Henley Monday -

Henley Monday - Early Edition

Last week I was on vacation, and thus could not bring you your regular dose of henley. To make up for it, I'm posting twice today. That's right TWO pics of two DIFFERENT famous people wearing the greatest single piece of menswear.

Say hello to our friend Andrew Garfield as he leans close to you, now closer, and a little closer. He just wants to be near to you, and you just want to stare into his deep brown eyes and maybe hang around long enough that Emma Stone shows up, because as beautiful as he is you would never want to break up such a perfect couple who clearly have the most fun in the history of fun and you'd just want to be around those high levels of charm in hopes that it's contagious and eventually convince them to engage in some sort of sister-girlfriends situation.

Andrew Garfield also wins for having sky-high poofy hair that based on my scientific research MUST smell like the Elysian Fields after a light spring rain.

The Bachelor - Episode 9 Recap

"There's a difference between being honest and being an asshole."

We. Are. Back. Yes that’s right folks we are back for round two of this week’s double dose of the Bachelor. One day later, one day wiser, one day of hating Juan Pablo more. Tonight is the famous Fantasy Suite episode where sex is the issue around which all conversations tip-toe. If the previews haven’t mislead us, tonight’s episode should be chock full of juicy stuff, and I also I can see myself getting very caps-y. Strap in tight. Grab your wine. Let’s do this thing.

  This week we are in St. Lucia: a beautiful Caribbean oasis with tropical flora and crystal clear waters. Juan Pablo starts us off by saying, “OH St Lucia you are beauuuutiful.” Clare is up first for the full day plus overnight dates. Juan Pablo has already mentioned “no cameras” several times because he’s very excited for “no cameras”. They get into a dinghy and zip across the sea to a yacht. Clare is telling us, in a very exuberant manner, that she is honestly not sure if she will accept the overnight date if it’s offered to her. 

Really Clare? You’re nervous about spending the night again with a man when the last time you did it you were publically slut-shamed by both the show and the man you’re “so in love with”? Sounds about right. Even as they swim in perfect blue water, Clare tells us again how nervous she is. “The fantasy suite might not be for me,” she says. We’ll just see.

We move right along to the dinner date which will ultimately lead into the presentation of the fantasy suite card aka an invitation for SEX. LET’S ALL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT SEX HAPPENS BETWEEN ADULTS, THE BACHELOR. Ahem, in any case, Clare actually looks beautiful. She’s wearing this flowing white maxi dress. Say what you will about her, and believe me I have, but she is always styled immaculately.

Over dinner they talk about how much Clare wants to meet Camila and be a big part of her life. While Juan Pablo says her name “ca-mee-la” Clare says “ca-mil-a” which makes me laugh every time because that is the name of Gonzo the Muppet’s chicken girlfriend. Camila. The Muppet Chicken.

The date card is presented! Clare demures by giving a big speech about how it matters what Camila sees and how she feels about it all. But Juan Pablo is like “haha it don’t matter. I just really wanna bone you.” And so Clare is like “As long as we’re on the same page.” So they go to the fantasy suite because OBVIOUSLY.

“Everything he’s said to trust him about, I trust him,” Clare tells us as they enter a beautiful and white suite. She is gearing herself up to tell him that she loves him. They sit on a white couch and sip champagne, and he grabs her ear. He grabs her ear and keeps petting it. Don’t touch my ears! Then he gently pokes and caresses her face, and I’m dry heaving. Finally he drags it out of her that Clare is “loving falling in love with you.”

“Come here. It’s ok,” he says. I hate this guy. Then they have sexy hot tub time. “He’s that man that I want to have babies with. That I want to get married to. And I’ve never felt that before,” shares Clare. So that’s where they are at. Have at it, you two. At this point you deserve each other.

But the date we’ve all been waiting for is happening right now. Andi is up. Juan Pablo is so excited and says that Andi is just one of those people that you talk to and have chemistry with. Foreshadow. They walk around a place called the Denner Seafood Fiesta. They learn to play the steel drums. They buy street food. They sit down at a picnic table and make friends with little local kids. They offer them food and the kids say no to food from strangers because they are smart. Juan Pablo further belittles them by buying them juice. Oh and then they all play a pickup soccer game. “It’s like a little romance mixed with some culture. What more could you ask for on a date?” Andi asks. I don’t know, Andi. A man on that date who can think?

Then they hop in a land buggy, drive through the jungle, and then take a short jungle hike to yet another waterfall! Waterfalls are their thing, y’all. They share a little picnic and seem to share some actual good conversation about what happened at the hometown. Then they have sexy waterfall times. 

Over dinner, Juan Pablo wants to take the time to address something Andi said during hometowns. She allegedly said that she “badly” wants to fall in love, and he’s concerned that she’s forcing it. And he doesn’t want that. She clarifies though that she just wants to make sure that she is in fact in real love with him before entering into the role of mother into Juan Pablo’s family. He accepts this answer, and for now everything still seems very lovey-dovey on both sides.

