So if you haven’t been paying attention to social media or the news, then you might not know that the Mega Millions lottery in the United States is now over a BILLION dollars. Of course I bought a ticket or two, but I am not going crazy like some people. First of all, the odds are just too far stacked against you. 303 million to 1. Now if you follow me on Facebook then you would already know I shared my analogy. It would take 5050 Mile High stadiums full of 60,000 to make that 303 million people. I don’t know about you, but just seeing the ONE stadium full of people is overwhelming. So you get the point, yes there are lots and lots of people buying tickets, because … someone has to win, right?
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49 and Fabulous!
So this title was in reference to the Sex and the City episode where Carrie is on the cover of some New York magazine and she is “40 and Fabulous?” with a question mark. If you didn’t see the episode, she was out all night long, had zero sleep and looked like she was rode hard and put up wet to dry. Yeah, that bad. So this picture I took of myself on the airplane and due to the natural light I really liked it and decided to put it on here. I have always said that age is a state of mind, how old or young do you want me to be? I think as long as you look good and feel good, it doesn’t really matter how old or young you are. It matters how your brain acts and reacts to situations. So anyway, I will be turning 49 on Saturday and I have to say I am pretty happy with the results. If you want great looking skin then you have to take care of it. Some people take better care of their automobiles than they are with their own body. If you are new to skincare then just start with the basics and wash your face on a regular basis with a good exfoliator. 111SKIN is my favorite brand, and if you can afford it try out some of their products based on your needs. I also recommend taking a collagen supplement daily. I like Dose & Co. You can get collagen almost everywhere in a powder form. I put it in my coffee. Collagen is the glue that holds your cells together. It also helps your skin stay tight. The weird thing about skin, is it has a cellular memory. It stretches and moves and changes shape. But have you ever wondered why some people’s face is shaped one way and others are … well, less than perfect? I wonder if it comes down to the very first cell that became you, and then divided and multiplied until it was a human. Crazy thought right? What if that cell was bad from the beginning? Because mom or dad was drunk or on drugs? Malnutrition? What if …sounds impact the cell reproduction? So moms who listen to classical music when the baby is a fetus might have a higher chance in life than those who didn’t? So anyway, people ask me all the time what do I do to look so young? Good skincare products, drink tea, take collagen, stay out of the sun. I also recommend you watch some YouTube videos from Qoves Studio. It is a beauty podcaster channel. Very enlightening in my opinion. Things like high cheekbones can be attained by mewing. A defined jawline can be enhanced or surgically corrected. Having a double chin, or having it removed makes a huge difference. I found that just losing some weight can make a huge difference in your overall face shape. Watch a few videos. You’ll start mewing too.
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So my trip to Vegas was also sort of my birthday getaway.
As hot as it was in June I know it is even hotter in July. Everyone has a different experience, some better than others. Where you are in life, your financial situation and most important — your excellent credit. When you have great credit and you can afford it, the American Express Platinum Card makes your travel easier, more pleasant and a delightful experience. You get free upgrades, access to airport lounges, and when you go to fancy hotels you get food and beverage credits. So you can stay at nicer hotels and pay the same or less than some of the other hotels. AND when you use their cards, you earn points for every dollar you spend, which can be used as credits towards those hotels. It really is a win win. This past trip I stay at TWO hotels, a fun trick I learned from another YouTuber. Bellagio was amazing. I could stay a whole week there. New York was nice, but not the “real” New York feeling that I was really hoping for … big huge floor to ceiling windows … uh, not. Great to visit, but probably wouldn’t stay there again. It’s cheap so lots of people stay there. The elevators are always crowded and in my opinion, less than ideal. The rooms were super small, only 350 square feet. Don’t forget that cool roller coaster runs til midnight and you get to hear screams all night long. Not exactly ideal and there is not much for sound-proofing. So if you do stay there, make it one of those “crash and burn” situations where you don’t care and just want a bed. The occasional scream or noisy hallway doesn’t bother you. If you are military you get upgraded to the pearl level, which only gives you free parking … an $18 value at each casino owned by MGM. Since I have been to Vegas many times, I didn’t have the need or desire to walk the entire strip to see each casino. Instead I opted for a Hertz rental car and I drove to each casino. Parking was free and it was blistering hot. Last trip I spent more in Uber fees so this time I decided having your own transportation for 5 was a great idea. Also there is this whole waiting thing when you are reliant upon Uber. If you are not a pearl level member you can get the MGM branded MasterCard and then you will automatically be upgraded to pearl level. There is no annual fee, so there are ways to get around paying for parking. If you eat at the MGM hotel buffets, you can jump the line and enter through the VIP entrance. I ate at the Bellagio buffet twice. Once for breakfast and then again the next day for lunch/dinner. I love how they have such small portions so you can try a little bit of everything.
