My Life in the Bars I Have Known and Loved

I have been known to enjoy the occasional drinky-winky.

And I particularly enjoy it in a bar.

I have always been fascinated by bars and bar culture.  My parents were both teetotalers and did not approve of people going to bars.  My father once said he couldn't think of anything more boring and wasteful.  I guess that's why bars have always intrigued me so.

So parents use that as a reminder that anything you disdain, your kids will probably want to do. 

The iconic bar, of course, is "Cheers," "...where everyone knows your name." 

And that is probably one of the main reasons people congregate in bars.  Why else get out of your robe and bunny slippers and head off to a public place to spend way more for drinks than they cost at home?

Because we humans need to rub elbows with each other from time to time or bend the ear of the friendly bartender who acts as part therapist and part best friend.

The British pub culture is a perfect example of this.

British pubs are cozy, woody, lots of architectural details.  They make you want to hang out there. You can shut out the world and stop time.  And whether you live in London or a village, your neighbors will be there.

I love checking out a bar.  I do the same thing with restrooms, too, but I will save that for another post.


So what makes a great bar?

• It must have literally "a good bar."  That means a nice long one preferably with a lovely countertop and a place to hang your purse because I like to sit up at the bar. 
• I like there to be many bottles lined up in a pleasing manner. 
• The bartender must be friendly and it doesn't hurt if he or she is nice looking
• A nice bathroom helps
• Nice tables for those who don't like to sit at the bar
• No windows (or if there are windows, a great view).  The no windows part helps to shut out the world and keep you drinking!
• No TV - now this is controversial.  Hubby would not agree but if you really want to have a conversation, a TV set to a sports channel is not conducive to conversation
• Good food.  Well, at least some nuts.  Something.

And that is my most important point about bars.

If you want to focus on your partner, your friends, your kids (if they are of drinking age), there is no better place than a good bar.  Some of the best conversations I have had with my adult children were in a bar.  The booze flows and so does the conversation and revelations!

It all started when I became of drinking age while in college (well it started a bit before that with a fake ID but I am not going to go into that because my mother might be watching me from wherever she ended up).

My first bar was The Handlebar, a dive bar with a table shuffleboard court...you know, one of those long wooden game tables with little pucks you would shove down the length of it and try to be the one whose pucks went the farthest?  

The bar was dark and funky, but the best part, it was the closest bar to my college.  After a night of slaving away studying, it was fun to grab my roommate and head down to the Handlebar to meet up with friends and have a beer (or two or three). I met one of my husbands there! Beer was my drink of choice then, which could probably explain why I gained 20 pounds my senior year in college.  I have fond memories of that little bar, but I don't think it's around anymore.

That was 1969-70 and I had yet to develop a sophisticated view of bars.

After college I moved to San Francisco and though there were many bars in my life then, I can't remember them.

The 70's were a blur.  Remember what they say:  If you remember the 60's you weren't there.  And, my friends, the 60's as we have come to know that era - hippies, pot, revolution - didn't really start until about 1967 and lasted until the late 70's.

From the mid-70's to the mid-80's, I was busy going to library school, starting my career and having children, so I didn't really have the time nor the inclination to do a lot of bar hopping.

But in the mid-80's, I was derailed a bit by an unexpected divorce, so going to bars seemed the right thing to do.

I was living in the Monterey Bay Area (CA) at the time and met my soon-to-be Hubby, a meet-cute story I have told in detail in my blog post "Hubby."  (If you haven't read it, you should, it's a good story)!

Hubby had a huge gaggle of friends.  So many, in fact, that they used to call themselves "Rent a Crowd," because they could gather a party-loving crowd together at the drop of a hat.  His friends became my friends.

Sly McFlys, down on Cannery Row, was the watering hole of choice for Hubby and his friends. 

No matter when we would go there, all of our friends would be there.  We knew the bartenders, so that was a nice perk. One of the friends was an attorney and was in there so much, his clients would call him there.  Again it was a funky kind of bar but it was dark and smoky (we could smoke in bars then), but it had a nice long bar and good music. Beer was still my drink of choice, though I was developing a taste for wine. I can't say much about the restroom except there was a lot of activity in there, if you know what I mean.  It was the 80's, after all.  Today it's more of a family-type sports bar with lots of live music.

Hubby and I got married, we had a child together so now we had a family, Hubby was working on his career, the kids had activities we participated in so the partying fell away to a certain extent and no new bars came into my life.

