Pheaturing Meghan Patrick

 

Hey, kids, welcome to the Phile for a Monday. How are you? A 27-year-old teacher and body positivity educator Mary Fran Donnelly has been using her TikTok platform to highlight all the ways traveling is made difficult for fat people. Her "Traveling As A Fat Person" series has quickly reached viral status, with millions of viewers tuning in to both learn and commiserate with Donnelly's traveling experiences, and all the micro (and macro) aggressions that crop up when you're plus-size. The series kicked off while Donnelly was on a family vacation and noted how the towels were small, the layout was cramped, and the room design in general demanded thinness. She went on to point out that even the swimming pool towels aren't the right size, and while all of her observations were laced in humor, Donnelly also wanted the videos to provide a true look into the difficulties of traveling while fat. In her second pool-towel video, she also pointed out how even the chairs and table on the balcony are a small and uncomfortable size. Her video resonated with a lot of people, as evidenced by the comments and quick viral status. "This is why I bring my own towels when I travel" one commenter wrote. "'I feel this! I'm a hotel manager and our bathrooms are so tiny and I desperately wish we could expand them but it's just not physically possible," another person wrote. "That chair looks about as stable as my ex," one commenter joked, referencing the patio chair. "Can I just say, you have my exact body type and your confidence has brought me so much joy, as well as relating to this 100000%" another woman wrote. While speaking with Buzzfeed, Donnelly shared some of the questions that regularly go through her head while traveling, "Will the [plane] seat be uncomfortable? Will the seat belt fit? Will the towel fit at the hotel? Will the chairs at the pool hold me? Will the tables at the hotel restaurant be comfortable?" She went on to say that the hospitality industry should be catering to everyone, and these issues affect a lot of people. "People are commenting about (how) these little things, like hotel towels, lounge chairs, and toilet placement, aren't an isolated worry for one person; there is a whole community of people that feels the same way. And those people [are] giving thousands of recommendations on how to alleviate some of that stress." "Body shapes and image have become so relevant in recent years that there isn't any excuse as to why hotel and travel industries cannot begin to reevaluate their practices. Fat, plus-size people deserve to be seen as valid human beings in an industry that should cater to everyone's size and physical needs." 

Rudy Giuliani may have lost his ability to practice law, but on the brighter side, he's also been humiliated by his son on Twitter! The New York Supreme Court issued a decision yesterday to suspend Trump's lawyer from practicing law, after finding evidence that Giuliani made “demonstrably false and misleading statements to courts, lawmakers and the public at large” about Trump's 2020 election defeat, falsely claiming that the election was "stolen" from his former client. "But what does Giuliani's son, Andrew H. Giuliani, have to say about it????????" asked absolutely no one. That didn't stop him from weighing in... from the parking lot of a Motel 6, apparently?! In a video that has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, Giuliani's son filmed his angry take on his father's law suspension and posted it on Twitter: Look at this...

This video is hilarious. Everything from the camera angle, to the framing, to his sputtering rage, makes this PEAK unintentional comedy. And the odd choice of location harks back to Trump's famous press conference in the parking lot of Four Seasons Total Landscaping (never forget). 

