[S02: Week 3: September 6, 2020-September 12, 2020]

2 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

I'm very disappointed in Johnny. Mercades' body is nice, but she seems whiny and annoying with Mackenzie level control issues (per the preview). She could rival Mack with her possessive high school girlfriend vibes. Meanwhile, Cely is imo, ThE hOttEst giRL in ThE ViLlA next to Kierstan, with the best personality by miles, and is totally devoted to him. (As a disclaimer, I'm bi and super into her, but my opinion still stands.) It's a letdown to watch him contemplate throwing her out the window for the first girl who shoves her boobs in his face. He's much more of a shallow fuckboy than I thought. Especially because Cely just said this episode that she wouldn't stand in the way of someone else if he had a better connection with them. She's genuinely nice and doesn't deserve this.

ehh, I'm betting this is all producer manipulation and editing.  I get the sense that he's just as into Cely as she is into him.  And I really hope I'm not wrong because he's by far my fav of the guys and I like them as a couple.  

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

Yep @laurakaye, and that is the time frame where I went from having some empathy for Meri to finding her an insufferable boor.  From there my esteem continued its steep downward trajectory mostly leveling off at irredeemable despicable human being in response to her emotional infidelity with the catfisher and her subsequent gaslighting, blame shifting, and self-victimization.

[Leon Brown: So Here's Me]

1 minute ago, Kohola3 said:

I'm sure Princess felt taking it was beneath her since she is the Be-All and End-All in the academic world.

She's not the one who determines if she takes it or not, the registrar makes that decision at the time of admission to the program.

[Leon Brown: So Here's Me]

1 hour ago, deirdra said:

Maybe if "Graduate and Professional Writing" were worth more than ZERO credits, Mariah would have learned how to write like a professional adult.

Interpreting the "small print", I believe that course is the grad school version of a remedial writing class.  In other words, if her writing was "less than" going in she was required to take the class to "catch up" to the level of her peers so I agree it should not count towards the attainment of her degree.

Now the question is did she take it and the lessons still left her lacking or did she somehow bamboozle the registrar into believing her writing skills were better than what they actually are?

[S05.E14: Whole New Ballgame]

5 hours ago, Boo Boo said:

He's definitely not done with his ex.  And he wasn't done with his ex before he and Jess started flirting?  If I were Jess, you're starting off on a red flag even if he did break up with her.

I understand that people care about their exes, but at some point it's more damaging right after a break up to keep in contact with your ex.

Am I making it up or at the beginning of the season (possibly 1st episode), didn't Rob say he and his girlfriend were in an open relationship so he was free to pursue anyone he chose?  Then when he saw Jess may reciprocate the girlfriend status suddenly changed to ex?  True or am I trying to start drama where there was none?  

PS.  I have quit this season so I have not watched the last two episodes and apologize if new and more accurate info was given.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

2 hours ago, Sandy W said:

Rules may vary from State to State but I had a friend in CT that made jams and jellies and sold them at county fairs etc.  She was required to have a designated kitchen with 3 sinks for food destined for public consumption. She converted rooms in her carriage house for this purpose, she was also visited periodically by food inspectors.

I know a lot of the vendors that sell fudge, jam etc. at farmers markets do not abide by these restrictions, but they may be leaving themselves open to liability if the requirements are in place in their State.

The laws do vary by state and in some aspects quite considerably.  They are generally referred to as "cottage food laws".  I have a very small cottage food operation so I have looked into it for my state as well as a few states that are on my potential relocation destination list.  Here's a summary site but should not be relied on as authority.  It is a good source for consolidate links to individual states laws.  

https://www.pickyourown.org/CottageFoodLawsByState.htm

Here's another good summary site:

https://www.farmtoconsumer.org/cottage-foods-map/

[Leon Brown: So Here's Me]

I'm flabbergasted that so many reply to her posts giving her credit and declaring her so amazing, profound, and enlightened when in fact everything she posts is just variations on standard talking points championed by every social justice warrior and literally distributed with instructions to promote them by the causes they advocate for.  So if they agree or disagree with her statements then they need to realize they are actually agreeing or disagreeing with the cause not just complimenting or bashing woke Mariah.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

3 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

So you LITERALLY cannot make "Bingo" without ordering something from Sarah's Corner/Lizzie's Heritage Inn Ye Olde Gift Shoppe and Potholder Emporium.  Well played, Mere....however, I hope - even with your posse of sycophants - you only get back two Bingo cards.  Nice try.

Yes you can... diagonal lower left to upper right.

