Greetings! Today we keep the journey of gratitude on track with stories from our favorite inspirational website, goodnewsnetwork.org. So get onboard the G-Train (gratitude and good news people…come on now) to prepare this week of thankfulness in America. If you’re NOT in America, well, there’s no time like the present to stock up on happy stories! So ALLLLL ABOOOOOOOOAARRRDD!!! The G-Train is leaving the station for all points awesome!
For links to the stories and gifts we discuss in the episode, check below:
For the amazing story about Ben, the lone employee at a Waffle House in Alabama whose customers jumped into service to help him out, click here.
For the man in Cameroon who built rafts from plastic bottles for fishermen in need, click here.
To find out more details about the latest trend of “sober bars”, click here.
If you want to feel allllll warm and fuzzy and see the pictures of the cutest and most loving kangaroo in Australia, click here.
And to stand up cheering, clapping and whistling to celebrate Austria’s decision to turn Hitler’s birth-home into a police station to deter neo-nazi pilgrims (or as we like to call them, mother-trucking, idiot, useless, waste-of-air ASSHATS), click here.
To make Kris so very happy this Christmas and for her birthday (July), send Firefighter Coffee delivered by a Firefighter check on the “good gifts” section of goodnewsnetwork.org, click here.
Check out “All Aboard the G-Train“ episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
How’s your November going? If it’s anything like ours you’re in a mild panic that Christmas is 40ishsumfin days away. In all fairness for us Southern California residents it’s still summer (today will have a high of 80…please visualize your favorite crying emoji here). Well, if mid-November has snuck up on you (or not), today’s episode will help you get caught up on what this month has become synonymous with: gratitude and thankfulness. We found one of those list memes which gives you a topic to be grateful for each day of the month. So of course we cover all 30 days in under 50 minutes.
We won’t spoil the surprise here, but honestly we have to say our favorite part of the entire episode is coining a new species: Snowmanimal. To even figure out how that is something Kym is grateful for, you’ll just have to give the episode a listen.
As for some of the favorites we mention in this episode, please check out the following:
Sean P. Lenahan If you want to be amazed by the illustrative talent of Sean P. Lenahan, please check out his website at http://www.seanplenahan.com/. Even if you’re not a fan of anime-style illustration, just watching Sean’s sped-up process videos is mind-blowing. Plus, he is honestly one of the nicest human beings you will ever meet on this entire planet AND he served in the United States Navy (and continues as a reservist). If you click on only one link in this entire blog article, please make it his. You can also follow him on Instagram and YouTube on his Gutter and Gusher channel.
Bernadette Banner Attention all costumers! Lovers of historical garments! Sewers! Even if you enjoy watching someone with incredible talent and skill…once you’re finished discovering Sean, go on over to Bernadette’s Instagram and YouTube channels and prepare to be amazed at her process of creating historical garments. She takes painstaking care to research and utilize all the legitimate elements, processes, and resources that go into creating garments as they would have been made in their day. This means she works with natural fibers as much as possible, and usually HAND-SEWS or uses her circa 1890’s HAND-CRANK Singer sewing machine. She is lovely, articulate, soft-spoken and quite witty. (Oh, ok, and do yourself a favor and just follow Cathy Hay here and here while you’re at it. You’re welcome. OH and American Duchess Shoes and Royal Vintage too. Ok. We’re done.)
Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies Don’t know if this is the exact recipe, but we’re willing to bet since they’re called “Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies” and they’re made with ground oats that this is as close as you’re gonna get to Kym’s favorite recipe.
CURRIED Salmon Cakes with Lemon Aioli Sauce Yeah, Kris forgot to mention why this is her favorite go-to recipe. It’s all about the curry. And the lemon of course. Because if you listened you’ll know how Kris feels about lemon.
Heemo Sushi Kym’s favorite “all you can eat” sushi restaurant is called Heemo, and they are in Orange at Tustin Ave. and Katella. You can follow their Facebook page here.
Knowlwood Restaurant Santa Ana Raise a mug to a bygone era of awesome kitschy dining. Kris mentioned Knowlwood’s in Santa Ana closed down and it’s a shame because that was a fun restaurant. The food may have been so-so – with the exception of those Irish Nachos – but the decor made it a nostalgic experience. It’s really a shame. There are, presumably, other stores in Irvine and Anaheim Hills, but the Santa Ana diner was a part of our growing up…we ate there as kids and then took our kids there, so we are sad to say goodbye. By the way…what the HELL is “Old Town Irvine” Do we call things dating way back to the 1970s “old town” now? How is this even possible. This world. This world kills Kris. THERE IS NO OLD TOWN IRVINE. STOP IT NOW.
