Nov. 7, 2019 "However you say it, Watson has a right to be herself": Today I found this article by Vinay Menon in the Star Metro:
Emma Watson has coined a new relationship term.
In the old days — so last week — we might have referred to a person who is not in a relationship with another person as “single.” But Watson is not down with this old timey lexicon. So as she gazes toward April and her 30th birthday, the actress recently put a Hogwarts spell on language and culture.
In a cover story with British Vogue, on newsstands Friday, Watson opens up about why 2019 was “tough,” despite starring in the upcoming “Little Women” and presumably having anything a human might possibly need.
“I was like, ‘Why does everyone make such a big fuss about turning 30?’ ” Watson rhetorically asked Vogue. “‘This is not a big deal …’ Cut to 29, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I feel so stressed and anxious.’
And I realize it’s because there is suddenly this bloody influx of subliminal messaging around. If you have not built a home, if you do not have a husband, if you do not have a baby, and you are turning 30, and you’re not in some incredibly secure, stable place in your career, or you’re still figuring things out …”
She continued: “I never believed the whole, ‘I’m happy single’ spiel. I was like, ‘This is totally spiel.’ It took me a long time, but I’m very happy (being single). I call it being self-partnered.”
I don’t want to be pedantic about semantics. But, technically, “self-partnered” is an oxymoron. It’s like “jumbo shrimp,” “alone together” or “clearly confused,” which I may well be. A partnership, by definition, involves two or more parties.
I can’t form an alliance with myself. You can’t merge with yourself.
And Emma Watson can’t be in a partnership with herself.
It doesn’t work that way. This kind of reframing is a wordplay delusion.
But I take her point because it’s a good one. Society does exert way too much pressure on people — young and old, I’d argue, male and female — to be defined by our relationships, instead of who we are as individuals.
Is my wife my better half? Yes. Is she the CEO who brings strategic vision to this household? Absolutely.
But am I not a wholly owned subsidiary in this rickety enterprise?
Think about if you meet someone in their 60s who has never been married.
Or if you meet someone in their 30s with three divorces.
We actually make value judgments all the time about individuals based on who they are or are not with. It’s bananas.
I suspect this is why the culture is riven with so many overheated neologisms around the changing nature of modern relationships, either unions or separations.
A few years back, when Gwyneth Paltrow used “conscious uncoupling” after splitting with Chris Martin, the internet doubled over with mockery.
But at the time, she was doing exactly what Watson is now doing: explaining her relationship status with new words and concepts because the olds ones didn’t quite get it right.
“Conscious uncoupling,” at least to me, is like a fine wine: it gets better with age.
Sure, I laughed at the time. But now I’m like, “Yeah, I get Gwyneth.”
The drop-box for relationships used to have three options: “single,” “married” or “divorced.”
But lost in this psychosexual Bermuda Triangle is how individuals feel about where they are in life and, more crucially, why.
From incels to polygamists, from open marriages to friends with benefits, from office spouses to extramarital affairs, relationships are messier than KFC’S planned bamboo buckets of poutine.
So here’s a radical idea: why don’t we just kibosh all labels?
We’re already moving toward a gender-neutral world.
Why not also make this brave, new world relationship neutral?
Instead of Watson putting the dictionary into a headlock to come up with “self-partnership,” why can’t she just be — wait for it — Emma Watson? Not single Emma Watson. Not Mrs. So-and-so Emma Watson. Not self-partnered Emma Watson.
Just … Emma Watson.
The thing that really jumped out at me about her quote to Vogue is that it sounded tragically disingenuous. If she’s really “very happy,” as alleged, that’s great. But I’m not buying it. That Watson felt the need to publicly say she is “very happy” after detailing the emotional turmoil she felt this year made me very sad. In this context, “very happy” telegraphs the exact opposite.
I guarantee you, if Watson met a great guy next month, realized he was the one and set out to plan her fairy-tale wedding while dreaming about motherhood, now that would make her very happy.
Stand down, young feminists. I’m not saying anyone needs a spouse or family to be whole. All I’m saying is Emma Watson clearly does and much of this hinges on the cultural expectations she has absorbed.
Or to use her phrase: the “bloody influx of subliminal messaging” that defines success and fulfilment.
In other words, I don’t believe Watson believes the “I’m happy single” spiel is still not just a spiel. Now, obviously, I have no right to challenge her truth.
I can’t climb into Hermione Granger’s mind.
But if I could, I’m willing to bet good money I’d stumble upon a spiel or two.
Changing “single” to “self-partnered” does not fix the underlying problem that triggered her anxiety this year.
