DearEvette

JP legit creeped me out this episode. Taylor is doing all this emotional heavy lifting and he is smiling like some damned serial killer. So glad she left him. The make up thing -- no words. When he was talking and she just said 'Nope, nope, nope.' That was her literally noping out. I believe she made her decision to jet right then for real. The scene in Milton's apartment was the only time I think I actually belly laughed during this whole franchise. Lydia's reaction to his rugs, the Playboy magazines, the stack of dollar bills, his roommate, The Pokemon conversation-- comedy gold. Milton is a funny guy and he and his roommate giving daps of approval and agreement whenever one co-signed the other was great.

Uche, Uche, Uche.... [Long, deep, spiritual sigh]. He is a like a 1 step forward, 5 steps back kinda guy for me. I was on his side when he was feeling abandoned and confused by Aaliyah bouncing. I understand that. It was a valid reaction. But then came the phone call. He went on the offensive, talked over her and invalidated her feelings. If he was so in love his first reaction should have been trying to understand and maybe resolve. Obviously something wasn't sitting right in Aaliyah's spirit about Uche despite loving him. I am glad she listened to that voice. Lydia & Milton: I am surprised about how much I am not hating Lydia this episode. I still think Milton is too young, but they are not completely awful together. They are definitely more interesting together than JP and Taylor. Also, damn Milton is tall!! Last episode I would have said no way they make it to the altar. But this episode... I dunno. They seem so easy and effortless with each other. Taylor and JP: Speaking of... man Taylor and JP are a charisma and chemistry black hole. JP is giving NOTHING. I feel bad for the producers, they probably had to dig deep for any usable footage. They are not gonna make it. She is trying too hard to make it work and he is not holding his weight. Stacy and Izzy. Still the only couple that seem like they actually want to sex with each other. Stacy needs to back away from the Joan Crawford Mommy Dearest make up, though. Her eyebrows are needlessly aggressive. I think they might say I do.

Daaaaang. Aaliyah took us on an entire rollercoaster ride with her emotions this episode. I feel bad for Aaliyah. I can see why she would feel betrayed by Lydia onto whom she poured all of her confidences regarding Uche. I think ultimately Aaliyah was really trying to exist in what the whole experiment was supposed to be. the whole Love is Blind of it all, and Lydia really soured that for her. She didn't want to have any pre-knowledge of Uche especially coming from Lydia. And to his credit, it seems like he did too. I appreciated them showing up the meeting in the pods between Uche and Lydia. She seemed eager to 'start at ground zero' but he shut that down. He wanted the experience of getting to know his person sight unseen as well and with her that didn't work. I also think the recency of it, they were boning just 3 months ago loomed really large as well for Aaliyah. Really curious to see where this goes. Johnie really is one of those people who shape their own reality isn't she? How many times did she shape her own perceptions so they were the opposite of the one she voiced just the scene before? I am so glad Chris didn't get sucked into her. I would have never thought that Izzy and Stacy were the only couple with any kind of chemistry. At least they looked like they were attracted to each other and really want to sleep together. JP and Taylor looked very awkward kissing (someone on Reddit said he transformed into Woody Woodpecker whenever he went in for a kiss, bwah!) and she seemed to keep saying 'I love you' like she needed to convince herself it was still true. And don't get me started on Lydia and Milton. Yes he is more mature than his age but dang, he looks like he should be in a college dorm room with his buddies playing Pokemon. His tall gangliness reminds me of my youngest who is a Sophomore in college a little. They feel so mismatched. Sigh.

