lasu

@Black Knight, thank you! I barely remember that part, and I actually read this book twice, back to back to see if it held water. I may now read it again, before I read his follow up, now that I know there's a bit of a crossover. And also because I've recommended this book, and if there is a big hole, I will certainly stop.

Would you refresh my memory on this? I remember thinking there was a problem with the diary entries, but then part of the twist fixed it. Or at least that's how I remembered it, so I'm not sure if I missed something! I do not know how y'all are managing so many library accounts! I just have one (I'm in NC as well, but I'm lucky to be in Wake County and I live in the neighborhood bordering Village District [recently changed from Cameron Village] so a really good system), but I am constantly juggling when books are going to be ready. It's probably worse because I do print and E (in addition to audible, lol), but just yesterday I had three print and one Ebook all come in. The E book I can put back on hold, but I had to go pick the print ones up or start again at the back of the line. It's like a part time job keeping up with that. I just finished Shuggie Bain which was the Booker winner. It was good, but sometimes I feel lost on why a book is award winning. It was very engaging, the writing was good, but I felt like I was supposed to feel

Game of Thrones was this way for me. I read all the books (that are out so far), but I tell people if they are interested in the series, just watch the tv show.

I have when under stress - more than that, actually. Lost 7 pounds over one very harrowing weekend of worry. Not saying a vacation in Lake Tahoe lives up to the word "harrowing" lol but in my experience it's possible, that's all. I think a lot of people would be shocked at how much their weight fluctuates. I weigh myself every day, when I first get up so I'm comparing apples to apples (I'm comfortable with this, so no need to tell me I shouldn't weigh myself so often), and my weight has gone down as much as five pounds overnight. I also know I'll weigh more during my period, and then I'll drop a few pounds when it's over. I have about a seven pound range that I seem to stay in, provided I'm neither trying to restrict my eating or going crazy on rich/fatty foods.

I really thought at first glance that Netflix renewed and unrenewed in the same day. Same day, different year.

I actually wonder about this more than I wonder about Erika. I'm not saying she didn't know what was going on, but it seems even more impossible that NO one at Tom's firm was involved. I know when I was an executive assistant, I knew way more about what my boss did than his wife did. A good EA knows everything. I knew (without being told and without remotely wanting the knowledge) when my boss starting having an affair with a coworker; he certainly couldn't have hid revenue mismanagement from me. What my boss was doing wasn't technically illegal (OK, actually because NC is a f'in weirdo state, it technically WAS illegal, but for the intents of this post, I'm going to ignore that), but I was uncomfortable with it and found a new job. My point is that I also really wonder if it's possible no one else at his firm knew nothing.

Yes. The divorce doesn't change spousal privilege, and marriage can't bring it into effect after the fact. Meaning, if my boyfriend commits a crime I know about, and then later we get married, I could still be compelled to testify on the crime that happened before our marriage.

One thing I forgot to mention about this "documentary," the SHADE at playing Karma Chameleon. I am dying to know if the producers knew the connection to Dorit, and even more I wonder if Boy George had to license the song for its use.

Sutton has to be worth more than $2MM, or she's going to be out of money in about...now. That same site has Dorit at $50MM, and I thought their money was pretty well established as smoke and mirrors - or at least no where near $50MM. PK really brought home the fact that I love men in glasses. I was so relieved later when he was back to looking like a boiled ham later in the episode. Dammit, I hate commenting on women's bodies, so I will just say that every time I see Sutton I get a hankering for a hunk o' cheese. I will also say I love her shirt with the two cats facing each other (and am so jealous she can wear it - with my bustline it would be very 3D [3DD, lol]), and also her new talking head look (the one with the GINORMOUS earrings that I don't love) her hair looks ah-maze-ing. I was crying on the floor at the idea of spending $350K on a car, and then there was a $100K handbag. Jiminy christmas.

