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You always stole my thunder. You gave them everything they wanted. You never said no when they asked for anything.

Tina Platamura

A second helping of dessert. Candy before dinner. A few more minutes in the bath. Money for the ice cream truck.

I struggled to show you respect and appreciation while trying to make sure you didn’t spoil my children. I thought you would turn them into “selfish brats” by giving them everything they wanted. I thought they might never learn to wait, to take turns, to share, because you granted their wishes as soon as they opened their mouths and pointed.

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You held each one of my babies long after they fell asleep. Didn’t you understand that I needed them to learn to fall asleep on their own?

You ran to them as soon as they made the tiniest sound. How would they ever learn to self-soothe?

I resented you for buying the best and most expensive gifts on their birthdays and on Christmas. How could I possibly compete with you?

“I thought they might never learn to wait, to take turns, to share, because you granted their wishes as soon as they opened their mouths and pointed.”

And how they loved afternoons spent with you. You made their favorite things for dinner — three different meals for three different boys. And you always had a little surprise. A present, candy, or a special treat. I didn’t want them to associate you with gifts and sweets. I thought they should love you for you. I tried to tell you this, but you wouldn’t listen.

I spent a lot of time wondering why you did all these things and how I could get you to ease up. I know grandmothers are supposed to “spoil the kids” then send them home, but you were … ridiculous.

Until you were gone.

I had to hold my boys and tell them that their grandma died. It didn’t seem possible — you were supposed to be there for all the other special moments: proms, graduations, weddings. But they lost their grandma too soon and too suddenly. They were not ready to say goodbye.

During those years when I wished you’d stop spoiling them, I never thought about how much you loved them. So much that you showed it in every way possible. Your cooking. The gifts. The candy and sweets. Your presence. The way you could recount every detail of a special moment, whether it was a perfect catch in the outfield or a sweet and slightly off-key note sung at a school concert. Your grandmotherly love for them knew no bounds. Your heart poured love from every place possible — your kitchen, your pocketbook, your words, and your tireless arms.

It’s pointless to dwell on regrets, but I often think about how I had it all wrong. I was so wrong in how I perceived your generosity.

My kids, now in their teens, miss you dearly. And they don’t miss your gifts or your money. They miss you.

They miss running to greet you at the door and hugging you before you could step in. They miss looking up at the bleachers and seeing you, one of their biggest fans, smiling and enthralled to catch their eye. They miss talking to you and hearing your words of wisdom, encouragement and love.

If I could speak to you one more time, I would tell you that every time a precious moment steals my heart, every time I watch them arrive at a new milestone, and every time they amaze me with their perseverance, talents, or triumphs, I think of you. And I wish that they could have you back.

Come back and love them one last time, like no one else in the world but a grandmother could. Bring your sweets and surprises. Reward them with gifts for the smallest accomplishments. Painstakingly prepare their favorite meals. Take them anywhere they want to go. All and only because you love them.

Come back and see how much they’ve grown. Watch each boy becoming his own version of a young man. Be in awe with me as we admire how family, friendship, time, and love helped them grow so beautifully over the years.

The more I long for you to come back, though, the more I realize that in a way, you never left.

I understand now. I know you loved them in every way you could. I know that being their grandma gave you joy and purpose. And of course I know that you can’t come back, but I do know that your love for them will always remain. Your love built them and sheltered them in ways that cannot be described. Your love is a big part of who they are and what they will become as they grow. For this, and for every treat and gift, and every time you held them too long or consoled them too much or let them stay up too late, I will always thank you.

And I will wish a million times that you could do it all again.

This article was written by Tina Plantamura and originally appeared on 04.14.16

Optical illusions are universally beloved for how they trick our brains and blow our minds. There’s a reason we enjoy magic shows and Escher paintings and are mesmerized by fake oases in the desert. We love seeing things that bend our perceptions of reality, and the science behind the magic always proves fascinating as well.

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The Ames window is a pretty well-known optical illusion, but it’s always cool to see. When spun, the angled window appears to oscillate back and forth instead of spin all the way around. But this video adds a twist that makes the effect even more mindbending—our brains simply can’t process objective reality mixed with an optical illusion.