Gasp! Are you kidding me right now? I have to say that is good tv. I wonder if the producers knew all along? I don't want to read anything because I don't want to be spoiled...But that puts a whole different spin on Lydia's comparing her and Aaliyah in the first episode. I went back and watched that scene again because it put me off so on first watch and.... Gasp again! In Episode 1 when Lydia is hugging and comforting Aaliyah and saying all the 'we are the same' and 'we are just alike' they were playing a song where the lyrics were 'I've got a secret." Oh man. Have we ever had a blatant comparing of notes about what was said in the pods between two people dating the same person as we did with Izzy and Chris about Johni? I didn't have an opinion one way or the other about her but man she tumbled way down in my estimation when she tried to convince Chris to give her another chance. No man wants to hear he is the safe and and unexciting choice. She even told the women he was boring. And given that she married one guy she didn't love that does not bode well for Chris. I am glad he talked to Izzy. If he was even waffling a little bit I hope that tipped the scales for him. I wish he had asked her if Izzy hadn't broken it off with her would she have asked to see him again? Uche's poem to Aaliyah vs. Stacy's poem to Izzy. Bwah! I know hers was intentionally bad and it was quite funny. The way Taylor was talking about JP's teeth you'd think he only had three up top. Dang. You could barely see the gap. And so what? Their meeting felt awkward. I wonder if they are showing scenes out of chronology. I had read before that once you were engaged you were whisked away out of the pods right away. But JP is still there after his meet up with Taylor was aired. Is it me or are they showing more interaction amongst all the pod-mates in their separate sections than they have in the last few seasons? It just seems we are getting more time amongst all the women and guys showing them cooking, drinking, talking, playing etc. felt more like season 1.

I finally saw some of that Izzy charm that apparently is oozing all over the pods when he was talking about his first Christmas tree. “Girl, you best believe I left that thing up til April!” LOL. Also Milton won me over a bit more. He did feel older than his age when he was talking to Lydia and helping her work through her disappointment over Izzy. I get that she is disappointed about it, but her insistence that he didn't give her a reason is pointless. He said she was nice but he just felt more connected to other women. That is reason enough, honestly. Johni is getting a lot of face time, but she is just there for me. No charisma. I felt bad for Chris because I actually liked him. And to be fair, I kinda felt bad her for as she was talking about her romantic history. I could tell that she lost Izzy when she admitted to not loving her ex-husband. You could almost see the enthusiasm for her draining right out of his face as she was talking. Instead of sitting forward on the chair and engaged as she was talking, he was looking away like he was trying to distance himself as much as possible. He was saying all the right things... I like that he didn't come off as a dick or judgemental... but you could tell he was checked out. So Uche and Aaliyah are back on. Yay? I guess. My enthusiasm for them have waned. I still feel like he was talking down to her at the start of their conversation. When she mentioned how bad he made her feel when he said 'how do I know you won;t cheat again?' He responded said "Did I actually say that to you?" in a tone that implied she was exaggerating. I said 'YES' along with her because he said exactly that. Taylor and JP?….Zzzzzzz. She seems like a more articulate and nicer Micah. His hairline annoys me. Why does it feel like they are all trauma bonding this season? I swear when one of them says "I don't feel like you've been vulnerable with me." what they are actually saying is "I can't decide about you until you tell me your most desperate painful experience."

I am finally getting around to watching this. Took me a bit to get into this episode and then something clicked and it got interesting. General impressions: Right off the bat I was loving Uche and Aaliyah. Her espeically. She seemed so chill... growing up a military brat in Japan, anime-loving, painting, poetry writing, guitar playing, Love Jones stan... yeah she seemed really cool. I really liked how they were vibing. And then he turned it sour. Yeah I get it, she cheated and that could be a deal breaker. But he came off as really condescending and self righteous about it. He seemed to have taken it very personally. And way to encourage someone to be open and honest and then turn on them for doing just that. Man... I was so bummed. Also my husband kept calling Uche the 'guy with the Scottie Pippen head' Exactly! He sounded like he was cross examining her, for goodness sake. Lydia: Hmm... she was A LOT. I was not feeling her. There was something about her that just felt very put on for the cameras. I know that people can have big personalities, but hers came across as artificial and was trying really, really hard to be A Personality. So much so I did not feel super bad for her when Izzy 'broke up' with her. I feel like I really missed something with their dates where she was so in love and felt he reciprocated. I liked her a bit more when he was comforting Aaliyah. But then that took a pretty weird turn...How many times did she mention "we are the same' and 'You are just like me' and 'I am you'... I dunno.... just weird. Chris: I felt really bad for him when he was talking about being sexually assaulted at 17. I agree there is a lot of stigma and misunderstanding about women sexually assaulting men especially since he was young and a virgin. I liked him quite a bit. Izzy had nice teeth. Also I don't se why women would be turned off by him being bald. On him it looks like a fashion choice, not necessarily an awkward type of male pattern baldness you try to hide with a comb over. JP and Johnie didn' t register with me much. Miriam! What the hell… everything she said seemed cagey. She never answered anything directly. And why was she hemming and hawing around skincare? Did she invent something and didn’t want to reveal it on Netflix? Does she have an NDA about her own life? Like what...? LOL. Milton. He;s cute but comes off as very young. He was vibing with Lydia but i felt the age difference. I know 24 to 30 isn't that huge of a gap, but it hits different to me than say 30 to 36. Also 24 feels like you should still be out exploring a bit, not on a show designed to get you married right away. Onto the next ep...

