubby hands on (like they don't already?), idiots could snort it, blah, blah, blah.

The little company that can make it happen, hopes to make Palcohol available this summer. Just in time for school vacations to kick into gear. How convenient for the minors (parents gotta parent).

As a lover of a truly classic/classy cocktail (in a shaker, the whole shebang), I will just have to see how this all shakes out.

Gotta dash...

IF THE ELEVATOR PHONE RINGS

No, do not attempt to adjust your page. This really is the LEFT-SIDE, starting things off for a change. So here's the deal:

I'm getting on the company elevator and there's a woman standing there talking on the elevator's phone -- the one we hope works if we ever need help. That one.

I ask if there's a problem with the elevator.

No, she said. It rang and so she answered it. It was a telemarketing call about car insurance. To an elevator, no less.

Note to upper management: Be sure and place the elevator's phone number on the "Do Not Call" list.

We now return control of the blog to the Right-Side. Until the next time we visit the Outer Limits.

BLURRED LINES, GOT TO GIVE IT UP FOR THE RUNWAY

From The Right-Side...

Renting glamor is not new. Guys have done it for years (that one time a nerd needs a tux).

But for girls? Maybe.

Wearer-owned dress.

A few years back I was tempted, for a hot minute, to sell a few of my best handbags to a place called; Beg, Borrow or Steal.

I sent them photos and they sent me the amount of spare change they would pay (no, they were pretty fair). Easy.

Needless to say, those bags are still hanging in my closet or under my bed. The cash would have been nice, but so are the bags.

But, renting a designer bag is so yesterday. Now, it is all about renting glam everything...dresses, jewelry, the works.

Rented baubles and beads are offered on several sites, but Rent the Runway caught my eye.

Two chicks from Harvard Biz School decided women should not have to beg for a loan from a shady guy on the street corner to strut their stuff in designer clothes.  These days it is more like beg Mom and Dad for extra allowance.

The Left-Side would probably step on this renting-your-garb bus, but I am just going to have to take a bus pass to every favorite retailer and make purchases. Bring on the overpriced duds!

But, if it is your bag...there is no begging or loan-sharking required when one can rent-to-wear and return to the Runway style pros. Imagine how organized a closet could be if the clothes were tagged temporary!

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From the Left-Side: Everything I know about fashion, the Right-Side taught me. You know what they say about men preparing for big events like weddings: Make sure the socks match. But there are definite "don't let this happen to you"...let's roll the tape:




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Speaking of spare change, the estate of Marvin Gaye is a little bit heavier in the pocket today. That seven million they won off of Pharrell and Robin Thicke, probably means they won't be renting their celebration attire.

Personally, I have both songs in my playlist and that makes me...Happy (yeah, had to go there).

Gotta dash...

CLASH 'N DASH YOUR PLATED GOURMET MEAL AT HOME

From The Other-Side..
 ....of Florida's coast!

Guest Post By: Tina Owen Gurskey


Tina Owen Gurskey

I could easily be referring to my "RIGHT SIDE" friends blog of the same name, but wait...these two words also characterize the Chef designed recipes, I recently discovered on a website, simply entitled "PLATED".

Recipes, for each particular meal, arrives in a clearly marked bag, containing everything needed for one of your pre selected recipes. Feeling adventuresome??? Let the company surprise you, based on your preferences, and each week will be something, new, tasty, and amazingly different, that promises to whet your appetite, simply reading the name of the dish.

Your task, once your delivery arrives at your door, is simply to select one to prepare that day, "CLASH" all the ingredients together, per the detailed instructions provided and in a "DASH", you will be sitting down to a chef inspired, fresh, tasty and delectable dish that evening.

Plated!

Each morning this past week, because I couldn't wait to see if the next meal could possibly surpass the last, I poured a cup coffee and began preparing the days dinner. The aroma of the selective spices, emanated the air and was reminiscent of having traveled to the Far East, Thailand perhaps, the next day, I found myself in Greece...

Well rounded, healthy meals, using fresh ingredients. I have a newfound love of cooking. The only way this experience could be heightened, is if each recipe was accompanied by a musical selection, reminiscent of that region.

Two huge portions await you, with unsurpassed creativity that makes a lovely presentation and best of all... no shopping required!

If I've piqued your curiosity...Sign up using the link below and we both get rewarded with two free meals!