But then the kids left, we moved to Seattle and a whole new era began.

The main thing that happened was my taste in bars and my taste in drinks.  No more dive bars.  No more funky. No more beer.  It's time to upgrade!  I liked the posh hotel bars.

Seattle is a big city and there are tons of bars to recommend it.

We worked our way through many of them.  It was a fun way to get to know the city.  We would go for a long walk in a neighborhood and then treat ourselves to a drink and a nosh.  We particularly liked hotel bars and there are two that have
passed the test of time.

Oliver's in the Mayflower Hotel in downtown Seattle is a lovely room with gorgeous high windows and great cocktails. 

It has a long bar that looks out those windows onto all of the City's activities. Great for people-watching.  And it doesn't hurt that there is a huge Macy's right across the street. I like one of their signature cocktails, "The Silver Bell," a lovely drink topped off with some champagne.  My taste in drinks has decidedly changed. The bartenders are always friendly and you get peanuts with your drink. We have stayed in the hotel several times to celebrate Valentine's Day and have been known to close the place down.  That's how friendly the bartenders are!

The Six/Seven bar in the Edgewater Hotel is about as iconic Seattle as you can get.

If you are lucky enough to snag a table by the window, you are literally sitting on the water with cruise ships and ferries going by. And The Edgewater Hotel is the home of some famous rock star shenanigans:  The Beatles fishing from their room and the Led Zeppelin "mudshark incident."

As we traveled, we had some happy moments in some great bars.

Victoria, B.C. is one of my favorite places and we never leave there without a stop at the Bengal Lounge in the Empress Hotel.  The hotel is impressive enough but the lounge evokes England's empire with its ceiling fans and curry buffet and sitting in its plush chairs enjoying a fancy drink with waiters in full waiter regalia doing their wait thing, life is good!

Farther afield, when traveling in Europe, we have enjoyed some great bars, bartenders and other travelers.  Having a drink in your hotel bar in another country is an easy way to strike up a conversation with your fellow travelers, share some travel tips and possibly makes some new friends.

One of the nicest hotels we have stayed in was the Grand Hotel Casselbergh in Bruges (Belgium). 

And the bartender was handsome, friendly, and fun and we met some other Americans there.  We all met there after a busy (and rainy) day of sightseeing. 

 

It was a welcome respite after touring the frites museum and sampling the local beer!

Another high point in my bar-loving life was The George pub in London. 

 

It was right around the corner from where were staying in North London and we just happened upon it. 

The food was delicious so we ate there two nights in a row and one night we were eating late and the bar was closing (many close at 10:30pm).  We had engaged both the bartender and the waitress (who turned out to also be the bar manager) in conversation, and when I told her being in their pub was just like being in the Queen Vic from "Eastenders," she got a kick out of that and let us stay after hours with them.  We got to talk with them as they cleaned up and closed the bar. 

For those of you not familiar with "Eastenders," it's a British soap opera that I have been watching since it first started in the 80's.  Much of the story takes place in an East End pub called the Queen Victoria, so it was a wonderful experience to be included in the real life workings of a real life pub.  All of the staff lived above the pub, something that is quite common there. That is one of those special travel memories that I savor.


Finally, I have to talk about our "local."  In British pub culture, everyone has a "Local," that bar where you always go to have a drink and meet with friends.



Ours is Daphne's in Edmonds (WA), a tiny little hole in the wall that only seats about 15 people.

The big draw is Desmond, the bartender.  He is there Tuesday-Friday holding court with his admirers.  And he has many.  He is a welcoming, funny and exuberant host.  His cheese plate is a thing to behold and order a Moscow Mule so you can witness "the slapping of the mint!"

And there's no TV.  Just Frank Sinatra singing classic songs.

It can be hot, crowded and we might not be able to find a seat.  It doesn't fit all of my criteria for a great bar.

So why do we go there?

Because Desmond makes sure that everybody knows our name!

Tell me about your favorite bars!

I was inspired to write this blog post by a charming little book I reviewed back in December "Of All the Gin Joints" that gives the history of bars, restaurants and hotels in Los Angeles and the drinks they inspired.  Highly recommended.

 

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

 

"Spy" 

and

 

The Week in Reviews

 

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

and the latest on

My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer

"Magic Mike XXL" and The Week in Reviews

[I review the new movie "Magic Mile XXL" and some DVDs worth seeking out: "The Calling" and "Eden (aka "The Abduction of Eden.") Two books this week: "Bossypants" by Tina Fey and "Yes Please" by Amy Poehler.   I also bring you up to date on "My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project:" with the wonderful film "Tsotsi."] 

