Folks, I hope you’re having a better day than I am. I woke up to a sick dog this morning. And I’ll spare you the gross details, but I will say there are much better things to be doing at 5:30 a.m. than throwing blankets in the laundry and scrubbing excrement off the floors.
We think Rocky is recovering from an anxious tummy because — for the first time ever — we boarded him over the weekend. Not in one of those doggy prisons that leave him in a cage all day. No, no. I paid a premium to make sure he was comfortable with a highly rated trainer in Brentwood with a big backyard, comfy couches and a pool.
And I’m still paying for it, apparently.
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So why did we board him this weekend? I’m so glad you asked! My husband and I spent a couple nights in North Georgia — at a hotel too fancy to have your 80-pound German Shepherd shedding all over the sheets — as a bit of a belated third anniversary celebration. And while we took full advantage of the resort (if you know what I mean), we also spent a good portion of Saturday in the woods.
Because if you go to Cloudland Canyon and don’t take in the views, you’re doing it wrong.
MORE ON THAT: A PERFECT FALL GLAMPING & HIKING WEEKEND JUST OUTSIDE CHATTANOOGA
Oh, and speaking of taking in the views, I went hang-gliding for the first time. My husband — who has much stronger instincts for self-preservation — stayed firmly on the ground.
No regrets. Absolutely unbelievable experience. And stay tuned, because you already know I’ll be telling you all about it in OutKick Outdoors.
OK, OK I’ll shut up about my epic weekend. We have the news of the day to get to. So fire up Dianna Russini’s Spotify playlist, and let’s do some Nightcaps!
Just when you think chatter about the alleged love affair between the football coach and the NFL insider has run its course, BOOM — Twitter hits us with some new cheater content.
Last week I said I wasn’t going to dwell on this saga and that I have no authority to say what did or did not happen at that now-famous Sedona resort. (I wonder if their bookings have increased over the past couple of weeks?) Anyway, I take all that back. Because I can’t open my laptop these days without having pictures of Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini shoved into my eyeballs, so I guess I have no choice but to talk about it.
When I left you last Tuesday, those photos of the dirty rotten cheaters canoodling at a bar in New York had not yet surfaced. But when they did, I decided I was no longer going to extend the professional courtesy of suspending disbelief.
I mean, how BOLD do you have to be to mack on another woman in a public bar as a married famous person? Actually, don’t answer that. People do dumb stuff like this all the time. But an even better question: Who took these photos and held onto them for six years?!
Dianna’s career is dead, decomposed and in the gutter at this point, but I’m very happy for Mike Vrabel that his magical one day of miracle marital counseling has made him a new man. He’s just back in the Patriots facility like nothing ever happened.
MIKE VRABEL BACK AT PATRIOTS FACILITY AFTER JUST TWO DAYS AWAY, RAISING EYEBROWS ACROSS THE NFL
At least he bought his wife a hoodie at an airport kiosk, so I’m sure all is forgiven. Vrabel is truly an expert in NFL defensive schemes AND finding the way to a woman’s heart.
(I wish I could share a picture of Mike shopping at the airport because it’s laugh-out-loud funny and pathetic, but, unfortunately, we do not have the rights to those photos. All of this is really making me consider a second career in football coach stalking.)
I’m just kidding, don’t call the police.
Meanwhile, Dianna is at home crying to the soundtrack of their forbidden love.
The Titans failed to turn the page, losing seven-straight games to miss the playoffs, by the way. God, that’s so embarrassing. For both of them. And the Titans.
It reminds me of when my crush didn’t like me back in high school, so I made a mixtape on Kazaa (everyone under 30 is so confused right now) of angsty heartbreak songs.
Take it away, Avril!
Wow. What a callback.
Anyway, we’ve also got drama with Klay Thompson and Megan Thee Stallion. They broke up over the weekend after Megan publicly accused Klay of being a cheater with some nasty mood swings.
This story isn’t nearly as exciting because an NBA player being unfaithful to his girlfriend sort of just feels like a regular Thursday afternoon. But to spice things up a bit, Megan’s fans are hiring Etsy witches to curse Klay and destroy his basketball career.
By the way, I have heard the term “Etsy witches” in a couple of contexts, but I thought, surely this can’t be a thing? So I asked my research assistant (Google) to do some digging.
“Yes, Etsy witches are a real phenomenon where practitioners sell spellcasting services — such as love spells, money manifestation, and protection rituals — ranging from $15 to over $200. Popularized by social media and wellness culture, these sellers often provide photos of candle rituals and offer customized services. However, the practice exists in a legal gray area, with sellers facing potential bans due to Etsy’s policy on metaphysical services.”
Imagine being the HR employee tasked with drafting a company policy on “metaphysical services.”
Anyway, I am just learning I can pay $15 to curse the souls who have scorned me. So that guy I made the playlist about in high school is about to have a bad week.
Everyone, relax. I’m not putting voodoo hexes on anyone. Not that I believe in such a thing, but there’s really no reason to test karma, you know?
Look, I swear I did not intend for today’s Nightcaps to be all about celebrities and their dating woes. I am but a slave to the happenings of the internet, and this is what is happening on the internet.
But I think you’ll like this next one — particularly if you’re a guy and you’re on the less attractive side.
Following her very well-documented divorce from Russian dancer Artem Chigvintsev, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella is back on the dating scene. But she has no interest in “extremely hot guys.”
Bella then explained that “super, extremely hot guys” can sometimes be narcissists. So, ultimately, Bella would choose “kind of cute” over “extremely hot.”
Tough way for Cooper DeJean to find out he’s only “kind of cute.”
OK, enough about these famous people and their problems. Let’s open the mailbag.
📩 Email: amber.harding@outkick.com (Send your thoughts, stories, tips, rants and photos of your dog.)
🐦 Twitter/X: @TheAmberHarding
📸 Instagram: @amberharding
Last week, I poked fun at WNBA player Natisha Hiedeman for being utterly dumbfounded by the sight of Mount Rainier after having lived in Seattle for a week and never noticing it before. I did concede that — although I’ve never been to Seattle — I’m told the mountain is often not visible, due to clouds or rain or various other weather conditions.
Benjamin C. Writes: I spent a week in Seattle and 3 months later saw a photo on a postcard of Seattle with Mt Rainier in the background. I asked my wife if they photo shopped the mountain against the city because I literally had no idea the entire week that it was there.This was the view from the top of the Space Needle.
CJ B. Writes: This is Lily a 10year old Morky and obviously a long suffering Jets Fan.
Cynthia Writes: They’re both 1, and keep me going after I lost my husband in February.
Amber:
Bless you and your pups, Cynthia. It’s amazing how they somehow manage to bring joy at the times when joy is hardest to find.
Just in case you’re new here, I’m a big-time dog person, and I LOVE seeing photos of your pups. Send them to me via email or social media, and I’ll feature them in Tuesday Nightcaps.
And speaking of pups, take us home, Sophie!
OutKick Nightcaps is a daily column set to run Monday through Friday at 4 p.m.
