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How To Start Dating If You Want To Be In A Successful Relationship
How To Start Dating If You Want To Be In A Successful Relationship
Life isn’t like a fairytale — you can’t just kiss a frog to find your perfect match (read: make out with a bunch of bad kissers and hopefully find your other half). Reality doesn’t mirror a Cinderella story, so how can you start dating if you want to be in a successful relationship?
Figuring out what you want in a partner is hard enough and trying to find that person is even harder. It’s even more difficult to find a significant other in this day and age. I mean, you’re more likely to walk into a Starbucks and see people glued to their computers or cell phones than strike up a conversation with any of them. While it might seem that meeting someone nowadays can be challenging, it's not impossible. There are plenty of things you can do right now to make finding Mr. or Mrs. Right a bit easier.
1. Think about what you want
In order to find a good match, you need to know what a good match even means to you. What are the qualities you are looking for in a partner? As the millionaire matchmaker would say, what are your non-negotiables? I’m not saying write a list out of 50 things that you want in a potential mate, but thinking about your top 5 qualities could start you off in the right direction. Think about what you are looking for and visualize it. Oprah was a believer in doing this, and well, you can never argue with Oprah.
2. Work on yourself
I hate to get all cheesy on you all, but you need to love yourself before you can healthily love another. Therefore, if you want to be in a happy and healthy relationship, you should have a happy and healthy relationship with yourself first. If you are already there, then move on to the next step. But, if you’re thinking twice about this part, you might want to spend some more one on one time with yourself.
3. Tell everyone
When you’re looking to find a significant other, you don’t want to keep it a secret. Let it be known. Just like you have that friend, that knows a girl that has a neighbor who is cousins with James Franco — the same thing applies. You might know somebody that knows somebody who could be your somebody! Don’t be shy about you being single and ready to mingle. Find your inner Julie Andrews and sing it loud and proud.
4. Hang out in your places of interest
If you want to meet a person who has similar interests, go to your places of interest. If you like music, go to your local record store or get tickets for a nearby show. If you’re interested in working out, hit up the gym or try a new fitness class. Who knows, maybe your future love is waiting for you at your nearby Trader Joe's? And yes, my place of interest is a grocery store.
5. Consider how you come across
Now, I’m not talking about being approached in a grotesque way or being harassed. I’m talking about the old-fashioned and genuine approach of just getting to know a stranger. If you’re looking for a potential match to approach you or for you to approach another person, you need to consider how you are coming across to others. For example, if you’re eyeing a cutie across the room, don’t just leave it up to the eyes — a smile can go a long way. If you are doing the approaching, ask yourself: are you being genuine, or does your conversation starter sound contrived?
6. Be more open to a potential match
Whenever I go shopping and I am only thinking of a specific outfit to buy, nothing else I see will please me. This is similar to dating. When you are too strict about what you are looking for, you run the risk of letting great people go. Maybe you didn’t think that the love of your life would be blonde, a little shorter than you had hoped, or was really into reality TV shows. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have specific qualities you are looking for, but you should just make sure you aren’t letting pickiness get in the way of finding someone truly amazing.
7. Be more open in your life
If you follow a structured life, have your routine down and stick to it every day, where is there any room for another person? If you are the kind of person that goes from A to B without even looking up, you might be missing a potential mate right in front of you. So say yes to a night out with your friends, or explore your city by yourself one day. You never know who’s out there on the road less traveled (by you).
8. Get out of your dating comfort zone
If your dating comfort zone resembles whipped cream by the spoonful while binge-watching New Girl on a Friday night (which, by the way, I think sounds absolutely glorious), then you might want to step out a little more. Hey, there's no judgement about said previous act, but I doubt you will find your perfect match through the TV screen. And anyways, Chris Pratt is already taken. You might want to put yourself out there (i.e. dating site, matchmaker, singles events). I know it's scary and easier said than done, but if you want something, you have to be a bit vulnerable.
Sponsored by 14 HANDS WINERY
5 Ways To Celebrate The Small Victories Of Your Week
There are life's major victories: the admission to college, the first big job, the promotion, the marriage. These are the events that get all the fanfare, filling up photo albums, taking up the lion's share of our reasons for celebration.
It's the small victories, however, that comprise the meat of our lives: finally finishing that decorating project you've been putting off forever; getting through an entire day's to-do list; properly roasting a chicken for the first time. Now more than ever, it's more important to focus on the thrill of those mini-milestones we have throughout our days and weeks at home. And if nobody has told you lately, you deserve to toast yourself.
If you're looking for a drink that is worth toasting with, 14 Hands Unicorn Rosé Bubbles is the perfect choice. With notes of cranberry, pomegranate, and Bing cherry, the effervescent tartness of this wine is basically a party for your taste buds. It's light and fizzy, with a finish that will leave you feeling refreshed, upbeat, and ready to give yourself a proper pat on the back.
We've compiled a list of ways that you can celebrate the small victories of your week. 'Cause no matter how small the victory, you deserve to raise a can to yourself.
1. Have A Throwback Dance Party In Your Living Room
Know what's better than going out to a bar where you need to pay for drinks and can't choose the music? Staying in with a can of 14 Hands Unicorn Rosé Bubbles and choosing your own playlist of nostalgic tunes. Getting your blood flowing is a great way to celebrate getting through another day. It's also a perfect exercise to reset your mind, especially when you choose songs that instantly make you feel happy. Put together one of your most extra outfits, as if you were going for a night on the town... then feel the ~vibes~.
If you're looking for a great playlist, check out Bustle's Throwback Tunes, below.
2. Bake Yourself A Cake For National Unicorn Day
The whole process of baking a cake is seriously therapeutic. After a long day of webcam meetings and working from home, you can congratulate yourself by trying out that colorful baking recipe you've been wanting to test out forever. With National Unicorn Day right around the corner on April 9th, it's the perfect time to whip up something gorgeous in the oven. Share to your social channels to inspire your friends to do the same!
3. Host An At-Home Happy Hour With Your Besties
Staying connected is incredibly important, especially right now. Thanks to teleconferencing software and smart phones, it's super easy to do so. Just the other day, I rewarded myself for a morning of cleaning with a glass of wine and a teleconferencing brunch session with some of my best friends from home. Though I live thousands of miles away from them, it was as if we were all sharing a mimosa together at our favorite local café. To make things even more fun, try experimenting with a fun background that will transform your living room into a desert fantasy. We've included a custom one below, easy to download as a digital background. You're welcome.
To download the image, click this link, then right click the image and save to your desktop!
4. Make A Fancy Dinner & Document It
Whether you're cooking for a whole fam, for two, or just for yourself, there's no better time than the present to try out those bucket-list fancy recipes. It might be international, like a black sea bass glazed in miso. It might be a juicy steak and some classic sides. Perhaps you're in the mood for some creamy and indulgent homemade pasta. Whatever your dream dish might be, a great way to celebrate yourself this week is by making a fancy dinner and setting up a little pop-up restaurant in your kitchen. Crack open a gorgeous can of 14 Hands Unicorn Rosé Bubbles and pour into a champagne flute for extra flair. Don't forget to table-scape and document heavily, because if you didn't share it, did it even happen?!
5. Start A Gratitude Practice
Whether you like to journal, meditate, or do affirmations, an active way to celebrate the little triumphs you experience every day is to reflect on them. Not only do these rituals help you keep in touch with your creativity; they have the power to just make you feel better about yourself. Spending lots of time alone, it's easy to get swept up in bad little habits that make us feel bad about ourselves — comparing oneself to others on social media, ruminating, negative self-talk. Starting a gratitude practice is a great way to remind yourself of the many ways in which you're unique and #blessed.
This article is sponsored by 14 Hands Winery. Please drink responsibly and where legal.