Benji’s Deli Here’s Benji’s, since we’re on a nostalgic dining kick.
Check out “30 Days of Thankfulness“ episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
On today’s episode of The Mugly Truth, we talk (well, Kris kind of rants actually) about the effects of social media on adults, teens and kids. See, being products of 70’s and 80’s we remember life without instant answers, not knowing when a message is received, and having a small circle of friends vs 5,000. Back then, we had to go to the library, or crack open an encyclopedia (which was so expensive to boot!), or ask mom and dad for the answer to our questions (and hope they knew). To connect with friends we had to dial a landline (God help you if you had a rotary dial still) and then hope they were home…letting it ring and ring and ring ad nauseum – that is until the magic of the answering machine became a household game-changer around 1984. We’d pass paper notes in class and hope the teacher wouldn’t catch them mid-transmission and worst luck…read them out loud.
If we couldn’t hang out after school, we would make plans to watch MTV at the same time and then talk on the phone for hours as we watched and sang along with our favorite band’s latest videos. Woe to the poor person trying to reach our parents. They would just have to keep trying or give up in frustration from the incessant buzz of the busy signal since call waiting was still pretty newfangled. We personally didn’t have home computers as kids (though others did), hell, we were still marveling over the concept of using a cable box and recording movies on a Vee-Cee-Arr. The closest thing we got to instant photos was using a Polaroid camera, mix tapes were literally recorded from the radio or a record player using a cassette tape recorder, and we listened to those sweet jams later on our Sony Walkmans. We could sit for hours in a quiet corner to read a book for the fiftieth time, but we would have to wait a month for the latest celebrity gossip, makeup tips and photos of our boy-band crushes to be revealed in our teen magazines like Tiger Beat, Seventeen and Bop. Once we started driving, we had a Thomas Brothers map thrown into the back of the car somewhere…usually on the floor behind the passenger seat. And if our car broke down? We’d better have enough change to call Dad (or Automobile Club) from a payphone.
Those.
Were.
The.
Days.
Sort of.
Nowadays…it’s all literally at our fingertips. Knowledge, fellowship, support, photos of loved ones, status updates…face-to-face video chatting just like we watched on Star Trek and Star Wars! It’s all just hanging out in our back pocket, purse or desktop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It’s there next to us as we sleep, ready to wake us up for work and then perched somewhere nearby feeding us amazing podcasts (ahem), audiobooks and playlists to get us through our daily grind. We’ve seen the rise of YouTube where anyone can be a worldwide “tv” star in a show of one’s own making. When you’re tired of watching your millionth tutorial, you can binge a favorite blast from the past or latest sensation (and Kris does) whenever and wherever you want – depending on how much money you want to shell out for any combination of Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and a la carte cable channel apps. We can watch our favorite movie or tv show or sporting event sitting on a bus heading to work. And if we forget the name of that actor in that movie? Google’s got it.
Want to know how long it will take to drive from point A to point B IN ANOTHER COUNTRY? We can look that up in less than a minute. Want to watch your kid drive from point A to point B on a Saturday night next town over? There’s an app somewhere that can help you do that (Black Mirror, anyone)? Speaking of family and friends…it’s amazing how we can see what our loved ones are doing and feeling and who they’re with, even what they’re eating. Whatever they want to share, we can share with them (if their settings allow) in almost real time. Admittedly, this is sometimes to the detriment of our stomach contents (photos of severed fingers and surgery sutures and compound fractures are disgusting…please stop. Please. JUST. STAHP.) If our significant other doesn’t answer the phone, we can leave a voicemail and then send a text to cover the bases. But God forbid we get left unread. Them’s the biggest fightin’ words never spoken or typed.
Chances are unless you are someone who completely lives off the grid (though doubtful since you’re reading this), you have experienced a level of connection like all or some of what we’ve described. You may also have experienced the frustration of the quagmire of political rants clogging your news feeds. Your blood pressure may have risen once or twice (a day or hour) just reading comments from trolls in another clickbait article. Have you ever gotten so riled about a posted story your friend says is true only to discover, thanks to sites like Snopes.com, that the story was literally crap? Yeah. Us too. We have gotten so wrapped up in this miraculous link to the world that we are getting trapped in the FOMO phenomenon (fear of missing out), sometimes absent-mindedly picking up our phone and checking Twitter or Instagram or Snapchat a couple minutes after swiping the apps shut. We try to put the phones away when friends and family sit in front of us, but inevitably we sneak a peek to check What’s App. Or we whip it out to snap that delightful dinner. Or answer that damned question, “WHO was that actor???”
