I usually finish the weekly issues by Friday, so my weekends aren’t jammed. For this one, I’m finishing significantly earlier so it is be published while I White Lotus it up.
Issue #148, April 23rd , is going to be White Lotus centric with pictures. Yay vacation!
Dear Internet,
Part of the condition for our marriage was to set up a prenup which I’m fine with. it’s pretty simple: what’s yours is yours, what’s mine is mine, and whatever we buy together after we’re married gets sold and the proceeds split in two.
The pre-nup lawyer suggested we also knock out our wills at the same time since it’s a common thing people do when getting pre-nups. We agreed and for the last week I’ve worked on my will.
I have opinions! For someone who didn’t think she was going to live beyond 40, this makes me laugh on how many opinions I do have.
The google doc I shared with J keeps getting longer.
First it seemed easy: clothes, shoes, and handbags in good condition are to be donated to Goodwill and women’s shelters. Books donated to local libraries. Fine jewelry to be sold with the proceeds put in a trust for my nephew.
Shit like that.
I really started getting into the nitty gritty for my corpse.
I am an organ donor. I want my organs of use to be harvested when I’m dead. I want the remains from the harvesting to be cremated and I want my teddy bear to be cremated with me. Now the tricky part is what to do with my ashes. I love the idea of eco burials like having my ashes injected to the base of a tree. I also love having my ashes scattered in Lake Michigan. I’ve jokingly said to put some of my ashes on a small wooden boat, light it on fire, and push it out on the lake. I have also toyed with having some of my ashes in a burial plot with the collection of urns I currently have (mom, dad, two aunts, Wednesday the pug, probably Thursday the pug and possibly J). Then I started bugging J about getting a plot for our urns to be buried in somewhere. Where is a good question. Dad is buried in Toronto; mom is buried in Michigan. Do I bury us in N. Michigan? Do I request we’re to be scattered in Europe?
J said he doesn’t give a rat’s ass. He’ll be dead.
The last three people in my family who died with no wills made choices very difficult. The remaining aunt refuses to get a will because “that’s already taken care of at the funeral home.” She’s not that bright, this aunt. I keep telling her I need instruction on what to do with her stuff and zillion cats. She doesn’t want to be bothered with it, but it annoys me she’s leaving behind a mess she doesn’t give a flying fuck about.
You’re probably thinking, she’s dead. Why does it matter what she thinks? You’re right, you tend to be right, but ugh. Family.
Tipping is such an American thing because we do not pay our workers a living wage and fuck you Republicans..
When we were on our cruise back in December, there were a lot of chatter on the Viking Cruise FB groups on tipping. Some people balked at the idea because Viking gives you the option to add gratuity to your bill so you didn’t have to tip and others figured that probably wasn’t enough for the employees so they tipped on top of the Viking gratuity.
We tipped our room steward because he kept our room delightful for seven nights and eight days and the waiter who we had every time we were in the bar. We tipped tour bus drivers as well as guides. I felt bad if we didn’t tip.
J and I had an attack of the guilts about tipping as a whole on the cruise (and in Italy and Spain). Most of Western Europe pays a living wage so tipping is seen as unnecessary. But we didn’t know how Viking supported their employees (especially giving you the option to add gratuity to your bill) financially (or their insurance) but maybe they pay well? A lot of the employees I gossiped with seemed to like their jobs and hopped from cruise to cruise because of the adventure. I know they must be on 24-7 for the guests but maybe I’m naïve or delusional but no one seemed upset to be working there.
I’ve never been to an inclusive resort before so I pumped Beth about the do’s and don’ts, especially tipping. Gratuity is supposedly wrapped up in the price but Beth said that they tip the bartenders, drivers, and cleaning staff. I asked how much and she said they usually come with $150-200 in singles, hence why my stack looks like I’m ready to hit the strip club.
I also made sure I have cash for our wedding day (JoP only takes cash strangely enough) and for tipping drivers. Our ride from the airport to the resort is about an hour and we’re going on a taco tour this week so that needs tipping. (USD is preferred over pesos.)
Fucking America.
Other newsletter updates
lisa rabey writes stuff issue #9 interlude
What I’m Reading
This year I’ve committed to read 75 books via the Good Reads Reading Challenge.
Glenarvon Byron’s ex-lover was so distraught about their breakup; she wrote a roman à clef about their relationship
Pride and Prejudice Read this a zillion times but doing a read-a-long for Austen Mondays
The Man Who Died Twice (Thursday Murder Club #2) Elizabeth receives a letter from a man the last she saw, he was dead.
If Walls Could Talk Lucy Worsley walks you through the history of the home
Miss Lattimore's Letter Miss Lattimore meddles in the marriage mart and is she going to make her own catch?
Magic for Liars Ivy Gamble does not have magic but she must use her wits to figure out the gruesome murder that happened at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages
Waiting for a Scot Like You (Union of the Rakes #3) When Major Duncan McCameron meets sassy Lady Farris, passion and misunderstanding ensues
Would I Like to the Duke (Union of the Rakes #2) Jess McGale needs to save her family business and will her entanglement Duke of Rotherby help her?
When in Rome Opposites attract in Rome, Kentucky
The Book of Goose Gripping novel about female friendships
Off the Map “On the road to love, you don’t need a GPS”
Twenty-One Days (Daniel Pitt #1) In 1910, Daniel Pitt races to save his client from execution
Check out the media I’ve consumed for 2023!
Wonderful Thing
Justified (Hulu)
You’d think with as much content available across a zillion streaming services we would not re-watch content but here we are.
“Justified,” based off of Elmore Leonard’s short story “Fire in the Hole,” is the story of Deputy US Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), who is re-assigned back to his hometown, Harlan, KY which is deep eastern Kentucky. Coal mining territory. One of the poorest areas in the country.
The impetus of the show is Given’s archnemesis, Boyd Crowder, and their dance for six seasons. Each season there is a villain, of course, but somehow Crowder is tied to that villain.
There is something about Givens, his modern day cowboy complete with hat and boots, and his way of dishing out law that is compelling. He does things his way, despite the chagrin of his superiors and partners. The show also holds up remarkably well, even with the growth of cellphones (they start out with flip phones and by season six they are on earlier versions of the iPhone), even though it’s been off the air since 2015.
Next show we’ve already seen that we’re going to binge is Banshee. A nameless ex-con takes on the persona of a murdered sheriff in a small town that includes the Amish mafia. Now let’s see if that show holds up.
Have a good week!
lisa x