Welcome to Saturday, friends. Where I sit, it’s kind of cloudy and cool… almost cold, even. Alexa tells me it’s 41 degrees, and it will likely get up to 45 degrees by the time the day is finished. My landlord’s grandson is in the landlord’s yard, using some kind of power tool.
I just went to the grocery store, where I spent about 30 euros on a few items that will tide me over until tomorrow morning. I would have liked to have bought more stuff, but there were a bunch of people in the store, and I didn’t feel like hanging around in there. I am getting really curmudgeonly in my middle age. It doesn’t help that I haven’t had a decent meal all week, because I’ve been too lazy to cook.
Bill is scheduled to arrive in Frankfurt just before 9:00 AM. That means in 24 hours, the pack will be reunited for eight days, before he has to leave again. 🙄
I ran into one of my neighbors, a fellow American, who is moving into the house she and her wife bought. They’ve been anticipating this day for months. The house is literally just across the alley from where they’ve been renting, so they don’t even need a moving truck. And they have lots of friends who have come over to help them.
As I was passing both her new and old houses with Noyzi and Charlie, we greeted each other and shared smiles and comments over Election Day. I’m pretty sure her German friends heard us sounding happy that the Trump era is coming to an end.
I think it’s amazing that Americans sent such an overwhelming statement of rebuke to Trump. He is now truly a lame duck, even though he’s just tapped that odious and unfuckable old ghoul, Stephen Miller, to take Susie Wiles’ place as the White House Chief of Staff.
Though I’m sure Trump, and his dwindling crew of avaricious minions, will continue to try to punish Americans for their rejection of him, and his failing policies, the American people still let it be known that Trump is a fucking loser. And it’s only a matter of time before that piece of shit finally gets flushed from public consciousness, straight to Hell where he belongs.
So… today is a decent day, in spite of the weather. Maybe I’ll even start a fire in the fireplace, although it’s not really that cold yet. Or maybe I’ll just do what I usually do on Saturdays, when nothing else is going on… just sit on my can.
That’s what I was doing last night, when I happened to spot a Facebook post by some Congresswoman. I didn’t know her, but she was a Democrat. She posted something about holding Trump accountable. Or maybe it was something about his vanity projects. And I wrote something along the lines of, “I’m so sick of him. I can’t wait to see all of his stupid vanity projects destroyed.”
I have no doubt they will be, in spite of his attempt to preserve the tacky gold shit in the Oval Office by making it “historic”. 🙄 He really is terrified that people will “forget” him when he’s gone. I’m afraid that is impossible. He’s left deep scars on American people. But that does not equate to TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome). TDS does NOT exist.
Of course, that doesn’t mean someone didn’t feel compelled to accuse me of having TDS in the comment section. The person, name of Bertha (who, in fairness, could have been a bot), posted “TDS to the max”, along with a mocking laughing reaction. 🤨
So I posted, “TDS is not real. 🖕”
Bertha came back and wrote, “You can’t go a day without mentioning Trump. That is TDS.”
Mind you… Bertha and I have not met. I’m not even sure Bertha is an actual person. She has just 25 “friends”. She’s not in a position to know how often I mention Trump on a daily basis, but even if I do mention him every day, that doesn’t equate to a made up mental illness called “TDS”. It’s a normal reaction to an abusive asshole who has emboldened idiots and bots like Bertha and her ilk.
So I wrote “You worship a felon. 🤷♀️ I don’t think I’m the one with a mental health issue. Now fuck off, and leave me alone.”
Then I turned off notifications on the thread. Actually, lately, I’ve been doing that as a matter of course, because I’ve grown to hate interacting with Trump supporters. So many of them are dumber than hammered dirt. They are disrespectful and obnoxious, and they lack critical thinking skills and compassion. I’d honestly rather have a pelvic exam than talk to most of them for more than a moment.
I hate that I feel this way. I used to have friends from every political stripe. Most of my family members are Trump supporting Republicans. I miss them, even though they’ve become people I don’t know anymore. And sadly, if I died tomorrow, I suspect none of them would care. Most wouldn’t even know about it at the time, because they don’t speak to me.
