frenchtoast

I really hope so. And I hope we get to see it. A friend texted me that it was another dark Clone Wars episode and it sure did feel like it. I just hope Cody learns about the chip because he deserves that. So good to see him again. And hey, we got to see Rampart again--hope he shows up more. He's so deliciously smarmy. Is this show an anthology like Clone Wars or is it chronological? Because this seemed like it would have happened before the war chest heist.

The guy who shot him is Vice-Admiral Rampart who arranged Orn FreeTaa's assassination attempt last season. And then blamed Cham Syndulla for it in order to take control of Ryloth. (Orn Free Taa was in an uneasy power sharing alliance with Cham Sydulla from the Clone Wars so there was definitely tension.) He also is in charge of the War Mantle project wherein the Clones are being replaced by recruited soldiers/conscripts. I believe they are referred to as TK troopers, but the whole hierarchy is weird to me. Oh, he was also the officer who is charge of blowing up the cloning facilities on Kamino. I hope we see more of him--I like seeing more baddies from the Empire than just Tarkin. I think what's interesting is that he wanted badly to destroy them following what happened on Ryloth but it seems he's putting his ambition ahead of revenge and would rather not any effort into finding them/punishing them. It does also mean that Crosshair did not inform Rampart that the Batch survived the bombardment which may be interesting going forward. Of course it may be a dropped thread, too. Also, Tech took out a trooper with a freaking broken leg. Hot damn. Tech has always been my favorite but holy hell he was kind of a badass this episode. I think Echo understands better than anyone what it feels like to be a weapon used against one's will. And I would imagine he would like to save as many as he was saved. I also think that's why they use stun instead of bolts/bullets whatever it is. The soldiers--clones or otherwise--really are just being used and they have a certain amount of sympathy. Also, if you want to stay under the radar not leaving a trail of bodies helps. Thieving is one thing. Killing is another. And the killing is what will grab attention.

My daughter had strep last week/weekend. We mentioned how surprised we were to the doc and she said it's been going around lately, more than the flu or Covid. We were also a bit surprised because daughter had gotten her tonsils out a few years ago. Yes, you can still get strep but it certainly helps reduce getting it. Not for my daughter, sadly. And it's the first time she' been sick in over 2 years, so there's that. Last year she wore a mask at school and this year she decided not to.

In the Jill and Derick topic, @Zella said about naming the kids: I just have to say I unintentionally named my two kids A-names. And then found out they were the names of the victims of Lizzie Borden. (If Lizzie Borden actually killed her father and stepmother). We lived not far from Fall River (had jury duty there within a stones throw of the house) and my daughter was appalled when she discovered the link. It was also unintentional. I did get a little bit of shit about the names we chose though not because of the two reasons listed above. I can totally understand why parents choose not to announce the names until after the baby is born because holy cow is it frustrating.

I believe the actual word incel is a portemanteau of involuntarily celibate. But they are a big online menace who feel women owe them attention and sex and that feminism ruined their lives etc. The person who went on a rampage in Toronto a few years back self-identified as an incel. While I don't Tim adheres to the entire philosophy, the rage and the view of women lines up.

The trailer for season 2 dropped which means I have to start speculating. So, not sure if this is valid but there is some talk that that is Cody with Crosshair at the 33 second mark. (And 44 seconds and 47) If that's Cody....that's going to be tough to watch. Crosshair was a dick prior to Order 66--he picked fights with the regs pretty often. But Cody was not like that. Cody knows Crosshair--he called the Batch in during the Clone Wars. Seeing Cody perhaps confront Echo and maybe even Rex? Hurts my heart. But hey, Rampart is back so that should be interesting. He's a pretty good villain--cold, calculating, and while he'll kill and destroy to achieve ends, he rarely gets his hands dirty. Seeing him shooting a blaster was interesting. And lastly, with the helmet on, Omega looks a lot like Boba. Which, she should, I guess it's just easier for me to see without her hair.

I had been seeing/hearing that Bad Batch was going to be unceremoniously dropped because it was having issues or some such. So seeing a trailer and a fall premiere date is wild. I am looking forward to it. Taking some speculation to the speculation topic.

From the Jill and Derrick thread: I just had to note that I lived in MA and we paid about 4,000/year in property taxes on a little over a quarter of an acre and 2,000 sq ft house. Here in TX, we pay about 12,000/year on less acreage (it's like 7000 sq ft lot) and a slightly larger house. And the whole spiel that we'll save money because there's no income tax is a hoot and holler because...no. We are paying waaaay more in taxes. Also, sales tax is more here. I am not familiar with AR but it would seem it would probably be less but like @Zella pointed out the taxes are going to have to be raised quite a bit to keep up with services. Cost of living is a weird thing and it really does vary a lot between states. But holy cow I need to shout loud and long about how people think moving to TX will be cheaper than living in MA. It is in no way cheaper and quality of life is not the same either.

Taking reply to Small Talk

I saw that on the Weather Channel yesterday morning! It's unreal. Had to show my husband who is big into trains.

I love Dr. Kat. Her history of the month round is probably my favorite thing of 2021.

The couch we had before we bought these LaZBoy couches were loose and I hated it because they moved. Both the seat and back cushions are attached in our current couches and that has its own issues--can't always get what drops in there and I know there are crumbs that I'll never get to. As for getting used to a dog, @laurakaye, I second the walking and feeding. Especially the walking. And toss treats as you're walking and hopefully seeing how thrilled the dog is (most adore walks and treats) it might make you more comfortable? You're also moving, the dog isn't solely focused on you but it knows you're there, and you can get closer or increase distance as you feel necessary. And maybe play outside a bit, too (with your daughter around). Something that you can do where you're not in a confined space and the dog is doing something it loves will hopefully create a positive feedback loop.

