FURBO Dog Camera Review…Ramble

It was a Friday afternoon in June, when I came home to find my flat in London had been burgled. Elle, my beloved French bulldog, had been home alone. I had bolted the two locks on my door, which was kicked so hard, the doorframe was violently broken. Neighbors were home and did nothing. Police, carpenters, etc. all told me and showed me how the front door lock was worthless and could be opened with a plastic bottle in two seconds.

Elle was shaking. Adrenalin and calm took over as the appropriate calls were made. Elle has over 16K Instagram followers. She gets email offers on a regular basis. I had been offered several dog cameras which didn’t work out for various reasons. Then, FURBO  reached out post burglary. I was very interested and wanted to spread the joy of community and gift others, so we agreed to a giveaway as well.

For me, FURBO Dog Camera is a Godsend. Even leaving the flat for a ten minute walk without Elle started to weigh on me as even the excellent police recommended lock and London bar (a reinforced bar that goes around the lock, under the doorframe to prevent break-ins) didn’t outweigh the stabbings that started happening in West London- one happened on our block four days prior to us moving. We lived across from the Kensington-Olympia Overground and it turns out any train station will attract a variety of violent people.

The greatest thing about FURBO is not only being able to check-in on Elle when I’m not there, or toss her treats if I’m running late, it’s the alert reminders like “Your dog just took a selfie,” or “Human activity detected, do you want to see who it is?”

As a New Yorker, who is a lot more mild in my approach after living in London, imagine what I would have said if I had the FURBO there and see the human activity alert? I certainly would have run back home as I was a mile away and only gone for under two hours doing a client presentation.

SET-UP: Download the app. Plug in the FURBO. It connects over WiFi and then an update automatically begins. I’ve set it up twice and it never needs the full 3-5 minutes they ask you to wait for set-up.

When you open the app, you can observe, take photos or video, toss a treat and talk to your pet. There’s actually two way talking so imagine this scenario:

ME: GET OUT OF MY FLAT. I’m two minutes away with a Policeman.

BURGLAR: F U #$%#%#$%@. 

Grabs all handbags & stuffs jewelry in pockets, runs out of flat. 

All I cared about was that Elle was alive and uninjured. She was shaking and did get a doggy calming pill that is normally for airplane travel, and even then, almost never necessary. If I had been able to talk to her on the way home, it would have been more calming for her.

If you have a sick dog, this allows you to stalk them, or a colleague that loves dogs and needs a stress break by watching your dog snooze, I highly recommend this, especially if you work long hours. You don’t have to use the treat functionality, sometimes Elle wouldn’t eat the treats until I arrive home. Me talking to her is a bit confusing, so I don’t do that as much as I used to in London.

Elle will take the treats in New York. I’m happy I can check in on her from around the block and get update notifications. FURBO Dog Camera also worked for me in two different countries and cities. It has night vision, so I don’t have to leave all the lights on for Elle. The wide angle lens captures a lot, so clean up your space before you let those co-workers watch your furbaby.

Overall I would say this is totally worth it. You can find one on Amazon Prime.

 

 

 

Back On It…Ramble

The end of the year saw me in Paris for a second time, Miami and New York with London in between all of those. It was a whirlwind of amazing visuals and sights.

Following the holidays, it came to my attention my year of creativity with photography needs a reboot. After purchasing the iPhone 8Plus, my mirrorless camera seemed to fall by the wayside. I’ve been stressed about some life admin items that took focus away from my creative needs.

grrlgenius_ at the Louvre

The last time I used the mirrorless camera was  in Paris end of November. This year I plan on getting back to it and taking some in-person photography courses and finally writing the novel I’ve had outlined for almost two years.

London life can be dull with the dismal weather. I haven’t let it stop us from exploring the incredible parks or keeping me from an intense commitment to the gym. The course is nearly over and I feel better then I have since August. It’s why I’m writing this, to take a moment to reflect. Life can go by quickly and get caught up with toxic people and things that waste time.

