853fisher

I have to admit I did think Mayim was more agreeable (less manic) than usual today. I wonder if I'll feel the same way tomorrow. I don't think it was just my good mood talking, because I wasn't in one this afternoon. ;) You beat me to it! It's a little strangled or something, but he did say it.

THAT's what it reminded me of! Thank you so much. Maybe that's why it got my dander up. In return, enjoy Insider's "most ridiculous" Bachelor and Bachelorette job titles. A few of these seem potentially reasonable, not knowing the details of how they actually applied to these individuals. But the rest, oy vey. I think "social media participant" is particularly... *chef's kiss*.

I haven't made up my mind whether to watch this or not. In general, I want to encourage more Jeopardy, but I don't like much of anything I've heard about it. Mayim told Variety that "the categories are a little peppier, a little spicier" (what the hell does that even mean?). I don't know what's wrong with the way they usually structure tournaments), but something feels wrong about a semifinal winner not advancing. I have to admit that I'm not particularly impressed with the lineup of schools either. They strike me as the usual suspects, for the most part. I think they should have made a bit more of an effort to get even one student from a community college, for instance, including actively recruiting them and financing their appearance if necessary (for students in particular, they really ought to do that for everyone anyway, if they don't). Instead, 7/8 Ivies, a bunch of Power Five football schools, and a few others. It feels very par for the course.

FJ will be haunting me all night. I came up with Scrabbel, Boggel, Troubel...all very fruitful trains of thought. That turns out to be the long and short of it, according to this article. "He moved back to North Carolina when his niece was born in 2010 so he could help out his sister. Calling himself a 'stay-at-home uncle', he said, 'started as a sort of joke to support and undermine my sister's authority as a parent. I love her, but she used to pull my hair.'" (He is also an improv comic.) God help me, I know having strong opinions about how people are introduced on a game show nudges me firmly into curmudgeon territory, but I really think we just need name, location, and occupation. Sure, a little humorous commentary doesn't kill anyone, but sometimes it feels the show's style is being giggle-fied a bit. If I go on, should I ask to be called a "single cat father" or "chardonnay quality control inspector"?

Someone said on Reddit that Lawrence looked like a red herring in an Agatha Christie novel. That’s a line I wish I’d come up with!

I definitely found some results from travel writers, and on Reddit someone says they asked a Delta employee who regularly refers to it as "Air Emirates" at work. There is definitely some colloquial currency to it. (I think Google might reflect a mix of that usage and its algorithmic understanding of what those terms mean, since the silly examples in my post like Air Lufthansa yield similar results.) So the question then is, where is the line drawn on colloquialisms? Maybe better than "Air United" or "Air Lufthansa" would be to ask whether the show would accept "Mickey D's" for McDonald's, "WaHo" for Waffle House (gee, I must be hungry), or "Honest Abe" for Lincoln. I don't know. Maybe once, then you'd be told to knock it off, or be-more-specific.

Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but I'm unsure "Air Emirates" should have been accepted. They just call themselves "Emirates" in English, while their Arabic name translates to "Fly Emirates." I can't find anything official with "Air Emirates," although it seems to get some colloquial use. Would they have taken Air Lufthansa or Air Alitalia? Air United or Air Delta? She got the essential bit, but I think the rules say you're wrong if you add incorrect info. I really dislike the feeling that there's something to look twice at every few days or so, but I'm not someone who can easily turn that off once I find a reason to be skeptical. I never felt this way about J! until recently. I do wonder what a "stay-at-home uncle" is. Is Lawrence raising his nieces / nephews? To me, being a nursing student precludes being a "stay-at-home" anything anyway. So let's hear it. I'm too nosy to cope when people give an unusual occupation without any explanation!

Indeed. I would have said "hoochie-coochie," actually, which is what I think they were calling it in this country around that time rather than "belly dancing." Imagine the judges trying to figure that out!

I think I've learned this multiple times but for some reason keep forgetting it. Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I think someone onstage might have recognized a photo that wasn't so young. (I did know her.) Tangentially related, my favorite understudy story came when Ethel Merman did "The Lucy Show." Vivian Vance had been Merman's understudy in "Red, Hot, and Blue" in the 30s. Just before they went out to do the show, she whispered to Merman, "this is the first time I've stood in the wings with you and didn't hope you'd drop dead!" I think that's not right. Kelly will still be 12th/15 if Emma wins Monday. It would take 4 more 4X (or 3X with more than $80K) winners to definitely bump him off. You only definitely qualify for this ToC if you win 4X (this has been 5X in the past), so the show could use any reason or no reason to pass over him, but I'm just rooting for those 4 people to do what they need to do. I bet the show is hoping for the same. They don't want to have address that affair again from any angle.

