BusyOctober

Thank you, purist! That helped a bit. I figured the remoteness of 1900's Australia played a big part in lack of families buzzing around. I will finish watching it this week & see if it held my interest enough to pick up the book.

I'm late to the party. I have only watched 3 episodes and I will finish the next 3, but I am very confused by this story. I never read the book & never saw the original film, so I'm coming at this totally unaware. I sure hope the 2nd half answers a lot of my questions! I get that Hester/Miss Appleyard ran from her street life in London to start fresh in Australia. Did she start her college to just get $$ from rich folks? She obviously hates all the students. Did she beat Sarah? Is the college really just a dumping ground for wayward girls? Or girls their parents feel have no or poor matchmaking potential? Why wouldn't Miranda's or Marion's or the teacher's families come to the school or at least send a representative to inquire where the Hell their girls are? Reporters show up, but parents don't give a shit? I assume Irma & Mike had some scandalous dalliance (or a close call) in their pasts, so they were shuffled off to the far-flung reaches of the realm where no one knew them. Are their scandals revealed? After I finish this, I hope I'll feel there is some resolution. Or that others here will be able to fill me in on WTF I have been watching. On a side note, nice to see Yael Stone can do "crazy" in a period piece too! Other than Natalie Dormer, she's the only actress I recognized.

I keep waiting for Jennifer Garner to be replaced for the Capital One ads. She just bugs me for no real reason, I just have never liked her face or her voice or her acting. The lastest one with her stage whispering in a library is the absolute worst! It’s the equivalent to a million cats in a room scratching a million chalkboards. I have to leave the room if I can’t change the channel or mute fast enough.

LouiseIndy- I was actually quoting someone else. I know what God's Eye's are- made many of them in Bible Camp (and summer camp & Girl Scout camp...) as a kid! I agree Amber didn't successfully execute her notion of the couple's heritage.

I think Amber was thinking about Dayna's penchant for ticky-tacky earrings and her love of all things "ON TREND!!" i.e.- tassels. The God's Eye looked like a crude tribal figure with ticky-tacky trendy tassel earrings. Amber made that topper for Dayna, not the wedding couple. Of the 3 cake toppers, I liked Jo's the best, then Khiem's. I liked the puzzle gift, but I did not like Amber's arch at all. However, I really loved Amber's TH when she said if she'd won, of course she'd be happy, and if one of the other 2 won...of course she'd be happy! Looking forward to the next season!

The latest Surface Pro ad with the “Salmon Sisters” irks the beejeebus outta me. It isn’t the content or the product that annoys me. The 2 women are attractive and apparently run a nice fishing business...I have no idea. However, I think it’s the tone or pitch of their voices and the cadence of their speech. They sound like they’re doing a Playmates of the Month podcast. Too baby voiced and too giggly or something.

The right person went home. I didn’t like Amber’s as much, but Billy’s was definitely last place. This has been a happy little show for me, and I will be sad it’s over after next week. It isn’t as warm and fuzzy as GBBO, but this is as close as US tv has gotten to capturing that UK magic. I like the positive vibe, I like the playfulness of the hosts and the contestants. My only gripe is the judges. Simon is...meh. But Dana just has to go. Every criticism she gives starts with “You know what I wish?” Gah! No, and I don’t care what you wish, Dana! You know what I wish? That you would not come back next season, and take all your “retro” 80’s geometric earrings with you (in a box made from up-cycled wood pallets & decoupaged with hand painted, free-range quail egg shells, of course...SO on trend right now!)

No comments yet?? Steve is slowly becoming my favorite castaway. The chess(t) match scenes about killed me! “That’s not a Queen! She doesn’t have boobs!”

Etsy lady is working my last nerve. Don't like her or her judging critiques. Simon can stay, but I hope they find someone with more personality for Judge #2 (if they even need one) nest season. I was initially rooting for Billy b/c he's from my neck of the woods, but....I'm not seeing any real talent week to week. His stuff is always the most sloppy & cartoon-y (not in a good way). Isn't his "specialty" felt? Other than his (yawn) Hulk Hogan arms last night, has he worked with felt? I would like to see something he is supposedly an expert at doing. Yes, I know they all are given challenges "out of their wheelhouses" to see what they can do, but many of the others have done well using materials other then their favorite media. I'd like to see what Billy can do with his specialty since nothing else has wow factor IMO. I really liked Khiem's dog! He definitely has a quirky, more art-y vibe than the other folks. But he's just so low key...sometimes when he's talking with Amy or Nick I worry he's going to pass out because he speaks with such low energy. Can we get a blood pressure cuff on his work bench, just to check for a pulse now & then? Amber is my predicted winner. I did like her Valentine door, but what was all the fuss about "diversity"? Because the hands were different colors? And....?? I am white, married to a Korean American. My BIL is married to a Puerto Rican-Senegalese woman. My sister and her Colombian husband adopted 2 boys from Ghana. Maybe its because I have lived in diverse or mixed ethnic communities for most of my life, but that wasn't the first thing that "stood out" as a wow factor for me. It just had a lot of eye catching design.

