Uncategorized

Leveling Up

Today’s episode “Leveling Up” is on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher, iHeartRadio, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

We’re back! We’re open for business again! Our October hiatus was much needed, but we’re happy to be back and recording again. Today’s episode covers a little bit about what went on during the month of October, but mostly it’s about the results of those events that make up most of the episode. In a nutshell Kym had a major spiritual awakening. So, we talk about how having a spiritual awakening is no picnic. It ain’t no bed of roses, sun rays, and butterflies. It’s chaos, pain, disturbance…and a wee bit of insanity. The end result is a new self-awareness and inner knowledge that you could never have otherwise, which is amazing. But damn, the process is a corker. We’re all for change and personal growth, but sometimes the Universe has other plans. Sometimes the Universe says, “Miss Kris, Miss Kym, your wake up call is here” and then hits you in the head with a cosmic two-by-four. It’s leveling up in ways the Mario Brothers could only dream of.

Check out “Leveling Up“ episode on  iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher 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.

© The Mugly Truth 2019 and © The Mugly Truth Podcast 2019. All rights reserved.
Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox”  by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com.

Featured Photo of Spiral Stained Glass courtesy of Matthew T Rader on Pexels.com.

Uncategorized

Do You Feel Lucky?

Today’s episode “Do You Feel Lucky?” is on  iTunes/Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastLibsynPocket CastStitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Well, do you? Insert squinty-eyed cop here. Oh boy! Do you have your seatbelt fastened? Are you ready for the thrills and chills of (drumroll please…..) FRIDAY THE 13th WITH A SIDE OF FULL MOON?? Did you also know that bad luck is (in our opinion) a bunch of claptrap? It’s all in your perspective dear friends, all in your perspective. That said, we’re aware there’s a small group of people worldwide who will never open this article, or hear the episode simply because of Friggatriskaidekaphobia. That makes us sad. Because today’s episode is FUN!

First off, let’s say HELLO AGAIN to “Words With the Mugly Truth” as we stumble over our old friends: Greek Words. So much so, Kris gives up without a fight. Kym, on the other hand, powered through and showed Greek Words who’s boss. Is it any wonder our favorite words to struggle with have to do with phobias? If you don’t know what we’re talking about, you need to download and listen to our episodes Disturbia and Disturbia Short Shot post haste.

We peruse the well written October 2017 article “Friday the 13th” from the fine editors at history.com, and 13 Facts About Friday the 13th at timeanddate.com for some very cool facts about the superstitions surrounding our upcoming fateful Friday of ten+three. From the Last Supper with its 13 guests, to the Code of Hammurabi accidentally omitting numbering its 13th law, coincidences throughout history have spawned all sorts of dodgy mind-games designed make us feel better about life (like going from floor 12 to 14 in a hotel or hospital elevator, or airports not having a 13th gate), and inspired illustrious groups such as the Thirteen Club, books (Thomas William Lawson’s 1907 novel “Friday the Thirteenth) and, yes, allllll those Jason Voorhees movies.

Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

Fear not friends. If you want to knock the wind out of ol’ FTT’s sails, just do what the Italians do. Believe 13 is actually a lucky number and then stay in bed on Tuesday the 17th because that’s their bemoaned day of woe. We believe it may be due to a certain lack of tacos on Tuesdays and if they would just give that a shot, things might look up. But that’s our humble opinion and we’re not here to change the world, or global superstitions. So…goodonya Italia (and Greece), you keep doing you.

For other articles cited in the episode:

  • Definitely check out the cool chart at Wikipedia that shows all the Friday the 13ths in the past and future!
  • 13 Superstitions for Friday the 13th with Tad and Polly at Big Frog 104 which list some of the more well-known superstitions that might not have to do with Friday the 13th specifically, but are important to know about, especially if you want to Thirteen Club this thing and put all the bad things in one big art installation and make a statement about the fallacy of human thinking. All you need is a black cat, a ladder, a broken mirror, and a wobbly salt cellar under one big opened umbrella indoors somewhere. Cut your hair for good…bad?…measure and then drop us a line to let us know how your day went. We’re genuinely curious. Also, to undo all that don’t forget to spin around 7 times but you might want to clarify counterclockwise or clockwise…we don’t know the answer to that part. Sorry.
What do YOU see? Something beautiful or a bad omen? Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