“This is my life, and I don’t want to make a mistake. And I don’t want to regret it later,” he tells her. And while those sentiments are certainly true, they don’t have the delicacy they maybe should. They talk more and more about just what the other person is thinking. He says she’s not sure if she could be a good mother yet. “I don’t know these things.  That’s why I have an overnight with you tonight so we can talk about those things,” he tells Andi. 

She accepts the fantasy suite card signed with love from Chris Harrison. What a load of boloney that farce of Chris Harrison hand-writing these cards is. We all know it’s some P.A.’s job, Bachelor!

“Waking up this morning, I’m so happy. We frickin’ talked and laughed for hours! HOURS!” Juan Pablo beams to camera. He even thinks Andi could possibly be the one.

Smash cut to Andi walking down a path in a black maxi dress. “Waking up this morning, I couldn’t wait to get out of the fantasy suite,” she says, “I thought that I was falling in love because I had genuine feelings for Juan Pablo, but the fantasy suite turned into a nightmare. I saw a side to him that I didn’t really like.”

She tells us how she’d had concerns all along, but had pushed them aside because the times they spent together, they did have a good “connection. But then Andi launches into a laundry list of reasons why Juan Pablo was being a downright d-bag on her overnight. Anytime she tried to talk about something personal, he interrupted; he was name dropping; he talked about his overnight with Clare. “I’m not an idiot. I’m well aware of the situation, but I don’t need him to tell me about an overnight date with someone else when I didn’t even ask,” she says. “He doesn’t get it clearly. He has no filter. And him having no filter just comes across as him not caring.”

“It’s extremely important for me to be with a guy who loves me more than he loves himself.” Wow. Andi you rule. I love that she is being 100% honest. There is no sugar coating on her words whatsoever in how much she is not into this guy. He is narcissitic and kind of dumb and she is done with him thinking he can get away with just being “cute” and having everyone fall in love with him. She questions why she was so blind and is sad that she feels like she wasted so much time with someone she knows will never be a good partner to her. Girl, I feel you. But don’t beat yourself up about it too much. I think I speak for all of womankind when I say we have all fallen for a guy only to realize very abruptly that they were terrible, awful, horrible, no-good very bad men.

And in that light, this is maybe the first time we’re getting to see one of the women have this realization in real-time. I’m sure that there have been more than a few finalists who, after leaving the show, realized that the man they thought they were falling in love with was actually a no-good butthead (JAKE PAVELKA. BEN FLAJNIK.). But let’s get back to the drama at hand.

We are skipping right along to the overnight date with Nikki. Juan Pablo feels like both dates so far have gone really well, so he’s looking forward to see how things go with Nikki. HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL. YOU GUYS. THE OUTFIT SHE IS WEARING. THE OUTFIT SHE IS WEARING. I can’t. I cannot deal with it. Nikki is wearing a FLESH COLORED, FRINGE TEENY-TINY CROP TOP WITH TRIBAL PRINTED FLOWING LINEN PANTS. It’s the most hideous thing I’ve ever seen. Ever.

  They go horseback riding across the island. “There’s a difference between being a nice guy, and being a strong person. I’m a strong person so I need someone to match that,” Nikki tells us as they ride. The two have both separately mentioned that the other is a good kisser, so we know the sexual chemistry is there. They have a picnic on a beach and go swimming. She still hasn’t told him she loves him though and is banking on the dinner tonight to tell him. 

Dinner comes and goes with little fanfare, no “I love you”, and one fantasy suite card that Nikki whole-heartedly accepts. Juan Pablo says he will get some alone time with Nikki then whispers “finally” in the most lecherous, horn-dog way imaginable.

Once in the fantasy suite, they kiss a little and Nikki finally just says, “I love you, and I think you know that. But it’s taken a lot for me to say that.” Then Juan Pablo whispers some unintelligible nonsense to her while kissing her. Then they probably have sex.

Juan Pablo arrives at a swank-ass cabana with Chris Harrison to have a heart-to-heart chat. After clearing up some translation issues because Chrarrison is the man, they very vaguely talk about the women and what Juan Pablo is going to do. I had also completely forgotten that this is the week that the women leave personalized videos to help Juan Pablo with this huge decision. How will this fadge?

Nikki goes first, and it’s boring and fine. Then Clare goes, and are you the least surprised ever that she cries? And then it’s Andi’s turn. And she tells how she had real feelings grow, but then says that when she woke up in the fantasy suite, she needed to share some thoughts with him in person. Enter Andi stage left to have what is sure to be a rough conversation.

