You may think it's a pretty slow news day when the media starts paying attention to a celebrity's new hairdo, but it's not Britney Spears' haircut that we're in love with; rather, we love the way she chose to announce that she had chopped her locks.
Taking to Instagram to post a collage of pictures — which shows Spears dressed down in a simple leggings and T-shirt combo as she snaps silly photos in her bathroom mirror — Spears basically proved that when it comes to altering her appearance, she's just like the rest of us. I mean, raise your hand if you don't take a series of silly snaps and send them to your friends after you've got a new look.
Spears captioned the post with, "A very much needed haircut," and it's clear that (most) fans are loving how her personality shines through these pictures.
"She is so adorable omg," gsxrboy1103 commented. BearcatttI shared similar thoughts, writing, "Seriously love you so much omg you're the cutest."
"Britt I have always thought and still do your a very pretty lady and beautiful," axsomlove gushed.
But there are some people who really need to get a sense of humor, because instead of seeing Spears' pictures in the way they were intended, critics have blasted her for looking "old" and acting like a teenager. Um, what?
"I'm glad she is doing so well and living healthy, but these pics are just beneath her. She's better and more mature than doing teenage pics," spattyk wrote.
Georgephoenixg was even more harsh with his comments, writing, "Wow, you look so lonely and old."
Niyangxianshen took issue only with the first image, simply writing, "The first one is annoying ....."
The singer lost her 93-year-old great-grandma, "Mimaw," over the weekend, and the tribute she wrote for her on social media is absolutely heartbreaking.
"This morning I lost my world and the world's most special woman," Lovato wrote on Instagram, next to a photo. "I miss her more than words can even describe. There is an emptiness in my heart that only her spirit can fill and I pray that I will feel her by my side every single day until we meet again."
Demi Lovato's great grandma dies 2
Demi Lovato's great grandma dies 2
Mimaw's death come less than a year after Lovato revealed to fans that her 88-year-old great-grandfather had died.
"I attribute my strength to her," Lovato continued on Instagram. "She held on when she lost the love of her life... The one she was married to for 53 years. She smiled even though she lost a son just this year. She told everyone she loved them every single chance she got and she joked even when her strokes left her unable to speak properly. The smile that she had not only could light up a whole room but it most definitely lit up the entire nursing home. She was my great-grandmother but we were so close that I never knew it was possible that anyone could have the bond that we shared even 70 years a part. The pain I feel is almost unbearable but because of her strength I will power through it."
Lovato's great-grandmother had been sick for several months, and Lovato had asked her fans on social media to direct their prayers to Mimaw. In her post, she thanked them for their support throughout Mimaw's illness.
"The love and support I have received has been empowering and so special to me," she wrote. "I love all of you so much and I am forever grateful for the prayers, texts and fan art my Lovatics have made me. Thank you."
She also directed part of her post directly at Mimaw, writing, "Mimaw, I hope you are with Papa now... I hate that I can't hear your voice but I love that you are no longer in pain. I love you so much and I miss you more than anyone could ever imagine. I'll miss your smile, your wittiness, painting your nails and your kisses. I really do love you more. Rest in peace and most importantly rest in the Lord."
After posting to Instagram, Lovato also headed to Twitter to remind her fans to cherish life and their relationships.
Demi Lovato's great grandma dies 1
Demi Lovato's great grandma dies 1
"Life is so short. Cherish every moment you have with your family and friends," she wrote.
Summer beauty is all about the look of natural beauty — glowing, sun-kissed skin, not to mention the epitome of summer beauty: beach waves. There are tons of products that promise to give you wavy tresses. What if I told you that you do not need any of those products to get gorgeous, tousled waves?
I am not going to recommend a specific shampoo or conditioner, just tips on how to use the products you may already have on hand. Create a pre-shampoo (pre-poo) treatment for yourself using your most moisturizing conditioner. A hair mask, if you have one, is great to use as a pre-poo. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water. I say cool water because you don't want all the mask to leave your hair. You need some of it left behind to prevent your shampoo from stripping your hair.
Now apply and work your shampoo through your hair creating a nice lather. Take a detangling comb and comb the excess lather from your hair. Rinse the shampoo from your hair with warm water. If you suffer from dryness and brittleness, follow your shampoo with a daily conditioner. If your hair is healthy and in good condition, you can skip the daily conditioner. Next, give your hair a cool water rinse to close your hair cuticles and boost natural shine.
Using your hands, gently squeeze excess water from hair, then towel blot your hair. Now it is time to wet set the hair. Detangle hair and part it. If you have long hair, part hair in six sections. If you have shorter hair, part into 10 sections. Take one of your sections, divide into two sub sections. Twist these two sub sections of hair from the root down to the tip. Secure the end of the twist with an elastic, hair clip, or hair roller. If you need a fast set, sit under a hair dryer for 15 to 30 minutes. I recommend leaving the twists in overnight to allow your hair to air dry completely.
3. Break the waves
After your hair has dried completely, unwind the twists. You will end up with deep wavy sections. Further break down these waves by separating them at the root and continue to separate them down to the tip. To get that tousled look you can flip your hair over and muss it up that way. Or just shake your hair and use your hands to tousle it so the waves can look freer and a little wild.
This method for creating beach waves does not require the use of additional hair products. Just adjust how you condition so your hair is a bit lighter. Lighter hair allows you to get a tousled effect that has more volume. Less product used after shampooing means less product buildup on your hair. Ditch those texturizers and salt sprays this summer so your waves can be light, free-flowing and gorgeous.