As for other points of interest that piqued our curiosity:

For more information about the Code of Hammurabi and the stele that appears in the Louvre, check out this article from (again!) history.com;

Yeah, we asked, who was Kitty Genovese?!? And man, do we need to turn in our true-crime-fan cards and hang our heads in utter shame. We know this incredibly sad story, as many great podcasts that we listen to have covered it. The grisly and brutal murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese in New York City in 1964 led to what’s now known as The Bystander Effect, and the implementation of the emergency phone call system of 911 in the United States. There is lots of information out there about this murder (including history.com and biography.com), but this is a pretty good article about this “milestone” murder;

And, finally, oh you, 666. You silly, pesky, not-evil number you. Interested in what all the numbers hubbub is? Do you see 11:11 or other repeating numbers or a certain combination of numbers often? Oh, there’s LOTS of scientific reasons about why we focus on specific numbers that seemingly cross our paths more often than others, but if you think there might be a deeper meaning for you and you’re curious about the spiritual background of what those repeating numbers might mean to you personally, check this article out as a starting point. Beware the rabbit hole though. You’ve been warned and have fun.

And while we might deeply inwardly shudder at the number 666, or jump over cracks in the sidewalk, or believe in ghosts, we also want to be big girls and encourage everyone – along with us – to get over this friggin’ friggatriskaidekaphobia and show Friday, September 13th, 2019 WHO (clap) IS (clap) IN (clap) CHARGE (CLAP)! Let’s combat fear with courage! Fight negative thinking with positive affirmations! Whenever we think something bad is gonna happen because “it’s a bad luck day”, we’re gonna put all our energy into thinking the OPPOSITE and focus on the good things that are happening. Do a little extra…you know, that whole Random Acts of Kindness thing, and put out into the world what we would like to have in return! If we want lots of good luck, good feelz, and good times, let’s put that stuff out there in droves. And, IF something does happen that’s not great, we’re not going to give “bad luck” the power of our thoughts and energy. Instead, we’ll chalk it up to “shite just sometimes happens because LIFE” and move forward. That’s OUR prescription for Friday the 13th. We need to remember that reality is really just our perspective of what’s going on around us. And perspective is a mighty powerful tool for change.

Full disclosure: we DO believe the full moon causes all kinds of weirdness, so…you know…maybe we’ll tuck in early that night??? Does that completely negate our feel good power of positive thinking perspective speech? DANG IT.

So go on and check out our “Do You Feel Lucky?” episode on  iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher 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.

© The Mugly Truth 2019 and © The Mugly Truth Podcast 2019. All rights reserved.
Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox”  by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com.
Featured Dice Photo by fotografierende on
Pexels.com.
Episodes

That’s What SHE Saw!

Today’s “That’s What SHE Saw!” episode is on  iTunes/Apple PodcastsSpotifyOvercastLibsynPocket CastStitcher or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Today’s episode is a PLOT TWIST like no other in The Mugly Truth Podcast lineup. Remember that heartfelt, tear-jerker “Let It Go” episode from two weeks ago? The one where Kris and Kym talk about letting go of loved ones and past hurts, among other things? Well. Today’s episode takes that episode and says, “Really? Hold my crystal ball.” Cracks knuckles. Proceeds to OMG all over the place.

Soooo, we went to a psychic. It’s one of those things lots of people maybe think about doing but don’t. It’s a curiosity, or a guilty pleasure, never indulged in. Maybe because it goes against their religion, or their sense of propriety, or intelligence. Or they’re scared of what they might hear. Many pooh-pooh the whole thing as folly and even judge those who walk over the threshold of a palm reader’s door or through the oddly satisfyingly clicky bead curtains toward a tarot deck as silly, weak, or foolish. But tell us: what is the Universe capable of with all its secrets? Oh, you don’t know? It’s ok. Neither do we. In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say the greatest minds on this planet have yet to fully understand the actual magnitude of what goes on “out there” (again, we are just guessing…we can’t reach Neil DeGrasse Tyson for comment). Whether it’s quantum physics or the sacred ceremonies, rites, and rituals of faith, we’re thinking it is ALL pretty magical.