Whether you've been going on first dates over FaceTime, attending sex parties on Zoom, or exchanging explicit photos via text, digital dating during the coronavirus pandemic has been having a major moment. But it’s not its first moment — or even its second or third. Sure, better technology is now making it easier to connect with strangers than ever before. (And I honestly don’t know what I’d do if I had to go through this without high-speed wifi, which, I know, is a very first world perspective, and also very true.) But anyone who gets a little dopamine hit when they see the phrase “a/s/l” knows that online dating is no way, shape, or form a product of being stuck in self-isolation. It's been around for a while. In fact, it's how I met my first lover.
My first introduction to the world of online dating was reading over my older sister’s shoulder while she chatted with strangers on our family's desktop. By the time I was 12, I was sneaking into those AOL chat rooms myself. By then, I’d had my period for two years, was wearing a C-cup bra, and was more than a little curious about sex. I also knew, from my sister's experience, that age, sex, and location weren't questions that people who were looking to make “friends” asked. In other words, they were all looking to "cyber."
These messages gave me a chance to explore different kinds of sex without actually having sex.
My first full-on digital relationship started in an AOL chat room and moved over to AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), with a man whose screen name was xXAnaxagorasXx. (Mine was madonnaminime.) He sent me photos of his face from when he was younger, and I sent him one overexposed polaroid of me. We didn’t send each other any explicit photos (this was before camera phones, and you had to literally scan anything you sent online), but we did talk a lot about BDSM-y things we wanted to do with each other.
In my memory, those conversations were extremely scandalous. In reality, they were probably fairly tame, at least by my 2020 standards. Regardless, those messages gave me a chance to explore different kinds of sex without actually having sex. They were a safe space for me to examine my desires and to feel desired, to figure out what turned me on, and to turn someone else on. They were integral to my development as a sexual person.
Myisha Battle, a Bay Area sex and dating coach and host of the positive sex podcast Down for Whatever, tells Bustle that conversations about what you’re into, even if you can’t do those things together, can be a great way to avoid “sexual misalignment.”
“A big part of dating is trying to find people with whom you feel safe and comfortable being your full sexual self,” Battle tells Bustle. “Even if you’re keeping relationships purely digital, there should be some amount of sexy talk and flirtation to give clues about what you value in a sexual relationship.”
I don’t remember what happened to xXAnaxagorasXx or why we stopped talking. But that experience primed me for future dating and relationships, including the guy I connected with via G-chat about 10 years ago, with whom I exchanged digital audio files and smutty photos. He would record talking dirty to me and masturbate, send me the files, and then I would masturbate to them and record my responses over his. The result was an audio file that sounded like we were having sex in person, despite the fact that we never actually met IRL.
I’m not the only person who’s been experimenting with full-on sexual and romantic digital relationships over the past couple of decades. Take, for example, that episode of PEN15, where Maya meets a guy on AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) called “Flymiamibro22” who she thinks is much older and who becomes her “boyfriend.” Or more than half of the relationships on 90 Day Fiancé. Or your uncle who met a woman on Match.com who he moved to Minnesota for. Or even just that one person you exchanged dirty messages with on Tinder before getting bored and blocking them. We've all been woven into a long, interconnected web of virtual relationships for years, without even knowing we're part of history.
"Online dating has been around in a variety of forms since about the mid-'90s, with Match.com starting in 1995 and celebrating its 25th anniversary this year," Dr. Nicola Fox Hamilton, Ph.D., a cyberpsychologist, tells Bustle. "However, people were meeting online before official dating sites existed, and continue to meet and form relationships outside of online dating now. Gaming, online communities, and social media are all popular meeting places."
Virtual-first and digital-only dating and relationships may feel novel right now, but we’ve practiced for this. Is this your first time dipping your toes into the “a/s/l” dating pool? If so, welcome! It’s a very weird and very fun world you’re about to enter. And the possibilities are, quite literally, endless.
Experts:
Myisha Battle, sex and dating coach
Dr. Nicola Fox Hamilton, Ph.D., cyberpsychologist
In the olden days (before social distancing), when a crush wanted to decline an invitation to hang out, they could claim to be "at work" or "busy with friends." But now, amid a global pandemic, when everything is closed, and everyone is sitting inside, glued to their phones, the only way to ghost someone is by taking a digital detox.
While you'd think the embargo on public events might hinder one's ability to make last-minute excuses, leave it to the gems I date to come up with new, innovative reasons for why they can't make it. When dating relies solely on technology, the only way out is off.
After a couple of days of sheltering-in-place, it became clear to me that I was going to need more human interaction than my roommates were capable of providing. I'd been following a fellow creative on Instagram, and after liking each other's quarantine-chic posts, I decided it might be time for a socially-distant slide into their DMs.
To my surprise, they replied immediately. They told me how lonely they were, quarantined with their parents, and what a relief it was to connect with another person. For the next few days, we exchanged messages, swapped GIFs and music recommendations, and shared articles we'd enjoyed reading. We'd take turns complaining, confessing our fears for the future, and offering suggestions of what to make for dinner.
I loved having a quarantine crush — someone cute to gab with in self-isolation who wasn't my roommate's dog or the Amazon delivery person. We found love in hopeless, contactless place, so as the weekend drew closer, I resolved that it was time to kick it up a notch. I messaged my crush asking if they wanted to FaceTime, aka the social distancing version of, "Want to grab a drink this weekend?"
I was shocked to find that people can still be so committed to roundabout-rejection, even when they're sitting in their sweatpants at home, baking sourdough bread on Instagram Live.
When I saw "Typing..." pop up, I began daydreaming about their response. Would they claim to be working up the courage to ask me out? Suggest we do a fun activity over Zoom? Ask for my address, so they could send me a bottle of wine?
But when my phone finally pinged, their response made my eyes roll so far back inside my head, I felt like I was riding Kingda Ka.
"Uh, sorry," they said. "I'm actually going to ban myself from screens for a while, to attempt to become one with nature. Or something."
That's right, folks. Instead of hitting me with an, "I'm just not that into you," a content creator for a digital publication opted to tell me that they were not planning on using their cellphone or computer for the foreseeable future. All to, presumably, get out of going on a FaceTime date with me. Casual!
At first, I tried to cut them some slack. According to Dr. Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist and author of Joy from Fear, people often give phony explanations to avoid conflict or hurting someone's feelings. When you're not into someone, claiming to be "so busy at work" (or going on a cellular strike) can help cushion the blow.
But Dr. Manly also shares that lying your way out of plans doesn't just hurt the people you're rejecting — it hurts you.
"A pattern of telling 'white lies' can reduce sensitivity to dishonesty and lead to greater dishonesty over time," Dr. Manly says. "Now that you can’t tell a 'white lie' about having another engagement, you have the opportunity to increase your honesty-based skills and personal boundaries."
I did what they couldn't: I officially pulled the plug.
Look, I'm all for giving your body what it needs, but there's a difference between "I'm not using my phone" and "I'm not using my phone to FaceTime you." I was shocked to find that people can still be so committed to roundabout-rejection, even when they're sitting in their sweatpants at home, baking sourdough bread on Instagram Live.
I get it: Telling someone that you're not feeling them can be intimating. But instead of finding new ways to blow people off, perhaps self-isolation can be a time to reflect on what you want, what you don't, and how to honestly and directly communicate that to the people you date (or politely reject).
When my crush posted on Instagram a few days later, I thought about calling them out. But ultimately, I decided against it. Instead, I did what they couldn't: I officially pulled the plug.
Experts:
Dr. Carla Marie Manly, clinical psychologist and author of 'Joy from Fear'
On a Saturday night, after another riveting week of walking around my living room and failed attempts at making cold brew, I turned off The Sopranos, put on a fresh pair of sweatpants, and got ready for a date. Actually, I got ready for 23 dates — all at the same time. That's right, folks: At the height of a global pandemic, I went Zoom speed dating and attended a virtual singles mixer.
