walnutqueen

I actually did see a few of Bill's "traits" in Will very early on. It seemed to me that they all bonded in China over Will's love of cars and his love of laughing and making other people laugh. That's pretty much Bill. Zoey, while much younger and "newer", is already showing signs of a strong spirit and independent thinking, and a love for shoes, not to mention a desire to tidy up (natural in some children, believe it or not). So I'd say she does exhibit some of Jen's characteristics. It is really no big deal for children to try and even take to their loved one's preferences; that's what kids do. If it really isn't for them, they usually back out of the activity at an early age, or continue with suppressed rage at their parents until they work it all out in therapy. My niece and I spent a lot of time together, often doing a lot of things that I loved and thought she would, too. Luckily, our tastes in activities were similar, but probably only because she was indoctrinated from the time she was born. She schlepped along with me until her voice was such we could decide together, and there was rarely a disagreement. (SeaWorld debate will go unmentioned here except to say, she won, but so did I). She is an adult who has impressed the holy hell out of me with her confidence and self-awareness at such a young age - something I'm just learning in my old age. This kid shares so few of my genes I can't claim that, yet I proudly proclaim she takes after me (actually, I usually just think it, as I'm not much for making proclamations, except on this forum). :-)

I miss Phil so very much. I'm sure he'd talk to Elliot in much the same way as he talked to Jake. Phil has been there & done that; so has just about everyone on a boat, for that matter (I exaggerate, but only slightly). Like Wild Bill said, there's no room on a boat for that shit, and especially not in the wheelhouse. Your reputation is everything.

Now that I've learned Zoey has a thing for shoes, I want to see her go shoe shopping with Jen. I know, that is one of the worst things to do with a toddler, but I just can't help myself - I wanna see those cute little shoes, I do, I do. I have no idea where this is coming from, as I care not a whit for fashion and wear the same pair of flip flips till they fall apart! Maybe I'm the one who needs therapy :-)

I'm a senile moron - they are both on summer hiatus. Keep an eye out for reruns, though, or hopefully they'll do a marathon of Dr. Pol. I believe both shows were airing on Saturday evenings - but don't take my word for it - I don't pay much attention to that whole "time" concept. :-) The website probably has some nice video content for both shows, if you're in to that.

Too bad you don't get the National Geographic Channel, 4leafclover. Dr. Pol is this awesome little "old" (69+) vet who runs a family practice in Michigan, and handles everything from large animals to small pets. He is the energizer bunny on crack when it comes to seeing patients, and he's one of those old timey guys who has seen almost everything under the sun, and knows how to handle emergencies like no one else. His positive energy, constant good humor and no nonsense work ethic are just a few things I love about him; I also appreciate how important it is to have a well-versed large animal vet in a farming community, and how Dr. Pol understands the animals' needs and those of the owners. He's a delightful little man who has totally captured my heart. Seriously. Oh, and he works with Dr. Brenda, a formidable force in her own right - and a woman I admire for very many reasons, not the least of which is her ability to wrangle the biggest cow in the herd. The woman has some mad skills. :-)

I thought it was funny to discover that Zoey has a thing for shoes. Uh-oh! And that when she says "No", she often waves her finger.

Jellybeans - you just HAD to mention painted cats, didn't you? Of course I had to search for my cat butt painted like a clown picture and spent far too much time looking at cat images on the interwebs. Gah! :-) I hesitate to recommend TV shows, but since so many of us seem to be animal lovers here, and because we have our very own resident vet joining the ranks, I want to mention my two favorite NGC shows: The Incredible Dr, Pol and Dr, Oakley: Yukon Vet. I have a huge lurve for Dr. Pol (also a total hunk, in my book!), and although Dr. Oakley's show is new, I really like her, too. She does some work with a wildlife rehabilitation center, and that's another one of my favorite topics, so I'm a big ole' gushing fangirl for these shows,

spinsterly - the sex toy one was about Russell Williams, the highly esteemed colonel in the Canadian Air Force. He broke into houses and stole ladies underwear, and took lots of pictures of himself dressed in said underwear. The murders were awful, but it's those damned pictures I can never erase from my memory. Eeeew.

Funny how that works. My #5 (now #1, I guess!) was a rescue kitten who brought new life to my old senior cats, and saw each one of them through their passing with an amazing grace. Then in the midst of all the illnesses and death, a stay cat had kittens in my back yard, and I'm now the steward(ess?) of a family of "feral" cats (all fixed & healthy) and a couple of strays who have managed to worm their way into our peaceful little patch of ground. Dressing up cats isn't as easy as getting dogs to wear outfits, in my limited experience. Getting an incontinent foster cat to keep on diapers with a cat harness was impossible!!! My little Beanster tolerated such foolishness, and I'd drape a scarf in Cleopatra fashion over his head & torso, and have him pace back & forth along the dining table to the Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian". But I digress. They make cat clothes for those hairless Sphynxs, me thinx. Also try Halloween cat costumes for some awesome ideas - I used to get pictures of the craziest things when I was still in the workforce silly email loop.