But really, what can you do? Trump supporters– whether I know them or not– accuse me of showing them contempt, but I don’t usually start this with them. I don’t hang out on their spaces, intending to troll. I don’t insult them when they make serious comments. Usually, if someone makes a serious Trump supporting comment on social media, I’m more likely to block them, than leave any snark.
I don’t want to feel annoyed or harassed when I have interactions with other people. And I don’t want to have interactions with bots at all. So… I guess I feel kind of lonely for human contact and understanding.
At least Bill will be home tomorrow, God willing. And I did talk to my very plucky mom this week. She’s doing fine, and was very pleased about the election results. She says she hopes she lives long enough to see the US without Trump as POTUS anymore. Me too. It’s nice not feeling envious of dead people right now. We’ll see how long it lasts.
But no… TDS really isn’t a thing. We’re not mentally ill for despising Trump, and anticipating his departure from our lives. To say that we’re “deranged” for hating Donald Trump is to discount and ignore the huge amounts of damage he’s done to so many people’s lives. Fuck him. I truly can’t wait until he’s dead. And if you want to mock me and tell me I have TDS for feeling that way, especially if we don’t know each other, then fuck you, too. 🖕
The AI image bears no resemblance to my actual home…
Ahhhh… it’s finally Friday. Two more nights alone before Bill comes home. I always miss him when he’s gone. But when Bill takes trips, it does allow me uninterrupted creative time, which is a good thing. Bill doesn’t mind it when I do my musical stuff, but I find it distracting when he’s home.
I thought maybe I’d make some music videos this week, but I’m still kind of recovering from my recent sickness. The last bit of that particular virus is getting over my clogged ears. The left one, in particular, has had a stubborn case of Eustachian tube dysfunction. It’s mostly better today, but I don’t feel inspired right now.
I was, however, kind of inspired yesterday, when I wrote my post about Trump and how he’s “forced fed” us a lot of shit for the past eleven years. I know that post might seem a bit long, wordy, convoluted, and tangental to some. But, to me, it was a creative endeavor. I liked it enough that I went back and did some editing. I probably haven’t edited it enough, though.
I know I have a couple of regular readers who are also bloggers. I’m sure they understand what happens when you write something that you, yourself, find interesting. You find a topic that lights a fire under you. You start writing. Then, a little dash of creativity helps things along.
I started out thinking about Eddie Murphy, but then segued into junk food… and even tied it to the Odyssey cruise ship. Maybe those things don’t seem related to casual readers, but to me, they fit together in an intriguing way. In fact, I could go even further with that topic today.
For so many years, Americans have been sold on modernized things that are presented as more efficient and “better” somehow. But when you really look at what we’re getting, it’s actually a lot of inferior quality shit. We’re paying more for things that aren’t nearly as good as they used to be. They are made with poorer quality ingredients and we get less of it.
Take Halloween candy, for instance. When I was a child, we got “snack sized” candy bars from friends and neighbors on Halloween. They were about half the size of a regular candy bar. Now, we get the “fun size”, which are much smaller than the old “snack sized” candy bars. We pay more for it, too.
Also, the ingredients are also not as good. I can remember when Snickers bars tasted different, and much better, than they do now. I read that it was because they were using other ingredients instead of dairy products, both to make the product cheaper and more profitable, and also to appeal more to some consumers.
I remember when I was a child, Pizza Hut pizzas were a real treat. They were gooey with hot cheese, served in a deep dish with a spatula stuck in, and you could sit in a dining room and eat pizza while sipping soda or beer and listening to a jukebox. I have many fond memories of dining at Pizza Hut, when I was a child, and enjoying the leftovers at home. Maybe I wouldn’t like the childhood version of Pizza Hut as much today, but it was damned sure better then, than it is now!
Pizza Hut hasn’t been good or innovative in many years, and the dining rooms are long gone in most areas. But somehow, people are still buying that crap, and have been convinced that it’s acceptable. I think when products become so obviously bad, the business should fail. Same thing with politicians. When they turn out to be shitty, they need to be put out of business.
