Life is what happens when you are making other plans~ John Lennon
An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind~Gandhi
The time is always right to do what is right~ Martin Luther King Jr.


Showing posts with label sweet love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sweet love. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Ronnie James Dio's wife Wendy reveals secret of their lasting marriage

Ronnie James Dio is the iconic vocalist for bands like Dio, Black Sabbath, Elf and Rainbow. He and wife Wendy were married for years, until his untimely death in 2010 from stomach cancer. Fox News did an interview about the secret of their lasting marriage.

The long awaited memoir Rainbow in the Dark was written by both his wife Wendy Dio and British music journalist Mick Wall. They took what Ronnie had written over the years and transformed it into a memoir of a sort. It lets him tell the story of his humble beginnings in New York to being the vocalist for four successful bands

He unfortunately died from stomach cancer at the age of 67 in 2010. While undergoing chemo treatment, he was hopeful to begin touring again. Wendy Dio did an interview with Fox News about why she's releasing the book and what is the secret to their long lasting relationship.

Fox News: Your husband, Ronnie James Dio, began writing his book a long time ago. Why did he choose to write his memoir at that time?

Wendy Dio: A lot of people have been asking him to write a book. One day he decided, why not put it down? He wanted to write about how he got into the business, where he was born, his teen years and his struggles. He's had such a long career that it would, of course, take two or three volumes to cover it all. But he wanted to explore how he got to where he was

Fox News: You met your husband in 1974. What was your initial impression of him?

Wendy Dio: He was too short for me [laughs]. But he was an amazing person. He made everyone that ever talked to him feel like they were the most important person in the world. He just loved people. And he really was a wonderful, caring person

Fox News: Ronnie said that he knew right from the start that you were The One. However, you needed a bit more time to be convinced. Why?

Wendy Dio: Well, in the beginning, he really was a bit short for me. And I wasn't really ready for a relationship at that time. But he was persistent. He kept calling me and then he wanted me to go on tour with him. And I quit my job. I said "I'll come for a couple of weeks." I never came back. But I truly learned what an amazing person he was. He read a book a day, he was so intelligent. He could talk to you about any subject whatsoever

Fox News: We knew Ronnie the rock legend. But what was Ronnie the husband like?

Wendy Dio: Oh, he didn't like to dress up. He was perfectly comfortable in a sweatsuit. He didn't like to go out too much. So we used to have a lot of friends come over to our house instead. He loved to entertain at home. He also loved to watch sports. In fact, he would write songs while watching sports. He knew everything about every sport that was going on

Fox News: You were initially hesitant about taking on the role of manager. Why?

Wendy Dio: Well, it's a big thing. Ronnie was a big star. Even though it was in my background, it was scary. I worked as an intern at Decca Records. I went to an agency for bands and I also worked for attorneys reading contracts. But this was a completely different, life-changing role. In the beginning, I faced a lot of bumps with a lot of people. But gradually, they realized that I had the best interest for Ronnie. In fact, he said one time "I'd rather get screwed by my wife than screwed by my manager." [laughs]. He trusted me and I tried to do my absolute best for Ronnie. I never interfered with his music. He never interfered with my management. And I think that's why it worked. But I did have a lot of hiccups at the beginning with a lot of people who said "Oh, you don't know what you're doing. Give him to me. I know what I can do with him." But we stuck it out.

Fox News: It sounded like he gave you free reign to create your role and identity as his manager

Wendy Dio: Yes, but he was very involved as well, like with album covers and things like that. He was a control freak, I'm a control freak. So you've got two control freaks working on things together. We bumped heads a lot of times, but in the end, it always came out the way we wanted. Our goal was to give our fans great value. He loved his fans more than anything else in the whole world. That was his priority. He never forgot where he came from. The fans came first.

Fox News: According to the book, Ronnie at one point had less than $800 in the bank. How did you two manage at the time?

Wendy Dio: Ronnie got fired from Rainbow. We used to have a big house and a big car. Everything was paid for by the management. Then he wasn't in Rainbow anymore. We didn't have anything. My grandmother left me a little inheritance. We basically took that and drove 3,000 miles to California where we knew more people. It was a big struggle, but you know what? You pay your dues. And we were never down about it. I always knew he was going to get something going and he did, too. The the opportunity to join Black Sabbath came along. That was something he wasn't so sure about in the beginning. But once he was in, he absolutely loved it. It was probably his favorite time in his life.

Fox News: What's the funniest or most unique encounter Ronnie's ever had with a fan?

Wendy Dio: Oh there's so many [laughs]. We had fans who would come from Holland and basically follow the whole tour around on a bus. They're still friends of mine now. Ronnie developed a close bond with his fans. If it was raining outside, he would invite them in to his tour bus. He made sure they were treated well.

Fox News: What surprised you most about the heavy metal scene?

Wendy Dio: Well, Ronnie was a bit different. He wasn't sex, drugs and alcohol. He took his music very seriously. Everything had to be exactly the way he wanted it to be. So I think that made him different, in comparison to some of the other bands that were around at the time. But you know what truly shocked me about the heavy metal scene? The fans are true fans. They never forget. They support nonstop. In different genres, you'll have fans that stick around for a certain time and then move on to something else. But the heavy metal fans, they're with you for life. They are completely genuine, honest and loyal. They have huge hearts and they'll follow the bands all the way through their lives.

Fox News: Is there anything you feel Ronnie would have done differently in his life?

Wendy Dio: Truthfully, I don't think he would have done anything differently. If he hadn't died, he would have kept creating. People tried to put him in a certain box. But he wanted to do things his way. He didn't just want to make record labels happy or just go commercial. The music meant so much more to him than that. And it worked because his music still sells. It makes me so happy, still, to see young bands playing his music

Fox News: What do you believe was the secret behind your lasting marriage to Ronnie?

Wendy Dio: Well, we had a lot of ups and downs and fights, of course. We had a few separations and came back again. But I think we both truly wanted this. We also believed in his music and his goal in life was to make his fans happy. And that's my goal now. I want to keep his music and imagination alive. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He was a trickster. His band used to play tricks on each other all the time. And when he wasn't performing, he was at home watching sports. He was a huge sports fan. I remember one time Wayne Gretzky gave him the prized jersey. I had no idea what it was or what it meant. I just thought it was an old, oversized shirt that was 10 times too big for Ronnie. So I just threw it in the trash. He wanted to kill me for that [laughs]

Fox News: It sounded like he was a homebody

Wendy Dio: He really was. He loved to sit in the house, invite friends over and watch the games. He just wanted to have a normal life. And anytime he was watching any sport - Giants, Yankees - he was always inspired and writing new music. He loved every kind of sport. He wanted to play baseball or do things like that growing up, but he wasn't allowed to because his father made him practice the trumpet all day. But his love for sports remained. He was just a normal guy with a wonderful sense of humor and a dream. 

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

Faye Harris and Tyrone Wood Just Got Married

Faye Harris, daughter of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris and Tyrone Wood, son of Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, just got married.

https://www.facebook.com/FansOfMaiden/

-This above link is where the photo originated. The comment on the photo was "Congratulations to Steve and his lovely family as daughter Faye Harris and Tyrone Wood (son of Ronnie Wood) on their marriage with their children following their ceremony."

-According to Loudwire.com, Faye Harris and Tyrone Wood got married on Friday in the London neighborhood of Marylebone. Their fathers were both present at the wedding. Tyrone runs an art gallery while Faye runs a highly successful perfume company called Eauso Vert. They started seeing each other in 2022 after meeting each other on a dating app and announced their engagement in December 2023. It was a good time for both of the fathers. Steve Harris and Ronnie Wood were between tours with their bands, Iron Maiden and The Rolling Stones. Because of that, they were both able to attend the ceremony.