The YouTube channel Curiosity Show explains the science of the illusion and gives a DIY demonstration for making your own Ames window. But wait until the pen gets taped to the window and spun. This is some real-life magic right here. Mind. Blown.

This article originally appeared on 02.21.20

Kayla Berridge had been walking her normal 9-mile delivery route in Newmarket, a small town in New Hampshire, when she noticed something unusual.

The mail she had been delivering continued to pile up over a matter of days at one resident’s home. The resident was an elderly woman in her 80s, and would occasionally share a chat with Berridge, according to CNN.

Berridge told CNN that after noticing the unattended mail pile, she got “a little concerned.”

“I just had this gut feeling and wanted to make sure,” Berridge told WMUR 9 News, explaining that “most people put a hold in if they’re not there, so when people pick up their mail every day, you start to notice their habits.” Not to mention, the woman’s car was still in the driveway.

Berridge followed her instincts and called the local police department for a wellness check, and in the process saved the elderly woman’s life.

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CNN reported that officers found the woman trapped on her bedroom floor under heavy artwork and frames. The theory is she tried to use her bed for support, and in the process these items on the bed fell onto her, pinning her down for three full days. Though she was suffering from hypothermia and dehydration, Police Lt. Wayne Stevens confirmed she was stable and recovering.

I can only imagine the agony and fear this poor woman was in, lying in the cold and not knowing if help would come. Luckily, help was on the way, and this story has a happy ending.

In this instance, the familiarity that comes from living in a small town really paid off. “Everyone has each other’s backs,” Berridge told CNN.

But Officer Stevens wanted to give credit where credit was due. He agreed that Berridge’s quick thinking was “part of being a letter carrier in a small town,” he added that her actions were “taking your job to the next level.”

While wellness or welfare checks have historically been associated with the elderly, they are seen as an equally “critical tool” for the safety of many young people as well, especially with the “rise of suicide rates among adolescents and young adults.”

An example of this is when “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson received a wellness check back in 2018. The comedian posted an alarming message to Instagram, saying “I really don’t want to be on this Earth anymore. I actually don’t know how much longer I can last.” This was after breaking off his engagement with Ariana Grande.

Though it certainly didn’t happen in a small town, the interconnectedness of social media helped raise some red flags and prompted authorities to make a visit.

If there’s anything to make you question someone’s well-being, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

This article originally appeared on 02.02.22

Gyms are communal spaces where people can come to improve their health, fitness and/or overall well-being.

However, it’s no secret that many gyms have also become a production studio of sorts where influencers can set up a tripod to demonstrate the most cutting-edge squatting technique or where the average Joe can take that obligatory gym selfie to prove that the workout did, in fact, happen.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with either of these activities. However, they have sparked a new kind of behavior in gymgoers where they feign extreme frustration if folks walk from one machine to the next or grab a piece of equipment and, heaven forbid, enter the frame.

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Take for instance a video shared to Reddit by u/ASTATINE_628, where we first see several cuts of a young woman at the gym, seemingly perturbed that people are continuously walking through her frame in her video.

The clip then cuts to a guy who breaks down what’s wrong with this scenario in a very clear and concise way.

“This sense of entitlement has gotten out of hand,” he said, noting that “for you to get upset because there’s people simply in your video going about their workout, not bothering you, minding their own business, is ridiculous.”

To act like she owns the gym.
by u/ASTATINE_628 in therewasanattempt

He certainly has a point. Of course, when personal space is actually being infringed upon, like when someone is facing harassment, that’s a different story. But in this case, as the man stated, there is no wrongdoing by simply existing.

The man then summed it all up with a short and sweet reminder about common decency. Or maybe not-so-common, since we’re needing reminders.

“Unless your name is on that gym, your filming is never a priority over other people. They pay the same gym membership that you do. If you can’t film responsibly, if you can’t respect other people in a shared space, you don’t belong filming at all,” he said.

