*Mornings Archives

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Speaking of hot dogs … If you want to know how competitive eater and 14-time winner of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest Joey Chestnut feels after eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, Chestnut told Insider, “Most people relate to feeling really bloated and tired after Thanksgiving. It’s kind of like that, except really, really bad.” Chestnut also revealed that after the contest he starts sweating profusely, and apparently his sweat smells like hot dogs. Sparing you all of the gritty details, he also said it takes full two days to start feeling normal again after a competition.

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Are you and your partner on the same page when it come money, including investments and financial risk? According to new research from the University of California-San Diego, couples who don’t agree about where their money goes, are twice as likely to get divorced.

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Workplaces are starting to reopen, but lots of workers don’t want to return. There have been a few of these surveys over the last year, but a brand-new one revealed that 27% of American workers polled said they would look for a new job if they had to go back to the office. “I truly believe we will not be going back to the 5-days-a week in the office” routine, said Andrei Postoaca, chief executive of Ipsos Digital. “That era has stopped.” (Yahoo) Well, apparently no one told my place of work…

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Weddings are back, and money is tight for a lot of people.  So is this something ALL brides should do? A 29-year-old woman named Talia Morales got engaged last month.  And she’s getting a ton of love on TikTok after she polled her bridesmaids and asked how much THEY were willing to spend on her wedding. She did it through an online poll, so no one else would see their answers.  And she asked things like how much they could spend on their dresses . . . where they want to stay . . . and if they want their hair and make-up done by a professional. She even asked what style of bridesmaid dress they like best, and included photos.  So maybe they won’t end up with a dress they’ll never wear again. She says a lot of brides get so caught up in planning, they don’t think about how much everyone else has to shell out.  So she’s trying to be as considerate as possible when it comes to money.

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Has your circle of friends gotten smaller? A study published by the Survey Center on American Life found that Americans have fewer friends than they used to. The study revealed that 49% of Americans over the age of 18 said they had fewer than three close friends. In 1990, just 27% of Americans said they had fewer than three close friends. In 1990, 33% reported having 10 or more close friends, while today, only 13% said they had 10 or more good friends.

The pandemic definitely had an effect on friendships. The study found that 47% of Americans said they’d lost touch with at least a few friends over the last year. Women, in particular, said they’d lost touch with friends during the pandemic, with 59% saying they had lost contact with friends in the last year.

But it’s not just the pandemic that has led to fewer close friendships. Things like marrying later, spending more time with their kids than past generations, and working longer hours has also affected friendships. (NY Post)

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Why do these things not happen to us when we’re bored? A man in South Carolina who won $375,000 on a lottery scratch-off ticket said he only bought the ticket because he was bored and looking for something to do. (UPI)

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Walmart wine … Walmart is launching their own wine collection. The Walmart Winemakers Selection is an international affair, including Malbec from Argentina, Italian Pinot Grigio, French rosé, Cabernet Sauvignon from California, and a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. Each bottle is just $10. (The Drinks Business)

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And speaking of Walmart, lots of college freshman will be heading off to school in the next couple of weeks, packed with stuff to fill their dorm rooms. Good Morning America has a list of some of the dorm essentials every college freshman needs, including shower shoes and a shower caddy, a small fridge and a single-serve coffee maker, comfy bedding, a mattress cover, noise canceling headphones, and an LED light.

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Have you been dining out and noticed a few too many people being a bit rude? … According to a recent article, restaurant owners say some customers have “forgotten to be human” during the pandemic. Seems there’s been quite the uptick in rude, demanding, and angry customers as restaurants have re-opened.

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Would you give this a try, or would it be a hard pass?  There’s a small-but-passionate group of people online who claim the best snack in the world is OREOS WITH SALSA. People have been hyping it on social media for a while, so it’s not a new idea.  But a writer for the site Delish.com just tried it.  And their verdict is . . . NOT good.  They described the taste as “musty,” and said dunking them in milk is a much better option. Some people claim it’s great though.  If you really want to go all-in, they say to buy a pack of Oreos . . . remove the middle row . . . and fill it to the top with salsa for easy dipping.

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Jerry Seinfeld had a classic bit about the Olympics, and said he’d rather win bronze than silver . . . because silver would be a bummer, but bronze would feel like you won SOMETHING at least.  So do you agree with that? Someone polled 2,500 people, and it turns out most of us DON’T agree.  Of the people who answered, 93% would rather win silver.  Only 7% said bronze. If you grew up in the “participation trophy” era though, you might be the outlier.  People aged 18 to 25 were more than twice as likely than older people to say they’d rather win bronze.

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If you feel passionately about finding out what Dorito or Cheeto dust would taste like on a potato chip, listen up.  Frito-Lay just debuted a new line of potato chips that taste like OTHER chips and snacks. The three flavors are Cool Ranch Doritos potato chips . . . Cheetos potato chips . . . and chips that taste like Funyuns.  So if you think those snacks would be better in potato chip form, get excited. It’s not clear how many stores have them, but right now Target.com appears to have all three.  And they’re a limited time only thing, so they might only be around for summer.

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Have you ever completely unplugged for a day? Longer? Seems most of us haven’t. A new poll found that 73% said they can’t even imagine going 24 hours without looking at a screen. That’s probably because research has found that adults spend, on average, about six hours a day staring at a variety of screens.

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Want to be happier, healthier, and have more friends? Join a sports team. A study found that people who are on a sports team are healthier, have more friends, go to more parties, and have a better work-life balance than those not on a team.

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Do you have a bunch of unused gift cards stuffed in a drawer somewhere? A new BankRate survey found that 51-percent of us are holding unused gift cards, vouchers, or store credits, to the tune of roughly 15-billion dollars in outstanding value. The study also found that millennials are more likely than older folks to have unused balances and are less likely to believe they’ll ever redeem them. Experts suggest using gift cards, vouchers and credits right away.

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Another Zoom effect … Seems younger women are getting more Botox treatments. Doctors have noticed an increase in women in their early 20s coming in for Botox and filler. The reason? All the time they spent looking at themselves during Zoom meetings.

“I would say that my average age of patients shifted down considerably this year, and it’s now early 20s,” said Dr. Dmitriy Schwarzburg of Skinly Aesthetics. “And they’re coming not just for Botox, but for all kinds of procedures that they would otherwise consider at a much later point in their lives.”

Amy Shecter, the CEO of Ever/Body said, “The Zoom effect is real, and it has definitely been a catalyst for increased interest in cosmetic dermatology treatments.” (ABC)