For those who believe that the Universe holds so many mysteries that we puny humans won’t ever be able to unclench enough to be able to accept all the things that bubble just beyond the veil of our limited material sight, we salute you for cracking open that lovely third eye of yours. Yes, energies, guides, angels – GHOSTS! – that’s a list that will raise the eyebrow of many, even those who are still rubbing the sleep out of Eye #3. We’re not sure how one group who follows the moral briefings of a book and another group who believes in a connection with their higher self and the spirit of everything in and around them are very different at all. It’s all faith in something beyond ourselves, something that transcends pages, pulpits, and meditative prayer. In the scheme of things there’s room for all of it, frankly. It’s what makes this plane of existence interesting. But HEY. Whatever your belief systems are, today’s episode is for fun and for free, and the fact is some WEIRDLY coincidental (really though? Was it?) crap totally went down and we recorded our reactions shortly after the readings.

The person we went to has been in business in our area for almost 30 years and when we talked about doing this type of episode she was the unquestionable go-to for the reading. Just like our dancing around the issue of ghosts and spirits, we went into this with no expectations, a little bit skeptical, and we provided zero, zilch, nada, nuffink in the information department.

We called for the appointment (two separate appointments, we didn’t go together) and when we showed up, we each forked over a personal item for her to hold during the session. Then we literally sat back and listened. It bears repeating, we provided no information at the time of booking the appointment (except our names, okay, yeah, that). And when we went in, we said nothing and she asked nothing. She just held our trinkets and began to speak. Don’t get us wrong. Our lovely psychic said some pretty generic things to kick things off (apparently we are both honest women. We are nodding piously. But…

But then the weirdness hit.

There’s too much to write here. (This is a podcast after all…go listen…it’s all there, including the lovely twitterings of birds and whoomphphphs of horses in the background. And planes. And helicopters. Always helicopters. Why Orange County airspace? WHY?). It’s really hard to put into writing, even two weeks later after time has passed and we’ve processed what she said. Because the things this lady said to both of us, these are things she did NOT have enough time logistically to find out about us.

Scour our Facebook and Instagram pages, listen to EVERY episode of this podcast, you do a deep dive and yeah, there’s a chance you could fool even the hardiest skeptic, we totally agree with that. But did this woman have that kind of time? There were over 40 episodes at the time of our appointment for cripe’s sake, and less than a week to listen to them all. All that datamining for a measly $50? We just don’t see it.

And it wasn’t the obvious stuff she pegged. It was the stuff we DON’T talk about publicly, or post on social media that she zoned right into. That’s the weirdness right there. And she brought up some things both of us had been thinking about a lot lately, but not openly discussed.

Finally, (holding the mic so tightly), the “Let It Go” episode was recorded the week prior, but was not released until the week AFTER we saw the psychic. If you haven’t heard “Let It Go” yet, do that first. THEN listen to this one. Again, she had no way of knowing what we talked about because IT HAD NOT AIRED YET. (Read that in Ryan Bergara’s voice. If you do not know who that is, are we even friends???)

Drop.

Mic.

Shiver. Gigggle. SHIIIIIVVVVVERgiggle. Teehee. We love this sh*t.

Oh, and she basically told Kris the same exact thing Kris dreamed about the night before.

WAAAAAT??

We’re not chilled, YOU’RE CHILLED!! Like. Soda. On. Ice.

Check out our “That’s What SHE Saw!” episode on  iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher 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.

© The Mugly Truth 2019 and © The Mugly Truth Podcast 2019. All rights reserved.
Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox”  by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com.
Photos courtesy of WordPress free library and Pexels.com.
Episodes

31 Days of Feastember

Let the Feasting BEGIN
This week’s episode talks about all the feastable events you can celebrate every single day in December PLUS we announce our gift giveaway CONTEST. How amazing is all of this stuff? Totally. Photo by Kimberly Sickel, @riverdeer at 500px

Happy Tuesday! Today is JAM PACKED with TONS of information, our new contest rules (see below), “stolen” internet pics (WITH credit, c’mon now.) and most importantly 31 DAYS OF WAYS TO EAT IN DECEMBER! Today’s episode covers all the things besides Christmas that you can celebrate during the last month of the year. You like socks? There’s a day for that. Have a penchant for rhubarb vodka? They put aside a day for your drunk ass my friend. Want a Pal? Pick a Pathologist! (You do you honey.)

Emmett Kelly as Weary Willie
Weary Willie as portrayed Emmett Kelly.