While the new year wasn’t a stark contrast to reset, it made it easier to ease into refocusing on my health with all the gym sales. As we get older, it’s more important to get up in the morning and move our bodies. I’m not a morning person, but for some reason morning workouts have always been the best way for me to motivate.

 

 

 

What to Watch: Winter Movie Round-up

Oscar season has folks running to the movie theater. Is this the year Leo DiCaprio finally takes home that golden statue? Will he ban it like some members of the African American community think he should in order to support the black community or take after Marlon Brando, have someone else accept and then reject it for him? Either way, Leo deserves to win.

Office politics on a global scale are aside from the point, here are some of the films I’ve seen this winter:

1. The Revenant: no one is laughing. The White Walkers would be no match for Leo’s depth of spirit and determination to get justice served. There was no snickering or leaving the theatre for this battle of the elements, man and the politics of the era. Never has Tom Hardy been so revile. We also got to see my quiet crush, Domhnall Gleeson as the sweet, yet naive captain.
2. Joy– now before you join me in the when-is-Jennifer-Lawerence going to be likable, haven’t we had enough of her for the time being table, let’s say I watched this one because my family wanted to watch it. I was reluctant, aside from J.Law, the trailer didn’t wow me, and I kept thinking really? Bradley Cooper, DeNiro & J.Law? Ugh. We’ve been there…with the same producers. However, I watched it and damn. Shazam. I was wowed. It was damn good and inspirational. Everyone who has had an idea or a dream they left on the table due to a misstep in their youth, should watch this film.
3. Train Wreck– There is a spoiler alert in here. It was more enjoyable then any other Judd Apatow-involved film. Amy Schumer was great, to a point. Then, it reverted to the same devices any other rom com uses to resolve, with a charming ending, but still why must we always find that the only way for a woman to be happy does she half to be half-naked? Is that a distraction for eating humble pie or just another distraction showing the character hasn’t grown that much, just enough to make everyone in their life who always forgives them, love them enough to go another ten rounds.
4. Hateful 8 – was a snowy, miserable, painfully slow bloated Tarantino film. My boyfriend loved it. I tried to not fall asleep. If only he wasn’t as indulged, there could have been half an hour less to this movie, no intermission – the last time I remember hearing about one was vaguely as a child, Ghandi had one. This is not Ghandi, it will not give you inspiration but some of the acting is excellent. The overuse of racial slurs towards Samuel L. Jackson, were a bit much to take. We got the point Quentin. If you want to see Channing Tatum be horrible in a charming way, the second half will reward you, but when the break came I was ready to leave.
5. Brooklyn – thought this one would speak to my Irish heritage. Instead, her millennial indecision annoyed me to no end. I kept waiting for something to happen, so did she. Don’t let life make your decision, make them for yourself. I would rather sit through the uneven, should-have-been-an-SNL sketch, Tina Fey & Amy Poehler  comedy “Sisters” again, then watch this. Perhaps I was annoyed she left my ginger crush, Domhnall Gleeson, to believe she was interested when she was being selfish. What I didn’t like about this film was that there were no consequences to the characters lies by inaction. She left a wake of tears, but she was happy. Well, isn’t that uplifting? No.
6. In The Heart of The Sea– swoon hard, swoon in 3-D at Mr. Chris Hemsworth, but don’t expect a lot of plot in this one. Ron Howard expressed his excitement at using 3D, inspired by the film “Life of Pi,” which was an excellent film. Mr. Howard, you abused 3D in this film, as if you were an NYU film student learning how to use a camera. There was a serious lack of character developement but oh Thor, you are handsome and you have beautiful blue eyes.

RENTALS: This is winter. Finally.

1. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation – all the banter and fun that was missing from James Bond, can be found in this great romp of a movie. Two thumbs up, a little sad I missed this one in the theaters, but it was gone fast. It’s definitely worth watching over say The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
2. The Women in Gold – another film, but smaller that I had wanted to see in theaters. The story of the rightful owner, Maria Altman, who fled the Nazis in Austria seeking the Klimt’s painting of her Aunt Adele (pronounced A-dell-ee, not like the singer), which was claimed by the Austrian government and placed in their museum. It’s a wonderful film starring Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. I love when a film showcases a relationship and determination of two people, who are unlikely to come together, thinking neither party will teach the other one.
3. Everest – another true story. Why climb it? Because it’s there. I can’t imagine what would make me want to climb Everest after seeing this film and what you could happen to you as you climb, your body literally dying with each step. This film showed some of the worst and selfish parts of humanity. It showcased ego wanting to triumph over nature, and then getting ego’s ass being thrown off a mountain by its pure arrogance. The hero of the story for me was Peach, the wife left behind in Texas who rallied her minions to get a helicopter for her dying husband to get him off the damn mountain, where he had been left to die by people he paid $65,000 to be there.

NETFLIX & CHILL:

1. Jessica Jones – (series, not a film) Turn it into a drinking game by taking a shot every time Kristin Ritter pouts or there is some serious hot sex…so maybe you can have some too. Not something I could power watch because of all the pouting. Still, love a deviant, reluctant superhero- yes, that means I’m going to see “Deadpool,” despite how awful Ryan Reynold’s Green-Film-He-Got-Blake-Lively-From-As-Well-As-Paid. Ritter pulls it off and manages to pull back my interest just when I think I can’t take her pouting anymore. Great plot twists.

2. The ReWrite – this is a charming film helmed by Hugh Grant. Hugh plays a washed-up rogue writer and does it well. If you are looking for a fun film with banter insert Marisa Tome. Add reluctance, social missteps, a few literary quotes and Hugh Grant and you’ll be laughing with this one.

TV (Bonus):
Tyrant – I loved the first season. They went so far in each episode it was truly well-timed with all that is going on in the Middle East. The second season started off the same, then got quite annoying, so much so I started going back and catching up with British reality TV like “Come Dine With Me” and the ever-entertaining “Don’t Tell The Bride,” which is a great concept and never disappoints for awkwardness and dreadful “oh, hell no, he. Did. Not. Do. That! She can’t marry him!” But, after the holiday season, I caught up on the last episode and it’s back to a place where I can be intrigued again, leaving out a lot of the soap opera and focusing on the action of political decisions. This series explores the tricky lines of moral compasses, with less cursing and jazz than “Homeland.”

Music (Bonus):

X-Ambassadors “Love Song, Drug Song” may be Brooklyn’s answer to The Kings of Leon, and I love it.

King Charles–  one of my favorite artists I’ve ever worked with, is also extremely talented. I’ll never forget how all the women in the office found a way to come to my office when he was in there for two hours. He is highly entertaining. He was an absolute dream when we trekked through the living hell that SXSW can be to manage and gave his full KC charm to a small room of people at his showcase there. A true talent.

Hope you enjoyed that. Note, as much as I love film and TV, I am reading two books about product management and a novel called “Smoke,” which is riveting.

How I Would Recast The Role of James Bond’s Q…Ramble

SPOILER ALERTS CONTAINED

As I walked out of Spectre last night with two friends, we recast the movie. While we enjoyed different aspects, it became clear that while classic Bond in many ways, when setting up characters of the past in this current franchise, there was a lot to be desired.

I tried to shake my head of internal quips about the appearance of Grumpy Cat’s cousin popping up and ten other camp moments in the film. It’s Bond, but it was lacking intentional jokes in one key area, which always added charm to Bond’s character.

Q – a classic role, which always led to great, cheeky banter, looks laughable when standing next to Bond. The jokes fell flat- he orders Bond a detox drink, then doesn’t even get to stay in the scene while Bond tells the server to skip a step and throw it down the drain.

When Q is faced with two dangerous men from Spectre, an organization which encourages members to present their resumes by killing one another, Q evades them rather than engages them entirely. Previous Quartermasters were older, but all would have had to go through combat training. How about we stop with the stereotypical nerd who has to hide in a closet as he method of self preservation? Instead, add some diversity and gravity to the role by casting Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes; Covert Affairs).

