Tokyo Vice only had 2 Seasons :0

 Readers, I’ve been apprised of the fact that Tokyo Vice has only 2 seasons. I did not complete watching the 2nd season. There was a lot of fantastic acting and Michael Mann, the director, caught the feeling of the 90’s: chatter about the Backstreet Boys, one of the protagonists having a “waif”, slender and elegant look, and the way mental illness was the elephant in the room. The story, based on a book by journalist Jake Adelstein, hooked me in even though I think elements of it didn’t seem true and were sensationalized to attract viewers. One storyline, in my opinion, may not be what the author of the book really saw in his time in Japan. I can’t say for sure, but I think that particular storyline is hyped up, sensationalized, and inaccurate. It could have just been added in despite the author’s hopes. Do I know for sure? No.

I enjoyed watching the performances of many of the Japanese actors and actresses. Don’t get me wrong, the actor in the lead role was good, but I don’t think he studied the Japanese language enough. He appeared in one of the HBO behind-the-scenes features and said he studied the Japanese language for 4 hours a day. The director wanted him to study for 8 hours a day. He was smiling, but I started to form an opinion of why the Japanese actors constantly stole the show away from him. Another actress who doesn’t even look Japanese, was more captivating than him. If I recall, the actress playing the role (the character was named Samantha), talked about how she knew the Japanese language from personal experience. She had an explanation as to why her Japanese in the show sounded the way it did. Basically, the speech and accent used were those a foreigner might have.

On the bright side for the actor playing the protagonist, he was really good in the scenes where he was in the USA and spending time with his family. The actor also had credits as an Executive Producer and that’s what seems to me like a role which requires a lot of responsibility. Could that be why he studied Japanese for 4 hours instead of 8? After all, a person has to take care to not overwork. 

I’ll finish the series. Sometimes networks pull the plug and I just have to deal with it. Some days it seems like they’re pulling the plugs a lot!  I was entertained, intrigued and impressed by the acting. I hope to see the actors and actresses from Tokyo Vice again in a longer lasting series.

Tokyo Vice! Not Tokyo Drift, No - - -Tokyo Vice!

 Thanks to Tess, a Yelp Elite who lives in Los Angeles county, I found out about the show on MAX called, “Tokyo Vice.” MAX, for those of you who don’t know, is HBO. Why they changed the name is beyond me, but MAX is where you can see Tokyo Vice. I’ve never met Tess. but she is on Facebook and we’re Facebook friends and she was the one who recommended it. Trusting her because she is smart and writes good, thoughtful reviews which also include practical information as to where to park in Los Angeles, I hopped onto MAX and started watching. The show, based on a true story which has most likely been sensationalized to fit into the MAX lineup is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I’m actually going for lunch break and watching it alone. Remember, the name of the show is, “Tokyo Vice.” The other name I mentioned, “Tokyo Drift,” is part of the Fast and Furious movie franchise from years past. I plan to update my blog with info about “Tokyo Vice,” soon. The story is about an American journalist of Jewish descent on the crime beat of the major newspaper of Japan. He speaks Japanese but does not really fit in but is very ambitious and interested in crime in Japan and the yakuza. More later.

Addendum to the Cordial Invitation to Makeup Alley

 So, you see, in my previous message about Makeup Alley, I may have put myself in a bad position. Yours truly offers her sincerest apologies if you have been offended, hurt, or shocked at the data, and opinions the users have uploaded regarding Fashion, Makeup, Environmentalism, Weddings, Food, Cosmetics, Haircare, Plastic Surgery, Fragrance, Physical Fitness, Photo of the Day, Nail Polish, Finance, Pets, Parental Issues, Entertainment, Travel, Home & Garden, Skincare, topics of interest to women 40 years and older, as well as Cafe Board for daily chat. The data is comprised of, in my opinion, info users have gathered from many different sources, and opinions which have been formed from possibly a plethora of information they have seen or heard. I’m going to report to you my thoughts and beliefs about not only Makeup Alley, but why I made the risky move to invite people to join.

The Urban Dictionary had definitions of MUA (I abbreviate Makeup Alley to MUA going forward in this addendum) which just didn’t seem accurate to me. I’m not saying Urban Dictionary was intending to lie about the users, but we are not all White women. Some of us are Americans or Canadians with ethnic descent. I think some users are also in foreign countries as they have been active at different times than users in the United States, and Canada, and have stated the country they are from, and one has even shared her blog with us. Plenty of women have posted their photos of themselves, or their beauty products, or clothes and purses they have purchased, or whatnot. The photos can be intriguing or sometimes even raise an eyebrow.

Another question I had about Urban Dictionary (I abbreviate Urban Dictionary to UD going forward with my words) is why they seemed to put out the idea that many of the users of MUA are on antidepressants. If I may recall correctly, I read details about the purported antidepressant usage a long time ago on UD. Indeed, if statistics can be counted as useful data, many people are on antidepressants. Many of them are for what they, and their family members, friends, acquaintances, and Medical Doctors (Psychiatrists) consider to be good reasons. Not all users on MUA are on them. Some have titrated off of them, some use other methods to feel happy, and some people swear by them because they believe the medicines have helped them immensely. 

The info UD had about MUA is part of the reason I was inviting people to MUA. If I did, and they showed up and stuck around for a bit, they could see (if they had read what was on UD) the experience on MUA was different than the description on UD. MUA’s website has declining traffic and some of the old-timers want new people to join. They can even browse without creating an account if they so desire. 

