mousegirl

I have to chime in and say that my favorite two-hour Dateline will always be "Deadly Connection", the one about the evil granola-bar guy, Travis Forbes, who killed Kenia Monge in Denver, CO, and tried but failed to kill Lydia Tillman in Fort Collins. That episode worked as a two-hour two-parter, as there were (obviously) two stories. And just to be as shallow as possible, I love watching it because the lead detective on the case, Nash Gurule, makes my heart skip a beat (or three). The final scene with the woman who survived, Lydia, giving Keith Morrison the inspirational bracelet with L.Y.D.I.A printed on it, meaning "Live Your Days Inspired Anew", is so moving.

Statistical Outlier, you just majorly cracked me up! Just for the record, I don't care much for mice either - which you would know if you'd seen me going after the mice that showed up in my apartment last year with my assault-broom. Fortunately, my landlord came to the rescue soon thereafter and thoroughly plugged up all cracks and holes they were using as doorways. No more mice since! "Mousegirl" references a nickname a very, very dear (and now deceased) friend bestowed on me years ago.

I haven't read all the comments, but am I the only one who noticed that many of the photos of Maja and her parents when she was a child show that her mom was fairly overweight herself? There's one picture where the mom looks like she weighs well over 200lbs. Also, the dad wasn't exactly thin either. Perhaps some of Maja's deep-seated anger issues stem from the fact that she was being fat-shamed as a child and a young teen by parents who were overweight themselves.

I had to laugh a bit at the Castaic episode, when the husband talked about rattlesnakes being a possible problem at the second house. Rattlesnakes are a problem anywhere in Southern California when living close to open, undeveloped landscapes or semi-wilderness areas - especially in the foothills/mountains (where Castaic is). Also, other kinds of wildlife that may or may not be to your liking, such as skunks, raccoons, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, and bobcats. And then there's the wildfire danger, which really is far more frightening and destructive than any of the creatures that may wander in and around your property... The house they chose had all the renovations that wifey said she DIDN'T want, but that's why they got it at such a low price (by SoCal standards). And that house had the best backyard, by far, of the three homes shown.

I keep trying to quit this show and it keeps drawing me back in. Last night's epi with Tarek's friend Robert was great fun. I loved his puppy-dog enthusiasm about putting in the heated bathroom floor, and was so glad Tarek finally agreed to do it. I could feel the affection between them - When Tarek said at the end that Robert was like a brother to him it felt totally believable to me. These two would make a great team for the show going forward, if Christina wants to bow out, or maybe all three could work together. The house came out nicely, as well, although like everyone else here, I'm wondering what the hell happened to the laundry room? The only other issue I had was that the outside paint colors were kind of blah. Nothing "popped", to use that done-to-death term.

I was shocked at last night's episode when I saw how thin Pete Best is now - I hope the weight loss is not the result of some kind of health issue. I usually record the episodes before watching so I can ff through the commercials, but last night I was also grateful to be able to ff through the incredibly irritating bickering Pete did with T&C over costs. It's so bogus. He knows how they roll when doing a flip - it's always as high-end as they can get away with while still making a profit - so let it go. It's not entertaining in the least. I HATED what they did to the fireplace. It looked like a shower wall with all that pale-blue tile facing. UGGH.

Chenoa333 - I HAVE seen the Trumpy Bear commercial and it absolutely cracked me up - it played like an SNL skit and I still can't believe it's not some kind of snarky parody.

Hmmm...the Mexico City one I saw last night had me wondering how long the couple were going to last. They did seem very devoted to their little girl (who was adorable) but there were comments made by the wife re their relationship that left me shaking my head a bit. I hated the condo they chose because it seemed so dark and dreary, with those strange air-shaft-style patios off the bedrooms, but they did have understandable reasons for rejecting the other two (one being way over budget with incredibly tiny rooms, and the other sporting balconies that were NOT safe for their daughter to be anywhere near). What I could not understand is why, in a huge metropolitan area like MC, their weren't any other, more feasible choices (even if they are just decoys on the show). Oh, and the realtor's cutesy voice worked my last nerve. I finally turned off the sound and just watched the rest in blessed silence.

Anyone here have certain commercials you hate but still watch anyway - sort of a love-to-revel-in-how bad-they-are kinda thing? Obviously we Primetimers do this with shows - otherwise this website would hardly exist. But what about the ads? I do this with a couple of them. The first one is the Sensodyne toothpaste commercial with the woman who keeps saying "in THREE DAYS" over and over again. Blah, blah blah in THREE DAYS, In THREE DAYS maybe over a weekend (which is NOT three days, by the way), blah, blah, blah in THREE DAYS. It just kills me every time. Another one is the California Psychics commercial. It's seriously stupid, but I still get a kind of twisted kick out of watching and re-watching it, especially the woman who says "the reading was.....unexpectedly WARM", throwing her head back like she's about to break out into some kind of corny musical-movie song. I'm sure I'll think of more....what say you?