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Lonely in Longreach by Eva Scott

This book is like Sleepless in Seattle, but given an Australian makeover

Summary

Sam Costello is a widower working his farm in the rural Outback of Australia. He's grieving the loss of his wife Michelle and trying to understand his teen son Levi. But Levi has other plans. Plans that involve attending university in Sydney with his friend Maddie. And even Maddie has her own reasons for going to Sydney, but they don't involve university. And, because of her matchmaking skills, she sets up an online dating profile for Levi's dad, hoping he'll be head over heels in love before he realizes what has happened

Sarah Lewis is a journalist with a great job and great boyfriend. But, she feels as though there is more to life than safe and perfect and great. She decides to do an article about finding love in the Outback, a place usually described as "harsh", "rugged", "hard". When she sets up a dating profile online, she encounters a user whose name is Lonely in Longreach, she wonders if this is truly the one for her

Friday, December 8, 2023

Bruce Dickinson is once again married

The veteran Iron Maiden vocalist has finally married his fiancee, French fitness instructor Leana Dolci

According to an interview he did with Kerrang!, Dickinson revealed that he had been seeing a French fitness instructor named Leana Dolci. They became engaged in April of this year. It's not known when their relationship even started, but Daily Mail stated the couple were first seen together in 2019. In the interview with Kerrang!, Bruce confirmed they were married and that they evenly split their time between Paris and London

"I wander round and it all feels a bit bohemian, a bit exotic. I still love London, but it's a slightly different headspace when you get [here]". He said in his interview. This is Bruce's third marriage. His first was with Eric "Jane" Barnett, a woman he had met while attending Queen Mary University. They divorced in 1986. Then along comes Paddy Bowden. This was his longest lasting marriage, lasting 28 years. With her, they had three children together-Griffin, Austin and Kia. Unfortunately, Bowden died in 2020 from a mysterious illness. Bruce also has other things to be excited about besides getting married. He recently released a single off of a new solo album he's working on called The Mandrake Project. The single is titled "Afterglow of Ragnarok". This will be his first solo album since 2005, when he released The Chemical Wedding. This new album will also include a series of graphic novels, the first of which will be available for purchase on January 17 on Z2 Comics.

Continuing from the Kerrang! interview, "Every album I've done there's always been a couple of songs where you've gone 'Yeah, these aren't quite doing it for me in the same way', there isn't a single track on this album that I don't listen to and love. Number of the Beast didn't even have that. There's so many classics on that record, but I was always a bit, 'Well...' about "Invaders" or something."

Wednesday, July 5, 2023

When Your Gut Instinct Proves to Be Accurate

It's been said that you should always trust your gut instinct. If something feels "off", "not right", then it probably is. Here are some times when people were saying prayers of thanks that the "off" and "not right" feelings they had were warranted. One very incredible example is centered around 9/11. Some people who worked in the World Trade Center were big football fans and were watching football the night before and were up late. They called in the next day, to say they were tired and couldn't make it into work. That saved their lives as the hijacked planes crashed into both towers, killing all on impact and thus, destroying the towers and taking some who worked in the towers who couldn't get out with them

1. Always Keep a Sharp Eye

-You can be mugged at any opportunity. It can be any one who does this. They do it for a quick buck because they think you have something to steal. This situation is more observation and less gut instinct. One person noted "I walked into a house party and got a really bad gut feeling. Most of my friends and I left. The people who didn't leave got mugged. It was pretty scary."

2. Almost supernatural

-Kids are very intuitive. They can often sense things far quicker than adults. This includes supernatural occurrences. Kids are far more sensitive to supernatural phenomena, such as ghosts / spirits and adults find their kids talking to seemingly no one, but in that child's mind, they are talking to the spirit of a loved one. With kids, sometimes crying and throwing a tantrum is not their way of getting attention; they just have a bad feeling. One person noted "I was like 5 or 6 when my mum and sisters wanted to go for a drive out of town. I cried because I just didn't want to go with them for some reason, and decided to go with my other sister in her car. Turns out, my mum and other sisters ended up crashing...Luckily my fam was okay though...But I sure did feel really cool after that."

3. The Stereotypical White Van

-This unmarked van is almost stereotypically associated with bad people. Child molesters prowling neighborhoods crawling with kids looking for new victims. Rapists looking for new victims. The unmarked white van or unmarked van is almost always associated with suspicious activity, including its slow prowl up streets. Kids might be naive and trustworthy, but they're also very intuitive, have no filter and speak the truth very frequently and tend to be more observant than most adults. They tend to notice when something feels "off" a little quicker. One person noted "In elementary school when we had a recess. It was pretty average and we left at the normal time but it just felt very off to me, but because I was 8 and didn't have common sense yet, I brushed the feeling off. Turns out that there was literally a guy that had been scoping out the playground for kids to lure to him in a stereotypical white van."

4. Avoid the haunted house

-Two things happened here. One person was laughing at the concept that the house was haunted and felt some sort of entity was warning them to stay away. The other person ignored this entity and bought the house anyway. One person noted "While house hunting, we came across a seemingly perfect home. But a nagging feeling made us pass on it... Months later, the house suffered a major electrical fire, confirming our intuition and saving us from potential harm...Always trust your gut."

5. "Ice, Ice, Baby"

-Sounds like the Vanilla Ice song ripping off "Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen. Any one can tell you that driving on ice is not only dangerous, but can be life threatening. Especially because of impatient / careless drivers trying to get somewhere yesterday and they're not paying attention and they slide or crash right into you! It's often worse with bigger cars, trucks and even semis. Semis, also known as tractor trailers, are often the worst drivers in icy weather. If they hit you the right way, that's your death sentence because they are like flying missiles. If you've been driving long enough, you know what feels right and what feels wrong on your car and you know enough to drive carefully in inclement weather. This person had good instincts on their side and a strong knowledge of their car. One person noted "Pulling over before engine seized on icy road, we were in a s---box and I knew the engine was going out so the wheels would've stopped sending us into a tree."

6. Be a hero

-Anytime you see kids near the road, it's important to exercise extreme caution. When kids play near the road, there's that chance that the ball they play with might go out into the road and, as kids do, they chase after it. It's incredibly important to be a careful driver when kids are around. They know to look both ways, but sometimes they forget that. And even adults don't look both ways. Then there are those adults that, as someone is LITERALLY INSIDE A CROSSWALK, will keep edging closer and closer to going as the person gets to the other side. They don't want to wait the time for the green light. One person said "I was walking out of a grocery store when I saw this kid about to cross the road. Something came over me and I yanked him back onto the sidewalk. Not even a second later a truck came flying past. He was probably around 7 or 8ish."

7. Nature is talking

-While not a "gut reaction", it's still good to know what it represents. If you're walking through a lush forest that is usually loud with the buzzing of insects, chirping and calling of birds and noises of animals and suddenly goes dead silent, be on the alert! That means that those insects and animals have detected the presence of a large, dangerous animal. Time to get out! One person said "During my solo trip in the Amazon, I had a remarkable experience. I felt a strange discomfort and opened my eyes to find an unsettling silence. I returned to the safety of the nearby jungle lodge and shared my experience with the guide, who said that such silence often indicates the presence of a dangerous predator. It was a surreal moment that deepened my appreciation for the enigmatic nature of the Amazon."

8. Never forget to wear your seatbelt

-Police will always tell you this and now they are ticketing drivers who fail to wear their seatbelt. Cars nowadays are even coming with alerts that will keep going off until you click that safety belt. Some people think seatbelts are a waste of time; tell them that when they get in to a crash and end up in the hospital or dead. The person who gave this story admits to not wearing a seatbelt and now is a fully fledged supporter of wearing one. "I used to neglect wearing my seatbelt until one day, a gut feeling prompted me to buckle up. Shortly after, we were hit by a car going 60 mph. The police confirmed that without my seat belt, I would have been ejected through the windshield. Now I always wear my seatbelt without question."

9. Granddad to the rescue!

-Dad's "gut instinct" can be just as powerful as Mom's "intuition". Even grandfathers can have those gut feelings. And this here is a prime example of why it's incredibly important to check fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Over 400 people can die each year from carbon monoxide poisoning and doctors treat over 50,000 patients who suffer from this. They are easily identified by their cherry-red skin, which is a symptom of poisoning by carbon monoxide. One person in England had this to say. "My grandfather had a sudden gut feeling that something was wrong at my house. Trusting his intuition, he rushed to our house to find everyone unconscious due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Acting heroically, he single-handedly carried or dragged each family member to safety."

10. Another tragedy related to the Titanic

-Recently, the news has been playing stories of a submersible going down into the North Atlantic, to explore the ruins of the sunken RMS Titanic. The submersible excursion ended in disaster; it imploded due to the incredibly high pressure and killed all onboard. In a strange turn of events, a Portuguese business man and CEO named Mario Ferreria, the CEO of Mystic Cruises, had a chance to go on board the ill-fated submersible.  He said "My friend who was on the submarine told me that my place was [still] free and that I could go with him. We had been together on Friday, and he left on the private plane to go on board. I didn't want to go. We met in the Blue Origin astronaut group. And he challenged me to a mission to the Titanic. I thought I shouldn't go, and I didn't go. Glad I didn't go."

11. The kindness of a stranger

-When we have those moments where we couldn't get lower, pep talks from the ones we know and love don't always work. It seems that complete strangers sometimes get through to us better and quicker than family and friends. One person said "While walking my dog in the park, I encountered a crying teenaged girl. Trusting my instincts, I approached her and discovered she was feeling suicidal. We had a heartfelt conversation, and I provided support. Although I've moved away, we still keep in touch."

