laylalex

LOL, 29 is a way back now. Next year is a big one and I am... ambivalent? Birthday activities this year involved on the day itself some cake after dinner (vanilla with very slightly sweetened whipped cream frosting and layers of lemon curd, topped with fresh berries and blackcurrants), and a delayed present will be a promised romantic getaway in York Harbor, ME at the beginning of July when we're in New England and New York for a family wedding and related festivities afterwards. Alex says the getaway is very much a gift for himself too, as he will be in close proximity to many of my family members for nearly 2 weeks, which is more than any man should be forced to endure, especially when he's going to be made to wear a tuxedo at some point against his will. Last night was drinks and bites with some of my closest girlfriends -- the bar was BYO food, so we had a picnic of sorts, with charcuterie, crackers, bread, sandwiches, olives, etc. Tomorrow night is a blowout meal with my mister, and on Sunday morning we are going to hope against hope that our football team is not relegated to the Championship.

Thanks! I decided to drop in for my birthday treat. Wait, I don't get a treat on my birthday??

I read this article last week and also sided with the manufacturers on this one. I have noticed some changes in tampons, I always assumed it was greater absorbency leading to a smaller product. That's fine -- I just want a product to do the job it promises. And even people who think they're "like clockwork" sometimes... are not. We're imperfect chroniclers of our own conditions at times, and I tend to think people shouting on TikTok are likely to be especially imperfect! And as for the woman who hadn't seen a tampon for several months because of a miscarriage, I can say that in my own experience, my cycles were messed up after my own miscarriage. It took me a solid five months until I was back to "normal."

I think the Ani/Gross Kyle relationship is fraudacity -- and I rarely say that about 90 Day (I want to believe!). I bet she wanted him as a donor, they were friendly enough with each other online, and then he thought: hang on, I bet we can make some money if we pretend this is something more... I do not think these people will kiss or make out during the series, though I am about 50-50 on the donation (NOT through "natural" means). She is disgusted by him, and for good reason. Touching his bits CONSTANTLY is foul. Same take on Shawn and Alliya. It's really sad -- I think these are probably good people, both of them, who were in love (or near enough) but no longer in the same dynamic. It doesn't matter if Shawn is bisexual and used to be married to a woman, he wants to be in a relationship with a man, a man named Douglas. The age difference gives me the ick, but hey, we're all on VJ, we've seen stuff. If I have to hear the word threesome one more time... I think that Madelein is the one in that relationship that is LESS delulu!!!

Was it an International Bridge ceremony like the ones mentioned in this thread?

Loren and Alex are so boring! I mean, it's GOOD they're boring, because it means they have normal problems and are actually in a functional relationship. Let's face it, we don't watch these shows to see nice people like us having nice, normal, cross-border relationships. We are here for chaos! Watch Love in Paradise, it's totally unhinged. This week's was even worse than last week somehow when it comes to Kyle the Sperminator. He thoroughly embarrassed his lovely girlfriend with what was one of the worst dates ever. He showed up in the same clothes he arrived in (unwashed), after exercising, to a nice restaurant. He then proceeded to slurp his food and bring the plates right up to his mouth, and said everyone knows only Europeans care about etiquette. Americans are from the new world, and we have new ways, and we don't care about any of it. Ani, his GF, was APPALLED. He also calls her "good girl" like she's a dog performing a trick well. RUN AWAY, ANI!!!! On a TLC/Discovery related note, MILF Manor is back for season 2. I managed 2 eps of season 1 before I had to bow out. But... I can be tempted to watch an episode.

Of course I am! Have you seen any of the chatter about Kyle the Sperminator?? It's..... wild. Poor Anika. Also Luke and his teenage dream/cash drain Madelein; Shawn (who seems very sweet) and Aliyah (also sweet) dealing with something VERY heavy; and we still have yet to meet "he wants a threesome" couple Alex and Adriano.

She's gorgeous! 🥰 That's a creature that doesn't need any sunblock (unlike me).

As one of the 90 Day podcasts I listen to puts it about Nicole, "something happened on the way to heaven." As in, there is something very dark in her past, above and beyond the bizarre relationship she's in. Mahmoud is not the greatest human being, and a terrible husband, but at the same time she is actively trying to make him miserable, as if in payback for how traumatized she was in Egypt. (And if you watch that season, she looks like she's in shock half the time.) Her home is full of items seemingly calculated to rile him up, like pictures of naked women with luxurious downstairs hair, and Hieronymus Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights" as a shower curtain. (I actually kind of want that too, but all of my bathroom showers have doors, lol.) And then she wears clothing that is cropped -- but only slightly -- or has a small amount of exposed skin, knowing that Mahmoud will lose his mind. Yes, he needs to get used to her wearing clothing he doesn't approve of, but she is being needlessly provocative. TL:dr -- they both suck.