Really, this behavior stems from something larger than modern-day gym culture. We film ourselves a lot these days, and often in public. This has undoubtedly caused a shift in how we view personal boundaries in the outside world, with both positive and negative effects.

On the one hand, it can be fun and self-esteem-boosting to treat your life as one big video diary. On the other hand, we bring strangers unwillingly into our orbit, treating them as punching bags, entertainment, or, in the case of the miffed gymgoers, nuisances. We vainly stop treating other people like fellow humans sharing life on this crazy blue planet. No video seems worth forgetting that.

Even for those who have never set foot into a gym, and never will, this is a poignant reminder to not lose our humanity as our relationship with social media grows. It’s perfectly fine to tap into “main character energy.” Let’s just keep in mind that really, we’re all part of the same story.

This article originally appeared on 3.28.23

Over the past few years, book bans have been happening in public libraries and schools across America. In the 2022-2023 school year alone, over 3,300 books were banned in 182 school districts in 37 states.

Most books that have been banned deal with LGBTQ and racial themes. According to a report from PEN America, Florida has been the most aggressive state regarding book bans, accounting for about 40% of those taken off the shelves.

On November 5, Collier County, Florida, announced that it was banning 300 books from its school libraries out of an effort to comply with state law HB 1069, which says books that depict or describe “sexual content” can be challenged for removal.

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Among the books banned by the school district was “Shopgirl,” a novella by author Steve Martin published in 2000. Martin is also the star of the hit Hulu show, “Only Murders in the Building,” featuring Martin Short and Selena Gomez.

Upon hearing about his book being banned, Martin responded with his iconic wit on Instagram, saying, “So proud to have my book Shopgirl banned in Collier County, Florida! Now, people who want to read it will have to buy a copy!”

See on Instagram

“Shopgirl” is a story about a young woman who works in a luxury department store and has an affair with a wealthy older man. It was made into a movie in 2005 starring Claire Danes and Martin. It’s believed the book was banned for its mild sexual content. On Amazon, the book is recommended for readers ages 13 and up.

This article originally appeared on 11.11.23

The only thing tougher than being “the most beautiful woman in the world” (that’s a lot of impossible beauty standards to live up to!) is being the child of the “the most beautiful woman in the world.”

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, supermodel Christy Turlington revealed that her teenage son, Finn, was heckled by the opposing team during a high school basketball game when they passed around a nude photo from a photoshoot of hers.

“I was surprised it hadn’t happened sooner,” Turlington said. “But at the same time, I was like, this is so rude!”

The incident turned into a “bigger thing” once the school got involved. “All I wanted to do was disappear,” she says, growing more animated. But she quickly returns to an even keel: “I don’t feel embarrassed about anything,” she explains. “Regretting things is a waste of time.”

Later in the interview, Turlington, who is also a singer, founder of the non-profit organization Every Mother Counts, and a marathon runner, described herself as “quiet” and someone who “studies people.” She added, “I think I learned how to not stand out. My mom never said, like, ‘Oh, here’s how you’re going to protect yourself.’ I think I just really paid attention, honestly.”

You might even say she respects her… freedom (sorry).

(Via Harper’s Bazaar)

St. Vincent has offered some tantalizing teasers of her upcoming album, All Born Screaming. For those who have been digging the rollout so far, the good news is that the project is, as of this post, just hours away from release. So, here’s what to know about when you Apple Music users will be able to check it out.

When Can You Play St. Vincent’s New Album ‘All Born Screaming’ On Apple Music?

The new album is set to drop when most high-profile new projects do: On Friday (in this case, April 26) at midnight ET, which converts to Thursday, April 25 at 9 p.m. PT. The project should be available when new albums typically are in other time zones, too.

St. Vincent previously said of the album, “There are some places, emotionally, that you can only get to by taking the long walk into the woods alone — to find out what your heart is really saying. It sounds real because it is real.”

She worked on the project with a list of collaborators that includes Foo Fighters members Dave Grohl and Josh Freese, Stella Mogzawa of Warpaint, Cate Le Bon (the project’s only credited feature), Rachel Eckroth, Mark Guiliana, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, and David Ralicke.