12. Job of dreams

-While this may not be a gut instinct, it's still powerful to know when to act on a bad feeling. One person said "I turned down a dream job with a significant salary increase in a different city based on my gut feeling. Two months later, the division was sold, and everyone in that department lost their jobs..."

13. A prime example of "Look both ways"

-Whenever you see no cars at the stop light and you have the right of way to use the crosswalk, it's always good to look around to make sure no cars are coming. There's always that off chance that someone is going to run the red light and hit someone, despite their having the right of way and being safely in the crosswalk. One person notes "I was waiting for at a traffic light crossing for the signal to say it's safe to go. When it did switch to green, I had a feeling not to move, so I didn't. After about 6 seconds of staring at the green pedestrian crossing light wondering to myself why I wasn't moving, a car ran the light." 

14. Big sister is here

-Kids near pools are the biggest fear for any parent. If they know their child can swim, that's one thing. But if the child is too young to learn how to swim (when is too young to learn how to swim?), then that's a whole near fear setting in. Nothing is scarier than a child drowning in a pool. One sibling notes "I was at a party when I was about 5, and I saw my little brother go into the pool area, my gut told me to follow him and he thought the cover was a step, he fell in the pool, I grabbed his arm and called for help and he still lives to this day."

15. Fateful Titanic Escape

-Everyone knows the story of the Titanic. It thought it had narrowly escaped an iceberg, but what wasn't realized is that while icebergs may seem small on top, their massive body is hidden underneath the water. Plus, with a fire occurring in the hull of the ship prior to it's maiden voyage, there was no time to fix the weakened steel because captains and crew wanted to sail on time. That weakened steel only helped the iceberg scrape the ship, sending it to its icy grave at the bottom of the Atlantic. One person's family was affected by it. Their great great grandmother had good instinct and stayed behind. "There's a family legend about my great great grandmother. She was 22 and her rich boyfriend got them tickets for the Titanic. She suspected he would propose on the ship. But one of her brother's friends had a bad feeling and convinced her not to go. She trusted him and stayed behind. Her boyfriend didn't make it, but she ended up marrying the friend who saved her."

16. Listen to the wife

-Two valuable lessons to always follow: never leave valuables in your car and listen to your wife. Sure, a wife can be wrong, but it's better to play it safe. It takes less effort to get your valuables out of the car than it does to argue with the one you promised you'd love and cherish until death do you part. One person noted "One night in college, my husband and I arrived home exhausted after a long day. He wanted to leave his backpack and computer in the car...But for some reason I urged him otherwise. the next morning his car had been broken into..."

17. Keep sharp eyes out

-It's always important to stay vigilant when in unfamiliar territory. A father was going to take his son to court with him to show him what dad did "at the office". But, with a sudden change in heart, that saved the child's life. "My dad had to attend court for a long-overdue payment issue at work. He planned to take me along to expose me to the adult world. But he had a sudden change of heart. As fate would have it, he got T-boned on the passenger side of the car. The car was completely wrecked, and I would have been seriously injured if I had been there."

18. Mom to the rescue!

-It's common thought that once a woman has kids, she becomes a superhero, a psychic / clairvoyant all in one. She can save lives, read minds and practically predict what's going to happen next before it even happens. It's a known fact that each year, over 350 children drown to death in pools, usually in backyards, where there is no supervision. One person noted "My mom's intuition pulled my brother out of a dangerous daycare. she left, but a nagging feeling prompted her to return. She arrived to find the daycare provider asleep while the children played unsupervised near a pool. She swiftly removed him from that daycare, preventing any potential harm."

19. Saved by the phone

-Phones can do a lot of good. They allow us to talk or text our loved ones. They allow us access to emergency personnel. They can also do a lot of bad, especially in the case of bullying. But in this instance, it did a lot of good. One person said "My dad, who usually dislikes my aunt, called her out of the blue one night. It turned out she was holding pills with plans to end her life. His instinct saved her, and now she's grateful to be alive..."

20. #misbehaviorforthewin

-Putting your child in the front seat is fine if they are old enough and tall enough. If they are too small and too young, it's the backseat for them! No ifs, no buts, no coconuts about it!! It's simply too dangerous for them to be in the front seat. Things can go wrong in a split second. One person noted "As a kid, I had a sudden urge to move from the front seat to the back seat while stopped at a red light. My mom scolded me...Moments later, another car crashed into the passenger side...Had I remained in the front seat, the outcome could have been fatal."

21. Intuition to the rescue

-Everyone has intuition or gut instincts. They are what keep us safe. That little voice in your head questioning whether something feels right or wrong. Also called your conscience. One person noted "I used to be a person who did things that are let's say...illegal. I learned to trust my gut feelings during these times. I almost rode with a friend once on the back of his bike...I had rode with him before, but this time I knew not to. I tried warning him, but he didn't listen to me. We found out the next day he had died of a head on collision with a tree."

22. Very creepy

-For those who are unaware, the BTK (Bind, Torture, Kill) Killer was a man named Dennis Rader. He terrorized the US from 1974-1991 with ten horrified victims left behind. Like most serial killers, he taunted the police and media as a way of saying they couldn't catch him. One person almost became his next victim. One person said "Mom was a realtor. Met up one day with a home inspector about a house. Both of us had this gut feeling that something seemed off about the guy. I would usually hang out inside/around the homes while my mom did her stuff. This time she had me stay in the car, doors unlocked, and her cellphone on. Found out a few weeks later that the home inspector was BTK

23. Superhero Moms

-Back to the very true concept of mothers having super powers. Mothers are not only superheroes, they are psychics / clairvoyants because they can predict what others are going to say / do before it happens. They are also doctors, fixing injuries and surgeons, fixing toys. Some families are close and talk constantly. Some go for a month or two without talking. One person said "My mom called me late one night after we hadn't spoken in about a month. We chatted for a few minutes before I told her I'd just taken a bunch of pills with the intent to kill myself just before she called. She phoned an ambulance and, you know, I'm still here."

24. Your gut instinct never leads you astray

-It's been said time and time again. Trust your gut. If you have a feeling that something is "off", "doesn't feel right" or you just have a "bad feeling" about something, it's probably accurate. Normally, one would stop and offer help to two people lying on the side of the road, thinking car trouble is the number one culprit. But the person who donated this story instead called the police. "I was driving and I saw a car in the middle of the road with two people lying on the ground. My gut feeling was that something is suspicious here and I decided to act on it by driving past it. I stop to call the police and I look in my rearview mirror to see the two people lying on the road stand up with five other people coming out of the bushes."

25. When offered this ride, just say no

-Women often have a strong sense of instinct called intuition. Women can sense when something is not right. When a man started off acting friendly and polite to her, her defenses went up. The important characteristic was revealed when he offered a ride to her young daughter. This made the mother's defenses go on full high alert. "Had a feeling that a guy I had met - was NOT OK. He was friendly and mannerly and interesting, BUT my gut told me there was something else...He had offered my daughter (age 11 or so) a ride somewhere and I told her NOT to take a ride with him. We found out he later killed his girlfriend and her mother."

26. Avoiding the unknown

-Our gut instinct / intuition can act as a silent, invisible guardian against unknown dangers, even though there's no evidence to support danger. It's always important to listen to your gut instinct; it hardly ever leads you astray. If something just feels "off" about a person or situation, it's probably safe to say it's not worth the risk. One woman found herself in a dilemma when her boyfriend became insistent upon attending a party at one individual's home. "I had a boyfriend who was a lot older than me, who was immature and drank a lot. We used to tour around these parties out of farms a long way from town etc. He kept asking me to go party at this one guy's place. I don't know why but my gut said no...Turned out the guy is a suspected serial killer who was active around that time."

27. Good luck on parking

-With apartment complexes, condo complexes, there are certain designated spots or stalls that the residents have to park in. They sometimes even have driveways to park in. Despite fatigue, people still listen to their conscience and gut instinct. One night, fatigued after delivering pizzas, one delivery driver listened to her gut. "Returning home after delivering pizzas late at night, a strong sense of unease compelled me to park in the driveway instead of the parking area. My husband questioned my decision, but I couldn't explain the feeling. The following morning, we discovered a fallen tree had demolished the car of the upstairs neighbor. If I had parked there, my car would have been damaged too."

28. Stranger Danger

-This is what parents usually say to refer to strangers. "Never talk to strangers" or "stranger danger", are two terms used to describe the concept of never talking to those you don't know. Some kids are easily fooled by strangers because these strangers know just how trusting and naive children are. They know candy and animals often attract a child's attention. One person said "At age 5 I was almost abducted by strangers at the park who had a bunch of toys on a blanket and tried to lure me into their motor home. I got a "tummy ache" when one of them tried to coax me by reaching for my arm to lead me away, and I screamed and ran like h--- back to my dad. Years later I found out those same people had abducted other kids who weren't so lucky."