When I adopted my two kittens two and a half years ago from a wonderful local adoption shelter called Social Tees Animal Rescue, I paid a $50 adoption fee. That included their medical care (they had all their shots, and were on deworming meds) and the excellent attention they received at the shelter. I thought that was more than reasonable, so I decided to give them an extra $50 donation to help keep them doing what they're doing.
While it's not uncommon for nonprofit animal rescue organizations to ask for a small adoption donation, some ask for a much more sizable one that comes close to what people pay for bred pets. They claim it goes toward things like medical care and transportation, but since other shelters ask for a fraction of that and offer the same care and services, the high fees seem questionable. What's even worse is that many of these so-called adoption agencies don't actually follow through with the care they claim to provide.
Seven years ago, a Connecticut local named Darwin Robinson adopted his beloved golden Lab, Carly, from one of these overcharging agencies. While she seemed OK when he brought her home, over the next few days she became very lethargic, and Robinson knew something was not right. He brought her to the vet, and in the end she made it through, but barely.
He got in touch with the agency to see why they had not been forthcoming about Carly's condition, but they refused to offer any assistance.
“I was really chipped off they would let a dog that sick go home,” Darwin told NBC. “They were no help at all."
State records indicate the pet adoption industry in Connecticut alone rakes in millions of dollars a year. Considering most shelters declare they're nonprofit, something just doesn't add up.
Terry Rodgers, an animal transporter from Georgia who works in the NPO sector, says she's seen evidence of other animal rescue transporters turning a serious profit. “You’re charging $150, $200 a dog to transport, some people charge a lot more than that. That adds up pretty quickly,” Rodgers told NBC.
Connecticut combated unlicensed adoption agencies that gouge potential adopters by instilling a license law. "Anyone bringing in rescues from out of state has to apply for a license with the Department of Agriculture, and a Connecticut veterinarian has to clear the pet’s health within two days of getting here." However, the law doesn't apply to out-of-state transporters, which is where a large percentage of rescue organizations get their animals.
In 2012, more than 14,000 animals were brought into Connecticut from other states including Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and Alabama. And those numbers just continue to grow.
Dog Days Adoption Events president and CEO Lorin Liesenfelt is thrilled that more people are turning to adoption, but hopes they don't get lured in by these big, money-grubbing transporters that don't treat their animals the way they should.
“If you’re bringing up 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 puppies a month, that’s great if you’re rescuing from a kill shelter. But if you’re charging $550, that seems a little high to me. If you’re not doing a home visit to make sure that they’re in the right home, I have to question how that’s responsible," she told NBC.
So what can you do to impede these profit machines from preying on prospective adopters and pets? Make sure you fully investigate the organization you plan to adopt from before you pick a pet from there. They should be legally registered as an NPO, every animal they have should have been checked out by a vet and their medical records should be readily available and given to you. The only way to drive out these unethical big businesses is to stop giving them business.
Throughout my years in the health and fitness industry, it has become abundantly clear to me that too many of us confuse healthy living with looking like a fitness model. Now before I go on, let me clarify something: I am not bashing fitness models — at all. We can look at what others have accomplished and use this as motivation.
There is also nothing wrong with wanting to look your best. People want to feel good about themselves. It's fine to want to shape your body into something that provides enthusiasm about shopping for clothes and enjoying the way you look in them. The problem, however, is that the "image" of health and fitness has many of us confused with simply being healthy and fit.
So what's the difference?
When you take care of yourself by eating the right foods, staying properly hydrated and engaging in a safe and structured exercise program, your inner conversations have to do with self-love, self-respect and care. Your activities are focused on overall well-being. You are conscious of your life and want to take care of your body.
When you diminish your self-worth because you feel as though you don't measure up to the models you see in magazines, on billboards and on television, your actions become a response to inner turmoil. You might even say things to yourself like, "My life would be so much better if I looked like her/him." You've created a vertical structure of humans being better or worse than one another. It creates an internal war because we're measuring ourselves to someone we know nothing about.
People who become models to compete or to make a living have a completely different lifestyle than you do. Their goals are unique to them, and the amount of work they put into their routine is specifically designed to help them showcase their bodies to either be judged for competition or to sell a product — even if it's their own services.
You, on the other hand, likely have a different set of goals in mind. You may simply want to feel good about yourself. You know you'd like to have more energy, stamina and, most of all, an overall feeling of well-being.
You can do this by eating the right foods, engaging in regular physical activity and living a life that is a true reflection of who you really are.
While we assume that if we look a certain way, people will like us more and perhaps even want to date us, people — the kind you actually want in your life — will be more attracted to your heart, your smile and the light that shines through your eyes because you are at peace with yourself.
What does this mean for you?
Just take good care of yourself. Find joy in your exercise program, and I always advocate on my blog that you work out safely and be consistent. Work hard enough to sweat and have your muscles feel like jelly — even if it's for 10-20 minutes. Go ahead and work on the body parts you'd like to see improvements on. Just don't compare yourself with those who do this for a living, or who have the time, dedication and motivation to work at a level that isn't compatible with your life — for whatever reason.
Healthy living isn't an all-or-nothing ordeal. Balance is always the key. Be good to yourself and guard your inner conversations. Watch how your body will transform into the best version of itself it can be, which will be unique to you — as it should be.
After leaving my husband and moving across the country with our daughter when she was just 6 weeks old, friends and family suggested I “talk to someone” about the sudden transition into single parenthood.
