dogdays2

If you want info on the astronaut, Google is your friend.

Military retirement pay (for those retiring now) is based your rank at retirement and time you spent on active duty. If you spent 20 years, you get 1/2 of your base pay; 30 years got you 75%. It sounds like a lot, but for various reasons that I won't go into here (because this isn't a military retirement forum), it's not -- especially for enlisted personnel. I can 100% promise you that no former military officer, regardless of bonuses and retirement pay, can afford a $2.5M home based solely on savings and retirement. No way, no how. One of three things allows this. First, the retired military person comes from money (most don't, a small number do) or inherited money. Second, it's the spouse income that allows it. Third, the person has been hired into a civilian job that pays incredibly well. The ONLY folks who are likely to have this happen are 3- and 4-star admirals and generals. I was very surprised by the enlisted Marine with 7 kids affording a million-dollar plus home and also the former aviator at $2.5M. It sends the wrong message to people who don't know better and think this is how you end up after a military career. It's not. Something else was going on in both of these stories that we just weren't told.

Even my DH, who is an infrequent watcher, is SO tired of the following: "Craftsman" (I bet 99% of the folks on HH have no idea what craftsman is until the producers tell them to say it) "Open concept" "Spa bathroom with garden tub" (DH asked in all seriousness whether this meant the tub was outside) "Character" (and, after seeing two homes with character ALWAYS choose the new build that has none) "Large backyard" (and then, after seeing two homes with large backyards, ALWAYS choose the new build with a tiny backyard) "Near bars and restaurants" (as an aside, does anyone else note that the folks on this show are almost always shown drinking alcohol?) Then there are the buyers who want a Mediterranean style home in New England or a Victorian in Arizona. 99% off the time, they pick the new build. At least show us two new builds in an episode so there is some suspense. And if they don't pick the new build, they almost always pick the most expensive home (which is also often the new build). And why does there have to be the drama of one person liking something and the other person hating it? It makes the "hater" look like a rather nasty person when, in reality, the person is probably quite normal. There can be drama without the love/hate aspect in every single episode. Finally, I am SO tired of one person wanting to spend a lot and other other person being frugal. If it's not a couple, it's parent / child or buyer / friend. It gets old, especially when they almost always spend the max to get . . . a new build. We all know the show is scripted but please get some new writers! [Jumping off my soapbox]

Septic is not just for the "middle of nowhere" crowd. A close friend lives in a very upscale suburb community, 20 miles from a MAJOR city. On septic b/c that's what the Army Corps of Engineers decided for that neighborhood. She indicates that she must rotate between two fields twice a year, which means twisting something buried in the ground (with an above-ground tool). It must be professional pumped/flushed every 5 years. Said never had any smell. There is not a "pond" on her lot. The major "downside" is being careful only to flush TP and waste. Putting other stuff, including kleenex, into the toilets can create issues. But overall she says it's not a big deal and 99% of the time, she doesn't even think about it being a septic system. Water in her area is county water, so not a well.

I've been a loyal watcher since the beginning. I have loved this show and will miss it, even as I understand it's time for everyone to move on. I was sort of "meh" about the last season. Due to COVID, they had two extra YEARS to write really good scripts and what we got was average at best. Several of the stories were retreads from prior episodes. Martin's smart doctor GF -- did that one several years ago. Trying to decide whether to go to London. Been there and done that. Martin's car crashing. Done that at least twice. U.S. series have 22 episodes per year and manage to come up with new ideas. UK series only do 8 episodes -- there really isn't a need to repeat plot lines. My second issue is the treatment of women on this series (and this isn't a feminist rant). Why is it that we can't have any professional women who aren't (1) incompetent, (2) ill, and /or (3) nasty? Just this series we had the herbalist, the female MDs at the conference, and Martin's ex. Even Louisa is treated as second-rate in terms of her career. Given that a woman is producing this show (Clunes' wife no less), you'd think that they could show ONE woman as a competent professional on a par with Doc Martin. Finally, I didn't find the dialogue as "crisp" or as engrossing as in prior seasons. There used to be a lot of double entendre, witty repartee, and just an overall spark to what was said and how it was said. It's hard to explain, but it all seemed rather "mushy." I could understand if this season had been rushed, but it obviously wasn't. Rather than doing the "I'm leaving for London, no I'm not, yes I am, no I'm not," plot, I would have liked to have seen a story arc about Martin learning to appreciate his role in the community and the community showing more appreciation to and for him. Would have loved there to be a party for him staying or people welcoming him back to practicing after his "retirement." There was a lot of potential and it seemed the writers took the easy way out by recycling old plots. The above said, I will miss seeing the ongoing antics -- the kids turning into teenagers, etc. But all good things must end and this is no exception.

