This Accessory Is Not Supported

I recently purchased a new iPhone 5S with an upgrade I had from my wireless provider. I got the 32G too, because I'm damn tired of it telling me that my storage is full. In any case, I love my new phone SO MUCH...that I am ridiculously protective of my week-old device. My smart phone, like most people's, is my life line. It is constantly near me, on my person or in my bag and the separation anxiety I feel when I don't have it borders on dramatic. The pictures and videos I take on it chronicle my life day to day. I've even been known to be talking on my phone whilst furiously looking around for my telephone, only to realized that I am, indeed, talking on my telephone. It's the best mini-PC/tablet on the planet. Period.

So imagine my dismay when I woke up this am to find my new phone plugged into a rogue charger.

Horror and shock, are the two words that come to mind. I immediately went to that "Who Did This?" place in my head until I realized that someone was actually doing me a favor. They couldn't have know that the charger "cross breeding" would offend me. How could they? I keep my original charging device safely enclosed in my purse so that I know where it is at all times. So that the charger thieves that reside in my house can now fight over the other, more common chargers that are left around the kitchen counter. So that I could keep the purest form of my iPhone 5S in near factory condition without the corruption of a black market, miscreant charger.

When I saw the above message on my virginal device this morning I had to accept the truth.

My iPhone 5S is now like the rest of them. Corrupted and flawed, it's eminency has been diminished. It's a shame really, but I decided that my iPhone 5S and I will press on. We will make a new life for ourselves and persevere. I understand that these knock-off chargers are infiltrating society today at breakneck speed. My own home had been tainted. I also understand that only in a dire battery situation, would I even consider the consequences of going over the the dark side of phone charging. Instead I will  try to minimize our exposure to such threats the best I can.

I can't support a accessory that won't support me. I don't even have to like it.

Just Plain Awkward

Evidently pink is the new black...

Oh my..I'm not entirely sure what to say here. Not sure at all.

Janice and her brother always had a "special" bond.

These crazy kids...Love is TRULY blind....

The tire? The belly? The loving stare? Makes you just feel warm all over. Don't it?

Denny never lived down his mullet hair cut from the eighties...

To each his own, I always say. Everyone has the right to "style" their own Senior picture photo shoot.

Athletic, outdoorsy and daring are the best adjectives to describe the Lynch family.

Again, I'm not sure how to describe this family. 

And this is just weird...plain and simple.

It's A Mad, Mad, World

I was just thinking about this Jerry Springer world we live in. Maybe Jerry had it right when at the end of each episode he gave his Final Thought on the madness of human nature. Jerry certainly made plenty of money on other people's madness, so I guess his Final Thought was his chance to try to explain away bad behavior.

Case in point: Solange, Beyonce and Jay-Z in the elevator. If you haven't seen it the video, leaked to TMZ, you can find it here. Personally I feel that this was a horrifying breach of privacy on every front. In the name of proper journalism, I share the link, but I don't really endorse it. Like Kelly Ripa said this morning, "Good Lord, that is our house every Thanksgiving." Yes. Almost all of us can admit to one or several moments of craziness like the elevator incident and it lucky for us that we don't have to have it play out in the national media.

Families fight. It's a fact and now we know that celebrity families fight. Celebrities are just like us, except they can be assured that their privacy is not guaranteed and that would seem to be a double edged sword. What about the insane fall out from the Donald Sterling debacle? While it's true that the man is more certain than not a racist, the taped conversation (coincidentally leaked to TMZ also) while unbelievable- is almost unfair because he was supposedly taped without his knowledge. On the contrary, the comments he made to Anderson Cooper of CNN in response to the public outcry tell us quite a bit about Mr. Sterling the person, and that day he had full knowledge that he was being taped. The Cooper incident confirms his small mindedness and unapologetic manner, but his ignorance does not make it OK to lure someone into a potentially damaging situation for personal gain.

Yet the fallout leaves us fascinated. We wonder why Solange went all "Jean-Claude Van Damme" on Jay-Z and it's precisely that which sells magazines, gets us web site hits and keeps us coming back for more. Fair or not, the tapes are out there and they are real and nothing can change that. Why should we even have privacy laws when they can do nothing to protect someone from the likes of a TMZ.com? The fact that TMZ will pay handsomely for video, audio or any other incredible display of bad behavior puts all of us in jeopardy. Even everyday people who have no celebrity can fall victim to the world seeing them, warts and all, on an "America's Funniest Home Videos", YouTube or Vine. The possibility of going viral today is all too real.

It's truly a mad mad world....and try as I might I can't explain it away. I guess it's just my Final Though on that subject.

I Blame It On Duck Dynasty

Have we, as Bostonian's and members of Red Sox Nation stumbled onto a new phenomenon? It's perplexing to say the least and kinda....

Sexy? 