“Not once did he ever ask anything about me,” Andi says on her long, long walk up to the cabana. They finally meet, and she is immediately emotional. She repeats what she’s told us already that she had some genuinely good times, and genuine emotions for Juan Pablo. She flat out says that she realized she isn’t in love with him and that she isn’t ever going to be. He says that “it’s ok. That if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be.”

“If you don’t feel it, there’s nothing I can do. I had you here because I liked you since week two…if you don’t feel it, it’s ok,” he says. And she says when he says that “it’s ok” it makes her feel like he doesn’t have feelings for her and doesn’t care about her. So he tries to rearrange his words so he can explain himself in English better.

He then says that it’s harder for Andi because she only had to think about one guy while he was busy dealing with the emotions of “twenty-seven, then nineteen, then the next”. Which is cool and demeaning. And then he repeats that he’s “Liked her since week two” and adds “So am I gonna die? No. But am I sad? Yes. Because I like Andi. I’ve liked Andi since week two.”

I mean what the hell guys? What the hell?

“Everything is always ‘it’s ok’ and I will die if I hear ‘it’s ok’ one more time!” she exclaims in frustration over him not understand why she’s upset. And he gets pissy that a woman is having an emotion in front of him and is like “why you upset?”

When she asks how he feels the overnight date went, he tells her how great he thought it was and how much stuff they talked about. She’s exasperated at this point. It’s like talking to a brick wall. He keeps repeating that he was “being honest” when he mentioned that Clare already had an overnight, and that Andi was there “by default”. He takes great offense! GREAT OFFENSE! Because he does not have that word “default” so he CLARIFIES that he said “you BARELY made it here!”

Oh GOOD. THANK GOD. THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT BETWEEN ANDI AND RENEE YOU JUST PICKED ONE FOR ALMOST NO REASON OTHER THAN MAYBE CUP SIZE. GOOD THING YOU DON’T KNOW THE WORD DEFAULT BECAUSE SAYING “YOU BARELY MADE IT” IS SO MUCH BETTER.

“There’s a difference between being honest and being an asshole, to be honest,” is how Andi reacts. And I cheer. I clap at the tv. Andi you are winning for calling this guy out on his bullsh*t.

The producers are going balls to the wall with shots of random wildlife. So far we’ve had: iguanas, birds, bees, ants, praying mantis, lizards, frogs! So many things! Back in the big fight Andi asks, “Do you have any idea what religion I practice? What my political beliefs are?” And he can’t answer anything. He basically blames her for not bringing up that she wanted him to know those things earlier. And Andi continues.

Then in a moment of moronic defensiveness he goes, “What’s my religion?”

“Catholic,” Andi snaps back immediately. And he turns his head down, and the look of shame on his face is PRICELESS. I CAN’T EVEN TELL YOU HOW PERFECT IT IS. SHUT IT DOWN, ANDI DORFMAN. SHUT. IT. DOWN.

He goes on to completely blame Andi for the way she’s feeling now. He puts it all on her that she should’ve brought up these things earlier, but she failed to do it.

The conversation starts to wind down, and Andi starts to shut herself down completely too. Juan Pablo makes one last vain effort to apologize for how annoying it is when he says “it’s ok” for everything. I think he does genuinely try to apologize but the word “ok” just keeps escaping his lips. Then he reaches over to touch her face but really just pinches her eyebrow. Andi draws back in revulsion and asks him to “please don’t touch me. 

She leaves.

In total Juan Pablo says “it’s ok” a total of 26 times during that exchange. That is one “it’s ok” for every year of her life.

“Am I disappointed? Maybe a little bit,” Juan Pablo says to camera. He then explains that if she had just left quietly he would have been totally crushed, but because of the fighting and the problems she talked about, he doesn’t care. I mean, he’s right. Women shouldn’t have difficult emotions or make their man think about himself in any light other than perfection. So I get it.

“I’m all for honesty, but there’s a huge difference between being sincere and being offensive,” Andi tells us as she drives away, “He doesn’t get it. And he never will.” She’s ultimately disappointed because she wanted to find love with someone, not Juan Pablo no, no no, but with someone. You are twenty-six years old, Andi. You are a federal prosecutor. You are smoking hot. You are going to find someone amazing.

“I hope to God he’s different with Nikki and Clare, for everyone’s sake. Because if he’s not, what a wasted opportunity,” Andi says as the two women are lined up for the rose ceremony. Juan Pablo comes out and explains that Andi is not there because she didn’t have feelings for him, so she went home.

Both Nikki and Clare accept their roses after Juan Pablo gives a REALLY GREAT speech about how if there are any questions or doubts, they should come to him right away and he’ll be honest. I’m sure he will. And the group cheers to the end of the “amazing journey they’ve been on together”.

And that’s that! That is the end of a really, really great episode of the Bachelor. I think a lot of the things that we have felt and noticed the rest of the season finally came out from the mouth of one of the best women on the show. I love that this happened. Juan Pablo got called out on all his bad behavior, and guys, the Women Tell All looks so, so, so amazing. It looks like all the women are going to rip him a new butthole for being such a butthole.