I remember the days leading up to our departure. I sat on the floor of the room I had dreamed up for months, wrapping ceramic teddy bears in newspaper and filling boxes with pastel decorations. Instead of facing my marriage woes, I instead took on the challenge of toning down the drab walls of our rented rustic cabin in Lake Tahoe, where my husband was stationed in the military. Moving furniture, then moving it again. Rearranging shelves so every tiny piece had a home. In hindsight, I wanted to make sure she felt at home, ignoring the fact that I hadn’t felt at home in a long time. It certainly became my oasis in an otherwise empty house. Not a house devoid of furnishings and possessions, but of feeling. A few weeks prior, I’d been putting the final touches on her nursery, and now, everything had to go. We had to go.
I wasn’t against counseling. In fact, during pregnancy my husband and I went together a few times until he decided he didn’t want to go anymore. Even though a therapist didn’t save our new marriage, it felt nice to open up to an unbiased third party. Loved ones kept hinting at the idea once I moved back to Maine and I assured them I would call around and check rates and insurance compatibility. Inside, I knew a therapist could help scratch the surface, but honestly, my intuition insisted I walk this path on my own. At least to start. To me, the best use of my time was to really get to know myself. To dig deep. I was willing to take this unconventional journey into the world of self-care.
I knew I could return to a therapist and receive the tools to build confidence, but what he or she wouldn’t be able to do is bring the joy back into my life. Only I could do that.
For some reason, I couldn’t conjure up the strength to make the several prior “breakups” permanent. But after I had Lexi, I found studying spirituality, which ultimately helped me follow through with divorce.
A friend recommended Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth. This book prompted me to make meditation a daily practice. I also went to church more and even enrolled my daughter in a Catholic preschool (where she still attends school today).
During the process, I had to figure out what about divorce or parenting or life in general wreaked havoc on my soul. For the longest time, I hated that I “failed” at love. That I was a single parent. That my daughter was being raised without a dad. That her dad didn’t make her a priority. But I also knew that raising my daughter in Maine close to relatives was the best thing for her. What I had to figure out was how to be happy with this decision despite my situation being outside of society’s “norm.”
From there, I read Tolle’s other books as well as other authors who wrote about mindset, spirituality, etc. The words continued to resonate with me. I started to understand where the pain was coming from. I implemented yoga. I didn’t do all of these things at once. In fact, the changes came over time, after learning there wasn’t just one anecdote to the sadness I was feeling. Eventually, I knew when something in me felt “off.” It was time to analyze how I was treating myself.
Turns out, a lot of times, social interaction that is what was missing was. Being around people aside from my daughter. I had a tendency to get tunnel vision when it came to motherhood. I assumed I had to play the role of two parents so I set aside everything that once made me who I am. I barely wrote for the first three years of my daughter’s life. I declined friends' invitations to meet them for dinner. Not only is seclusion unhealthy, but it takes you off the path that makes you who you are. We aren’t great parents because we give all of our time and energy to our children. What makes us great is that we are able to continue to pursue all of the passions that ignite us. Not just parenting.
English novelist and poet A.S. Byatt said: ”I think of writing simply in terms of pleasure. It's the most important thing in my life, making things. Much as I love my husband and my children, I love them only because I am the person who makes these things. I, who I am, is the person that has the project of making a thing … And because that person does that all the time, that person is able to love all these people."
Self-healing isn’t for everyone but at the time of my separation, I wasn’t sure I knew myself well enough for a therapist to really instill long-term solutions. Certainly I could tell her X, Y, Z happened and she could prompt me with questions, but when I took the time to make my well-being a priority, I felt more comfortable opening up to others about my past. The process seemed natural.
My biggest revelation came by recognizing how healing works. You may have to revisit the pain again and again. There isn’t a magic formula that makes it disappear or a barrier that keeps it away. In fact, the more you push it away, the more you feel it. The less you feel ashamed or embarrassed about whatever you have been through, the easier the process of “moving on” can be.
It’s been over six years since the split from my ex-husband and there are days when I forget I was ever married, but there are also still days when fear creeps in to ask me if I am sure I feel lovable. The difference now is, no matter what feelings present themselves, I possess the joy to heal from it.
I spent my childhood moving from one military base to another. The biggest shock of my life happened in the ninth grade, when my dad retired from the Army. All of the sudden I was surrounded by civilians who had no clue what my life was like.
It was a hard transition to a “normal” high school. Then a magical thing happened: I met another military brat.
There were a few in my high school and we bonded immediately. Why? Let’s just say there are some things that we military brats understand no matter what branch of the armed forces our parents served.
1. Calling everyone by their last name
Seriously, I didn’t know anyone’s parent’s first name. The last name reference extended to friends too — even if you were only 10.
2. You know your military parent’s SSN
In the military, the only identity you have is your sponsor’s (aka, Mom or Dad) Social Security Number. Your name or date of birth didn't matter, just your sponsor's SSN. I still know my dad's.
3. You went to at least half a dozen schools
Since I rarely lived in one place for more than two to three years, I went to six different schools from before high school.
4. You still expect to pledge the flag before a movie
If you caught a movie on base, you knew the drill. Before the previews, we had to pay tribute to America. The first time I went to a movie in the States, I was completely baffled that the movie didn't begin with a waving flag and the Star Spangled Banner.