It would be a lot more interesting if Q and Bond physically sparred with some of the cool toys (*quite devoid, due to the ‘department merger/cut’ battle faced as part of the plot line.) Let’s envision a boxing match between the two of them, Q chastising Bond about plummeting another car off a mountain/river/speedboat, etc. – now I’d really want to watch that. Q could have at least used his laptop to smack one of the bad guys in the head- mind over matter.

Let’s hope the next Bond film will “get the 007 program out of the Dark Ages,” the way the evil C (as in careless, not C*nt we were all thinking, come on now, M leaves the crud quips to Bond) intended by giving a little more meat to the supporting cast.

P.S. Applause to the wink-nod-homage to  ‘Jaws’ when Bond takes down the new Jaws character with four barrels. High five for that moment Sam Mendes.

Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty… Ramble

When I worked in Soho, NY the models going on go-see casting calls looked like fairies, dotting the often grey weather that fall. Since then, my interest in fashion has had a more concentrated interest. The colors and cuts of Alexander McQueen have made me sigh in wonderment many a time, none more so than at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.    My eyes fluttered. Here was magic, a different kind of spark than other fashion exhibits I have seen or even Fashion Week events. While the exhibit is based on one from The Met, which I didn’t catch, in 2011, only a year after McQueen’s death, the space and layout were extraordinary.  While the Death Becomes Her, mourning garments throughout history curated by Anna Wintour, at The Met, was historically interesting, there’s nothing I like more in fashion than drama, a real show. The McQueen exhibit includes quotes that enhanced the exhibit as to his own mix of self-awareness and inner turmoil. He was precise. He knew he was making a mark and he wanted to create conversations, arming women with a feminine touch. (The result of witnessing and also a victim of his older sister’s abusive first husband. She only found out about Alexander’s own abuse when he became an adult.)  It was a creative kick in the soul. I’m here, on this earth, go big. I wrote about the recent triad of deaths of men on the music & technology world. The McQueen exhibit was the exclamation point. So, whoever you are, be it a famous Olympian or a school teacher, everyone struggles, turn that struggle into a positive. Express it. Move in this life, not through it colorless. Those dreams, the ones you had once, but life got in the way, it’s never too late to make them a reality.

Americans have a tendency to value ourselves by our job titles, responding within a few minutes when a senior executive needs an answer. If you’re creative the world is your stage, exposure and criticism is expected, welcomed – at the same time, it can be a lot of pressure. Don’t let that pressure to fit into an easier pace of life, trap you into not taking creative risks. Thank you Alexander McQueen for the magic you shared with the world. Hope your tormented soul is laughing – you made your mark. Now, it’s my turn to do the same in my own life.

Bad Blood: When Professional Friendships Cross The Line…Ramble

Howard Jones sang “when you cross that line, there’s no turning back.” As we know Jane Austen’s beloved “Pride & Prejudice” leading man, Mark Darcy proclaimed “my good opinion is lost, it is lost forever.” When you work with people over a career, especially in a high-instensity work environment, friendships run deep. This is partly because, just like high school, your geographically aligned by profession, thrown together at the same tentpole events, repeatedly, and the long hours mean you have less opportunity to make new friends outside of your profession.

When you work in entertainment, more often than not, most of your friends will be fun, have big personalities and some hopefully, not completely surface level. You bond over the insanity of how not-glamourous it is,  how rockstars are babies who throw tantrums yet, it’s worth it, cause you just love music and film, etc. oh-so-much. Years go by and these bonds grow stronger, until, one day, you find out that friend you made an effort and made an effort to go beyond the confines of simply industry-related events, to become a true friend, has betrayed you in some way.

What makes it worse, is if this betrayal bleeds into the professional part of your friendship. It becomes an insult the betrayer delivered a professional sucker punch, leaving you ready to launch a full-blown war because “you can’t fix a bullet, with a band-aid.” Good thing our girl Taylor Swift, goes there for you, allowing for when that mad love to bad blood, to be an anthem,  without having to draw blood yourself.