Although the phrase "Zoom singles mixer" may sound like it was written by the creators of Cards Against Humanity, many dating companies and matchmaking services have opted to move online since social distancing began. Take video-dating app Filter Off, for example, which has seen a major surge in its speed dating sessions, Bumble's collaboration with BuzzFeed, which sets up strangers on live-streamed first dates. Eventbrite even reports a 1000% increase in online events in April, with "speed dating" becoming a new trending search term. This is the wild, wild west of internet culture and behavior.
Virtual speed dating may come with little reward, but it also means little risk.
In mid-March, when my city officially banned group gatherings and began living in isolation, I received an email from Rachel Breitenwischer, co-founder and COO of Here/Now (formerly Perchance), a dating and human connection company that hosts events for singles. She invited me to an upcoming virtual singles mixer.
While I've never been one for ice-breakers, I've always been intrigued by the prospect of experiencing love at first sight in real-time. So, I applied"to attend an upcoming mixer on the Here/Now website, listing my name, age, gender, and career, and ticking off my top three "personal values" from a list including traits like creativity, adventure, independence, and kindness.
As the mixer drew close, I received an email with the Zoom link and some instructions for the night. I was told to bring an object to share with the group, something that "shed a little color on what made me uniquely myself." The idea of an adult "Show & Tell" made me nervous. Would people take it too seriously? Would I look like a jerk if I didn't take it seriously enough? Would there be a man in his mid-30s, showing off a trophy from his college rowing team? (Spoiler alert: Yes to all three.)
Although I am prone to overthinking, Meredith Golden, dating coach and dating app expert, says that virtual meet-ups may actually help you quell some of your first-date "what if's."
"Video chatting and Zoom speed dating act as a great screening tool," Golden tells Bustle. "[You can] decide if someone should be on your ‘meet when it’s safe' list or if the process should stop now so you can protect your time."
And protect my time I did. In just over an hour, the Here/Now mixer introduced me to 23 singles. The event started with an entire group Zoom and broke off into randomly selected "Breakout rooms," where three or four of us were prompted to answer — you guessed it — ice-breakers.
While I personally struggled to earnestly answer, "What kind of child were you?" or "What was something people wrongly assumed about you?", others appeared to respond enthusiastically to the provocations. With the exception of my sarcastic tendencies, the group divulged confessions about their dream houses or proudest accomplishments, making visible connections with each other in the process.
A guy vaguely resembling Aaron Samuels asked me, 'Well, are you looking for a date or an article?'
Although I had to tilt my computer screen down in order to roll my eyes in peace, I was thankful I hadn't left my house. Virtual speed dating may come with little reward, but it also means little risk. Essentially, I still had to put myself out there, but I got do it while wearing an elastic waistband and lounging on my couch — which, in retrospect, is not the worst thing in the world.
"[Going to an online singles event] is an easy way to dip a toe in the water," Golden says. "It’s a controlled environment, and you don’t have to be the main attraction. A bad date reminds someone that they don’t have to waste their time, and it's an empowering reminder that you are in charge of your clock and calendar."
Although I wasn't "allowed" to talk about work, I accidentally mentioned that I was a sex and relationships writer. A guy vaguely resembling Aaron Samuels asked me, "Well, are you looking for a date or an article?"
I told him I'd be happy with either. But I think I knew, even then, that I'd only be leaving with one.
Experts:
Meredith Golden, dating coach and dating app expert
Sophie Turner Made Joe Jonas Watch 'Harry Potter' To Date Her
Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas have been one of the best celebrity couples out there since they met (with Turner bringing an entourage of frat boys to protect her). And their relationship just gets cuter with every new detail of how their love came to be. Sophie Turner made Joe Jonas watch the Harry Potter movies in order to date her, and honestly, it's totally reasonable.
Jonas made the hilarious reveal during an interview on The Late Late Show with James Corden on Monday, April 26, saying that it was a condition before their romance even became official. ”Sophie, she said, 'Look, if we're going to get married...' It was actually, 'If you're going to date me, you have to watch the Harry Potter movies,'" he revealed. Of course, he loved them all.
Once he completed that task, he set a condition of his own for their relationship: Turner must watch the Lord of the Rings films, which has been another quarantine project. But he’s taken their fandom a step further. "We've been binge-watching Lord of the Rings during this time, and building the Legos that go with the movies, which is quite fun," he told Corden. Yes, Jonas and Turner are building Legos together, and it’s gone beyond Middle-earth. ”We’ve done three Lord of the Rings Legos. We've done Hogwarts, the castle, which is like 7000 pieces, the Batmobile, and Stranger Things," he explained with glee.
The couple has shown off their elaborate Lego sets on Tik Tok, and they are indeed modern masterpieces. But that’s not the only thing they’ve been up to while in quarantine. Jonas allowed Turner to give him a makeover, which yielded fabulous results, and he even has a special plan up his sleeve to celebrate their first wedding anniversary. “I think we would have gone back to Vegas,” he said, Las Vegas being where they had their first wedding. “So if you can keep a secret, I would say I might try to recreate Vegas in our house. I have a DJ set-up. We could do a nightclub.”
Turner previously told Conan O’Brien that quarantine has been a dream for her, since it’s allowed her to spend time with Jonas at home, as she prefers. "If I could stay at home all day I would, so this is great for me," she said. "Joe's a real social butterfly, so I struggle to lock him down and have him spend time with me.”
To quench his FOMO, he has been throwing DJ sets at home, so a Vegas-themed staycation would be right on-brand for the two. But can he start streaming his DJ sets online, please? It's for the greater good.
If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC or NHS 111 in the UK for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here, and UK-specific updates on coronavirus here.
Alan Bennett's ‘Talking Heads’ Is Returning With Jodie Comer, Martin Freeman, & More
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, not only has existing television adapted their normal routine, but there has been a resurgence of brilliant shows from the past making their way back to our TV screens. Now, Alan Bennett’s critically acclaimed Talking Heads is returning to the BBC and filming begins today (April 28).
The first season of this BBC classic aired in 1986, and the second in 1998, and the monologues were performed by the likes of Julie Walters, Alan Bennett himself, and Maggie Smith who also starred in Woman In A Van, a film about Bennett’s memoirs. The monologues, which are now on the A-Level and GCSE syllabus, went on to win some of the actors BAFTAs.
For the new series, the 10 original monologues will be remade alongside two new monologues that Bennett, now 85, wrote in 2019. Fittingly, themes of many of the original monologues were centred on isolation, so they should resonate quite clearly with viewers.
Speaking about the upcoming show, Bennett said: "In such difficult circumstances, that the BBC should choose to remount both series of Talking Heads, and produce two entirely new ones, is a comfort and a huge compliment. I hope a new generation of actors will get and give as much pleasure as we did 20 and 30 years ago."
The monologues will be performed by a number of beloved and talented actors including Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer, The Hobbit’s Martin Freeman, Monica Dolan, Tamsin Greig, star of Happy Valley Sarah Lancashire, Lesley Manville, Lucian Msamati, Maxine Peake, Rochenda Sandall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Imelda Staunton, and Harriet Walter.
In a BBC press release, Nicholas Hytner, Bennett's collaborator and the lead director and producer on Talking Heads said: "It has been a profound and fascinating experience to work out a way of making them again, this time with a company of phenomenal actors who are the equal of those who first made them."
The monologues which will air on BBC One in the coming months.
Carole Baskin's Former Husband's Lawyer Has A Theory About His Disappearance
Turns out that Netflix users who can't stop marathoning Tiger King aren't the only ones who have theories about what happened to Carole Baskin's husband. In a new interview, the lawyer for Carole Baskin's ex-husband shared his theory about the disappearance — specifically, he believes that Don Lewis was most likely murdered, and he has a theory as to how it all went down.