5. If I say "Reveille," "Retreat" or "Taps," you know what I'm talking about
If you hear the “Retreat” bugles, it doesn't matter if you're driving, talking or eating. You literally stop and face the good ol' American flag until the music stops.
6. You know the phonetic alphabet
If you know what this says: Whiskey Hotel Alpha Tango Sierra Uniform Papa, then you are a military brat.
7. You had an ID way before you could drive
You didn't have a student ID, just a military one. It was your pass to get on base and into the commissary and PX. It was also your health insurance card.
8. Your clock is a little different
School didn’t end at 3 p.m.; it ended at 1500.
9. When someone asks you where you are from, it’s not a short answer
Every time someone asks me where I’m from, it takes me about 10 minutes to answer. It starts off with where I was born, then I list at least a dozen places where I lived.
10. You always make immediate friends with other military brats
We military brats stick together like glue. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, your religion or your political affiliation. If you are a military brat, we will be best friends.
No matter which way you look at it, the shooting of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden this weekend was a tragedy. The 17-year-old male silverback was in the prime of his life, healthy and expected to be helpful in a breeding program aimed at increasing the number of the critically-endangered species in this world.
What's more, the 4-year-old child who managed to somehow get into the Gorilla World enclosure, and whose life zoo officials said was in grave danger, prompting the killing of a healthy animal, should not have been able to get anywhere near the animals.
But as the Internet has gone on and on (and on and on) about the happenings at the Cincinnati zoo this weekend, trying to pinpoint exactly who to blame, a piece of our humanity has been lost. Those pointing at the parents and the zoo both may have a point.
Those who are blaming the child, taking to social media to brand the child an "idiot," and much, much worse, do not.
Do you remember being 4? Do you remember what it is you did back then? Why you ate dirt or stuck marbles up your nose?
Do you remember not being allowed to do anything that adults could do, be it drive the car you really wanted to drive or shoot the gun you really wanted to shoot? Do you remember being wholly unaccountable for your actions because you were 4, and you couldn't be trusted to make life-altering decisions?
Still think the 4-year-old who crawled into the gorilla enclosure and was snatched up by Harambe was an "idiot" or worse?
The child did what children do. It wasn't a wise thing to do. It should have been thwarted by smart adults (whether that's on the zoo or his parents it's hard to say without knowing all of the facts).
Unfortunately, it wasn't.
Unfortunately, zoo officials at that moment in time could not wind back the clock. They couldn't make the parents mind their child a bit better. They couldn't rebuild the enclosure to ensure no mischevious toddler got inside. They were left with a decision that well-regarded wild animal expert Jack Hanna has called the correct one, one that he says was absolutely necessary to save a child's life.
A child's life.
Because here in America, we value children and acknowledge childhood. We don't treat them as tiny adults. We understand that their thinking is not on par with those who are older, whose cerebral cortexes have had some more time to develop.
More importantly, we don't hold them accountable for the decisions of adults around them. It's why we have a foster care system in America to step in to help kids whose parents aren't doing it themselves and why we provide free school lunches for kids who can't help themselves out of poverty because they're too young to get a job.
Whatever went wrong in Cincinnati, the fact remains that a child could not be expected to pay for it. Harambe may not have deserved to die, but neither did a 4-year-old child.
There you are, sitting there looking at this test on a stick and asking yourself what you are going to do now. I was there too. I got pregnant when I was 17 years old. Most of us knew the options — abortion, adoption or keeping our baby. Even though the options are pretty clear — making the right one for you and your baby, choosing the one that you feel like you can live with — that's not so clear.
Now you're here, and you've decided to keep your baby. I want you to know that it's going to be OK. Here are five pieces of advice I have for you.
1. You just have to do what's right for you — and your baby
Everyone will have an opinion. I've heard it all, from being selfish in choosing to keep my baby to being stupid for getting pregnant. I was surprised at how mean people I didn't even know could be. Whatever you do, you are going to have to be the one who looks back at your life and the choices you made. Other people's opinions don't matter.
2. Asking for help does not make you weak or unable to care for your baby
It is all right to ask for help. In fact, you might be surprised at the community of loving people available to you, people who want to see you succeed.
I needed to send my son to a babysitter in the mornings while I attended school. I paid her $2 an hour, and sometimes that was all I had. What she gave me that I will never forget was kindness. She said to me, "Crysta, this is hard, but he is worth it. Don't give up." She was right: He was worth it. I graduated high school and went to college. I learned to ask for help even though I hated having to do it. He was worth it.
3. Your life has changed and you can't expect it to be like it was
When my friends found out that I had a baby, they didn't really know how to react. While they were staying up late after football games and going to parties, I was home trying to soothe a fussy baby and doing my best to get the grades I would need to get scholarships for college. I wasn't asked out on dates, and my Friday nights were spent being a mom. Sometimes I resented being left behind, not going to the prom or enjoying my teen years.
Sometimes you will want to leave the baby or sometimes you will want to pretend that this didn't happen and you can go back to being a kid. Accepting change isn't easy for anyone, but here's the thing: No matter what choices you made in your life, you will always have those moments of struggle. Growing up is hard.
4. You will be judged harder than your peers or other mothers
No matter where I went, someone was watching. When I took my son to the playground, other mothers were watching him and watching me. When I took my 4-year-old to the emergency room for doing exactly what other 4 year olds have done — sticking a toy car tire up his nose so far that I couldn't get it out — the doctors were looking at me. It wasn't that I was doing anything wrong; it was the fact that I was so young.