Thank you Taylor for giving us real humans a way to vent.  If you don’t have something nice to say, all you have to do is turn up “Bad Blood.”

The Power of Three…Ramble

The past month many of us in the music tech and tech world lost three truly great men- John Loscalzo (MTV, CBS Radio & much more), Dave Goldberg (Survey Monkey, co-founder of Launch which became Yahoo! Music) and Michael Deputato (Universal.)

When John passed I was speechless. My dear friend Courtney Smith called to tell me the news. John was her boss at MTV and her current role at CBS Radio. My brain could not take in what she was saying. John and I were not only colleagues at MTV Networks, we were neighbors. He owned the local news source, BrooklynHeightsBlog.com and we had only been in touch on a local issue the day prior.

John was a quirky guy with an offbeat sense of humor, who loved his wife Traci Zamot and daughter, Gracie with such joy, it couldn’t help but make you smile to see them together. He was only 51. He liked to scheme, to take part in local politics and he always did it with a tremendous grin on his face. Walking down the streets of the neighborhood after his passing, you can feel John noticing things to report on, delight in and rally in the air. A truly great human who is very much missed.

Then, last week, another friend sent me a Viber message asking if I had heard about Dave Goldberg’s sudden death. My first reaction was to curse, not very ladylike, but it was another blow. When I worked at Yahoo!, I loved to see Dave in action. There was one meeting, the first working day of the year, I’ll never forget. Dave was fired up in a good way. He wanted to counteract a bad contract. The head of legal shook his head – he had put in many months of work with his team and said the ink was still drying on the signatures. Dave was not happy with the terms and asked me for my support.

It was a deal that effected the programming of the website for years afterward – and Dave was right in his stance. He didn’t need my support, he could’ve, like so many other powerful men, simply dictated for me to carry out his orders. He was a great leader who knew how to inspire and be real.

Between his fire and beliefs in what he did at work, and his big heart- Dave handed out roses to everyone on Valentine’s Day and hosted amazing annual Super Bowl parties with his wife, Sheryl Sandberg at their home in the Palisades, Dave never let anyone feel like he wasn’t interested in what they had to say, and a true example of people who are truly successful championing other people.

It was on Facebook that another smart and wonderful fellow, Jon Vanhala, broke the news of a lovely man, and long time colleague, Michael Deputato succumbed to brain cancer this past Saturday. I remember calling Michael when Spotify first launched in the U.S. to ask his advice about naming conventions. The account was handled by sales, but the only way to make a daily impact is to create playlists, which tapped into my music programming experience.

While Michael and I discussed the account he asked me how many people were on my digital team. I’ll never forget his shock to find out I was a one person team with ten dotted-line reports, wok ring the active roster. After that Michael would call me to check in on me- and give me a bit of a sanity check. What a good man he was, as were Loscalzo and Dave Goldberg.

What I learned from these men is to pursue your passions, make time and notice people who need your help – most of all do something, so watch life from the sidelines.

Franzen is the Kanye West of Authors…Ramble

When Kayne West approached the Grammy stage to snatch Beck’s golden statue for Best Album of The Year, claiming it should have gone to Beyonce, he tried to make it a joke- at first. We all know the fall out, Kanye (for a completely different POV click on Kanye’s name) wasn’t kidding. He went on to say he doesn’t want to perform again at The Grammys until they change it to reflect popular sales. Hmm, then he went on to say it was an insult to artistry, but he hadn’t even listened to Beck’s album, Morning Phase, which had been hailed as a critical darling in indie circles. I also want to say his intro for Kanye’s own performance said it was his “most personal” and point out there is nothing less personal than using Autotune.