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Thor came out this past weekend, and I think that all of the Thor movies are pretty worthless high impact entertainment. I had to watch the YouTube spoilers to figure it all out. Like, why bring Jane Foster into the movie just to tell you she has cancer? It’s in the comic that way. Oh. Didn’t read the Thor comic. And “Thor” is a title, like Valkyrie. That’s why Jane is dressed like Thor. When she is Jane she has short brown hair. When she is a Thor, she has long blonde curls. Eventually it will make it to Disney+, but it you can’t wait that long, it will keep you cool in the theaters for a couple of hours.
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American Express Rewards points can be transferred easily to your SkyMiles account to be used as credits for upgrades. The Delta Reserve gives you priority boarding and free luggage. There are reasons to have both, if you have the means.
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It is nice to hear your voice
Are you one of those people who get bored easily so you try different things, like new
apps and social media connections? Yeah me too, … well kind of. I am sure you know I really am not that active on the other platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, SnapChat), but I DID sign up for a podcast account so I can talk instead of posting, writing or typing. I had a lot of friends/fans tell me that they would rather watch or listen to me as sometimes it is not so easy to read. Maybe like me, you need bifocals so reading small text can be a chore or just plain impossible.
Some of my fans have said they just love listening to my deep baritone voice. So I went back to the site, Anchor, and uploaded a new, fresh picture of me and recorded a quick daily podcast on my iPhone. The thought process behind this is if it is super easy for me to record and upload a podcast, I just might be a lot more inclined to do so. I think impromptu, go with the flow, fly by the seat of my pants is the way to go. And as you know I am going to be in Vegas this weekend, staying at the Bellagio. If any of my fans/friends happen to be around grab me for a selfie or a drink.
The “plan” is I can just whip out my iPhone and start talking/recording and then my friends/fans can just listen to me. I won’t be taking my computer so there probably won’t be any blog updates. I will be posting pictures to my Instagram, so if you follow me there you will see some fun stuff. I almost forgot, here is the link if you want to follow my podcast. I think you can use Spotify if that is your favorite podcast app. It is also available on GooglePlay, iTunes, and Amazon Music!
I always wanted to be a news anchor. So this will be me dipping my toe in the water. Shout out to Jurassic sequel whatever … very predictable, drags at parts, and lots of big scary dinos. Dr. Strange 2 just released on Disney+. Yes, I already downloaded it to my iPad and I will be watching it on the airplane. Do you like my new “work” shirt? I made it myself. I found the patch with my name on eBay and then I bought a Dickies blue shirt and super glued the patch. Originally it was going to be a Halloween costume, but I really dig it. I think I will take it with me on vacation, just for shits and giggles.
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Vegas Countdown!
June 25th I will be chilling in Vegas! I will be sure to write up a review and post a lot of fun pictures.
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The Million Roses
Have you heard about The Million Roses company? I recently saw one of their products watching “Selling Sunset” on Netflix and I was intrigued. I looked them up online and found that they cultivate and grow these beautiful roses and preserve them for up to 3 years. So wow. Now they are a little pricey, but considering their shelf life compared to fresh cut roses, it isn’t that bad. It just so happened to be my mother’s birthday so I decided a box of roses would brighten anyone’s day. If you are looking for an awesome gift, then I highly recommend you give some of these to a lucky someone.
I was not paid for an endorsement. If you sign up for their text messages you will get a 15% off (one time use) coupon/discount. Do that before you buy.
