Jeeves

I wrote at length yesterday about the couple who bought the fugly little "condo" in Fraser. StatisticalOutlier made some great points in reply. Including that it looked like the place had started life as a motel. Later, it occurred to me that the episode could have been total hijinks. I wonder if that couple really intended to live there full time, or if this was their way of getting to be on TV while acquiring a place in the mountains. They appeared very genuine in their outdoor scenes - hiking, biking, paddling - and I'm sure they wanted a place away from the city to enjoy such activities, and skiing in season. But I was surprised when, in the "after" scene, they'd (allegedly) moved in but hadn't figured out how to improve the kitchen with any kind of real stove. They just added a big toaster oven, and hadn't even added another hot plate, so they still only had one "burner" to cook on. I don't know. Maybe they really are that minimalist. Or maybe they saw no need to do much about the kitchen since they won't be living there all the time. If the wife's job is in the Denver area - and in the opening scenes they gave that impression - Fraser's just not a viable location for their home base. They were a nice couple. I'm not sure if it was refreshing or disappointing that they didn't bring the crazy like others we've seen on this show.

Oh, I have found my people. Last night I watched this episode, which is S03:E02, "Dreams of Downsizing." HGTV's episode description is: So, they looked at three places, and bought the third one. None of the places they visited appeared to be anywhere near Denver. The third one, which they bought, was an under-300 square foot "ski chalet" (cheaply built, fugly old) condo in Fraser, Colorado. IIRC they bought for around $50,000. They were a really cute couple and seemed markedly less whacko than some of the tiny house hunters I've seen. They seemed smart, and comfortable living a minimalist life, which I totally admire. But. Before anybody starts shopping for a $50,000 tiny condo "in the Denver, Colorado area," look up Fraser, Colorado. Fraser is up in the mountains, beyond the Winter Park ski area, and - assuming clear driving conditions - a couple of hours' drive from Denver. By that criterion, half the state is "in the Denver area." If the wife works in Denver, she's got a grueling commute on her plate, and a really difficult long trek in the winter. The first time the "Fraser, CO" graphic popped up on the screen, I thought, this is gonna be hijinks. Because, here's the deal with Fraser's climate: Of course, the producers managed to shoot that episode without tripping over piles of unmelted snow, so I give them kudos for good scheduling and direction at the shoot. I loved how the Realtor gestured to the outdoor storage shed attached to the condo and said, "you can put your bikes in there." Yeah, and leave them there a lot. Also, in that climate, if either of them gets cabin fever inside, it's not like they can just go out and sit on the porch for awhile. Unless they're wrapped in a polar-quality sleeping bag. Maybe that couple is well-suited for life in Fraser, and they're certainly close to skiing. And I tip my hat to them for finding property to own for under $50K, which wouldn't buy you much in the actual Denver area these days. If they can live in that place full time for even a year, they'll probably get ahead financially. And later they can keep it for a mountain getaway. One of the couple, can't remember which, mentioned "noise" in passing when they were "looking" at the condo. And that's no lie. If the other condos are rented out short-term during ski season, the renters could be rowdy. As in, squeezing six people into a place meant for two, and partying hearty as they enjoy their long weekend away from home. I really liked that the husband wanted a bedroom he could stand up in. My back and neck start to twinge at the thought of those pancake-height "sleeping lofts." But, bottom line about the HGTV spin: it's not "in the Denver area," and Fraser is not a "mountain resort." It's not far from Winter Park, which is a ski area, if not a "resort" like Vail. On a related subject, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who wonders just how big-ass a truck it would take to haul one of those cute tiny houses on wheels. Either you buy one - and there goes your self-righteous "environmentally conscious" cred - or you hire one, which is less expensive, assuming you won't want to move it around much.

From the Jill/Derick discussion. Since it's about JB I moved it here. I know. Someone quicker on his feet would simply have referred to the "opponent" without naming him, and kept going, but JB had to go the harder route. He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he has enough smarts to operate businesses and hang around in political circles and keep the TLC cash cow from kicking over the fences and leaving the TTH compound. I'd believe he has some learning disabilities and isn't great at public speaking. AND I hope we're all clear here that "learning disabilities" does not equal "low intelligence." Just a little touchy issue for me. A few of my relatives have learning disabilities, which meant they had to work hard at a lot of things in school. They are all smart, caring, very productive, non-grifting adults. /stepplng off my soapbox now.