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN KHAO SOI DINNER!
https://www.plated.com/invites/fe6af3

CINDERELLA FROM DOWNTOWN ABBEY, NUDE IN CALL GIRL

From The Right-Side...

Cinderella, as portrayed by Lily James, has a tiny waist that has everyone up in arms. Controversy!

Lily James shows skin in Call Girl.

It is all fantasy, people!

Cinderella is not a real person, so move on.

Much more interesting to me?

The time Cinderella (Rose from Downton Abbey) played Poppy in Season Four of, Secret Diary of a Call Girl. No, she was not a call girl, she just lived with one.

You heard me.

Cinderella's pretend mom was a Madame (the Showtime hit was based on a real London call girl), and Lily (as Poppy) even has a nude-ish scene.

Now, that is much more fascinating than a tiny waist. Why aren't all the soccer moms talking about THAT?

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A friend (no names, to protect the innocent from my blog shenanigans) recently posted a photo on Facebook about getting her dog a Puppucino type thing from her local Starbucks.

Starbucks for your mutt!

Research found me to be way behind the times (not shocking) as this is not particularly new.

Whipped cream for your mutt in a Starbucks cup is what it amounts to.

I just happen to have a gift card for the place, so my hound and I will sit and sip together.

However, I may give her my coffee and I'll have the Puppucino, thank you very much.

Gotta dash...

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FLARED JEANS ARE UGLY AND KEURIG DUDE IS WHINY

From The Right-Side...

Did you hear that ugly-ass flared jeans are swirling all over the fashion runways?

Get your flare on.

Go to your closet today and pull every pair of skinny jeans into a stylish garbage bag and put it to the curb (trash chute, whatever). They are OVER.



Skinny jeans get to stay in my closet.

Don't even think about wearing skinny one day and flared the next. You must CHOOSE and it had better be flared if you have any sense of style. 

We must not let Anna Wintour down.

Letting flared and skinny share closet space is NOT allowed. There is only room for one!

Anna, here's looking at you...while wearing my skinny jeans. I never claimed to be stylish.

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The year...2007.

A new kitchen appliance catches my eye...Keurig (hot beverage maker).

Sorry about the recycling, but Keurig stays.

Before I uttered the words, HOT JAVA, I tossed one into my cart at Bed, Bath & Beyond, along with every variety of pods they offered.

The Left-Side drinks tea (iced),  so the pods were perfect and  my Tassimo maker made the scene at Goodwill with all possible dispatch.

The year...2015...six Keurigs later...the maker of  Keurig has gone public with a bunch of whining. He moans a load of regret that he invented the thing. The pods can not be recycled, and he is bummed for what he has done to the planet.

Please.

He is bummed that he only got paid $50,000 when he sold his marvelous invention.

Dude, cry into a kitchen towel, invent new pods that can be recycled, use your own coffee in the reusable Keurig pod, or move on!

Gotta dash...

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MARIGOLD HOTEL, DOGS AND TATTOOS

From The Right-Side...

Sequels should never happen, in life or on the big-screen.

Maggie Smith looks like I feel about sequels.

In life, one should never attempt to recreate a great party, trip, relationship or dinner. Ever.

Hollywood will never get it. They recreate because they seem too lazy to create.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was an excellent movie, with a wonderfully talented cast. Hardly a flaw, and they wrapped it up quite nicely. Bravo.

Tomorrow brings the SECOND blah, blah, Hotel.

Nope and no thank you. As much as I love Maggie Smith and the Marigold gang, I take a pass on all the exotic shenanigans.

One of the best sequels to me, a classic movie buff, was After The Thin Man. As a matter of fact it was a tiny bit better than The Thin Man.

Sorry Dame Maggie, I won't be checking into the theater to see who is checking into the Marigold reboot.

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Pets are our exotic (using term loosely) best friends, right?


Her face speaks volumes.

Loyal and true, right?

Of course.

Well, when The Left-Side, ever thoughtful, shared the story of some lame woman getting a tattoo, while holding the paw of her canine, I laughed. A lot.

She needed support, people. From her dog.

That poor mutt (using the term with affection) should have been at the dog park or home watching Animal Planet while having snacks.

If you need a dog with you to get a tattoo, perhaps you are not emotionally prepared for all that permanent ink.

Curious if my own hound would sit patiently while I got a skull-and-crossbones chiseled into my kneecap, I snapped this photo, which I believe speaks volumes.