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

25 minutes ago, Twopper said:

I have a container that looks like this for storing bacon fat.  https://www.amazon.com/Aulett-Home-Grease-Container-Strainer/dp/B077D7RDJV/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=bacon+grease+container&qid=1598229271&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzUVVWS0xLVVREVFYwJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjE4NDE0Mk1QRUI4WDRLUERPUCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTI5NjAyTzdaTzFPNjZJM0VHJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

well, bother, it didn't show up. it is a metal container with a mesh strainer.   I collect bacon grease and cook pancakes in it; then serve with pure cane syrup.  Delish!!!

Is Flagstaff on Mountain time or Pacific?   I usually have no trouble with a time change of 2 zones. 

If she is going to keep posting food pictures, she really needs to read a few articles about presentation.  Her food usually looks gross.

I have a white stoneware version as my grease keeper.

[S05.E12: There's No Place Like Home]

3 hours ago, Sue Anne said:

Sandy acted as if the medicine were illegal because Hannah had no prescription.  

If that were the case, though, why would she return the Valium  to Hannah before Hannah left?

Imagine if Hannah actually had something like cocaine or if her Valium had someone else's name on the prescription.  Sandy would not just have given it back to Hannah to walk off the boat with.  She would follow whatever procedures "Maritime Law" dictated- lock it up for evidence, turn it in to authorities, etc.  

After all her attitude about the severity of Hannah's "drug possession,"  she just handed it back to her to keep.   

That is a GREAT point, that never even crossed my mind.  To take it a bit further, if she truly believed they were illegal (including the CBD pen aka "pot pen")  then Sandy just made herself an accessory and perhaps a supplier.

I just watched a short video (1st of 5) on Bravotv.com with Sandy again trying to explain away what she did.  Once again she mentioned zero tolerance and that NO ONE can take ANY drugs while on board because of "maritime law" (you know the one she made up in her head).  Does she forget we've been watching and know for certain this hasn't been an issue with other crew members INCLUDING her own crew.  She can not say "well that was under Capt. Lee" or that was on Sailing Yacht, or any other justification she may come up with.  IN FACT, just 5 or 6 episodes ago, Jess broke her finger came back and got right back to work immediately, you can not tell me she wasn't on pain meds for at least a day or two after that.

https://www.bravotv.com/below-deck-mediterranean-after-show/season-5/videos/captain-sandy-yawn-explains-she-was-just

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

2 hours ago, Roslyn said:

I make an all purpose cooking fat with 1/3 strained bacon fat, 1/3 unsalted butter and 1/3 EV Olive Oil.  I mix it together in a canning jar and keep it in the refrigerator.  It is firm, but a spoon scoops it easily and I use that to saute whatever needs it.

Yes, Crisco is still out there, but it is no longer the same formula.  After the 0 trans fat legislation took over all vegetable shortening was reformulated and now all of them are a blend of palm oil and vegetable oils.

...I have a soap formula that my skin absolutely loves that was made with the old vegetable shortening.  I have come close trying to reformulate, but not exactly...sigh...

I'm trying that!  I bet it provides a lovely flavor backdrop for pretty much everything.  Curious though, none of those need to be refrigerated so do you do that to keep it from separating perhaps?  All have different melting points so on the counter butter may be soft but solid, bacon fat would be semi-solid, and EVO would be liquid.  

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

5 minutes ago, DakotaJustice said:

I had one of these too!!

Me too!!  I had mine when I was in preschool when I moved  on to 1st grade I also graduated to actual weaving, knitting, and crocheting!  Still do yarn, string, and rope crafts to this day!

[S05.E12: There's No Place Like Home]

52 minutes ago, Onecattoo said:

