Porkchop

There's a story about Rob that I love. He woke up one morning (in his early 20s, I'm guessing) and realized it was the day of the Boston Marathon, and decided to run it. No practice, no registration, no get-ready of any kind ... off he goes to the start of the marathon, starts running, runs for something like 20 miles, walks for the last six miles, smiles and goes out for a beer. I love the guy for doing this. Can anyone verify this story?

A thrift shop near me has a policy of not charging for coats. The owner says that if you need a coat, you shouldn't have to pay for it. I think she's wonderful and I support the store with everything I have to pass on. There are actually no prices on anything ... customers are asked to make a donation of whatever amount they choose. Years ago, I found a man's Burberry coat in my adult son's size and wanted to pay for it, but she held firm to not charging for a coat, so I had to say I'd like to make a donation toward the rent, which she was willing to accept.

OMG, I am so embarrassed for Darcy in that tacky wedding dress!

My ex-husband (of whom I was very fond, but couldn't live with) and I had our DNA done in about 2005. He died in 2011. About 2015, my daughter got a phone call, informing her that she had a half sister! So far this has been a pleasant surprise ... it seems my husband fathered a daughter when he was 16 and the girl was 15. He was never aware of the pregnancy. The girl named another boy as the father, and he proved that he wasn't. No one else was suggested, and the daughter grew up with a big family but no father. I have not been very involved with the new half-sister, (she lives far away) but it appears that both girls (ha, they are 66 and 54 years old!) are enjoying knowing each other. I think she has appreciated having pictures of her father and some items that he created and marked with his name. My mother never knew her father, and I had hopes (still ...) that I might find out something about that story through DNA.

In my small town, the street numbers tell how far down the street your house is. This helps the fire department/police department get quickly to any address. My house numbered 335 is about 5/8 of a mile from the beginning of the street, with 305 on my right and 350 on my left.

About ten years ago, I was camping with friends in a yurt in a state park when I met a woman from Canada who was camping in a regular work van. She opened the back door and I saw that she had a twin bed and some bureaus in there! My reaction was: You can DO THAT? By the time winter came, I had outfitted my minivan with a twin bed mattress on top of 12 storage boxes, and a set of square baskets that fit beside the bed, one for books, one for food, one for techie stuff. I joined a social club for travelers that had chapters all across the country, and away I went! I spent two seasons camping in my minivan, then drove a small RV for a couple of years, then sold it and traveled with a friend for a few seasons. Now I have a permanent trailer in an RV park in the south and I still have my home in the north. If you're interested in knowing more about people living in vehicles, check out vandwellers on Facebook or Yahoo groups. Look at cheaprvliving.com where Bob Wells gathers all the information you will ever need. Most of the people I have met along the way have been vandwelling for the adventure, not out of necessity. It certainly has been fun for me.

I hate the Idol Nullifier. Finding an idol has always meant safety for the finder or an ally of the finder at one tribal. To change that to Safety If No One Overrules You is unfair. I also dislike the firemaking challenge. It's not a fair way to go from four to three. Go back to the original way, voting by the tribe.

The Idol Nullifier is a mean trick. For years, finding an idol was a blessing ... now that is iffy. Just knowing Dean had the nullifier has ruined the recent episodes for me. I really hope the next season is wonderful, because I think my enthusiasm for Survivor is waning.

Recently when I had a UTI, the doctor gave me a prescription, but I then asked about the pill that relieves the symptoms. He then gave me another prescription. At the pharmacy, the pharmacist told me that the relief-only-not-a-cure pills are available over the counter. I am so glad to have these in my medicine chest and travel bag! Less than $5 at Walmart.

On a lighter note, I searched for this info about Boston Rob, which explains why my heart belongs to him: In 2000, he woke up the day of the Boston Marathon and decided to run it as an unofficial entry with absolutely no training. He stopped along the way to eat burgers and drink beer. He ended up walking the last 13 miles of the race and finished in 6 hours and 20 minutes. He couldn't walk for three days afterwards. What a guy!

I googled Love Me documentary and found it. Fascinating and sad.

Keith continues to try to be a gentleman, while Iris tries to tempt the gentleman with fake hair and a tight dress. Greg and Deonna are adorable and in it for the long haul. Matt and what's-her-name are dreadful ... he is so uncaring it's hard to believe he's an actual human, and she continues to reach out for a thread of caring, which Matt does not care to supply. Elizabeth and Jamie are probably hopeless ... stay tuned, because it will surely make headlines when next the shit hits the fan.

LookeyLoo ... I hope there's hope! Sometimes things turn out better than you dared hope.

If I was in a relationship with Iris (unlikely since I'm an elderly straight woman), I would have been mentally bailing out after the lemonade incident. Perhaps I would already be concerned about the two sinks arrangement and the no-outside clothing on the bed deal, but the lemonade incident would have convinced me that I could not have a life-long loving relationship with this person. She embarrassed Keith and his friends about a $3 bottle of lemonade! At the same time, I could think she was attractive, admire other things about her, and want the best for her. No matter what Keith did, he would be criticized here because that's what we do! I think he did the best he could with the strange situation he had to deal with. Given Iris's quite calm reaction, I think he may have been honest with her before they went before the cameras.

Segueing off the makeup discussion, does anyone else have problems with easy bruising/thin skin on their arms? One night last week, just turning over in bed sloughed off three patches of skin on my left arm. It looks like I battled a wildcat or worse. It has gotten worse in the last year, but I persist in believing that there is an antidote. Recently I was told to put banana peels on the bruises .... that didn't help. I just bought a dozen arm protectors in different colors, but I would rather find a way to heal up than hide the problem.

Dear Gobsmackedi: I love you! Never leave me! Porkloin

I was surprised to find out, after a recent urinary tract infection, that the pill that relieves the symptoms (but does not cure the problem), is available over the counter. I knew about the relief pill and asked the doctor to prescribe it, as well as an antibiotic to treat the UTI, but at the pharmacy, I was told I could buy a less expensive version over the counter. In Walmart, it's in the area with Depends and such. It's called Equate Urinary Pain Relief. I hadn't had a UTI in many years, but I'm glad to have this pill on hand.

If you Google vandwellers or living in a van, or check out www.cheaprvliving.com, you'll see lots of people are living in vans or cars in order to travel, or to save money, or to have an adventure, or to annoy their parents.

I would like to thank the person who first said Bith Phtew! It never fails to make me laugh. I love it. You done good!

Well shoot, I am hooked! I am not going to watch the Mothers show, and I'm not going to watch (I hope!) the Family Chantal, but this Marrying Millions show has me hooked! Americans behaving foolishly. I love it. I hope I'm not alone here! Well, with Kiki I'll have good company.

I have some friends ... a nice couple with twins who remind me of Drucilla. The parents seem blind to the fact that they need to take the reins and have some control over the children. I read recently about some reviews of good new books about parenting, and I was going to send them one, but I can't remember where I where I read about them. I'm hoping someone has a nudge for me!

Here's an Australian TV interview with a woman who was a maid at Neverland, who cleaned Michael's bedroom ...

I'm skipping all entries that include the names Pedro or Chantal! Aaarrgh! And now you tell me they are going to have their own show? That's the worst news ever.

Is there any way to watch this if I don't have HBO? Go visit a friend, I guess.

Adam Lambert is amazing! What a beautiful voice, what a beautiful man! I have just watched all the Adam videos posted above with a big grin on my face. I'm so glad he and Queen found each other! Each year I tune in to American Idol expecting/hoping to see someone with talent to equal Adam's, and every year I'm disappointed. It's fun to see young singers get a chance at stardom, but not many of them seem to be stars to me.