The setup was odd too. I wondered how dull her other stories must be if that was the best one! I think that's the plot of the "Nightmare Alley" remake, but I'm not sure: I fell asleep for a while. ;)

I didn't think the challengers were any schlubs, but unfortunately they just had too many incorrect answers. It must be hard to stop swinging as you fall behind. Emma has been a pretty consistent performer and it'll be interesting to see how far she can go. I wouldn't bet against a few more days. If ever there were a category I'd risk a Clavin-esque wager on, it'd be that Final. I was sure I'd know anything mainstream enough to feature, and I was right. That felt nice. Who said all that time screwing around at amusement and theme parks, and reading and writing about them, wouldn't pay off?

I think she has a NordicTrack under there or something. There was a shot of her yesterday from her right in which I swear I saw her left leg tucked behind her at a 90 degree angle. I thought there was no way that could be comfortable.

I found the contestant stories very charming today. The challengers were a little "on" for me, but I can't blame anyone in their position. I would have been happy to see any of them win. I'm impressed that I got FJ! I hadn't ever heard of an Eisenhower jacket (more on that from Wikipedia) but the date of death and mention of WWII made me think it could be him. I was thinking it might have been nice to put the author's name for "Mashed Up Books" on the screen. But things could get busy fast if they did too much of that. Mayim, the apostrophe is your hint not to say "de alma." And I wish they'd just mark things like "[Operation] Desert Storm" for her since she clearly can't figure them out herself.

I hadn't a clue in "My Playlist," other than about "Play That Funky Music White Boy." I know and like "On Broadway" but couldn't recognize it from the lyric snippet. I'm fairly confident I have never heard of the other three songs. This would be a massive weakness for me if I ever went on the show! I don't like Mayim, in general or as the host of this show (I know, you're all shocked, since I never mention it), but it tickled me that she called it "single Jeopardy." That's a running joke I have with a friend who's also watched for years. There are 20 comments on Reddit about how that's a function of her having never watched the show before or bothered to really learn its lore, but in the moment I thought it seemed joking or knowing, and it made me smile. Something about that thread made me realize how I must sound sometimes, because it really was awfully harsh. Mayim's also not the one making the decisions on things like "Harrison" and so on. I think I've said before that I like the way the new EP talks about the show but I'm not frankly convinced that he's running half as tight a ship as Harry Friedman did. Somebody tried to tell me that there were always all these loose judgments, typos in clues, etc. I really don't think so. Well, I certainly recalled it after she said it. ;)

I found "c'mon, guys!" especially obnoxious from someone who self-admittedly has very little trivia knowledge. Maybe she was just excited there was finally a clue she could have answered on her own?

Chatting with a friend who also watches reminded me of something else on my mind. While I accept that they don't cut into the time available for gameplay, I am finding some of the intros a little overproduced lately, In part, they remind me of how sports coverage is presented. While I find things like the new box scores interesting, I think the new EP and various media commentators are overdoing it a bit with comparisons between this trivia-based game show and a sport. Actually, I felt the same way when Ken prompted Carrie last week about coaching Knowledge Bowl, and her response was something like "yes, it's a sport..." Well, no, I don't think it is. To me, a sport is a primarily physical endeavor. When I did quiz bowl, not even the most serious among us thought we were doing a sport. It has been pointed out some people train for the show not unlike athletes do, but it's still odd to me. Putting in discipline and work doesn't make something a sport. It feels a bit like an if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em thing to me. I think acknowledging separate spheres in activities makes more room to celebrate different kinds of accomplishments. I don't know, am I stretching? I've become less holier-than-thou and black-and-white over the years, I hope, but I find there are big differences between physical and intellectual or artistic pursuits and feel a little funny about the way some folks want to elide them.

I really enjoyed today's clues. The game didn't feel very strong, but the scores seemed to reflect two fair-to-good players, so I wonder what's causing that dissonance for me. I liked Jay's shirt and wondered if it had any texture to it. Maybe they'll ask that for me if he sticks around long enough that they're running out of interview subjects. ;) I thought the "Baryshnikov chased by autograph seekers who didn't realize he was defecting" sounded like an interesting little story and wanted to learn more. Autocomplete results for "Baryshnikov chased..." were "while defecating" [sic], "by bear," "in a dream," and "by cows." I needed a cup of tea after that!

I hadn't heard that the two main rounds had fixed times (such as 6.5 minutes each) but I can understand why they might want each game to be played with the same timer running. I hadn't thought the interviews etc must be taking time away from games, just that they could perhaps trim a little more there when the boards are not completed. Maybe I'm being obstinate, but I think there may be some give in the fixed time, since we've observed (or maybe only speculated?) that special guest promo categories are played no matter what. Discussion about the writing apparatus for FJ reminded me of my mom. When point-of-sale equipment requiring electronic signature was new-ish, Ma worried about the security of these devices (and I think they were often crude in terms of what they captured). She would, with a flourish, make the most ridiculous mark she could, so her signature wouldn't be in a computer database. I wonder whether she still does it! We see each other often but I can't think of the last time we were together that she was asked to sign one of those.