I agree, HFC. You did good. And you're doing good.

Oops. Just realized this is the Dullards' topic. Moving my reply over to the JB and Michelle area.

Def not Planet Duggar, lol.

But the Duggars "do everything a little differently," don't they? Hey, dear Prince Josh was the victim of Satan. (See, "heart, fortess built in," above.) What if, away from the cameras, they've thrown a fatted calf on the grill and held the prodigal son welcome home party? That doesn't strain my imagination at all. These people have put on a fake - or at least, a very edited - life for TV cameras for a decade. They've soft-pedaled their horrible Christian patriarchy beliefs for the camera, but haven't been smart enough to scrub the evidence from the innernets so their connections with the Pearls and Gothard and Vision Forum are out there. IMO they don't think twice about saying one thing to the public/media and something different in what they probably think is their "real life" (vs. their made for TV "ministry" aka "job which pays off big in money and freebies and fame"). When the sh*t hit the fan - twice - last year, they tried spinning it and the best thing they did was to get Josh locked up in Jesus Jail. But these people who think it's great to put a married woman with FOUR kids, into a girl's dorm. IMO they are so freakin' insane that you can't predict what they'll do by using ordinary human reasoning. They could put him in the boys' dorm. They could install him with wife and kids in a separate house. They could be planning the Josh Redemption Tour right now. They could be in front of a TLC crew as we speak, shooting the Redeemed Josh story lines. See, his misdeeds caused his family so much weeping and hurt. And now, Jesus. And they all lived happily ever after. I don't know that's where it's going, but I wouldn't be surprised if it does. Edited for grammar

It's The Duggar Delusion, a 2009 post on The Wartburg Watch. TWW is the blog of two Christian women who write about abuses committed by, and in, churches. As Aja has written, it's refreshing to see that some Christians (evangelicals, too, IIRC) have been realistic, and critical of the Duggars. Well before either of the Josgates hit the media. They have other posts about the Duggars. I probably haven't read all of them. The page with search results when I searched the blog for Duggar is here. Gothard has also been on their radar for awhile. In 2014 they wrote "The Duggars Promote Bill Gothard and the Pearls," which includes the Michelle outtake video, or maybe a different Michelle outtake video, I'm not sure - I'm posting on the fly here so please forgive my uncertainty on that. The post includes screenshots showing how the Duggars and Pearls cross-promoted each other, including an Amazon "blitz" to sell books. This is IMO important because it documents what the Duggars, once they got rolling as faux reality TV stars, have tried to scrub out of their history. As someone said, the squirmy kids video is so sad as evidence oflack of attachment between mother and kids. But OTOH, it gave me hope that those younger kids were not subjected to blanket training. The sad alternative theory is that Michelle, with cameras rolling for her TH, didn't feel free to utter dire threats to instill enough fear/terror to shut the kids down.

IIRC, the despicable Penny, prior to seeking out Dr. Now, had won a disability ruling against a former employer. Something to do with a condition that affects the lungs and requires oxygen. If it's some kind of worker's compensation deal, it's possible that her no longer needing oxygen might have reopened her disability case. In other words, if she no longer needs oxygen her disability status could be reassessed, and she could lose some or all of her disability benefits. If so, that explains how she keeps up with the oxygen thing. And if so, that would be why she argued with Dr. Now about her need for oxygen. It would be great karma if that scene on TV got her disability benefits cut, but I doubt that it did. She still wears those tubes in her nose, but as mentioned above, it looks less like she's really using oxygen and more like shenanigans.

Barf bag alert: http://www.people.com/article/duggar-girls-reveal-they-want-to-marry-someone-like-their-dad People's really pimping 'em out today! Non-story after non-story. Josh will leave rehab: http://www.people.com/article/josh-duggar-leaving-rehab-any-day And more: http://www.people.com/article/josh-duggar-family-speaks-out-life-after-scandal

I read the book "I Fired God" the other day and I'm still thinking about the IFB and Christian Patriarchy and Quiverfull groups (which seem to have a lot of overlap). They are totally into the husband being large and in charge and the wife being submissive. I bet that Jill R probably embellished her husband's detours on the way to the hospital, to paint them as such a speshul shining example of husbandly domination and wifely submission. Of course, they are fucking insane. IMO.

