samhexum

Blanche Devereaux: “After George and I were married, I began to realize that Jamie had this yen for me. Poor boy. Trapped in a seething cauldron of forbidden passion for his gorgeous sister-in-law. There were nights when he actually bayed at the moon. But he finally realized that I was totally committed to George, so he threw himself into a marriage that was doomed to failure. After 20 years they realized they had nothing in common."

I had absolutely delicious weinerschnitzel at the restaurant in the Cologne Zoo. I know that's not an exotic food, but I think the fact that they were obviously serving same-day-killed meat (it was so tender!) made it pretty exotic. :D;)

Not the same thing, but BRIDGET LOVES BERNIE was cancelled because of negative reaction to the series' depiction of interfaith marriage. It was the highest rated program ever to be cancelled after one season. I've always thought it was because viewers picked up on the fact that Meredith Baxter would eventually come out, and they didn't buy her 'chemistry' with David Birney. They married after the show went off the air, but of course, it was doomed to fail, only lasting 15 years.

I've eaten shish-ke-bob from street vendors, so I've probably eaten dog.

I enjoy the taste and nutritional benefits of bison, but it's too expensive to buy regularly. The closest I ever came was when Steve York put his dick in my mouth during a live performance at a porn theater.

Talk about living up to your name. A Florida woman named Crystal Methvin was arrested Saturday in St. Johns County on drug possession charges after being caught with crystal meth, jail records show. Methvin, 40, of St. Augustine, was busted after an anonymous caller tipped off cops who found her inside a car with two other people in a parking lot on South Dixie Highway, WJXT reports. Police searched the car and found drug paraphernalia and a substance that tested positive for crystal meth. Methvin was taken into custody with a man identified as Douglas Nickerson, WJXT reports. Methvin has arrests in the county dating back to 1998 when she was booked into the St. Johns County Jail for driving under the influence. Most recently, she was arrested in January on 14 felony counts of drug possession and misdemeanor possession of drug equipment, jail records show. Methvin remains in custody on $5,000 bond, according to jail records. It’s unclear if she’s hired an attorney.

Dansby Swanson http://www.milb.com/images/621020/generic/180x270/621020.jpg http://www.baseballdailydigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1-6.jpg

She didn't leave the show; she was fired.

Spring is mating season for parrots — and actor Andy Richter’s birdie, Nacho, can’t keep his claws off the family dog, Kiwi. On Sunday, Richter uploaded photos of Nacho following Kiwi around his home. “We’ve had our parrot, Nacho, for about 10 [years] now, and every Spring he has about a [two-week] mating urge. It’s super annoying,” Richter writes. “In previous [years], I have been the object of his procreation obsession, but this [year] he has decided our dog Kiwi is his new mate.” His post on the inter-species courtship quickly went viral on Twitter, garnering more than 15,000 likes. “My favorite kind of against-the-odds love story!” writes actor Ted Travelstead.

Donald Trump Jr. retweeted some of the offensive tweets posted by Roseanne Barr before her show was canceled Tuesday — calling billionaire George Soros a Nazi “who turned in his fellow Jews.” After falsely claiming that Chelsea Clinton is married to Soros’ nephew, Barr responded with an “apology” that included a bizarre conspiracy-mongering rant about the Democratic donor — which the president’s son then relayed to his 2.84 million followers. “Sorry to have tweeted incorrect info about you!I Please forgive me! By the way, George Soros is a nazi who turned in his fellow Jews 2 be murdered in German concentration camps & stole their wealth-were you aware of that? But, we all make mistakes, right Chelsea?” Barr wrote in the tweet. The disgraced comedian then followed up with a second tweet, which was also retweeted by Trump Jr., saying: “Soros’ goal; the overthrow of us constitutional republic by buying/backing candidates 4 local district attorney races who will ignore US law & favor ‘feelings’ instead-and call everyone who is alarmed by that ‘racist’.” Soros, a Jew, was a child when the Nazis occupied his homeland Hungary.