Commenting on earlier posts re Jessa's personality - I remember from the old TWOP website that a poster called Jessa her mother's little "spite poodle". Seems that role has stayed with her.

Just a few more pennies worth about open concept - just for fun, I visited an open house showing not too far from my apartment. I live in a small community north of Glendale CA (those of you who are familiar with this area of SoCal will know where this is). It's quiet and well-established, with older homes on lovely tree-lined streets, and a small business district nearby known as the "Mayberry of Southern California". It's a wonderful place to live, and thus, of course, is insanely expensive. The open house was a completely re-modeled two bedroom, with one and three-quarters bathrooms. The realtor told me that the original house had been stripped down to the studs for the re-do. The open concept kitchen, living and dining area was beautifully designed and was, indeed, the only way to make the original footprint work - even open, the area was quite small, but "felt" spacious. You could have guests without being packed in too much. I usually hate OC (I don't even want to type the phrase out) but walls would have made the public rooms claustrophobic. I guess sometimes it's the only option. By the way, the price? $998k. Lordy.

That damned Consumer Cellular ad may just cause me to destroy my TV one of these days. Those smug baby-boomer types yammering about how clever and wonderful they are for deciding to go with CC have the some of the most smack-worthy attitudes and facial expressions I've ever seen in a commercial (and I'm a boomer myself, so I get to trash my peers without being ageist, right?). The first lady with her "I know what I want - I like my eggs scrambled, my coffee strong, and classic rock on my play list" - hey bitch, BIG WOW - what an effing rebel you are, eating your eggs scrambled! Who would have thought you could be so daring at this stage in life? And you like strong coffee - what a badass!! The rest of the players on this commercial are even worse, culminating with the wifey who calls her husband "Texty McTexterson" - good God Almighty. Listen up, Consumer Cellular - on the basis of this ad alone, I will NEVER use your services. Piss off and die, already. (Rant over - I feel better, thanks!)

The one that makes me gnash my teeth every time is when one of the prospective buyers (it's usually the woman) says "I want a grand staircase for my kids to pose on for their prom photos". Often spoken by someone who doesn't have any children yet, and how does he/she know that their still-unborn children will want to go to a prom, or will be invited to a prom, or if the school they attend nearly two decades from now (if the couple starts having babies RIGHT AWAY) will even HAVE a prom. It's such an impractical, romantic-fantasy-based reason to embrace or reject a possible home purchase that it borders on a kind of insanity. And yet you hear it voiced quite often on the show, added to the endless demands for open concept, hardwood floors, SS appliances, double sinks in the master bath, "character", cavernous walk-in closets that no matter their size, will still not be big enough for him to store even a pair of shoes after she gets all her stuff in, man-caves, she wants a Craftsman, he wants contemporary, she wants turn-key, he wants projects. blah, blah, blah. The only reason I ever watch the show anymore (usually with the sound off) is to check out what's available for what prices in various parts of the country.

I don't watch this show, but I love reading the snark about it! When I first saw Meri in a show trailer, I knew immediately that she was a major whiner and pity-partier. She has that face (my late mother-in-law had it too) that gives it away. Everything is sort of puffy and the lower lip and jaw have that slight jut-out that you see in children just before they start to wail. When I saw this in her face I said, this woman LIVES to cry. And y'all have proved me right! "Wet Bar of Tears" is a perfect caption for her!

Thanks to everyone here for your opinions, re-caps, etc. You have made me very comfortable with my decision to erase all the previous episodes I had on my DVR and to cancel any future recordings. It sounds like the show has become a hot mess.

Regarding the Gone With the Wind reference, if my memory of the book serves, Melanie died at the end because of a pregnancy her body couldn't handle. Ashley did NOT restrain himself, although I seem to remember that she did not want to resist him anyway, that she was deeply and passionately in love with him and definitely wanted another child. (It's been a long time since I last read the book - I really despise the Scarlett O'Hara character - so I may have forgotten some elements of the story).

I haven't read all the posts here so I don't know if this product has been discussed, but I have to chime in to say how much I love my Turbo-Spin! My apartment unit is quite old (built in the 1930's) and the shower is not only really small, but it has a high tile ledge I have to step over to get in (it's about 14 or 15 inches high, I haven't measured it). Even though the shower is narrow from front to back, there is NO WAY, with my bad knees and arthritic shoulders, that I would be able to get down on the floor and reach in over the ledge to scrub the shower pan. The Turbo-Spin makes it sooo easy. I wet down the shower, apply the cleanser, let it soak in for a while, then start the spinner and scrub away, while standing comfortably outside the shower. I only have to bend a little to move the spinner head around the whole shower. Then I rinse everything off and it's done! Easiest bathroom cleaning I've ever experienced.

