BusyOctober

Most of here who have read excerpts of Odd's blog would never mistake her 'writing' for Alice Walker, or a Bronte sister, or Mary Higgins Clark. Her grammar and phrasing is so wrong "Always More" than half the time. Maybe if she wants to be taken seriously, she should try "Beating 50%" of egregious blathering, and read a style guide? A simple Google search could provide several sources. I looked at the link above and aside from the typical Odd ramblings, one thing jumped out at me: Adventure is defined as, “an exciting or remarkable experience; the exploration of unknown territory, often involving risk.” I had a college professor who told us on Day 1 of Freshmen English if she ever read "Webster defines <fill in the blank> as ______" or "<blank> is defined as ______", in any assignments she would immediately stop reading and give it a "D". And if anyone used it as an opening statement, it would receive an "F". She said that is a lazy and unimaginative device employed by lazy and unimaginative writers.

Before I even saw what the end results would look like, I had a feeling Common Place would be the loser. What a muddied mess. None of it made sense. Eleventy billion ferns does not ambiance make. OK, maybe it did... in 1977. Their menu was confusing and disconnected, even if individual dishes had some merit. And Claudette can pack her knives and go immediately. And take her stank attitude, unflattering glasses and corpse lipstick with you. So much self awareness lacking in that one.

Helen is just as annoying, petty, immature and "less than" the other designers as ever. She made a textile to sew and didn't have to use muslin or glue. Um, yay for you? If muslin and glue weren't allowed, then she'd have a valid complaint. But when the main material given out is vinyl/rubber/silicone that is probably thicker than an average sewing machine needle can work through, glue is acceptable. And no one's dress looked like the muslin was the star material, with tacked on balls for affect. So shut it, Cry Baby. I'm not sad that Candace is gone. I am really enjoying Anthony, Ken and Stanley. Amanda hasn't annoyed me as much as she irks some folks here. She has a quirky style, and I think she is pretty talented (last night's ball gown aside...yeesh). Joshua and his vintage Hollywood Blvd Streetwalker aesthetic can just go anytime. If he survives until Nina Garcia's turn in the judge's seat, I anticipate a "I question his taste level" quote. There is something about the way Alyssa pronounces some words/names that sounds weird to me. I think its words with "L's" in them?? I don't know if it's a speech impediment or an attempt at an affected accent, but some words just ring wrong to my ears. I especially hate the way she says "Merline". I like the designer, but I find myself hoping she gets aufed soon just so I don't have to hear Alyssa say her name. And will no one fire her so-called stylist?? How many seasons has this inhumane person been allowed to dress Alyssa so horribly? Is Heidi calling the shots from behind the scenes, making sure no one gets the glam squad treatment besides her?

Did Sara Blakely just jump of a parade float on the way to the Tank? What in the name of the fashion gods was she wearing??? All she needed was a pair of mouse ears and she'd be Minnie dressed as a waitress on her way to work at the Downtown Disney Diner. I didn't like very many of these products in either episode. The fish fry people were the only people and product I liked. I don't get the speaking animal collar/app thingy, but I know serious pet people will buy almost anything for their fur babies. I also think her name/brand is dumb. G.O.A.T may stand for "Greatest Of All Time" these days (Hi Tom Brady! See you in Super Bowl LII!). But unless you see it spelled out as an acronym, it's not "great". If I hear it out loud, I hear "goat" and assume someone is hawking products for goats or made with goat hair/milk. I would never in a million years think "doggie speakers". No to the Dude Robe - Hello?? $220 a set?? It's friggin' sweatpants & a hoodie! Target, Walmart, JC Penney, Old Navy, even every gift shop in every tourist site on Earth ALL sell these already. No to the Dude Hair Ties - see above locations plus eleventy-million other vendors selling this very basic item. And if I'm a head-bangin' dude-bro, don't I want my lovely rocking locks to just flow? No to Flower Pyramid Scheme - everything from paint nights, plant nights, sign or furniture paint classes, cooking instruction, ceramics has been done. It may be the new fad to do flower arranging, but I don't think it has long term sustainability. No to Zup guys- you cry and you're dead to me (TM Mr. Wonderful). Meh to Boobie Bar - there are lots of lactation specific nutritional items out there. But like pet parents, some human moms will but anything in the name of doing the healthiest thing for their baby. I guess as long as it isn't harmful, some women could benefit.

I really like all these kids, so losing one of them every episode is tough. I am amazed how poised and calm these kids are. No shrieking or excessive crying like on so many of the FN kid competitions or Master Chef Jr (in fairness, the cheftestants on any of these kiddie competitions are all way more poised, calm, mature, empathetic, reasonable than the “adults”). I think my final two are Milo and Rihanna, and either one winning is Ok by me. These kids are all so impressive.

Terra seemed very...simple?? Slow?? when she was speaking. I thought they were going to tell us she suffered a brian injury that effected her speech. Good for her and her invisible sister for honing in on the psycho BF. Good thing Terra learned that zombie kill move from watching Walking Dead too! She was definitely brave and had more synapses firing than I would have in that situation. I don’t get how a parent, who is supposedly so close with her children, can be turned against them in favor of some rando online date and promises of a romantic relationship. Sure, have fun and go on dates or trips, and maybe even fall in love. But the minute my grown, adult children have that many suspicions, or when Mr. New Man In My Life starts isolating me from or my family or friends is the minute when I take inventory of what’s really going on. Take off the rose-colored glasses and be as objective as possible. And do a background check.