We talk about the good and the bad of social media in this episode…like we said, we love and hate the internet. But mostly we can’t picture living without this connection we have (now that we’ve had it), and we look forward to future technology that will make it even better. We just can’t lose sight of the real world around us. We cannot compare ourselves to the perfection we see on Instagram. We must continue to always understand what we read on a screen is what people present to us to be seen. Like the old saying our folks imparted to us all those years ago, before all this began, “don’t believe everything you read” Oh…and, “don’t compare your insides to other people’s outsides.” Mom and dad told us a lot of great stuff.
Remembering this will remind us that the most beautiful, lovely, wonderful things we could possible experience are the eyes of our loved ones, the sound of their laughter…the clouds and sun and fresh air of a perfectly normal day while birds fly across the sky and dogs bark at us from the other side of a fence. We know…sounds like a bunch of sappy crap. Well, maybe Ernest Cline said it better:
“That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real.” ― Ernest Cline, Ready Player One
Check out our “Effects of Social Media” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Participate in International Transgender Day of Visibility by asking questions and having an honest conversation.
Today we talk with Terin, a long-time friend who is one of the most inspirational people we know for lots and lots of reasons. She joins us to discuss being the parent of a transgender daughter, and how having Vivian come out was a “non-issue” for their family. International Transgender Day of Visibility is right around the corner (March 31) and we can’t think of a better way to participate.
Unfortunately, as we see every day on the news, on the internet, and on the streets, this loving acceptance of one’s child becoming authentically themselves and empowered is much rarer than it should be. We’re hoping discussions like ours can help add to the awareness about the struggles and accomplishments of men and women (and in some cases, young adults, teens and pre-teens – see below) who have taken the steps to finally be the people they were born to be in the face of hatred, ridicule, violence, and often rejection by the people who are supposed to love them the most: their families and friends.
According to www.healthychildren.org, the development of gender identity in kids naturally occurs when children are very young. Kids label themselves as boy or girl by the age of three and have a strong sense of their gender identity by four, usually showing their gender preference through the type of clothes they want to wear, hair styles, etc. As gender stereotypes dissolve, the colors, clothing, styles, and even toys that are typically assigned “boy” or “girl” are changing. For parents who simply want a healthy, happy child, it’s important to know kids naturally are curious and might express themselves in different ways at different times. It’s important to allow them to navigate through the stages of this development.
Happy healthy children grow up to be happy healthy adults. We need more of both.
As for us, we have never had an issue with our bodies (save for the usual suspects, “my butt’s too big!” “I hate my stomach!” and “I wish I was taller!”) and have always loved being women, never had any thought of being anything else. The concept of being a woman trapped in the body of a man (or a man trapped in a woman’s body) is so far removed from our psyche, it’s almost impossible to wrap our heads around how utterly miserable it must be – every single day and night – to struggle with knowing you are definitely a specific person but looking like someone you aren’t. It’s hard enough to feel comfortable in your own skin, let alone your own structure. This is the crux of our awkwardness with the topic. It has nothing to do with acceptance, that’s not the problem. It’s that we are so rooted in our own natural acceptance of our birth body that it never dawned on us there could be any other way to feel.
We want to learn and understand better. So we asked…what IS cis-gender (we are, turns out), binary/non-binary, gender-fluid? How do you refer to a transgender person if you aren’t sure (hint: even though it might be awkward, asking outright is usually the easiest way to set things on the right track). How did the rest of the family take the transition? What’s politically correct to say or talk about? What are the biggest struggles? What was the hormone therapy process like? What was it like to come up with a new name? What happens if you have to go to the bathroom? (Vivian’s reality regarding this basic need that most of us take for granted was unjust and awful.) And if you need help, where do you turn to for support and answers? (Another hint: GLAAD.org is a great starting point). We also learn the best answer a parent can give to the question, “will your child have gender reassignment surgery?”
Justice, equality and awareness is in our hands.
We know it’s really difficult for some people to understand. We get it. Whether the discomfort is based on religious beliefs, politics, or personal fear of what isn’t one’s norm, it is difficult to face any level of change. Either in others or ourselves, let alone a change as radical as gender transition. But the truth is, this world desperately needs happy, authentic humans. The more we cut down what we don’t understand…either through violence or cruelty…the more base and inhumane we become. If a person – a fundamentally good and civil soul – is of a religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or identity that doesn’t match someone’s expectations of what is “right” or “normal” who exactly is anyone to determine that? Why? The fact is, for every one person who stands firm and resolute in their belief system, there is another person standing equally firm and resolute in their opposing beliefs. As long as people keep focused on only one possible outcome, only one possible reality, we will all only be just standing angrily, shouting, pointing and name calling, in the name of a so-called “truth” and nothing changes. Nothing resolves. Nothing heals. Any man, woman or child who dares to stand in their own power in the face of hatred is a hero in our book. Any man, woman or child who dares face their own failings to show acceptance, tolerance or respect toward someone they once viewed as “too different”…is also a hero. Someday hopefully it will just be normalinstead of heroic.