Even Weary Willie has his own day and it turns out to be NOTHING like what Kris and Kym thought it was. Our sincere apologies for any disrespect towards the venerable actor Emmett Kelly and his lovely sad-faced hobo character.  We hang our heads (slightly) in shame. BUT! We do not regret having our minds in the gutter, because what fun would our podcast be if we didn’t slither in to the dirty side once in awhile. Ew, actually.

We pull out of that nosedive and continue to cover all sorts of fun from the 1st to the 31st, so YOU can go forth and make merry (sans-Christmas) over the little things in life. There’s National Dewey Decimal System Day (used in the LI-BRAR-Y, remember?), Pie Day (um, will the real pie day please stand up? We’re looking at you March 14.), Pearl Harbor Day, Rosa Parks Day, Wright Brothers day…you get Red Apple day, Cookie Day, Cotton Candy Day, Bathtub Party Day (they did not combine that with the Rhubarb Vodka Day, but you might be able to stretch that party out), Pawnbrokers Day….wait, hold up. Listen to the podcast man! We go over every inch of the dailies for you!

Plus we expound a bit on some events that piqued our interest. It’s a mashup of obscure and popular as we discuss celebrations including The Greater Feast of Aliester Crowley (see photo below, here is the link to the “Unexplained” podcast), Krampus (photo below),  Our Lady of Guadalupe (photo of Juan Diego’s tilma below), Chanukah, St. Lucia’s Day (see photo of Paul Hollywood’s buns below), Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, Saturnalia, and so on. The real point is that every single day seems to involve feasting in some way. We are totally good with that agenda. Food totally rocks! So why not come up with Fritter Day or Cupcake Day to indulge some more? Oh wait. Yep, already a day.

And yes, we promise the contest rules are still below. Keep scrolling non-readers!

Aleister Crowley
This lovely lad is Aleister Crowley, founder of  the spiritual philosophy called Thelema. To hear more details, we highly recommend the podcast “Unexplained” by Richard Maclean Smith, Season 1, Episodes 10 and 10 Extra, in which Mr. Smith delves into the background of Mr. Crowley’s life, and how extremely bizarre (and scary) this cat really was. He has quite the reputation in Britain, and his home is Scotland was once purchased by Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Krampusnacht-theatlanticdotcom
That’s Krampus carrying off an unhappy juvenile delinquent. So, timeouts are no longer a thing? Just asking for a friend. Photo courtesy of theatlantic.com

StLuciaBuns_GreatBritishBakingShow
St. Lucia Buns. Kris’ favorite silver fox baker Paul Hollywood featured his buns on The Great British Baking Show. They were…ahem…lovely. Thank you Paul. Photo courtesy of The Great British Baking Show.

juandiegotilma_beliefnetdotcom
This is the actual 500 year old tilma (cloak) of Saint Juan Diego with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe embedded into the fabric. It is a science anomaly no one can explain. Photo courtesy beliefnet.com

Courtesy SD Times Tamr
Nostalgia time!! This is how we used to find things in libraries. We had to use our thinky stuff to get a book. Fun times. Yay Dewey Decimal System! Photo courtesy of SD Times and Tamr.

Truth be told, this is just one list out of SO MANY on the internet. If you want a more somber and international flavor, check the United Nation’s list of international days of observance, or if you want inspiration to make up your own damned day to celebrate, check out this Mike Kerr’s fun workplace list. Of course, you can check out the list we used here.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!
(CONTEST! CONTEST! WHOOOOOOOOP! )

Today’s episode ends the show talking about our contest Mugly Truth Christmas 2018 Gift Giveaway! YES! Our contest details are finally HERE and they are outlined below! So now you have even more to celebrate! Did we not just make December the most amazing, wonderful, gorgeous, fun-filled time of the year or what? NOW you have another reason to jump for joy! Go ahead, find out all the ways you can enter the contest (soooooo many danged ways! It’s crazy) and then go to town!

But before you dive in, can we just say we so very much want your worst gift stories. If you do nothing else at all, at least share your stories with us because we want to hear from you and read your stories on the podcast!  Ok, now…ready…set…GO!

CONTEST DETAILS

The contest begins December 11, 2018 and ends December 21, 2018. It is a random drawing with no restrictions on who can participate. Completing a qualifying action equals one entry. There are multiple ways to enter the contest as described in “How To Enter” below. The winner’s name will be announced on our December 25th podcast episode and a video of the drawing will be posted on our Instagram account.