It's been a good week!



Magic Mike XXL

 

It's been three years since Mike (Channing Tatum) has been a "male entertainer" and dropped out of the Tampa Kings, but now those who are left have come knocking and want Mike to do it one more time.

 

The plot is slight.  Mike is lured back into dancing after a three year hiatus trying to make it in the "straight" world.  But you don't go to movies like this for the plot.  You go for the beefcake.  And there is LOTS of it.  I could look at Channing Tatum's biceps all day long. 

Mike has left the Tampa Kings to start his own construction/design business, but when he gets a call from Tarzan (Kevin Nash), one of his ex-stripper pals, that Dallas (Matthew McConaughey) "is gone," he goes to meet the boys thinking he is attending a wake. Turns out, Dallas has indeed gone but overseas to start his own franchise.  Tarzan just implied Dallas' death to get Mike to meet him and the boys (In addition to Tarzan, Big Dick (Joe Mangianella), Tito (Adam Rodriguez), Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias), and Ken (Matt Bomer) are all back).

They are all on their way to a stripper convention in Myrtle Beach in a froyo truck driven by Tobias, who is now going to be their M.C. since Dallas is no longer with them.  They want Mike to join them for one last hurrah.  Mike initially says no, but you know how these things are.  He can't resist that "one last time."

En route, a car accident derails Tobias so they visit Rome (Jada Pinkett Smith), one of Mike's old flames, who is making a ton of money with a club for women where women can have their fill of "male entertainers."  Mike wants Rome to be their M.C. at the convention but she says no.  But you know how these things are.  She can't resist...

For an inexplicable reason they head to a friend's house, whose mother is Andie McDowell, who plays very much against type as a randy older woman.  There is a running joke about the size of Joe Mangianella's you-know-what and that he has a hard time finding a woman who can handle it (I guess that's why his stage name is Big Dick). They spend the night together and Dick seems pleased the next morning.  So let's hear it for the older women!

Amber Heard is almost unrecognizable (her hair is a mess) as a love interest for Mike and Elizabeth Banks, who seems to be everywhere these days, has a cameo as the woman running the stripper convention.

The dancing is fantastic.  Channing is amazing.  Twitch, from "So You Think You Can Dance," is a newcomer and Channing holds his own with him in a sort of duet during the finale.  But early in the film, Channing does a little dance in his tool shed and let's just say, he puts his tools to good use. Yikes.  Joe Manganiello is also a great dancer and does a fun seduction scene in a 7-11.

But this is also a Bromance movie.  These guys love each other and it is never more evident than when they are all in the froyo truck taking ecstasy and telling them how much they love each other.  I have never heard so many F-bombs, but I also felt like I was eavesdropping on some real male bonding.

Steven Soderbergh directed the first one. This one is directed by Gregory Jacobs, but though Soderbergh didn't direct, he is the Executive Producer and shot and edited this one. Tatum is also one of the producers.  Soderbergh's involvement could explain why Andie McDowell is in this one since he made his mark with the now classic "Sex, Lies and Videotape (1989)" with Andie starring.  Reid Carolin does the honors once again on the script.

You know how I feel about sequels.  I ranted about it in my review of "Hot Tub Time Machine 2."  This might not have the "first time" rush of the first "Magic Mike," and you might miss Mr. Alright, Alright, Alright McConaughey, but it's worth it to see Channing and Mangienello.  I'm still sweating.

And let me say this about Channing.  He is not only a lovely piece of beefcake, but he is a competent actor, and more importantly, he just exudes warmth and charisma.  I have seen him several times on talk shows and he seems like a really nice guy who doesn't have a problem making fun of himself and his "Magic Mike" persona.  That makes him an actor that both women and men enjoy.  As for Mangienello, I can appreciate him as well.  Is it getting hot in here?

This isn't "Citizen Kane" by any means. I didn't expect it to be.  It's not even "Citizen Ruth," but I don't care because it made me smile.  Even feminists like a little beefcake from time to time.
 
Rosy the Reviewer says...It's like being in the front row at a Chippendale's show.  A fun movie to see with the girls or the boys, depending on how you roll.
 

 

***DVDS***

You Might Have Missed

(And Some You Will Be Glad You Did)

 

The Calling (2014)

 

Detective Micallef (Susan Sarandon) doesn't have much to do in her little town which probably accounts for her drinking, but she sobers up when she discovers there is a serial killer afoot.