UNTIL THEN, MY LOVES! I’ll be over on Twitter @chasspod, I’ll be here on the blog answering your questions and posting other fun stuff, and I’ll be living in eager anticipation of next Wednesday when the recap goes up! LOVE YA!

Henley Monday - Shaun White, Shaun White, Shaun White, Shaun White, Shaun White, Shaun White, Shaun White, Shaun White - ADDICTION THY NAME IS SHAUN. Possibly the saddest thing about his fourth place finish in last week's Olympic half pipe is that we don't get the resulting press tour of joy. And he's so immaculately styled. And charming. I need that press tour. Let's post pictures of Shaun White in henleys forever. Boom. Also he should host SNL.

Lisa Eldridge is Your New Best Friend -

Youtube is a treasure trove of all sorts of beauty tutorials. I have learned more ways to style my hair and wear lipstick in the past two years of watching Youtube videos than I had in the previous 22 years of reading Vogue, Glamour, Allure, and InStyle combined.

Far and away the leader of the pack of makeup tutorial channels is Lisa Eldridge. She is a professional makeup artist with over 25 years of experience making up all your favorite celebrities from Kate Moss to Kate Winslet. If her credentials weren't enough, she's also just absolutely lovely and glamorous herself. Lisa has a way of making even the most intricate, detailed looks achievable with a little a practice and patience.

She is pure delight and practically a genius. I linked to this video on PMS Face remedies because I found it so exemplifies everything I love about her: sense of humor, skin care emphasis, relatability, and of course, gorgeous makeup.

So make friends with Lisa Eldridge! Watch all the videos that interest you and get started on new and exciting makeup to enhance or even change up your old look!

The Bachelorette - Men Tell All Recap

     Weeeeeeeee! It’s time for some man gossip and fighting and horrible people getting together in one group! This season had more than a few bad eggs and a few really good eggs too.

Chris Harrison is dapper as ever. My love for this man is profound and deep. I really hope he’s ok going through his divorce while hosting a show about finding love. I will counsel you, Chris! I will sit in an ornate throne and give you advice!

     We kick off with Emily and Chris having a little gab sesh about the highlights of the season. It is all about Ricki. As it should be. But then it quickly turns to profiling the biggest pitfalls of Ryan, Kalon, and poor Humble Doug. It hurts even worse to watch Doug give the mid-breakup kiss once again.

Things are getting off to a slow start as we’re still recapping the season and not down to the nitty gritty yet! But I shouldn’t complain too much because they show some excellent deleted scenes. Emily spilled some wine and swore; Travis and Emily sang Shelly the Egg to bed. I’m peeing my pants. WHAT?!?! TRAVIS! TOO MUCH! Travis is seriously so funny, and I wish they had shown more of his antics.

Arie’s twin (SQUEE) brothers were Disney-channel-style spying on Arie and Emily kissing.

Chris is the absolute worst dancer of all time, and Emily makes a bet with Chrarrison to do the “running man” dance move on the After the Final Rose special…which leads me to believe that she’s happy enough to do the running man. So hopefully the finale won’t end in tragedy as they’re leading us to believe.

Then we get an incredibly dramatic preview of the Bachelor Pad. I’m skipping this. Sorry folks, no energy to recap that hedonistic descent into madness. I will say however that Chris Bukowski is a doucheface of epic proportions. I can’t wait to watch.

    My DVR marks minute 30 when we begin the actual men-telling portion of the men tell all. Oh my gosh, Sean is a dreamboat. He is precious, and the ladies go crazy just at the sound of his name.

Guys, let me be honest right now that recapping this is really difficult because the show itself is a bunch of clips recapping the whole season. Doug was a center for drama; Kalon sucks ass; Ryan is a cocky dweeb with jizz hair whose exit the men celebrate. These are things we know to be true.

We have the maturity conversation with Chris being 25 once again. Chris and Ryan spar a little and actually, Ryan is kind of in the right. What he wants to say is that Chris is easily offended, Ryan has more confidence, and that at the end of the day, maturity didn’t matter because none of them ended up with Emily. These are things we know to be true!

Oh god, I totally forgot about Stevie the party MC you guys. He’s such a dweebus.

We have Kalon up in the hot seat now for the real good stuff. Chris Harrison deals with him in the best way. Basically saying, “You were being an ass and there are better ways to say things than how you say them, you ass.” KALON ISN’T EVEN SORRY FOR SAYING “I love it when you talk, but not until I’m finished.” He has learned nothing from this and never will. Boo hiss.

   Oh my gosh. Sean is a dream man. Here is what he says to Kalon re: baggage, “If you truly want to win a woman’s heart and ultimately find love, you love the woman and embrace every part of her. Part of Emily is Ricki.” Oh my gosh. What a mensch.