Suddenly Carny Couture is here in Beantown and it's taken storm of the entire city. "Fear The Beard" can be heard as a resounding rally cry of fans alike and costume stores are joyously stocking up on novelty beards for the Fenway Faithful. But what I'm talking about today is different. Make no mistake there is nothing sexy about a person sporting a fake beard at a baseball game, but a playoff beard, a real burly man beard is another matter entirely. 

The tradition in professional sports of not shaving, thereby producing a playoff beard,  is certainly not something that the Red Sox can lay claim to. It's a time honored tradition/superstition amongst athletes and men everywhere. This year, the beard of Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli has inspired a facial fashion craze. Napoli has not shaved since Spring Training in March and has what one could call an enviable set of whiskers that could put him at the dinner table comfortably with Sy and the boys. And now my boys are getting into the groove.

My Guy, who is the most clean cut conservative man I know, answered my inquiry into his uncharacteristic five o'clock shadow with, "I'm not shaving until we win the World Series." But the funny thing was not that this was such a departure for him, the fascinating thing was that he was serious about it. My BFF and I texting during last nights game. She texted me:

"ps- Big said if the Red Sox win WS he will grow a beard!!! 10 years together and I've been trying to get him to grow a stache"

Facial hair beware! The Bearded Lady I'll never be, but if these residual beards will help us bring home another World Championship, then I'll live in what's beginning to resemble Duck Dynasty, Louisiana.

After all, the Duck Boats are gearing up for the Victory Parade. 

Overheard at Fenway Paahk Last Night.....

Sorry for the f-bomb. 

I Am Boston

The Daily Dandy is back up!
Due to a password error, Google locked me out of my account.

And of all days???

Things here in Massachusetts today are best described as "intense".
I awoke to police warning residents of a community no more than 10 miles from my home, to "stay indoors". I posted on Facebook at 10;30 this am:

""The Commonwealth watches and waits" We are literally witnessing the largest police operation in the state's history in real time. I am unable to walk away from my TV , not quite sure if life should go on as usual just outside my front door. The threat so real, the communities are under lock down no more than 10 miles around me."


Today we are all Boston.

• My high school and college friends continue to text. 
• My family, we have been keeping tight grip on each other. 
• My blogger friends reach out via Facebook to make sure I am ok.

Today I am Boston:

• I am the mother of a daughter named Crystal: 29 year old Krystle Campbell.
• I am a Boston University graduate student; class of 2000: Lu Lingzi age 23, BU graduate student.
• I am the the mother of a young man who was once an 8 year old boy: Martin Richard of Dorchester.

May their innocent souls rest in peace.

At 2:07 pm, April 19th, 2013,I sit in my store and I wait, watch and listen to the TV news. Unable to do anything to help.

Just a witness to a bizarre piece of history.

Changing Course

I've got to change course and talk about something else....

So forgive me, but I thought I'd change it up quite a bit. Today I want to talk about the newest beauty craze-
Tit-tooing.

You heard me right, TIT-TOOING, and it's all the rage. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't read about it for myself. Now "tittooing" is nothing like the picture above. No, this latest beauty craze comes out of the UK and it's not about pictures on boobs."Tittooing" is about  the tattooing on or around the nipple to darken the areola or re-shape the nipple. And get this: some people think their nipples are too pink.?

"A lot of people want their nipples made darker. It’s the fashion," says Gail Proudman, a clinician who performs the procedure. "Some people think theirs are too pink or their boyfriends want them done. I think sometimes they are doing it because they are conscious of them being pale and they think it’s fashionable to have dark nipples."

Since when did nipples become "fashionable"?

The entire procedure takes about two hours to perform and touch ups are needed every 12-18 months to avoid fading. Prices have been quoted at 1,200 British Pounds for a full set, which according to today's calculations is about $1827.60 USD. A real bargain.

I have to wonder how safe it all is?

I guess it all comes down to the youth in our culture being obsessed with perfection. I'm all for doing a safe procedure if you can afford it and it makes you feel good. But the last time I checked, unless your job description listed "porn star" a woman's nipples were kept mostly under wraps. Or bras. Or shirts for that matter. I'm not sure what this says about the direction of the youth of our world.

One thing's for sure, I'd file this one under titty torture.

From The Mouth's Of Babes

It all started innocent enough.

One night last May, Frick and her friends were sitting around my kitchen island chatting. Frack's old buddy from her Girl Authority days had come to see her in the school play that night and we were reminiscing about old times together. We were laughing and chatting and she uttered the words that have continued to haunt me since that night. She said,

"I love coming here. It still has the same warm feeling. Nothing has changed since we were kids. Even the bowl with the fake fruit is the same."

I realize, that in actuality, this was a huge compliment because she was saying that coming to my house gave her a good, comfortable feeling and her message was not lost on me. Still, I couldn't help but look around and think that she was right. In the 12 years that I have lived in my house, my kitchen remains unchanged. A year later, those words innocently offered up as a compliment continue to nip away at me.