When mistakes happen, all of a sudden it isn't only about the possibilities of hurting yourself or maybe even your future. After becoming a mother, the mistakes are about the life of your child, and they carry heavier weight.
The one thing I learned about motherhood in those early years was guilt can almost smother you. Yet it isn't the guilt or judgments of anyone else — it is the judgement that you place on yourself that eats at you. Every time my son fell down, I felt the sting of not catching him. That is really what motherhood feels like, for everyone.
5. Your love and your best is what they will remember
Let's face it: Most teen mothers will not have a reality TV show. In fact, most of us have to struggle to support not only ourselves but also this new life we are building. Some will have family support and some will have the father there to help out. But you will struggle because that is what life is about when you are young and getting started.
The tears of frustration or doubt is only natural. Not everything has to be new, and that is all right. When they were little, my kids all enjoyed hand-me-down clothes and toys. I can't stand the taste of milk after years of adding water to the milk to make it last, but nobody complained. I was there to kiss their "owies" and showed them my love every single day.
My children are all grown up now, and they tell the story of their childhood very differently than I remember it. Their stories are filled with laughter, with silliness and even the hard parts were told with pride of how we managed to get through them together. They never remember the parts you made sure they didn't see. They remember the love.
Kit Harington is best known for almost dying on Game of Thrones and for having really, really good hair. But unfortunately for fans, that's not what Harington wants out of his career. He wants everyone to know that he's more than a cliffhanger. He's more than just hair. And as we learn in a new interview, he certainly thinks he's more than his female co-stars.
In an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, Harington spoke about the double standard against men in Hollywood who hedge their careers on attractiveness and have to deal with invasive questions about their personal lives. Where else has that happened before? Oh, right, to women.
“If you said to a girl, ‘Do you like being called a babe?’ and she said, ‘No, not really,’ she’d be absolutely right," Harington said. "It’s demeaning [to be thought of as attractive]. Yes, in some ways you could argue I’ve been employed for a look I have. But there’s a sexism that happens towards men.”
Harington at least threw a bone to women. "There’s definitely a sexism in our industry that happens towards women, and there is towards men as well. At some points during photo shoots when I’m asked to strip down, I felt that.” Can you feel my eyes rolling?
It must be hard to be Kit Harington, don't you guys agree? But maybe next time he's stripping down for a photo shoot or getting his hair blown out, he can take a small comfort in the fact that he likely makes more money than his female co-workers.
When I recently ended my 11-year relationship, the reactions ran the gamut. One friend asked, “Did you cheat?” Another asked if my sex writing led to our demise. (It did not, though a lack of sex may have played a part.) Hands down, the best reaction was from a woman who asked if I was afraid of being single in my 40s. Because staying in an unsatisfying relationship is such a better option than being single. As if. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I don’t think this woman meant any ill will with her comment, but still, it wasn’t the most empathetic of reactions.)
If anything, I haven’t been able to wipe the smile off my face since the split. Several friends and strangers have commented on my newfound glow. Life suddenly feels lighter. Sure, there are moments of sadness, but there’s a whole new world ahead of me. Besides, the prospect of adventure always makes me happy. Even as a — gasp! — 43-year-old woman.
Maybe I’m able to embrace this transition with ease since I was never on the marriage and baby-making track. My ex and I had parted civilly and are nothing but amicable toward each other. I have no regrets.
Still, it’s irksome that other people feel the need to put a time stamp on my happiness. I may not be the hot, taut 20-something I once was, but there’s something amazing about my 40s — I know exactly what I want and I’m not afraid to ask for it. Being comfortable in your own skin is liberating.
At 43, I have a whole lot of life experience under my Hanky Panky thong — from navigating friendships and sex to loss and careers. If I’ve done anything in my four-plus decades, it’s been to live out loud and without apologies. Without the demands of a live-in, long-term relationship, I have more time to invest in things that matter — myself, friends, a vast array of personal interests and seeking satisfying relationships — sexual or otherwise.
Let me be clear: Being single is not the same as being alone. I like myself, my independence and lots and lots of space. I’m terrible at being a 24/7 anything to anyone. (Thankfully, I get to co-parent my dog.) My life is rich, fulfilling, and I’m grateful to have a tribe of incredible friends. I’m in no way a project that needs fixing — I’m doing just fine on my own.
No matter how old you are, you and only you get to define your happiness. If you’re single and looking, here’s wishing you the best. If you’re single and loving it, cheers to you. For the time being, I’ll be the 40-something woman comfortable being herself.
Adele wants us to live in the moment. Celebrities (and the rest of us, let's be honest) are constantly dealing with phones in their faces, and Adele just isn't having it anymore.
During Sunday's concert in Verona, Italy, Adele noticed a fan in the audience was filming her performance. So she stopped the show to call her out on it. Ironically, another filming fan caught the whole moment on video. We're glad, because Adele's speech is pretty epic.
"Yeah, I want to tell that lady as well, can you stop filming me with a video camera because I'm really here in real life," she said. "You can enjoy it in real life, rather than through your camera." The crowd explodes with cheers and applause.
Adele continues, "Can you take your tripod down? This isn't a DVD, this is a real show. I'd really like you to enjoy my show because there's lots of people outside that couldn't come in."
The daring fan had not only decided to film the show, but to film it with a video camera on a tripod. Good for Adele for catching a potential bootlegger and protecting herself and her work. Those of us who want to show off to our friends on Snapchat may still be in Adele's good graces, but after that speech, I wouldn't want to mess with her just in case.