All Born Screaming is out 4/26 via Total Pleasure Records/Virgin Music Group. Find more information here.

Law & Order: Organized Crime began with octopus-laced humor amid dark material and grew more serious over time. Elliot Stabler began to grow a beard and go undercover. Unlike with SVU, crimes were not solved over the course of a single episode, and that was apparently a reason why the show isn’t considered to be as “mainstream” as its franchise colleagues. That much is true, but the Chris Meloni-starring series still draws a rabid enough fanbase that the awkward situation has worked out, sort of.

The spin off’s fifth season was the subject of panicked speculation after NBC renewed the Law & Order revival and SVU earlier this year and left Organized Crime dangling. Now, a compromise has been struck, and this move is likely designed to boost Peacock streaming subscriptions. Via Hollywood Reporter, it’s close to happening:

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Peacock is putting the finishing touches on a deal that would see Law & Order: Organized Crime move from NBC to the streamer for a fifth season consisting of 10 episodes.

Viewers should not fear for this series ending anytime soon. If this follows the pattern of NBC’s Criminal Intent, there are many more seasons ahead. You know, it also wouldn’t hurt to bring back the weaponized mollusk or Dylan McDermott. Just saying.

(Via Hollywood Reporter)

Tomorrow (April 26), St. Vincent will share her seventh studio album, All Born Screaming through Total Pleasure Records. Set to be one of her more sonically ambitious albums to date, All Born Screaming features contributions from Rachel Eckroth, Josh Freese, Dave Grohl, Mark Guiliana, Cate Le Bon, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Stella Mogzawa, and David Ralicke.

In the past, St. Vincent has worked with the likes of John Congleton and prolific producer Jack Antonoff. But All Born Screaming sounds like nothing she’s ever done before.

Ahead of the album, St. Vincent has shared the singles “Broken Man,” “Flea,” and “Big Time Nothing.”

Given the amount of creativity she’s put toward this album, fans cannot wait to give this one a spin upon its release.

When Can You Play St. Vincent’s New Album All Born Screaming On Spotify?

All Born Streaming will arrive to Spotify — and likely, all other digital music streaming platforms at midnight this Friday (April 26).

But fans in the Central time zone will be able to listen to it at 11 p.m. CST tonight (April 25). In the Pacific time zone, fans will be able to stream the album tonight at 9 p.m. PST.

You can find streaming links for All Born Streaming here.

Zendaya has been in blockbuster hits for years, but even former Disney Kids get a little nervous sometimes.

The actress has already starred in one major cinematic event this year with Dune: Part Two, but her upcoming flick Challengers is the first time she’s been a leading lady in such a large capacity. Turns out she isn’t immune to nerves! Not even her time on Shake It Up could have prepared her for this.

“I always am nervous — I wish I was joking,” Zendaya told Entertainment Weekly. “From a personal perspective, this is my first time leading a film in this way, so I’ve felt that pressure, that fear, burden, or whatever from the beginning of just wanting to make something that I’m proud of and enjoy it, and sometimes that can be very difficult.”

In Challengers, Zendaya stars as Tashi, a tennis pro-turned-coach who attempts to coach her partner Art (Mike Faist) out of a losing streak by pitting him against his former friend and her ex, Patrick (Josh O’Connor). You can probably see how things get messy. All’s fair in love and tennis!

Even though the film was difficult (tennis is hard!), Zendaya actually takes pride in watching herself back on screen. “I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Virgo or because of the way I’ve been raised or being in the public eye for a long time — whatever it is, it’s innate to be my own worst critic,” she explained, “But for some reason, I enjoy watching the work back. I think it’s just because I lose myself in the character. I divorce myself from whatever’s on the screen. I’ve already given over the fact that it’s Luca’s, it’s Denis [Villeneuve]’s, it’s whoever’s, and I’m in service to this other thing, and now I just get to be a spectator. Now I just get to watch.” It’s a good thing that tennis is one of the best spectator sports around.

Challengers hits theaters this week.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)