My kitchen is not too far off from the one pictured above. As a matter of fact, it's pretty damn close, beside the obvious layout differences. Nonetheless, same cabinets, hardware, countertops and hardwood floor. When I step back and look at it, I realize that it is still very modern, still very unique but I'm not listing my home for sale. I'm living in it for everyday life. She was right, nothing has changed in a decade.

So what am I to do?

My first go to change would be to paint the walls. Obvious choice, but will it give me the change I so desire? I'm not so sure. Next would be to buy new furniture. A new kitchen table and new island stools would be sure to give it a jolt back to life, but I somehow feel like it would be an imposter, just masking the modern, sleek way it used to be. I'm thinking if I'm going to make change, it's got to be complete and that means new stone counters or new cabinets. Is that crazy?

What is the expiration date on kitchen couture?

Either way, it's going to be a challenge and an expense. The easy thing to do would be to start with the walls and then go from there.

But something tells me this isn't going to be a $$imple $$olution.

Loose Lips Sink Ships?

So have you heard about this?



Apparently Australian billionaire Clive Palmer thinks he's "king of the world"!

He's going to build an exact replica of the doomed Titanic ship and set sail from England to New York in 2016. Titanic II will be built at a Chinese ship yard and will be powered by diesel rather than the original ship's coal. The plans for Titanic II have been approved by a historic research team and like the first boat, it will have 840 rooms and nine decks.

Mr. Palmer estimates that the Titanic II will be built as closely to the original as possible, but that it will have state of the art engineering. The main changes will be below the water line for better maneuverability.

  "Titanic II will be the ultimate in comfort and luxury with on-board gymnasiums and swimming pools, libraries, high class restaurants and luxury cabins," he said.


Of course Mr Palmer was asked whether the ship could sink.

"Of course it will sink if you put a hole in it." He added: "It will be designed as a modern ship with all the technology to ensure that doesn't happen. But, of course, if you are superstitious like you are, you never know what could happen.''

No thanks. I think I'll stay on dry land and watch.

Speechless

Lil Poopy Got Some Gangsta Swagga

Meet Lil Poopy. A nine year old from Brockton, MA, his Lil story is all over the morning papers.

Seems this nine year old rapping prodigy created quite a stir on youtube a few months back, singing about being a "coke boy". Seems Lil Poopy raps about being a "cocaine cowboy", Gucci, Louis Vuitton and other nine year-old staples like guns and "hoes".

Lil Poopy was discovered by rapper French Montana, and claims to be his mentor. Poopy is one of his Coke Boyz posse, and is on his  label, Cocaine City Records.  So was he the one who taught him to slap the buxom bottoms of women and flash large wads of cash with his bling bling? Cuz whoever did that is in big trouble today.

Brockton Police put their "pimp hand" down when they flagged the family to the MA Department of Children and Families with a child abuse claim. Lil Poopy's dad, Luie Rivera of Brockton is under investigation for neglect and abuse. And get this, the guy thinks that "there aint nuthin wrong with what he's doin". Daddy told the Boston Herald last night. "Hip-hop is like the WWE- it's all fake," Rivera said. "Back in the beginning what you were rapping about you were really doing. Now it's all an act."

An act that turns out is a dangerous play date. As the Boston Herald's Margery Eagan brilliantly points out this morning, "Lil Poopy calls himself a "cocaine coyboy". How long until he asks to sample the product?"
Indeed. It's inevitable.

Good thing Johnny Law is on the case. At least there's a slight chance they may save this kid.

I doubt it, though. The money and the fame and the drugs are all too real.......in this fake act.

Black Friday Boob

Did you hear the story about this guy?

I thought I'd heard it all, but this one really hit home. Trouble here is, I can't quite figure out who is the bigger boob. Him, for leaving his girlfriend's two year old toddler in his car at 1:30 am while he went into KMart score a 51 inch TV on Black Friday, or us for buying into all of this Black Friday madness.

No doubt, Anthony Perry is a boob to the highest degree. He claims he will live with the guilt for the rest of his life which I find interesting considering he reportedly fled the scene after purchasing the TV and saw the police cruisers and ambulance outside his car. (authorities later found him at home with his TV) But aren't we, society and the consumer public boobs too?

We buy into all this Black Friday madness and create this climate by simply engaging in shopping at midnight on Thanksgiving. Hey, I'm not saying I'm any better. As a retailer myself, I knew I had to make some sort of Black Friday offering to my customers or "live with the guilt for the rest of my life". Business is business and retailers need to stay competitive. I get that. I would be lying if I said that I wouldn't want my own Black Friday offering to create a stampede in my store. But do we/I have to create a dangerous frenzy while engaging our customers in some rewarding retail therapy?

I think not.

Look, there will always be a few bad apples that spoil it for the rest of us. This is a fact. But let's try to keep the sanctity of Thanksgiving by letting Black Friday be Black Friday. On Black Friday. Not Small business Saturday or Cyber Monday. Or whatever the emails I kept getting the week before announcing Black Friday deals the week before Black Friday. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

I guess we are all boobs and like I always say:
Boobs are just like drinks:
One is not enough and three is too many.