Lewis — the second husband of animal activist and Big Cat Rescue founder Baskin — mysteriously disappeared in August 1997. And while officials never found evidence of foul play, Baskin has frequently been accused of having some kind of involvement in his disappearance, though she has repeatedly denied the allegations against her and is not currently a suspect.
Joseph Fritz, who was Lewis' lawyer before he went missing, is one of the people who suspect foul play. "I do have reason to believe he is dead," he told People in a new interview, adding that in his opinion there are "too many indications of foul play, too many motives, too many opportunities." Furthermore, Fritz insisted that Lewis would never abandon his family without a trace, adding, "He wouldn’t leave him family, his fortune and his kids behind. There was enough motive and enough opportunity for something bad to have happened, and it probably did."
In the interview, Fritz reiterated a theory he originally proposed on Nancy Grace, that Lewis — who was set to fly to Costa Rica the morning he disappeared — was lured to a nearby airport and attacked. "We heard he got strangled with an electric cord in the backseat and was thrown out over the gulf," Fritz alleged. "In my working theory, one person [was] flying the plane and one person [was] strangling."
However, unlike Baskin's long-time rival, Joe Maldonado-Passage (a.k.a. Joe Exotic), Fritz doesn't necessarily think that the Big Cat Rescue founder Baskin is responsible for Lewis' death. "I don’t know who the murderer is," he said, adding that it's difficult to think of any possible motives for why someone would want to kill Lewis. "He was a pretty likable guy,” Fritz recalled. "He never really hurt anybody. When he loaned money, it was at high interest rates. He aggravated somebody on a land purchase once; that was bad. But nothing I would say was worthy of murder."
Lewis' disappearance is also being treated as a homicide by Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, who asked Twitter followers to share any potential new leads about the case in the end of March. "I wish I had more answers," he told People in April, adding that thus far, there are no real leads on "how and who’s responsible for" Lewis' disappearance. "I only hope, with the popularity of this Netflix series, that I’ll get those answers."
Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads. #CaroleBaskin #DonLewis #Netflix #Tiger #BigCatRescue #JoeExotic #TigerKingNetflix #HCSO
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The popularity of the Netflix series hasn't been as promising for Baskin, who has continually refuted the accusations that she was involved in her ex-husband's disappearance. "The series presents [Maldonado-Passage's accusations] without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims," Baskin wrote in a blog post shortly after Tiger King became a sensation. "They did not care about truth. The unsavory lies are better for getting viewers."
It's been over twenty years since Lewis mysteriously disappeared (he was declared dead in 2002), so the likelihood of the case ever being properly closed is slim. However, if nothing else, it seems the popularity of Tiger King and the renewed interest in the case might just help Baskin, Fritz and Lewis' other loved ones finally find answers.
Prince Harry’s Cameo In Thomas The Tank Engine’s 75th Anniversary Special Is So Wholesome
When you think back to your childhood, there are probably a few children's TV, film and book characters that come to mind. And whatever your age, Thomas the Tank Engine is likely to be on that list. This year, the world of Thomas and Friends (originally created as a story book series, by the Rev. W. Awdry for his son, Christopher) celebrates its 75th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, self-confessed fan Prince Harry has filmed the introduction to a special new episode.
The intro was recorded earlier this year, in January, just before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to LA with baby Archie. Sitting fireside, in a cosy looking armchair, Harry reads from a book titled Thomas and the Royal Engine – the latest tale, in which we'll see animations of the Queen and Prince Charles as a child.
In a statement Prince Harry said: “Thomas the Tank Engine has been a comforting, familiar face to so many families over the last 75 years – entertaining, educating and inspiring children on important issues through exciting stories and characters.
“I certainly have fond memories of growing up with Thomas and Friends, and being transported to new places through his adventures," Harry continued. "I am very proud to have been asked to take part in this special episode. I wish Thomas and Friends a very happy anniversary.”
Prince Harry is, as he confesses, a long-time fan – he even carried a Thomas the Tank Engine bag on his first day at school in 1987.
While on another occasion, a couple of years later, Harry was seen out and about with Princess Diana, wearing a Thomas & Friends T-shirt.
In the 22-minute special episode, Sir Topham Hatt (aka The Fat Controller) has been invited to London by the Queen to receive an award for service to the railway. However, it doesn’t all go to plan and on his way to London, Sir Thomas gets lost, running into a very regal looking train named the Duchess of Loughborough (voiced by Rosamund Pike).
Is the animated train based on a real version? Well, yes. There is in fact a rarely used Royal Train, mainly brought out for longer journeys and special engagements.
Thomas and the Royal Engine will air on Channel 5 Milkshake! on Saturday, May 2, at 9:05 a.m.
This piece is part of Bustle’s All Levels Welcome, a column about making fitness culture as accessible and inclusive as possible.
Even if you have the fanciest workout equipment you can buy online, actually getting up to exercise can be... rough. You know moving your body around will probably help your mind feel better, but the stress of the pandemic can make it hard to want to leave the safety of the covers. But you can still exercise even if you don't want to get out of bed.
If you're getting down on yourself for not having the emotional or physical energy to have a heavy sweat session, meet yourself where you're at. "Try not to become overwhelmed by what you are not doing or can’t do — instead, focus on what you can do," says Mecayla Froerer, a certified personal trainer and director of at-home personal training community iFit Training. "Once you feel like you can take on small exercise tasks, you can slowly begin to add on." In other words, letting yourself stay curled up in bed while moving around a bit is a valid way to ease into working out.
"In the beginning it will be challenging, but over time, with repetition, it will become a habit and something you look forward to," says Austin Martinez, a certified athletic trainer and director of education for one-on-one stretching studio franchise StretchLab.
A little can go a long way, says Debra Strougo, certified personal trainer and founder of boutique fitness concept Row House. Once you start moving, "blood will be pumping a bit, you’ll feel more mobile, and maybe you will want to stand up and do some squats," she tells Bustle. Whether or not you dive into squat territory, you can start your day with these 15 exercises you can do in bed to help yourself feel that much more ready to take on the day — and maybe even get yourself to the couch.
1. Ankle Circles
Lying on your back, straighten your legs. Use your big toe as a laser pointer to create as big of a circle as you can by moving your ankle in a counterclockwise "O." Trace the circle for 20 seconds, then go back the other way. Switch feet and repeat.
While these circles might not seem like "exercise," Froerer explains that working out is not just about breathing hard. "When individuals become inactive, joints begin to stiffen, resulting in pain and discomfort," she says. "You can think of range of motion exercises as a great way to 'add oil to the joints' and keep them healthy and fluid in everyday movement."
2. Knee Circles
Bend your knees to about a 90 degree angle. Imagine the laser pointer is on your kneecaps this time, and draw circles toward the ceiling with your knees. Brace your palms on your knees for stability and let your hands help you move through counterclockwise, then clockwise, movements. Spend 20 seconds on each direction.
3. Arm Circles
Stretch your arms out to the sides and trace circles with your index fingers. Make the circles as big or as small as you're comfortable with, experimenting to find what feels good. Move through one direction for 20 seconds, and make sure you even it out by tracing circles in the other direction.
4. Shoulder Circles
Shimmy down so your head is on the mattress. Tuck your shoulders up toward your ears, then squeeze your shoulder blades together so your shoulders roll back down into the bed. Press them down toward your hips, then roll them back up toward the ceiling and again toward your ears. Complete about five or six of these circles, then reverse the motion for another five or six reps.
5. Alphabet Arms and Legs
This exercise sure feels silly, but it's more challenging than it seems. Fully extend your legs. Raise them slightly, tracing the alphabet with your big toes. Rest your legs and do the same with your arms out to the sides.
