Good Morning!
You've made a choice to be here... and to #ReadThisFIRST... thank you for being who you are and for making that choice... I'm shaking off some decent sleep after watching the BACHELOR last night, and so, as the coffee kicks in, let's jump in to the things which are things for this morning... because that's why you are here, right?
Here is what is #Trending this morning:
Kristoff St. John : The Young and the Restless star was found dead Monday at age 52.
Chinese New Year : Here's what you need to know about Tuesday's celebration.
Liam Neeson : The actor admitted in an interview he had thoughts of racist rage against blacks after his friend was raped.
Billie Eilish : The rising star announced the When We All Fall Asleep tour.
State of the Union : Donald Trump 's big speech is Tuesday.
#TheBachelor : Fans are reacting to the latest episode.
#BTSxGrammys : The Korean boy band will appear on the Grammy Awards as presenters.
TODAY IS:
- World Nutella Day
- Shower With a Friend Day
Quick – name something you don’t get enough of? If you said sleep, you are definitely not alone. According to a new survey, these here are 10 things we say we don’t get enough of.
- Sleep
- Vacation
- Disposable income
- Exercise
- Sex
- Salary
- Good luck
- Fresh air
- Fun
- Me-time ( SWNS )
Ambitious dating … There’s a dating app out there that’s designed for ambitious people. The Inner Circle dating app uses a computer program to figure out compatibility based on things like life experience and moral values, not just a photo. And then, it matches these inspiring and ambitious people who are on the same page in life. ( Urban Matter )
What do you use your phone for the most? For most people, it certainly isn’t talking. According to a new survey , here’s what people actually use their phones for every day:
- Texting – 87%
- Emails – 76%
- Alarm clock -- 76%
- Social media -- 64%
- Reading blogs and the news – 60%
- Shopping – 57%
- Listening to music – 56%
Cheesy wedding cake … Love cheese? Then Costco has a wedding cake for you. They are selling a 22-pound, 5-tier wedding cake … made entirely of cheese. Yes, wheels of cheese are stacked on top of each other to form the perfect wedding cake. The base is Red Leicester (a mild cow’s milk cheese), topped by a Danish Blue, followed by a Murcia al Vino goat cheese, a Tuscan sheep’s milk cheese and it’s all topped with a Brillat Savarin Triple Cream Brie. The cheesy cake will run you $439.99. ( Thrillist )
VEGANS OUTRAGED BY SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL
While the actual Super Bowl game wasn’t very exciting, so much surrounding the game got a lot of people riled up.
Fans of the New Orleans Saints boycotted the game because they felt cheated -- and believed the Saints should have been in the games instead of the Rams.
And then, vegans started freaking out on social media after seeing the Super Bowl commercial that made fun of vegan dinner parties -- with a woman displaying a tray of “beetloaf.” ( Washington Post )
TOPIC: What If You Were a Golden God?
If you could be a god of something boring, what god-like power would you choose? How about…
- God of Traffic – You’d have the power to control turn signals and avoid slowdowns. You could also smite anyone who tries to sneak past everyone using the wrong lane.
- Grocery Line God – It would be great to always know which checkout lane will move the quickest.
- Temperature God – You’d have control over the temperatures of everything, including the air, bodies of water and food. Everything would always be the perfect temp.
- Honesty God – Imagine always knowing who’s fibbing or telling little white lies.
- God of Battery Life – None of your devices would ever be empty. And, you could recharge them in the blink of an eye.
FISHING TRIPS ARE GREAT FOR MENTAL HEALTH
According to a new study, daily exposure to nature can -- among other things -- help reduce feelings of stress and even improve your self-esteem for up to seven hours.
Researchers at the University of Michigan found that getting outside and doing stuff like fishing leads to positive long-term effects such as improving memory and decreasing the risk of certain cancers and high blood pressure. ( Travel + Leisure )
APP KEEPS YOU FROM FORGETTING YOUR CREDIT CARD AT THE BAR
Leaving a bar after a night of drinking – and forgetting your credit or debit card there after opening a tab – is embarrassing. Having to go back to the bar in the morning is a very special walk of shame.
Well, there’s now an app for that.
Tab X is the app that allows you to open and close your tab without ever taking your wallet out.
Not only does it prevent you from leaving your card behind, it also helps you avoid standing in line at the end of the night, waiting for the bartender to close you out. You just close your own tab, add a tip and you’re out of there. And … onto the next bar? ( Whiskey Riff )
Now, onto some GOOD NEWS...
BALD BAND OF BROTHERS
An eight-year-old boy in Oklahoma is already seeing what it's like to have a band of brothers after his classmates banded together to show their support for their friend.
Luke Nelson recently lost all of the hair on his head due to alopecia -- a medical condition that causes hair to fall out. His mother, Susan Nelson, says he's had a hard time with it and was too embarrassed to leave the house without a hat. He doesn't have to worry about that anymore.
Luke's third-grade classmates stepped up and wanted to help. They put their heads together and decided that bald is beautiful, so they all got together one Saturday at a salon and had their heads shaved.
14 third-grade boys now all look alike and now Luke no longer has to feel different. He says, "It made me feel very good. I feel more confident. I can just be myself. I think it’s important to share my story to help all those other kids that feel different.” ( People )
MITTEN DRIVE RAISES MONEY FOR FOOD BANK
Two banks in New Hampshire invited customers to donate cold weather items during their “mitten drive” -- and it led to thousands of dollars being donated to a food bank.