Zelma Haskell had been married to her husband, Irwin, for more than 50 years, and when he died in 2003, she was lost. “He was everything to me,” she said in a recent interview, looking back over the years that followed his death — years of practically unfathomable loss and theft hidden behind the smile of a friend — to the place where it all began. She was 71 years old, a lunchtime regular at the Arch Diner near her home in Canarsie, Brooklyn. The Ralph Avenue eatery was a throwback classic of the form, shot through with neon piping above the counter. She had gone with her husband, and later she often ate alone. Around the time she became a widow, she met a waitress there named Alicia Legall. They hit it off right away, and Ms. Haskell began seeking her out when she went to the diner so she could sit at one of her tables. “Pretty, and so sweet,” Ms. Haskell, now 85, recalled. “I liked her immediately.” Ms. Haskell had two children, a son in New Jersey and a daughter on Staten Island. Her daughter was mentally disabled and required regular care and financial support. “What I wanted to do with my real daughter was difficult,” she said. Ms. Legall, in her 30s, was just a little younger than her own children. “I was so happy. I had a new daughter,” she said. “She started to call me ‘Mommy.’” Ms. Legall, from Trinidad and Tobago, had been a waitress since she was 13, she wrote on her LinkedIn page. “I love making people especially young children and elderly happy with food and a smile!” she wrote. The two women spent more and more time together outside the diner. “She started taking me food shopping and different places,” Ms. Haskell said. “I ended up buying her a car, a very nice used car.” Ms. Legall became a guest at family events, bringing her own young children along, and pictures of her family hung in Ms. Haskell’s home. “At first, she brought a lot of joy into my life,” Ms. Haskell said. But she also took. The women had visited Ms. Haskell’s HSBC Bank branch on Ralph several times, and Ms. Legall had access to Ms. Haskell’s account information. At some point several years ago, she told Ms. Haskell that she had taken money that had been in a savings account that had belonged to Mr. Haskell. She needed it to pay a debt, she said. “It sounded like maybe she’d give it back to me,” Ms. Haskell said. “I was so naïve.” The incident had no impact on their bond. “I’m still ‘Mommy,’” Ms. Haskell said. “I saw her a lot.” The two visited nearby restaurants and took selfies that Ms. Legall posted online. In 2013, Ms. Haskell’s last surviving sister, Marcy, died in Florida. Ms. Legall traveled with her for the funeral. “She helped me on the airplane,” Ms. Haskell recalled. “It was like a little vacation for her.” Four more years passed this way. Then Ms. Haskell’s son, Lloyd, a physician, received a certified letter that stunned him. A bank was going to foreclose on his mother’s home because she was not paying fees related to a reverse mortgage for $424,000. Reverse mortgage? His mother lived comfortably within her means. She didn’t travel or buy expensive clothes. A splurge for her was adding to her extensive collection of dolls. What did she need $400,000 for? He asked her. She said she had taken out the money for Ms. Legall, who needed it to pay another debt. Mr. Haskell, mad at himself for believing Ms. Legall was looking after his mother, went to the police and was referred to financial-crimes detectives. They opened a case and discovered the scope of the fraud and loss. The theft began immediately after the women met, the police said. Ms. Legall forged and cashed 75 checks totaling more than $200,000. She opened several credit cards and ran up an eclectic range of charges to Apple, JetBlue, Victoria’s Secret, and clubs and restaurants in Miami. In addition, Ms. Legall bet heavily on horse races. She racked up expenses in New York Racing Association buffets and bars, at Belmont Park, and online at betting sites like TwinSpires at Churchill Downs. “It appears she had a gambling issue,” Detective Jackson Todd said in an interview. “She bet on horses a lot.” Detectives arrested Ms. Legall on Oct. 17 at her home on East 55th Street in Flatlands, Brooklyn. She denied any wrongdoing, telling the police that Ms. Haskell gave her a credit card for errands and shopping, and that she repaid her for any personal purchases, according to a summary of her statements to the police. She said the reverse mortgage had been Ms. Haskell’s idea. “She wanted to give Alicia and her family money,” the police said Ms. Legall told detectives. She said she was expecting a $700,000 settlement from a civil matter and $60,000 on a “race horse transaction.” Ms. Legall was indicted in Brooklyn on charges of grand larceny and forgery. The indictment accused her of stealing more than $470,000 from Ms. Haskell. “Over the course of several years, Legall became a trusted confident and gained access to the woman’s personal information, including her date of birth, Brooklyn residential address, Social Security number and bank and credit card information,” the indictment states. On April 25, Ms. Legall pleaded guilty to grand larceny. She was sentenced this month to three to nine years in prison. She lived in the house in Flatlands with a man and two of her teenage children; they declined to comment, as did her lawyer. The news came as a shock to her colleagues at the Arch Diner. “She was a good waitress,” said Louie Leonidou, an owner. He remembered the two women together. “Even after she quit as a waitress, she would come in as a customer, with her,” he said. In the fallout of the reverse mortgage, Ms. Haskell lost her home of 46 years. Her family is fighting in the courts to get it back, but her future there is far from certain. She is crippled by arthritis and could not climb her own front steps. She has lived in a cramped room at a Staten Island rehabilitation center for about a year. “My house was all paid for,” she said. “I was a mess.” She was asked if she had a photo someplace of her and Ms. Legall together. She reached for her purse and pulled out a snapshot, wrinkled and worn, of the two women smiling at the camera. After everything that happened, why would she still carry this picture around? She sighed and answered with a shrug: “The memories.”