James Bond may be about to enter the 21st century. Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke is just the latest female celebrity to say she'd be open to playing the iconic special agent character 007 James — sorry, Jane — Bond for the first time as a woman.
In an interview with the Daily Star, Clarke not only said she'd be down to carry the role of Jane, but she knows exactly who she wants to play her love interest. "I would love to play Jane Bond," she said. "My ultimate leading man would be Leonardo DiCaprio. No doubt about it.”
Gillian Anderson also stepped up to the job on Twitter after a campaign called for her to become the first female James Bond.
gillian anderson tweet
gillian anderson tweet
According to The Guardian, Idris Elba and Tom Hiddleston are also speculated as being possible successors to the classic role. Current James Bond star Daniel Craig reportedly turned down $60 million for the next two films to move on from the franchise. Any sort of move away from a white male would, of course, be a strong step for the franchise. Whether it's Idris Elba, Gillian Anderson or Emilia Clarke, we'll be happy. Are we expecting to see any of those fine actors in the role? Well, we'll have to see it to believe it.
Shane Birkinbine figured out the secret to winning the proposal — and the love — game by creating a custom level to Super Mario Bros. using Nintendo's Super Mario Maker. He filmed as his girlfriend, Pam Edwards, played the level. He made it so the various blocks spelled out her name, and "will you marry me."
The super happy — and surprised — Edwards said yes before finishing the level.
Mario Bros Proposal
Mario Bros Proposal
The pair shares a love for all things geeky, including gaming and Star Wars, according to his Facebook page. But what Birkinbine loves the most is definitely his fiance.
"She said yes!!!" he wrote on Facebook. "I'm so blessed to have met Pam who has the kindest heart for people. She's been so patient and shown me what love truly is. Sometimes we meet that person later in life."
He summed up the perfect proposal with a simple message on YouTube, along with the proposal video.
Followers of the company's many hit animated films have been pointing out in recent months the distinct lack of LGBT characters in Disney Pixar's movies, but is that about to change? Some fans are speculating that a pair of women shown in the newest trailer for the upcoming Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory, are actually a lesbian couple.
The promo, which debuted on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, includes a scene in which a toddler drops her sippy cup out of her stroller, and one of a pair of women walking by picks up the cup and says, "Poor baby. Let me get that for you."
It's a very brief scene, but it's already caused plenty of speculation that the two women shown are actually a couple. If the rumors are true, it would be the first time a lesbian couple is portrayed in a Disney movie. The speculation follows a push by fans to make Elsa of Frozen Disney's first lesbian princess — the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend trended on Twitter as fans asked for Elsa to fall in love with another princess in the Oscar-winning movie's upcoming sequel.
Supporters of LGBT rights are already applauding Disney for the rumored couple in Finding Dory, taking to social media to write things like, "If the rumors are true and the first lesbian couple in a disney movie ever is in #FindingDory YAY for a big important step to acceptance!!!!" and "People are boycotting Disney because they show a lesbian couple in the Finding Dory trailer…Do they not know who voices Dory?!?"
Dory is voiced by Ellen DeGeneres, who came out as a lesbian in 1997. So far, she has been silent about whether the new film will feature a gay couple.
Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster has finally settled the question on the minds of everyone who has ever eaten a wiener: Is a hot dog a sandwich? If you think it's not, you’re officially on the wrong side of history. Or you just don’t know what a sandwich actually is. Let me help you out with that.
For the uninitiated, a sandwich is all about the happy endings. It’s a delicious hug between two pieces of bread. But what’s a hug without a little love in the middle? Bread takes separate, ordinary ingredients and makes magic. Peanut butter is not a sandwich until it gets intimate with jelly between two slices of bread.
True, a frankfurter alone is not a sandwich. It’s technically a sausage. But once buns get in the picture? This hot dog becomes a sandwich, baby.
To deny hot dogs their rightful place in the pantheon of sandwiches is little more than foodie elitism. So a hot dog isn't a panini, a Reuben, a gyro, a muffuletta, a PB&J, a BLT or a Philly cheesesteak. It's the patron saint of toddler food. A hot dog is definitely on the lower end of the sandwich spectrum. But if you think hot dogs take no creativity, then you’ve probably never tasted the glory of a Coney Island. (You should also fix that immediately.)
At the end of the day, a hot dog will always be an undignified mush of mystery meat in a casing. But it’s still part of a sandwich when you drop it into a bun. Denying that simple truth just makes you a wiener (oops — I meant whiner).
What are ticks? They are small arachnids — yep, just like spiders. Ticks require blood to complete their complex life cycles. They get their meals from warm-blooded animals such as our pets and us.
Are ticks dangerous to your pets?
Short answer? You bet.
Last week, Ollie, a Shetland sheepdog from Portland showed us just how dangerous these tiny arachnids can be.
Shortly after returning home from a camping trip with his family, Ollie's owners noticed a serious change in his behavior. Ollie had trouble eating, was extremely lethargic and eventually lost most of his mobility. His concerned owners took him to the vet for a series of blood tests, X-rays and urine tests but could not find a diagnosis. Ollie was given medication, but only continued to deteriorate. As Ollie's condition worsened and no diagnosis or treatment was in sight, his owners were faced with the terrible decision of whether Ollie was comfortable enough to continue living in this condition. His family ultimately decided against putting Ollie through unnecessary pain and discomfort and took him to the vet to be euthanized.