Such a name-change is just a mirage. It’s self-deception. The only real solution is to jettison all relationship labels and, first and foremost, let individuals be individuals.
Emma Watson has the world by the throat.
Social expectations should never make her choke with angst and envy.
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/starmetro-vancouver/20191107/281608127246076
Dec. 4, 2019 "Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Camila Morrone defends their 23-year age gap: People 'should be able to date who they want to date'":
Leonardo DiCaprio’s girlfriend Camila Morrone says that when it comes to their romance, age ain’t nothing but a number.
The 22-year-old model and actress made rare comments about her relationship with the Academy Award winner, 45, in a new interview with the Los Angeles Times. She said she doesn’t understand the criticism of their age difference and pointed out that May to December romances are nothing new.
“There’s so many relationships in Hollywood — and in the history of the world — where people have large age gaps,” Morrone said to the outlet. “I just think anyone should be able to date who they want to date.”
And as she branches out from modeling to acting — she’s getting buzz for her role in the indie film Mickey and the Bear — Morrone says she finds it “frustrating” that people only view her as DiCaprio’s girlfriend. Though she’s hopeful that will change.
“I think more and more now that people are seeing the film, I’m slowly getting an identity outside of that,” she said. “Which is frustrating, because I feel like there should always be an identity besides who you’re dating.”
She continued, “I understand the association, but I’m confident that will continue to slip away and be less of a conversation.”
That said, Morrone said she understands the fascination with her relationship.
“I probably would be curious about it too,” she admitted.
Morrone was first linked to DiCaprio — who has long dated younger women who were also models — in January 2018. They’ve been spotted around the globe together — in NYC, on the West Coast for the Coachella Music Festival and at Cannes, where the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star proudly served as her Instagram boyfriend.
After getting her start in modeling, Morrone recently turned to acting. She told the LA Times that she turned down the roles she was offered for a year because they were all stereotypical pretty girl parts.
Mickey and the Bear isn’t one of those. She doesn’t wear makeup for the role, works as a taxidermist and lives in a trailer home as she takes care of her dad, a veteran struggling with PTSD.
And while she certainly can pick DiCaprio’s brain over her acting projects, she has another Academy Award winner to turn to. Al Pacino — who dated her mom, actress Lucila Solá, for several years and whom she views as a stepfather figure — watched an early cut of her film and sent notes to the director.
Jun. 17, 2021 My opinion: There are some negative comments. However, DiCaprio and Morrone don't affect me or anyone else, and they're not hurting anyone.
This week's theme is about dating and relationships:
"Romantic Roommates"/ "Dating advice from Tinder's favorite lonely romantic"
"Spouse is ensnared in alarming marriage"/ "Gift horse"
My week:
Sept. 17, 2021 Nurses: I watched the first season of this Canadian drama in summer 2020. I watched the 2nd season of this show in the last 2 weeks. This is a solid drama, though I don't really like medical dramas. There are 10 eps each season.
In ep 9, there was some mention of COVID-19. In ep 10/ season 2 finale, there was more of that. In the last few min. of the ep, they showed how busy and crazy it was during the pandemic. At the end, it said: "The season 2 of this show is dedicated to all the frontline workers during the corona virus pandemic."
"The series follows five young nurses working on the front lines of St. Mary's Hospital dedicating their lives to helping others, while figuring out how to help themselves."
Sept. 18, 2021 Fall 2021 TV season: The 3rd week of Sept. is where all my returning shows and new TV shows are coming out.
"‘Law & Order: For The Defense’ Not Moving Forward; New ‘L&O’ Spinoff In Works At NBC":
Ordinary Joe:
"Centers on Joe Kimbreau as he makes a pivotal, life-changing decision at his college graduation and follows him on three parallel timelines: as a police officer, as a music star, and as a nurse."
My opinion: I saw the pilot and I liked it. You guys don't know this, but I was already writing something about this like the "What if?" Most TV shows do a "What if?" episode, but not a whole series.
Mar. 30, 2020 This is Us: I was watching the This is Us season 4 ep 17 "After the Fire" where Randall imagines if his dad Jack had lived. The first half was all a happy and ideal life. The 2nd half was a totally different life. It wasn't terrible. All the characters had different lives.
Buffy: In the season 3 episode "The Wish" where Cordelia wishes Buffy never came to Sunnydale. The town was over run by vampires.
Frequency: This TV series has 2 storylines going at the same time. The cop Raimy in 2016 has to prevent murders happening with her dad Frank in 1996.
"A police detective in 2016 discovers that she is able to communicate with her father via a ham radio, despite the fact that he died in 1996."