Lastly, I have typed up this addendum in the hopes I am not going to be sued for the opinions I have expressed. I think there is a low probability of a lawsuit (knock on wood), but people often get sued in my country. My blogging style may be seemingly frivolous and materialistic at times, but people in the U.S.A. can be litigious, so I just wanted to put in some good, old fashioned, legalese - just in case. Also, I’ve learned that my wage is less than that of employees at In-N-Out burger*, so a lawsuit against me may not be worth it financially.

This may be considered to be a tangent, but here’s another opinion, given to you for free: The In-N-Out burger employees deserve more than the wage they are being paid, in my opinion.

Makeup Alley - you are cordially invited

 On any given day, you can find me going to Makeup Alley. www.makeupalley.com I could be reading reviews on skincare and cosmetics or on one of the message boards. The most active board is Cafe, where topics of the day are discussed. Makeup Alley has been around a very long time, I have been there since the late 90’s. For periods of time I would take breaks and then return. 

If you like makeup, fashion, skincare, general chat, entertainment, books, gardening, nail polish, recycling, working out, cooking, or pets, you’ll find pertinent info on the site. If you go, have fun!

“It’s lights out and away we go!”

 Formula One racing starts this weekend! I finished watching the latest season of “Drive to Survive” on Netflix. Season 6 of the series on Formula One included a lot of profiles of Team Principals, some interviews with drivers, and clips of races. Commentators included Will Buxton, Claire Williams, and Danica Patrick. 

While I was pleasantly surprised to see Claire Williams offering her perspectives as she was the Team Principal for Williams Racing and had a lot of insight, I can’t say I was wild about Danica Patrick’s commentary. Jeannie Gow had been one of the commentators, but had a stroke last year and did not participate in Season 6. Will Buxton did not deviate from his usual style and had a funny line about Haas. 

I enjoyed some of the antics of the drivers like Lewis Hamilton being amusingly annoyed by the Netflix microphones being all around. Very little footage of Red Bull Racing was shown, although there was a segment with the Team Principal, his family, and Father Christmas. Season 6 is not one of the stronger ones, in my opinion, and the viewership has decreased. What has been riveting is the news of the month: Lewis Hamilton signing to Ferrari for the 2025 season, Christian Horner (RBR Team Principal) being investigated for inappropriate and controlling behavior towards a female employee, and the Team Principal of Haas, Guenther Steiner, parting ways with Haas. 

Guenther was one of the most popular Team Principals, thanks to his visibility on “Drive to Survive”. My friend and I even purchased his book, “Survive to Drive”. I read the book quickly. While not the best one I’ve ever read, there was a lot of detail on how he helped the team get to F1, what the previous season was like, and some funny quips.

Christian Horner has been exonerated and soon the world will get to see if Max Verstappen is as dominant in 2024. Can’t wait!

Negativity vs. Positivity

 I’ve heard and read about the advantages of gratitude. The benefits of gratitude lists have been described many times. I’ve also been made amply aware of the concept of mindfulness. Gratitude and mindfulness are big themes these days. 

I’ve also seen someone asking people online weekly to name something positive about their week. One person expressed dislike of the question, perhaps because she wasn’t having the most positive things going on her life. She was immediately blocked by the person asking and felt bad. She asked if someone could let her know she was sorry and if she could possibly be unblocked. 

Her dislike of the question could have been feeling bad other people were having great things happen to them while she was having misfortune after misfortune. Human nature is to compare and as the saying goes, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

In a show called Billions, one of the main protagonists is constantly suffering losses, then wins which turn out to be pyrrhic victories. Somehow his resolve is strengthened and he does have genuine wins. I’m currently on the 5th season while the show is in its 7th and last season. 

I think for anyone who is seeing others having positives weekly but not experiencing any of their own, to keep going, keep pushing and there will be positives. 

Second opinions on medical issues

 I’m not sure if anyone reads my blog anymore, but in case someone does, here’s my story on seeking a 3rd opinion on a medical issue. When I first started feeling discomfort, it took a long time to figure out what the source of the problem was. Appointments took a long time to get as did tests. I tried what my Dr. suggested but none of it helped any. She felt that having surgery would not help me. Some time later, the discomfort went away for about 6 months but then returned. By that time my Dr. had left the practice and I went to another one. He felt that the problem I had was small and should not be causing discomfort. He told me thought the problem was mental. He didn’t provide any suggestions on what to do about that. 

Since he felt my discomfort was caused by my mind, I sought counseling. The counselor described him as “gaslighting” me. She suggested getting another opinion or acupuncture. I did not continue on with her for other reasons, but I did schedule an appointment for another Dr. Once again, I had to wait a while (month and a half or two) to see her. 

She took my problem seriously and ordered tests. She found out what the problem was. She never termed it as mental. She referred me to a Dr. who specializes in the problem. They have found a solution they think will help me going forward. Thank goodness.

I wanted to share my experience in the hopes someone or some people would gain from it. I wish you all a healthy life. I lucked out in that after the first visit to my new Dr., people canceled appointments they had with her and the specialist and I was able to see them sooner. Today I am going to email my previous Dr. about what the problem truly was in hopes that if he sees someone like me, he can suggest something that actually helps. I want something good to come of this. 

Finally

 I had mentioned in May I would email Trader Joe’s about their discontinued Organic Deli Style Spicy Brown Mustard. I finally did it today! The Trader Joe’s website said they take comments into consideration when formulating new products or bringing back discontinued items. I have no idea what impact (if any) my comment will make. If you’re a fan, feel free to send your thoughts about the mustard to TJ’s.