I think the Gina/Heather dynamic will be up to Heather. Despite what she says, I think Gina does like to be babied a bit by the other women, provided they can do it without making her feel bad about being babied. I can't see why Heather and Emily wouldn't get along, at least on paper, but this is RH so I expect they will clash about something. Two seasons ago I NEVER would have said this, but I'm actually glad Shane's weirdo ass is back. I don't care if it's Tammy Sue or someone else, but I don't think the current four are enough to carry a season. I hope they add at least one more to the mix, and probably two if they are both newbies, since at least one tends to fizzle out.

Seriously, is your name Laura? Because people who are not named Laura can rarely hear the difference between Lore-ah and Lare-ah, and I also understand because I can't hear the difference between pin and pen.

It's actually, for me, much harder to stop saying one term around one person. When I'm around kids or at work or whatever, I can just change to a PG rating. But to just not say "god damn" when I'm still dropping F-bombs right and left is difficult! But I make an effort because I care. This is an excellent point. Eboni isn't asking for special treatment she is willing to offer others.

I don't understand why when someone of color says, "this is something that bothers me and here is why," the response is no, you're wrong and I will not change. If you didn't know before, so be it. But if after viewing these two episodes, you (the general you) call a Black person "articulate" then how can you not feel aggressive doing that? What does someone gain by purposely using words they know upset someone else? Why would you not want to compliment someone in a way that is meaningful to that person? My best friend is Catholic and "god damn" bothers her. As a non-religious person, I don't think it's an offensive phrase, but I still don't say it around her. I don't imagine we would stay friends if I told her she was wrong to feel the way she does and I insisted on my right to say "god damn" as much as I want. It almost reads like a lot of people are saying, "I don't mind that a Black person was cast on the show, but I wish she would stop talking so much about being Black!" I think Eboni is very cognizant of being the first Black person cast on NY, and she probably is much less likely to let things go knowing she is on camera than she might be in real life. She may feel a personal responsibility not to let things go, and I don't think she should have to make either the cast or the viewers comfortable at her own expense. I was surprised no one knew the "Be Aggressive" cheer. We did that when I was a Pop Warner cheerleader a million years ago, and my entire life, I have not spelled that word without saying it - "B-e-a-g-g-r-e-s-s-i-v-e!" I would judge Leah more harshly if she truly had just been at a Hampton vacation party. But in reality, this was a work commitment. I'm not saying she didn't actually prefer to be in the Hamptons; I have no idea. But the fact that no one on the cast was judgmental of her staying over leaving makes me think it was viewed as a work obligation. And I don't even disagree with Eboni, that there is something to be said of your last memory being of when your loved one was healthy. I have two close family members who in retrospect, I kinda wish I hadn't seen on their deathbeds. They were completely unaware of my presence, so it didn't add anything of value to them (that would change everything in my opinion), and it's a sad memory to have in my head. I don't particularly like Leah, so I'm not invested in defending her though.

Soak your hands in hot water (or take a bath or shower), and then use the little stick starting under the cuticle. Mine pretty much pop right off.

I wanted to give a plug for press on nails. They have come SO FAR since the Lee Press On French manicure days. I mean, they are truly amazing. I buy Dashing Diva online and Kiss Impress at the store (which I FIRMLY believe are the exact same). I get so, so, so many compliments. The adhesives are easier on my nails, and give more of a warning when one is getting loose. They say you can wear them for up to 10 days, but I get bored and want to change after 5 tops. I've also found that Family Dollar has some as cheap as $1.50, though they don't come with glue or as many sizes. But they are still a fun choice for very cheap. Honestly, for $10 and not even 15 minutes of your life (takes longer to separate and size the nails than to put them on), this can't be beat. If you are into doing your nails even a little bit, I can't recommend giving press ons a try. However, I have not, nor do I a plan to, try the press on pedicure. Just...no.