I can almost hear the words, spoken with love..."Keep moving, bitch, I'm trying to nap!"

Gotta dash...

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SURVEY SAYS, HAVE A DRESSY COCKTAIL

From The Right-Side...

Following random sites on Facebook is one of (many) guilty pleasures.

Just a regular Friday night at our home!

So, when I saw a post from, HUFF POST, this morning, I groaned.

Bitch Stole My Dressy Cocktail Party Thunder!

They offered up 9 reasons to have a home cocktail party, when we all KNOW we only need 1.

For years (but, who's counting) I have pulled sparkly things from the depths of my closet, shrugged into them and twirled (you heard me) toward martini glasses filled with fabulous concoctions shaken (never stirred) up by the Left-Side. All of this inside our own domicile. Although I wear sparkly things out, too.

Ask my family.

Ask anyone who really knows me.

Dress UP, people, at home or to go out. For the love of sequins!

So, take THAT, Huffy...you are late to the home-style cocktail party!

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Left-Side says ... a martini is a great reason to dust off the Tux and put on the Ritz. I can't let R-S corner the market on cocktail party glam, although as we all know, she is glam all the time.

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Survey says that I am always being asked to do a survey.

Survey says, I hate surveys.

Shopping is my hobby, and on every receipt (of which there are many) the clerk will dramatically circle a magic number and say..."Take this survey, you could win."

When I have a weak moment (hardly ever), I will do one.

But, shops are not alone in this nonsense, and The Left-Side can vouch for that fact.

He and I are known to sashay into various cities and hotels with regularity and upon returning home...SURVEY!

As a BUSY blogger and cynic of the universe, I KNOW damn well we will NEVER win one crummy thing.

But, the LS being a crafty sort, continues to tempt me with the possibility that we COULD. So, with the slight-of-hand of an illusionist, he swiftly slides this pointless junk mail from his inbox into my over-stuffed (with more junk mail) inbox.

I caved this week and did one about a recent stay at Hyatt Place. Let me reiterate...I did the survey.

What did Hyatt Place do?

They sent a fabulous thank you to the LEFT SIDE.

Gotta dash...

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What can I say? Guilty as charged. But honestly, I think we are reaching survey fatigue. They pop up on every receipt, they hound you on the phone and flood your email. Everybody is suddenly customer service conscious and wants to prove every customer is number one in their book. All well and good, but don't tell me, show me. And yes, R-S, I know the odds are astronomical and then some that one of surveys you filled out would actually win, but have faith --it could happen. 

Now I gotta dash and buy that lottery ticket R-S asked me to get.

-- Left-Side

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KENNEDY SPAWN USES GOV AS THREAT AND WANTS TO BE GOOGLED

From The Right-Side...

Another K-Kid is on the loose and behaving like an entitled brat (it's not even one of the Kardash-iziz this time).

Kennedy-Kid, Google this!

This outburst was from a Kennedy-Spawn, and there must be thousands of those, so the first name is irrelevant. It's a she. She is nineteen.

RFK, Jr.'s kid, according to Page Six, threw a kiddy-tantrum because a NY club security staff failed her! Damn him for not letting her use her sister's (whose name is, Kick, for the love of ridiculous) passport to get into the over 21 area of a club.

She hurled threats like, "Google me." "I'm a Kennedy." "The Governor will be calling." You get it, but evidently the security type didn't have internet access on him at the moment.

More like the guard had zero googles to give, because he braved those insults, kept the Passport and blocked her ass from the entrance.

I suggest the Kennedy-Kid should Google, Miss Manners!

I suggest the security guard get booked on every talk show so we can all give him a huge round of applause!

Get the Governor on the phone, he can arrange all of that.

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Kennedy's aren't the only needing a manners check-up.

A response I received via a business email.

Casual is as casual does, right?

In So-Flo where we set sail (on land) every day, it is all casual-all the time!

Even though texting and email have broken down some of the more formal biz rules, some things should remain solidly all business.

This week I sent a professionally written (in my opinion) email requesting a person correct a situation. Not a big deal, but it was wrong. She had made a mistake. She had been sending messages to the Left-Side when he had nothing to do with the project in question.

My response from this business type?

"You got it."

No greeting, no close...just those three words.

Guess I should be grateful she didn't say. "No problem, for correcting my mistake."

Gotta dash...(see, a close)

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