Not so baby Bieber..

So, I don’t have anything against this young man. He generally amuses me and elicits some deep rooted envy and maybe puzzle. Like what drug are your fans on? and how could someone sooo young be making soo much money? What does he know about life????

I got the answer to that recently ‘A lot’ from his recent interview with Rolling Stones

When asked if he believes in abstinence until marriage, Bieber says "I don't think you should have sex with anyone unless you love them". Cliche but acceptable!

Do you plan on becoming an American citizen? The Canadian-born Bieber chuckles "You guys are evil". "Canada's the best country in the world. We go to the doctor and we don't need to worry about paying him, but here, your whole life, you're broke because of medical bills. My bodyguard's baby was premature, and now he has to pay for it. In Canada, if your baby's premature, he stays in the hospital as long as he needs to, and then you go home."

Well, that’s telling you Americans! A very simple view of your health system. *Insert my own evil cackle here*

What political party would you support if you were old enough to vote? "I'm not sure about the parties," Bieber says. "But whatever they have in Korea, that's bad."

Huh? we're back to baby-talk?

But his solid opinion on abortion which I applaud him for (well, for even knowing what it is and having an opinion) is probably costing him some fans right now. "I really don't believe in abortion," Bieber says. "It's like killing a baby?"

How about in cases of rape? "Um. Well, I think that's really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I guess I haven't been in that position, so I wouldn't be able to judge that."

I don’t know if I should laugh, cry or hug him. It’s the phrase “but everything happens for a reason” that is pissing feminists off right left and centre. Though I think they really should take it easy on a 16 yr old.

Well to save his burning pants, Rolling stone has clarified his comment with a missing phrase - 

“Well, I think that’s really sad, but everything happens for a reason. I don’t know how that would be a reason. I guess I haven’t been in that position, so I wouldn’t be able to judge that.”
Huh? Not sure how that changes the meaning.

I do think Rolling Stone’ Gregoriadis was rather rash if not evil for putting this young man on the hot seat like that. What happened to age appropriate questions like latest crushes, who do you fancy more, favourite party places, family, school. Cringe worthy for Rolling stones but yeah you are interviewing a teen pop idol. For zanny comments go talk to Katy Perry..

Kudos to him for handling his questions well. I never thought I would say this out "Bieber, you Rock!


p.s. I am trying to write age-appropriate material here. Mom told everyone (well Uncle Mike's page is as worldly as it gets) I was only 14 :)

Why You're Not Married

**warning!! it’s a long read**

Well people, I saw this article by Tracy McMillian a TV writer for Mad men, United States of Tara about 6 top reasons why “You are not married”. She was addressing ladies but a guy who cares is welcome to read and learn. Talking to you Prof, Rethots.

Why does Ms McMillian think she can give advice? She says it’s cause she’s been married three times. So basically she knows how to get married but don’t come to her for advice about how to stay married. Lol. *Ginger scratches her head and wonders* Wouldn’t it have been wiser to be discerning enough to marry the ones who can also go the distance? Cause I think that sort of flaws her significant resume. I don’t want to get married just for today. I want the forever kind.

Sigh, I wish I could be like Mom and Sandra and Myne who don’t need to read these HOW TO articles anymore. They’re already living the life I am still waiting for, with its good and bad, highs and lows. I still believe God is the best match maker. I have read enough true stories to believe that unequivocally. But I also know that we have to help Him by doing things the right way. We should quit expecting him to make a silk purse out of the sow’s ears we chose without consulting Him.

So back to Tracy. According to her, the problem is not men, it's You. Cause -- if whatever you're doing right now was going to get you married, you'd already have a ring on it. A bit brutal that, but true.

Anyway, here goes:

1. You're a Bitch.
Here's what I mean by bitch. I mean you're angry. You probably don't think you're angry. You think you're super smart, or if you've been to a lot of therapy, that you're setting boundaries. But the truth is you're pissed. At your mom. At the military-industrial complex. At Sarah Palin. At the first guy that broke your heart. And it's scaring men off. Female anger terrifies men.

The deal is: most men just want to marry someone who is nice to them. I am the mother of a 13-year-old boy, which is like living with the single-cell protozoa version of a husband. Here's what my son wants out of life: macaroni and cheese, a video game, and Kim Kardashian. Have you ever seen Kim Kardashian angry? I didn't think so. You've seen Kim Kardashian smile, wiggle, and make a sex tape. So we are back to the stereotype of men wanting a mom, a cook and a slut in bed?.