"It’s harder than you'd think," says Strougo. "This is great for your fine motor skills, for your smaller muscles, for your mobility, and of course for your concentration." Bringing your complete focus to what you're doing right now (as opposed to this week's anxieties) may be exactly what you need to start your day.
6. Deadbugs
I think of them as "alivebugs" because I'm an insect-loving nerd, but whatever you call the move, it'll wake up your entire body. According to Froerer, this is the best way to go through the exercise:
"Start by lying on your back with both knees directly above your hips and thighs. Reach both arms up overhead making sure to maintain a straight line from shoulders to fingertips. While keeping your core engaged, straighten and lower your left leg to slightly above the bed while keeping your right leg bent. Simultaneously, lower your right arm up and over your head. Perform this move slowly and with precision. Hold for a moment or two before returning to the starting position. From there, move onto the opposite arm and leg and alternate back and forth."
7. Supine Leg Marches
Keep your arms beside you. Bend your knees with your feet pressed flat down. Squeeze your glutes and push the bed away with your feet, raising your hips as high as you feel comfortable with.
Start to "march." Raise one foot, bringing your knee toward your chest. March that foot back down and switch, so you're taking another "stride" with your opposite leg. Breathe and perform about 10 marches with each leg.
8. Reverse Crunches
Start in the same position as your marches. Draw your thighs into your navel, bringing bring both of your bent legs toward your chest. Slowly raise your legs as high as you're comfortable with, peeling your glutes off the mattress if possible. Keeping your knees bent, lower your feet back down. Repeat the crunch when your toes tap down. Try for 10 or 15 steady reps.
9. Straight Leg Lifts
Repeat the motion of your reverse crunches, but with straight legs. Put your hands under your glutes to keep your body stable. Make sure you're breathing, and keep your head resting easy. Try for 10 to 15 reps, but you can lower the number if these are tough.
10. Supermans
Roll onto your stomach, reveling in the fact that you're working out while surrounded by your favorite blankets. Stretch your arms in front of you, parallel to the mattress, with your upper arms by your ears.
Squeeze your glutes and quads (the fronts of your thighs). Raise your arms and legs toward the ceiling at the same time so you look like you're flying. Slowly come down, then repeat. Try for 15 to 20 repetitions. "This will slightly stretch your ab muscles and strengthen your lower back," Strougo tells Bustle. It will also open up your chest, she says, which is especially important when you're at your computer all day.
11. Happy Baby Pose
When depression is getting you down, it can be helpful to tap into your inner child and show them some love. Lying on your back, lift your feet toward the ceiling. Bend your knees as generously as you need to so that you can reach up and hold your feet with your hands. Find whatever feels most comfortable for you, whether that's grasping your ankles or your insteps.
Play with your feet like you did when you were a little one, experimenting with straightening your legs toward the ceiling while still holding your feet. Chill here for as long as you'd like, or count 10 long, even breaths if you prefer to keep track.
12. Thread-the-Needle Hip Stretch
Staying on your back, cross your left ankle over right knee (as if you were sitting). Thread your hands between your left leg and right leg, so that you're hugging your right thigh to you. This should increase the stretch in your left hip, which will start undoing a lot of the damage from sitting all day. Pulse gently in and out of the hug, or hold your right leg close to your body for a slow 15 to 30 second count. Make sure you even it out on both sides.
Why are you incorporating this kind of stretching as a "workout"? For the same reason as you need to integrate joint mobility into your routine, says Froerer. "By incorporating joint mobility exercises along with stretches to help lengthen the muscles, posture will improve, pain will subside, and optimal health can be achieved."
13. Lateral Leg Lifts
Roll to your left side. Stack your feet on top of each other with your right foot stacked on top of your left. If this feels too unstable, you can place your top foot out in front of your bottom foot. Form a pillow with your arm (or use your actual pillow) and slowly raise your top leg toward the ceiling. Imagine squeezing your upper thigh in toward your rib cage to engage your core in the movement. Try 10 or 15 lateral leg raises per side.
14. Dolphin Plank
Sure, you'll have to lift your body somewhat off the mattress, but your forearms will still be cozy against your comforter. Roll onto your stomach and plant your toes. Bring your forearms to rest on the mattress underneath you. Definitely keep your knees lowered if you want or need to. If it feels right, you can straighten your legs and send your hips back up and behind you, holding yourself up with your forearms and feet. Hold this position for as long as feels good, or 30 seconds if you like to count.
15. Crossover Chest and Arm Stretch
If you can start sitting up, scoot to the edge of your bed. Let your legs swing down and sit up tall. Exhale, stretching your arms out to the sides. Pull your hands and elbows back like they're trying to meet each other behind you. Lift your chest up, and when you're ready, reach your right arm across your chest. Use your left arm to hug your right to you. Breathe and hold for another five or six breaths, then switch sides. You'll have your blood flowing in no time, without having to leave the bed — though perhaps now you'll feel more able to get up and go.
Experts:
Mecayla Froerer, certified personal trainer, director of iFit Training
Austin Martinez, certified athletic trainer, director of education, StretchLab
Debra Strougo, certified personal trainer, founder of Row House
Facebook’s #Graduation2020 Ceremony Will Feature Oprah & Miley Cyrus
The coronavirus pandemic has forced schools and universities around the world to cancel graduation ceremonies. But if you still want to celebrate the end of an era, Facebook and Instagram have you covered, and they've got way more A-list entertainers than your actual ceremony would've had. Miley Cyrus and Oprah will participate in Facebook's #Graduation2020 ceremony.
As announced in a press release obtained by Bustle, Winfrey will deliver the commencement address at the virtual ceremony, officially titled #Graduation2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020. And truly, all universities should follow Facebook's lead and just have her speak at every future graduation. Other stars will also chip in with advice for the class of 2020, including Jennifer Garner, Lil Nas X, Awkwafina, and Simone Biles, with more speakers to be announced soon.
Of course, Cyrus will bring it home and make viewers and graduates cry alike by performing "The Climb," which has soundtracked graduation ceremonies and videos since she first sang it on Hannah Montana: The Movie in 2009. What better to lift our spirits than this timeless classic?
The multi-hour commencement will stream live on Facebook Watch on Friday, May 15. Individual segments will be posted onto the official @Instagram account as well as contributors' own social media accounts. And if you want even more ways to celebrate the Class of 2020 (at least until it's safe to host an in-person soiree), Winfrey and Cyrus' ceremony isn't the only virtual event happening that day.
Eva Longoria and Jaime King are teaming up with Her Campus to host their own online graduation ceremony on the same day, titled "I'm Still Graduating," per Entertainment Tonight. Both actors will speak during the livestream, and they've assembled more celebs to join them, including Tamron Hall, Andrew Yang, Austin Mahone, Jesse McCartney, Billie Jean King, Saweetie, Margaret Cho, Radhika Jones, and Drax Project, among others. In addition, graduating students will be able to speak and perform during the ceremony as well.
If there's one silver lining for graduates during the pandemic, it's that they can say virtually every celebrity on earth was their commencement speaker.
If you think you’re showing symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, shortness of breath, and cough, call your doctor before going to get tested. If you’re anxious about the virus’s spread in your community, visit the CDC or NHS 111 in the UK for up-to-date information and resources, or seek out mental health support. You can find all Bustle’s coverage of coronavirus here, and UK-specific updates on coronavirus here.
Whether you're playing a lighthearted game of croquet with friends or family, or you're going for a ruthlessly competitive showdown, having a reliable set is key. A broken mallet or missing wicket just won't do. The best croquet sets feature durable hardwood in their build and make it easy to get your game on whether you’re playing with four, six, or even eight people.
With lower quality croquet sets, as with anything that gets punted and whacked across a lawn, you’re going to encounter some reviews that report damage on the first use. If you want a set that will stand up to the test of time (and your fierce competitive streak), invest in a durable set with all-hardwood mallets. Ones that are Amish-made will feature impeccable craftsmanship (although they often cost a premium).