I know they are a year away, but can we all just hand "Badison" the Previouslies Awards for Most Hated Character, Worst Attempt at a Regional Accent, Character With the Worst Payoff, & Character/Actor You NEVER Want to See Again? I haven't ever had such a visceral reaction to a TV character. I almost stopped watching this season b/c of this actor and her OTT, tortured portrayal of this loser, but the hope of seeing that useless POS character get attacked or hauled off to another prison kept me going. Please, Show Runners of OITNB, drop that buffoonish role from next season!

I was just so relieved that the new ‘cool’ clothes didn’t include any of those effing BRKN heart sweaters in the mix.

Loved loved loved the Anita Hill segment. She was as composed and articulate and wise and centered and spot-fucking-ON with JO as she was facing that room full of assholes 27 years ago. I admire her a great deal. My favorite moment (aside from the entire conversation) was when she mentioned how, in respect to changing behavior to end sexual harassment, the “problem” always comes back to how do we teach our girls to stand up, be assertive and ‘not let themselves become victims’. Her reply was the girls aren’t the ones with the problem. Exactly! The same BS nonsense is still being spewed today. Why are girls & women held accountable for changing their behavior to thwart the disgusting, unwanted and illegal behavior of boys & men???? Are you effing kidding me? And as for all these poor, broken and confused men in the workplace or on college campuses who are now “afraid” of women and false accusations...FUUUUCK YOOOOOUU. To quote Ms. Hill (and other people with a modicum of common fucking sense), you need only be “afraid” if you are a rapist, or a predator, or a sexual harasser.

What an entitled brat. I can buy comfortable, affordable leggings and athletic bras ANYWHERE; Walmart, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, Marshalls & my personal favorite- Amazon...even Walgreens and CVS sells them! Your stuff is not anything special. Besides all the lower end price point stores, there are a ton of high end 'athleisure wear' out there already for hard core customers like Lulu Lemon & Athleta. Maybe she can get a job at BRKN Heart...that brand is as joyless and bland as Ms Montiel.

Bethenny is one of those people who must be the center of attention or be in charge of the room or have all eyes on her event/charity/apartment/products/legal issues at all times. When she isn’t the alpha in the moment, she has oh so many contrivances to swing the focus back to poor widdle B. The dismissive remarks, the belittling of anyone who dares to challenge her, the crying, the panic attacks, the onset of a malady, the talking loudly over anyone else, the blaming of her actions on her ‘raised by wolves’ childhood, reminding everyone of the never ending battle with her Satanic ex husband...it is exhausting. She loves to say how honest she is and only tells it like it is. That is her play when B tells others what she thinks of them. If someone (ex. Carole or Dorinda) tries to flip the script and do a little truth telling back to her, Bethenny will go into attack mode. Or, if that fails to regain control, she will start to well up and hyperventilate and speakreallyreallyfastandrepeatthesamethingoverandover until the other party caves in. Who could stand to be around such mania for any length of time? She couldn’t just let Tinsley have the spotlight as host for the trip? She just had to compare the “grimy”, subpar house in Columbia to her amaze-balls house in Mexico. So disrespectful and rude. And what person with severe allergies doesn’t a) pack Benadryl or epi-pens, b) let the host know about it, and c) ask whether the allergen is in any of the food BEFORE they eat it?

I have a feeling the building was used to "showcase" the lighting company & get other companies interested in them. But as for keeping them in place once the party was over...I don't think so. Restoring a 19th century building to its "original" form doesn't include HGTV faux farmhouse/warehouse chic light fixtures from the 21st century IMO. The lights were cool and I definitely think there is a huge market for them, but they just don't look right in that gorgeous building. I prefer to keep styles/periods of design in line with the building/architecture. I personally wouldn't put a Danish Modern sofa in a rehabbed Victorian living room. As for Jennifer...there's another control freak who won't change. I feel bad for the rest of the employees, and I hope they get better offers elsewhere.

Those Liberty ads just make me so angry. They feed into the notion that no one needs to take responsibility for his/her actions. It’s the other driver’s fault for getting so crazed over a “teeny” scratch, or “minor” ding. Really? Yet I am 100% sure that if one of these types of drivers were on the other side of the “no big deal” accident, they would be ranting and raving. They’d sue for damages, go out on disability and walk around wearing a neck brace because someone “barely scratched” their broken down 1989 Honda Civic with 125,000 miles, duct taped windshield, and bald tires. So take your Sharpie accident erasing pen and sign up for driving lessons, asshole. Or better yet, find a class to teach you how to act like a responsible adult.

