Bucket List Photo Challenge: Day 194.

Day 194 of my Bucket List Photo Challenge!

 

Maybe I’m going off on-a-limb here, but I don’t think Gaynor needs that cane. Oh, the people we meet on cruise ships… and the stories they produce.

Let’s call this photo ON-A-LIMB and knock that word off the list!

Here is the complete list for the month of July:

• Firework
• Snap
• Pop
• Crackle
• Laughing
• Craziness
• Golf
• Fruit
• Unique
• Young
• Five
• Flag
• Red, White, Blue
• Americana
• Celebration
• Family
• Sweltering
• Cooling
• Scrumptious
• Insanely
• Parade
• Wholesome
• On-a-Limb
• Start
• Picnic
• Wine
• Wacky
• Spinning
• Delightful
• Dirty
• Wood

Remember, let me know here if you’re doing a Bucket List Photo Challenge in 2013. And upload your photo to Twitter using #BucketListPhotoChallenge

Please let me know if you’re participating so I can give you a shout-out here!

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Katie Couric Makeup Challenge!

Hey all!

I love Katie Couric. Really, I’m not being a smart-ass. I love Katie.

I could do without hearing her obvious political opinions. But when she was on The Today Show, I went to see her every time I was in New York. She was so very personable when greeting her fans and it’s just really difficult not to like her. Sorta like Ann Curry. No wonder that show is a completely miserable downer now-a-days.

I heard that Katie was doing a makeup challenge on her daytime talk show. On today’s show, she will go makeup-free for the hour! Now, I think this is great and incredibly brave. Who the hell invented makeup, anyway?

Besides, The National Enquirer has already shown us Katie with no makeup. Believe me, it’s not anything that will shock you. The woman is 56 years old. She has lived an incredibly interesting and fulfilling life and had to wake up at 3 in the morning for how many years? Is she going to look like a goddamn 20-year-old that hasn’t worked a day in her life? No.

So I applaud Katie.

And I applaud women like Rebecca Regnier from 13ABC in Toledo, Ohio. Never met her— but she is very entertaining and I think she’s heading for big stuff.

On the other hand, I question those like Diane Larson from the same station, who posted this on Facebook:

Diane Larson…hmmmm…. I don’t have much of an opinion of the lady. However, my Mother does. She’s always said that Diane acts, “uppity, with that brassy, bleach blonde hair.”

I’m not going to comment… except to say that Ms. Larson should have not drawn attention to herself for not participating in the Couric challenge. Thank you, Diane Larson, for proving the point of Katie Couric and Rebecca Regnier and millions of other women. In an age when Hillary Clinton received 17,857,501 votes in the 2008 primary for President (more than Obama, actually), I think for women to hide their brains behind overpriced goop for their face is a bit unacceptable.

****EDIT**** I don’t believe in deleting stuff that I’ve said, but I did remove at least one line of my commentary above. And, I would like to add to it. My snarky-ness caught up with me this morning, when Rebecca Regnier (mentioned above) pointed out to me on Facebook that Diane Larson was, “one of the kindest, most generous, and brave women” that she knows and that Ms. Larson is, ” an amazing supporter of women. And has 100 percent been a mentor and friend to dozens of journalist coming through Toledo.”

My post above does seem negative toward Diane Larson and for that I do apologize. In an attempt at humor, using my mother’s quote (and she really did say it) was over-the-top. I actually have come to enjoy watching Diane Larson on the evening news over the years. I remember once, several years back (actually, this had to be a really long time ago…) when Diane was on the news with Patrick Greenlaw (who spent a short time in Toledo before continuing on with an illustrious career before losing a battle with cancer in 2011). The prompters apparently went out during the newscast, because Patrick flubbed— hard. Diane, being the person that she obviously is, recovered for the team and the station in the most respectable of manners. 

And Rebecca was correct when she pointed out that makeup has nothing to do with that.

While I was busy pointing out that Ms. Larson shouldn’t have drawn attention to herself for not participating, I was missing the bigger picture that she was applauding another woman for doing so. And that is more important. Apologies, Diane Larson.

I thought about taking this challenge myself. After much soul-searching, I decided I was brave enough to do it. Here is my photo:

Am I ridiculous? Yes… almost as ridiculous as the notion, that in 2013, women have to hide behind a mask instead of standing strong for the brains that make up their true identity.

Bravo, Katie.