Diana Ross and the Supremes

I love Diana Ross and I had a major bucket list moment this past weekend when I got to see her live in concert. My first exposure to Diana Ross and the Supremes was through the television show Designing Women. I used to watch it with my mother when I would get home from school. In the episode "The Rowdy Girls" the ladies perform Ain't No Mountain High Enough at a charity talent show. It remains my favorite Supremes song to date. (Love Child is a very close second though)

Diana Ross is truly a living legend. She broke barriers and made it possible for Destiny's Child, Beyonce, TLC, Rihanna and many other to achieve success. If you still aren't sold, here are some fact to prove her place in history:

The Supremes are still the most successful female vocal group of all time with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 Cart.

Their album The Supremes A' Go Go was the first album by an all female group to reach number one in the US. (it also knocked the Beatles out of the top spot when it did so)

Guiness Book of World Records declared Diana Ross the most successful female musician in history with a total of 70 hit singles.

She is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

She has two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame. One for the Supremes and one as a solo artist.

Summer Shopping Tips

A guide for what to look for when you're shopping for your warm weather wardrobe.

Buy= An emerging trend that you should keep an eye on
Keep= A trend that isn't new but still has some it's staying power
Store= It used to be cool but now it just been to be boxed up in a storage unit. 

Final Tips:

Cargo vs Non Cargo shorts? Both are completely acceptable. Go with which ever you feel more comfortable in. 

Tank Tops should be kept snug to show of your body. Also remember the thicker the tank top strap the broader your shoulders have to be to maintain the correct proportion.

You're going to see a lot of jean cut-offs and cuffed denim capris at stores this summer. They are a different beast from jorts because of cut and fit. Proceed with caution. Like tanks, they should never be baggy. These are best left to the sassiest of trendsetters.

Joe's Spank Me Time

Ditching Cable: Part 1

It been about 3 weeks since I officially got ride of cable television and became part of the growing trend toward online entertainment. I'm not going to bore you with the reasons why and how because there have been plenty of better article written on the subject by much better writers. However I did want to give you an honest glimpse into what life has been like since I cut the cord.

 What I've learned so far:

Netflix is donkey shit.
Netflix has blazed the trail in the internet television conversion with their growing catalog of streaming content. The key word there is growing... as in not matured and full yet. I've had Netflix in the past and my subscription always ends the same way. After a couple weeks I've watched everything I wanted to watch and feel no need to continue paying $8 a month. It's been several years since the last time I was a member and I assumed they had beefed up their streaming content especially since that is the clear path of the future. Does anyone actually still get DVDs in the mail from them? I searched for older television sitcoms figuring that would be an obvious successful hit. I looked for The Golden Girls: No. Designing Women: No. Murphy Brown: No. Absolutely Fabulous: No. After watching almost every episode of 30 Rock and Arrested Development and discovering that not even Will & Grace was available for streaming I gave up. I haven't logged onto Netfllix since week one. If Hulu or some other company would get their act together, Netflix is the easiest competitor to beat.

GO HBO GO!
Thanks to a shared password, I've been able to log onto HBO GO and watch their streaming content. This has been a much better option for replacing daily television watching. First I watched the final two episodes of J'aime before diving face first into Girls. I won't go into too much about my feelings toward Lena Dunham and Girls because it's worthy of it's own post but I can say that it has kept me entertained. I'm in the middle of season two and once I'm totally caught up I'll start on Game of Thrones. My advice to HBO, start letting people sign up for HBO GO independently of their cable subscription because I'd have no problem paying $10 a month.

Wendy Williams saved the day.
The Wendy Williams Show is probably my number one favorite show. It was one of the ones I was most worried about missing until I discovered there are episodes on Youtube. She is one of a growing number of shows that are voluntarily putting full episodes online. Rupaul's Drag Race also provides full episodes on Logotv.com. Both ladies have made the transition much easier. Now if Bravo and E! would get moving and put full episodes of Fashion Queens and Fashion Police online my life would be complete.