29. Safety on the road

-A lot of people don't understand the concept of riding a motorcycle. There's nothing between you and the road should you crash. The only thing that is protected is your head provided you're wearing a helmet, which unfortunately, a lot of motorcycle riders often are not wearing. But then those who are riding a motorcycle say there's something exciting about the feeling of wind on your face or skin on the open road as you cruise down the road. And as long as you are operating the motorcycle safely or are with someone who knows how to operate a motorcycle safely, you and your companion will be good to go. One person noted "Was riding my motorcycle with a friend on the back. We were going down a country road behind a truck hauling a bunch of old car tires when all of a sudden I decided we shouldn't be there, so I slowed way down to let the truck go ahead of us. Just as I did one of the tires fell off the truck and landed right where we would have been."

30. Not much of a party

-It's been said that there are two types of people in this world: the trusting types and the suspicious types. The suspicious types tend to question when something feels "funny" and the trusting types don't question it at all. Unfortunately, the suspicious types are less likely to find trouble because they trusted their gut. Sometimes it pays off to be the trusting type because you can have fun while it also pays to be the suspicious type so you can avoid trouble. One person said "Had a friend who said we should go to this party. We ended up driving out to it, we noticed the neighborhood was not too pleasant. The house had some lights on in the backyard but kind of quiet for a party. I decided that we should not go since something felt really off. One of our classmates got robbed when they got there. It was a fake party."

31. It's important to stick together

-Sticking together when you're with multiple people is important. Even if it's only you and one other person, you must keep an eye out for each other. When you feel something is "off", trust your gut. One person noted "Was in Pennsylvania for Memorial Day weekend camping. Everyone wants to go to get a few things left out. I felt like something was off so I stayed back in my hammock. I was the only one who stayed, and a drunk driver ended up hitting the car all my friends were in."

32. Giving us the run around

-Relationships are hard to find and sometimes hard to maintain. It's you and another person. Two different personalities coming together and hopefully finding love in the chaos of getting to know each other better. Some people meet their perfect one, their "soulmate" in high school. Some meet their soulmate later on down the road. How do you know you've found THE ONE? Trust your gut. One person said "My ex-gf...I dated her while she was separated and going through a divorce (she had 2 kids, not mine). We broke up, she dated another guy, got married and pregnant within 6 months. They are now going through a divorce...while she is dating a new guy. Bullet dodged."

33. I wouldn't if I were you

-Your conscience is there to aid you in the right and wrong of life. If your conscience is telling you "I wouldn't if I were you", it's a good idea to trust your conscience and your gut instinct. This can also be used when travelling abroad to a place one has never been. Always trust your gut. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. It's easy to get lost because you don't know the area; it's always easier to ask the locals how to get somewhere so that at least you have a better chance of getting correct information. One person notes "Not me but when my mum was a teenager on 18th November 1987, she was going to London to visit a friend. She decided she was going to take a taxi instead of going by tube because it didn't feel right  (King's Cross tube station). Ten minutes later the whole station caught on fire and 30 out of the 40 people passed away."

34. Mind blowing

-Anyone who hears about a child with a gun automatically starts worrying. But, how do you know that that child doesn't know what he or she is doing? If they have a parent who teaches them responsible gun ownership, and teaches them how to assemble / disassemble a gun, clean it, load / unload it and teaches the child about the gun, inside and out, check for errors then that is more than incredible. That is responsible gun ownership. It's important to teach about gun safety around children. This also extends to putting guns in a locked safe or cabinet unloaded and keeping the ammunition separate from the guns. It's always good to follow your gut instinct about guns. If you feel something is not right, it's probably accurate; something is not right. One person noted, while at a gun range "At a gun range, I had a feeling something was wrong before firing another round from my dad's S&W 9mm. Upon inspection, I found a lodged round halfway down the barrel. Avoiding a potential explosion, I disassembled the gun..." Frankly, the father of this child had taught them well about responsible gun ownership. 12 years old is early enough to start learning how to use a gun responsibly

35. Moms know best

-Once again, the "moms have superpowers" concept. No matter how many times it's said, it's true! Mothers are superheroes, surgeons, psychics / clairvoyants all wrapped in one package. One mother's instincts helped save her family. One of those family members said "During a family trip to the South of Sri Lanka, my mother had a strong feeling not to go to the planned coastal destination. We changed our plans and later discovered that the hotel we initially booked was destroyed by the tsunami..."

36. Something seems off...

-When camping in the woods, it's always good and safe to go with your gut instinct. If it suddenly becomes dead quiet, that means there is a predator lurking in the vicinity. And sometimes blue sky and sunshine days can morph into tornado and thunderstorm black cloud and lightning days. Nature is unpredictable. But as long as you follow your gut instinct when something feels "off", then you'll be safe. "I was going to go camping in Western Maine. I was on a small mountain and the weather just felt off. I had just pitched my tent to but I had a feeling I wasn't going to enjoy the night so I packed up and went home. Next day I find out a tornado ripped through the area I was in. Next week I go out to find the path of destruction it left went right through where my campsite was."

37. Maternal instincts

-Prior to their babies being born, mothers know. Being a parent is a learn-as-you-go job. There is no book on perfect parenting. You go with what works, learn new methods and disregard and abandon what doesn't work. Mothers seem to know about their children before they're even born. One woman stated "The day I had my son. I was 34 weeks and was feeling great but something felt different. I ended up going to the ER and having an emergency C-section. I was told that if I hadn't listened to my gut, my son most likely wouldn't have survived and I probably wouldn't have either. But here we are, happy and healthy!"

-I can also provide an example from my life. My mother had a cousin named Tony who was a breech baby (baby in the opposite position of a normal baby; it's normally supposed to be head first, feet last. With breech babies it's feet first, head last.) Because of this, the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, cutting off vital oxygen to the brain and causing him to have cerebral palsy. Not bad enough to put him in a wheelchair, but bad enough that he has violent changes in mood and a slight speech impediment. My maternal grandmother warned my mother about being pregnant with my sister. She said that my mother should get checked for a breech baby. Sure enough, my sister was a breech baby. The doctor had managed to turn her around somehow, but my sister reversed and went back to the initial position.

-When it came time to give birth, my maternal grandmother insisted my mother have a C-section to save my sister's life. Luckily, my mother listened to both her mother and gut instinct. Because initially my mother didn't want another child. But she kept seeing all these religious commercials and looked up and said "OK, I get the message." My mom went through with the C-section and it ended up successful; turned out the umbilical cord would have wrapped around my sister's neck if my mother had given birth naturally and she would have had any number of conditions, including cerebral palsy. My grandmother told my mother that she had better have a C-section otherwise my sister would end up like my mother's cousin Tony. Today, my sister is a happy, healthy, goofy, country-music loving, squirrel and flamingo-loving person and is also engaged to a guy she met on Facebook through friends from high school

38. CraigsList can't be trusted

-This is not a trustworthy site. You can buy nearly anything on that site and I mean NEARLY ANYTHING! You can even get dates on that site. How weird?!? This is one platform often used for scams. Luckily, one person who went on CraigsList avoided a robbery. "After receiving an email from a potential buyer on CraigsList, offering $140 for a used bike I initially bought for $160, I was thrilled. But a strange feeling prompted me to Google his name, revealing a criminal history of home burglary and robbery. I obviously didn't go through with the sale."

39. Madness in the barbershop

-Most people regard a barbershop as a sort of meeting place to hang out and talk. Sounding like a mystery novel or movie, a man walking down the street has a sudden feeling of impending doom and decides to wait a bit before doing his errand. Not waiting would have resulted in his murder. "I walk walking to the barbershop, and for some reason, everything just felt off. Every step I took made me feel like something wasn't right, so I decided to go home. I saw police cars and ambulances driving to around where I was before, it turns out there was a murder. Now I always listen to my gut."

40. Pregnancy intuition

-It's been said, time and time again, that when a woman becomes a mother, whether during pregnancy or after childbirth, she develops psychic / clairvoyant powers, superheroes and her instincts are strengthened by 100x. She can sense when something isn't right, which is good because it could affect not only her health, but the health of the baby she's bringing into this world. One woman said she was so in touch with her child that she could sense danger before it even presented itself. "At 41 weeks pregnant, despite the doctor's reassurances, I insisted on an earlier appointment. It turns out my baby was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, but she was quickly released without critical harm. Luckily I listened to my instincts."

41. Kudos to you

-Stealing isn't right. If you're a religious person, you should know it's one of the Ten Commandments; "Thou shalt not steal". Those who do are going to answer for it later, whether you're caught or not. In this case, all a thief managed to get from a woman's purse was a pack of pills and a juice box. "I had a gut feeling I should pull my wallet and phone out of my purse. Not even 20 seconds later, I get mugged. The man dragged me across the sidewalk and stole my purse BUT all he ended up getting was a juice box and my birth control."