I feel like Trump, who is clearly a terrible person and a horrific leader, was sold to us as someone who is “good”. He and his billionaire cronies have been wearing the public down for years, trying to convince us to accept him, and his ridiculous bullshit. Finally, people rejected that shit and made their voices heard!
We don’t want the cheap, yet very expensive, crap Trump is selling anymore. We want better! We deserve better! In fact, things have got to get better, or our country is going to fall apart. How the hell are Republican politicians telling young people to have babies when their jobs are being replaced by AI and their neighborhoods are being invaded by corporations and their noisy and extremely expensive data centers?
How can they ask for more babies when people don’t have affordable healthcare, food, rent, or gas? Meanwhile, young, brave, enterprising people who are serving our country in the military are being sent off to a pointless war in Iran!
It’s no secret that I despise Trump. However, I believe that almost everyone and every situation can present a silver lining of sorts. I remember a couple of years ago, I followed a YouTube creator named Telltale Tarot. His real name was Tim, and he was a very gentle, wise, and kind hearted soul. Tim lived in England and had a cute dog named Alfie. Sadly, he passed away in 2025.
I remember that Tim talked about what was happening in the United States and the rest of the world. He said, in a very reassuring tone of voice, that all of what is happening now was meant to happen… and that it would eventually lead to beautiful changes.
While I don’t believe that Democrats are necessarily that much better than Republicans are, I do believe that some good has come from the Trump era. At the very least, his time in power has shined a light on laws that desperately need to be changed, for the good of honest, decent, hardworking people who are simply trying to survive.
He has also revealed the truth about a lot of people. In fact, I think he’s even revealed truth to people about themselves. And some people have had enough integrity and decency to make changes within themselves that make them better people.
Sadly, Trump has made me see the truth about a lot of people I used to think were real friends or actual loved ones. I’ve lost relationships, even with family members, over Trump… a man none of us will ever so much as meet in person (Thank GOD). But I think knowing the truth about people is ultimately a good thing… even if it only means you’ll stop wasting time with them.
Anyway… I want to remind everyone that this is just a blog. It’s not meant to be professional writing. I often sit down and just let my fingers go, typing what comes from my brain. I often will go back and edit later. Sometimes it’s days or even years later. Sometimes I make substantial changes, and sometimes I just clean up typos and punctuation.
I know sometimes what I write is only clear to me, or maybe Bill, because Bill is often with me offline and I can explain it. I like yesterday’s posting, but I doubt everyone will get it. Such is life. But sometimes, even when I write something a little “out there”, I am actually really enjoying the process.
Yesterday, I had some fun comparing the Trump era to being forced fed poor quality fast food and suffering the inevitable indigestion. And I enjoyed tying in Eddie Murphy and the Odyssey cruise ship, too. 🤣 Maybe no one else got it but me.
Well… I think I’ll wrap this up and get on with the day. Noyzi badly needs a bath, and I want to go back to watching the fallout from Election Day.
Yesterday, I spent yesterday watching endless coverage of the many reactions to the US elections. While I’m not 100 percent shocked by the results of Tuesday’s contests, it was definitely a much bluer wave than many people were expecting.
As I watched reactions to the astonishing Election Day results in the United States, I was reminded, of all things, a classic Eddie Murphy comedy routine from 1983. I grew up in the 80s, and my parents subscribed to HBO. I used to watch whatever I wanted on that channel, even stuff that was wildly inappropriate for children to be viewing.
I saw Eddie Murphy’s Delirious show many, many times when I was coming of age. In that HBO special, Eddie does a bit about how relationships had changed in the 1980s. He describes a scenario of, back in the old days, a man and a woman in a car having an argument. The woman gets really pissed off and says, “Let me out of here.”
The man says, “No, no, we can’t have any of that.”
In the 80s, the guy would simply pull over and say, “Get the fuck out!”