Someone posted a Summary of the WGA Deal. I don't know enough about the business to know what some of it means, but they are happy so I am happy for them!! One thing I think is a good win for everyone though is the deal on streaming and how that means transparency on real streaming numbers.

Based in the tweets I've seen the writers are over the moon with the deal. Most of them are cheering and doing tons of happy dances without any specifics. This is the only tweet I've seen that mentions anything of substance:

Victoria Monet's 'On My Mama' is such a vibe! Also the video makes me feel very nostalgic. It such a 90s feel but also feels very current. The choreography with the coats at the end is great and was done in one take.

Co-sign. I don't actually think I finished it, tbh. I only read it because I actually liked another book of hers I read, The Coincidence of Coconut Cake which is textbook rom-com but more importantly, I thought it was a love letter to the city of Milwaukee and its food. Lots of local flavor and color of the city throughout that book,

I made Apple Fritter french toast for brunch the other day. My local Wegmans makes this apple fritter bread. I sliced it in thick slices and soaked it in the egg/milk mixture really well. I also added some rum to the egg/milk mixture to make it slightly boozy. And then made the toast in melted butter. I didn't really need any syrup at all, just a little drizzle over it the cooked french toast. The apples throughout the bread and a little sifted powdered sugar gave it just the right amount of sweetness without being too sweet.

Naw. That "apology" is bullshit. He said what he said. He even clarified and corrected the reporter when they pushed back so that the reporter would get it right. He said that shit with his whole chest and back.

You think so? I dunno. The dude texted her he wanted a divorce seconds before she was due to be on stage during a major concert. She claims that she hasn't spoken to him since then, Also, there is this part of an interview she had in Vogue in 2013:

He is 100% a racist and a misogynist. This part here: Says that he doesn't like black performers and women performers are too dumb and just don't speak well. Sigh. Black and women musicians, according to him, were not writing about deep things about a particular generation. Meanwhile, the artists he does mention most of their entire sound and career has been heavily influenced by the black musicians he so casually dismisses. What the fuck did he think the Blues were? The entire Rap genre was created as a response to issues a particular generation was struggling with and rap lyrics have been deconstructed in academic circles as actual poetry. And if there hasn't been an interview by them conducted in his magazine that met his 'articulate' test maybe he should examine the types of access he's given them in history of his publication. Also calling his book 'The Masters'...Sigh. The jokes just write themselves, he's made himself a punchline.

I loved that scene in Grace and Frankie because it was true. There is that sort of feeling where you are supposed to feel ok because they are living their true selves after so much oppression but they still did a really shitty thing. Something similar happened on 9-1-1 where there is this great scene of Athena angry mashing potatoes (to a Mary J. Blige song, no less!) where she is making dinner to welcome her ex's new man. That he cheated on her with. And she rightfully says 'no one would require this of me if that was a woman he slept with.'