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Another Gun Shooting
So the other day on Facebook I posted about gun shootings … and how every single shooter technically is a hot tempered, hurt, rejected, suicidal individual. No shooter ever thinks they are going to get away with it free and clear. Well, not school shooters anyway. So just in case you forgot, there was a black shooting in a grocery store in New York, a school shooting at an elementary school in Texas, and now another shooting at a hospital in Oklahoma. President Biden is proposing banning assault weapons, like Canada. AND raising the gun age to 21!
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While many people feel that illegal immigrants shouldn’t be here, the reality is our economy needs them. Think of the millions of workers that legally paid into a social security fund they will never legally be entitled. So you are wondering how is it that they can get jobs? Well, that is up to the employer to “verify” their documents that they are legal. They never go anywhere, and there is no administration or department that keeps a copy of those when you get a job. Weird right? It is all up the the HR person to say, “Yep, you look good.” and then they sign their name on a piece of paper no one ever looks at again. So maybe the HR person signs it anyway or doesn’t file it all together. When times are tough and you have ZERO applicants for your business, 10 illegal workers who want to clean, cook and serve doesn’t sound so bad. Just saying, … it happens.
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Biden also wants expanded background checks. I think that is a great idea. Can they also tap into every pharmacy database to search for particular mental instability drugs that could cause a patient to snap? Hmm, now there is an idea. They are also proposing a “Red Flag” law that would help prevent future crimes. I am hypothesizing that it would entail “friends” reporting anyone they think might be a risk, such as that cray guy on Facebook who isn’t a friend but you … somehow? Would social media cooperate and provide user data?
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If you are an Amazon Prime customer, “The Boys” season 3 is coming out like, any day, so now is a good time to binge watch 1 & 2. The Kardashians is the same show, different day. But man oh man do I love Kris Jenner’s new home and I am in love with Khloe’s new home, which is right next door to her mom. Selling Sunset is my new favorite show. It has supermodel real estate agents selling million dollar mansions in West Hollywood. It actually is more like “Pretty Little Liars” after they get real jobs and get super rich. No one dies, because they are real life people, not characters. And talk about some bitchy characters. Check it out. I love it. You might like it too. Justin Hartley’s wife is in it, and also Tarek from Flip or Flop, his girlfriend is in it too, Heather Young. AND if you have Disney+ a new series Obi Wan Kenobi was just released. Looks good, can’t wait to see it. The first episode is 3 parts.
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Tesla Tiny Town
Introducing Tesla’s Tiny foldable house that is a mere 20 x 20, or 200 square feet. So, if you didn’t know, Tesla genius Elon Musk is going to take over the affordable housing market, via this little creation that goes for just $50,000 USD. While some people may think of getting one as their primary residence, there are others who would gladly buy one as a vacation home. Find a cheap piece of property in the middle of somewhere gorgeous and plant one or two down and call it paradise. Add a Trex deck, firepit and hot tub and some old fashion electric hanging lights and you have yourself an amazing retreat.
At $100k for a double stacker or side by side, you and your friends can be family. As you know I have talked about real estate and how it benefits your portfolio and your bank account. There are 100k people on the waiting list to get one of these, but give it time, and when the pandemic is really finally over, we will start to see a shift in the housing market. Remember there literally are millions of people who are overpaying for their monthly rent, and one of these is basically a car payment. A Telsa car costs more than one of these, and a Tesla car can actually pull one. CRAY! Elon Musk is a genius and I truly believe he will help change the world for a better place. I personally love his ideas and since I am now a Tesla shareholder, I hope they do great things. I only have 1 share of stock and it isn’t doing so great right now. If it goes below $500 a share I am going to buy a whole bunch more. It is currently $659.43 for one share. A couple of weeks ago it was almost a grand for one share. If you are like me, then you probably aren’t selling your stock as you plan on cashing in one day, some day, but not today.
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And it is officially Thursday which means the new episode of Startrek is on Paramount+! Yes I watched it and of course I loved it. I’ll watch it again later it was so good. Sonic Hedgehog 2 is also officially released on the app. I wanted to see it in the theater, but so glad I just waited. And if you didn’t see “The Batman” either in theater or HBOMax, you can pick it up at the Redbox like I did.