FWIW, the reason I didn't think much of her being listed as secretary is I personally have been Secretary on two boards, one non-profit, one corporate. While I did have duties, and maybe could have been legally liable for any shenanigans (I honestly have no idea I culpable I would have been), I would have had no idea if there was anything going on illegally. I definitely had a seal, but trust me, if my boss came in and said "lasu, stamp this," I stamped it. Again, I might have been putting myself in legal jeopardy doing that and I'm not saying it wasn't stupid, but I would have had very little clue if they were doing anything wrong. This is the most damning thing I've heard yet, as far as evidence against her. It could just be that the optics aren't good and the lawyer doesn't want to deal with it, but also could mean that he knows she is planning on perjuring herself. Now this I agree with completely. Just because I personally so far don't see evidence she knew or participated, trying to keep all of her ill-gotten gains is a horrific look. If she truly, 100% knew nothing, then I can see how it sucks to lose everything, but most of us never get the first taste of that lifestyle. But she's not the victim and playing one is just awful.

I'd have to go back and watch (which I'm not going to, lol!), but I think mostly the people who were astounded at how much money he made were the non-lawyers. The LA Bar dude, he seemed to be saying having private jets wasn't unusual, but TALKING about having private jets was crass and rubbing it in your clients' faces. And I will say I did forget about the expense of having not one but TWO private jets. That's just f'ing stupid. I've only had the opportunity for a PJ a few times in my life (for my actual job, not for blow jobs, lol), but A) if I had the money, it's the only way I would fly, B) everyone I ever talked to in that life "owned" private jets actually owned shares in private jets. They had them at their disposal, but they just weren't sitting there costing money when they weren't in use. It's not the same as chartering a private flight, but it's not as asshole expensive as the cost of being the sole owner. Again, I don't want to seem like I'm doubting Tom stole this money - I think it's pretty clear he did. I just will be very, very interested to see how the accounting works.

But then why bother being such an obvious sleaze? I don't want it to come across like I'm defending any of this or saying I don't think it's true or anything, it's just baffling. It seems like he made 100s of millions of dollars in a legal manner. One could argue it was still sleazy AF and not a good luck, but he didn't just suddenly start making money off of people's tragedies when he stole money. He was making bank off of legitimate settlements. I don't know how much of a percentage lawyers take at this level, but when I had a reason to seek out representation after an accident, it was a 50/50 split. The kind of money he should have earned legally should have been able to pay for Erika Jayne for years and years without batting an eyelash. It's just bizarre to me.

There's a longer version of the commercial here. The thugnasty person actually comes off as kinda cute with the WE HAVE THE LOWEST PRICES...OK SO WE DON'T BUT WE'LL GET YOU A GOOD DEAL! Also, when googling that, it looked like there might have been an answer about the drill business, but I declined to know for certain.

I think the ratios are the same though. Teresa is to Erika as Juicy is to Tom. So yes, Erika is far smarter and savvy than Teresa, Tom also was far more respected, established, and seemingly on the up and up compared to Juicy. I know for me, personally, I though Juicy was full of shit the moment he landed on my screen, and I was quite surprised to find out what a POS Tom is (and his sins are EPIC compared to Juicy's).

First, this was absolutely a tabloid show. I can't call it a news show when the first person on the screen is Danielle Staub. You lose all credibility, IMO. Then you double down with Dana Wakile? C'mon now. That said: They put together a VERY compelling case against Tom. I don't think there is any question he stole money from his clients, and he funneled some of it into Erika's companies. I find it baffling he had such a good reputation for SO long, when the CA Bar said there were issues going back as 40 years. It seems like there had been some shady business going on for years and years. I did not see that they put together anything that was either damning or exonerating of Erika. There have been no charges against her, and we don't even have her depositions yet. There certainly may be more evidence beyond some people's opinion, that she HAD to know. That's not going to hold up in a court of law or the court of lasu. I'm not saying I'm convinced she knew nothing, but I can still conceive of it. She was under 30 when she married a very famous, very wealthy, very powerful lawyer. I think it's safe to say she wouldn't have known anything at that time, or have any reason to suspect anything. And that probably held true, at the very least, for a very long time. If she ever knew, I can't imagine it was anywhere near the whole time. And if we can believe that Teresa trusted an idiot like Juicy, I don't see how we can't believe Erika wouldn't believe someone as respected as Tom was. None of the footage showed that Tom was in anyway cowed to Erika. When we saw him on Housewives, the appearance was that he was very much in charge and wore the pants in the family. It seemed, to me anyway, that Tom wasn't someone who was living in fear of losing her. He always seemed more like an indulgent father, tbh. He did strike me as someone who was afraid to say no, so I find this all so bizarre. I still don't understand how he went through 100s of millions of dollars, and Erika Jayne doesn't explain it all. When you count up the money he had in cash, the money he had in stocks/investments, the money he took out in loans, the money he stole...where did it all go?? I need TLC to show up all Behind the Music and break this down for me. I'd actually say Erika's over the top excess would be a small piece of evidence against her knowing. Obviously she could just be a smug asshole who never thought they would get caught, but if I had to guess based on this ALONE, I would guess she didn't know - at least not when she started Erika Jayne or when she started RHoBH. But that's just my guess, and I'm willing to revise when we hear more. Now, even though I personally at this time don't think Erika knew or participated, there is NO question she profited. How she behaved a year or two ago, when she just thought she was an insanely wealthy woman with a powerful wife? I'm not going to judge her based on what we know now. The one lawyer was cracking me up - he was like, yeah, we all have jets, we just don't go on tv and brag about it. Like, it's not a problem to make insane profits off of other people's suffering, but it's a problem to show it, lol. And now Erika certainly knows where their money came from - I'm not currently seeing any reason for her to go to jail, she needs to stop fighting not to give her shit back. That's an insanely bad look, and one I can't even remotely defend. She was lucky she got to experience that kind of wealth, and she needs to take her Housewives money and live off of that and give everything else back. She'll still be doing better than me. She's not a victim. And the victims I truly did feel badly for. I was gutted when she second woman's son was killed. I hope all of the people who were already suffering before Tom Girardi are able to get the money they deserve. Also, I think it's probably high time to take another look at how money is disbursed in settlements. It seems bizarre that your lawyer could withhold that from you. Although, for at least Joe's case, it did seem like the real fraud was that he got them to invest their settlement with him, versus the just straight up stealing he did from Lion's Air and sling mesh victims. Obviously Tom is a criminal, but it seems like trusts would be set up that would ensure the lawyer got his part and the victims got their part. Tom should pay for what he did, but also they need to fix it so it can't happen again.

But I don't think that's all that does matter. I've said (too many times at this point, for sure) repeatedly I do not deny her any reaction. I'm not going to say she's being dramatic or she is overreacting - I don't think those things. I absolutely understand being walked in on naked by someone you aren't even getting along with could be EXTREMELY upsetting. But since we basically got to see what happened, we can have our opinions of it as well, and obviously viewers matter to a tv show. If you and Crystal think Sutton's action were creepy and weird or even predatory, you certainly can. But I didn't see "creepy and weird" based on what was on my TV. But the horse, he is dead.

I explained my feelings more fully in a previous post, but again, I find "creepy and weird" to be something that definitely sounds predatory. I'm not going to tell Crystal how upset she should be about being walked in on naked. Just because *I* wouldn't be that upset, doesn't mean other people share my mostly lack of modesty. However, while I would never want to invalidate her feelings, I'm still not seeing Sutton as being predatory. I absolutely agree Sutton was wrong in both of these situations, and also for trying to unburden about her house to Crystal and accusing her of kicking her in a mean way. To be clear, I think Crystal has very valid reason for not trusting or liking Sutton. If someone behaved around and towards me the way Sutton has to Crystal, I think it unlikely I would like them either. I just wish Crystal wouldn't make it about real mental health or paint her as some sort of sexual predator.

I forgot to mention the rape story. What the actual fiery fuck? I wish the New York crew could get a load of THIS dinner conversation because I'll be damned if I wouldn't rather hear someone extoll the virtues of ass eating over RAPE. I found that entirely more shocking that someone acting out and purposely trying to get attention by being shocking. I do agree with this. Sutton shouldn't have just walked in, and she should be apologetic for that part. But I just don't see that translating to "creepy and weird."