Paris Hilton has reacted to Britney Spears' mentioning her during her explosive court testimony on Wednesday. And it seems the heiress is not taking the pop star's comments personally. During her court testimony, Spears revealed that she had not been honest with the public about how she was actually doing, out of fear that people wouldn't believe her if she spoke out about the conditions of her "abusive" conservatorship. "It's embarrassing and demoralizing what I've been through," she said. "And that's the main reason I've never said it openly. And mainly, I didn't want to say it openly, because I honestly don't think anyone would believe me." Spears then cited a moment from Paris Hilton's recent documentary, This Is Paris, in which the heiress revealed that she was subjected to abuse at a behavioral boarding school when she was younger. In the documentary, HIlton said that during her time at Provo Canyon School in Utah, she was put in solitary confinement and "forced to consume medication" that made her "numb and exhausted." In her testimony on Wednesday, Spears admitted that she "didn't believe" Hilton's claims at the time of watching the documentary: "to be honest with you, the Paris Hilton story on what they did to her [in] that school, I didn't believe any of it. I'm sorry. I'm an outsider, and I'll just be honest. I didn't believe it." Some people interpreted this as a slight against Paris, she seems to understand what Britney meant, at least according to her Twitter activity. Paris has "liked" a series of tweets defending and explaining Britney's comments, and confirming that the two are friends: Hilton's account also "liked" the  tweets calling out the way famous women, like Paris, Britney, and Lindsay Lohan, have been "villified" and their struggles have been "dismissed." Paris seems to be reacting with empathy and understanding to Britney's comments instead of taking them personally, which is a relief. Britney has been through enough without having to deal with losing the support of a long-time friend. GRRL POWER! 

While tipping 20% of the check for service is standard in American bars and restaurants, what about leaving the staff a casual $16,000? The COVID-19 pandemic was devastating for the service industry, and with many restaurants and bars struggling to stay afloat, tipping your bartender or server a little extra can be a massive and much appreciated help. Showing the waiter who balanced that heavy tray of beer on one wrist or the chef who snuck you an extra plate of fries that you're grateful to be back out at your favorite local bar could mean leaving over 30%, a hefty cash gratuity, or even tipping the amount of the bill. A customer who stopped by The Stumble Inn Bar & Grill in Londonderry, New Hampshire, though, truly went above and beyond. After ordering only some chili dogs, pickle chips, a beer and a tequila shot totaling almost 38 bucks, the mysterious benefactor (who wasn't even a regular), dropped a cool sixteen grand on the tip line. Thinking that it might be a mistake caused by the tequila or an issue with zeros, bartender Michelle McCudden and owner Mike Zarella confirmed the amount when the customer said "don't spend it all in one place," three times. "The bar manager talked to the gentleman and he said, 'No, it's $16,000,'" said McCudden, further expressing her gratitude with, "It's just been a really rough year for all of us. For someone to do something like that really restored my faith in humanity. He just said that we work really hard and he wanted to do something nice and he just really wanted us to have it." However, people on Twitter, who love to have opinions on subjects they almost always know absolutely nothing about, were divided on the owner's choice to split the tip with everyone working that shift. Zarella says he plans to split the tip between all 12 staffers that worked that day equalling $1333 a piece. Still, some seriously confused people took their unjustified anger out on the restaurant's Google Reviews, a decision that only hurts the restaurant and the staff. Anyone who has ever worked in the service industry is familiar with pooling tips as most of the time it's not only one staff member handling every element of a single customer's experience. Since The Stumble Inn already has a tip pool policy in place, this extra generous tip will still be split between everyone working the shift, the only difference being that the kitchen staff will also be included in the pool this time. 

Mercedes Varnado, best known as WWE superstar Sasha Banks made her mainstream acting debut in the second season of "The Mandalorian" much to the delight of wrestling diehards the world over. Her brief stint in the hit series as Koska Reeves thanks to creator Jon Favreau was well-received by many and unsurprisingly, it turned a lot of heads within the Star Wars community as well and by the looks of it, we'll be seeing more of her in future projects now that the Mandoverse expansion is in full swing. However, the 29-year-old professional wrestler is suffering the same fate her "The Mandalorian" co-star Gina Carano went through last year. The multi-time WWE Women's Champion is currently under fire for liking a post that apparently shows support for the heated anti-vaccination debate. The said post states the ongoing conspiracy theory about COVID-19 vaccines and criticizes the use of masks. After learning about it, fans naturally came to the conclusion that Banks, just like Carano is an anti-vaxxer. It's still unconfirmed whether or not Banks is actually against vaccination but people on Twitter have obviously made up their mind and just like that, Sasha is the latest celebrity to feel the wrath of cancel culture. It doesn't come as a surprise how a lot of people are "passionate" when it comes to voicing out their opinions and criticism about anti-vaxxers. I mean, the COVID-19 pandemic shouldn't be treated likely and even A-list celebrities have joined the crusade to convince people that vaccination is important to finally put a stop to the pandemic. Sasha, who is currently taking time off in the ring has yet to address the allegations but I'm hoping she sets the record straight soon.

Instead of doing this blog thing I should be listening to this record...

Actually that's a really good album that I actually have somewhere. Hahaha. If I had a TARDIS I would go and try to meet Kurt Cobain but knowing my luck he'd be too busy hanging with William S. Burroughs at his house in Lawrence, Kansas. 

Any stroll through a store would have you believe that "pink is for girls" and "blue is for boys" are the associated gender roles are the very backbone of our society. Products from nail clippers to hand lotion are assigned genders when last time I checked, inanimate objects don't have gender identities. Like these sheet masks...

If you're looking for a graphic design job, you may want to contact whoever employed the people responsible for the following design fail. They are most likely hiring.

So, my son and I were talking about how we used to watch "Sesame Street" together when he was a little kid. Now the show is on HBO it sure is different...

When Mr. Johnson finally passed away, he mistakenly thought he was safe when he was reincarnated as a mentally challenged child. 

If you spot the Mindphuck let me know. Now from the home office in Port Jefferson, New York here is...

Top Phive Reactions To Rudy Giuliani's Son's Viral Parking Lot Rant

5. Far be it for me to give camera advice, but in the future I would frame out so you don't look like you're popping up to yell "toasty" after an uppercut.

4. Honestly, the framing of this video, making him look like a very small and bratty child, is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life. 

3. Someone get this wanker a step stool. 

2. I refuse to listen to your statement unless it's given in front of a Four Seasons Total Landscaping. 

And the number one reaction to Giuliani's son's viral parking lot rant is...

1. Was the landscaping place booked? Dude shouting about shit in a parking lot. Get the fuck outta there, dummy. 

Hahaha. Okay, let's take a live look at Port Jeff, shall we?

Another beautiful day and the Seawolf is not by the pier. 

The 153rd book to be pheatured in the Phile's Book Club is...

Seth will be on the Phile in a few weeks. 

Phact 1. Liam Neeson was an Irish amateur boxing champion, a forklift driver for Guinness and dropped out of a degree in computer science all before the age of 25. 

Phact 2. When Internet Explorer 4 was released, drunk Microsoft employees dumped a huge IE logo in the fountain in front of Netscape’s building. 

Phact 3. The goat is the Navy mascot partly because sailors used to leave goats on remote islands to propagate and become a source of food for passing ships, a practice which caused long-standing environmental issues due to the introduction of an invasive species. 

Phact 4. There is a disorder called Body Integrity Identity Disorder where sufferers are at war with their bodies and they seek to sever limbs. Sometimes it has led people to injure themselves with guns or chain saws in desperate efforts to force surgical amputations. 

Phact 5. In 1940, the Germans conquered Denmark so quickly, the Danes didn’t have time to formally declare war against them. They surrendered after 2 hours.

Today's guest is a Canadian-American country singer-songwriter whose latest album "Heart on My Glass" just came out a few days ago and is available on iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. Please welcome to the Phile... Meghan Patrick.

Me: Hello, Meghan, welcome to the Phile. How are you? 

Meghan: Thank you. Thank you for having me. 

Me: So, where are you originally from? 

Meghan: I'm a Canadian country singer-songwriter from Bowmanville, Ontario. But I live in Nashville now. Where are you from, Jason? 

Me: Born in London, grew up in Port Jefferson, Long Island and now live in Orlando, Florida. So, I love the song "Praying Right" from your past EP "Wild As Me." There's a lot of big questions that don't get answered in that song. What's the deal with that? 

Meghan: Yeah, the whole point of the song is my understanding that there's always going to be questions. 

Me: What is the inspiration behind that song? 

Meghan: I didn't grow up going to church religiously, it wasn't really part of my life growing up. It wasn't that my parents were against it or anything, it wasn't a big part of their life and they always treated it that it should be something that I choose instead of inherit so I never gave any thought to it as a younger person and what and it wasn't until I was in my mid-20s I was going through a really rough time in my personal life. I was coming out of a really abusive relationship that just kind of shook the my whole image of myself and my confidence and my strength and I was in a very low place. It was the first time in my life I ever felt like I needed someone besides myself to get through it. I was really struggling and it was just this thing, I just started praying and I don't even know if I'm doing this right because no one ever taught me how. It was this weird thing, do I have to get down on my knees every time I pray? Do I have to say a certain thing? Am I saying the right words? Can he even hear me? I have no idea what I'm doing and I feel kind of silly. But the more I did it and the more I thought about it I realized my faith could be a real personal thing. 

Me: So, what is life you you now in Nashville? 

Meghan: When I moved down to Nashville it was weird at first because it's the Bible Belt. Every I knew there grew up that way. 

Me: Florida is that way as well, Meghan. So many churches. Did that surprise you there were so many churches there? 

Meghan: Yeah, but I don't think about it anymore because I've been there for a while but yeah, it's obviously much more prevalent and it's much more openly talked and about and celebrated in the south for sure than where I grew up. And I met some friends in Nashville who grew up as very devout Christians and it was weird, I kind of carry around a shame a little bit. I didn't want to tell people that I didn't grow up that way, that I really didn't know what I was doing. When I first opened up to a couple of friends about it and we started talking about it, first of all they were just amazing, they never judged me or made me feel stupid. 

Me: So, you just said you didn't know how to do this thing? 

Meghan: Yeah, I just kind of opened up and told them I got to be honest that this is new to me having to think about faith or praying and talking to God. This is all new. 

Me: So, is the song about this, Meghan? 

Meghan: When I wrote that song it was just me feeling that I was ready to talk about it. I've been talking about it with my friends and anytime I'm going through something that's big in my life and impacting me I write songs about it, that's what I do. That's where that song came from and a lot of people have related to it. 

Me: Do you right any "fun" songs? 

Meghan: Yeah, I write fun party songs. 

Me: You have a new album out... how's the reaction been for this music? 

Meghan: The response has been really great. I will say this, I feel that people have responded to it a little bit stronger in the U.S. and in the south than in Canada but there has also been a lot of people who said thank your writing your songs, it's something that a lot of people don't talk about it that much where I grew up in Canada anyway. Like I said the response has been whether you're like me and it's kind of like a new uncharted territory to it's something we've grown up with we all have questions and we are all still figuring it out. So I realized a lot of people could relate to it and it was a really, really big step for me. It took a lot of courage for me to put those songs out and kind of put myself out there like that. 

Me: So, I saw something that you put on the Internet, do you know what I'm talking about? 

Meghan: Yeah, I think so. 

Me: Do you want to talk about it? 

Meghan: Sure. 

Me: So, tell the readers what I'm talking about. 

Meghan: This was at a music festival called Hagersville Rocks. 

Me: Where is that? 

Meghan: It's in Ontario. I guess kind of north of Toronto. 

Me: So, it's a country music festival? 