Look for sturdy iron or steel wickets that won't break when they get clocked by a ball traveling at Mach 4 (forgo cheaper plastic wickets that will bend easily). Wooden croquet balls are traditional, but are often hard to find. Most sets either come with plastic or composite balls instead.
A stand will keep your mallets elevated so they stay clean and damage-free between games, making it easy to set up your next game because you don’t have to assemble the mallets. However, if you’re looking for a set you can toss in the car and take to the park, a less expensive set with detachable mallet heads might be for you. It may not last quite as long, but it wins points for portability and affordability.
We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.
1. A Budget-Friendly Six-Player Croquet Set
This all-purpose classic croquet set includes six hardwood mallet heads that screw into the natural wood handles (for a total mallet length of 30.7 inches). You also get six crack-resistant resin balls that let you satisfy your competitive urge with gusto, nine steel wire wickets, and two ending stakes — giving you everything you need to set up a game at home, or you can take it with you in the durable nylon bag that can handle being tossed around. One reviewer noted, "Everything about it is top notch and you will love the feel of the wooden mallets and the vivid colors on the balls."
2. A Chic Vintage 4-Player Set With A Canvas Storage Duffel
This vintage-inspired croquet set looks chic set up in the yard and channels a Gatsby-esque vibe. The four mallets (measuring 38 inches in length) are cut from hardwood and glazed with a weatherproof finish for comfortable handling that staves off splinters, and even the balls in this set are made from solid wood. Six iron wickets can take a beating no matter how fierce the competition gets, with one reviewer noting they were "tough as nails" (although they may be hard to spot in low light). You also get a durable canvas carrying case. "This set exceeded my expectations," one shopper raved. "Very well-made mallets. Probably not a set for professional-level play, but for backyard use, seems to be heirloom quality."
3. This Premium 8-Player Croquet Set With A Heavy-Duty Stand
This all-hardwood croquet set with a stand is built by master Amish craftsmen in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. They use hardy maple to lathe-turn the mallets and stakes. Each of the eight mallets is finished with a brass rings to prevent splitting no matter how hard you whack the hard plastic polymer balls through their vinyl-coated metal wickets. In terms of mallet length, you can choose from eight 28-inch handles, eight 32-inch handles, or a combo set with four of each length. The storage rack neatly organizes mallets, wickets, and balls together, and features a top handle so you can move it around with ease. Reviews were nearly universally pleased with the beautiful build and made-to-last craftsmanship, with one shopper commenting that it stood up to "a family that takes croquet a little too seriously...I anticipate this set staying in the family for years to come.".
Can You Still Donate & Recycle Old Clothes During Lockdown?
The urge to organise the entire contents of our home and wardrobe is stronger than ever as we continue to adjust to life in lockdown. Maybe you've come over all Marie Kondo as you decide which of your possessions "spark joy", and which need to be let go (after thanking them for their service, of course). It seems like a productive use of time, but as you pack them up ready for the charity shop, we're wondering, can you still donate and recycle old clothes during lockdown?
The short answer, is no. As part of the UK's move into lockdown, thousands of charity shops and recycling centres across the country had to close. Since then, however, some members of the public have been dumping bags of unwanted clothing on their doorsteps and outside recycling banks.
Shelter — which helps those facing housing issues — has asked people to please hold onto to their items. "Keep them safe at home until we reopen, when we will be very grateful to receive them," the charity wrote on its website.
Oxfam CEO, Danny Sriskandarajah, shared a similar sentiment following the closure of its 600 high-street stores in March. "In light of government guidance to avoid all non-essential contact, we have taken the decision to stop all sales of donated items online, as we are unable to fulfil any items from our shops," he wrote, via the Oxfam UK website. The charity also asks that people don't leave anything outside shops or in donation banks.
Recycling for Greater Manchester has also suggested people "avoid doing large DIY projects or clear outs unless you have space to store your waste" — so maybe leave that renovation until lockdown lifts, too.
To support these charities during the pandemic, it's best instead to donate money, or volunteer time to talk to those who are vulnerable over the phone. Beauty Banks is also worth checking out, a very cool organisation which has made super easy for you to donate beauty products to those in need.
There are some good sites to buy second-hand fashion online, if you're missing your usual thrift shopping. Or, perhaps now is the time to embrace upcycling, bringing new life into old clothes. Learn how to repair holes, replace missing buttons, turn worn-out jeans into denim shorts (in the hope that the sun will take the hint and reappear) – there are thousands of how-to videos online for inspiration.
And while you wait for charity shops to reopen, it might be a good idea to invest in some space-saving storage options – we recommend vacuum packs – for clothes that will eventually be destined for donation (Amazon, of course, has plenty of options).
In ‘Diagnosis Diaries,’ A Woman Copes With Infertility Due To Premature Menopause
Health journalist Jordan Davidson was 24 years old when she learned that she was premenopausal. "I used to get my period every 20 days, which sucked," Davidson says in the latest episode of Bustle's YouTube series, Diagnosis Diaries. "Then it started coming later and later, and then it just stopped coming." Her doctor initially blamed stress, but Davidson insisted on having tests. The results revealed she was entering menopause decades early.
"It was pretty much a scene like you would expect in a medical drama," Davidson says. The doctor recommended that she find a fertility treatment clinic — and make an appointment the next week. It was at that point, Davidson says, that the severity of the situation hit her. "I started shaking."
Premature menopause, where your period stops before you're 40, occurs in up to 5% of menstruating people, according to the Office of Women's Health. Along with heart disease and osteoporosis, people who go through premature menopause are at risk for infertility. The National Infertility Association estimates that around one in eight couples have trouble getting pregnant, and 7.4% of women in the U.S. have received fertility services like IVF.
The next three years, Davidson says, were the worst of her life. She had experience with advocating for her own health; after experiencing serious pelvic pain from the age of 10, she was diagnosed with endometriosis at 12. "My early childhood, my teen years, my early twenties, it's pretty much just been doctors not believing me," she says.
The journey to understanding her diagnosis and getting support was rocky. "I saw someone who was considered a pioneer in restoring ovarian function, and during the appointment he turned to my boyfriend and said, 'You're a really good man for being with someone like her'." She eventually found a female doctor when she was 27, and says that's made all the difference.
But Davidson's still dealing with the cost of attempting pregnancy in "a very fertile world." "No one's throwing me an infertility party," she says. "No one's asking what's on my IVF registry."
IVF and other fertility treatments can be crushingly expensive — an average of $10,000 per IVF cycle, according to Penn Medicine. "If we put such a high price on pregnancy, then we're saying that only people who are wealthy deserve to become parents," she says.
Davidson has now done multiple unsuccessful rounds of intrauterine inseminations and IVF. "You don't even feel like a person after a while; it just kind of feels like you're on this assembly line," she says. After her second IVF cycle, she reached a breaking point, and decided to reveal what she was going through to the world. "I just tweeted the whole thing out, and I immediately felt better," she says. "I think telling people about my infertility, it feels more manageable now, because I'm not shouldering this giant weight."
She's also found comfort in the infertility community, where thousands of people share their own struggles to become parents. "They're all just so passionate about having their own children, and not being denied what other people have so easily," she says. "There are days where I think, why me?" But the community buoys her up.
For Davidson, infertility is like any other disease. Her diagnosis, and its aftermath, have made what is usually a joyous life milestone into a battle — but she's not about to stop fighting to have her own child. "That's really what it comes down to: feeling like this is your right."