2. You're Shallow.
When it comes to choosing a husband, only one thing really, truly matters: character. So it stands to reason that a man's character should be at the top of the list of things you are looking for, right? But if you're not married, I already know it isn't. Because if you were looking for a man of character, you would have found one by now. Men of character are, by definition, willing to commit.

Instead, you are looking for someone tall. Or rich. Or someone who knows what an Eames chair is. Unfortunately, this is not the thinking of a wife. This is the thinking of a teenaged girl. And men of character do not want to marry teenaged girls. Because teenage girls are never happy. And they never feel like cooking, either.

3. You're a Slut.
Hooking up with some guy in a hot tub on a rooftop is fine for the ladies of Jersey Shore -- but they're not trying to get married. You are. Which means, unfortunately, that if you're having sex outside committed relationships, you will have to stop. Why? Because past a certain age, casual sex is like recreational heroin -- it doesn't stay recreational for long.

That's due in part to this thing called oxytocin -- a bonding hormone that is released when a woman a) nurses her baby and b) has an orgasm -- that will totally mess up your casual-sex game. It's why you can be f**k-buddying with some dude who isn't even all that great and the next thing you know, you're totally strung out on him. And you have no idea how it happened. Oxytocin, that's how it happened. And since nature can't discriminate between marriage material and Charlie Sheen, you're going to have to start being way more selective than you are right now.

4. You're a Liar.
It usually goes something like this: you meet a guy who is cute and likes you, but he's not really available for a relationship. He has some condition that absolutely precludes his availability, like he's married, or he gets around town on a skateboard. Or maybe he just comes right out and says something cryptic and open to interpretation like, "I'm not really available for a relationship right now."

You know if you tell him the truth -- that you're ready for marriage -- he will stop calling. Usually that day. And you don't want that. So you just tell him how perfect this is because you only want to have sex for fun! You love having fun sex! And you don't want to get in a relationship at all! You swear!
About ten minutes later, the oxytocin kicks in. You start wanting more. But you don't tell him that. Instead, you hang around, having sex with him, waiting for him to figure out that he can't live without you. I have news: he will never "figure" this out. He already knows he can live without you just fine. And so do you. Or you wouldn't be lying to him in the first place.

5. You're Selfish.
If you're not married, chances are you think a lot about you. You think about your thighs, your outfits, your naso-labial folds. You think about your career, or if you don't have one, you think about doing yoga teacher training. Sometimes you think about how marrying a wealthy guy -- or at least a guy with a really, really good job -- would solve all your problems.

Howevs, a good wife, even a halfway decent one, does not spend most of her day thinking about herself. She has too much s**t to do, especially after having kids. This is why you see a lot of celebrity women getting husbands after they adopt. After a year or two of thinking about someone other than herself, suddenly, Brad Pitt or Harrison Ford comes along and decides to significantly other her. Which is also to say -- if what you really want is a baby, go get one. Your husband will be along shortly. Motherhood has a way of weeding out the lotharios. I'm not sure how this makes sense. Having babies attract husbands?

6. You're Not Good Enough.
Oh, I don't think that. You do. I can tell because you're not looking for a partner who is your equal. No, you want someone better than you are: better looking, better family, better job.

Here is what you need to know: You are enough right this minute. Period. Not understanding this is a major obstacle to getting married, since women who don't know their own worth make terrible wives. Why? You can fake it for a while, but ultimately you won't love your spouse any better than you love yourself. Smart men know this.

Alright, so that's the bad news. The good news is that I believe every woman who wants to can find a great partner. You're just going to need to get rid of the idea that marriage will make you happy. It won't. Once the initial high wears off, you'll just be you, except with twice as much laundry. Because ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it. Strangely, men understand this more than we do. Probably because for them marriage involves sacrificing their most treasured possession -- being free-agent -- and for us, it's the culmination of a princess fantasy.

The bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don't deserve it. Because most of the time, your messy, farting, macaroni-and-cheese eating man will not be doing what you want him to. But as you give him love anyway -- because you have made up your mind to transform yourself into a person who is practicing being kind, deep, virtuous, truthful, giving, and most of all, accepting of your own dear self -- you will find that you will experience the very thing you wanted all along.