[continued] The night Flaherty met Ashley Dutko, he had just from Adam Jones and emerged from the clubhouse with remnants of pie cream still in his ears. He took her to the Abbey Burger Bistro on their first date, and the relationship blossomed over time before they were married in Florida in December 2016. As Flaherty gradually infiltrated the Dutko-Markakis family dynamic, he and his brother-in-law grew more comfortable probing each other's weak spots. They live five minutes apart in suburban Atlanta, and Flaherty swings by Markakis' house for the commute to SunTrust Park. During the drive, Markakis typically will complain about Flaherty's insistence on blasting rap music on the car stereo. Or he'll give Flaherty grief over his addiction to his cellphone. "Nick calls Ryan a 'damn millennial,'" said Christina Markakis. This might be a salient observation if Markakis weren't 34 years old and Flaherty 31. The fellow Braves snipe at each other over their golf games or respective diets. Markakis has a sweet tooth and a fondness for Wendy's cheeseburgers, while Flaherty is a stickler for nutrition and never touches fast food. "Ryan eats like a bird," Markakis frequently tells his wife. But nothing bonds or divides them more than the debate over their wardrobes. Flaherty is partial to skinny jeans, sweatpants, hoodies and tube socks over Jordan sneakers. He likes camouflage gear because it's fashionable, while Markakis prefers camo because it's functional and great for hunting. During a recent bus trip, Flaherty and Markakis sent photos of their outfits on a family text chain and declared each an embarrassment to the entire clan. In one text, Flaherty derided Markakis for wearing a pair of slacks that looked like "my grandmother's curtains." So where do the other Braves come down on the topic? Pitcher Brandon McCarthy prefers to remain neutral. "They're at opposite-but-equal ends of the terrible fashion spectrum," McCarthy said. http://a4.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2018%2F0528%2Fr377045_1296x729_16-9.jpg On the field, the brothers-in-law are bonded by a love of the game and an appreciation for old-school fundamentals. Flaherty's father, Ed, is an accomplished Division III coach who recently logged his 1,000th career victory at the University of Southern Maine. Flaherty was a longtime favorite of Orioles manager Buck Showalter, who saw a value in him that far surpassed his .639 career OPS with Baltimore. Markakis has never hit with prototypical corner outfield power. But he's a two-time Gold Glove winner who appeared in 155 or more games in 10 of his first 12 seasons. He has shown a discerning eye, an appreciation for the craft of hitting, and professional staying power at a time when the game is increasingly skewing young. Among modern-day athletes, Markakis stands out for his aversion to self-promotion. He doesn't have accounts on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and he tells his wife he would rather be anonymous than succumb to the temptation of raising his profile as a social media gadfly. "He does things so quietly, and he doesn't want any of the attention," Moylan said. "He's quite happy just going out there, being a professional, playing the game the right way and leading by example. Sometimes in this day and age, it's more about trying to get the attention than it is trying to do the job, and he's the complete opposite. That's a nice, refreshing change." Contrary to public perception, Markakis insists that he is not the joyless, robotic presence people make him out to be. "We spend a lot of time together [as teammates] and you can't be serious 24/7," Markakis said. "You have to have a little fun with it. If I'm at the plate and I get jammed so bad I pop it up to the pitcher, I'm cool with people making jokes about it. That's one of the single most embarrassing things that can happen as a hitter. When that happened to another player when I was in Baltimore, Adam Jones and I would die laughing in the outfield. I'd rather strike out than pop up to the pitcher." When Markakis looks back on his career post-retirement, it might be hard to top events of this summer for entertainment value. He has been energized by Atlanta's young roster and the daily commutes to the park with his brother-in-law, who has loosened him up and allowed him to have more fun than ever around family and teammates. Markakis, in turn, has reinforced Flaherty's faith in the importance of dedication and commitment to the job. Beneath the insults and put-downs, they're just two ballplayers with shared values and a common affinity for winning. "It's funny," Flaherty said. "The first thing every teammate asks me is, 'What's Nick like at home?' The first time you meet him you're like, 'Do you not like me?' But that's not it at all. He's just a quiet human being. "You always hear people talk about athletes and say, 'He doesn't care about the fame.' But Nick literally doesn't care about anything except baseball and his family. He doesn't pay attention to any other external stuff going on in the world, which is a special character trait he has. It's the same reason a lot of people don't know how good he is." Lest those comments come across as overly sentimental -- or give people the impression these two guys actually like each other -- Markakis has no plans to cut Flaherty any slack when they're getting after it in the gym. He will continue to push and prod Flaherty to be better because the Braves are counting on both of them. And isn't that what a good brother-in-law is supposed to do? "I think deep down, they really do respect each other and admire each other," said Ashley Flaherty. "And we're all glad that they have each other."