I’m not anti-Autotune, but let’s not kid ourselves. Here’s a link for Kanye and all the other people, who, instead of wanting to explore and make an informed rant, is Beck’s Morning Phase:

Well, now let’s turn to another accomplished, lauded artist, one who has graced the cover of TIME magazine for his work, won the Pulitzer Prize, Mr. Jonathan Franzen. Franzen has chosen to take many jabs at women’s fiction writer, Jennifer Weiner. While he hasn’t read her work, he says no one has told him it is a “must read” and she is using a real issue – the lack of review space given to female writers, as a platform to get attention when she doesn’t deserve it.

Dude. Come on, if you had read her work, I would think you had some valid points, but you are not A) her target demo B) too busy to take the take time to read it the way Kanye, who likes to call himself an arbiter of all things cultural, could have taken the time, pre-Grammys to listen to every album in the category of Best Albums that was nominated. If you never read or listen to music outside of what you like, how can you really know what is good and what is not?

As someone who has been paid to be a music programmer (Yahoo! Music & Vh1), and a writer, I have listened and read works I was not naturally drawn to, and found it not only expanded my knowledge, it expanded my own creativity. I don’t always agree with awards, mostly they are a broken thing, but they do help curate what is interesting.

I have read many award winning literary books which I found to lack a strong plot or interesting characters or deliver a good ending. How is Kanye’s lack of respect any different from Franzen’s? It negates their point, which might otherwise presented have been valid. If you are going to diss someone at least know what you are putting down and acknowledge that’s not going to be given to you as a suggestion because your crowd is caught up in one scene.

When you make statements, that have some merit, but no foundation of their own, it not only disrespects the other artist, it disrespects their fans. How likely am I to buy Kanye’s next album or his ridiculous Adidas line? 

How likely am I now to read another Jonathan Frazen book? The answer to all those questions, is highly unlikely, even if they have critical acclaim. Why should my cash line their pockets when they clearly value their own taste and are unwilling to leave room for anyone else’s? Fans who started the #whoisbeck Twitter campaign are also in need of some more cultural exposure. Why must we tweet about our own ignorance or make statements in the press about it? Why not show the courtesy to make an informed opinion and allow that while not your taste, it can be very important to other people.

My friend Courtney Smith’s book, Record Collecting For Girls, has a chapter on guilty pleasures. It was inspired by our conversations. I don’t believe in having musical guilty pleasures. If it speaks to you, if it helps you, touches you, makes you dance or feel good in any way, then go right ahead and enjoy it.

 However, Courtney calls bullshit on that in her book and says anyone who doesn’t say they have guilty pleasures is either boring or lying or an asshole. That was the chapter she read on a book panel we did during her book tour. I started with the question “did you call me an asshole?” We have lively debates to say the least, but during that panel people asked me the most questions because they wanted to know about the popular artists that I got to work with in pop music over obscure indie bands — yes, even in Brooklyn! Don’t worry, it’s not the end of the world.

Popular doesn’t mean bad. Jennifer Weiner is a fun, great writer who writes heartfelt stories about women that I can relate to, in fact, she is one of the reasons I got a dog. She wrote in her novel “Good in Bed,” every writer should have a dog. So, thank you, Jennifer Weiner for not only providing me and many other women with entertaining fiction we want to read. Thank you for standing up for female authors getting equal press coverage. Thank you for using the platform you EARNED for sticking up for everyone else who does not have it.

The Real Fashion Bitches…Ramble

Our favorite canine fashionista, Mrs. Sizzle asked for Elle to come to Lincoln Center for a Fashion Week this past Saturday. As soon as we arrived it was a whirlwind of activity and visual adventures in every direction.

Wh

Mrs. Sizzle has partnered with Swatch for a new line called Me and My Pet. See the Frenchie-faced watch I am showing Elle in the photos? Maybe it’s time to start wearing a watch again, instead of relying on my smartphone for the time.

From Hound & Tooth – a new fashion law of adorable socks for dogs, to Andy Duran and his blonde pomp, to Ruby Fang and Fashionsta Beca Alexander, Elle loved being in the spotlight. We even met a nice teenager walking away from Lincoln Center.