                            Ryan is next up on the hot seat.  We recap some of his best and worst moments. My favorite is when he used the word “neat.” Ryan has become a few shades deeper orange and fixed his jizz hair, but still has that terrible Seneca Crane beard. He’s a mess. He just keeps running his mouth and everyone is groaning in agony.  HE FOUND HIS JOURNAL THE OTHER DAY! His journal that he was so excited to maybe finding his wife. And Chris calls bull shit. “That’s poetic and all! But Emily is the Bachelorette! You have to fall in love with her!” and not some random woman.

Straight up: Ryan believes there is no chance whatsoever that he is an arrogant ass.  And Chrarrison puts everyone’s minds at ease that as far as Ryan becoming the next Bachelor, “not gonna happen.” Chris is just basically laughing at Ryan the whole time. I love you, Chrarrison.

It is Chris Bukowski’s turn on the hot seat. I have not missed his eagle beak one bit. He does stand by the fact that he “loved that girl 110%” which is actually okay by me. I don’t dislike the guy for being in love with a girl; I dislike him for having a kind of false arrogance and immaturity. He really isn’t mature enough yet. I think he’s in the middle of growing into the man he’ll become still. I also appreciate that he only has good things to say about Emily and the experience. That’s good of him. But he looks like he’s a real dumbass on the Bachelor Pad so we’ll see how much he really grew.

         Finally (finally, right? This thing has been dragging) we bring Sean up to the hot seat. Dear, wonderful, lovely Sean. I would like to call back the fact that I predicted he’d get really far when he was getting a lot of screen time the first few episodes without having any Emily time. It’s because he’s such a HUNK. A sad hunk. A heartbroken hunk. He’s still in the throes of getting over Emily because this is baby’s first heartbreak. Truly. He’s never had his heart broken before. I will help you mend, Sean-28. I know you have a long list of volunteers, but I am officially submitting my name to that list.

Emily comes on stage! Holy red dress with giant boobs! Tony ran up to hug her. Weird. I feel so bad that she calls out that it’s good to see Sean. He still wants her back! OH GOSH! THE PAIN! Emily opened a lot of eyes to the world of love, apparently. Chris and Sean both thank her for this. This woman is like a superhero.

    OH SHIT! Kalon tries to apologize to Emily and say that he will grow from this experience and she just goes, “And you, my dear, should be a politician because that is the biggest load of bullshit.” She is so awesome. She just tears him up and shuts him down. “I just pray that you find hope in something bigger than your Prada shoes and your rented helicopter.” I love her. High fives for everyone.

It’s bloopers time, bitches! Lots of wind antics blowing things over,the men go streaking through the woods, lots of nakedness, and lots of falling down on Vespas. I laughed a lot, please go to the internet and find the full reel.

Ok, so that wraps up a rather dull Men Tell All for what was a pretty dramatic season. The finale will be dramatic and romantic and full of lone shots of Emily walking and looking pensieve. We’ll see you next SUNDAY for the epic finale of this journey to find real love. PS – Jef said, “I just want to hold her hand ‘til I’m one hundred and ten.” And I cried one perfect, singular tear. FOR LOVE!

A Guide to Naming Your Dog

Thinking up great names for dogs occupies anywhere from 50-85% of my thoughts on any given day. I obsess over potential names almost as much as I obsess over the actual dog. It’s fascinating, and endlessly entertaining.

Tragically, having a dog just isn’t in the cards for me right now. For one, my apartment in Chicago is a no-pet zone. But even if it were legal to have a furry friend, I don’t exactly have the time or means to support another life. I can barely get myself walked and fed. I work nights and keep odd hours. I’m a comedian and restaurant maitre d’, which if you were under the impression that either of those jobs give me a great deal of disposable income, let me be the first to kindly laugh in your face.

But you know what’s a great, money-free way to spend time and enjoy life? The internet! Among tens of others, I spend a considerable amount of my time on petfinder.com pining over the sweet canines who need my rescue and love. There are photo galleries and profiles for each dog so you can fall in love and have your heart broken several times over the course of a few hours. Of course, many of those dogs have been given placeholder names, essentially just a label. These dogs  deserve more than just that, they need an identity, and thus, I put my energy into thinking up the best names for optimal dog nomenclature.

I bring to you the top contenders I’ve come up with heretofore. But just know that if you end up using one of my suggestions for your very own dog, I’m going to need a picture for my records at probably, like, a play date or two.

1) Gulliver - This Swift-inspired name would accompany a rough-and-tumble scruff-bucket companion. A dog is adventurous by nature, and you would destine him for greatness with the moniker of the greatest adventurer in the literary cannon. Other adventurous literary figures suitable for dog names include Huckleberry, Ahab, Jack Kerouac, and Aeneas.