How To Cook Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken, Macho Peas, & Spicy Rice At Home
It’s safe to say Nando's is practically a national treasure at this point. And for those desperately missing that Peri-Peri goodness while in lockdown, fear not because Nando's is sharing its recipes for everyone to try at home. The new Bring the Heat Home IGTV series sees Nando's head of food Tim Molema team up with some top UK talent for cook-alongs, as they recreate some of our favorite Nando's dishes.
Last week, London singer JGrrey stepped into the kitchen for a classic combo: Peri-Peri chicken thighs, spicy rice, and macho peas. This week (at 7 p.m. April 30), it’s Mancunian rapper Aitch’s turn to serve up Peri-Peri wings, Peri-salted chips, and garlic bread. And on May 7, Manchester United player Jesse Lingard will be cooking Peri-Peri chicken pitta with avocado and halloumi and rainbow slaw.
While the Nando's recipes are pretty straightforward (encouraging you to just buy the brand's marinade), chef and food writer Gizzi Erskine and rapper Professor Green have gone to extra mile to make their own Nando's Peri-Peri sauce recipe from scratch. The pair are hosting a weekly live cook-along via their new Instagram platform, Giz'n'Green, where they recreate a different "fakeaway" every Monday night (so far, we've enjoyed their version of a Big Mac, a doner kebab, and Wagamama's katsu curry).
Make sure you're following Nando's Instagram page for updates on future cook-alongs — and Giz'n'Green's if you want the challenge of more intricate recipes to take your fakeaway nights to the next level.
Here's a recap of some of the recipes below:
Giz'n'Green's medium-garlic Peri-Peri chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (or 10 whole wings)
- 1 onion
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 3-6 red thai chillis
- 40 grams sugar
- 40 ml of any vinegar (except balsamic or sherry)
- 80 ml lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon of paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
The Method
- Carefully debone the chicken thigh, leaving the skin on.
- Blitz the rest of the ingredients together a food processor or blender until smooth.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan, add the Peri-Peri sauce, and allow to gently reduce for 15 minutes.
- Toss the chicken in oil and salt and grill on a BBQ (low, slow and lidded) or on a griddle pan until almost crisp.
- Finally, baste the chicken with the sauce for the last few minutes of cooking.
Nando's Macho Peas
Ingredients
- 400 g frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3-4 sprigs of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2-3 sprigs of mint
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 good pinches of dried red chili flakes (add more if you like it hot!)
Method
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- Add the peas and cook for 3 minutes, then drain in a colander.
- In the same pan, heat the butter and olive oil, until the butter has melted.
- Add the salt and chili flakes and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the peas back into the pan, stir through the chopped herbs, and mix well.
- Taste for seasoning, and you're done.
Nando's Spicy Rice
Ingredients
- 200 g basmati rice
- 450 ml cold water
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1/2 white onion, peeled & finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 green pepper, finely diced
- 1 small green chili, thinly sliced
- 1/2 can chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Small handful of coriander
The Method
- Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water.
- Heat the oil in a pan on a medium heat, then add the onion and salt, and cook for 5 minutes until the onions soften.
- Add the garlic, chili, and green pepper; cook for 5 minutes until the peppers soften.
- Add the spices, cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes and rice to the pan.
- Pour over the water and bring to the boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and leave on a low heat for 10 minutes.
- Without taking the lid off, turn off the heat and leave to stand for a further 10 minutes.
- Stir through the lemon juice and coriander, taste, season and eat.
The 'Fuller House' Season 5 Part 2 Premiere Date Has Finally Been Revealed
Everywhere you look there's new content coming out on Netflix on a weekly basis, and now that Tanner/Fuller family can officially add themselves to that lineup. After months and months of not knowing when the final handful of episodes will be released, Netflix has finally revealed that the Fuller House Season 5, Part 2 premiere date will take place on Tuesday, June 2, to bring this beloved family's story to a conclusion once and for all.
Back in January 2019, the streaming platform confirmed that Fuller House would return for a Season 5, but that it would be the show's swan song, dubbing it as the "Farewell Season." Like Season 4, the fifth installment was divided into two parts, with the first wave of nine episodes debuting on Dec. 6, leaving the back nine episodes for a later date, which is now only a few months away. But while this farewell will feel brand new for fans, the cast and crew already said their goodbyes to the series months ago when filming wrapped back in November.
"This couch. This show. This family," Jodie Sweetin, who plays Stephanie Tanner on both the original and spinoff series, captioned an Instagram post at the time, though the rest of the cast paid tribute to the show in their own unique ways on social media.
But as sad as everyone may be to see the show come to an end (again), Candace Cameron Bure, who plays DJ, promises that the finale will provide a satisfying conclusion that won't disappoint fans. "I'm very happy with the ending of the show, and I do think the fans are going to love it," she told Life & Style. "It really ties up all the storylines as to where everyone will be. ... It's kind of the ending that we didn't get on Full House. It's a really great last episode, but get the tissues."
Bob Saget, who portrays beloved patriarch and cleaning aficionado Danny Tanner, echoed that sentiment during an interview with Us Weekly, revealing that the final episodes will be a “really nice goodbye” and give viewers a sense of closure.
So cue the cheesy, sentimental background music and prepare yourselves for one more whirlwind ride of laughter, love, and tears. We always knew this day was coming, but now with an official premiere date in sight, it'll be here way too soon.
Chipotle's Guacamole Recipe Is Actually Pretty Simple To Recreate At Home
Do you ever sit in quarantine drooling from a daydream about a Chipotle employee asking if you "want guac with that?" Trick question: Of course you do. And though you might be avoiding going to Chipotle (or any restaurant) to practice safe social distancing, you can still enjoy the fast-food chain's guac-y goodness right from your own kitchen. That's right, Chipotle released its guacamole recipe and you can learn how to make it.
Much to your probable delight, Chipotle's guac recipe is actually pretty simple to recreate. All you need is some lime juice, chopped cilantro, kosher salt, diced jalapeno, diced red onion, and of course, some Hass avocados.
Once you have all the ingredients, all it takes is some mixing and mashing to get the creamy, delicious guac you've probably been craving at home. While Chipotle provided specific measurements for each of the ingredients, you can always take free reign with that part and adjust the recipe to a seasoning that better matches your palette. If you've ever sat inside a Chipotle restaurant and thought "Some tomatoes would go great with this," or "I'd love to add some garlic to this," now's your chance to make your favorite guac recipe your own.
Chipotle Guac Recipe, a thread
Ingredients:
2 ripe Hass avocados
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
1/4 cup red onion (diced)
1/2 jalapeño including seeds (diced)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
What to do:
1. Cut avocados in half and remove pits carefully
2. Scoop the avocados into a bowl
3. Toss and coat with lime juice
4. Add the salt and mash until it's a smooth consistency
5. Fold in remaining ingredients and mix
6. Taste the guac & adjust seasoning if necessary
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While Chipotle's guacamole recipe is posted on the company's official Twitter account, it was originally posted on Chipotle's Instagram. In an Instagram Live that's now a permanent video post on the account, Chipotle Executive Chef Chad Brauze recorded himself making the famous guacamole, as well as three other variations to the recipe all from his own kitchen (a true social-distancing inspo!). These additional recipes included a Superfood Guac that he makes when he's feeling super healthy, The Extra-est Guac, which has all the works and then some, and his personal favorite, Guac Ranch, which is essentially just mixing in Ranch Dressing with whatever guacamole you have left. Either way you slice it (or mash it), you're in for a delicious treat.
Chef Brauze also shared some helpful tips throughout the Live broadcast, including switching out limes for oranges, which can be a great tidbit for anyone who might be allergic or just doesn't really like the taste of limes.
Chipotle isn't the first company that's released recipes to assuage customers who are at home and can't go out to consume their products. Disney has been letting fans in on how to make some its most desired treats including its plant-based cookie fries, Walt Disney's famous chili, and grilled three-cheese sandwiches. IKEA's also helped out by releasing the recipe to its famous Swedish meatballs for people to create in their own homes.