Fort Dundas is a bleak Canadian town that would drive anyone to drink and Detective Hazel Micallef is no exception.  She is not averse to the occasional oxycotin either for her "back pain."  Plus she lives with her mother (Ellen Burstyn).  Not a whole lot going on for Hazel.

When Hazel is asked to check on the welfare of Delia, an old lady who lives alone, she finds her dead with a gruesome knife wound to the neck (but not before helping herself to some of Delia's pills) and her mouth manipulated into a scream.  OK, obviously a murder.  But then another murder occurs with a similar m.o. - the mouth contorted into a specific shape.  Now Hazel thinks, uh oh, looks like we might have a serial killer on our hands.  And as more and more bodies turn up with various mouth contortions it becomes clear that this serial killer has a "calling."  She calls on fellow detective Ray Green (Gil Bellows) to help her.  When they figure out there is some religious motives to these killings they consult a local priest (Donald Sutherland).

And let me say this about mysteries and crime dramas and this is only a teensy bit of a spoiler.  When a big name like Donald Sutherland appears in what seems to be only a very small part, you can pretty much count on the fact that he has something to do with the outcome. 

This film is all about the murders.  We know early on who the killer is (Simon played by Christopher Heyerdahl) but we don't know his motivation.  That is the mystery that keeps you watching. 

The screenplay by Scott Abramovitch (from the novel by Inger Ash Wolfe) has some original touches. It's a complicated plot that is not without its problems such as how Hazel actually puts all of the clues together to solve the riddle of the crimes, but if you can overlook that, this is not a bad addition to the serial killer genre. Think a little less gory version of "Se7en."  Director Jason Stone oversees some fine performances and creates a properly gloomy and creepy atmosphere for the actors to work in. And Sarandon is always good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if the idea of a horror version of "Fargo" interests you and you liked "Seven" or "Silence of the Lambs," you might enjoy this one.

 

Eden aka "The Abduction of Eden" (2012)

 

A young Korean-American girl (Jamie Chung) is kidnapped by human traffickers and becomes a sex slave.

A usually good girl uses a fake ID to go to a bar where she meets a handsome seemingly nice guy.  Wrong.  He's really a handsome not so nice guy who kidnaps her, puts her in the trunk of his car and takes her to Las Vegas to be used as a sex slave.  Welcome to Vegas, baby!

Beau Bridges (where has he been?) plays Bob the cop and it soon becomes apparent he is a bad cop and heavily involved in sex trafficking.

It's a pretty grim story, based on a true one.  We see how it all works:  kidnap the girl, get her addicted to drugs, keep her tethered to a bed until needed, psychologically brainwash her by giving her a kitten and telling her if she messes up the kitten dies.  Throw in some threats to her family and you have a compliant slave who basically gives up on trying to escape.  Try to escape?  Expect to sit for hours in a bathtub filled with ice.

But not our Eden (her sex slave name) who is a plucky girl who realizes that if she befriends her captors and proves her usefulness, she just might have a chance to get out alive.  She worms her way into the graces of one of the "handlers," who is a crack addict.  She becomes his trusted helper and just waits for her chance to get away.

Jamie Chung is an appealing actress who makes this film work.  I had seen her name associated with guys like Bradley Cooper but didn't know who she was.  Now I know.  She has spent much of her career toiling on TV, but I think she has a bright future as a film actress.

There is an addictive documentary quality to this film directed by Megan Griffiths who is making a name for herself ("Lucky Them").  She also co-wrote the script with Richard B. Phillips and Chong Kim, whose story this is.

This film screams of "B Movie."  But hey, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and all of Roger Corman's films were "B's" and they have stood the test of time.

Watching a film like this, obviously a potboiler and which, if it weren't for the nudity and possibly the subject matter, would qualify for Lifetime Movie status, I realize I have a dark side.  I like movies about the dark side of life.  I find them fascinating and the fact that this is a true story, not only makes it fascinating, but makes me shudder to think that young women actually go through horrible things like this, possibly never to be heard from again.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a terrifying and intriguing look inside the sex trade.

***My 1001 Movies I Must See Before I Die Project***

256 to go! 

Tsotsi (2005)

Tsotsi is a gang leader in Johannesburg, South Africa, and he's not a very nice kid.  He has no trouble knifing a man on the subway or beating up one of his friends or shooting a woman while stealing her car, but when he discovers there is a baby in the backseat of that car, his life is changed forever. 