Soopertater, my memory for details isn't what it used to be, but it may have been one of the "Season #: Behind the Scenes" episodes where the cameramen were getting their boat assignments. One guy called home after getting the Ramblin' Rose and broke the bad news to his wife. Then the Disco guys made a couple of comments about Elliot taking risks or something along those lines. Another time I recall Todd Stanley (I think) ranting on to someone about another unsafe situation Elliot was putting them in. There was also the time when everyone except Elliot took shelter from the storm, the crew & cameramen were worried, and the owner called Elliot & ordered him to stop fishing. I'm sure there are other examples, but off the top of my head I can't come up with more than my general impression of Elliot's "reputation". Look, I'm not saying everyone knew for sure, but most of these guys have seen enough of it to know the warning signs, and some of the Disco crew are tight enough with the crabbers that the rumors would have trickled to TPTB. Fishermen are like gossipy old women sometimes. :-)

mojito - that's one of the nicest things anyone's said to me (I'd hate to ever be labeled "NORMAL")! I didn't teach or entice this behavior; I had to do a lot of TMJ exercises back in the day which included opening wide - the rest was kismet. :-) One thing Bill and Jen have noticed is that Zoey is a smart little girl. She watches everything, has a mind of her own, and is picking up language which, in Bill's estimation, will soon make her formidable. Although they didn't address Will's language skills, the fact that he's in speech therapy and is showing improvement makes me think it is a short-term issue (unintentional pun) that is being dealt with.

It's a small world, leighroda. :-) Your mission, should you choose to accept it ... kidding! But if you ever did happen to hear anything about how the folks in your profession and in that particular medical group feel about a certain diminutive physician ... come sit by me and spill some tea! Meanwhile, good luck with your studies, and rest assured I'd be interested in getting to know more about you even if you didn't have an almost connection to an almost famous person. {I am not a shallow stalker, I am not a shallow stalker I am not a shallow stalker...}

Back on track (I impose timeouts on myself sometimes!) with more of my favorite moments from the episode. Will & Zoey's relationship: spontaneous kisses & hugs, but also, whenever Will gets something, he says "Zoey" and wants her to get the same thing - because Will can and does share with his little sister. Also, Will pushing Zoey on the scooter at breakneck speed was freakin' adorable. Rocky & Maggie & the kids: the interactions were so cute, especially how Zoey went from hating Maggie's kisses to open-mouth affection that grosses out her parents! OK, full disclosure. My dearly departed Beanster cat gave the BEST hugs, kisses, love and affection ever. But he had a few "quirks", one of which I refer to as my "dental hygiene inspection"; it involved me opening wide & his inquisitive little nose exploring that gaping yaw in a way that would incite public dirision, but to me was hilarious and endearing (and, unlike his human counterparts, came without icky tongue and gaggy saliva, lol). :-) Bill waxing poetic about one of his favorite things, the smiles: the tickle smile, the smirk smile, the "I did something bad" smile, the "I did something funny" smile, the "I did something naughty" smile, the "I poopied smile", the "I want more food" smile - there's a whole bunch of smiles ... Bill & Jen's attitude towards prejudice and bullying of their kids: this actually hit home, and I have something to learn from it. They are both concerned, but hopeful that they teach their children to be strong and secure enough for hurtful remarks and actions not to bother them too much. Of course, it should hurt, that is natural, but as long as they realize, and put into perspective, that this is a moment in time and will be gone, and they don't matter as much as you think they do ... they could have been talking directly to me. hmmmm Jen talking about Bill: he's her McDreamy. He's probably a lot of women's McDreamy, and for good reason. I've kissed enough frogs (OK, too many frogs) to know a prince when I see one, and Bill is a Prince. :-)

The thing that most disturbs me about the whole "downward spiral of Elliot storyline" is that a person with a drug/alcohol problem was featured on this show yet again (surely Disco had wind of this one as well), allowed to place his crew and Disco staff in danger (remember how reluctant cameramen were to be paired with Elliot?), and encouraged to run his own boat by a father who seemed to have knowledge of these problems, yet thought it was OK. WTF? Everybody knew, or suspected, and did nothing because - what, the Disco allure was too strong?

Now that's MY idea of a pinup poster, Suz! :-)

Hi there, Limelight - it's great to meet so many animal lovers here - it must be a theme ... There is a very special place in my heart for animals and the people who look after them. I have a huge admiration for vets, especially those who work with cats - I've been with the same local vet clinic since 1988, and the vet who took over the practice in the early 1990s has nurtured my 5 cats ever since, and has helped me through the ends of 4 of their long loves in the past 4 years. Dr. Cecilia Morris is one of the few people I'd save in the Zombie Apocalypse, so you are already in very good company in my books, Limelight. :-) As an aside, I caught that Little Women of LA show, and it is more along the lines of Housewife reality than I personally care to watch, although it's a bit early to delete the series. It IS summer, and the pickings are slim (and I am WEAK!!!).