42. Superhero Moms

-There are tons of stories proving mothers are superheroes. It's really quite frightening how they can predict what their kids or spouses will say or do before it's even done. You almost find yourself dumbstruck, thinking "how did she know?" And the answer when you ask the question is "a mother always knows". One woman states "While picking up my son from school, I was compelled to engage in conversation with the receptionist. Little did I know that I would suddenly have a seizure and lose consciousness. Had I not stayed, I would have experienced a seizure while driving on the interstate with my son in the car..."

43. Trust your spouse

-Not only do mothers have good intuition, so do dads and husbands. And even boyfriends. So it's pretty much agreed that men and women have good senses of intuition. It's been said the longer a couple is together, the more compatible and "in sync" they are with each other, almost to the point of mind reading. It's easy to see why there are so many stories of husbands and wives saving each other from the brink of disaster. "Anticipating potential icy road conditions, I debated with my husband about the safest route to work. He warned me about the dangers of the express lane due to barriers and ice. I considered taking that route, but I changed my mind. It turned out there was a massive 150-car pileup with fatalities on the express road due to ice."

44. #managersforthewin

-We all like to stick it to authority every great now and again, but there are the times when management is right. One manager managed to have their employee's life saved by an argument over the cost of a Red Bull. "One ordinary work day, I planned to go to the dollar store for a Red Bull. My boss initially declined my offer to split the cost but suddenly changed his mind without explanation. Annoyed, I pushed the door open only to hear a shattering sound. An SUV had crashed into the store. My boss' irritating delay ended up saving my life."

45. An eerie silence

-This is never good. When it's too eerily silent, something just feels off. When you're out and about in nature, like camping, dead silence usually signals the approach or presence of some sort of predator. One person said "I was building a fort in the woods near my house as a kid. Got this eerie feeling that something was wrong so I packed my stuff and made my way home. Next day, on my way to school on the bus, my friend mentioned a cougar his family saw running across the road that was within a couple hundred feet of where I was."

46. Is it hot here or is it just me?

-Another case of your conscience ringing the bells of alarm. If you sit down somewhere and it's warm, look around. It's probably the stoop of a house that's been sitting in the sun for a while. Or, in the case of this person, sitting on an electrical box that was close to sparking and igniting, possibly taking the person with it in the fire due to start. "Sitting on an electrical box during a blackout, I noticed flickering electricity in my house. Realizing the box could be the source, I quickly stood up and moved away. Within seconds, it exploded, shooting a towering pillar of flame. I narrowly avoided a dangerous and potentially fatal situation."

47. Superhero brother

-Just like moms, siblings can also sense when something is off with their loved ones. The man who gave this story drove all the way home just to take his sister to the hospital. "While visiting friends in Phoenix, my boyfriend has a strong urge to leave. Without hesitation, I followed his lead. We drove straight to his parents' rural house in San Antonio. Just moments before our arrival, his sister had a severe accident, and we were there to assist."

48. Some fear is good

-Going on rollercoasters can be scary. You don't know what to expect. But once you're on, there's no going back until the ride is over. When over, your heart is racing and you want to immediately do it again because it was so much fun. The fact that these rides are often strongly inspected it s a good thing. No one wants to ride on a ride and have an important component come off. I've been line for two coasters at the local theme park, Kings Island, for two steel coasters called Diamondback and Banshee, and have been told those rides were shut down due to maintenance issues. While maintenance fixed the rides and declared the green light go on them, everyone was happy. One thing to always worry about is that lap bar coming off and you flying off. There have been stories about people getting injured and even killed on roller coasters over the years. That is why there are attendants nowadays who come by and check that everything is in good operational order. They make sure the over the shoulder braces and head supports are working on rides that will jerk you from side to side or doing pretzel loops, corkscrew turns or barrel rolls. They make sure the lap bar keeps you in the car on steel coasters or wood coasters. One person said their gut instinct proved right with rollercoasters. "Despite my fear of roller coasters, I rode one in the dark and surprisingly enjoyed it. When my friends wanted one final ride before closure, my gut feeling urged me not to join. I waited with the bags as they returned, pale-faced. During the ride, my friend's safety bar had risen up, causing a terrible accident. It was horrifying."

49. It's always good to trust your gut

-Your gut instinct is hardly ever wrong. Some people just take longer to realize something is off than others do. It's incredibly important to trust your gut instinct and intuition. One person said "My mother's intuition saved my grandfather's life we he had a stroke in their living room. While we were out walking, she decided to check on him, and I witnessed his critical condition. She called 911 twice, ensuring timely help. Over a decade later, he is still alive and well."

50. Somebody's watching me...

-Like that 80s song "Somebody's Watching Me" by that singer Rockwell, we all get that hair-raising-on-the-back-of-our-neck feeling that we're being watched. We all get that tingling feeling that someone or something is watching us from the shadows where we can't see them, but they can definitely see us. One person got that eerie feeling walking on a nature trail. "I was walking on a hiking trail, and got that being watched feeling. This was in the woods, no one was around. I turned around and walked back out to the trailhead and went home. On the news that night I saw a mountain lion had been hunting there and attempted to attack another hiker that day."

51. Some people just ooze bad vibes

-You can generally get a feeling about people from talking to them. Some people you feel you can trust after talking to them and getting a feel for them. Some people just give you bad vibes immediately. Some people you feel bad vibes just by looking at them. But the phrase to keep in mind here is "Don't judge a book by its cover". Sometimes the most well put together people can give off the worst vibes while the more run down or normal looking people have the best intentions. "I was learning violin when I was about 10. I got the weirdest feeling from the teacher even though he didn't do anything. After 4 lessons I told my parents that I had a terrible feeling about him and never wanted to go back. They listened and didn't make me go to him ever again. A few years later, he was arrested for molesting multiple students. I have no idea how I knew something was off."

52. Poor animal

-Whenever someone hears a story about animals and something bad happening, a lot of sympathy goes towards the animals. The animals are the victims in those cases. People bringing in exotic animals just to sell for cash. People bringing in dogs from other countries just to breed in puppy mills and selling for quick bucks because they're pure bred dogs. People bringing in exotic breeds of dog just to sell for quick money. You definitely feel your heartstrings getting yanked every time you see a story about this on the news. One person was incredibly angry that her dog had been left out in the cold by an inconsiderate, rude roommate. "I woke up from a deep sleep at like 2am during a winter storm, something wasn't right...I immediately went looking for my senior dog and couldn't find her anywhere in the house. My roommates had a tendency to let her out for a walk and forget about her, closing the door. I ran to the front of the house and found her laying on the welcome mat, she was hardly breathing and covered in snow...she had been outside alone for at the very least 5 hours. I moved out shortly after."

53. Final Destination

-This is the name of a series of movies where people try, unsuccessfully, to cheat Death, but Death eventually gets them in the end. In the case of this story, it was safer to get OUT of the car than stay in it on a narrow mountain pass. "While on a rainy road trip through mountains with my dad, I felt an unsettling sensation and urged him to leave the car for safety. Moments later, a massive boulder crushed our vehicle. Since then, "Final Destination" became my least favorite movie."

54. Risks with online dating

-This is incredibly true. With online dating, you don't know who you're talking to. People can lie and scam people. You think you might be talking to one person when it's really another. That's how child pedophiles can lure so many victims to them. Kids get online and get into chat rooms and think they are talking to another kid when it's really an adult. With online dating, it's good to go with your gut instinct. Sometimes the people you speak with are who they say they are and sometimes they're not. If your gut is telling you something is off about that person, trust the feelings. Your gut instinct will hardly ever be wrong. "After connecting with a guy in Instagram, I planned to meet him in my city. However, my gut feeling strongly warned me against it. Trusting my instincts, I canceled the meeting, which angered him. Later, I discovered he had attempted to kidnap a girl from his college campus."

55. Are guardian angels real?

-A lot of people don't believe in the concept of guardian angels. They think that it's a matter of good luck, coincidence, gut instinct or intuition and good reflexes that keep us out of trouble. Sometimes when something feels off, it's either out instincts coming to the rescue or someone looking out for you. "A few years ago, my brother and I were set to take a train on Saturday to visit our granduncle. But a weird feeling led me to book the tickets for Friday instead. We later discovered that the Saturday train we were supposed to take had crashed, resulting in fatalities and injuries. It was a very strange experience..."

56. A miracle patient

-Grandmothers are often one of the more special people on the planet. Some people are incredibly lucky and blessed to have grandmothers who love their grandkids and teach them various things while some have grandmothers who are not so nice. It's never too late to show them gratitude, despite only appreciating them when they leave. "After my father's funeral, I returned home and noticed my grandma acting strangely. Despite reassurances that she was just grieving, I trusted my instincts and called for a wellness check. It turned out she had dangerously low potassium levels. Always trust your instincts!"