Makeup/hair is fun stuff about being a lady. Experimenting with your appearance on a temporary basis, getting to play around with color and lines on your very own body is cool. Then you get to erase it and try on a new persona, just for a while. Other lady stuff isn't always fun, but I'll take beauty any day.

I actually have the old version of the Amika brush, which does not have the red beam tech. So I can't report first hand, sadly. The description says:

I find Olaplex just takes too long and the results are usually disappointing. I have gotten something close to "glass" hair even with all the frizz with a combo of Dae Signature shampoo, Elvive 8 Second Wonder Water, Elizavecca treatment, and Oribe Gold Lust hair oil. Blow completely dry with my Dyson, and then finish with the Amika Polished Perfection straightening brush. Sounds complicated I'm sure to the menfolk but it really isn't!

On a colleague's recommendation, I bought a tube of this the other month -- she said it was better than Olaplex No. 3 as a hair treatment: https://elizavecca.us/elizavecca-milky-piggy-cer-100-collagen-ceramide-coating-protein-treatment/ She wasn't lying! My hair is silkier and shinier than ever, with almost NO frizz (yes!) and the effects last me through 3 or 4 washes so I usually only use a dollop twice a month. It's also more than half the price of Olaplex. Be aware that it has pig collagen in the ingredients list, in case that's a no go for you for religious/ethical/health reasons.

It's an educated guess. 🤓

Better than nylabones. 😊

I used dried Colman's last night, making a rub for the tri-tip I roasted. I mixed equal parts good quality flour (I like King Arthur) and Colman's, then pat it all over the roast, really working it into the flap of fat on top. Some salt and pepper, and roast it in a cast iron skillet on top of a large onion, cut in half. Afterwards, the onion makes for excellent gravy right there in the skillet. It was sensational (as always). I am a big fan of wholegrain mustard, but I also like a good Dijon.

Bristol Farms, usually, sometimes Gelson's. Not crazy about the selection at Whole Foods, tbh. Speaking of Whole Foods, I went to the one near my office the other day to get prepared horseradish and they had only one kind! Bananas, since even my local Vons has 6 or 7 different varieties. We ate it anyway, even though what I really wanted was the super hot one, the kind that temporarily makes your vision go dark when you take slightly too big of a bite.

Count me in as another ketchup hater. 🤮 Too sweet and it masks the flavor of the food. I agree with Dashinka -- mustard is a superior condiment. With french fries, I prefer mayo or aioli. We have had husband training school here over the past few years, and I have to say he has really improved. He 100% used to do things like smear greasy stuff all over the counters with a paper towel, because he honestly didn't know better. There was always some woman (mother, wife, cleaner) taking care of things for him, and when he didn't have one of those he kind of just... lived in semi-squalor? (I do not like thinking about the "divorce flat" he was living in before he and I were in a relationship.) But now while he still doesn't see how the sink is dirty where I do, he's pretty decent about keeping the kitchen counters and the cooktop clean. I did have to point out how filthy his bathroom vanity was the other day (I was hoping he'd notice) but I will give him his due -- he grabbed a roll of paper towels and the bathroom spray and took care of it with no moaning. Why? Because he's an adult and because he wants to keep his wife happy. I still can't fathom how the ketchup challenge qualifies as news.

Those women need sunblock! Everyone needs sunblock, honestly.

NO!!! I've been a repeat customer for more years than I can remember -- through 2 husbands even! Awful awful awful. I just got my last delivery from them a few weeks ago....

I do use AdBlocker+, but I leave it off on VJ even though the ads are super annoying because the site needs to pay for itself somehow! Mostly I don't mind the ads (currently this page is showing me a relatively new Lexus for sale) but I always wonder how so many dating ads get on here. I'm laughing because I was complaining about it back a few years ago when some ads for Ashley Madison showed up on here, and I was like: huh?

These are EVERYWHERE on this site for me at the moment: I don't mean the Newport Fun Tours...

Happy New Year! We're being homebodies tonight -- he is getting over a cold, so we passed on a party. We're making black eyed peas and collard greens to eat at midnight for good luck, and right now we are drinking this: https://www.pressthenpress.com/products/eric-bordelet-corme Really interesting -- I'd never heard of Corme before. Kind of funky and very aromatic. We're following up with some Sea Smoke sparkling wine and leftover Christmas crackers when we get closer to the midnight hour.

I got a beautiful photography/art book with the photos of Lillian Bassman, who was a fashion photographer for Harper's Bazaar in the 40's and 50's, and worked beyond there. Absolutely gorgeous. I also got a big bottle of a perfume called Escapade Gourmande, which according to my husband makes me smell like dessert, and therefore in danger of being devoured as such around him and his sweet tooth. He received a wool Pendleton blanket long enough to cover his toes, a wool commando sweater, a popcorn machine (which he mentioned ages ago he wanted) and a crystal pipette for his whisky, which is a silly thing but apparently it hit the mark.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twiglets Much nicer than small twigs.