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this episode. Of course, the obvious chemistry between these two is off the charts, but they really seem to enjoy each other's humor. I like that Jen teases Bill almost as often as he teases her. All the extra footage of the kids was golden, just golden. I could watch those two for hours, they're just that stinkin' cute. One thing that hit home for me, on a very personal level, was the easy affection this family shows towards each other. I know hugs, kisses and expressions of love are "normal" for many folks, but as someone who didn't get much of that in my childhood, seeing it made my heart swell a little. Because you can do a lot of things for your kids, but showing and teaching love and affection gives them the foundation to establish healthy relationships later in life (in my humble opinion). And that is a gift that keeps on giving. I could care less whether they addressed the accusations and suspicions of anyone, or whether they or their horde of helpers read the forums. As far as I'm concerned, these are non-issues anyways; acknowledging them just lends credence to the internet trolls and conspiracy theorists, so to speak. The questions were a good vehicle for showing unaired footage and providing a little more information on a variety of subjects, so it was all cool for me. :-)

I am so glad to see you back, Jellybeans; I have missed your contributions and perspective. You could send some of that Colorado rain to So Cal any time - we could really use it! I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed of coining "EEEVIL JEN". :-)

One of my favorites was about the guy who'd spent all those years in prison being a model citizen and travelling all over the state doing the prison rodeo. He was probably framed by his wife, and finally got out of prison (having to cop to some BS plea, I think) so he could spend time with his son. The man made quite an impression on me; he seemed to have dignity and integrity (and I loved the fancy western shirt he wore while doing his interview).

Great post, LADreamr. Remembering those awful early years of panic and ignorance, when so little was known and even less was being done is gut wrenching. The doc referring to her polio as something nobody gets anymore was a little twist of irony, since the WHO just declared the spread of polio an international public health emergency. How quickly our world changes.

Hi everyone! I meant to introduce myself some time ago, but am quite the professional procrastinator. Guess this is as good a time as any to get the thread going. I'm a reclusive retiree living in sunny San Diego County in a ramshackle place that ain't much to look at, but it is sanctuary for me & the critters. Smack dab in the center of the recent firestorm, but far enough away from danger to be able to breathe easily. The evacuations were scary - I was on standby to again help evacuate my friend's 25+ birds; luckily her beautiful place was spared and my house stayed quiet (those birds are awesome, but you need ear protection when they're all excited about a sleepover at walnutqueen's hovel). :-) I'm an animal lover, quiet environmentalist, and live my life pretty much as I want, albeit with a lot less money and physical ability than I would have hoped for in my "golden years". I don't chase kids off my lawn because I don't have one (lawns in SoCal are a sin), but I am truly cantankerous and often obstreperous. I use some of the foulest language known to mankind - often while yelling at the idiots on my TV. I'm trying to curb it a little for this polite company, but while you can take the girl out of Deadwood ... :-) I look forward to getting to know everyone. ETA: anyone else planning on watching "Little Women of LA" on Lifetime?

Even though I don't use the oven much, I totally covet a French door version like Bill & Jen's - it would make things a little easier for me and my ineffectual T.Rex arms. :-) MrMattyMatt - Jen did a better job than I would have at dissuading Will from table scrapping. When my niece was little she enjoyed feeding my cat Shoe Shoe french fries (we ALL did). He LOVED them, and because he was a major polydactyl, his front paws worked like opposable thumbs, so he could pick up a fry in his paw and eat it. Bad auntie walnutqueen corrupts another young human being. hee. :-)

I can't tell you how many times I've fallen in that trap, choclatechip45. I'll be scrolling through the guide looking to avoid watching the depressing documentaries on my DVR and come across a Grey's rerun, and I'm suddenly watching 3 episodes a day again. It's a sickness. :-)

First, I had to FF through everything Eric, but not fast enough to avoid his wolf kill, which breaks the heart of an old softie Canuck who cut her teeth on the words of our recently dearly departed Farley Mowat. I truly enjoyed seeing Kate, Andy and the dogs with their recent acolyte. Methinks Cody may have caught that inexplicable Alaskan bug. Me just loves the doggies, woof woof. So our already super-predator-hyper-vigilant Sue is on a plane spotting more predators? Good for strategic planning, bummer for those already tiring of the constant predator patter. I still can't believe a 50 y/o fat chick does what she does, so I'll say it is better to err on the side of caution ... Fucking love Agnes Hailsone's bleeps, and her whole fucking family. :-)

The way I see it, you are either a seaman, or you aren't. A seaman follows the code and rescues any poor soul they can. If it is worth taking a risk for a friend, it is worth taking the risk for anyone. At least, that's what every seaman I ever knew told me.