While you may have to get used to dining indoors for a while, that doesn't mean you can't still enjoy some of your favorites. And at this rate, by the time quarantine is over, you'll be able to recreate any and all of your restaurant faves right from your own kitchen.
Gigi Hadid Is Reportedly Pregnant, Expecting Her First Child With Zayn Malik
A recent birthday isn't the only thing model Gigi Hadid may be celebrating while in quarantine. According to TMZ, Hadid and Zayn Malik are reportedly expecting their first child. The news comes from a "family source," and has not been confirmed by Hadid or Malik. Bustle has reached out to a representative for comment.
If you're wondering when the two stars even got back together, allow us to break down the timeline. The couple officially got back together late 2019, early 2020 after a split in March 2018. In the summer of 2019, Hadid was reportedly dating Tyler Cameron, of Bachelorette fame, with Cameron attending Hadid's grandma's funeral in the Netherlands in September. (Big step!) Cameron and Hadid went their separate ways two months into their whirlwind relationship with no apparent bad blood.
Originally, Hadid and Malik started dating back in 2015, the same year the singer left the boy band One Direction. Hadid appeared in Malik's solo-career music video "Pillowtalk," and the two became one of three couples to ever appear on the cover of Vogue together, in 2017.
Just days before the pregnancy rumor came out, Hadid posted a Boomerang on Instagram of her with Malik in celebration of her 25th birthday. According to TMZ, the two are quarantining in Pennsylvania at her family's farm during lockdown.
While neither party has confirmed the news on their social media accounts, TMZ reports that the families of Malik and Hadid are "very excited." In February of this year, Hadid opened up to i-D magazine saying, “I think that as I get older, well one day I’ll start a family and I don’t know if I will always be modeling." This will be the first child for both the singer and the model.
Amazon's 'Making The Cut' Finale Was Bittersweet For Nicole Richie
At a time when most designers and small business owners are struggling to keep their company afloat, Jonny Cota secured a major investment for his ready-to-wear brand. The winner of Amazon’s fashion design competition show Making the Cut, Cota is going home with a $1 million dollar prize and a global platform to launch his new line, Jonny Cota Studio.
“I have so many feelings,” Cota tells Bustle. “I’m over the moon. Rarely have I given myself the opportunity to sit back, take it all in, understand how much I put into this, and to feel proud of myself.”
Cota isn't new to the retail industry. The self-taught designer started out as a fire dancer and stilt walker in the circus, where the ornate costumes sparked his love of fashion. Inspired by the intersection of performance art and design, he created Skingraft, a streetwear brand with dark, theatrical flourishes that appeal to celebrities like Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. He produces two men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections yearly, and he's shown five times at New York Fashion Week.
In the Making the Cut finale, Cota went head-to-head with another design pro Esther Perbandt, whose namesake label is known for edgy, menswear-inspired separates. Perbandt has created more than 30 collections over the brand’s 15-year history and has been running her boutique in Berlin for more than a decade. In other words: Perbandt was stiff competition.
“We really had zero idea who we were going to pick,” says Nicole Richie, one of the show’s judges. “[When] those pieces walked down the runway, you definitely knew who was behind them. They both did an excellent job, which made it even harder when it came down to making the final decision because we’re talking [about] two designers who are very, very different, and both killed it in the finale.”
Although Cota’s modus operandi is all things leather, his final collection featured a range of fabrics and textures, illustrating his growth as a designer over the duration of the show. He experimented with bolder colors and patterns, resulting in a diverse yet cohesive collection that was also gender-inclusive.
“It felt like the culmination of 15 years of design,” Cota says. “I love leather, I love hard, but the show challenged me to peel that away. I was focused on dresses, softness, volume, movement, print, but I also showed some of my brand DNA that I’ve been known for.”
One piece in particular stands out to Cota because of how it pushed him beyond his creative comfort zone.
“One of the runway looks is this leopard print trench coat,” he says. “I never thought I would do leopard, but between leaving Tokyo and arriving for the finale [in New York City], I found myself creating this radiant leopard print.”
He added the “cheeky little detail” of designing the leopard print to subtly spell out his last name. “I put all this new skill into that,” Cota shares. “The coat was printed on this very beautiful wool, and the whole top was leather. It was this premium, beautiful jacket that both felt like something I would do and something I’d never done before.”
While designing a 12- to 14-look collection for the finale was challenging enough, the show upped the ante: Both Cota and Perbandt were tasked with presenting a business pitch to Christine Beauchamp, the president of Amazon Fashion. Whoever came out on top would secure not only a million-dollar investment, but also a professional mentorship and an exclusive line on Amazon.
It was a major assignment — one that Cota remembers feeling especially nervous about. “It was 10 times more difficult than any sewing challenge we had,” he reveals. “Christine Beauchamp is so warm and lovely, but [seeing] this power executive in her glass corner office — I was shaking in my boots.”
The nerves, Cota explains, stemmed from an insecurity that’s all too common among creatives. Creating the art is only step one. Marketing it is an entirely different endeavor.
“I know I can sew, I know I can make a girl on the runway look great, but can I present myself eloquently and powerfully as an entrepreneur and business person?” Cota says. “That’s just something I don’t practice everyday. I can do leather jackets in my sleep, but can I formulate my business plan and strategy, and convince you that I’m the best candidate to win a million dollars and be the next global brand? I stressed more over that challenge than any moment in the entire season.”
Cota’s collection and pitch ultimately secured him the top prize, though not without a little high stakes TV drama. When the judges delivered their individual decisions, it ended up being a split vote. Richie was the tie breaker.
“It was bittersweet,” Richie recalls. “I was really happy for Jonny — I felt like he truly deserved it. Also, I’m a big fan of Esther [and] her work. For me to have to be the [tie breaker], it wasn’t a personal thing against Esther, but it’s what we had to do.”
And for that, Cota could not be more grateful.
“When I was approached by Making the Cut to be on the show, I was on the verge of wrapping up my company and moving on to a new career path,” he reveals. “I feel like I had said what I needed to say as a designer, the company had its ups and downs, but it was on its way out. I jumped on this opportunity, and here I am a year later about to launch my namesake brand with a fully renewed sense of purpose, pride, inspiration, and a real appreciation for everything I’ve been through.”
Since the world went into lockdown as a result of COVID-19, it’s more than likely that you’ve been spending a lot of your time in loungewear. But if you're missing getting all glammed up, there's a meme for that. But where did the "did it work" meme come from? Shrek, Timothée Chalamet, and Jeff Goldblum have all received the sexy Frankenstein-esque makeover and it’s definitely a *look*.
The "did it work" meme was born when K-pop sensation Lisa (from the band Blackpink) wore black boots and shorts in a solo performance on April 20. She was starring in the music video for QUIN and 6LACK’s “Mushroom Black” and to say fans loved her performance is an understatement.
Very quickly, Lisa’s performance was all over Twitter and people saw an opportunity for a mash-up. Hollywood’s Adam Driver, Jeff Goldblum, Taika Waititi, and Angelina Jolie were all paired with the image. Shrek, Luigi, and BoJack Horseman also got a makeover. Someone even tried out the thigh high boots with a picture of their cat.
So what's the deal with the "did it work?" caption? It appears that, just like with most things on the internet, there's no real explanation. Once one person initially started using it (because they were actually looking for confirmation on whether the idea had worked), it just became a *thing.* Now, it’s a little more tongue in cheek. While the original video of Lisa was brilliant, it’s not hard to see why some of the mash-ups have gone viral.
Check out our favourites below.
How To Start Dating If You Want To Be In A Successful Relationship
Reviewed by PatPew
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tháng 4 29, 2020
Rating: 5
Reviewed by PatPew
on
tháng 4 29, 2020
Rating: 5
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