I haven’t watched the last two episodes since I said I was done and I am.  However, here are my thoughts on how terrible Sandy really is as a captain and the ways she’s illustrated it this season.  She truly sucks. Lara: Sandy completely missed her opportunity to fire someone who actually deserved it.  Instead, she begged her to be nice and do her job, and Lara walked off the next morning. 🤦‍♀️.  Kiko: Sandy is so desperate for camera time she literally stands over the chef and harps on his every move, clearly affecting his concentration and focus, leads the guests into being dissatisfied by questioning his every meal and then, completely missing the boat on what a great employee he is in spite of one meal, she goes gunning for him before the charter is over and there are still more meals to cook.  Of course, like Hannah, he totally messes up her big firing scene by simply saying he’ll leave.  Again, she doesn’t get to fire someone because essentially Kiko saw the writing all the walls long before that moment when she was all over him every day and simply let her know he’d leave on his own...it’s funny how she acts like she fired him by saying she has to let him go, AFTER he’s already said he’ll go.  So Sandy again misses he boat (pun intended) by attempting to fire someone whose actually working hard and giving the job their all, and is actually a nice person.  Hannah: everyone has covered this and I haven’t watched it, but enough said - I trust you all when you say Hannah played her perfectly and AGAIN messed up her big attempt to fire someone, while simultaneously ignoring the terrible behavior of Malia and failing to actually reprimand her for her crossing lines, going through someone’s bags, making rooming demands she has no right to make AND remember Captain Lee saying if he has to do your job, why does he need you? Well Malia couldn’t get the guys to stop calling her sweetheart without Sandy....when Sandy should have told her to take charge and stop allowing them to disrespect you.  Sandy is simply a terrible manager, she manages on her emotions BAD and “good”, has double-standards, fails to use basic leadership skills and randomly enforces regulations only when they fit whatever narrative she wants.  If Bravo keeps her, they are idiots...but then they’ve already made it clear they are, so I have little hope they’ll replace her. 

Like you, I am done with this season (although I lasted 2 more episodes than you) and I will be done with the show entirely if Bravo does not replace both her AND Malia next season.  I will continue reading here hoping beyond hope that karma comes a-calling but I have no faith that it will.  I fear the most we will get is the backlash and vitriol that is being spewed toward Bravo, Sandy, and Malia and I truly hope it doesn't let up as they ALL deserve it after this disdainful display.

[S05.E12: There's No Place Like Home]

4 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Apparently, Kiko and his girlfriend are planning a trip in January to visit Hannah and the baby and living their best lives!

This makes my heart happy!

[Stews and News: Below Deck Med in the Media]

I'm out!  I was in no way a Hannah fan but this played out all sorts of wrong and, like someone earlier said, if you make me feel for Hannah you must have done something outlandish.  I started out liking Malia but find her quite irredeemable at this point and can only describer her as an underhanded, despicable, snake.  And I can not abide by her calling to action the deck crew by referring to them as "boys" that is so unbelievably hypocritical, disrespectful and disparaging of her.  Never have like Sandy so she did nothing but solidify my already extremely low opinion of her.   Found Aesha disturbingly crude and repulsive the first time around and have no interest in revisiting that disgustingness.  That leaves everyone else who I have no vested interest in whatsoever, so there is no point in investing any more of my time in this show.  See Ya!!!

[S22.E03: Power of Veto #1]

On 8/13/2020 at 11:02 AM, Gummo said:

I think the "after-school special" segments would've been there no matter how much drama was going on, as BB desperately wants to prove it has redeemed itself after years of racism and bullying. I expect to see more of these in the weeks to come.

I fear you are right and if that's so, I'm out.  I DO NOT watch Big Brother for social commentary rather as a welcome escape from what is troubling the world.  Yes, some of those things sneak in but it's usually in the form of a house guest displaying who they are (racist, bully, homophobe, misogynist, etc) vs a discussion about the state of the country or a dialog that turns into a public awareness campaign.

[S05.E11: Cabin Fever]

15 minutes ago, jumper sage said:

See, I went a completely different way with that.

 

Just to clarify, those weren't my words, @Lizzing said that.

[Meri Brown and her Wet Bar of Tears]

yeah, we had some weather come through.  A Derecho blew in around 4:30ish.  We were in the basement for almost an hour.  My ex was traveling from Iowa and reported no less than 6 semis had toppled over!!  Very strong winds.

[S05.E11: Cabin Fever]

10 hours ago, Lizzing said:

I am  loathe to comment before watching, but I wanted to read the comments ahead of actually viewing the episode.  BD/BDM used to be a wonderful escape to beautiful locales, but in the last year it has done nothing more than raise my blood pressure and wish to see Tamra Barney acting the fool in beachy locales rather than the misogynist assholes hired to staff a yacht.  And I'm no fan of that possum-faced fool.

So I will be skipping this and watching the comments here to see if Bugsy, Malia, and Sandy get their cumuppance.   I've commented before that I wanted Sandy to be great--a woman in a traditionally male role--but was let down at nearly every turn.  Then it dawned on me: her one talent is backing into tight parking spaces.  It's been my life long belief that backing into parking spaces is the mark of the devil.  So, despite the probably nautical need to back into slips, her innate talent for that one thing--and ONLY that one thing--has proven to me that she's just plain evil.  And the whole Covid downplaying BS didn't help. 

Inasmuch as I would love for Hannah to have something actionable, HIPAA isn't going to work here (not to mention the usual Bravo contract language about precluding suits against other cast members).  That piece of legislation guards against a patient's privacy being violated by a health care provider or insurer in the US.  Better international legal minds than mine could make an argument about privacy laws in Spain/Greece/wherever they were or in general, but that is likely obviated by the Bravo contract, which no doubt has been vetted by lawyers with international law expertise.

Anyway, I like Hannah about as much as I like Kate: only so-so, but I enjoy their TV personalities, and like the continuity they bring to the show.  But Hannah was done dirty since the start of this season, just like Kate was in her last season.  I don't like this Bravo trend.  In fact, Bravo's airing of the *original* MDL season kicked my brain into nostalgia gear, and that early aughts, when things were nice (remember the original QE aired here), were the best times.  And if Bravo is wanting to do dirty deeds to OGs to cut their salary budget, I have suggestions....ditch Sandy, ditch all things Jeff Lewis, ditch Kyle Richards, ditch all the OC, and ditch Andy Cohen.

You've said this before, I still don't understand why?  I would love to know what is so horrible about backing into a space and is deserving of being labeled an "asshole" or now a sure sign of being satan??

[Tough As Nails - General Discussion]

On 7/23/2020 at 4:37 PM, iMonrey said:

I was annoyed with Murph over the barbed wire challenge. He didn't want to be the team leader and foisted the job on an unwilling Tara, then criticized her for not stepping aside and letting him take over. I don't think Linnett even understood who was supposed to be the leader from the start. Terribly disorganized team. And does anyone else thing Dirty Hands is a stupid name for a team?

This doesn't seem like much of a competition. Clearly it's going to boil down to either Murph or Danny in the end.

"Dirty Hands" is a badge of honor and pride among tradesmen and other blue collar workers.  In fact there is a common mantra often spoken and even printed on merchandise and worn as sign of solidarity and support for the very rewarding work they do.  "Dirty hands, Clean money" expresses the pride and fulfillment that comes from hard and often dirty work that so many people do and that is so vital to life as we know it but is often overlooked and even disparaged by those living clean and shiny lives.

So no, I do not think it is a stupid name.

What “DIRTY HANDS CLEAN MONEY” Really Means

[Janelle Brown: Smarter Than Your Average Brown (Maybe)]

On 8/7/2020 at 3:57 PM, Kohola3 said:

beet apple relish 

might you be willing to share, either in small talk or PM me?  TIA

[S05.E10: Closing Time]

They also said this (emphasis mine)...

Quote

Did her reaction sway how they ultimately tipped? “Overall yes you realize things could be better,” guest Barbara Graham says. “But I think for us, it didn’t allow us to shift our tip or how we felt about the crew in general. But I do believe, yeah, it definitely does sway people.”

 

[Christine Brown Woolley: Nacho Sister Wife Anymore]

On 7/22/2020 at 12:45 PM, laurakaye said:

Call me crazy, but that duster is one of the few semi-normal things I've seen Christine wear.  I have one myself, but it's nowhere near that long.  I love it over a tank top with jeans.  Hers looks more like a robe that's missing its belt, but I do give her credit because I think she actually looks good.

I like it too and might even consider wearing it.  I hesitate admitting such things here as generally speaking all-things-Brown equates to poor taste or worse and I'm not really fond of calling myself out with such labels.

[Leon Brown: So Here's Me]

On 7/18/2020 at 1:50 AM, Jeanne222 said:

Without A Crystal Ball just posted about Mariah and the family!

What did she say?  or link please.  I tried to find it but was unsuccessful  TIA

[Small Talk: The Polygamous Cul-de-Sac]

1 hour ago, crazycatlady58 said:

Ok, I am ISFJ which I don't really understand. I am not a person who judges others. In fact I am always saying don't judge someone you really don't know what they are thinking or going through. ( I cannot figure out why I am on this forum because I don't snark on people,but I love everyone's observations). I like to be alone after I get home from work but if I am at the dinner party y'all were talking about I would be talking with everyone, finding out your likes or dislikes trying to find something we have in common.

Don't worry I thought the same initially.  I also am not a snarker, you may remember a while back when I was trying understand the difference between snark and judgement as I don't see a difference?   So my need for understanding made me research and realize that the "J" for "Judging"  is misleading.  It's not really judgement in the sense we usually think of it rather it's more about how you are internally as described below:

"This fourth preference pair describes how you like to live your outer life--what are the behaviors others tend to see? Do you prefer a more structured and decided lifestyle (Judging) or a more flexible and adaptable lifestyle (Perceiving)? This preference may also be thought of as your orientation to the outer world."
Source: The Myers & Briggs Foundation