 

Tsotsi has the dead eyes of a person who life has left behind.  He leads a gang, lives in a shantytown and doesn't have much of a future. But when he finds the baby, he finds something inside himself that had been lost.  We slowly learn why Tsotsi has given up on the human race and is so filled with hate.  His mother was sick and he was left with his abusive father who crippled his dog in front of him. Tsotsi ran away and lived in a drain-pipe community with other lost children. He became hardened to life but when he found the baby, his humanity was sparked. 

 

Gavin Hood directed and adapted the film from the novel by Athol Fugard, this film won the Oscar in 2005 for Best Foreign Language Film and it is incredibly deserving.  The soundtrack of South African music creates a mesmerizing world and the cinematography is a work of art.

 

But Presley Chweneyagae as Tsotsi is just remarkable as is Terry Pheto as Miriam, the local woman he takes the baby to for help.

 

Why it's a Must See: "...remarkable performances in a film that powerfully conveys the brutality and squalor of the urban slums of Johannesburg--while maintaining a strong belief in the human spirit, which resists being crushed under the heavy weight of poverty..."

---1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a riveting and extraordinary film that needs to be seen.
(In Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa with English subtitles)

***Books of the Week***

Bossypants  by Tina Fey (2013)

Yes Please by Amy Poehler (2014)

 

Memoirs by two of Saturday Night Live's most famous and successful alums - and they are friends!

Because Tina and Amy are very good friends, I thought it would be fun to not only read these in tandem but to review them side-by-side and compare them.

Tina and Amy met before their stints on SNL.  They were both members of the Chicago improvisational groups Improv Olympic and Second City. They each speak fondly of finding each other.

First of all, both books are funny as one would expect from these two.   You get a sense of Tina's humor from the cover of her book.  When I first saw it, I thought, boy, her arms are hairy.

Both ladies are self-deprecating feminists and very funny.  And they are both tough cookies.  You would have to be to make it in the world of comedy, especially when there is that "thing" out there that women aren't funny.

Both do not want to talk about what you might want them to: Tina's scar (well, she talks a little about it) and Amy's divorce from Will Arnett.  Tina's book is a bit more enlightening about her personal life; Amy's book is more about the humor.

They both take you behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live and of their wildly popular sitcoms: Tina's "30 Rock" and Amy's "Parks and Recreation." They also share their joys and struggles with motherhood.

Both like lists:  Tina has a list of her mother's beauty secrets and what it was like being skinny and what it was like being fat, since she achieved both states.

Amy likes lists even more than Tina:  Six titles for books she thinks should be available on divorce, some sex advice, and why cell phones are evil.

But in the end, both come across as "just girls" you would like to know.  They still remember their hometown roots, their parents and those who helped them along the way.

Rosy the Reviewer says...both books appear on lists of books that every woman should read.  Justly deserved.

Thanks for Reading!

That's it for this week.

See you Tuesday for

"Bars I Have Known and Loved"

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, 
email it to your friends and
LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer.

Check your local library for DVDs and books mentioned.

 

Note:  Next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). 

 Find the page for the movie, click on "Explore More" on the right side panel and then scroll down to "External Reviews."  Look for "Rosy the Reviewer" on the list. Or if you are using a mobile device, look for "Critics Reviews." Click on that and you will find me alphabetically under "Rosy the Reviewer."

 

 

Why Have a Wife?

When I wrote my semi-humorous pseudo-paean to husbands in my post "Why Have a Husband," I was shocked by the response, especially from my own daughter.

She seemed to be a bit defensive and to take issue with my post.  She said, "If you are going to say that about husbands, why have a wife then?" 

But I forgive her because she hasn't been married long enough to know just what a pain in the ass a husband can be, but mostly because when she said that, I went, "Aha!  Another idea for a blog post."

When I told Hubby about her response and threw out the question, "Why have a wife?, he was quick to respond: "For sex."

So as I clear my throat, I must say, I rest my case.  Husbands are very basic. 

Neil Young sums up a man's basic needs:

And, in general, that's why a husband thinks he needs a wife.  So we need to get out of that whole "maid thing."

I can easily write about why a husband needs a wife and what a wife is good for, besides sex and maid services.  So here goes.  And thank you to my darling daughter. 

And by the way, this is not just aimed at the man/woman relationship.  This is aimed at whomever considers themselves a husband or a wife.

So without further ado...


Why have a wife?