I think there are faults on a lot of sides here. While I actually like Sutton and her designer brand of crazy, I did have a problem with her shutting down Crystal last week. I honestly think Sutton was so terrified of saying something wrong, she wanted the conversation shut down. And I find it very problematic for a white woman to shut down a person of color when she's trying to talk about her experience. I also thought Sutton was being crazy saying Crystal kicked her, when it was extremely clear that was a friendly thing. I do not blame Crystal for not liking and not trusting Sutton based on these two experiences. I think I would feel the same way in her shoes. Conversely, I strongly disliked when Crystal said something to the effect of "I'm not a dr, but this seems manic and I can't hang out with crazy people." If she had said Sutton was irrational or unpredictable and that's why she doesn't want to be around her, fine. Sutton has demonstrated those qualities around her. But Crystal seemed to not be calling Sutton cray-cray but judging her actual for real mental health and I'm not cool with that. THAT SAID, when Sutton is in the middle of saying she is indeed NOT crazy and pulled out her Support Roller? That was fucking funny, and mad kudos to Crystal for not bursting out laughing. And for her smirk earlier in the conversation - I wish I could remember exactly what Sutton said, but I remember thinking, "That's exactly what Crystal thinks about her!" So I understood the smirk even if I didn't love it. The final part about Sutton walking in on Crystal naked...I honestly don't know what to say about that. I did notice that they editors put something in JUST before this about doing nude shoots, and Kyle saying "I'm not the type of person to walk around naked." It didn't sound judgy, it makes sense especially because she's had children in her house since like 1982 or something. But I did catch it, probably because I *am* the type to walk around naked. I certainly don't think Sutton intentionally did anything wrong, but I'm not going to tell Crystal what level she should be upset about someone walking in on her naked with a camera crew behind her. She can feel as upset as she does. But Sutton wasn't creepy or weird, and describing it that way makes her sound predatory. I think Crystal did take what Sutton said in Some Kinda Way, but I truly think she meant it like "oh, la tee da, don't know what's going on over there because if I knew what was going on over there that would mean I saw you naked and that didn't happen! Nope! Not at all!" I'm not sure what Crystal thought Sutton was insinuating, but I'm fairly certain it was just a nervous oops comment. I also think Sutton was likely a couple of steps in before she realized what was happening, and at that point she probably panicked and just continued to return the coat. I'm hard pressed to believe that Sutton purposely walked in on Crystal naked or meant to insinuate there was something wrong or weird about Crystal being naked in her own room. Again, I'm not going to tell Crystal what level of upset she is allowed to be about the situation, but I think she can feel all her feelings validly without painting Sutton as a predator. Sutton just needs to figure out how to be comfortable with the fact Crystal doesn't like her and stop trying so hard. Don't try to explain about your house, don't return her coat, don't send her flowers. Just stop. Sutton looked great in that last dress, and everyone was so cute playing games all dressed to the nines. I'm not a Rinna fan (I'm enjoying Garcelle working her over), but the synchronized swimming was an excellent moment. I actually thought Dorit was funny with the overcompetitive part. I always find people that compete hard with me funny because I legit do not care - I tend to just like what ever we are doing and if you winning means we can play again and have more fun, I am down! You win! Speaking of not caring: the zero fucks you learn from age plus the zero fucks you learn from being wealthy equals Kathy Hilton. It's working for me. I LOVE BOCCI. You can tell that Kyle truly never played before because she threw the object ball so far. I play on the beach, and I will tell any guys I play with that they can absolutely beat me by making that first throw too far and just beating me with strength. And if they want to do that, we can go ahead and sit down. Otherwise, throw closer in and lets have a game! I agree that Dorit has played plenty before, but she couldn't have kept throwing the bocci balls that distance for very long (although they were getting a much better roll on that court than I do on a beach).