2) John Krasinski – John Krasinski is obviously the best name for a charming and rambunctious, always smiling kind of animal. This name hinges on the personality of the dog. It has to have that effortless, Krasinski charm, or it’s just nonsense. I really love when dogs have first and last names, and I really, really love when dogs are named after minor celebrities/historical figures. To whit…

3) Any of the Bulls 90s starting lineup - You’ve got your Michael Jordan’s and Scottie Pippin’s, sure. But what about a tall red-haired dog named Luc Longley? Or a svelt brunette named Toni Kukoc? Oh, please, meet my rottweiler-mix Ron Harper. Sit, Steve Kerr! Good, Steve! But not Dennis Rodman. You do not want to set yourself up for failure by naming your dog Dennis Rodman.

4) Dr. Egon Spengler – “Why does that sound familiar?” you might be asking yourself. “Where is that name from?” you wonder. It’s from Ghost Busters. It’s the name of the esteemed scientist portrayed by the prolific Harold Ramis. The three part nature of this dog name makes it great. You could call him Doc or Egon for short, but when you need to scold him or really get his attention Dr. Egon Spengler will come out of your mouth melodiously.

5) Influential Figures from Your Line of Work – Are you an anthropologist? Then just IMAGINE the knowing laughs when you tell your colleagues your dog’s name is Leakey. Leakey the dog! Hysterical! Actors would have great success with an elegant French bulldog named Uta or Stanislavski. Fear not, businessmen, you too can have a work-inspired canine friend. How about Keynes? What a dignified dog.

This last one really is a choose your own adventure. And besides, what’s just a little creative work of your own when I’ve already given you so many helpful suggestions? You’re the one with a dog, after all, not me.

I want to hug Lindy West. I want to take Lindy West out to the poshest brunch spot in town. I want to buy Lindy West the baby animal of her choosing. I want to follow Lindy West around with a boom box playing her favorite pump up song and fire a confetti cannon any time she enters a room.

The woman deserves lauding. The message of this article is so important, and should be required reading for all woman because it bears so much truth. I will be the first to stand up and say that I am super-duper guilty of making statements like these. Not only to myself, but out loud and often. Watching other people be in love while you aren't, makes it really easy to try and rationalize and explain things away. But Lindy is pointing out that that is STUPID. It is DUMB, DUMMY!

But she also points out that those times when all that nonsense falls away, and life is just life, and you are just you, are awesome. It is the best life can be, and that's what we should be striving for. And if life is the best it can be, then that's just great. And if a relationship should happen to fall into that along the way? Well, then that's just the cherry on top.

So let's all make a pact as women (men, feel free to join in on this. I'd hate to discriminate affirmations) to slap the negative words out of our faces when we hear/speak them and replace them with positive reinforcements and self-actualizing thoughts!

Ready? GO!

Tomorrow I will be standing up in my best friend's wedding. Tess and I have been best friends since a chance meeting on our way to preschool when we were both three years old, and through thick and thin, have made it to this moment right here. So for the next few hours (before I really need to get my shit together and get to the rehearsal dinner), I'll be posting some of my FAVORITE wedding related clips from film and television.

This first one is from the seminal rom-com "My Best Friend's Wedding". Fitting, huh? It's also special because it's set in Chicago, just like us! And OUR bridesmaids dresses are purple, too! AND the bride is blonde! But that's pretty much where the comparisons end because I'm not going to kiss her and sabotage everything at the 11th hour. Or am I? (I'm not).

Best Part: the lobster claw waving waiters

The Bachelorette - Episode 1 Recap

Oh hello there! Welcome! Welcome back to the beautiful event in time and space that is The Bachelorette. I'm very happy to be here, and what's more, I'm happy to be back in your head commenting every move our Lady Desiree and her male suitors make.

Let's jump right in - very edgy starting in with a montage of the season to come and not Chris Harrison saying "Tonight! On the Bachelorette." There are sweeping landscapes and smiles and tears and mystery women and heated meat heads throwing down with their words and fists.

Back in real time, Des pulls up to a brand new Bachelorette pad in a modest Honda Civic. She and Chrarisson tour the new digs (complete with drafting table and bolts of fabric for our little designer!) as Desiree recaps her ill-fated journey to love with Sean Lowe on last season of the Bachelor.

She has already cried twice in this episode. Once when reminding us that she grew up in poverty but her parents love each other a whole lot. And again when remembering being dumped by Sean. She is going to be crying a lot this season methinks.

Then Chris hands her the key to her brand new turquoise Bentley convertible. She goes for a little joy ride to a stupid song that includes the line “I think I love her more than I can understand”. She ends the voice over saying, “I’m ready to put a ring on it.” So there’s that.