However, as the temperatures dropped, our excitement turned to disappointment. While waiting in a long queue outside Marc Jacob’s BookMarc, Elle started to shake. Despite a 6 p.m. kick-off for a charity event with Love Magazine, the line did not move for two hours. That was, until the arrival at 7 p.m. of Kendal Jenner. I am here nor there with Kendal, but I really wanted Elle to meet Marc’s dogs- Choo Choo Charlie and Neville Jacobs. It was a bummer to realize the non-moving queue was orchestrated to create maximum buzz around Kendal and Gigi Hamad switching places while hundreds of people froze for several hours in a line that wrapped around the block.

Once Elle started to shake we left. Fashion is a wonderful source of inspiration and fun, but Elle’s health comes first. Once I started walking, I realized my toes were numb. Thankfully there was no frostbite, but we still felt the ice.

Fresh Off The Boat Screening Party…Ramble

Wednesday night marked the premiere of the first Asian sitcom on-air in 20 years! “Fresh Off The Boat” is based on author Eddie Huang’s memoir as the only Asians in a small Florida town.

There’s no one to embarrass you like your mother, but when you add more obstacles, i.e. Stinky (but delicious!) lunches and hours of extra learning because straight A’s mean the school is not challenging the children enough, you wind up with comic gold.

Eddie is portrayed by Hudson Yang, a New Yorker with natural charisma. He’s 12. His father, Jeff Yang, noted Asian journalist and all-around good guy, put together this viewing party to bring together not only Asians, but all minorities to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Fortunately the one and only Eddie Huang showed up to share the moment. He let us know this show, in the future should be one of many and the importance of the show is to “create a pipeline for Asian talent.” Last year I had a literary manager who told me that I should change my main character’s race from Eurasian to Caucasian for potential future casting because I “don’t want to limit access to great talent.” We were destined to have a short-lived relationship.

Although the U.S. census throws Eurasians into the two races of more category, (the 2010 guesstimate of 1.6 million Eurasians in this country), we still claim some recognizable names like Keanu Reeves. The Asian population was 7 million when Margaret Cho’s “American Girl” sitcom aired two decades (!) ago and bombed. Now it is 18 million and by 2025 it is estimated to grow to 40 million. That’s a lot of buying power. No longer will I have to listen to a friend who told me “don’t worry about the Asians, they just buy what white people buy” when conducting a focus group.

When I tweeted about my happiness for Eddie and also, Kevin Kwan’s success hello “Crazy Rich Asians,” helping to pave the way for Asian voices & the note about my former manager, a writer friend responded ‘be so good they can’t ignore you.’ Maybe I’m just not good enough. I am being included in an anthology that is specifically going to be multi-culture erotica. Should my characters have to be put in the special section just because of their race? I hope the stories are relatable and enticing to everyone.

But back to “Fresh Off The Boat,” which I had concerns about, because when you make fun of your own race, you know there are people who see it as an invitation to make proclamations like “I love the Asian culture. And I was just talking about chopsticks, and I love all that….” Honey, I’m sure you learned your lesson now, but even if you have an “Asian pass,” which you do not, especially in a professional capacity, don’t go there. It’s not your culture. Ask a question with intelligence instead of trying to align yourself incorrectly with another culture. I worked with someone who thought the way to ingrate herself with ex-US markets was to put down Americans while shoveling McDonald’s fries into her mouth. No, honey, just no.

Overall my favorite “Fresh Off The Boat” moment was when Eddie gets called a “chink” and his parents are called in because, of course, he then throws some punches at the offending party. They wanted to know why their kid was called that disgusting name, but it was done in an extremely classy way that shocked the principal who wanted to condemn their son.

The ratings showed people tuned in, giving FOTB the 2nd highest comedy debut of the season, second only to ABC’s delightful “blackish”- if you haven’t seen that show, you should. It’s exciting to see ABC putting on such diverse shows that showcase different cultures and how modern families function in different parts of the country!

Tune in to “Fresh Off The Boat” tonight on ABC.