Pickles Aplenty

Did C&T wait to reveal the names of their other kids, or is this a new thing?

My guess is, he feels like they are unfairly maligned, just like him.

Well. The first time this season aired I was ten years old, and I probably shouldn't have been watching TRW, but I did anyway. Rewatching this season as a 40 year old gave me a wildly different perspective, needless to say. I still liked everybody, for the most part. I felt a lot of sympathy for Kevin Powell, even though I know he had his own issues he had to confront and wasn't perfect. Still, he basically tried to explain systemic racism to a houseful of white people (excluding Heather, of course), and they wouldn't even entertain the fact that it existed. That had to be have been extremely frustrating for him. I can see why maybe he needed space and didn't spend as much time in the house. Random observation, but Bill the director- the guy Becky hooked up with, who lost his job- is/was not appealing to me. There is just something smarmy about the way he looked that put me off. IDK, he could be a perfectly nice guy, but I got sleazy vibes from him.

That, or they are just like Jenelle.

Okay. I loved this season. No, it isn't as deep as the other seasons, and it definitely ushered in the "fat Elvis" years of TRW, but I think it's by far the funniest season of the show. I was fourteen when it first aired, and I remember laughing my ass off when I watched it. I should rewatch it now to see if all those moments still hold up. Is it on YouTube, or something?

So do I. No matter what people say, there is no one else like Madonna. I like that. Oh, and count me as another "Shallow" hater. I like Lady Gaga and I like her music, but that song is boring.

Yes, the school exhibition. Thank you. I understand that, I was just comparing their method of education to the ones we have, today.

Finished Little Town last week. Another moment that absolutely horrified me was when the teacher that comes after Eliza Jane savagely whips Willie Oleson for being "slow". And fifteen year old Laura just watches it and kind of accepts it as necessary because Willie needs to be better about learning his lessons. Different times, different people. And they are hard. The school examination chapter is also interesting, because Laura and Carrie fixate on reciting their lessons and not making a single mistake, or else it would bring shame on them and their family. No discussion about WHAT they are learning, or WHY they are learning it, just rote memorization with applause at the end. And a teacher's certificate, for Laura, so she can be "lucky" enough to teach in some godforsaken shack in the middle of nowhere with a knife-wielding madwoman. Still plodding along with Prairie Fires, too (give me a break, it's 600+ pages long, and I have a full-time job, lol). One thing that sticks out in my mind is when the Wilders move to Mansfield, and Laura urges Almanzo to not travel on the same road as "the covered wagon folk". Almanzo asks why, and Laura tells him it's because they've owned property before, and are above those who have never owned property, and are moving to Missouri in the hopes that they will. Makes me realize just how much of a snob Laura could be, lol.

This. My mother is an abuser. If I had millions of dollars, I can't say with confidence that I would give her anything, either. Now, that's not to say I don't think QT is an asshole, because I totally do...but, I'm not going to assume that his mom is some poor old woman evil QT just refuses to help, if only because of my own experience. I need more detail.

I worked with an elderly woman who refused to get vaccinated. Worked. Because she died. Of Covid. While everyone at work was going on about how sad it was, I kept my mouth shut. Because I was pissed. It was totally avoidable, it didn't have to happen, and she made the choice to make herself extra vulnerable for reasons I can't fathom. Enough, already. Shut up, and get the damn shot.

Harry Hamlin? Isn't that the guy who played Jim Cutler on Mad Men?

Maybe I was a weird kid, but I always thought the blackbird pie sounded delicious. My mom made chicken pot pie, and the way Laura describes it sounds a lot like what my mom made. If I were Mary, I probably would have asked for that instead cottage cheese balls (I know Mary didn't ask for those, but you know what I mean). Ugh...I'm reading at a snail's pace, but that's because I've been busy. I just got to the part where Laura meets Nellie Oleson, again. I really think Nellie Oleson is one of the best "villains" to ever exist in children's literature. When Nellie comes to school late and demands the seat Minnie Johnson is already using, you just want to smack her. And the illustration is absolutely perfect:

So, before Mary leaves for college in Little Town, Ma tells her she will cook any dinner Mary wants. Mary says, "Anything you put on the table is good, Ma." Ma says, "I believe I will have cottage cheese balls with onions in them, and cold creamed peas." Bitch, wut??