My opinion: I was writing about what would happen if I went to other careers on my blog. If you read my blog in 2014, you can see how I research all these college programs and careers.
The Big Leap: This is on CTV and FOX debuts on Tues. Sept. 21, 2021. This show will be on CTV on Mon. I will record the series and watch this all in a week.
"A group of diverse underdogs from all different walks of life who compete to be part of a competition reality series that is putting on a modern, hip remake of "Swan Lake.""
My opinion: This was a good comedy with these fun dance routines.
FBI: International: I saw the pilot and thought this was average. I will record the series and watch this all in a week. This may be one of the shows where I watch the first season, and never watch again like Gotham.
"Elite agents of the FBI's International division as they travel the world with the mission of protecting Americans wherever they may be."
La Brea: This comes out on Tues. Sept. 28, 2021. I will record the series and watch this all in a week.
"A massive sinkhole mysteriously opens up in Los Angeles, separating part of a family in an unexplainable primeval world, alongside a disparate group of strangers."
Sept. 17, 2021 "Rapping molecular scientist offers Nicki Minaj a lesson about COVID vaccines": Today I found this article by Marquise Francis on Yahoo News:
Dr. Raven “the Science Maven” Baxter, an award-winning science educator, molecular biologist and lyricist, offered rapper Nicki Minaj an opportunity to discuss the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines this week through a shared love of hip-hop music.
“I’m an educator ... but I’m also a rapper,” Baxter told Yahoo News. “Music has always been a means to deliver a message, and it doesn’t stop at science.”
Her invitation to Minaj came after the 10-time Grammy-nominated artist expressed hesitancy about getting a vaccine ahead of Monday’s Met Gala in New York City.
Instead of lecturing the rapper with big words and scientific jargon, Baxter responded with an open invite, tweeting, “Nicki, if you wanna chat with a scientist and fan about the vaccine, I’m happy to talk! Much love ... be safe.”
In a follow-up tweet, Baxter shared a rap song she made about how the immune system reacts to vaccines at the cellular level. The song, which she says has become known as “The Antibody-ody Song,” has since gone viral online, garnering more than 4 million views in less than four days.
Sept. 19, 2021 "Canadians appear eager to take off for sun destinations despite ongoing COVID-19 challenges": Today I found this article by Geoff Nixon on CBC News:
"We continue to advise against non-essential travel outside of Canada," Global Affairs Canada said in an email on Friday, noting that this applies to all countries around the globe.
The department also pointed to practical concerns for those who choose to go abroad.
"Additional travel restrictions can be imposed suddenly. Airlines can suspend or reduce flights without notice. Travel plans may be severely disrupted, making it difficult to return home."
Sept. 19, 2021: I had read this somewhere else before this article.
Jun. 15, 2019 "Don't fear missing out. Enjoy it": Today I found this article by Harvey Schachter in the Globe and Mail. This is a happiness article too. It's about living your best life:
Palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware drew attention to the top five regrets people have when dying:
- I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
- I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
- I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
- I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
- I wish that I had let myself be happier.
My opinion: I am living a life true to myself. I followed my dream to be a TV writer and producer.
I stayed in touch with most of my friends. I'm the one who puts most of the effort. When they change schools, I'm the one who calls like once a month- 3 months. I send 3 emails a week. At least there's Facebook.
I'll probably write more about this in another post.
Sept. 23, 2021 Donate your old glasses: I was reading the Costco Connection Oct./ Nov. 2021 issue and it says you can donate your old glasses to them. However, I read here that you can't, and should donate to these places:
- Goodwill
- Lenscrafters
- Pearle Vision
- Salvation Army
- Sam’s Club
I think the "issue" (if you want to call it that) is that Leo has established a propensity for dating MUCH younger women. He seems to age, but his gfs don't, so she'll be swapped out for a newer model in not time.
Of course she does.
Yeah I'm sure if he was a welder with 645.73 dollars in his checking account she would just totally love him as well.
Hey, at least she's more-or-less an adult. He's never made any attempt to hide his desire to not get married. They both know what they are getting, so who cares?
In DiCaprio's defense, he isn't dating younger women. He is dating women that are all the same age. They keep getting older and he replaces them with a new one that is that same age.
Nothing says love more than an older rich man and a young model.
What they should have asked her is if she noticed that whenever his girlfriend turns 25 she gets replaced by a younger model. As long as she's OK with it being a temporary fling (which it definitely is) who cares? Let them have their fun.
"She doesn't understand the criticism of their age difference"? One question young lady, would you have dated him if he was a call center rep? NOPE!