Friday, March 25, 2016

Captain Obvious Runs For President ?


      I don't know how many of you out there have seen the Hotels.com commercials but this unknown actor (Brandon Moynihan, he played Dick Zilla in Meet the Zillas) has turned himself into a star overnight with video vignettes- the longest commercial in the known world- just so we could get it in our heads that our choices are few for the next presidential election but not without some real and authentic choices. Do I need to say that Trump is not a choice but more of a 'if he was the last or only person left in the world to run for president I'd never' choice ? Meanwhile, Hillary is very unassumingly and with thoughtful deliberation going about the business of campaigning even though her contenders are an insult to her intelligence and wit. Whoever runs the GOP ought to be forced to wear an "I'm with stupid" T-shirt every time he has to shake The Donald's hand or stand in line with him at the Chase Manhattan Bank.
     When you get to the Colorado bit for Captain Obvious's presidential commercial you'll see him sitting in a cloud of smoke with a Labrador Retriever at his feet, giggling and saying he's never going to leave. I want you to know that this video is not in any way an exaggeration. That little scene is exactly what's going on here- particularly in Dogver. Dogver, you say? It's not a misspelling, it's my new name for the town I was born, raised and have lived most of my life in. There's a Denver in Illinois and even one in Norfolk, England but neither of those towns will ever be referred to as Dogver- I guarantee it. My proof? Come to Colorado whichever way you can and stand in any residential area of Denver for a few seconds and you will hear a chorus of barks that would contend with that dogbark version of Jingle Bells any day of the week. We have more than a few ongoing problems here and that's just one. Don't- I repeat- don't come here if you enjoy being mentally sane.
     My challenge to all women would be to put a petition together for only men to sign. This petition would basically be to find out how many men are going to vote a woman into the U.S. presidential office. Once the numbers are in on that, then we'll know if this country can be saved from doom. Are you holding your breath?  
      
The Castle Lady

Monday, March 14, 2016

Risk is Good


Many a man is praised for his reserve and so-called shyness when he is simply too proud to risk making a fool of himself.
-J.B. Priestly
     My grandmother used to say, "A faint heart never won a fair lady," and I can't claim that I always understood this saying but after watching The Bachelor tonight on T.V. I think I now understand better than I ever thought I would. I just got through reading an article in Psychology Today about a certain trait in men that helps them make their decision about who they are likely to pick and why women are more likely to choose them because of this certain trait. In Theresa DiDonato's article A Mind for Love she asks the reader when they are interacting with someone of the opposite sex if they are completely focused on what the other is saying and if they are listening deeply and without judgment. Apparently, if your mind drifts to mundane things or pressures you are experiencing or even if the distraction is the physical desirability itself it means that you are not being mindful.
     She explains that mindfulness refers to one's nonjudgmental awareness and full engagement in the present moment and it's been shown to correspond to myriad advantages in individual well-being. People who are mindful are more at ease, not prone to depression and are not impulsive. They can seem to have higher self-esteem, be especially positive in their outlook and are vital and happy.
     That being said, the article outlines that women are attracted to men most who have this mindfulness trait but for men it's not reciprocal. Apparently men are simply attracted to the woman that is most attractive to them. The article uses evolutionary reasons for the phenomenon in both men and women but I have a feeling that there is more to it than accepted scientific reasons. Let's face it, we all know women are more intuitive so I'm not surprised that they would choose the most mindful man they can find to tie the knot with. It would be just the reassurance they need that they are loved back. Men take rejection better than women do normally and so it just makes sense that this is true.
     Tonight, our Bachelor Ben had to choose between two women who he claimed right up to the moment of proposing to love both of them. He didn't say the love was equal but who's quibbling? I watched this article I just read being played out before my eyes with all three individuals struggling with this phenomenon. It must have been heart-wrenching to the woman who had to walk away, who had mentally prepared herself for a proposal and was instead put in a car and removed from his presence. Even if it was difficult for him to decide, he was the only one who could make that decision. It isn't fair but that's the way it is- right or wrong.
     The only leveler is that men who aren't very mindful will have a difficult time engaging any woman in a relationship. There's a lesson in this, though. According to the article mindfulness is not in your DNA. It can be developed and acquired like a skill. I think this would be a better world if men would work on this because it can only improve them as a person and they may just find and land the woman who really is the most attractive to him. No more settling- for anybody !
Risking it all on love,
The Castle Lady