Monday, November 21, 2022

The Fifth Avenue Story Society by Rachel Hauck

Recently released, this book is very good. I just finished this book last night before I went to bed.

Summary

-Five complete strangers- Coral Winthrop, John Wilder, Lexa Wilder, Ed Marshall and Charles "Chuck" Mays- all receive an invitation to the mysterious Fifth Avenue Story Society, which meets every Monday night in the Bower conference room. No one knows who sent out the invitations, but curiosity brings them together. They keep returning every Monday night and as time goes on, the five people start to develop feelings and trust in each other. They all are as different as can be imagined. They all come from different backgrounds, walks of life, each with their own problems. But, together in this society, they feel they can unwind and release their emotions and speak their minds freely.

-There's Coral Winthrop, the CEO of CCW Cosmetics, who's wondering why her company is failing and realizes there is someone embezzling money. Charles "Chuck" Mays is a divorcee with two kids trying to get custody of them. John Wilder is an assistant professor of English at NYU still reeling from the death of his brother and the revelation that one of his literary idols, Gordon Phipps Roth, is a fraud, that he claimed credit for stories written by a woman named Birdie Ainsworth. Lexa Wilder is an assistant at an up-and-coming fast food joint whose CEO, Zane Breas, is determined to keep her underemployed and his assistant forever. Finally, there's Ed Marshall, a 78 year old widower who works as the superintendent for the co-op he lives in. He's trying to write the greatest love story ever told- the story of his wife Esmerelda, aka Esmie and him, while trying to accept the fact that, in the end, Esmie had changed and thus, fallen out of love with him

Sari, Not Sari by Sonya Singh

This book, along with TJ Powar Has Something to Prove, had come out during Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month at the local library. I like it because it's interesting to read about the Indian culture in this book. It's really funny in some parts because of the characters in the book being open about their culture and speaking their mind. I laughed out loud a few times. Not only that, I work for a doctor's office where the majority of the doctors employed there are of this particularly interesting culture. I often hear them talking about holidays like Diwali, which is a big tradition in Indian culture. It celebrates Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of light and prosperity

Summary

-Manny Dogra is a CEO of a company called Breakup Inc. She helps couples manage breakups. She helps couples get the courage to go back out and try dating again or help manage the backlash of dating. She gives dating advice and helps make sure that there's no bad results of a breakup. One day, an assistant of hers tells her that there is a particularly annoying client in her office, waiting. This client, Sammy Patel, has been coming in, non stop, to ask for a favor. That favor being he needs a date for a cousin's wedding. And his idea of that "date" is Manny. Meanwhile, Manny is dealing with the backlash of a magazine showing her several shades fairer than her normal beautiful brown skin. Her assistant suggests going with Sammy to his cousin's wedding to ger her mind off the magazine. He also makes her a deal-if she goes with him to his cousin's wedding, he will teach her all about Indian culture, her heritage. He will teach her to properly wear a sari. He will teach her to dance Bollywood style. She finally relents and goes with him to the wedding and eventually, falls for Sammy. While at the wedding and its venue, she is doted on by constantly interfering but loving uncles and aunties

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Replay by Amy Daws

 This is a recent book written by American author Amy Daws, known for her London Lovers series and her other successful series The Harris Brothers. This book focuses on the Bethnal Green FC team lawyer and all around janitor of all things media blitzed and legal, Santino Rossi


Santino Rossi is a British-Italian lawyer for Bethnal Green FC. Managed by former legendary Manchester United player Vaughn Harris, this whole team is his life. Santino Rossi is known by the Bethnal Green team as the "two month chump", because of his inability to maintain a relationship for longer than two months. There is one woman he wants, but they parted on bad terms. They both have demons from their past the other doesn't know about.

Tilly Logan is the younger sister of Bethnal Green player Maclay "Mac" Logan, a hot-tempered, red-headed Scottish spitfire who requested a short term transfer to the Glasgow Rangers when his father was sick as a dying request. Now that he's back in London on Bethnal Green and expecting his first child with his wife Freya, Tilly offered to move in to help with the baby. She didn't think she would run into Santino as often as she does.

Once they start to get to know one another, everything comes out, including the dark secrets they kept from each other. Santino tells her that he is the product of a rape his mother experienced in Italy before moving to the UK. Her family moved to the UK to try and get her a fresh start. His mother told him and pushed him to be successful so he could be better than the man who helped conceive him. Tilly tells him that when she first moved to London because of her brother, she and her work friends had gone out drinking and one friend had given her a pill that knocked her out. When she came to, she was in a strange place with a strange man on top of her, raping her. She then became pregnant with this stranger's baby. She also battled with alcoholism as well. As they begin getting to know each other again, they start falling back in love and before long, they're engaged. Of course, Santino tells his story to Mac and he now understands his sister's boyfriend and also respects him more

Elsewhere, Vaughn Harris hands Santino a contract for a new player Bethnal Green is trying to obtain, an American player named Zander Williams. This player had asked to negotiate housing into his contract. While working late one night working on the contract, Santino receives a call from Jane Williams, Zander's mother. She gives him the truth about Zander-he is, in fact, Vaughn Harris' own son. She had a drunken fling with him after his first wife, Vilma died. She became pregnant and moved to the US, not telling Vaughn about the baby. She tells Santino that they had both gotten drunk one night and it, more or less, just happened. They had a fling. Ever since he received the news, Santino debates on whether or not to tell Vaughn that the player he is so bent on trying to obtain is his own son. Not believing one word, he goes to the apartment (flat in British English) that Zander is living at to have him sign the contract and become an official green and white-wearing Bethnal Green player. The mention of who this player's father is still runs in his head as he waits for the door to open. When it does, he sees the young man and reality hits Santino like a ton of bricks-this young man looks extremely and dangerously close to former Manchester United player Gareth Harris and also...Vaughn Harris.

Monday, December 30, 2019

Day 20-Things to Do Before You Die

Sort of like a bucket list
https://never3nding.tumblr.com/post/2660644142/tumblr-30-day-challenge

Meet someone famous
-I've already done this with Def Leppard. Me and my sister had meet-and-greet tickets to Def Leppard when they played here in Cincinnati, OH in May 2018. The photographer had to tell my sister to relax while I was standing next to Rick Savage, the bassist and trying not to blow a microchip. It was only when we were around the corner and out of earshot that we had our little freakouts about being near our favorite member of Def Leppard.
-I would love to meet Iron Maiden. I've seen countless interviews and they all seem like genuinely nice, down to earth guys with a lot of funny stories to tell. If you need evidence of this, watch Flight 666. I laughed at parts of that movie, such as when Adrian Smith is being interviewed in a t-shirt and towel around his waist and bare feet. Or when a crew member is being interviewed and in the background you see Bruce Dickinson in underwear and socks getting his stage clothes off a hanger. Plus, me and my sister both have favorites in the band. I like Dave Murray because I think he is still handsome and has a nice personality. My other favorite is Steve Harris because he's still handsome. My sister's single favorite is Dave Murray. She thinks he is so handsome for his age
-I wouldn't mind meeting Ritchie Blackmore. From this documentary I have seen and own on DVD about him, The Ritchie Blackmore Story, he does not seem arrogant as people have made him out to be. Opinionated? Yes. Demanding? Probably. He's probably demanding on himself, who knows. But he seems like a really sweet, nice, quiet guy who loves his privacy. I mean, imagine it. You're a musician in a really successful band. People are hounding you all the time. Yeah, you're going to want privacy. I read a book about him called Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore by Jerry Bloom. It's a good book, but the person who wrote it seems to make Ritchie out to be almost like a bully, pulling pranks on people but getting bent out of shape when they turn the tables on him. And if that is how he really is, then okay, fine. I still think he's a cool guy. Although it would do him some good to learn about the values of monogamy, learning to stay with the one you love and not cheat. He seems to have finally learned that with his current music partner Candice Night. Plus, I've been a pretty big Deep Purple fan since high school and it was only after reading Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore by Jerry Bloom that I discovered the band Rainbow and quickly became a fan of that band as well.
 

He looks very happy here. I'm happy for him.


Travel the world
-I want to travel to see various places in the world. I want my sister right there with me. We had our fights and troubles when we were younger. What siblings don't fight? But we seem to have grown closer over the years and it seems like we're best friends who do everything together-concerts, tattoos, special events and vacations. I would take my sister on vacation with me. I would love to take her to London with me because she is a massive punk rock fan and what better place for a lover of all things punk to go than London? I also want to take her with me to Australia to sightsee. If I can or if she wants to, either one of us could buy tickets to an AFL (Australian Football League) game, known as Aussie Rules football. She loves this incredibly violent sport known to some as "kill the man with the ball". Any places she wants to go, I'm sure she'll ask me just as I would ask her.


