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.

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.

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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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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

What If?

If abortions become illegal, under any circumstance, … then in 18ish years we can expect that the low-end hourly workers will return. Right? Because in theory, the last 20+ years or so, women have been aborting those babies, who never make it to the adoption or foster care system. Science and technology made it possible to women no longer have to breastfeed, so they use formula. Well now that there is shortage, the babies that did make it, won’t because they will die of malnutrition. Sorry ladies – that you didn’t want your nipples sore, so you took a pill to dry up your milk. It really makes me wonder if those women who decided to abort their mistake … if they will have consequences in the after life? Personally I think if you don’t want to have a baby, don’t put a penis in your vagina. I also know that if a woman is raped, that she can immediately have any traces removed within the rape inspection done with the nurse. Texas made it quite clear that there was a lot of unprotected sex going on that women all of the sudden had to admit.

The world is producing less babies. There are more people who are living longer that they are supposed to due to science, technology and medicine. Think about the millions of people who are alive because of a pacemaker. Exactly, and they are just a fraction of the people who faced death and survived.

And did you see Dr. Strange 2? Wow, that should really be WandaVision 2.0 on steroids. No question now who is the strongest Avenger! I really liked that they introduced some new/old characters as cameos into the MCU. Isn’t it weird how you can buy crypto and not have to buy a whole coin/share? Like you can own .0000215 of one bitcoin. Bad week for Bitcoin as it dropped millions of portfolios. I think it was down to like, $28k, and it WAS trading at $48k the week before. Wow. No I didn’t buy any shares, I don’t have an extra $28k to buy an invisible magic money coin. But there are thousands that are selling their partial coin ownership.

Frontier Airlines NOT Aaron Approved

Frontier Airlines cancelled my Vegas flights and put me on the red eye with wrong dates. WTF? No explanation or even an apology.

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I cancelled and booked Delta — first class, for free. How did I book it free? Miles baby. I have over 100 thousand use, via the American Express Delta Reserve card.

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Frontier doesn’t have airport lounges, free baggage, or even first class. Now they no longer have my business or endorsement.

Look 10+ Years Younger

Hey guys – welcome back to my site/page! So you are probably wondering what I did to look so much younger. A really simple thing that guys (and girls) can do to look younger is to have your eyebrows professionally done. I’ll admit that I had/have an eyebrow “thing”. Meaning I am sort of a snot when it comes to judging people’s brows. And if I have ever mentioned your brows to you … well you probably deserved it. And hopefully with a little gentle guidance you went and did something about it. Plucked, tweezed, went to a salon. Some people are just genetically lucky when it comes to eyebrows and brow ridge. Others have to put a little work and effort into it. When I was young and in my 20’s this is what my eyebrows looked like. Over time, mens’ eyebrows do one of two things … grow crazy wild, or lose them all together. And sadly, some guys eyebrows turn white, which really makes them look older. So a very simple, and semi pain-free experience is to have your eyebrows microbladed. Individual hair lines are “tattooed” on your brows. Does it hurt? How does getting your teeth scraped at the dentist sound? Well that’s how is sounds, but it doesn’t feel like it. If it starts to hurt just say “Ow.” and she will put more numbing medicine on you. But literally it is just a few minutes of pain. My tattoo hurt more. Braces hurt more. So if you are in Colorado and you want to look younger and improve your looks you can call Maria at 720-779-4270 Palace of Aesthetics in Arvada. She said anyone I referred could have the same Groupon price of $160. Just mention my name and you are gold. I gave her nice tip since the normal price is $500. I know right? But now I can wash my face and go swimming without worrying about my eyebrows washing off. Ladies know what I am talking about. Plus, fuller thick eyebrows makes you look younger.