Customers of Meredith Village Savings Bank and Merrimack County Savings Bank donated more than 2,100 mittens, gloves, hats and scarves. The banks then contributed $2 for each item given -- which led to over $4,200 being donated to the New Hampshire Food Bank.
The mitten drive is a fun winter tradition in the community, inspiring people to help those in need stay warm -- as well as restock the shelves at local food pantries. ( The Laconia Daily Sun )
BRIDE WEARS HER WEDDING DRESS IN 33 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
After getting married in 2017, Nick and Zoe Aust decided to make a big life change. They quit their nine-to-five jobs and spent a year traveling the world.
To date, they’ve traveled to 33 countries -- and Zoe has worn her wedding dress in each of those countries.
Zoe believes that life is too short to only wear your wedding dress once, so she’s worn it everywhere from Bali to Paris, on trains and boats -- and even on a helicopter ride over Mount Everest.
They’ve been taking pictures all along the way, which led to their journey going viral on social media, so thousands of people around the world can enjoy their special honeymoon with them. ( Metro )
MILLENNIALS are FLOCKING to these cities:
When you think of millennials, everyone knows there’s probably a 50/50 shot they’ve thought about moving to New York or San Francisco. We’re flocking to large, metro areas and trying to make a living. And while these hotspots reign supreme for us, there are a few cities that are suddenly on our radar. Here’s the top:
- San Francisco, California
- Denver, Colorado
- Austin, Texas
- Nashville, Tennessee
- San Jose, California
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Portland, Oregon
- Seattle, Washington
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Dallas, Texas
There are others on the list that people are starting to notice like Kansas City and Indianapolis. So while our dreams of making it on Broadway are still alive and well, there are some other places we’ve got our eyes on. You can check out the full list HERE .
Source: Business Insider
TREAT YOURSELF: Here's why YOU should take YOU out to dinner!
Why does it always feel like we should be spending all of our free time with friends and family? Spending quality time alone with yourself is really awesome. But don’t flip on Netflix just yet. If you want to spend some quality time alone, we should really be taking ourselves out to a nice meal.
Just as you would wine and dine a good Hinge date, go to that restaurant you really love and treat yourself. You don’t have to think about making conversation while you eat, and it gives you a moment to just have quiet time to yourself. Ciara Johnson of “Elite Daily” reveals taking herself out to eat for the first time ever because she was scared to do it for so long.
She found that eating by yourself is actually pretty great, so before you think about if everyone else is watching you, think about how nice it will be to just eat in peace.
Source: Elite Daily
PEA MILK: This is the new NON-DAIRY thing, ya'll....
It hasn’t been long since vegans and people with dairy-free diets didn’t have much choice when it came to “milks” they can use. But over the past few years, we’ve gotten milks from all different nuts, coconut milk, OAT milk, and now we’re even experimenting with milk from peas. Don’t worry – this stuff’s made from yellow split peas, so it’s not a weird green color.
Okay, first cool thing? It takes 100 times more water to farm almonds than it does to farm peas, so we’d be crushing it when it comes to the environment. It comes in original, vanilla, chocolate, and unsweetened.
It’s the next big trend at Whole Foods, so we might as well try it out? We are truly loving the dairy substitutes these days!
Source: Metro
AND.... tonight, on TV... the POTUSTALK aka the SOTU otherwise known as the STATE OF THE UNION... but wait there's more!
Tuesday, February 5th
TALK SHOWS:
- Jimmy Fallon has Priyanka Chopra ( Isn't It Romantic ), Savannah Guthrie ( Today ), Henry Winkler ( Barry ), music by Lizzo
- Stephen Colbert has a live broadcast following the State of the Union
- Jimmy Kimmel has Will Arnett ( The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part ), 2020 presidential hopeful Julian Castro , music by Randy Houser
- James Corden has comic legend Billy Crystal , Sarah Chalke ( Speechless ), music by Buddy
- Seth Meyers has Taylor Schilling ( The Prodigy ), political commentator Ana Navarro , drummer Tucker Rule
- Conan has Jean-Claude Van Damme ( We Die Young ), comedian Sam Morril
- Ellen DeGeneres has Ray Romano ( Paddleton ), singer Kelly Clarkson
- Live With Kelly and Ryan has Liam Neeson ( Cold Pursuit )
- Watch What Happens: Live has the Below Deck reunion show
- The View has husband and wife Jacqueline L. Jackson and Jesse L. Jackson Jr.
- The Talk has Debra Messing ( Will & Grace )
PRIMETIME:
- American Housewife Greg's insistence on doing the family's taxes prompts Katie to take matters into her own hands. (ABC)
- The Kids Are Alright The Clearys feel conflicted when Lawrence and Eddie are drafted to serve in the Vietnam War. (ABC)
- State of the Union 2019 The president's speech describes the current condition of the country. (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX)
- The World's Best Elite acts from around the globe perform for the judges on the first night of auditions. (CBS)
- Ellen's Game of Games Contestants play action-packed games to win $100,000. (NBC)
- New Amsterdam Max works to solve underlying problems within the hospital. (NBC)
- The Masked Singer (repeat) The first group of celebrity singers return to the stage to perform individually and as a group to keep themselves in the competition. (FOX)
- The Flash Barry and Ralph must go under cover as criminals in an illegal black market to purchase a device that could help them stop Cicada. CW)
- Roswell, New Mexico A town-wide power outage leaves hospital patients in need of help. (CW)
All listings are subject to change.