Moments before Ollie was to be euthanized, an intern at the vet clinic noticed he had a tick behind one of his ears. Dr. Adam Stone, Ollie's vet, remembered learning about a rare condition called tick paralysis in vet school. Could a tick be causing all of Ollie's health issues?
Yes.
The tick was removed and Ollie was sent home. A short ten hours later, Ollie showed major signs of improvement and today he is symptom free and back to his usual routine.
With tick season in full-swing, we checked in with an expert to learn more about the dangers of ticks and how to prevent, treat and remove them so you can keep your pets as healthy as possible this summer.
Other than tick paralysis, what dangers to ticks pose?
Dr. Marcus Smith, DVM of Chattahoochee Animal clinic informs us that “a tick has the ability to transmit multiple types of severe disease, such as Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Scientists recently have found that the ticks can spread Powassan virus, which is more severe than Lyme disease.”
Not all ticks are dangerous or transmit diseases. But it takes just one bite from an infected tick to transfer a dangerous disease to your pet.
When and how often should you check your pet for ticks?
Ticks live in grassy and shrubby areas. Try to avoid areas where tick populations may be high. If you can’t avoid these areas, then make sure you do a thorough inspection of your pet’s fur for unwanted visitors.
“Removing the tick before it’s able to embed into your pet’s skin is the best way to prevent potential disease transmission. I think it is prudent to do a tick check after the pet has been exposed to any risk area for ticks. This is usually wooded areas or areas of high brush," says Dr. Smith. During the spring and summer, try to do a tick check on your pet before coming indoors.
Where should you check for ticks on your pet?
Are there particular places ticks like to hide? “Honestly, the correct answer is everywhere,” says Dr. Smith. “Our staff has the most success finding ticks around the ear area and between the digits of the paw. Some ticks can be quite difficult to find until they have filled up on a blood meal.”
For ticks that have not embedded yet, you can still find them by brushing your fingers through your pet's fur, applying enough pressure to feel any small bumps. Because ticks can harbor diseases, you need to put on a pair of latex gloves before you start the inspection. Don't forget to check under the armpits, tail and head too.
If you find an embedded tick, don’t freak out. Removing them is not hard, but it will take patience, a pair of latex gloves and a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers. Dr. Smith says, “We typically recommend removing the tick with tweezers. You can grab the tick at the base of the head adjacent to the skin, and gently pull the tick out. If a small part of the head remains embedded, it is not the end of the world. Popular culture says this is a big no-no, but in reality, the body will kick it out and no further harm will come to the pet.”
If the thought of removing an embedded tick gives you the willies or seems scary, then take your pet to your vet. They will be able to safely remove the tick, but get them to the vet as soon as you can.
Once you remove the tick, the CDC recommends that you never crush it with your bare fingers. They suggest one of the following methods to dispose of a live tick:
Submerge it in alcohol
Place it in a sealed bag/container
Wrap it tightly in tape
Flush it down the toilet
What to look for
There are some symptoms you should look for after you find and remove an embedded tick on your pet. According to Dr. Smith, “The symptoms depend on the type of disease that has been spread by the tick. Examples of signs consistent with tick disease can include lethargy, anorexia, limping or joint pain, pale gums, seizure or jaundice. Tick diseases can affect the joints, blood cells, central nervous system, liver and kidneys.”
If you notice any of these symptoms in your pet, contact your vet right away.
Image: thatreec/Getty Images
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
“The best prevention for ticks is protection," says Dr. Smith. “There are multiple products now that can effectively kill ticks and prevent disease spread in pets."
There are several topical applications and chewable tablets available that can protect pets for up to a month. Check with your vet to decide which is the best option for your furry friend.
Image: Gregory_DUBUS/Getty Images
The risk of ticks on your pet doesn't have to put an end to outdoor activities. With a few precautions and knowing how to find and remove ticks, you and your pet can still have plenty of relaxing walks in nature.
If you've never had nitro coffee before, the hubbub over Starbucks' latest beverage may be confusing. How different could iced coffee, no fancy syrups or artisanal milks included, be?
Pretty different, it turns out! Because I enjoy hipster foodie nonsense and live in a major city, I've had the pleasure of trying nitro iced coffee before, and it is way different from the plain stuff. The nitrogen infuses the coffee with minuscule bubbles, giving it a thicker, almost creamy mouthfeel and a foamy head akin to a Guinness.
Starbucks is actually being pretty legit by putting this drink on its menu. It was invented just four years ago, and even a lot of fancy coffee-snob java shops still don't serve it.
Nitro Cold Brew will be rolled out this summer to 500-plus Starbucks locations across the country, but if you can't wait to try it and your town has a dearth of specialty coffee shops, there's still hope.
It turns out making your own Nitro Cold Brew at home is really easy, and you need only one special, relatively inexpensive piece of equipment to make it.
Make a batch of cold brew iced coffee, then pour the coffee into a whipped cream dispenser — the kind with a nitro charger, like what they use at Starbucks.
Then, just dispense the coffee into your glass as you would whipped cream. You'll get a cup of perfect cold brew with a silky coffee crema on top, all without leaving the comfort of your home (aka... putting on pants).
I'm sure Starbucks' new Nitro Cold Brew, which will be poured from a tap, is going to be delicious. But my guess is that once you've got your hands on a whipped cream dispenser, it'll be a whole lot cheaper to just make it at home... though, if your family gets as annoyed by your caffeine hyperactivity as mine does, they might not be so enthusiastic about your newfound skills.