What do you think?

I saw True Grit in The Way Back

So, I am working my way through the 10 movies nominated for Best picture in the Oscars. I have seen 4 out of 10 now.

I recently saw the movie True Grit. I don’t know about you but I wasn’t impressed - what with straining my ears to make sense of the thick broguish southern accents, the unattractive cast and scenery - I wished I had waited for the DVD. It would have subtitles at least...

The plot: Mattie (Hailee Steinfeld) a 14 yr old is determined to avenge the death of her father by the cowardly hired hand Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) and imposes on a dead bit drunk reprobate Marshall Rooster (Jeff Bridges) who has a reputation for ‘getting the job done’ to help her do it.

Holes - The writers never made us understand /appreciate why she ‘loved her father so’ that his death should make her so determined to see justice done. I did see she wasn’t the sentimental sort. So for her it was all about crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s of the circumstances of his death. an eye for an eye? Okay.

Other holes - where was her mother? I find it hard to believe that a mother leaves her 14 yr old to waltz off to another county to take care of her father’s funereal business -including identifying the dead body and arranging for its transport back - without making sure there was somebody looking out for her. Moreover the villain of the piece(Chaney) was ..…a joke like all cowards are and totally forgettable. Mattie lost more than she gained from this adventure and yet I felt little sympathy. 

On the plus side it had undeniably witty dialogue and the acting was stellar but ... there was just something lacking.

Mattie to Rooster: ‘People say you a man of true grit’. Rooster was supposed to be the chief character but, I think they all had their grit tested in the end, especially Mattie and I guess that’s what the story was about. But it just wasn’t enough reason for this movie to garner 10 academy nominations. IMHO.

I have an alternative ‘True Grit’ – The Way Back.

The plot: the movie follows the epic journey of 7 escapees (starring Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris) from the Siberian gulag in Stalin’s Russia to India by foot. A 4000mile journey that leaves you in awe of nature - from the snowy wilderness of Siberia, to the aridity of the Gobi desert to the craggy heights the Himalayas (nomination for best cinematography???) These men were led by a most unlikely hero Janusz. A man fuelled by only this determination: to return to his wife and free her from her guilt of betrayal. Like a friend commented about it ‘If you have a strong enough reason to live for, nothing can kill you, nobody can stop you; you just keep walking until it is over’!

On some levels one could watch that movie and be like ‘okay so they escaped so what??’, OR you could be awed by man’s capacity for endurance in the face of impossible circumstances.

True Story?? – Well, some unknown number of men did escape a Siberian gulag and arrived in India by foot. A book written by one of them (The Long Walk) bears testament to that. But there is some controversy surrounding the author who may or may not have been one of the true survivors. Urban legend? Never. One of the Survivors did tell us what drove him – revenge for what the Germans and Russians did: "I thought: I'm going to get a plane, train as a pilot, and then I get high, fly to Moscow, look for the Kremlin and blast it out of the ground," he said. "That was my ambition. This was the driving force inside me.

Director Peter Weir read the book, thought it was an amazing story and ran with it. Why this movie did not get Oscar nominations, is a big puzzle. A critical consensus is that 'the movie isn't as emotionally involving as it should be' and I ask ‘What character was developed around the 33 Chilean miners to made us empathise with their situation? They were just ordinary men living heroically in impossible circumstances. Compared to the character development of True Grit, I’ll take The Way Back anytime.

p.s. Oh, one more thing, it is annoying to see the posters for the movie TRUE GRIT with only the names of the three main male actors boldly written. At the risk of sounding feminist (not that I care) without the superb performance of 13 yr old Hailee Steinfeld, I wouldn’t have bothered to see this movie to the end. So there Coen Brothers!

All about Eve

I didn’t read a review about this movie before watching so I thought it was one of them much talked about oldeworlde romance like Casablanca.

Well, it did have romance. In fact an enduring one too. But it was also/mainly a satire about the scheming and betrayals that ambitious starlets are involved in to get to the top.

'Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night'

We have Eve Harrington(Anne Baxter) the self effacing girl from nowhere who ingratiates herself into the heart and lives of Karen Richards9Celeste Holmes) and her circle of heavy weight friends including Lloyd Richards, Karen’s playwright husband, Gary Merrill a hot shot director and the reigning queen of the theatre aging Margo Channing (Bette Davis).