It was a statement on how times had changed, and how attitudes were evolving. There was a time when women were considered property. Men were routinely paternalistic. Some men were somewhat decent in their paternalism, but in those days, the woman was clearly expected to be in second place and happy about it. There were also expectations for either sex role. In the old days, no man worth his salt would let a woman out of the car and just leave her on the side of the road.
By the 80s, things were changing, and women were no longer tolerating blatant sexism the way they used to. Men were also seeing the value in letting women be more equal. They no longer had to “take care” of the woman after an argument. Now, they could simply tell her to “get the fuck out” and drive off.
Of course, I don’t think either attitude is necessarily correct. Most people understand that it’s not cool to kick someone, male or female, out of the car alone in a dangerous area. By the same token, it’s also not cool to expect equality as you also expect special (or, in this case, gentlemanly) consideration.
Some women think of a stereotypical “strong, manly, decisive” man as romantic and appealing. Some men theoretically like the idea of being in charge. Perhaps that’s all well and good, if consenting adults agree to it, but in 2026, most people understand that not everyone has that worldview.
People should be allowed to decide for themselves what best suits them and their lives. Not all men feel comfortable being in charge. Not all women want to be submissive helpmeets. Tastes differ. We all want to enjoy flavors that we enjoy best, and most of us think we should be allowed to choose them for ourselves.
Some people do like being treated, or even fed, like children. But most of us don’t don’t want to eat fries and chicken nuggets for the rest of our lives. For years now, Donald Trump has been trying to metaphorically sell the American people on a neverending diet of generic chicken nuggets and fries. This week, American people finally said “no thanks!”
Just now, I steeled myself to listen to Trump circa 2024. In an infamous speech, he donned a bright orange safety vest, as if he was trying to relate to working people. This was at around the time when Trump went into a McDonald’s and was videoed cooking French fries. He also pretended to be a garbage man, taking out the trash. 🙄 Some people were dumb enough to believe that his cosplaying equated to real experience being a working person in the United States.
In his speech, Trump said “I want to protect the women of our country… I’m going to do it whether the women like it or not.”
As if “the Donald” would ever condescend to actually donning a safety vest and actually working for a living… 🙄
Now… a lot of people, especially women who are evolved and capable, thought what Trump said in 2024 was pretty cringey. But if you listen to the clip, you hear people cheering. A lot of the applauding people have higher pitched voices.
I can only assume they were women who were fooled into thinking a rich, serial rapist would “protect them” from anything. Two years later, as Trump spirals and grifts on the daily, it’s become clear that those women probably need to be protected from themselves, first and foremost. They certainly aren’t long on common sense or good taste.
When I think about Donald Trump, I think about the way men used to routinely treat women. A woman wants to assert herself and he just denies her. She says “Let me out of here!” He sneers, “I’m gonna protect you whether you like it or not.” 🙄 She says, “I don’t like chicken nuggets.” He growls, “You’re gonna eat them whether you like them or not.”
His message was, Trump knows best. Trump will take care of you. Trump will PROVIDE for you. Obviously, in 2024, some people ate that shit up with a fucking spoon! And the rest of us, who didn’t care for that particular dish of bullshit, were forced to eat it, too. 🤬
Americans are tired of “eating unsatisfying crap” while Trump builds tacky arches and comments on other men’s asses. And yes, Trump actually served this “feast” at a White House event during his first term.
What happened on Tuesday result from the country being forced fed Trump’s tasteless and shitty slop for over eleven years. People are sick of it, so they turned up to say, “NO THANK YOU” to more of the same low quality, low energy, low IQ shit we’ve all been eating since he came down the golden escalator in 2015. 🤬
A couple of days ago, I wrote about watching videos of people who were on the Odyssey, a ship owned by Villa Via Residences. Some people who were forced off that ship in Cambodia are devastated. I saw footage of one former resident actually crying as he dragged his suitcase off the ship.
I’ve also seen videos of people who made the wise decision to sell their cabins a year earlier, before things got really nasty. One couple, who left after a year aboard, had presented footage that made it look like they were having a great time in Japan. But then they surprised people by saying they had decided to sell their cabin and get off the ship.