Thanks, Koka and Sew Sumi, for explaining the pencil drawing. Obviously, I had lost the plot, actually missed it in the first place. Now I see. There are what, six single Duggars age 18 or above? Maybe the tree house is gonna be a courting venue.

About that pencil and drawing. At first it looks like it's in the same photo with Jana and Anna, but if you look again, you'll see that it's really a separate photo altogether (look at the TLC logo in the upper right corner). Do we know that Jana did the drawing?

Riiight, lol! Here's a link to a 2009 interview, which I'm sure is only one of many times when JB and Michelle blathered on and on about avoiding music with a "beat," and the perils of dancing. I guess there are two explanations for Bin's upcoming Christian rap thing on the show: 1. JB is now convicted that it's OK for Bin to do Christian rap, after the Lord laid it on his heart /TLC laid a big check on Duggar Enterprises for it. 2. Or, Bin's now the headship of his own family and can make those decisions. The second one makes me giggle. I suppose JB has to pay lip service to Bin's headship status. I can't imagine that JB likes the idea that JB's not in charge of everything.

That is such a creepy photo (the Duggar one). I wouldn't be surprised if anyone's mind goes a little porn over it. For me it evokes Shakespeare's three witches in Macbeth (aka "The Weird Sisters," and ain't that apt) hovering ominously over an ecstatic woman. IMO, the message is that Jessa's obscenely thrilled to bits about being married and allowed to have teh sex and being a TV star, while her sisters are stuck in boring spinsterdom doing all the chores in the TTH. A creepy picture, an icky message.

Spot on. Been lurking here, decided to join in. The "new" show's focus is - as noted, fuzzy. The storyline for X Kids & Counting was the supposedly huugge brood of kidz at home and their godly special 'rents keeping everything humming. Which sort of happened for TV show purposes, but only after lots of retakes. I found this blog post - written in 2009 when the show was "18 Kids and Counting" - about The Duggar Delusion. The bloggers are Christian women who write about abuse that occurs inside churches. Besides shining a light on just how faux this reality show always was, with links to video outtakes of Michelle not being able to handle just 2 of her squirmy offspring, there's this comment: Their charmed life hasn't quite dissipated, and it's obvious that Jessa at least is all into being a TV star. Maybe the new show will limp along for a few seasons, if they find a hook for it. Much as Jessa may hate it, the only mildly interesting hook is the missionary story which is Jill/Derick. And the rest is - yes, LAME.

Well said. I usually sort of watch and then forget these shows, but Teretha's story has stuck in my so-called mind for longer than the norm. IIRC, it took her just about forever to be approved for the surgery, because of her noncompliant behavior. I think someone else has posted what I also thought in the first part of the episode: it's possible this woman could die, like, right now. Teretha was so smart, and - as she made sure we knew upfront - well educated, and surrounded by her loving family. She really gave "large and in charge" a new meaning for me. But OMG, for most of the episode, she was just totally acting (and talking) out the crazy stuff that is addiction. Her vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation were certainly those of an educated woman, but she might as well have been a backwoods illiterate, for all the sense she was making in the context of the situation she was in. I mean, if you just listened to her talking, you'd not realize the woman weighed one-third of a TON and suffered from diabetes (which IIRC was not well controlled). She kept saying the equivalent of "I got this," but acting completely different. It was like listening to a hoarder on one of those old hoarding shows. Crazy talk. And, it was the addiction/dysfunction we were hearing. It took me awhile to learn this as I've gone through life: people can be talking in a reasonable tone of voice, very composed, and reasonable-sounding, but not. making. sense. And if you're listening to them, or perhaps in the conversation, you may feel that you've gone through the looking glass because it's making no sense, and even making *you* feel crazy. Yep, that's because you're hearing them speaking from their addiction/dysfunction, even sometimes a serious mental illness. So, yeah, I didn't like Teretha. I keep telling myself that much of what I disliked was her acting from her disordered thinking. But still. It was hard to empathize. She had her family kowtowing and enabling. I hated to see that intelligence and force of personality being used for those ends. I don't know what really tipped the balance so that Teretha moved off dead center toward compliance, and was thus approved for the surgery. We saw her talking with a therapist. Maybe that was it. Or maybe something got through her defenses in some other way. I hope they do a follow up show in a year and she's doing OK. Edited for clarity.