In Prairie Fires, Laura writes about Almanzo teaching her how to ride his horses once they're married and on their own land. She says Pa never taught her how to ride, which is sad, because you can tell how much she loves it. Just another little moment where you can see how much women of Laura's time were denied so much for no good reason. I'm on Little Town On the Prairie, now. I think it's funny how Pa tells Laura that Almanzo's sister will be teaching school, and Laura thinks to herself, "Maybe I can work very hard and get her to like me so I can finally get my teaching certificate." Oh, honey, no, lol.

Well, I read more of Prairie Fires, along with the rest of The Long Winter (I stopped the original reread from 2014 at TLW, so I just picked up where I left off in the hopes of finishing it). Anyway, I hope it's okay that I'm posting again. I just have thoughts, lol. One thing that sticks out for me in PF is that Pa knew the issues with every place they moved to and chose not to do any research, or heed warnings. He knew relations with the Osage Indians in Kansas Territory were not great (to put it mildly), and he knew he wouldn't own the land, outright. He knew grasshopper storms had happened in Minnesota, but he chose to believe the locals when they said they wouldn't happen again (how could they possibly know that?). He knew how rough Burr Oak, Iowa was, and he knew it was an established town, something he apparently hated. And he knew the land in Dakota Territory was hot and practically barren, with hard winters, but he decided to move there, anyway. I know the Homestead Act screwed a lot of people over, and I know Pa couldn't google a place and learn about it that way, but it's almost like Pa deliberately chose the worst places to live in the country for farming/homesteading. The idea he had to move to Oregon was probably the best one, because at least the land there was better for farming, without killer winters (I know it all depends on WHERE in Oregon you go, but if you find the right place, it's not like the prairie). Too bad Ma put her foot down, but who could blame her at that point? Now, onto the fictional interpretation of the Ingalls saga...as I read TLW, I realized I disliked Ma more in this book than in any other book in the series. I realize that people didn't openly express their feelings back then, especially under the hard conditions the Ingalls family were living in, but Ma represses her emotions so much, and she teaches her daughters to do the same. The girls are not allowed to express one single moment of disappointment, frustration, anger, or sadness, they just have to push those feelings down and swallow them in the most unhealthy way. In the middle of the worst winter any of them will experience their whole lives, Grace whimpers that her feet are too cold, and Laura snaps, "For shame, Grace! For shame!". SHE'S THREE YEARS OLD. The idea of people being so hard with toddlers makes me wince. It's very hard for a 2021 reader, at times. Also, this book really highlights how much Laura despises domestic work and absolutely loathes the very idea of teaching. I really don't think LIW was cut out for domesticity and I don't think she was particularly good with children, despite becoming a children's author later in life. Laura seems like an independent thinker who was shoved into a mold she had to make work for her, but she never *quite* fit that mold, and I feel bad for her. Hell, even the long-awaited Christmas barrel in May contained a gift for Laura that she didn't really want or like, yarn for sewing. I often wonder what her life would have been like if Laura was the one who went to college and not Mary. But, we'll never know.

I don't have a horse in the Jolie/Pitt race. I just want this thing to END, for the kids' sake. Hasn't it been five years since Angelina filed? On a more positive note, Issa Rae is an absolutely gorgeous woman.

Clearly, Amanda must wear her best mourning dress and finest jet for two full years before even setting eyes on another man. Because this is 1853, apparently.