So far on The Bachelorette, one contestant is sticking out more than others, for all the wrong reasons. Chad seems angry and violent, he's called JoJo Fletcher a nag for having an opinion on her own show, and he's used his mother's untimely death as an excuse for all his bad behavior. Fletcher must have known it's time to kick him to the curb, so she spent much of this week's Bachelorette diary on People explaining her reasons for keeping Chad on the show.
First, she explains away Chad's behavior by saying it's actually a good thing that he could be open enough to insult her. "I have to admit that being called a nag by Chad was definitely a bit surprising," she writes. "It felt undeserved and hurtful. I was definitely taken aback, especially because I have all kinds of faults, but I don't think I'm especially 'naggy.' And while I was hurt, I do respect someone who is honest and able to speak their mind."
She continues, "I had no idea there was this much tension between Chad and the other guys. I knew there was some tension, of course, but I didn't know there were threats of violence. I don't feel great now seeing this. It's all just so complicated. Chad is a complex guy with complex emotions. And I know he means well. But he really shouldn't be threatening other guys. That's not cool. What's going to happen next with Chad and the guys? Well, I can tell you now that what's coming up is — to go to the Bachelor lingo — quite possibly 'the most dramatic episode in Bachelor history.'"
Does "complex" sound like code for "huge red flag" to anyone else? JoJo, girl, all you have to do to get rid of this man is refuse to hand him a rose. What are you waiting for?
I sent away for the free samples and browsed hundreds of designs when deciding on our wedding stationary. Then I realized something: We were inviting over 300 people, meaning at least 150 save the dates and 150 invitations. That is a lot of stamps! After that realization, the overall goal for the wedding invites — from save the date to thank you cards — was to minimize postage across the lot. This meant being conscious of paper weight and design and saying no to customized stamps — a waste of money and time, I think! Even though my focus is weddings, you can apply this logic to anything from baby announcements to graduation invitations to birthday cards.
For save the dates, we chose a postcard, saving us at least $150-$200 for not going with a card inserted into an envelope. We also ditched pictures of ourselves because no one needs to see us making out on their refrigerator every day. On that note, most people toss the card once they store the wedding website and mark their calendars, anyway. The key to purchasing these was that I also waited until Zazzle had a 50% off coupon, thus saving us another $112.50 (we ordered more than the 150 we needed). On these alone, we saved over $300.
2. Postage
The postcard save the date also enabled us to save an additional $25 in postage because the postcard stamp was $0.15 cheaper than a letter stamp at the time. For the invites, I was hell-bent on not putting two stamps on the outside envelope (for a savings of around $75) to accommodate the weight of the invites. The international postage threw off my game, but we only sent two, so it didn't break the bank! All in all, I saved about $100 just on postage.
3. Invitations
This one killed me because after a lot of research, I found the average card is $7-10 per card. So when you get an invite in the mail, it might have cost up to $10 to mail it to you. I find this insane, and it makes me hate the whole wedding industry, but alas, we needed to send them. We limited our search to simple designs that weighted, in total (envelope, invite, info card, RSVP card, RSVP envelope and RSVP stamp), just enough for one regular stamp to mail. To save more, I really wanted a postcard for the RSVP, but my husband wouldn't allow it (cue sadness from not savings more).
We chose a nice design in our colors and font on two different sites. I called each of the sites (yes, on the phone) and told them I was pitting the two sites against each other and whoever could give me the best deal would win my business. One site said there was a 20% off they could offer and the other offered 30% off. Clearly, I wanted the bigger discount/higher net savings, and to my surprise, David's Bridal won. No, I didn't have to buy my dress there to get the discount on the invites. Therefore, postage plus invites per household came in at around $2.50. Total estimated savings on invites were between $500-$750 — and another $75 on postage listed above.
4. Thank You cards
Most people like to match the thank yous with the invites. We opted for a simpler route. If you think about it, people are most likely giving you gifts of money, so why would they want it spent on their own thank you card? You can easily rack up a cost of $4 per note if you aren't careful. Our solution was to buy two 100-packs of Thank You cards on Amazon. They were plain, classic and did the job. Again, it will just end up in the trash anyway! Total savings were between $175-$500, with leftovers for Christmas thank yous!
5. Return address labels
Part of me wanted to use the free ones that come in the mail when companies ask for donations, but that was vetoed immediately! Typically, I get my return labels from Shutterfly for free and add a picture, but that deal is once every three months and only yields 24 labels, only covering invite and thank you cards for 12 guests. And "free" isn't really true; you pay $4 in shipping. So we looked into labels, but again we needed hundreds. I came across a Groupon for a personalized self-inking stamp and waited for a day when Groupon had a deal, which was $10 off at the time, so for $20 I stamped our address about 300 times, and now I have the stamp for all the other letters we mail.
6. Double up on savings
Ebates is my favorite site, and I was able to get cash back on the majority of my wedding purchases. The day the USPS offers cash back will be a glorious day! I would estimate I got about $8 back from my stationary purchases for the wedding — not much, but more than nothing!
7. Do-it-yourself or Etsy
I am sure these options are wonderful, but I found that for the cost of my time and the additional cost of paying someone else, the route above was my best bet.
The common thread linking all invitations is that it will all eventually end up in the trash, so don't go insane spending to make something cute when you can put that money toward something at the actual party. Finally, a fun tip for avoiding having to lick hundreds of envelopes — you don't have to! Just use a damp sponge!