“Rules” for figuring out which house they’ll choose on domestic (not international) HH. New build Foreclosure / short sale, if an option House she wants House with no / little furniture Most expensive And yes, I know they’ve chosen before the show is filmed. 😀

I travel all the time and that travel belt thing didn’t interest me at all. First, many smaller bags have an open space on one side that allows you to slide it over your roller bag handle. Second, it will be a pain putting it on and then taking it off to go through security. Then back on. Then off if you need something out of your bag, such as a wallet. Then on. Then off to stow your bags on the plane. Then on when deboarding. Way too complicated. The spice thing looked interesting but I’m not enough into cooking. When Barbara and Lori can spend whatever they want on clothing, and have good figures, how can both look so awful?

The mother’s dress looked very much like Jim Hjelm — the material, styling, and especially the lace detail on the body of the dress. I wore a Hjelm dress. He had different “collections” that came in a variety of price ranges (mostly $1200 - $2500 in 1990s dollars) and you got a lot of look at a reasonable cost.

We see a LOT of presentations for food and beverage products. However, I don't recall many (some, not many) "updates" that show success with food products. As the sharks often say, it's a tough market to break into. Personally, I'm tired of food, tired of makeup and tired of clothing. But that's just me. There must be thousands (if not more) people out there with potentially great, investable inventions. We get so few truly great products on this show. Makes me think the producers are looking more at WHO will be good on the show and make the sharks look good vs. WHAT product(s) have the potential to be great. That's TV for you.

I could relate to Milan and Lea. So what if she dresses her dog in a fake pearl collar? The dog is clearly her child. If you don’t have a significant other or kids, your pet(s) often fill that void. I’ve been there. I’m sure no one would complain if she had a nicely dressed child. If it gives her pleasure to buy clothes or whatever for her dog — who clearly provides joy in her life — good for her. She didn’t know what she was getting into with real estate in PV but also didn’t complain about how things ended up.

Will someone PLEASE tell these California folks that NO ONE in the DC area refers to highways as “the” road. IOW it’s not “he was on the 95” or “there’s an accident on the 495”. Rather, we say, “I was on 495,” or “there’s an accident on 95 South” or “there’s congestion on Route 1 South.” Direction is really important when referring to one of the major highways in DC and is almost always used. We do say “the Dulles Toll Road” and, of course, “the outer loop of the beltway” (which refers to 495). Never just “the” with a numbered road. Saying “THE 405” is a CA thing, or at least a SoCal thing and makes the characters look clueless ( or like actors whose writers haven’t bothered to correct something for 2 decades). Or should I say, “the 2 decades.” I was SO bored by this ep. The only thing I liked was the wordplay (Smart Alecks / Smart Alex) honoring Alex Trebek.

I actually thought this was a 3-part NCIS (original) series, so two more weeks to watch. Now I know that isn't the case. Not sure I want to watch two shows I normally don't watch just to see how this ended.

Couple in Ft Collins, CO. I HOPE the wife was acting as she did for sake of the show. I’ve rarely seen anyone who has SO many issues with some lovely homes. Brand new carpet in bedrooms is not cringe-worthy. I just BOUGHT lights that weren’t too different from those she HAD to replace. She would probably have a seizure were she walk into our current or former home. I’ve rarely seen anyone so self-centered. And her DH seemed normal. Don’t know how he puts up with it. And what is it with “linoleum” counter? Does she mean “laminate?” My first home has laminate counters even in the kitchen and builder grade carpet throughout other than kitchen and baths which had linoleum. Cabinets were the lovely almond that was ubiquitous in the 1980s. I was just so thrilled to have my own home. I wanted to say, “if you have champagne tastes, you need a champagne budget.”

SYTYCD won’t be the same without him. I was shocked. I only wish he’d known how much he was admired / loved by so many who never even knew him.

My parents and I lived overseas in Europe in the 1960s, when almost no one spoke any English and my parents didn’t speak any of the language of the country where we lived. My mother had never been outside the US before. There was no Internet. Long-distance phone was frightfully expensive. Airfare back to the US even more so, meaning people couldn’t afford to come visit. Our place was small. My dad had the only car. We were a mile uphill from the center of a small town town with no public transport. They absolutely LOVED it. Until the day they died, they talked about it as the best experience of their lives. Made lifelong friends in the community Would have stayed longer if they could have Sorry, but I had zero sympathy for the woman in Lille. Embrace the adventure. Wichita will be there when you return.