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So do you want to hear my eyebrow story? I guess now that I have semi-permanent eyebrows I can share my story. Back in junior high school I was sitting in math class and I overheard one of my friends making fun of this girl who had horrendous eyebrows. It was like the first thing you noticed about her and immediately all you could think of. They laughed and laughed and it stuck with me. At the time, I also had unkept natural eyebrows. But they were bad, and needed attention. I didn’t know what I was doing but I studied dozens of male models eyebrows and then I tweezed like cray. Man that hurt. It was awful. And because I didn’t know better, I used Sea Breeze on them afterward, and OMG that was the dumbest fucking idea ever. But I never had to worry about anyone making fun of my eyebrows. It wasn’t until I worked at the jewelry store that one of my friends asked if I ever thought about making my brows darker, instead of … overplucked. Well, COVID happened and I wasn’t going anywhere and so I just got lazy and let them grow back to what they were intended to be. And then I started investigating eyebrow makeup products, watched YouTubers videos/reviews and finally came to my own version of doing my brows. The EASIEST, fastest way to do them … for me, is using a semi-permanent tattoo marker, made by Bic, yes you heard me right. I just fill them in and it stays for a day. It was made for skin and it doesn’t rub off. Tah duh! Now this only really works for dark haired guys. While this is really pretty simple, it still takes a few minutes every day to do this. So that is why I opted for microblading. Guys can seriously improve their attractiveness/looks variable by doing this one simple beauty procedure.

So many of you are wondering what I thought of “Morbius”. Are you into vampire movies? If you are, then you will like this one. Do you like Jared Leto? Then you will like it. If you answered no, then don’t watch it. Wait until it hits HBOMax. If DC were to reinvent the “Batman” and not the original, they would turn a man into a “bat” by being bit by one right? Spiderman power syndrome. A guy who can control bats and drinks blood. Well, here he is, but his is called Morbius, not Batman. AND he is a bad guy. Personally I am WAY more into MoonKnight on Disney+. The whole Egyptian god thing is fascinating. And in case you forgot, taxes are due on Monday in the United States.

I bought a thousand dollars of airbnb, the other day and it already has gone up $16 in a few days. Who knows what it will be worth in 20-30 years? I used Robinhood if you need a recommendation. There were no fees when I purchased the stock. Super easy, super simple.

Help Wanted

For the past few years, the economy has been experiencing staffing issues. And in case you forgot, over TEN THOUSAND baby boomers are retiring every day, … and have been for quite some time. Throw in the COVID work at home variable and now you have even more people that don’t want to go back to a “normal” job. And while millions of people stopped driving to work, they also stopped buying gas and changing their oil. Trickle effect. Did you know there were gas stations that closed and went out of business due to no customers? For some people gas prices can dramatically affect their weekly cash flow. Most people only have a ten gallon tank, so a buck or so more shouldn’t destroy everyone. No one is crying because the cost of meat as doubled. The reality is most people have a lot of extra money because they aren’t doing other things that they might spend money on; like fancy dinners and date night. Concerts and festivals are out and have been, but things are opening back up again. Although I still am not going to Coachella. There are still millions of people who aren’t vaccinated.

And here are the latest from the NY Times:

DAILY AVG. ON APR. 5	14-DAY CHANGE	TOTAL REPORTED
Cases	28,693	–1%	80,128,432
Tests	870,272	+13%	—
Hospitalized	15,383	–27%	—
In I.C.U.s	2,308	–35%	—
Deaths	602	–40%	981,112

Technically if you have been hiding out for 2 years, and most of society got the shot, in theory, you could be safe without the shot. You still need to wear a mask and wash your hands like cray, but it could potentially happen. Due to staffing issues, many savvy travelers are taking advantage of the Air B & B market. There are a lot of really expensive homes that are dedicated just to being rented by the night. VRBO is another resource that takes advantage of people who bought into the whole “timeshare” scam. Gosh, that one week a year sounded great until you can’t change the dates. I have sat through timeshare presentations and it sounds all neat, but the reality is you want to travel to different places, see new things. Even the hotel or resort they are selling will lose its wow factor after a couple of visits. As a smart consumer, you can just rent those rooms/homes for the weekend or whenever. You still won’t come close to spending the money you put into a timeshare.

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Think about it, you really only have so many years of fun travel … before you get old, can’t walk, need help or extra time. Those good years are usually the years you don’t have the time or money. Just don’t get sucked into thinking a timeshare is a good idea. Take those fun vacations, save up for it. It doesn’t have to be super expensive. Don’t stay in a villa. Rent an air b&b that is AS nice or nicer than a villa. Home owners you stay with are happy to give you a fresh towel. Hotels have extended wait times for everything. I told you a long time ago that harsh immigration practices would eventually affect you and your vacations. The Motley Fool recommends buying some air b&b stock. That is a market that is continuing to explode as smart investors are buying homes just to rent. Real estate in any form of investing is a good if not great idea.