Now for a little poolside chat with Chrarrison. She says, again, that she wants real love and compares herself to Cinderella looking for her Prince Charming. And, look, I really liked Desiree last season and am excited about her turn, but I really hate when women constantly align themselves with Princesses from Fairy Tales because a) fantasy world b) helpless maidens aren’t cool they’re helpless c) you shouldn’t want and expect a perfect prince you should want and expect a great MAN.

That being said the dress she is wearing to meet the guys is amazing. It looks like warrior alien armor which is my favorite kind of formalwear aesthetic. And I am just as nervous and excited as she is to watch these men embarrass themselves!

Before the first impressions, we have a few lil video packages about some standout guys. The first guy Bryden is sort of fine and describes his best characteristics as “loyal, kind, sensitive”, so he’s basically just a Labrador.

Next up is William who is one of my Chicago homeboys, and BOY does he embarrass me! He is a banker with an almost empty bookshelf and does bikram yoga by himself. He also walks the streets of Chicago demanding high-fives from unwilling strangers. Oh and he’s also black and points this out about himself so don’t expect to see William for very long.

We pull out a big card next I think in Drew, a dude who “loves his life.” He has a story about the divorce his mom from his alcoholic dad and having to take care of his mentally handicapped sister. He is very good-looking.

Oh hey we’re back in Chicago! I can tell because they use the same stock footage from before. Nick R. is 26 and is a “clothier” which is SO DOUCHEY OH MY GOSH HAHAHAHA. But on a serious note, he is doing important work. Men, go see a tailor. It’s necessary.

WOW BIG TWIST! NICK R. IS ALSO A MAGICIAN! HE DOES SOME MAGIC FOR A VERY LIMITED CROWD AT COMEDY SPORTZ (A GREAT THEATER YOU SHOULD PATRONIZE). HE IS AWFUL, AND I LOVE HIM.

Down in the “hill country” of Texas we meet Zak W. a 31 year-old drilling fluid engineer (wtf?) with crazy eyes who doesn’t like wearing clothes very much.

Robert is 30 going on 21 and is the man who brought people spinning signs into your world. Apparently that’s a thing that was invented and coined and Robert is the guy who did that. He has a baby face but looks great wearing a wetsuit half-way down and HAS A DOG WITH ONE EYE. I see what you’re doing there with that one-eyed dog, and let me tell you Robert, it is working.

Mike R. has a British family and is a dental student. He is oatmeal of a man.

Brandon is an adrenaline junkie, yeah! He wakeboards! Speaking of wakeboarding his father left his mother in quite a wake when he left Brandon and his brother at age 5. His mother struggled with addiction, but don’t worry guys! His grandparents showed him an example of a loving relationship. Thank God otherwise he would never be fit to be someone’s life partner.

Ok everybody, strap in. The moment is here. We’re about watch 25 men be really awkward meeting a pretty girl for the first time.

First out of the gate is Drew, our good-looking front runner of the men from those intro packages. They have a cute little moment, and I think our girl is feeling him.

Brooks has long hair and reminds me of this actor. Brad is a boring accountant who brought a wishbone as homage to when Desiree brought wishing pennies for the fountain. Shut up, Brad.

Bryden comes out next and his occupation is listed as “Iraq War Veteran” which isn’t an occupation. Michael G. is a federal prosecutor and strikes me a little bit as the type of guy who might be more excited about spending time with the guys in the mansion than Lady Des.

We are living in a world, folks, where a guy named Kasey can introduce himself by saying, “I’m in social media, and I looked you up and saw all these great hash tags about you. So I’ve got some hash tags of my own.” He giggles his way through some truly stupid hash tags, and I almost end it all right here. Hash tag – Stop it, Kasey.

Will from Chicago demands a high-five from Desiree. And then…And then he says this, “So, because you have the presence of a goddess, I decided to give you the nickname of Athena. Because she’s the goddess of wisdom. And she has outside beauty. And you have that outside beauty.” AND WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS GOING ON?! That makes no sense and is just WEIRD. He leaves her with the charge of coming up with a nickname for him too because forced nicknames are the best kind of nickname.

We meet a grown man named Mikey and Jonathan a soft-spoken yet sexually aggressive lawyer. Then our good friend Zak W. with the dubious job description and crazy eyes emerges shirtless and spray tanned like a pageant toddler. He spreads his arms and says, “Will you accept these abs?” Des, who has been the picture of grace thus far, just giggles in response.

James is a hair-slicked guido (also repping Chicago) who I actually kind of like on first impression. Larry is a bespectacled ER doctor who very awkwardly forces her to dance and then when he tries to dip her, her heel catches on her train. It’s very uncomfortable to watch.

Nick R. the tailor/magician does a trick to make a rose appear, Zak K. is a burly book publisher in a wee bowtie, and then some real magic happens. A guy clumsily clamors out of the limo and towards Desiree in a full suit of shining armor. His name is Diogo and he is every bit as awkward as you’d hope he would be. Even the guy refusing to wear a shirt thinks the suit of armor is a bit much.