If you know anything about hospitality, you know that food can make or break any establishment. If you have good food, you’re more likely to have the strength to endure things that aren’t as good. You’re more likely to have high morale, and maintain a charitable perspective when things go wrong. In later videos, the couple explained that things had gone downhill, especially the food.
When the ship left Belfast in September 2024, the couple reported that the food was really good. There was an excellent variety of dishes, and they were prepared with care. They could enjoy tasty meals prepared by experienced, qualified chefs. That made it easier to be patient when the air conditioning broke in their stateroom and wasn’t repaired in a timely manner.
After awhile, the food really went downhill, and that made other issues on the ship less bearable for the couple. Things they might have overlooked if they’d been thrown a tastier bone, became much more annoying. By the time they got off the ship, the delicious, nutritious, satisfying meals they’d first enjoyed were a distant memory.
The husband half of the couple presented a photo of one of his last meals on the Odyssey. He had a couple of chicken nuggets, a few green beans, and fries. Apparently, by the end of their year onboard, fries came with every meal. That makes sense. They’re cheap, filling and not very nutritious, but a lot of people willingly eat them.
The couple were hungry for something better, and they decided to bail. They sold their cabin on the Odyssey and went in another direction.
That’s what’s happened in the United States, too. Trump promised to “protect” and “provide” for the people, and bring us into a “golden age”. He promised he’d take care of everyone. But what he’s given us is more like the golden arches, than the golden ages… 🙄
You can even hear him say it in the above clip. He says he’ll do it “whether we like it or not”. Some people really liked that. It sounded “strong” to them, and they were reassured that what Trump served would always be delicious and nutritious. They’re probably the type of people who think French fries are one of the food groups.
But what’s actually happened? Americans are paying too much for everything, thanks to insufficient recovery after the pandemic and Trump’s ridiculous war. People lost friends and loved ones in the pandemic, which Trump had managed poorly before he lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden, and now they are losing their healthcare. The job market SUCKS. Qualified folks lost jobs or even entire careers due to Trump’s sexist, racist, and downright STUPID policies. And throughout everything, all Trump can do is babble about Senator John Husted’s ass! 🤬
The quality of Trump’s bullshit has obviously dropped, even from what it was in 2017! While I’ve never thought Trump served up anything appetizing, even people who once enjoyed his dishes are finding them unsatisfying fuel for their lives. And he keeps serving more of it by the day, without even trying to make it more palatable. It’s like being expected to survive on a neverending pile of cold, greasy, half cooked, rancid French fries that he tries to pass off as steak (or something equivalent for the vegans)!
We’re not gonna pick another protein so rich, powerful, white Republicans can get richer and more corrupt! We don’t owe them that. 🤬
So, just like that couple on the Odyssey, people are “jumping ship”, in search of something more palatable. A whole lot of people who have never in their lives voted for Democrats decided to vote blue. People who make a point of voting in every election showed up to order something different. Now, it’s time for a menu overhaul, new recipes, and better chefs.
It’s especially exciting that many people from different backgrounds got elected. We’ve got more women, more people of color, and people who are members of the LGBTQ community waiting to take their places in Congress. And there were so many that got elected that there is no chance Trump can claim there were “irregularities.”
This new crop of people is more representative of the people who actually live in the United States and are not BILLIONAIRES who put ketchup on well done steaks. And they all have interesting flavors and spices to add to our melting pot.
I’ve been around awhile, and in my lifetime, it seems like most elections are pretty much close to 50/50. Not this year. This year, there was a decisive lean toward Democrats. And now we’re seeing the obvious idiots who enjoy eating shit coming out to show everyone that they’ll never step up beyond the rancid pile of metaphorical “junk food” that Trump has been feeding us for so long.