I miss commercial breaks.
This was the biggest surprise. Watching commercial free streaming content all day is nice but it also makes me feel like I'm cut off from society in a weird way. Not seeing what new movies are coming out or what the lead news stories are is a small detail I still miss. I laugh to myself thinking that the country could be getting bombed and I wouldn't know because I was too busy watching Lena Dunham in another ugly jumper. Obviously it's not an insurmountable problem but an it's an adjustment all the same.

As you probably noticed, I titled this post Part 1 because I realized I am still very early into a much longer process. (The earliest I will get cable back is probably October 2014) I still consider this my cable detox period complete with withdrawal symptoms. I am going to try and provide on going updates as the months go by and my outlook shifts.

Bromance

Straight guys, specifically the bro sub culture, fascinate me. My only interaction with straight men is at work where everything is professional and their bro-ness is kept in check. Rarely do I have to opportunity to witness them in their natural habitat... until recently.

To be clear, when I say fascinate I mean purely in a curious anthropological outsider-looking-in sort of way. I don't mean lusting after and trying to trick straight men into sex like that one friend in every group.

This all started when I was searching for something new to listen to at work. Bored with the same music I started getting into podcasts on SoundCloud. My first introduction to SoundCloud was through the Cracked podcast put out weekly by Cracked.com. They bring up interesting observations that have inspired a couple of my own posts. I enjoyed listening while at work because it kept my mind distracted enough to ignore the clock and let time pass. Unfortunately the last couple episodes haven't been all that riveting so I did a blind search for something new. The very first one I stumbled upon was Lust for Life which is run by a New York City based comedian and subjects range from a porn star with Crohn's disease to a former day trader who lead a life similar to the Wolf of Wall Street. The host, Maddog Mattern, is a funny mafia type bro that talks with an accent like he should've been an extra on the Soprano's. From his show I continued my rabbit's hole decent into the straight world. That's how I stumbled on the TFM podcast. TFM standing for Total Frat Move. It's literally a podcast run by former frat guy J Train who gives advice to new and current frat guys on how to get drunk and fuck girls. Side note: "J Train" and "Maddog" could there by anything more bro cliche? Despite all the chauvinistic macho bullshit I can't help but love both shows. They're funny and charming and I can't stop laughing. The last several days at work have flown by so quickly as I listen to one episode after another as I do my work.

I love listening to these shows because there is absolutely nothing gay about them. They don't have gay speakers and they don't talk about gay topics. Sometimes it's nice to step outside of your own bubble and get a glimpse of how other people live. I'm as pro homo as they come but even I can sometimes get sick of the ranting and whining about gay rights and offensive media portrayals. Gay people can notoriously get stuck in their own gay bubble. (myself included) So it's nice to get a totally different point of view. The men are never offensive or disrespectful toward homosexuality. It just isn't part of their everyday lives much in the same way that fraternity life isn't a part of my everyday life. I feels like they are having very real conversations that girls and gay dudes usually aren't privy too. Their goals are simple. They just want to laugh with their buddies, drink beer, and get easy sex without commitment. Come to think of it, maybe they're more like gay dudes then I first thought. I guess it proves that whether it's a pussy or a hairy ass they're fucking, deep down guys are guys. One of my favorite lines is J Train saying he wants a tank top that says "This dick ain't gonna suck itself" written across the back. I would buy that tank top.

Follow them on Twitter:
@maddogmattern from Lust for Life  
@JTrain56 from the FTM






also visit RowdyGentleman.com for hilarious tees and beer koozies.




P.S. With my bro time satisfied, I'm going to go and get caught up on RuPaul's Drag Race :) 

23 Tips That Will Make Your Life Better

1. Watch the show Too Cute (Kittens or Puppies) on Animal Planet

2. Take care of your skin.

3. Tell the most important person in your life how you feel about them even if they already know.

4. Eat more vegetables

5. Unfriend that person who always says things like "Relax, I just like giving you a hard time."  They're just an asshole.

