St. Claire

Y'know, I'm not sure I fully absorbed the message of this article. I think I have to review it again. And again. And again.

Flipping through the channels awhile back, I stumbled across an episode of NCSI: LA and his voice was what made me suspect he was sick (that, coupled with how thin he looked). I loved him as Albert Rosenfield and on Crossing Jordan.

Carrie Fisher's death is harder for me to deal with than most of the others in 2016. I had such respect for her as an actress, author, and mental health advocate. As the mother of two children with mood disorders (both of whom, plus their younger brother, are also on the autism spectrum), I found her candor about her bipolar disorder inspirational. She was strong and honest and her death is a huge loss that will resonate with me for a very long time.

I have very little issue with the Lemonheads' cover of the song; I just hate it being used to sell financing for a car. I think my level of distaste would be similar if I heard Bob Dorough's voice.

When my sister sent me this yesterday, it didn't even register with me that Debbie Reynolds was mentioned in the George Irving announcement, but it smacked me in the face when I reopened my email this morning and this was still in my preview window.

Losing Carrie Fisher hit me so much harder than any other celebrities we've lost this year. Her mental health advocacy meant a great deal to me, as I try to teach my daughter how to navigate life with disabling mood disorders as well as muddling my way through days with milder depression and anxiety. She was forthright and raw and real in a way that very few others in the public eye have been. She was strong and vibrant and beautifully, lovingly blunt. We need more like her.

That's a shame. Mr. Sager was quite the fighter, but stupid cancer seems to win too often.

And yet, we have Norman Lloyd, Olivia de Havilland, and Kirk Douglas. I suppose when they go, most folks will be saying "Wait, (s)he was still alive?!" (Mr. Lloyd and Ms. de Havilland are in my dead pool list, which had no hits at all this year. For all of the celebrity losses we had, none of them were ones I had predicted.)

I think the caroler commercial with the pain little girl is for a department store (Kohl's, maybe?). They all sound awful, then they are standing on the doorstep in coordinating outfits and sound delightful.

I will be terrible with you. I cannot stand those commercials. I am happy to support various charities (including St. Jude's- they get a ton from me all year long) but those commercials annoy the bejesus out of me. In other car-commercial-hating news, the Chevy commercial with everyone talking about Santa granting them this awesome car are grating on me. The lady who tells Santa that she wants to "...go fay-est..." especially makes me want to throw sock balls at the television.

I had to buy tickets for my prom in 1989, but I didn't do anything elaborate to get a date- yes, I invited a boy (actually multiple boys, since I was not dating anyone and the first two guys I asked politely turned me down)- I just picked up the phone and called. My husband teaches at a private Catholic high school, and he says the "prom-posal" thing is out of control; most of his colleagues agree. For the record, he planned a very nice proposal when he asked me to marry him, but it was far from a spectacle- he hid my ring in the star on the Christmas tree and wrapped up a note in a box for me to open as my gift. I'd just worked a long shift at the department store and was scheduled for another long day the following morning, so he fixed me dinner and we exchanged gifts at his apartment. I was only surprised because of the timing- I figured we'd get engaged sooner or later, but I didn't realize that he'd already saved up the money and bought a ring, so I thought it would happen the following summer. My sister even commented when I called with the news "well, I'm very happy for you, but can you really say you didn't see this coming? It's not exactly a shock that he wants to marry you."

I'm only 45, but would get vaccinated today if I could. I had shingles about 13 years ago, and it got misdiagnosed until it was too late for me to take the antivirals, so I had to just let it run its course. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Wasn't he married to Mary Tyler Moore for awhile?

I like dark meat, too. I have a ton of leftover dark meat anyway- the hazard of getting a larger turkey than originally planned- and I plan to put it in tonight's soup (the final turkey-related leftover meal...)

That's totally what I was thinking- get the WiFi, but only give the password to the people who act like decent human beings. My son's timeouts used to consist of "don't come back until you are ready to act like you can be with people," and the alone time would NOT include him having any electronic devices. My kids are fairly introverted and are very attached to their devices, but they've learned the basics of how to politely interact with extended family (especially those of the less tech-savvy generation) without being little jackholes.

Is it awful that whenever I hear about Branca or that Dodgers game, I think of Isaac Jaffee missing the hit because he was washing his hands? Branca always took forever to warm up, but not that day...

I spent a few years in retail and never hated Christmas, but I hated how the department store I worked at in the early 90s broke down the Christmas displays on Christmas Eve. I hated how frazzled people were if I was working on Christmas Eve, though; I got engaged two days before Christmas in 1993, and I think the emotional high was the only thing that kept me from wanting to knock people's heads together at how ridiculous they were acting.

Count me in on the annoyance. I hate the effects for TV and wish they would just stick with us seeing the same thing on screen that the audience can see in person. I think the lift is only a point. When CAI gave an 8, it was in contrast to 9s from other judges, so it meant the lift was probably just a single point deduction from what would have been a 9-level dance.

Tom was cracking me up with his continued references to Carrie Anne calling out the lifts. I wish I could remember exactly what he said when Calvin scooped up and was hugging little Caleb; something along the lines of "Carrie Anne was very touched my Calvin's visit from his son, but says she needs to take a point off for the lift."

I wonder if using archive footage means they don't have to pay him anything additional, and archived footage doesn't require him being credited? I sort of remember that actors need a certain number of lines to earn their SAG cards (three, maybe?) so it's possible that there is also a requisite amount of lines to result in a credit or pay.

So, in the latest Campbell's soup commercial I've seen, Dad is waiting up for daughter (who is late for curfew) and puts bubble wrap on the stairs so that she can't sneak in unnoticed. My big question is this- who in the heck fixes tomato soup and grilled cheese when they are waiting up for their kids to come home in the wee hours of morning?!

I will confess to blubbering like a fool at Laurie's package, since I just lost my father-in-law to Alzheimer's last month. But the idea that she didn't find out until days later, and from Val?! Ugh. I was ready for Terra to go (although I would have been fine with Jana going instead), I do appreciate that the trio dance gave us a chance to have Artem back on the floor. I do greatly enjoy watching that man dance.

Notorious is also on ABC, and they had an episode a few weeks ago in which a character is seen with the gun to his head or throat, followed by a cutaway to a more prominent character, who was then shown getting splattered. So, it could happen.

I don't actually yarn bomb (the only time I'm going to put my hard work out in random public places is when I sometimes hang scarves and hats with notes near some of the churches and parks where the homeless congregate), but I get tired of the out-of-touch grandma/crazy aunt stereotypes that are applied to yarn crafters. Here's some realism- advertise a coffee shop or bar by showing a Stitch and Bitch group laughing and enjoying a nice outing!

But, once again, there is a whole lot of Maryland other than Baltimore. Should folks in Oakland and Lusby feel like they are represented by Baltimore City? It seems like every listicle I read uses "...things about MD" when they really mean "...things about Central MD." A show that resonates with me as being from "where I'm from" as a lifelong MD resident is just as likely to be West Wing as it is The Wire. (Although I was a faithful local viewer of Homicide: Life on the Street," and often looked for familiar spots.)