Chris fake proposes but ends up tying his shoe. Mike R. shows up in his dentist coat, but I would like to remind you all that he is but a dental student and should not openly practice dentistry. Robert the sign spinning guy is totally nondescript in his intro but he’s growing on me. Oh, hola Juan Pablo former pro soccer player, cómo estás? He brought her a candy from Venezuela and Desiree cannot handle saying Juan Pablo. I don’t know how to make that easier for her.

Awwww, yeah! Brandon the Adrenaline Junkie/Painting Contractor comes slowly rolling in on a sweet hog! That motorcycle is the only memorable thing about his entrance. Brian is a douche in a (gorgeous) blue velvet sport coat. Micah is a moronic law student who comes out in a gimmicky ugly suit of his. Nick M. wrote a horrible poem and forgot to get his pants hemmed! See Nick R. about those pants! Dan is…a guy? I don’t know; he’s totally blah.

Oh and last but certainly not least is Ben an “entrepreneur” who decided that the best thing for him to do as a FATHER would be to prostitute his young son on national television to sway Desiree with his undeniable cuteness! REAL COOL MOVE, DAD. That trick may have worked on Desiree, but it’s not working so easy on me, guy!

Before the party gets started Chrarrison informs Des that she has the same opportunity that Sean had last go around as far as roses go. So all the roses available are out on the table, and she can give them whenever she wants.

Hash tag Kasey really feels how stiff the competition is. I have to agree. There are some champions among some true horrible goons. Des gives a toast and some advice to “just be yourself” which is the best advice we can ever get, really.

And before anything gets started, Nick R. pops up to get the attention of the crowd for some magic. Kill me now. Oh but wait it’s a hacky hoax to make Des disappear for a few seconds so he can talk to her first.

“Are you a magician full-time?” is the first thing she has to ask him because it’s important to know if you’re dating a MAGICIAN. My respect for him grows though when Brandon interrupts him and he insults him by calling him “pinstripes”. Haha, I know, right, Nick R.? What is this? 2002?!

Dude with the kid actually has a lot in common with Desiree, and they’re hitting it off. They talk about his kid and how they like camping and the outdoors. It seems natural. She gives him the first rose of the night.

Shirtless Zak W. with the crazy eyes is taking this as a serious reality check that maybe he needs to show Des that he’s serious about being there. The rest of the guys also collectively lose their *ish in jealousy and immediately step up the crazy.

Shirtless crazy eyes then does something I think we all predicted in the first five seconds of meeting him. He removes his pants and does a running jump into the pool. That’ll get her…? But it does, you guys, it does get her. She gives Zak W. a rose for jumping in the pool.

Bryden the Iraq War Vet who described himself with the qualities of a dog, talks about how he and his dog are best friends. He gets a rose.

Desiree and I are on the same page that Juan Pablo is one sexy Venezolano. He does tricks with a soccer ball like a trained seal. He’s so hot I really hope she keeps him just to see his face.

Drew is adorably nervous and gets a rose for all the things they have in common. The ER doctor who dipped her is freaking out and it’s still very uncomfortable because he apologizes to her. He’s less attractive than I thought and a little creepy with his intensity.

Jonathan the aggressive lawyer has once again made a “bold move” by getting really drunk and trying to set up a fantasy suite where he is “going to try to kiss Desiree on the mouth.” And I hate this guy. I knew this guy in college. This guy is a handsome dirtbag and all around garbage person.

“She didn’t want to go to the fantasy suite. I don’t understand what’s wrong with her,” he slurs. AND THEREIN LIES ALL THE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MESSED UP MISOGYNY THAT A PRETTY WOMAN IS OBLIGATED TO DO STUFF WITH YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU DEEM HER WORTHY OF YOU.

He tries to take her into his weird makeshift fantasy suite one more time, and she puts her foot down. She sends him right home to the literal applause of the other men.

And now for the rose ceremony! Everyone is nervous because they all feel like they deserve to be there most. But let’s see who Des deems worthy of her heart and helicopter rides.

Those leaving us tonight include: Mike R. the pseudo-British dental student; Diogo the knight in shining armor; Larry the dipping doctor; Micah in the gimmicky suit; Nick R. the tailor/magician; and of course Jonathan the supreme a-hole.

Well there you have it. This journey to love is officially kicked off, and I am as excited as I always am for world travels and drama and hunky men acting like idiots. It looks spectacular and like there will be tears every week from not only Desiree but the guys too.

To those of you returning, you know where to find me. To those just joining the party, recaps go up every Wednesday and you can follow me on Twitter @Chasspod during the rest of the week. See you next week, journeyers!

Let this song take you gently, yet powerfully into the day before you.

Please remember to be the following things:

bad

bold

wiser

hard

tough

stronger

cool

calm

stay together

And I know, all I know is, love will save the day.

Kick ass.