This is why a husband needs a wife:

---A husband needs a wife to dress him.
We all know that husbands have terrible taste in clothes and even when their taste isn't terrible, they tend to stay with the same style for years.  Sports logos and baseball caps often abound. A wife is needed to make sure they are both not embarrassed by Hubby's clothing choices.

Amy Schumer gives you a hint of what we wives are dealing with.
 

 

 

---A husband needs a wife because she communicates and he doesn't.

Whether you like it or not, if you are a husband, it is likely you are incommunicative except to be judgmental and complain about stuff.  Wives want to talk about feelings and husbands tend to think feelings are something to be felt (there is someone out there who knows exactly where that came from).  Husbands want to come home, be fed, and live in the fantasy that their wives understand when they are too tired to talk to them and when they do talk that their wives really care who won the NFL draft.  A wife communicates what her husband needs to know to have a better relationship and life.

 

---A husband needs a wife to decorate the house.

Unless the husband is an interior decorator, he should not have a say in the window dressings, the couch, the bedspread or basically anything inside the house when it comes to decorating. The Barcalounger does not belong in the living room.  We know that husbands have terrible taste because so many of us have closets full of tarty lingerie and stripper shoes.  What, you don't?  Anyway, if you are lucky and keep your opinions to yourself, your wife might let you have a room of your own where you can hang your neon beer sign and display your trophies.

 

 

 

 

The sleeping poodle is a nice touch, don't you think? 

I have a good eye for detail. 

 

 

---A husband needs a wife to bring home the bacon.

Not literally bacon, but these days, most households require two incomes if you want to live comfortably and especially if we wives are going to have the wardrobes we deserve.  Many of us wives might even make more money than our husbands and that's OK, but if we bring home our own money, we should be able to spend it as we like.  Yes, there should be a financial plan for the future, but working husbands and wives should not have to ask each other for permission to spend money unless Hubby comes home with a Maserati.

 

---A husband needs a wife to do stuff with.

 

 

Not that! Get your mind out of the gutter! I am talking about stair walking, going to movies, playing golf, traveling, having Happy Hour, watching "The Bachelorette."  Ok, you watch "The Bachelorette" because your wife wants to, but wives do things with their husbands that they don't necessarily want to do, too, such as attending ball games and the occasional tractor pulling contest.

 

 

 

---A husband needs a wife so he has someone he can trust absolutely.

I know, we sneak a Macy's bag into the house from time to time and when you see us in the cool faux fur coat and ask us "Is that new?"

 

and we reply, "Oh, this old thing? I've had this for ages," that doesn't really count as not being trustworthy.  That happens because husbands are big grumps about Macy's bags coming into the house.  No, I'm talking about important things like always telling you the truth about how you look, what you should be doing with your life and how to put up the Christmas tree lights.

 

 

 

--- And speaking of the Christmas tree lights.

As I said in my post "Why Have a Husband," husbands need our input, especially when it comes to the Christmas tree lights.  It wouldn't be the holidays without a fight about the lights, now would it?

The bottom line is:  A husband needs a wife to tell him all the things he is doing wrong.  I mean, if your best friend, your soul mate, your wife can't tell you, who can?  Don't you want to know when you are screwing up?

Albert Einstein said, "Men marry women with the hope they will never change. Women marry men with the hope they will change. Invariably they are both disappointed.”

Sorry, Albert.  I say wives don't change.  They just start noticing things their husbands could do better.

But seriously folks and I was only half kidding before, I use the word "wife" as a metaphor.  It doesn't matter your sex.  Etymologically speaking, the word "wife" has historical connections to the term "fish wife," which I hate to say because that is associated with a shrill, yelling woman which has also become a negative metaphor for a wife.  I prefer "better half" and "life partner" and that is what I would like to focus on.

 

When you have a wife, you have a person who in most cases played with baby dolls or took care of their younger siblings or helped and loved their mothers.  They were nurturers. They wanted to take care of someone and they were looking for YOU. When they found you, they wanted to look after YOU and share their lives with YOU.

So even though your wife wants you to dress better, stay out of the decorating decisions, communicate more and do a better job putting those Christmas tree lights up, just know this: she wouldn't be trying to make you a better person if she didn't care.  She would find someone else to work on! 

See you Friday

for my review of the new movie 

 

"Magic Mike XXL" 

and

 

The Week in Reviews

 

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

and the latest on

My 1001 Movies I Must See Before

 I Die Project."

 

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to click on the share buttons to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn, email it to your friends and LIKE me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer