Pallida

Less than 20 years ago is still a long time ago when it comes to tuition and the costs of going to college or university. In the past 20 years, state school tuition costs have rose exceedingly fast. (I could soapbox about the reasons, but that's probably too much detail for here!) Using California State University tuition as an example since that is presumably the system of Zoey's school, tuition is almost 4x as expensive now as it was in 2001-02. While still lower than the University of California system or other states, tuition alone is $5,472. Add in mandatory fees and being as economical as possible with textbooks, and another thousand or so is added on. Add in housing, and that's not something that a summer job is likely to cover. A few years ago, while teaching an undergraduate anthropology class, this particular topic is one that really resonated with students. I would out myself as having started at a public university in 1998, and the looks on their faces when I told them what tuition cost told a huge story. We discussed this not to make them feel awful about how much they're spending, rather, to help them think through the importance of putting experience in context and how to intersect facts/data with experience. I wanted to empower these students to say "screw you for implying Millenials are lazy, this is how things are different than even just a decade ago you ignorant fools!"

Did she start that after calling for a clue in the Doo Doo category? 😀

Because she's not old enough to be independent in the eyes of financial aid (regardless of cut-off status), she wouldn't get grants or work study - and she'll need info from her parents for the loans. I've known people to get married during undergrad solely to get independent status because their parents wouldn't (or couldn't) support them the way financial aid assumed. Of course, this is stuff I know now after way too many years in higher ed. At 19, I was an emotional dumbdumb and didn't know about 1/10 of the resources that were available. That is to say, I don't think Zoey's behavior is unrealistic or even all that unusual. But it makes me reflect on how much I've grown since I was her age 🙂

I’m feeling old. In my mind, girl code is you don’t hook up with someone your friend has feelings for or a friend’s ex if the relationship or breakup were messy. You almost had a thing but you chose someone else? Dude is fair game. I agree with @UNOSEZ that the reaction is exacerbated by everything else though. Or at least I hope the show goes that route! I did appreciate that Luca got upset (in his less expressive way). It gave his character more depth. Plus, he calls Zoey out. She’s not ready to hear it, but that’s ok.

I don’t think anybody has pointed out that James was wearing a purple ribbon (pancreatic cancer awareness) on this episode too.

I think Sebastian has beautiful technique, but I think his fabric choices with the technique often end up looking very heavy. I thought this week looked like an air filter of some sort, and up close it looked way too heavy. That heaviness would work fine for something like winter clothing or outwear, but some of his shapes seem to want to be more ethereal, including this week. (I thought last week looked heavy as well.) maybe this is sacrilege, but as I think back on it, it reminds me of the carpet pad used by Michelle on All Stars. I giggled every time someone called Bishme “Bish.” I just want to hear “Bish please.” I’m looking forward to Hester’s collection. I don’t think she functions well in a time-restrictive environment (restricted both in time at Mood and time in the work room). While it won’t be mainstream, I’d like to see quirk.

I know someone with an absolutely wonderful pergola. It has vine plants across the top to provide shade for the table underneath, and the open structure around the sides allows for plenty of light. If I remember correctly, she grows beans along the beams, so you can snack while chatting at the table, too.

One additional thing about Tessa’s is that her client was very clear about not wanting something that would make her look shorter (and thus why she wanted a short dress). I think a good designer should know what shapes will work, and I thought Tessa’s garment failed miserably. It made her torso look stumpy. Looking at pics on Tom and Lorenzo, she looks like there’s no space between breast and waist and then waist and legs. I’m not good at describing it, but I don’t find it flattering, and I’m sure a different shape would have worked infinitely better.

I was wondering if Hester’s berets were reversible, so seeing that they can be rotated to provide a different message makes sense. I like the concept even if it’s not something I’d wear. I wish someone had corrected the grammar on her shirt. I don’t judge that she doesn’t seem to have grammar as a strength, but it’d be nice if someone had caught it. Regarding Tessa, I find it distasteful to question her story. Yes, I realize this is reality tv and people do unsavory things, but I’m not a fan of questioning victimhood. Based on her wording, I think it’s possible that she realized as an adult that behavior/activity was abuse that she didn’t understand at the time of occurrence was abuse. This is different than recovered memories. Back to more specifics from the episode, I liked Sebastian’s technique quite a lot but his construction was a bit awkward. There was some odd draping around the waist. With more time and fabric, I’m sure it’d be better. I don’t often like Jamall’s puffer technique (but appreciate the concept behind it), but I thought it worked well for this challenge. I have a hunch the effect wasn’t as visible/prominent on some screens.

I can guess whatever pops in my head at home, but I’m sure being in the studio would lead to double and triple guessing myself and not ringing in if I weren’t at least 90% sure! I also process the questions faster by reading than hearing, and my understanding of the studio leads me to believe that would be a hindrance for me Plus, with wildcard slots up for grabs, the less-than-positive guesses are more risky than in regular gameplay. I think all of the teachers are awesome - they’ve all passed a test I haven’t passed, and they put up with students and are helping build the future!

I feel like the “too easy” comments come up every tournament (other than champions). But the first week of the tournament requires all clues to be unveiled, so it makes sense they’d be “easier.” I do think there are some regional and/or generational things that affect the perceived difficulty though.

Apologies if I'm misunderstanding how the woman taught you to say Willamette (or if you had a typo), but how I read what you wrote isn't correct. (I live in the Willamette Valley.) This video has a pretty clear pronunciation:

I tend to lurk in the Jeopardy forum, but add me to the list that’s happy to see all the pet photos!

I noticed the exact same thing in the half second that they showed the flash sale picture. I was trying to find them online and felt old when I couldn't find the flash sale pictures.

I was rather disappointed during the reading that Silky thought Plastique is Japanese. I rewatched the before-the-season interview video posted in the media thread. It's hard to reconcile something from the video with what we're seeing in the episode. I'll spoiler tag in case people don't like the outside videos.

I think one of the reasons I like the final four is that none of them come across as doing this to try to get a tv show. They've all made complex things that I, a somewhat okay home baker, have no experience and no confidence making - and it's beautiful to see.

A YouTube channel I watch occasionally filmed a video of teens reacting to Cashmeoutside Girl (Bhad Bhabie)'s rap music - and then a reaction video to her reacting to them. It makes me sad that this show gave her more publicity. I wish Ru wouldn't reward the aggressive performances in either the Snatch Game or when lip syncing. During Snatch Game, the queens should play off each other, and sometimes that's piping up - but Silky inserted herself before Plastique had a chance to respond to something Ru said. I'd also like to see a reduction in the reality "star" performances. I'd like to see a theme (like academy award actress or grammy award singer or Razzie winners.) that would keep that from happening. I agree with the above comment that someone on production doesn't like Silky - and the tinfoil hat side of me wonders if it's because of the physicality on the guest judges that came back stage. Early on, I wanted to like Silky, but now she's seeming so petty that I just can't.

I was disappointed that Yvie implied that a person can't "keep it real" and be cordial at the same time. I normally agree with the things she says, but she often doesn't use tact when bringing them up (and her timing is often bad). Vanjie said she knew the information was right, but to me, Yvie kicks a downed dog by reiterating points. Bring up that she needs to get away from the leotard looks when they're in the workroom getting ready at the start of a new challenge - not right after the judges reamed her on the main stage. I still like Yvie's drag and interpretation of the challenges, and I know she's self-aware that she doesn't always have great timing or delivery. This environment probably isn't conducive to growth in that area though! I realized during this episode that I love Brook's confessional outfit. Some of the queens create a fashionable look for the confessionals, but she's just wearing a red hoodie and white t-shirt. The normalcy just makes me smile. I like that Shuga Cain isn't predictable. There's some inconsistency, but I enjoy the diversity of looks. (Plus, I've enjoyed the cultural aspects she's incorporated.) After all of this drama, I want to rewatch the 30-minute interview with the queens that was shared before the season started. I think it was Yvie who had a comment in there that viewers have a right to be entertained by the drama, but not to participate in it.

The picking apart is why I think she tries to taste components separately. Tasting them separately and all together makes the most sense to me for judging.

I found a LinkedIn profile that says the Masters degree was from Indiana Wesleyan University.

I hadn't thought of it this way either - super insightful!

I wish one of these days, Sabrina would accept she’s a neophyte and would take a breather to research before acting. She was easily duped by Lilith throughout both seasons because she wanted to act rather than take the time to think first. I appreciate that it’s appropriate for her age, and I do think it makes for good storytelling, but there’s just so much information and wisdom available to her that she ignores!

I know a smidgen about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome as I met someone with it who is also involved with an EDS support and resources organization. I hope that Yvie isn't approaching the competition as "push my body past its boundaries now because the boundaries will shrink in the future," as I wouldn't want her to do excessive damage to herself for our viewing pleasure! I think people with chronic conditions don't always want to be treated "special" for something that's just so embedded in them and don't want others to determine their thresholds for them. I'm quite fascinated by Vanjie. I like the juxtaposition of the two out-of-drag personas - the one that's being an entertainer, and the one that's not. I think the vocal inflections when being an entertainer align with the drag persona (and yes, they're sometimes a lot, but I still like the enthusiasm). The non-performer persona seems more introverted, and while I don't like that it's been driven by disappointment and hurt, I appreciate that we've been able to witness that side as well. Last week, Silky made a comment about only painting one mug, and this week I realized it seems very similar to Mayhem Miller's look. I don't know if it's a common drag mug, but now I can't unsee Mayhem who was ousted way too early! I was distracted during the lip sync, so I don't have a particular opinion on it. I do think Ra'Jah's previous lip syncs were overly aggressive with how she took over the stage (as in, it wasn't stage presence that commanded the stage, it was her physically invading all over the place). The desperation in previous lip syncs didn't fit the music, for me, so that's another reason I wasn't invested in this one. Plus I had read the results already here 🙂

Don't forget online schools! Organizational leadership is a pretty population online master's program.

I wonder if Lorraine is tasting individual elements with her small bites. When they show her plate, it looks like there’s far more eaten than implied by the small bites shown. Maybe she has something in her contract where they can’t show bigger bites.