Her aim was to become the next reigning queen and boy, was she prepared to use any ploy – including wrecking the personal and professional life of Margo -to get her there.

Eve Harrington could have gotten away as the cast of two faces of evil. She was that good. But best of all was Margo. She was a star twinkling bright from the tip of her lashes to the tips of her toes. She was so catty sometimes kitten, sometimes all claws but always regal. I loved her. 

Bill Sampson: Outside of a bee hive Margo, your behavior would not be considered either Queenly or Motherly.
Margo Channing: You are in a beehive, pal. Didn't you know? We are all busy little bees, full of stings, making honey day and night.(turning to Eve) Aren't we honey? 

Celeste Holmes (Karen) was terrific too in her smaller role as friend and how could I forget Birdie Coogan Margo’s shrewish maid..lol. There was a brief appearance of dear Marilyn Monroe as Miss Caldwell a dumb blonde starlet – heard this was one of the roles that launched her into stardom. You’ll see she was quite young here but still beautiful...

The men, well I am not so familiar with the stars of those yonder days but I do know these were terrific (The men weren’t chosen for their looks in those days it seems??). George Saunders as the movie critic Addison, who saw through Eve’s act from the beginning was especially notable.

The movie ending was pretty funny too. Eve it seems might just get her own comeuppance.

If you’ve not seen this movie, you need to do so like now…..

Ginger scores it 9/10

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Well, instead of sitting on my bed and lamenting my dateless state on Valentine day, I immersed myself in some great old movies starting with..

Lorelei and Dorothy are two lounge singers from ‘little rock’. Dorothy prefers to fall in love with beautiful hunks of men, Lorelei loves diamonds and thinks that love can be found when a girl marries the man who can afford them.

Lorelei is half engaged to Gus, heir to the Esmond wealth,. She and Dorothy leave for a cruise and depending on Lorelei’s conduct during the cruise, she may clinch the engagement or be rejected by Gus’ strict father.

I don’t know about you but despite the laughs, songs and dance, GPB was surprisingly feminist. The movie explored ideas of love, women’s independence, women’s friendships, gold digging and dumb blondes in a satirical fashion and yet those meanings haven't changed much 57 years later.

Hugh Hefner and his bunny wife

I couldn’t have said it better than Lorelei when confronted by Esmond Snr about her gold digging ways, she answered ‘Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty? You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?’

Yes it helps Lorelei. It helps a lot.

A kiss on the hand may be quite continental,

But diamonds are a girl's best friend.

A kiss may be grand, but it won't pay the rental on your humble flat.

Or help you at the automat.

Men grow cold as girls grow old, and we all lose our charm in the end.

But square-cut or pear-shaped, these rocks won't lose their shape.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

There was also the eternal debate that ran through the movie: Are blondes more beautiful than brunettes? I have no freaking idea. 
I do prefer the gray matter behind the hair color but I willingly admit that Marilyn Monroe is a beautiful woman(plastic surgery and all), God bless her soul. I used to think she was only famous for being JFK’s paramour. I stand corrected. What with that peacocky chest-out strut, the perfect nose and golden blonde hair, Jane Russell’s angular earthy definitely pales in comparison. 
And she can act...

I've got my cooking mojo back..sort of

I am no Lucid (this blogger can make a mean turtle soup, I am yet to taste though *hint*hint) in the cook department but I know I can keep my man reasonably happy with my expertise in the kitchen. Ginger scores herself 7/10.

Thank you Cartoonstock

But I have a confession. In the last 5 months, my cooking had become sh*tty. Like the bad workman I blamed it on the tools - British salt, British mince, British chicken, British pots, the gas burner, British spice, British rice, British beans etc etc when the only ingredient missing in my recipe was .. PATIENCE.
Even Julie of Julie and Julia acknowledged its importance. And I am confessing to you Blogfam, I am an impatient cook.
Example 1 - I forget to bring out the mince from the freezer and rather than wait for it to thaw, I impatiently begin to make a stir fry. Result - chunks of unseasoned icy meat.


Example 2- To make stew, the Nigerian way, you fry the tomato paste till the moisture is gone and it looks crumbey. Impatient Ginger convinces herself that its healthier not to over-cook the tomatoes (cos she cant wait) then she hates the finished raw tasting tomatoey end product.