Fall in Love
-I wouldn't mind this. But I feel like my massive lack of self-confidence and self-esteem would push anyone away. Not only that, I have very massive trust issues and trust very few people. I have issues with opening up to people I don't know. I always try and find some common ground that me and the other person has in common, but if me and that person have nothing in common, why bother talking to them?

Go back to school
-I wouldn't mind going back to school if I knew something I was interested in and passionate about. My biological father drove all ideas and passions from my head. He told me and my sister that no matter how hard we worked toward something, it would never happen. Dreams are for suckers. That we would just be better off going the safe route and getting a regular job like everyone else and not bother with college. That we would never find a job in that market anyway. He also told us that if we couldn't do good in school, what good were we in college?

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Day 8-What You Like About the Opposite Sex

Considering I have never had a boyfriend or dated before, here goes nothing....
https://never3nding.tumblr.com/post/2660644142/tumblr-30-day-challenge

When it comes to relationships, I wouldn't mind meeting someone who actually has something in common with me. Like I said up above, I have never dated, so I am completely unsure what it is about the opposite sex I like. If it does come to relationships, I wouldn't mind someone who has something in common with me. Someone who makes me feel special as I would make them feel special. A romantic side would be good. A guy who likes doing romantic gestures as I would return the romantic gestures right back. Who says guys don't love a little return romance from the lady? Also, funny. I love to laugh. A guy who can make me laugh until I cry would be good. Someone to listen to, to be a shoulder to cry on as I would be for them would be cool too. And most importantly, someone who doesn't put me down, make fun of my flaws, belittle me, make me feel worthless.

Monday, September 30, 2019

The Hookup Handbook by Kendall Ryan

This is the other book by Kendall Ryan. It's a sort of sequel to Boyfriend for Hire.
Summary
-Case Smith runs an exclusive male escort agency. He just lost one of his best escorts, Nic, to marriage. And now Case has other things on his mind. He has just agreed to write a tell all handbook on how to handle sex and intimacy. But there's just one problem-Case has been having issues getting erections. The only cure for that is thinking about the young woman brought in to help him with the book, a woman named Sienna, whose older brother is also an escort for this agency. Soon, the two are falling in love while struggling with how to tell her older brother Ryder about their relationship.

Payback by Amy Daws (Harris Brothers Book 6)

This is another book in the famous Harris Brothers series by Amy Daws. Instead of the Harris Brothers, it focuses on their young cousin Alice "Allie" Harris, who lives in Chicago
Summary
-Alice "Allie" Harris deserves better. After finding her stepsister in bed with her boyfriend, Allie wants payback. Big time. She manages to have a one-night stand with a hot South African footballer named Roan DeWalt, who plays on Bethnal Green FC, the same team as her English-born cousins Camden and Tanner. When she records the video, as a way of getting payback at her boyfriend, her stepsister somehow gets ahold of the video and sends it viral. Because of this, her angry cousins Camden, Tanner, Booker and Gareth are ready to rip Roan limb from limb until they see how much he truly cares for their little cousin Allie.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Day 5-Something You Miss

This will be short
https://never3nding.tumblr.com/post/2660644142/tumblr-30-day-challenge

I miss my grandmother. My grandmother was named Rose Whetstein. She's my stepdad's mom. Even though I know she's our grandmother only through marriage, she was more of a grandmother to me and my sister than my biological father's mother was. My biological father's mother treated us horribly. My stepdad's mom Rose was goofy, but we loved her. She was a probably stereotypically devout Italian Catholic who started each day and ended each day with saying her prayers off heavily worn cards. She loved St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. Her backyard was a regular menagerie of animals. She had bumblebees from the various beautiful flowers planted, at least three or four dogs over the course of her life, one named Pooker who was a Collie-type dog, another named Pudgy who was a mutt, one named Bandit who was a Blue Tickhound-type dog and finally Abby, an Australian Shepherd-Collie mix. All had their own various personalities. Bandit thought he was human and ate as such. He ate before everyone else. When my stepdad was growing up, he said that his mother always fed the dogs first, claiming "they can't feed themselves!" And this extended over to the house she lived and died in, in Delhi Township, where me, my mom and stepdad and sister live. When Bandit first came home, we couldn't go over because Bandit didn't like kids. It was because this trio of kids across the street would torture him. When we showed Bandit how much we loved dogs, by giving him endless belly rubs and ear scratches, he began to trust us and starting using his cute doggy powers to win us over. It was sad, losing him to an infection. But, both me and my sister considered her more of a grandmother to us than our biological grandmother. Our grandmother Rose would always hint at food by saying or asking "Are you hungry?" "Did you eat yet?" My sister would laugh and say "Yeah, I'm hungry. What would you like?" But, all in all, me and my sister miss our grandmother

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Day 3-Your Definition of Love

I've never been the object of affection from the opposite sex nor have I ever had a boyfriend or gone out on a date. So for this one, I am truly unsure of what I could say
https://never3nding.tumblr.com/post/2660644142/tumblr-30-day-challenge

I suppose the only things I could say would be that my definition of love is finding someone who appreciates you for who you are. Someone who has at least one or two or more things in common. Someone who gets your way of thinking, makes you laugh until it hurts, is there for you when you are sad. Someone who can not only be your true love, but your best friend. Sometimes best friends up making the best relationships. My mom and stepdad are a great example. They started out as friends but then fell for each other and are going strong 13 years later.

I suppose that if love is truly meant for me, I wouldn't mind meeting someone who has something in common with me, makes me feel good about myself without having some sort of ulterior motive, someone I can make feel good about themselves, someone to laugh with, to cry with. Someone to be the rock of strength when I need it and for me to do the same in return.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Day 2- Ways to Get Into Your Heart

I've never been in love or been the subject of a crush. So, for this one, I am unsure. But I'll give it a shot

Also, I'm the kind of person who usually ends up keeping people at arm's length until I feel I can trust them. I trust no one unless I feel that person is legit. Over the years, I've had so much issue trusting people because when I do trust them, they let me down or they burn me and that makes me lose faith in humanity.
https://never3nding.tumblr.com/post/2660644142/tumblr-30-day-challenge

Dogs
-I love love love dogs!! Dogs are one surefire way to get to me. I want to spoil dogs rotten with love. I've always loved the big dogs, like Chocolate/Black/Labrador/Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Irish/Russian Wolfhounds, Irish Setters, Great Danes, Mastiffs, St. Bernard's, Australian Cattle Dogs, Australian Collies. As for little dogs, the only little dogs I love are Corgis, Pugs, English Bulldogs. If someone wants me to like them, they have to be passionate about their love of animals. They have to love animals and know how to treat them with love and respect. Anyone who hates animals or abuses them should stay off my radar!

And as a side point, I love dogs because you never know what they're thinking or are going to do. They can do some of the funniest things on the planet and they always know how to cheer you up. Not only that, they sometimes have the funniest expressions on their faces. Another side point: I know it's cliched that I am a girl and girls are suckers for dogs, but I just love their little furry faces. I just want to cuddle with them and comfort them during storms


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Concerts
-I'm a huge music nut. I am almost constantly listening to music. If someone wants me to like them, it's easy. Buy tickets to one of my favorite bands in concert.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Travelling
-I love to travel. I love the excitement of packing and knowing I'm going to a new place. I'm eager to see the sights, learn the history and meet new people.

Monday, October 29, 2018

Am I the only one who does this?

What I mean by this is when you read a book, and the character(s) get described physically, do you ever try and picture what they would look like in real life? It seems like whenever I read a book, I find myself trying to picture what the people would look like in real life. And sometimes the guys sound so good looking!!