I've done more than my share of complaining lately, but I never have understood why they don't make their minds up to lose 15 seconds if needed to get a last clue out there. The show is more extensively edited than it appears, I've learned over the years. For instance, the stand-and-stare pauses are shortened. Just do a little more there, or take 5 minutes on set and retape the opening remarks shorter, or edit the most tragically dull contestant story, or something! Of course it's not the end of the world, but it has always struck me as entirely unnecessary to miss any clues at all.

I thought it was this song I've always liked by Walter Donaldson, one of the big names from the "great American songbook." But it was a different one entirely, with words by the Southern poet Robert Loveman and music by "Mrs. Lollie Belle Wylie," a classic old name if ever I heard one. I couldn't readily find it online.

I read the list of state songs on Wikipedia a while ago, for no particular reason. I find it interesting to note which states use songs from the popular canon and which use more "traditional" music. I really like "I Love You, California," but the state of my birth, Maryland, recently became one of only two states with no official song, when it ditched its awful martial poem to the tune of "O Tanenbaum." Among other things, it refers to the Union as "northern scum"; calls Lincoln a tyrant, a vandal, and a despot; and declares that "Virginia should not call in vain...sic temper [tyrannis]." Real wining stuff, in other words. Others are less outrageous but don't seem quite apt. Among Tennessee's 10(!) is "Tennessee Waltz." Sure, it has Tennessee in the title, but the lyrics are about introducing a friend to your lover and watching them leave together. I've only driven through that state, but I don't recall cuckolding among its outstanding characteristics.

If I could clock "providence" for "provenance" while lying in a hammock eating dim sum, surely the people on set getting paid should have been able to do the same. Kirsten said on Reddit that, while she knows it wouldn't've affected the outcome, she did know it and would've liked the opportunity to ring in. I also think it was generous to take Carrie's FJ response. Maybe they decided not to analyze it closely since it didn't affect the outcome, but I thought she did not complete it, and what it appeared she did write flunks the rule that they'll take a misspelling if it's phonetically the same. They've got to be consistent. I'm sure it must seem to some like I'm harping on about minutiae, but I really don't remember these kinds of things all the time back when Harry Friedman was producing, and I think we should expect excellence. They have the resources to do it all right and, the rest of the world as it is, I wish they would! It really is wild. I lucked into a fantastic deal on my flat in San Francisco. One upstairs was recently marketed at 3X the price I pay and I worry the landlord will find a way to get me out, despite relatively strong tenant protections here. Meanwhile my friends in Hampton Roads VA pay $500 less a month for 500 sqft more house, with much nicer and newer finishes, and they get to benefit from appreciation. I really enjoy living here and, having investigated the things I value in other areas, haven't seriously considered moving, but some days...!

20% down on a condo might set Amy back $125K in her current neighborhood. I have no idea about her debt, anticipated expenses, etc. but if it were me, I would try to invest a considerable portion of my winnings. I agree it's probably not "f you money," especially in the Bay Area, but even if she spent that $125K and invested another $500K, I think she would still have enough to cushion her as she explored another line of work. FWIW, I've seen claims elsewhere that "demotion" was a bit of a strong word WRT the change in Amy's position at work. Forgive me if I missed her using it in quotes or talking at more length about it. The claim was that it was determined by mutual agreement that her focus was elsewhere, and it was implied that she could resume the role if she wanted. I don't recall who the source was, but I guess I could believe that.

The general rule I was taught for trivia contests is to give the last name only unless you're 101% certain. (Of course, maybe she was!) The worst that can happen then is that you'll be prompted to say more, but the best is that you'll get the credit when you might otherwise have tripped yourself up.

Last night I went for a movie at the theater I like in Amy's neighborhood. I was too tired to stick around for a nightcap. Imagine my surprise this morning when I read in the NYT that Amy and her well-wishers had their watch party in the bar right behind my bus stop! Drat. My guess for FJ was Mason Weems, who invented the "I cannot tell a lie" cherry tree story and various other elements of Washingtonian hagiography. I considered Pierre L'Enfant, who laid out Washington DC, but I ruled him out for being French, not Irish. Oh well! The first round had great categories for me. Muni was a fair guess for BART: that's transit within San Francisco only, and the systems actually share a few stations. I like Bette on the "Dolly" soundtrack, but I loved seeing Betty Buckley, who took over for the tour, do it. I confused Cricket, which is a service provider, with Jitterbug. I hadn't seen commercials for the phones in a while, but was interested to see that they now make a simplified smartphone as well as the large-everything clamshells I remembered them featuring. Finally, if you were wondering whether the melody category was supposed to represent a tune or spell something, as far as I can tell, there are no Easter eggs hiding there. I thought it was nearly "too clever by half," but maybe not quite there.