Meghan: Yeah, it's a rural area, it's awesome, it's a great little town, the people that put it on are amazing. We played it a couple of years ago and two years ago we were headlining it. I have been looking forward to the show all summer. I think it was our first headlining festival show of the summer. We get up there, we are playing, there are some few things that happened that led to our set being kind of late. It was kind of frustrating because we were getting on really late at night at a festival where people have been drinking since two. So we had a bit of a smaller crowd than I was hoping for. The people that were there were really enthusiastic and we were getting into it and having a great time and I thought I heard a guy yell something out. I was like did I just hear that? Whatever. Then he yelled it again. What he said was, "Show me your tits." And I just saw red. I was so mad, dude, I was okay, put the lights up. They put the lights up on the crowd and I said, "Who said that?" Crickets. I was like, "Oh, no, no, no, if you're going to say it own up to it. Who said that?" Everybody kind of points to this one guy. I don't know what he said, he kind of yelled something out to me very rudely and obnoxiously and I looked at him and said, "Get the fuck out." Everybody started screaming and cheering and he's just looking at me and I said, "No, I'm serious, get the fuck out. This is not acceptable." I just kind of went off on this rant. 

Me: What made you so mad do you think? Granted the guy was an asshole but why didn't you just ignore the fucker? 

Meghan: The thing is when I get up on stage it's not just the energy I'm putting in in the moments, it's everything that I have done that led to that show. All the songs that I have written, all the touring, all the times I played to 20 people at 2 o'clock in the afternoon. To get to the point to play for everybody as a headliner, I earned all of those things and I worked so hard and I put everything I have into my song, my heart and my soul and have all of that degraded and reduced to "show me your tits." It just lit a fire in me and it's not the first time somebody said something like that to me. I usually don't fire back but for whatever reason this time it just hit me and rubbed me the wrong way so bad and I just went off on the guy. And the crowd was amazingly supportive. 

Me: What happened to the guy? 

Meghan: He was kicked out. 

Me: Do you normally swear? Haha. 

Meghan: If I had more time to think out an eloquent speech maybe I could of used less explicit language but I also think I don't think it would of had the impact that it did because I spoke from the heart. 

Me: I do like it that you stood up for yourself, Meghan. You really take your music seriously as well, right? 

Meghan: This is not a hobby for me. What he was doing was interrupting my work place. If a woman was in a boardroom putting on a presentation and some guy piped in from the back, "show me your tits!" Would that be okay? No. But what really pissed me off the most were people saying things like, "This is just part of your job. You have to get used to it. Let it roll off your shoulders." And I said, "No the hell it's not. In no freaking way is being harassed and degraded on stage which is my place of business part of my job. 

Me: Did it make you realize anything? 

Meghan: Yeah, it made me realize that mentality and this other aspect of what I do, I become sort of objectified and dehumanized when I reach a certain level of notoriety and I have a public platform and become a celebrity or a public figure. It's a weird thing to say about myself but there's enough people that follow me that I'm seen that way I'm realizing by people and this idea that "you should just be grateful that you're famous and you get to do this." So I'm just supposed to put up the abuse? That's ridiculous I'm still a human being. I'm the same human being I was when I was broke and didn't have a record deal. Just because I get to do what I love for a living it doesn't mean I have to suffer abuse and harassment. 

Me: So, the title track "Heart on My Glass" is more of a fun song, right? 

Meghan: This is kind of a different way than "Praying Right." This is another kind of big step for me just in terms of putting this out as my radio single and it's my first love song I put out as a single. Part of that reason is I always struggled with writing love songs. 

Me: Why is that? 

Meghan: Because it just felt it never quite fit with my sound or my brand. It just wasn't my thing and I tried to write love songs and I've written sone that were like love songs and hey were fine, they were well written songs but I didn't feel connected to them like they were a true representation of me like some of my other songs. 

Me: Meghan, I'm happy for you on your success. Thanks for being on the Phile and don't take any shit from anyone.

Meghan: I won't. Thanks, Jason. 

That about does it for this entry of the Phile. Thanks to Meghan Patrick. The Phile will be back on Wednesday with Graham Nash. Spread the word, not the turd. Don't let snakes and alligators bite you. Bye, love you, bye. 

Give me some rope, tie me to dream, give me the hope to run out of steam, somebody said it could be here. We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year. I can't count the reasons I should stay. One by one they all just fade away...