Example 3 - Cooking beans has destroyed my pots. I put it on the fire and cause I cant wait the required 40mins cooking time in the kitchen. I go to my room, get wrapped up in facebook, books or blogs and next thing i smell is burning beans!

Example 4 - When my house mates ask what are you cooking, I mumble my answer 'some sort of mishmash'. Cos i am embarrassed they may be curious enough to want to taste. Let my shame stay with me.


Example 5 - Instant noodles are now my favourite dish (3 minutes)!!

Anyway, I finally got tired of eatting crappy food and making excuses for them. Especially after I spent last Sunday in a friend's place and sat with her for 3 hours as she prepared meals for the week. I had to ask myself - Girl, if you cant cook to please yourself how can you please others?


Tuesday evening was a bit free for me. I had bought my turkey mince the evening before and kept it in the fridge. Cook dried my tomato paste. Sauteed the onions, sweetcorn, carrots, peas and pepper. then fried my tomatoes the right way. sauteed the mince. Put it all together  - A big pot of tomato mince stew. I spent 2 hours in the kitchen but it was deliciously worth it.

It looked a lot like this!

On the plus side, my housemates must have thought the washing fairy visited. The only reason I got to stay in the kitchen long enough for my food to cook was washing all the plates in the communal sink. yeah I am nice that way.


Save a life. Cooking ideas/tips people?!

Love and Other Drugs

In honor of the love bug month,  saw this movie last night. And it made me equal parts happy and sad...I cried me a river though I can’t remember why or what triggered it off. Did I mention love stories make me cry here??

Plot: Jamie, a charming lady loving pharmaceutical salesman and Maggie Murdock, an artist, two people who believe that relationships should operate on a 'no strings attached' policy begin one for all the right reasons - lust and more lust. But what started without plans to continue, continues without a plan to end. Jamie a charming lady loving pharmaceutical salesman meets Maggie Murdock an artist

The good – the chemistry between Jamie(Jake Gyllenhall) and Maggie (Anne Hathaway).......sizzled. Or maybe it was all that nudity.

I could relate on so many levels to Jamie the salesman and the struggle to achieve those seemingly insurmountable targets (I’ve worked in marketing aka sales for a Nigerian bank). I could relate to the underhanded games salespeople play – bribing the receptionist, PA, the boss himself. I thought the movie treated it with a good balance of reality and fun.

I totally loved Jamie the Lothario. They didn’t demonise him as most movies could and would do. He was just good with the ladies and they loved him like that; quid pro quo. He is uber cute to boot that makes him unblameable in my books.

Maggie as the woman who was scared to trust the love of a normal man because of her Parkinson’s disease gave a sensitive but terrific performance.

I think Anne Hathaway has finally come into her place as an adult actress. I know I would never think of her as a teeny-bopper again. Again, maybe it was all that nudity and flashing boobs....... I loved the romantic build up, the peak (Jamie sleeping overnight in his car waiting for her bus to return from Canada), their relationship. I also think Parkinson’s disease was treated with delicacy and understanding.

The bad – I am torn between appreciating the comic relief that was Josh (Jamie’s brother) or really hating him. I think between his crude jokes and that clichéd romcom ending, they lost this movie some deserved nominations. Even if it's not the Academy Awards.

Ginger scores it 6.5/10

p.s. Would it have been so bad if Jake left her? Not because she had Parkinson’s but because he was true to himself that he wasn’t man enough to be there for her?

p.p.s. Just checked Anne and Jake did get nominated in the Globes best actress/actor category but didn’t win. Cool.

Helplines

Its been a hot minute Blogfam. I had a most busy week. Apart from schoolwork, I registered to volunteer for some helpline thingy and the training took up all my weekend. And drained me out mentally.

I learnt a lot about reflecting the tone and words of the other person in conversation and met some awe-inspiring speakers. One had this ‘thing with food’ (She said she would murder anyone who labels her bulimic) which she finally overcame after several attempts to bleed to death. Another came from a Suicide helpline. and they had insightful policies. Like If someone calls and says they want to commit suicide or have already committed it i.e. taken drugs. You may ask ‘Can I call an ambulance for you?’. If the person says ‘No’. you accept their right to 'off' themselves and continue with the conversation….till they die on you.