Book 1-Camden Harris/Dr. Indie Porter

Book 2-Tanner Harris/Dr. Belle Ryan


Book 3-Booker Harris/Poppy McAdams

Book 4, Part I-Gareth Harris/Sloan Montgomery


Book 5, Part II-Gareth Harris/Sloan Montgomery
Right now, I'm re-reading The Harris Brothers series by Amy Daws. I just finished the first book, Challenge, which centered around one of the younger twin Harris brothers, Camden and his girlfriend, Dr. Indie Porter, a now sports medicine doctor. After finishing Endurance, which is book #2, centering on one of the twin Harris brothers, Tanner Harris and his foetal surgeon fiancée Belle Ryan and Keeper, book #3, centering on baby brother Booker Harris and his childhood friend Popy McAdams, I'm on book #4, Surrender, which centers around oldest brother Gareth Harris and his "friend" Sloan Montgomery. Here's who I think the characters would resemble. Some of the frequent characters that pop up in the series are:

-Dr. Indie Porter: former surgeon at Royal London Hospital. Fell in love with Camden Harris after getting assigned to his knee repair surgery. Fell in love in book 1, Challenge. She's described as having flaming red hair worn in a messy bun. She is nicknamed "Specs" by her boyfriend Camden or "Cam" as she calls him because of her affinity for odd-looking eyewear. She's also what some would call a spitfire, a fiery temper, but fiercely protective of those she loves and cares about

Bonnie Wright. Known for playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter series. If Dr. Indie Porter were a real person, I think she would bear some slight resemblance to this lady.
-Dr. Belle Ryan: former surgeon at Royal London Hospital. She is Indie's best friend. Not afraid to tell it how it is, even if it is blunt. She took on an internship to work with a high-risk neonatal surgeon named Elizabeth Miller, from the US. She falls for the second oldest Harris brother, Tanner, in book 2, Endurance, after seeing that he is not London's most slutty footballer as she originally thought. She sees that he does have a considerate side after helping a homeless man named Sedgwick secure employment at Tower Park, the stadium where Camden, Tanner and Booker, the younger Harris brother, play for Bethnal Green FC and securing him one week's stay in a posh London hotel. She is described as being a curvy brunette with a sharp tongue and no holds barred attitude on telling it how it is. She initially hated him and hated him even more when she had to pick up his naked body in the East End after getting kicked out of the flat of a girl he was seeing because he said that her sister gave better head than she did.
Lauren Harris. Hard rock singer. Oldest daughter of Iron Maiden bassist/founding member Steve Harris. If Dr. Belle Ryan were a real person, I like to think she would bear some very slight resemblance to Lauren Harris, except a little curvier and a little heavier
-Sloan Montgomery: she is an American clothing stylist. She helps people pick out clothes perfect for footballers. She makes her first appearance in book 4, Surrender. She is going through a messy divorce and coming through the mud with her is her daughter, Sophia. She almost swears off men until she starts falling for Gareth Harris, the oldest of the Harris brothers. She sees him only as one of the famed "Harris Brothers" of football and her main client. But she starts to fall for him because she sees him as someone who needs to unwind, someone who needs to release tension after being in control of everyone else for most of his life. Someone who needs to be loved after and cared for instead of the opposite way around. She also starts to fall for him physically because she describes his features as being "rogue", like a Roman gladiator, and she also laughs at his constant habit of wearing pants with no underwear underneath, which shocks her when she has to fit him for pants. She is described as being a thin, 30-something brunette with light brown, honey-colored eyes.
Keira Knightley. She is an actress best known for playing Elizabeth Swan in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. If Sloan Montgomery were a real person, I feel she would probably have a slight resemblance to her, both personality-wise and looks-wise and the fact that Sloan is American, not English
-Poppy McAdams: she is the childhood friend of the baby of the Harris family, Booker. They were in love at one point until Poppy went and studied abroad in Germany. When they were teens, they were in the habit of sneaking into each others' rooms just to sleep, just to have the comfort of knowing the other was there. She is also known for her wild, random imagination. One night, Poppy caught Booker getting handsy with a classmate named Sidney Carmichael, who turned out be a heavily promiscuous classmate. She has what some would call features typical for England-blonde hair and blue eyes, pretty nondescript. I wouldn't call it that, but some would [eyes rolling]. But she is described as having shortish blonde hair and blue eyes.
Mia Wasikowska. She is known for playing Alice in the new Alice in Wonderland series. I like to think that if Poppy McAdams were a real person, she would look slightly like this woman, except having blue eyes instead of brown.
The Harris Family
Vaughn Harris: He is the father of this massive brood of kids. He played as a star striker for Man U in the 1980s and when his wife Vilma, who was full blooded Swedish in England attending university, got sick with cancer, he tried every which way to help her. She succumbed to cancer and threw himself back into football to regain his sanity and keep himself occupied. That is now his main focus, with his four sons playing football. He is described as having an athletic build from playing football, short grey hair and brown eyes and very tall and imposing
Rod Smallwood. Manager of the band Iron Maiden. If Vaughn Harris were a real person, I think he'd resemble this gentleman slightly.
Camden Harris: Tanner Harris' twin, he's usually just as sex-nuts as his brother Tanner. But he does have a charming side, where he knows how a lady is to be treated. He is the third oldest Harris brother. He and Tanner are often the practical jokers in the family. He's described as having a little ink on his arm, shortish blonde hair, blue eyes from his mother's side of the family. He's also described as being well over the 6' height, more mid 6' height. He and his brother Tanner are always cracking jokes.
Charlie Hunnam. Best known for playing Jackson "Jax" Teller on Sons of Anarchy. If Camden Harris were a real person, I think he would slightly resemble this man
Tanner Harris: The perpetual troublemaker, the usual black sheep of the family, this one is always in trouble, usually for dipping his wick where it's not supposed to be. He's the one usually bringing about bad publicity towards the Harris family. He's always sleeping with one woman, sneaking out of the house/apartment of another, always seen with a different woman decorating his arm, leading these women to be called "Harris Ho's" by the London media. He is the second oldest Harris brother and also Camden Harris' twin brother. He's described as having blond hair that's long and is usually worn in a messy man bun, blue eyes and a closely trimmed goatee and beard with a ton of tattoos on both arms. The blonde features coming from his mother's side of the family and being at least 6'4'' or taller
Richie Faulkner. If Tanner Harris were a real person, I think he'd slightly resemble this guy
Booker Harris: The baby of the family, he is usually the more level-headed one, not applying the Bacon Sandwich rule to women and food. He is the one that Vi usually dotes after because when he lost his mother, she essentially helped raise him and her other siblings in addition to Gareth's help. He's described as having generally dark features from his father's side of the family, having shortish brown hair and brown eyes. He's usually clean cut with his short hair and face free of hair and very tall. He is described as being possessive, though. He doesn't like the thought of his friend Poppy looking at other men when his heart still rings for her.
Jamie Dornan. Known for playing mysterious billionaire industrialist Christian Grey in the erotic Fifty Shades of Grey series. If Booker Harris were real, I bet he would slightly resemble this man.
Gareth Harris: The oldest brother of the Harris brothers, he started out playing for Bethnal Green FC before signing a contract that would take him to Manchester United. He had taken a contract with Man U just to show up his father, to outdo him, when he was 21. He lives there, with his American girlfriend, Sloan Montgomery, a clothing stylist with a daughter named Sophia. He's described as having his father's features with shortish brown hair and hazel eyes. He's also said to have a little hair on his chest and slightly imperfect teeth, giving him a slightly rugged edge to him, according to his girlfriend, who describes his rugged looks as being that of a gladiator. He's also described as being between 6'-6'2''. Gareth often describes his brothers Tanner, Booker and Camden as apes. He often thinks of them as being a case study in how apes can function in modern society. He's reclusive, keeping to himself in Manchester, only coming to London for Sunday Harris dinners, which is a tradition initiated by his sister Vi.
Bruce Dickinson. Vocalist for Iron Maiden. If Gareth Harris were a real person, I think he would slightly resemble this man. And if Gareth Harris was a real person, Man U would be my new favorite team, lol ;) ;)!
Vilma "Vi" Harris: The most senior the Harris siblings, she essentially rules the roost with an iron fist. She is the destroyer of fights between the siblings, the shoulder to cry on, the ear to listen. But in the first book, Challenge, she finds out that her and her fiancée Hayden are expecting their first child, a girl. She is the one who usually ends fights, which usually involve Camden and Tanner start with a rule that Vi initiated for those two as kids called the Bacon Sandwich rule. This means that if someone licked the food, no one else can have it. They've also applied that rule to women, which gets them labeled as pigs most of the time. Tall, curvy and blonde, she takes after her mother's side, with her blonde hair and icy blue eyes.
Kate Winslet. If Vi Harris was a real person, I think she'd slightly resemble Kate Winslet, both looks-wise and personality-wise.
The characters listed above appear at one point in one or all of the below-mentioned books. The only reason I have pictures up there and not down here is it's been said too much of something can be a bad thing. I only listed who's in the books below so that you can read them and try to figure out for yourself who you think that they would look like in real life. They might appear different to you in your mind, who knows. Everyone who reads these books might have a different idea of who they would resemble in real life.

Challenge (Harris Brothers series Book 1)
Camden
Indie

Endurance (Harris Brothers series Book 2)
Tanner
Belle

Keeper (Harris Brothers series Book 3)
Poppy
Booker

Surrender (Harris Brothers series Book 4, part 1. These last two books are part 1 and part 2. So they both concern Gareth and Sloan)
Gareth
Sloan

Dominate (Harris Brothers series Book 5, part 2)
Gareth
Sloan