Nick Markakis, Ryan Flaherty more than just Braves teammates http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=%2Fphoto%2F2018%2F0528%2Fr377050_1296x729_16-9.jpg Not only do Nick Markakis and Ryan Flaherty have differing fashion sense, they get to show their wardrobes off at family holiday gatherings. Ryan Flaherty's first major league locker mates, Nick Johnson and Nick Markakis, were firm believers that rookies should never speak unless expressly asked for their opinion. Johnson retired after Flaherty's rookie year, while Markakis dressed beside Flaherty in the Baltimore Orioles' home clubhouse at Camden Yards from 2012 through 2014. "He didn't talk to me for three years," Flaherty said. "The first conversation we had was about his sister-in-law, who I ended up marrying. He's a man of few words." That's the way most people see Markakis -- as a stoic producer who churns out numbers in a publicity vacuum. He is about to become the first player since World War II to have 2,000 career hits, 400 doubles and 1,000 runs (he's at 997) without ever making an All-Star team. Flaherty has tapped into an alternate side of Markakis as his commuting partner, workout buddy, comic foil, daily antagonist and the guy who passes the gravy at holiday dinners. They're sharing a clubhouse and National League East title hopes this summer as teammates and brothers-in-law on a surprise contender in the Atlanta Braves. Markakis married Christina Dutko of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2008. Flaherty became part of the family in 2016 when he wed Christina's sister, Ashley. As a tandem, the two Braves aren't quite as entertaining as Ozzie Albies legging out a triple or Ronald Acuña Jr. ranging into the gap to steal an extra-base hit. But their biting humor and incessant jibes have provided a nice diversion for teammates during the 162-game hamster wheel of a season. "I think generally they get on pretty well," Braves reliever Peter Moylan said. "But they're the first at each other when something isn't up to speed, so to speak. They'll say things you probably couldn't say to another teammate. They get all the bulls--- out of the way early and there's no holding back. They're like, 'This is what I think and I'm going to tell you,' and it works both ways. I think it's hilarious." Baseball has a rich history of fathers, sons and brothers, from the Boones and Alous to the DiMaggios, Niekros, Alomars and Bells. Brothers-in-law aren't quite as prominent in MLB lore, but several prominent players have been linked by marriage through the years. The list includes Manny Machado and Yonder Alonso, Ian Desmond and Josh Roenicke, Neil Walker and Don Kelly, and Brandon Crawford and Gerrit Cole, who were in the news recently when Crawford took Cole deep during a San Francisco Giants-Houston Astros matchup. Every now and then, brothers-in-law wear the same uniform. Outfielder Rick Miller married Carlton Fisk's sister, Janet, in 1973, and they played together for four more seasons in Boston. In 2014, pitcher Michael Tonkinand outfielder Jason Kubel were in-laws and teammates in Minnesota. The Atlanta tandem has contributed its share of impact moments in April and May. Markakis is batting .340 with a National League-leading 71 hits and is driving the ball with authority three years after neck surgery threatened to derail his career. He has caught enough of a second wind to leave Kirk Gibson, Tim Salmon, Eric Chavez and a select few others behind on the list of "best players