I still have a interview to go for and I am wondering if I should take that final step??

You see, my no-nonsense African approach to emotions is clashing seriously with the Western mollycoddling of emotions. I expected a dear Abby kinda thing where people call in cause they need someone to talk things through with, or they need advice. I am not by any means an expert but hey! 30 odd years of living puts me ahead of a 17 yr old (ok not necessarily!). I am just asking for flexibility and an opportunity to be human. But no, this program trains you to be a robot.

EXAMPLE

Me: Hello, Ginger’s helpline

Caller: hello. I am sort of feeling real stressed here. I have been starring at my books since 2 pm (note it is 10pm now) and I can’t seem to get anything in. the words keep swimming in my head. I have a paper to hand in tomorrow. I am fucked.

Me: you feel fucked?

Caller: yes I feel fucked up, inadequate. Stupid.

Me: Why do you feel that way?

Caller: Everybody seems to be getting on with their studies except me

Me: Have you always felt that way?

Caller: sometimes

Me: sometimes?

Caller: yeah I have not always felt that way. Sometimes I really feel on top of it but this time I don’t

Me: how do you feel when you’re on top of it?

Caller: I feel good. I feel confident

Me: confident?

Tell me, you don’t feel

1.       Like punching me right about now if you were the caller.

2.       Like this conversation is going to drag on and on.

Cos you see..It’s not really a helpline, it’s a listening service. So no advice, no directed questions, empathise by the sound of your voice not your words.

I can imagine an ALTERNATE SCENARIO

Caller - Hello. I am sort of feeling real stressed here. I have been starring at my books since 2 pm (note: it is 10pm now) and I can’t seem to get anything in. The words keep swimming in my head. I have a paper to hand in tomorrow. I am fucked.

Me - You must be feeling stressed. Is it a write up?

Caller – Yes, it is a 2500 word paper. I just have a title.

Me – You have a title. That’s good isn’t it? Finding a title is usually very difficult for me.

Caller – Maybe. It was a topic I really wanted to write about.

Me – So what is difficult now?

Caller – I can’t get a direction or aim. I am just going round in circles.

Me – that must be frustrating. Do you have helpful books you can use?

Caller – I think so. But can’t you get it? I don’t understand anything I am reading

Me – You say you’ve been at this since 2pm right?

Caller – yeah

Me - When last did you have a meal?

Caller – about 2pm maybe

Me -  can you do yourself a favor and go get something to eat. Please??

Caller - Yeah, I think I am actually hungry

Me – Throw in a 5 min stroll around your place if you can.

Caller – Maybe I will do that

Me - You’ve been working too hard I am sure (positive, encouraging)

Caller - I am not sure about that. I haven’t been reading at all

Me - Maybe. Maybe not but a little food, fresh air could do wonders to your memory

Caller - Yeah, maybe. let me go make a sandwich. thanks

Me – thank you for calling

Caller - Can I call back if I get stuck again?

Me - Yes you can. We are here for you all night

You see the difference btw two approaches. One is a neutral indifferent listener (pretend shrink). One is a friend. I know the one I’ll call if I had a problem.

Have you, dear Blogfam called a helpline before? How was their approach? Did you find it helpful?

My Tshirt is a Man Magnet

So last Saturday, I ran out of things to wear. More like, I was lazy about dressing up and I picked up this T shirt given to me by a long separated boyfriend. I have barely worn it three times since I got it. (The dark red and black colors are not nice for my skin hue nor the vertical stripes especially when you are slim and don’t have a 34D to carry it off!). The back bears my name and the No 9 – Ginger the Striker!!!

Anyway, there I was feeling part normal and part ugly-dressed, when I notice I am getting meaningful stares and smiles. From guys.

Then a cutie walks by says hi and goes ‘You are an ACM fan? That’s really cool’.

It took me 70 secs to remember what ACM was. And I then I answer, ‘Ehhh, not really. I don’t even know the players’.

ANSWER FAIL!

Cool Beckham played for them in 2009

What’s wrong with me? How about a flirty lie like ‘Oh I just LOVE their play! What do you think of their 2011 team?’. That would have started a conversation which could have led to lunch; then movies; then dinner etc etc.

Lesson learnt: The next time I wear a brand fan T shirt, I should know just a bit about them so I don’t seem like an airhead.  

Men and football. Can one do without the other?