I just started reading Prairie Fires this weekend. It's eye-opening as far as the personalities of the real life Ma and Pa are concerned. I always wondered why Ma was so reserved and stern, even for a woman of her time, so learning about her father dying when Ma was very young explains a lot. The fact that her mother was destitute after his death and couldn't keep her children clothed and fed explains why Ma acts the way she does with her children. Of course she wasn't going to led a single prayer go unsaid or a single morsel of food go unappreciated. It makes sense for the kind of trauma she experienced at such a young age. Pa's "quirks" make more sense, too. His family moved around more when he was growing up, so to him it was normal. I also understand why Pa might have wanted to avoid the draft for the Civil War, since he was the sole provider for Ma and baby Mary at that time. Caroline had a brother who died at the Battle of Shiloh, so dying in battle was probably a very real possibility to the both of them. And for the record, no, I am not saying the Civil War wasn't a worthwhile fight, I'm saying I understand why not every man might have been wanting to jump at the chance to serve when they had mouths to feed at home. Just a random thought. I'll probably add more as I read more of the book.

*takes a deep breath* Okay. I hate "Cover Me In Sunshine" by P!nk and Willow Sage Hart. Like, a lot. Pop stars, stop putting your kids on your tracks. They're not talented, and nobody cares. K, I'm done being a black-hearted asshole. Carry on.

Oh, yeah, she's been involved with that cult for years, now. So, take everything she says with a HUGE grain of salt.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Britney's music until Blackout was released. Then, I started to reevaluate her stuff and realized that I really liked it, excluding her way-too-bubblegum debut album (though there are a couple of good songs on there). I have no idea what's true and what isn't concerning her conservatorship, but I do work at a behavioral health facility, so I know firsthand that these things are always ten times more complicated than people think. I never thought her father was the best choice for conservator, though. The family has talked about problems with him for years, and he never seemed like the most stable influence. Of course I hope Britney is heard, and is eventually allowed to live her own life however she chooses. She does seem like a sweet person who just wants to be happy. As for Timberlake's apology...I don't want to be so unforgiving, but I can't help but feel like he only started rooting for Britney after the tide turned, and bashing women so openly and unapologetically fell out of favor (not that it was ever cool, but you know what I mean). I'm sorry, but since he recently got a lot of flak for his treatment of Britney and Janet Jackson, I question his sincerity. That's just how I feel.

I'd heard before that Belushi was a dick to women in comedy. And while I think Gilda Radner was the funniest of the first season's female performers, that doesn't mean the rest were slouches. Jane Curtin is very funny, and so is Laraine Newman. I still remember their sketches vividly, and they still make me laugh.

I think Chase and Murry are both extremely funny comedians, but (probably) horrible assholes to deal with IRL. With everything I've heard about both of them, I'm fine just enjoying their movies and never being in the same room with either of them. Dare I ask how the women have been treated on SNL? I'm sure they've been treated with nothing but the utmost respect. *sigh*

I wasn't sure who Chrissy Teigen was until I googled her yesterday (I'd heard the name, and I thought she was married to John Legend, but I had no idea who SHE was). Anyway, I will never understand how adults can bully children, and yes, Courtney Stodden was a child when Chrissy targeted them. They might have looked like Pamela Anderson, but they were sixteen, and was clearly being abused/taken advantage of by an adult man who should have known better. Telling a teenager in that situation to "take a dirt nap" is reprehensible, and so very ugly. I'm so over women judging other women (as Courtney identified back then) for cultivating an image or acting a certain way they deem unacceptable. There is only one right way to be a woman, and if you can't achieve that, you deserve abuse and ridicule. *eyeroll* I also read some of Chrissy's "funny" tweets from the past, and maybe I'm missing something, but I didn't think they were all that funny, and I'm a person who likes sarcastic, biting humor. To me, it sounded like she was getting brownie points for saying sarcastic things while being female, but she wasn't that funny. To each their own, but I just didn't get it.

Harry and Meghan might be lovely people, or they might be horrible people, but I don't know, and I never will know, so I'm just going to say congratulations to them for their new baby daughter. I'm sure they're elated to have her in their lives, and to see Archie as a big brother. Hope everything goes well for them.