I was scrolling too quickly past the post with Jerk’s “decision”. I originally read it as “the Lord has been calling me home”. For a split second, I thought maybe he contracted something fatal from Odd....Mortal Man-Mastitis, or a deadly strain of Millennial Mono, or Lethal Lack of Sleep.

Dino may have taken the DB crown from the phone case guy. What an raging asshole. His wife gave me hostage vibes...I think Dino puts her in an underground bunker when she isn't at the pizza place. The daughter had the same "Oh shit! He's coming!", rabbit caught in a trap look when her dad was present. Good luck to the rest of Dino & Deb's kids. I hope there is an escape plan in the works. As for the business itself...no thanks. There are soooo many pizza options, both chains & local mom n' pop shops. Unless that pizza can blow the others out of the water with it's quality, then it will be a big battle to win. By the looks of the pizza Simply Slices is offering, I'm guessing it isn't anything special. Generic, canned "purr-eee" sauce, crust that isn't Chicago deep dish or brick oven crispy can be had from Pizza Hut or Dominos or Papa John's. I was really turned off by the way they "customized" their pizza slice! Peel back the congealed cheese, plop down some cold meats or veggies, replace cheese blanket, reheat. Um, pass. Maybe it's a regional thing, but I prefer my toppings ON TOP of my pizza. I also do not get the drive thru concept for pizza. Again, regional thing possibly, but I don't think handling a hot piece of pizza while driving is as easy as eating a burger or chicken tenders. I can't imagine giving my kid a slice of pizza in the backseat of my car! Unless the drive thru supplies a plastic drop cloth with my slice, no pizza eating in the car.

Well, that's interesting... I guess hawking oils and shilling for other online boutiques in addition to all their important millennial marriage missionary work is paying the bills enough for them to jump off the TLC payroll. Maybe someone at Us Weekly offered Jerk & Odd a job based on their unique writing skills? No one can turn a phrase with so much meaningless blather, and so very little attention to grammar, syntax and spelling conventions. Or (just speculating ) Jerk jumped the gun to make his announcement before Matt got the chance to let the world know he & Amy are selling the farm and moving on individually. The joke re. Zach & Jerk "taking over" would finally be over.

I think being a parent is work, but being a stay at home mom is work--exhausting, never-ending work. It lasts all day and all night. For me it didn't matter how much I'd done while the kids were in school, there was always something that needed to be done. I work full time, I'm married & have one child. I am lucky enough to work from home so I am able to get housework & laundry done in between conference calls. My husband works a 50+hour/wk job and he does help around the house, but the majority of running our home and taking care of our child is mostly on me. So, while he clocks out @ 5 and comes home & relaxes before & after dinner is prepared and cleared, I'm still on the clock doing my "other jobs". My day goes from 5:30am to midnight. I'm not complaining or comparing my situation to anyone else. This is what millions of women do every day. I swear, the whole "Women's Lib" movement and the struggle for "equality" was a bad deal. Never mind that we are still fighting for the "equal" part, but the "Liberation" part is a crock. We were sold a bad bill of goods! Women were "liberated" from the home to go out and work 20-30-50 hours a week for someone else, THEN return to the home and keep working.

Maybe dermatologists will discover that too much exposure to selfies and "Insta-Stories" causes skin to age.

Its the ‘Countdown to Emancipation’ Watch from the TLC Exploited Children of Fame Whores collection.

Marcus has bought into the marketing scam of “donating proceeds” to social “causes”. That is crap. It’s a touchy feely way to allow millennial to assuage their guilt for being capitalist consumers. Ooh! A small business with artisan products AND has heart? Quick, let me order something from my phone made in a country with no concern for human rights while wearing my bo-ho chic tribal tunic produced by child labor and sipping my no fat macchiato with environmentally unfriendly almond milk in an elitist coffee shop so I can help an orphan with the .07 cents this faux Etsy-boutique bullshitter will offer up on a $70 Whatnot! Check me, bro, I’m woke AF!

I would rather see a series with all the above "ghosted" sit-com characters living in some suburban utopia a la "Pleasantville" rather than watch Doomsday Darlene, Boozy-Floozy Becky & Sad Sack Dan Conner.

Did anyone catch the first episode? The Italian restaurant with putrid veal and ancient mystery meats in the freezer? That guy was a disaster. Screaming at everyone one minute, then crying and blubbering about how he disappointed daddy the next. As fo the NOLA ep, I felt bad for the guy, but come on! The woman he put in charge of cooking, managing front of house and general manager was way out of her depth if she couldn’t poach an egg. I am sorry she lost her job, but if he wants to succeed, she shouldn’t be involved. The other older ladies waiting tables appeared to be super lazy and attitude trouble too! Just like the dumps shown in Kitchen Nightmares, I cannot imagine ever stepping foot in these places after seeing what goes on in the food prep and storage areas. I don’t believe for a minute that these sad sack owners suddenly see the light and follow all the food safety laws they blatantly and willfully ignored for years.