6. Pay extra for quality bed pillows.

7. Keep a distinct separation between your work life and your personal life.

8. Drink plenty of water.

9. Avoid flying through Chicago between October and April. Better yet, avoid layovers in Chicago all together.

10. Watch Bobs Burgers.

11. If you're depressed about missing Coachella remember you don't enjoy doing drugs in 95 degree heat while standing for 10 hours.

12. Wear sneakers that stand out.

13. Get ride of all the stuff you don't need by cleaning out your garage and closets. Donate, sell, or throw it away.

14. Spend more time outside (Patios count)

15. Floss regularly.

16. Work on your poker face. Your face doesn't need to reveal that your thinking "Are you drunk or just stupid?"

17. Give young crazy cubs a break. Trust me, you weren't any better at that age. 

18. Craziness past middle age is as permanent as your first tattoo.

19. Learn how to cook at least one really good meal.

20. Don't take your job for granted. In most cases they can replace you faster then you can replace them. 

21. A charming personality is just as attractive as large biceps.

22. Don't confuse chemistry with intimacy.

23. Make it a point to see both the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.

Joe's Spank Me Time

Random Thoughts

Maybe this is well known by everyone but me but did you know that, for the most part, Elton John didn't write the lyrics to the majority of his songs?! That blows my mind. I've never been a huge fan of John's personality but I always respected his musical talent and achievements. With this new information I feel like I need to re-evaluate my whole opinion.

Financial advise from someone who is broke: You might find yourself in a situation where you can't pay all of your bills. If you have to skip/miss a payment try and choose a utility bill because they do not impact your credit score. Payments for electricity, cable, heat, and oil can all be late without long lasting consequences beyond late fees.


I cancelled by cable yesterday. I needed to cut costs and I've been considering it for a while. I deeply love watching television so it's going to be a BIG adjustment. Luckily I can watch Drag Race and the Wendy Williams show online. Now if E Fashion Police would join in and put full episodes online everything would be perfect. Yes those are the my top three favorite shows. (I don't want to live in a world without Wendy Williams) More to come on this topic as time goes on.

I was talking to a couple of friends the other day and found myself in a very unique situation. As we talked it occurred to me that I was the only person there in a relationship. I was the classic Carrie single girl amongst a sea of married friends for so many years that it's a refreshing change to be on the other side. I don't write about my relationship very often because it's the area of my life that I'm the happiest in and most people don't want to read a sappy article about mushy love stuff. I'm consistently amazed at what a good pair we are together.

During that same conversation I also got a solid piece of wisdom that I wanted to share. While we were talking about past mistakes, a friend pointed out how easy it is to confuse strong sexual chemistry with true intimacy. How many of us have been guilty of that in the past?! It was a truth bomb and I was Pearl Harbor.

Add Oklahoma to the list! I keep a running list of all the states I've been to and will take any opportunity to add a new one to said list. In talking to my boyfriend, I discovered that I'm in the minority on this practice. Regardless, I finally crossed the boarder and Oklahoma has been conquered. (We took Russ' parents to see Frankie Valli) There's a small possibility that Louisiana also be added later this year if I decide to go to Decadence.

I have to give another plug for the Vitamin String Quartet. The LA based group is a bunch of classical musician's who cover well know pop songs. For example they have a whole album devoted to Lady Gaga covers. BANANAS! (said in the voice of Rachel Zoe) VSQ doing Bad Romance is my favorite. Then I looked them up on Spotify and found out they have an even bigger catalog to choose from. Definitely worth checking out. #Trimblewouldbeproud


I now own www.thegaygasp.com. More to come on that in the very distant future.


P.S. Before the angry comments start: I'm not saying Elton never wrote lyrics, I'm just saying it wasn't his 'thing.'