One of my friends– a guy who writes eloquently, and has more liberal leanings– wrote a caution to his Facebook friends. He warned us not to get complacent after the “Blunami”. And one of his friends wrote this:
Did you have on your dress or was you changing your tampon when you voted
In just fifteen words, I know all I need to about my friend’s “friend”. Clearly, he hates women. He’s forgotten that he owes his life to a woman, and we make up half the population. Maybe he’s a miserable person who was born early in the 20th century and wishes he wasn’t still alive. But he’s put his poor taste on naked display, and the rest of us are tired of being forced to eat what such an obvious idiot finds tasty.
That guy would rather continue to eat Trump’s putrid, nutritionless, unsatisfying, poisonous shit, than taste something spicier, more nourishing, and more complex. Yes, perhaps it might cost us more in terms of taxes, and it might not be to his personal tastes, but it will be richer and better for him, and the rest of us, in all ways. I guess he’d rather subsist on Big Macs, like his hero. What a pity.
Well… we have two more months to go before these new folks come in and season the melting pot. I’m sure there will be some weird stuff that happens before and after they take their places. But I, for one, am glad the American people finally said “No, no, we can’t have any of that.”
And I’m also glad a lot of us stopped the car and said, “Get the fuck out.”
Time to “dig in” to a tastier feast. 😋 Bon appetit!
About two years ago, I made a parody of Linda Ronstadt’s cover of the song, “Am I Blue.” I called it “Voting Blue.” That video got crapped on by a bunch of MAGA trolls, and to this day, it’s one of my lowest rated videos.
Well… this morning, I woke up to the happy news I hoped for, but kind of didn’t want to dare to expect. We got our blue t’sunami! I wanted to make a musical video, but since it’s very early in the morning, I haven’t yet had time to make one. I do this song well, so why not make a new version?
YEA!!!!!!
We voted blue, voted blue. We’ve had enough of Donald Trump, so we’ve voted blue. I voted blue. Others did too. Just like me, they disagreed with the MAGA crew.
Common sense and humanity’s back in style Haven’t seen those long lost friends in quite a while Ooh, feelin’ saner. It was a no-brainer. Want Trump gone, and off the news, so we voted blue.
For too long we’ve focused on everything Trump has said But now, he and his movement are almost dead! Ooh, we’re resolved and finally evolved. Itwas the best thing to do. So we voted blue. Such good news!
Good morning, blog fans. I hope, if you are eligible to vote in today’s US based elections, you will exercise your rights. Even if you choose to vote for the maliciously mutated Republican Party, it’s still important to make your voice heard. There are a lot of people, especially within the Republican Party, who would like nothing better than to take away your right to vote– especially if you’re female. So please, for the love of God, get out and VOTE!
There… now that I have plugged the importance of voting in today’s US based elections, I’m going to move on to another subject. If you read yesterday’s post, and you stuck with it beyond the first few paragraphs, you might have noticed that I finally learned more about the craptastic catastrophe involving the former Cunard cruise ship, MV Odyssey, which was being operated by an outfit called Villa Vie Residences.
Yesterday, I explained that when I first heard about this cruise line last week, I actually avoided reading up on what was going on with it. For some reason, I just didn’t want to know what happened to the over 200 people who were forced to disembark from the MV Odyssey in Cambodia.
But then on Sunday night, I accidentally watched a video made by a couple who had sold their cabin thirteen months prior to the cruise company’s sudden death on October 27th, 2026. I linked that video in yesterday’s post, but here it is again.
Hmmm…
In the first part of the couple’s video, they were showing off their travels in Hiroshima, Japan. It looked like they were genuinely having a really great time. Throughout most of their video, they showed clips that indicated that they were having fun, and projected what looked like positive vibes about Villa Vie Residences and the MV Odyssey, itself. Then, at the end, they were explaining things they had negative opinions of, and much of what they said was bleeped out or otherwise redacted. 😳
In videos made by other passengers, I noticed very positive comments, but underneath what was said, I heard an undercurrent that prompted me to read between the lines. And then I ran across YouTube content creator, Jenny Phenix, who was kicked off the Odyssey before she ever even got to board. I ended up watching a bunch of her videos, most of which were made while the company was still in operation.
