Alex Horton Blog: whatever comes to my mind

A 25-year-old woman who just moved into a new apartment says her mom already wants her to move out — because one of her neighbors is "too attractive."

In a post shared to Reddit, the anonymous woman writes, "Okay, so this just happened, and I’m still in shock. I (25F) moved into a nice apartment a few months ago. It’s a great place: safe neighborhood, decent rent, and I even get along with my neighbors."

"One of them, let’s call him Jake, is a super chill guy about my age. We’ve chatted a few times, and he’s just friendly. That’s it. Nothing romantic or weird," she adds.

When her mom came over for a recent visit, though, her "demeanor changed" when she saw Jake leaving his apartment.

"She asked me, 'Who’s that?' I told her he was my neighbor, and she immediately started grilling me: 'Do you like him? Are you dating him? Are you sleeping with him??' " the woman writes, adding that she told her mom, "No ... He's just my neighbor," and hoped that would be the end of the conversation.

It wasn't.

"This morning, she called me at 7 a.m. and said she had been thinking all night and decided I had to move. Why? Because, 'Jake is too attractive, and it’s only a matter of time before he seduces you and ruins your life,' " she writes.

She continues: "She went on a rant about how men like him 'Only have one thing on their minds' and how I was too naive to see it. I tried to tell her that Jake and I barely even talk, but she wasn’t having it."

The woman's mom then told her she needs to move out "by next month," and has since been repeatedly text messaging her things like, "You’re disrespecting me,” “I’m only trying to protect you,” and “You’ll thank me one day.”

"I blocked her number and went no contact," the woman adds.

Fellow Reddit users are weighing in on the situation, with many arguing that the woman's mom seems to crave drama.

"I think she might be mistaking her life for a soap opera!" wrote one.

Added another: "Wow, your mom is really taking the whole 'keeping up with the Joneses' thing to a whole new level! Next, she'll be suggesting you move to a cave just to avoid any temptation."

The original poster responded to that comment, writing, "Unironically she's suggested that I've moved out to the wilderness, so kinda close."

AH: Does her mom pay the rent?

What does Daddy think of all this?

RADIO-RELATED STUFF: MOSTLY COUNTRY

Glad I could speak to Robin Scott last Sunday morning.

Pure Country 98.9 has been coming in fairly well the last several days.

Some of the callers talking about the upcoming provincial election Friday afternoon on "Here and Now" sounded too polished to have been authentic.

SCHOOL WHERE TEEN SHOT CLASSMATE HAD DEEMED METAL DETECTORS RACIST

New York Post

Nashville school where teen killed classmate had no metal detectors — apparently because administrators think they could be racist: ‘Bunch of bull’

By Alex Oliveira

Published Jan. 26, 2025, 4:32 p.m. ET

The Nashville high school where a teen gunman killed a fellow student last week had no metal detectors — apparently because administrators think they could be racist.

A former board member told The Post that the misguided administrators are responsible for keeping them out even over many parents’ objections.

“I knew this day was gonna happen,” said Fran Bush, formerly a Metro Nashville Public Schools board member.

“I knew it was gonna happen just because it’s like a free open door, everybody coming in,” she said of the Tennessee district’s schools, including Antioch High, where 17-year-old shooter Solomon Henderson murdered a 16-year-old classmate Wednesday.

Bush, who served on the MNPS board from 2018 to 2022, said she pushed for metal detectors throughout her tenure but that district Director Adrienne Battle “didn’t want to hear it” — even as parents backed calls for metal detectors to keep their kids safe.

After Henderson killed fellow teen Josselin Corea Escalante and then fatally shot himself, Battle told reporters that the district didn’t have metal detectors because research has shown they can have “unintended consequences.”

Exactly what consequences Battle was referring to remain unclear, but MNPS shared two studies with The Post that suggest metal detectors instill a sense of fear among students and make them feel unsafe. The studies also questioned metal detectors’ effectiveness for keeping weapons out of places.

One of the studies shared by MNPS said metal detectors disproportionately target students of color, too — a detail that other studies over the years have focused on, with findings suggesting that instills a sense of fear for minority students.

But Bush characterized such “unintended consequences” as mere excuses — calling them “a bunch of bull.

“There’s no study [that] shows metal detectors don’t work,” she said. “If that was the case, then we won’t have them in our airports, sports games, we wouldn’t have them in all these places that require security,” Bush said.

What’s more, Bush said, the students themselves told her they wanted metal detectors when she was doing her own research on the proposal.

“I went to the high school, I went to the middle school, and I also went to the elementary school,” she said. “These children will tell you they don’t have a fear of metal detectors. They don’t have fear of something is gonna help protect them. That’s what they want. They want to be protected.”

Several districts in Tennessee currently have metal detectors in their schools, and MNPS previously installed AI-powered gun-detection cameras to alert authorities if somebody draws a weapon inside its schools.

Such an AI system was active at Antioch High, but it failed to detect Henderson’s gun when he drew it in the school cafeteria.

But Bush says “common sense” measures as simple as metal detectors at the front doors would “absolutely” have stopped Henderson — who carried a pistol without problem onto school grounds — and that MNPS had “every opportunity” to install them.

During COVID, MNPS was granted millions of dollars in relief funds, which Bush said included allowances for installing new security measures such as metal detectors.

But the administration was never interested, Bush claimed.

“Why you choose not to move forward on something it’s gonna save the lives of children?” Bush said.

That resistance comes amidst a surge in alarming incidents across Tennessee public schools.