to never make an All-Star team." Flaherty, a former Vanderbilt Commodore who was a first-round pick by the Cubs in the 2008 draft, ranks third among Maine natives behind Del Bissonette and George Gore with 37 career home runs. He led the National League in hitting three weeks into April before losing the starting third-base job to Jose Bautista and, more recently, Johan Camargo. But he remains a handy piece for Braves manager Brian Snitker off the bench because of his versatility, reliable glove and ability to run into a fastball. As teammates in Atlanta, Flaherty and Markakis are baseball's answer to Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in "Step Brothers" -- minus the bunk beds. They'll bicker or needle each other in the clubhouse, the dugout, in airport terminals and on bus rides to and from the ballpark. "We ride to the field together every day, and he'll give his opinion on some nonsense," Flaherty said. "Then we get to the field and we hardly ever talk until the next day, unless we're working out or he's telling me how bad my swing looked. I'll come back to the dugout and he'll say, 'What kind of swing was that?'" Flaherty has a stock response whenever it appears Markakis is gaining the upper hand in the relationship. "Nick has more hits than me," he said. "He has a bigger bank account than me. He's got a bigger car than me. But I have better hair than him." Darren O'Day sliced up eight articles of his clothing during their time together in Baltimore. Flaherty achieved a measure of revenge in 2015, when he gained secret access to O'Day's gear as it was being packed for a trip to the All-Star Game. O'Day, who loathes the New England Patriots, arrived in the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati to find a Tom Brady jersey hanging in his locker. Markakis, the stoic brother-in-law, is most comfortable when engaged in four activities: playing baseball, working out in preparation for baseball, hanging out with his wife and three sons, or sitting in a tree stand on a hunting trip. With his dark eyes, brooding countenance and ultra-quiet demeanor, he has been known to intimidate teammates in the clubhouse without even trying. "Guys think he's probably got a body count somewhere," Flaherty said, laughing. During Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas gift exchanges, the respective wives see the same dynamic on display. "If you're a fly on the wall listening to them and you really don't know them, you're like, 'Is this really being said right now?'" Christina Markakis said. "Ryan is Mr. Social Butterfly, and Nick is the polar opposite," Ashley Flaherty said. "You see them and you're like, 'What in the world do they have in common?'" The foundation of the relationship was laid in 2012 in Baltimore, after the Cubs left Flaherty off their 40-man roster and the Orioles chose him in the Rule 5 draft. Markakis, who has a softer, more generous side than he likes to reveal publicly, went on an annual shopping trip to buy Louis Vuitton wallets for the rookies, and he asked Christina to accompany him to help pick out a special gift for Flaherty. A couple of years later, Christina mentioned Flaherty as a potential match for her sister Ashley, who was working as an attorney in Florida. When Markakis casually raised the topic in the Baltimore clubhouse, heads snapped in unison, because the gesture was so out of character. "I just relayed the message and one thing led to another," Markakis said. "I don't do matchmaking."