It is our hope to talk to Vivian, get her story first hand. We’ve heard her mom’s story, so hopefully we can do justice to Viv’s. Terin is an amazing mom, a woman who has struggled through some tough times, like many. Her cellular makeup is one of non-bias, peace, and acceptance. She admits her own learning curves when it comes to the transgender community while embracing the “normalness” of her child becoming happy and healthy through the transition process. As for Vivian, she is a delightful person who has a story to tell and we are honored to record it. Hopefully that episode will be coming in the next few weeks.
Until then, here are some people we’d like you to know more about:
Janae Marie Kroczaleski, ex marine, cancer survivor, 2006 Arnold Classic WPO Powerlifting Middle Weight Champion, 2009 All-Time World Record setter in the 220lb class (surpassed in 2010), parent to three amazing boys, advocate for transgender athletes, author, and current subject of the Netflix documentary “TransFormer.” The show chronicles Janae’s biggest journey in reconciling her passion for power lifting with the body it gave her…a body she did not envision for herself as a woman. She discusses the documentary in this YouTube video. You can also follow her on Instagram to keep up with her inspirational story.
Jazz Jennings, one of the youngest people to publicly come out as transgender, and interviewed by Barbra Walters on 20/20 in 2007. Jazz is a YouTube sensation and at only 17 is an internationally recognized advocate for LGBTQ rights. She is the star of TLC’s, reality series “I am Jazz” which documents the life of the teenager and her family.
Amber Briggle of Denton, Texas, USA. Mom to two amazing kids, Amber documents the daily life of her family, including her son Max who made it very clear at a young age that the female anatomy he was born with was not who he truly was. Amber shares candidly about the struggles her son faces going to school, and growing up in a notoriously conservative region of the United States. Get onboard with this mamabear at her website https://love-to-the-max.com/ .
If you haven’t watched Schitt’s Creek yet, you’re missing out. All the Canadian comedy royalty (Catherine O’Hara, you are our queen) aside, Dan Levy – Yep, Eugene Levy’s drop-dead gorgeous, wickedly funny son – has created some of the most hilarious, romantic, and memorable scenes between his character, David Rose, and David’s boyfriend Patrick (played by Noah Reid).
If you want to know about more amazing people who, against major societal pushback, became who they truly were born to be, there are some pretty cool stories that span almost 100 years in this time.com article, and in this Pri.org article.
Check out our “Transgender Awareness” episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Ciao 2018! Don’t let the door hit you on the tuchas! Hello 2019! Bring. It. On.
Happy Tuesday and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Goodbye 2018 you BEEEYOTCH. Today we talk about New Year resolutions. You either love them or hate them, you either keep them or break them. What are your resolutions for this year? Any money on the table on how fast you are going to wash your hands of them? Or do you have a wonderful, healthy strategy for helping you succeed in your life changes?
Today is all about the most common resolutions people make. We talk about the average time it takes for people to break their resolutions but also cover ideas about how to create realistic goals and the tools that are available to help keep you on track. So if you’re wanting to stop smoking, start working out, meditate, eat healthy, read more, learn a new skill, take up a hobby, fulfill a bucket list, lose weight, be more positive, travel more, get a new job, buy a house, save money….guess what: there’s an app for helping you with that.
We also talk about our own goals and strategies. Any bets on the first resolution we talk about NOT trying to do?
Hint: it’s fucking obvious, duh.
** side-eye **
But no matter what happens with our personal resolutions, we do resolve as your cohosts and cohorts to bring you 52 weeks of non-stop chatter, mispronounced words, creative facts, laughter, and lots of opinions. You’re welcome. SO…here’s to more coffee, more abstract conversations, and lots and lots of goofiness. Bring it on 2019. We are ready to meet you head on.
Good luck with your own goals, and we wish you all good health, beautiful love, joyfulness, prosperity, and friendship! We are excited to bring you a brand new year of fun and thank you for all your support!
Check out our NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS episode on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Libsyn, Pocket Cast, Stitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Then all you need to do is 1) subscribe 2) download and 3) listen! AND!!! 4) If you enjoy what you hear, please leave a rating and a review (pretty please?). The more subscribers and reviews we get, the more opportunities we get to grow this podcast and bring you richer content.
And don’t forget to follow us here at themuglytruth.com (click that blue WordPress Follow button on the right side of your screen) so you get notifications every time we post an episode blog! You can also follow The Mugly Truth on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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