Travel Tips and Tricks

So if you didn’t know I am a seasoned traveler. I used to travel for work and I was on an airplane almost weekly. So when you are lugging heavy suitcases for what seems like miles, you learn a few tricks here and there to make your life easier. So I will share some of those with y’all while they are fresh in my mind.

Get yourself a passport badge carrier. I just found a better one and linked it for you. I bought 2. One for me and one for my partner. I got mine from Viking Cruises, but you can easily buy one on Amazon or in the gift shop at the airport. Put your smartphone, drivers license, boarding pass, AirPods and regular earphones in there. Now you won’t forget where you put one of those items. Seriously, you will panic when you lose your phone in some irregular pocket. And I actually recommend getting the paper boarding pass and putting that in there too. That way you aren’t taking off your mask to unlock your phone or put in your passcode. Or you can screenshot the boarding pass if it isn’t in your apple wallet.

Use a bag/string backpack that folds up easily. Keep your coat(s) and extra clothes in there. When you are on the plane, you can put your coats in there and make it a pillow. The straps will hang nicely on your headrest. Take an empty water bottle through security and then fill it up with ice and your favorite beverage before you get on the plane. That goes for water, juice or alcohol. Mimosa anyone? If you aren’t driving and you are flying, chug a lug pooh bear. Keep it folded and flat in your pocket or carry-on until you get on the plane.

Wear boots. They are easy on easy off. No laces or metal. They are more comfortable. Bring an extra pair of running shoes and sandals. People spend so much time taking their shoes on and off at TSA. Although if you get TSA Pre check, you can skip that step all together. I’ll just wear boots. They also make me taller. They are loud on tile and command attention when walking through a silent hallway or room.

If you are an apple person, then your AirPods have noise cancellation feature. Go into bluetooth in the settings, and go into the options. It makes a big difference when the plane is in the air. And you can block out crying kids. Keep those AirPods in your passport carrier when not in use. It is super easy to lose them or misplace them and then you are freaking out you just lost your $250 buds. Or just use your 3.5mm corded headphones with the airlines video screens. Delta will sell you a pair for $2 if you forgot, so don’t buy them in the airport.

Depending on how much you travel, and how much you can withstand standing in lines, you may want to invest in a CLEAR membership. It lets you jump the TSA line. And when there is a thousand people waiting to go through the rat maze, it is super handy.

Do you check a bag or do you carry on? It depends on your airline, your budget, and your level of tolerance, … meaning, how much patience do you have to wait in another long line for your luggage. I have discovered the power of a very well packed carry on bag, thus eliminating the need to drag around another heavy bag, especially if you have a long ways to go. Suitcases through NYC is very common, as is it in Las Vegas.

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I traveled with a friend once who said she didn’t want to have to wait for her luggage, so only do carry on. It was difficult at first, but I was able to make it work by not packing too much. You could always buy more clothes and go shopping. That is another strategy. Only pack clean socks and underwear, one shirt, one pair of work out pants. Voila, now you are packed so light you HAVE to go get something to wear, or be forced to just wear the same jacket every day. I accidentally left all my hanging shirts and had to buy new shirts, while on vacation. It actually was a fun break from the normal stuff. Keep in mind, in pictures, if you are outside it is usually the same coat/jacket in every picture — unless you are going somewhere warm. For me personally, tank tops are super easy to pack and take up no room at all. And when you are on the plane, it gets super cold a few thousand miles in the air, so wear layers so you can shed and put them back on. Also think about what sunglasses you like best and the ones that you look good in photos. There is nothing worse than forgetting your sunglasses and then buying a cheap pair that look and feel not so good. Glasses and sunglasses are a part of your identity.

Remember that the world is opening up again, and people are starting to travel more. There are still staffing issues, and as a result, less planes that fly, and less options for cancelled flights, delays, stand-bys, and …. long, long lines everywhere. Most people are considerate and there wasn’t any issues with masks. Sure in the airport, no one is policing you if you take your mask down. Just don’t take it off. Obviously with food and drink you don’t have to wear one. But everyone I talked to said they all had the shot and booster.

My advice is to pick your favorite airline and fly exclusively. I choose Delta. I wasn’t even in their little club but they treated me like a king. Of course it also helps to tell the flight attendants/gate agents, “OMG, I LOVE YOU GUYS! DELTA is my BITCH!” They laugh and tell me they love me too! Works like a charm every time. Hey — free upgrades don’t just happen magically on their own. It sometimes takes a little nudge of happiness for someone to make your wish come true.