Incidents of students being caught with guns have spiked up to more than 50% in recent years, with 127 being found with handguns during the 2021-2022 school year and 13 having a rifle or shotgun, according to the Tennessee Department of Education.

That’s up from 75 incidents across the 2018-2019 school year.

Battle did not respond to requests for comment, but the school district highlighted several security measures that have been in place on its campuses, including police and security personnel, shatter-resistant glass windows, random searches using metal-detecting wands and K-9s, emergency alert buttons for teachers and “strong communication” between students, staff and parents.

“When weapons have been discovered in schools before, it has often been the result of people telling a trusted adult about their knowledge or suspicions,” a school district rep told The Post.

“Bringing a firearm to school is a zero-tolerance offense subject to mandatory expulsion in addition to criminal penalties.

“We are exploring all options to strengthen security at Antioch High School, as well as other schools in the district.”

AH: Any nation that needs metal detectors and other strict security measures everywhere really needs to turn back to Jesus Christ.

COCA COLA ANNOUNCES NEW ORANGE CREAM FLAVOUR

Fox News

Coca-Cola announces new Orange Cream flavor: 'Iconic and nostalgic taste'

New flavor to hit stores starting Feb. 10

By Peter Burke Fox News

Published January 27, 2025 8:01am EST

Coca-Cola is debuting a new flavor – and it's got a hint of citrus in it.

Coca-Cola Orange Cream will be available nationwide starting Feb. 10, the Atlanta-based soda company announced on Monday morning.

Described as "the delicious taste of Coca-Cola infused with refreshing orange and smooth, creamy vanilla flavors," Coca-Cola Orange Cream will also be available in a Zero Sugar version.

"Coca-Cola Orange Cream was developed in direct response to consumer demand for the iconic and nostalgic taste of orange cream," the Coca-Cola Co. said in a news release.

Coca-Cola has debuted more than two dozen variants of the drink since the release of Diet Coke in 1983, according to the company's website.

Most of the various flavors that have come about since the turn of the century have been discontinued, including Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla and Coca-Cola with Coffee, although others like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Coca-Cola Cherry have been a fixture on store shelves.

The Spiced flavor was discontinued in September, just months after it was introduced to consumers, "to introduce an exciting new flavor in 2025," a Coca-Cola spokesperson told FOX Business at the time.

Shortly before last week's inauguration, Coca-Cola Co. chair and CEO James Quincey presented President Donald Trump with a special bottle of Diet Coke.

"A limited quantity of Diet Coke bottles commemorating the 47th President of the United States – which will not be available for sale – will be distributed to the White House, as well as inauguration events," the Coca-Cola Co. said on its website.

Trump's affinity for Diet Coke is well-known.

The White House brought back the Diet Coke button for Trump to easily order his favorite drink from the Oval Office, Fox News previously reported.

The red button, hidden in a wooden box and was used by Trump during his first term, was again spotted on the desk at the Oval Office after Trump was sworn in a week ago, The Wall Street Journal reported.

THE REASON FOOD AND DRINKS TASTE DIFFERENT ON AIRPLANES

Fox News

Yes, food and drinks taste different on a plane and there's a reason

By Christine Rousselle Fox News

Published January 5, 2025 5:00am EST

Airplane food often gets a bad rap.

As it turns out, it's not entirely the airlines' fault that food tastes different at 30,000 feet than it does on terra firma — and it's not all in your head that you're suddenly craving a ginger ale once the plane takes off.

It's science.

"It’s not your imagination. Food and drink do taste different up in the air," managing editor at The Points Guy, a travel website, told Fox News Digital.

The combination of lower humidity and a pressurized cabin leads to dehydration — which "means things taste more bland," said Henderson, who is based in New York.

In particular, he added, "your perception of saltiness and sweetness is especially impacted. Sour, bitter and spicy flavors are not nearly as affected, which may explain why food prep companies use more spices than they would on the ground."

This is also why tomato juice – the main ingredient in a Bloody Mary, full of sweetness and umami – just tastes better up in the air.

Ginger ale has a similar taste improvement as well at a higher altitude.

The loud background noises and vibrations on the plane have a role as well in determining how things taste, said Henderson.

He noted that studies have indicated that these factors can influence a person's sense of smell.

For Henderson, this has been the case when he flies.

"I also find my sense of smell is impacted, which can really change how food tastes, too," he said.

When flying, Henderson's usual drink order is either a Coke Zero or cranberry juice and club soda combo with his meals, he said.

"American Airlines serves espressos on some of its flagship routes, which I enjoy, though airplane coffee is usually not great," he said.

And when food orders are being taken, he advises going for the pasta – unless the burger or short rib is available on American Airlines.

He said those are his favorites.

Pasta, though, "is usually pretty good up in the air no matter who is serving it," he said.

But for anyone looking to maximize flavor on planes, Henderson suggested avoiding one thing: overdoing it on alcoholic drinks.

This is "not a great idea," he said.

Alcohol "makes the dehydration and hangovers worse," he said.

TV-RELATED STUFF: SHOWS FROM 1963

Recently watched a couple episodes of "What's My Line?" It seems like a brain flusher, but it is startling to watch the September 29, 1963 episode featuring a Russian woman who taught English in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, as well as mentions of President Kennedy who would be dead in less than two months. This is of course in addition two Dorothy Kilgallen, who would herself be killed two years later.

Watched the premier episode of "The Jimmy Dean Show" as well. Don't know why they thought setting up a country singer on a traditional variety show with an orchestra was a good idea. The guy was no comedian, too.

Also watched the first episode of "The Judy Garland Show." Hard to watch in light of her history and the fact you can tell the effect it had all had by that point.