I have gotten extremely tired of Pro Flo, but I really like the current commercial where's she's visiting her sister (I think) who is ever-so-slowly pedaling on an exercise bike, staring at her phone, and refusing to listen to Flo's insurance spiel, while saying things like "I'm in a meeting" and "you're ruining my workout - cycling is my passion" in an utterly passionless, world-weary tone. I know a few people who never seem to put their damn phones down and I get a twisted joy out of seeing them portrayed as the clueless, completely tuned-out idiots they are.

It's not Michaela's eyebrows that get to me, it's her crazy underbite which pushes her lower lip forward into a permanent and not very attractive pout. Melissa Roxburgh can't help that, of course, it's just something she was born with - but major RBF going on and that gets tiresome. It was pleasant to see her in the flashback when she was leaving the party with her friend that later died in the car accident, they were tipsy and laughing. I liked seeing her smile.

I've recently seen an ad for Botox that shows three women - one outdoors in the forest, taking photos; one sashaying around some kind of hipster office; and one in ballet work-out gear in a dance studio. All three with their perfectly smooth Botoxed faces, moving in oh such exquisite slow-motion showing us how much better life is, how much more graceful and successful and creative a woman can be, when she has an extremely toxic chemical injected into her face to remove all the laugh lines, crinkles and wrinkles. I cannot find the words to describe how offensive I find this concept. Whoever dreamed up this add needs to have botox injected where the sun don't shine.

I don't see the Progressive commercials with the animated box anymore and I kinda miss them. Whoever voiced that character had a great vocal quality, very deep and soothing. I loved the one where he visits the therapist and decides, after 5 minutes of talking and crying, that he's cured. I had a revelation the other evening when diving for the remote to mute the Cologuard Box character's spiel. Could he be the son of the Progressive Box? And, if so, where is Mom Box? Why doesn't she have a commercial too?

To give T&C credit, I don't think they've ever said at the end of an episode "we sold the house and made this much profit, time to find another house to flip". Tarek's voice-over always states "we received an offer of (however much), and if this deal goes through, we stand to make a profit of (however much)" - implying that, of course, the sale might not go through as predicted. I remember an early episode where they bought the run-down, rather small house with the huge double lot (I think it was in Buena Park). They were hoping to build some kind of rental unit at the back of the property to increase the value of the flip, but found out (after purchase) that they couldn't get a permit to do so unless they themselves planned to live on the property. IIRC, Tarek said at the end that they had definitely flopped on that one - I think they lost $30k on the deal. Bad Buy!

Um, that picture above...kissing the bride with one hand in his pocket? Why? Shouldn't he have that hand and arm around her waist, at least, or maybe her shoulder? I don't get it. What's he reaching for?

Thanks for the invite, Kohola! My problem is, as a native Californian, I don't handle the snow and ice bit very well. I spent one school year teaching in Bend, OR, and did not enjoy the winter at all. Also, my whole family lives in the LA area, and I love them and need them in my life on a regular basis. Oh, well. I got a great deal on my rental - through connections, I found a 2-bed, 1-bath unit in Montrose (a very expensive neighborhood) for only $1100 a month. Same-sized rentals around me go for twice that much. The landlord only rents to people who've been referred to him, and one of his long-time tenants is a close friend of one of my cousins, so I got in easy. It's old and kind of funky (built in the 1930's), but it's only 15 minutes from my job, and my brother and his family are a 5-minute drive away. For this area, (and for me) it doesn't get much better. But I sometimes really envy people who live in the Midwest - you have just as many beautiful landscapes, sophisticated cities, and wonderful things to do as we have here in California, and your cost of living is so much more reasonable!

Just a note regarding living in Bakersfield CA - which I did for 12 years - it's cheaper than most of California because there's nothing very attractive or appealing about the place. And it has some of the most miserable weather in all of the Golden State. There are a lot of oilfields around the city, and they add a delightful (not!) funk to the air. Summer temps run in the triple digits for weeks on end, with the nighttime "lows" at 85-90 degrees - if there is any place in CA where you can, with justification, say you NEED a pool, it's Bakersfield. In the fall the nearby cotton fields are stripped with a defoliant that will make you quite sick for a while if you get too near one of them just after application. In the winter, you get tule fog, which is so thick you can barely see past the hood of your car when driving, and leads to all kinds of interesting traffic problems during the season. Spring can be nice, but doesn't last very long before the summer heat slams in. Windstorms kick up and blow sand and dirt from the west valley, near Interstate 5, blinding drivers on the freeway and creating lovely little pits all over your car windshield (and your face, if you're outside in the wind). Oh it's paradise, I tell you. My late husband and I moved there in 1983 because of a great job offer (for him) and because it put us closer to our families in LA. Sadly, DH died 10 years later, and I moved away as fast as I could and have never looked back. I'm nearing retirement, and have been wondering if I should continue to rent my dinky LA-area apartment or move someplace cheaper where I might be able to buy my own home or condo. Technically speaking, homes in Bakersfield would probably fit my budget, but you couldn't PAY me to live there again.