Yelp reviewers, beware. A Manhattan woman who gave one-star reviews on Yelp and ZocDoc to a Kips Bay gynecologist has spent nearly $20,000 defending herself against a defamation suit filed by the physician, according to her and court papers. And the litigation has only just started. “I gave an honest review of my experience to warn others, and he is trying to silence me. It’s a nightmare,’’ Michelle Levine told The Post. Levine said she found Dr. Joon Song of New York Robotic Gynecology & Women’s Health online and went to him for a checkup in July 2017. “A week later, he billed my insurance company $1,304.32 for the new-patient visit and ultrasound, and I got a bill for $427 that wasn’t covered,” she said. “The annual was supposed to be free!” Levine alleges in court filings that Joon never even gave her a manual pelvic exam, instead simply asking her about menstrual cramps and then performing an ultrasound. Levine claims that Joon said he gave her pelvic and breast exams, even though he didn’t. “When I called his office [to gripe], they were immediately aggressive and said I had come in complaining of pelvic pain,” which required the ultrasound, Levine said, denying she ever told them she had pelvic pain. “I was so disgusted, I wrote a review on several sites, including Yelp, ZocDoc and Health Grades,” she said. “Very poor and crooked business practice,” Levine wrote in the review. “I suspect that this doctor gives unnecessary procedure [sic] to a lot of people and then charges the insurance sky high prices and no one knows the difference. “Everything about my one and only visit here has caused me emotional distress and panic, and now they want me to cough up an extra $500 for services I didn’t even need?” Two weeks later, she got an email from the doctor’s lawyers, telling her she was being sued. The $1 million suit touts Joon’s Yale University training and accuses Levine of false postings and online harassment. “No reasonable person would believe that the statements made therein were opinion,’’ court papers say. Levine said the court battle has so far cost her close to $20,000. “They tried to drag my start-up wine-and-spirits technology business into it … They posted my entire medical record, including notes about my mental health, my bills, my insurance info, my driver’s license, birth date and home address,” she said. Lawyers for Joon and the clinic did not return messages.

DEAR ABBY: Last year I came out as a gay man. I'm 35, and it was a very difficult decision. I haven't been in a relationship with a man before and have dated only women up until now. I have been on a few dates, and I feel like I fall too fast and easy for a guy. I'm struggling to fit into the gay community and understand what is acceptable and what is not. I recently met someone I really like, but I'm not sure if he feels the same way. I have never felt this way about anyone before, and I am scared I'll mess it up. I don't want to be alone and I'm afraid that's what is going to happen to me. I am not sure how to interact with other gay guys. It took me so long to come out, I don't want it to take forever to find someone. How do I get over this fear of being alone and be comfortable around guys? -- FEELING LOST IN MASSACHUSETTS DEAR FEELING LOST: Make a conscious decision to relax and just be yourself because it isn't necessary to be anyone but who you are. In time, you will realize there are as many kinds of relationships in the gay community as there are in the straight community. Some men are looking for casual hookups while others want the same kind of solid, lasting relationship you do. Because you are confused about "how to fit into the gay community," you might find guidance if you contact the nearest gay and lesbian center and join one of their talk groups. One that's comprised of individuals who are "newly out" would be perfect for you.