Phenix explained that, for many years, she had run her own businesses in Florida. Having reached a “certain age”, she decided she wanted to retire. So she closed her businesses, sold or stored a lot of her personal belongings, and made plans to spend time traveling. The Villa Vie Residences concept seemed perfect for her, and she was one of the first ones to sign up for an inside cabin on the ship, which was once used by well known cruise lines like Fred Olsen Cruises and Cunard.
In the below video, you can see what was promised when Phenix decided to sign up for the cruise of a lifetime…
This video consists of background music set to screenshots from the “Wayback Machine”, which shows what the company had originally offered cruisers like Jenny Phenix…
The company offered quite a few different options to allow people to buy into the dream of living at sea. Some people bought cabins. Some entered long term lease agreements. At one point, the price range for getting on the ship ranged from $49,999 to $439,999. Jenny’s investment was on the low side, but there were others who put a lot of money into sailing on the MV Odyssey. Below is a video by a couple who really made their residence their own…
This couple had spent some time RVing before taking a big plunge into the Villa Vie Residences dream. They converted three balcony staterooms into a nice sized apartment, complete with a wet bar.
Those who boarded this vessel, which was already about 30 years old when it set sail in September 2024, were promised a home at sea for at least 15 years, as long as they paid their monthly fees and the initial investment. But there were problems from the start.
The ship was supposed to start sailing in May 2024, but needed repairs. Some people, like Jenny Phenix, had traveled to Southampton, England, and the Belfast, in Northern Ireland, to join the ship in May. But embarkation day kept getting pushed back, so they were spending a lot of money on hotels and holiday apartments, killing time and losing a lot of cash, waiting for the dream cruise to finally commence.
Phenix detailed her experiences in a five part YouTube series. I listened to the whole thing, and was pretty shocked by what had happened. Phenix explained that she was in a number of What’s App groups, where fellow cruisers kept in touch and communicated about their anticipated adventures at sea.
But somehow, Jenny and another cruiser, a woman named Bonny Kelter, had pissed off the powers that be. Both women had their contracts abruptly canceled before they were ever even able to set sail. The decision was final, and made without any warning whatsoever. All of a sudden, Jenny Phenix explains that she and Bonny were removed from the What’s App groups and advised that they would not be embarking with the rest of the passengers.
That development would have been terrible enough, but then the company did not refund the women the large sums of money they had already paid! Jenny Phenix eventually had to file a lawsuit. She fought hard just to get two suitcases returned to her, and she didn’t even get those until she hired a lawyer. Prior to receiving her luggage, Jenny received a rather nasty letter from the company’s CEO, advising her that they would not be responsible for it.
Jenny Phenix is clearly a very resilient woman, although this mess with Villa Vie Residences threw a huge wrench in her plans. Because she had planned to be on the ship for several years, she rented out her condominium. And because she had retired from working, she can no longer afford to live in the condo, anyway. I believe she had another rental condo that she sold, and had planned to use the proceeds to pay off her other condo, but thanks to the Villa Vie Residences disaster, that plan also collapsed.
So Phenix bought herself a really nice van that she calls “Hershel”, and now spends her time traveling around the United States. She “boondocks”, sleeping in the van, exploring national parks, and visiting relatives around the country. I really admire Jenny’s gumption. I’m not sure van life is for me. She is clearly a very tough, determined, and independent lady, though, and she has a hell of a story to tell. She takes good care of herself, and clearly has a lot of friends and loved ones who also look after her.
After I watched most of Jenny Phenix’s videos, I moved on to a few others. I found them interesting viewing. A few people were obviously cheerleaders for the cruiseline, with overwhelmingly positive things to say about their time at sea. Others seemed outwardly positive, but I could tell by their body language and some of what they said that they weren’t being 100 percent transparent. Again, one couple even admitted that people needed to “read between the lines” to discern some of the “truth”.
Reminds me of another business model…
As I was watching and listening to these folks, many of whom were obviously “winners at life” before this mess occurred, I was reminded, weirdly enough, of something kind of sinister. If you’ve been following my writings over the years, you know that I used to research and write a lot about “teen help” schools. These were schools that were meant to “straighten out” troubled teenagers. They cost a lot of money, and often involved abuse of the teen on every level. Meanwhile, parents were spending many thousands of dollars a month to send their kids… and they were recruiting other parents to do the same!
The Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS) is one such outfit that comes to mind. This organization, which made its founders filthy rich, was documented on a Netflix series called The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping. I have written about that series a few times in this blog.
Now, I am not suggesting that Villa Vie Residences was actually abusing passengers, or anything like that. What I’m focused on is the insistence that the people who had invested in the lifetime cruise only present positive opinions. I read that passengers had to sign non-disclosure agreements, for instance, and some people on YouTube had openly stated that they were “not at liberty” to talk about negative things in a way that could be deemed “disparaging.” That, to me, seems dishonest and unethical, at best.
And yes, it does bring to mind the worried, but well-heeled parents, desperate to “save” or “control” their teens, to so-called “treatment programs/schools” that cost them thousands every month. Those parents could get a break on tuition if they got other parents to sign up their kids. Some of them might have had some trouble admitting that they made a mistake. Others realized the mistake and got their kids out before the teens, and their relationships with their parents, were permanently damaged. And some, even to this day, insist that their experiences with WWASPS was “lifesaving.” Perhaps, for a few, it really was lifesaving, but I’m betting that most folks simply can’t admit that they were wrong.
I can imagine that many of the people who signed up for this cruise are people who are used to being winners at life. They bought into the dream. It can be hard to see the light and let go of the dream, before it turns into a nightmare. Look at what’s happened to the United States and our embarrassing experiences with Trump and his stupid MAGA movement. Some people are struggling to keep food on their tables and gas in their tanks, but still insist that Trump is the best POTUS ever.
I did watch a couple of videos by a very pleasant looking gay couple who talked about being called “founders”, as they were early investors of this start up. When I listened to them speak, I could tell that they are good businessmen and nice guys. They said all the right things. But I could tell that they had seen the writing on the wall well before the ship suddenly ceased operations. They sold their cabin over a year ago, and walked away from the venture. I suspect they didn’t talk about it much… until now. They put up a new video just recently, and explained that they had simply decided to move on to something new. They also explained that the ship life wasn’t for them, because they were “too introverted”.
Anyway…
My heart goes out to those who are affected by this catastrophe. While some folks might not think these people necessarily deserve any compassion, especially given what’s going on in the United States right now, personally, I do feel a little sorry for them. It’s definitely a tough break when you get screwed over… especially when you’re older, and you took a gamble on your life’s savings.
Now, I don’t feel as sorry for them as I do people who can’t pay their light bills, but I don’t feel glee that they got cheated. I wish more of them had been as brave and outspoken as Jenny Phenix is, even if her speaking out made her unpopular. As a fellow outspoken and unpopular person named Jenny, I know how that feels (and we sued our ex landlady for similarly dishonest and entitled bullshit).
I don’t believe this cruiseline “sank” because of exorbitant fuel prices. I think this would have happened regardless of Trump’s decision to invade Iran. It sounds to me like the people who started this company were incompetent, dishonest, and entitled, and they set up a business model that was doomed to fail. There were way too many people who were willing to enable them and throw good money after bad… and now they are among the victims.
Which isn’t to say that residence programs at sea can’t work. There is a ship called The World that has been running successfully since 2002. That’s a ship where a person can buy a cabin and sail at will. But The World Residences at Sea’s business model is obviously not like Villa Vie Residence’s was.
In any case, this story is just a reminder to be very careful about chasing “impossible dreams.” If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And any company that tries to force you to be silent about your experiences is not one you want to be part of. I don’t care how enticing their offers might seem. Good on Jenny Phenix for standing up for her rights. I love a story about someone who doesn’t bend over for screwing by entitled narcissistic bullies. I hope fortune smiles on her.
So… that about does it for today’s post. Charlie threw up on my bed, so I’m having to do the sheets a day earlier than I planned. I best get that chore done, while I still have the energy. Have a great Tuesday, and again… PLEASE VOTE!
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