I am not a huge kale fan either, but there are two dishes I absolutely love where it is really one of the elements that makes them work. One is something called a Winter salad hummus bowl. It is warmed hummus, with grilled brussels sprouts, slightly wilted kale (in a lovely dressing made with honey, soy sauce,rice vinegar, and olive oil) and soft boiled eggs, all topped with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and dried cranberries. And the other is a spicy lentil soup. The kale adds a nice level of texture to the soup. I've subbed out spinach in a pinch for both of these and it just didn't work. Not the right texture or taste.

Chrissie is currently a proud resident of Idgafkistan! She is spilling all the tea. Regards the comment about Mila's interviews: Someone on twitter compiled a bunch if old interviews Mila did (late night, daytime, MTV) some them as a team with Ashton or Danny and it was pretty gross. I had no idea she was 14 and Ashton was 20 when they were on the show. Not only was she very sexually coded on show, her hotness and sexiness was a constant refrain during the interviews. In one interview on the Rosie O'Donnell show, Ashton mentions they had their first kiss on the show and Danny and he bet on him giving her tongue during the kiss. Again-- she was a minor! In another she is answering a question and Danny interrupts with a 'but you're so hot!' Yuck. And in another she is sitting on Ashton's lap and he 'jokingly' begins to hump on her. Really gross and disturbing to see them all together like that.

Nah. They showed a picture of them in your standard hotel room. The kind with the two Queen (or King) beds side by side in the same room.

Heh. So I got Paramount+ in April for a .99 a month for three months promotion. In July just a few days before it would auto-renew for the full price, I went to to cancel it. A pop up came up and said 'We don't like goodbyes, try two months free on us." I said, ok! So today I went to go cancel, again just a few days before the real price would kick in and I got that pop up again. Two more months for free. So by the end of this newest cycle I will have racked up 7 months of Paramount for $3.00.

I made Chicken bacon ranch taquitos served with salsa verde. Wanted to do something a bit different for Taco Tuesday.

I was more hung up on the fact that he didn't get the Jollof rice until he got to the US? Wasn't he coming from Ghana? Or did I miss something. How did he not get any while he was there? I thought it was a staple of the diet.

Yeah, Keens was always our go-to when we'd fine ourselves in NYC

Poker Face is a mother lode of one-shot fantastic guest performances. Not only acted well but written very well. Unfortunately most of them play the villains... but I'd love to get a glimpse of Irene and Joyce (S. Epatha Merkerson and Judith Light) and again. If only see what mayhem they might be up to next.

The Death on Nile costume and set design were top tier. Everyone had beautiful clothes and that boat looked gorgeous.

NGL, the game looked fun. And yeah I knew the Golden Gobs were gonna lose just looking at them, LOL. I think Tiffany was their only ringer. I am glad Marshall and Jackie talked. That is the most functional they've ever been -- and that includes their time in the Pods. Damn, that charcuterie looked good. Now I'm hungry. Also, the Marshall facial expression challenge was pretty funny. Josh and Jackie deserve each other. They are such drama magnets. And snowflakes. If Marshall can be in the room with the two of them who actually were messy about they way they went about their relationship, why can't Josh be in the room with Monica. And then to be mad at Monica because of how people in the internet re-told her story is ridiculous. Especially since Jackie was actually throwing all sorts of shade and homophobic innuendo about Marshall on the internet after their breakup. And to accuse Monica of clout chasing... child please, what kinda clout they got? Tiff and Brett at the Alpha dogs in this crew. "He's a six-year old!" Monica was spitting facts! And I love how Monica made it clear, not only did she let Jackie know before she posted that she was gonna post but actually sent the post to Jackie two days before she published it. It actually just crystalizes how triflin Jackie and Josh are. Jackie is willing to throw away a good girlfriend relationship because she is has to 'ride for her man' no matter if he is dead wrong. That is not relationship goals. That is tomfoolery. You ride for him on the important stuff and when you need to take his back on the righteous stuff, you call him on his bullshit when he is wrong and make him get it right. And you know they were really dancing to Cuff It at the end there, but had to use the generic LIB song over it instead.