Three years ago we bought new couches from La Z Boy. Initially I was pretty sure I wanted leather but we were shown a fabric made from recycled plastic that we liked a lot and it was easier to care for than leather. I needed something that had recliners and these function in such a way that you don't need much space behind in order to deploy the footrest. I don't know that I'll be able to find the information but I'll see if I can dig it up. The couches themselves are pretty plain and bland looking, but I do like that I can vacuum under the couch without having to move them. The recliner is electric and is sooooooo slooooooow and the vacuum grabs that cord so that can be annoying, but overall, I'm very happy with the couches. And they are very easy to clean.

Yes, I knew they were linked with some pretty terrible stuff, including being assholes about health insurance, too. (There was a Supreme Court case and they can deny birth control coverage to their employees. Assholes) And I also avoid WalMart if I can (and I usually can) and never eat at Chick Fil A either. Or what @jcbrown said. It's a shame because there is a yarn I would like to try that is a Hobby Lobby brand but I will not step foot in the store.

Yeah, it would be great but this neighborhood and our former neighborhood are full of kids having so much fun there is just no way we could do that. Not as many people decorate here and I don't know if it's an HOA thing (they'll ding you for decorations too early) or just a low interest thing. We did a lot with our old house but we cut back significantly here. We still had decorations and Mr. Toast could not resist using the fog machine but it was definitely less.

I bought 4 bags of candy and we are nearly out. We may run out this year. Ugh.

I have a Nespresso Vertuo machine with a separate Aerosomething or other. It heats and "froths" the half n half. (I don't have that milk frother that it lists in that link) It was pricey and the pods are pricey but I prefer the flavor to a Keurig. I had no luck with French press but I have used a normal drip coffee maker but I like the option of brewing just one cup. I have run into the occasional issue of it not opening sometimes. I've had it two years come this November. Also, the pods are recyclable but it's a program that you get a free bag and bring the filled bag to UPS to ship (free) it to Nespresso for recycling. There are not many choices as far as pods/capsules go and you can't really find them in stores, you have to order online. And looking at a box of 10 pods for $10/$11 compared to a bag of coffee and a normal drip coffee maker makes me question my choice of convenience. But I do like the coffee, I find it's better than running to the local coffee shop.

I remember and miss that game.

We were refused care because we were five minutes later for check-in. Not the appt, but for the check-in. We had waited 2 months for a doctor to see the rash on my daughter's hand and were five minutes late. (Mistimed how long it would take to pick her up from school). And we were refused service and turned away, told to go see Urgent Care. It kind of pisses me off that someone who was defiantly not following procedure was given care and my daughter wasn't.

When my kids were little and not able to do their laundry (it was down two flights of stairs and those basement stairs were a doozy with a sharp turn and a half step) I would either mix the kids clothes together or just do a big load of all our clothes. I did the laundry so I would sort and fold and put it on their beds and they would put it away. (Even now, husband's gets placed on his side of the bed) Once the kids got old enough they just do their own. Including their own towels and sheets. I do wash my and my husband's clothes together. On a funny side note, there was a sign in the laundry room of son's college instructing students that the laundry pods go in the tub. (Hahahaha!)

When I first watched the episode I felt a little let down, it felt a little anti-climatic. Giving it some thought, I was being unfair because I think I was expecting a big emotional punch like from the end of Clone Wars. But that was seven seasons, and Ahsoka and Rex had had long character arcs. The first season of Bad Batch wasn't going to be able to do that, and on top of that, I think it was supposed to show them being off-balance, and struggling to figure out who they are now in this very new world with no missions and no purpose. And after watching the season again, it feels better. And I'm looking forward to another season. What I really appreciated from this episode specifically, it wasn't easy for them to escape. I think that would have annoyed me the most. It should have been difficult and dangerous and I appreciate that it was. That being said, holy shit turn off the flashlights. And screw you, Crosshair, you were shooting at them. They didn't leave you behind, you were shooting at them.

Also, the percentage of protection was only ever around 90-95%. That means that some vaccinated people could end up in the hospital, it just greatly reduces the amount of people. The number I have seen thrown around is 99.02 of the people dying are unvaccinated. The breakthrough infections that happened in Provincetown MA, nobody vaccinated ended up on a vent, though of the number (and I think it was around 100) only 2 ended up in the hospital and it wasn't requiring ICU. The short version of this: The vaccine was never ever touted as 100% prevention with 0 risk for Covid or hospitalization. But the efficacy is still high enough to warrant vaccinating in order to relieve pressure on hospitals and masking to prevent spreading. It will never be a 0 but it's still better than not getting vaccinated.

You can also hover your mouse on their avatar and there should be a choice to ignore user. (I never use the mobile site, so this is desktop only.

I'd be more than happy to get a booster shot. I also have no issue wearing a mask while out in public. I was already planning on masking while at Universal Studios Orlando, especially for the indoor queues. My hope is that if they do announce a booster, it includes the "pediatric" cohort of 12-16 year olds as well. She'll be attending school here in TX where cases are definitely on the rise and policies are in place to make it difficult to curb. (I'm actually more concerned that she won't be allowed to wear her mask at school. She was already planning on it and I am probably hoping against hope it won't be a problem) I would like her to get the booster should it become available.

We came home from a recital with our daughter and there was a hawk munching away on a squirrel in our front yard, completely unfazed that were walking into the house. I used to try to make sure the yard was clear of bunnies and squirrels because greyhounds are fast enough to catch them and it's gross. I was not always successful and squirrels are stupid and would go up on the fence and then try to race across the yard to their favorite tree with the dogs in the yard. Even so, Raz got quite a few rabbits. In our new home, there are no wild critters that I've seen in the yard. Other than big ass bugs that hit the window.