Once the winner is announced, the winner will have until January 1, 2019 (7 days), to contact us by email at sipsters@themuglytruth.com. The winner will need to provide their name, mailing address, email and phone number. This contact information is only for the purposes of the contest in delivering the prize to the winner. The information will remain private, will not be shared, and will not be retained for any purpose other than delivering the contest prize. Please note delivery may not be possible to a PO Box address.

If the winner fails to contact us by the end of January 1, 2019, a new winner will be drawn from the same pool of names, and announced on the next episode of the podcast. The new winner will have 7 days to contact us, in the same manner as described above.

HOW TO ENTER

We have given you SO MANY WAYS to enter! Check it out! Do one, some or all of these things to boost your chances of winning.

If you have already followed/liked/subscribed/ or reviewed our podcast prior to the contest, you are already entered!

So here is what you can do to enter:

Follow Us!

  1. Follow us on our website at https://themuglytruth.com by clicking on the blue follow button on the right sidebar of any blog post
  2. Follow us on Instagram at  https://www.instagram.com/themuglytruth/
  3. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/MuglyThe
  4. Like our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/themuglytruth/

Subscribe and Download, Rate and Review On iTunes

  1. Subscribe and download our podcast episodes via the Apple Podcast app or through the iTunes store at The Mugly Truth Podcast. Take a screenshot or photo showing you’re subscribed and email it to sipsters@themuglytruth.com (that’s the only way we’ll know you’ve subscribed since iTunes doesn’t tell us who our subscribers are).

  2. Rate and Review our podcast (we can only track reviews, so if you only rate us, we can’t count it).

Post a Worst Gift Story Using #MuglyTruthChristmas2018

PLEASE PLEASE post an original story about your worst gift ever (doesn’t have to be a Christmas gift). Use the hashtag #MuglyTruthChristmas2018 and tag us!

  1. Post a story on Instagram, use the hashtag, tag us @themuglytruth
  2. Tweet on Twitter, use the hashtag, tag us @MuglyThe
  3. Post a story on your Facebook page, use the hashtag, tag us @themuglytruth
  4. Go to our website, post your story in the comments section of our blog announcement.

We will try to read as many stories as possible in a future episode, so if, for some reason, you don’t want us to read your story, or use your name, please indicate that in your story. And, while pictures are not a requirement for entry, they will make the post a lot more fun! We’d love to see photos of your “worst gift” if you still have it. If not, a lovely picture of you sipping coffee from your favorite mug will be just as wonderful!

Repost/Retweet/Share Each New Contest Post (don’t forget to use #MuglyTruthChristmas2018)

  1. Repost each new contest update we make on Instagram
  2. Retweet each new contest update we Tweet on Twitter
  3. Share each new contest update we post on Facebook

Like and Tag Each New Contest Post

  1. For Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, each time we post a new update, LIKE the post AND tag friends in the comments section. Please note tagging your friends does not enter them into the contest, they will need to enter as outlined in HOW TO ENTER

That’s it…that’s ALLL the ways you can enter. How can you NOT participate? We will be posting short shot episodes, blogs or updates as needed to bring more information about the gift itself and to address questions that might come up.

QUESTIONS? Email us at sipsters@themuglytruth.com

DISCLAIMER: This is all for fun and for free and we are having a great time with this. The contest prize giveaway is paid for by Kym and Kris. There are no strings attached for participants, no list to be used for marketing purposes, entrants’ usernames will not be shared or given out to any marketing companies. This is a simple random drawing with a gift lovingly created by Kris and Kym. There is no third party company running the contest or in charge of tracking entries or computing results and there are no sponsors providing any portion of the gift as a promotion. It’s just you and us, kid. 

We reserve the right to refuse entry of any comments posted on our social media sites that contain derogatory, hateful, degrading, or threatening language. Basically, trolls need not apply.

Check out our 31 Days of Feastember episode on  iTunes/Apple Podcasts, SpotifyOvercast, Libsyn, Pocket CastStitcher 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.

© The Mugly Truth 2018 and © The Mugly Truth Podcast 2018. All rights reserved.
Intro and outro music, “Clever as a Fox”  by Espresso Music through premiumbeats.com
Location photo by Kimberly Sickel, @riverdeer at 500px