So sad yesterday with the school shooting. Children should never die or fear going to school due to bullets. Will the government ever do anything to protect schools? No. Why? Because Congress and Senate are mostly full of grandparents. When nursing homes and country clubs get shot up then maybe something “might” happen but I doubt it. So I guess let’s hear it for home-school remote learning where there are no unauthorized guns.
Russia loses again as Starbucks joins McDonalds and ends all relationships in the power hungry country. Two of the biggest players in Russia make their exit, now we just need Coke and Pepsi to do the same.
The latest death report from the New York Times:
DAILY AVG. ON MAY 25
14-DAY CHANGE
TOTAL REPORTED
Cases
110,614
+31%
83,644,909
Tests
984,857
+39%
—
Hospitalized
25,429
+28%
—
In I.C.U.s
2,713
+24%
—
Deaths
371
+13%
1,002,179
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One Million
1 million dead in the United States due to COVID
DAILY AVG. ON MAY 20
14-DAY CHANGE
TOTAL REPORTED
Cases
107,952
+53%
83,130,959
Tests
915,546
+31%
—
Hospitalized
24,077
+30%
—
In I.C.U.s
2,567
+24%
—
Deaths
301
–19%
1,000,410
So if you are wondering why so many people are still getting infected, sick and dying? Well truth be told, there are still millions of people who didn’t get the shot.
Vaccinations
AT LEAST ONE DOSE
FULLY VACCINATED
All ages
78%
66%
5 and up
83%
71%
65 and up
95%
91%
So, 9% of all seniors are still at risk and 34% or 1 in 3 of all people are refusing the shot. Well I guess live your life at your own risk. It is already short, and apparently getting shorter every day for others. May the odds be ever in your favor.
* Numbers as reported by the New York Times.
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Staffing Solutions
Everyone is having staffing issues. Lack of staff, no one applying for open positions, and the COVID workers refusing to go back to the office, opting for new lifestyles that allow them to work from home or remotely. One semi-positive note is that there are literally thousands of graduates that are entering the job market as high schools and colleges award those valuable degrees. Some will join the military, some will go to trade schools. Others will get married and start making babies, … hopefully. Although that does not solve the issue of entry-level, low-end jobs that don’t pay a lot of money. Frankly, who wants a low paying job? No one. Except maybe someone who would LOVE to have a job, any job … in America. There are still thousands if not millions of immigrants who want to come to the great USA.
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So, Biden, Congress, if you’re listening, you need to open the borders, lessen the reigns on the number allowed into the United States, and help solve many of these staffing shortages/issues. The bigger issue that is dominant everywhere, in every country is affordable housing. You can’t just let a few million people move here when they will have nowhere to live. As is stands now, there is a shortage of housing and people can’t afford their rent as it is. So what do most people do? They have roommates, they live with their parents … in their basement forever.
And here are the latest COVID number from the NT Times:
DAILY AVG. ON MAY 18
14-DAY CHANGE
TOTAL REPORTED
Cases
103,231
+57%
82,874,061
Tests
801,177
+31%
—
Hospitalized
23,223
+29%
—
In I.C.U.s
2,497
+23%
—
Deaths
304
–17%
999,607
So I guess in the next day or week, the United States will hit a million deaths. Thankfully everyone has their shots and boosters, … right?
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Who’s Your Daddy?
Imagine for a moment that “mom” can’t get pregnant. So she goes to a fertility doctor and gets a sperm donor (a medical student) and has a baby. Yay! This is a true story. You decide at some point in life to take a DNA test and accidentally find out you have a whole lot of siblings. Same dad, different mom. Oops.
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I did one already with CRI but this one is with 23 and me. There is a new Netflix show called “Our Father” and it is pretty wild. I just ordered the one through 23 and me in case I accidentally have any siblings I don’t know about. It will be interesting to compare the results and see if there are any discrepancies. It will take awhile before I have any results, but I will be sure to post them once I have them. CRI didn’t have that option as they keep their results private.