I have to admit I wasn't really able to focus on the fashions on the runway this week. I was too distracted by whatever the F was going on with Isaac's throat area. Was he hiding a recent cosmetic procedure to lift turkey neck? Was that a fashionable tracheostomy collar? Is he trying to capture the "Hamilton" buzz & introduce 18th century men's neck-wear as the newest trend? Inquiring minds need to know.

The other guy, Justin?? looked hella embarrassed as Ray was expounding on how his radio persona's "personality" is different from his "real" one, so good for him recognizing his biz partner is a Douche Bro. Not sure how much longer that company will run if they can't pay the employees. Not only is that a bad way to motivate your staff, IT'S ILLEGAL! I hope "The Profit" isn't going to copy "Shark Tank", and start giving us "updates" on the same damn success stories every episode or two. I like the pet store couple, but if I have to keep seeing them once a month, I will develop the same irrational dislike for them that I have for the "Scrub Daddy" guy, the lobster truck cousins and the ugly sweater nerds that keep showing up on Shark Tank.

Dorit and all her complaining at Kyle's was just too much. She is rude and a horrible guest (she is a horrible hostess as well). You know it's bad if you're in a room full of people, including PK, & YOU are the one to make people cringe, Dorit. There were at least 8 other people around the table and no one else bitched as much as Do-Do-Dorit. It's one thing to kid around with Kyle about the power outage, and make a joke out of it. But then, you drop it. Enjoy the food, the company and compliment the hostess on "powering" through a crazy situation. And when she asked Kyle if she had any fans to help cool down the party, I really wish Kyle looked at her and said, "And just where would we plug these fans in, you moron? There. Is. No. Power." Or did Drunky McDrunkerson expect Kyle and Mauricio to get palm fronds and manually wave them around her & sweaty pig-man PK? Can't wait for Dorit's "sorry, not sorry" explanation of her awful behavior. Better get my optic nerves and muscles in shape for all the pending eye rolling ahead. Add me to the group who doesn't see the model-esque beauty in those Hamlin girls.They're pretty, but not stand out stunning IMO. And Lisa Rinna reeeeallly wants to be Kris KarTrashian-Jenner, doesn't she? I guess if young girls think the KarTrashian spawn are "inspirational", then the dopey fame whore parents must think Kris is the epitome of a "great mom".

Between her obsession with ridiculous 1920’s hair pieces and head wear, and all her raccoon eye makeup in this episode, all I can think of is this: (but Carol still manages to look more glamorous)

She is the worst “reporter” ever. Was she the producer for the piece as well? It was just horribly told from start to finish. I guess the new fangled way of telling these stories is to make it appeal to a younger audience? Make it a guessing game to keep them hooked? Like searching for “Easter eggs” in a video game? Stupid. First, younger people are not home watching CBS at 10pm on a Saturday night. Second, if anyone has ever watched 10 minutes of 48 Hours, Dateline, 20/20 or ID Channel, it is usually very easy to name the killer before the first commercial break. I don’t get the “keep ‘em guessing” angle. If I know up front Who did it, that doesn’t mean the rest of the story is useless. How/Why/Where/When are still valid and compelling avenues to explore and complete the story.

If Jennifer thinks Elise will stay true til the end with her flimsy alliance, then I have a bridge to sell her. Elise will strut and flap her arms like a rabid chicken if Jennifer makes one teensy error. If Elise is going to be with us til the end (because of her winning personality and ah-MAY-zing culinary skills -SNORT), then I hope the final is her up against Michelle. And Michelle wins. I want to watch the tears flow down that perma pout face just before her head explodes. Michelle and Nick and Milly and Ben and Jennifer and Dana are all better, more realistic options for GR than Elise. I won’t include Robyn b/c she is just as screwed up as Elise, but Robyn has a different brand of “certifiable” than Elise.

Elise is nothing but a bully. Period. I don’t care if she can actually cook. I would never go into a restaurant where she worked. I don’t advocate violence but if ever there were a person I wanted to really really smack in the face, it’s Elise. A hard, stinging,SMACK in the kisser.

If Dorit and PK are such fabulous entertainers for "all his clients" in the entertainment industry (aka one- Boy George) , and Dorit is a "brilliant" cook, then why the fuck did she have to run down to Hermes for dinnerware? What do they serve their meals on when the cameras aren't on? Dixie's? In that big bland home of theirs, they don't have a stash of "everyday" dishes? I know Dorit probably hasn't ingested solid food in years, but PK doesn't look like he's missed too many dinner bells. And the kids have to eat, so I guess it's paper plates or sheets of paper towels until the caterers show up to supply real china? They are both abhorrent to me with all their posing & shit stirring ways. I don't even think Jagger is cute because he looks just like his dolt dad. The over the top reactions whenever her kids walk into a room (or blink or breathe) is just too much. My optic muscles have lost all elasticity and gone slack due to excessive eye rolling during any Dorit/PK scenes. I like Teddi. I think she is the "normal one" in a room full of BSC... a la Eileen in her 1st season. I know everyone has their own interpretations, but I personally don't see her as money obsessed. IMO, I think she's more practical and probably has a net worth considerably lower than the rest of these women. No way Teddi would run out to buy new china for a small intimate dinner with friends. I don't even think she'd get new stuff at Target or Pier 1. Whatever she has in the cabinet is what you get, and why not? I haven't even given the plates or glasses one thought while eating at someone's home. Didn't Kyle renovate that house with the morally corrupt Faye Resnick a few years back? I wonder if she will be popping in for this redo as well.

So even though Geillis is dead, and maybe the dumbass prophecy is dead too. But, without risking spoilers, does anyone understand WTF Geillis thought would be accomplished if she managed to kill Baby Brianna? How would the death of a non-royal American citizen baby affect the line of succession in the UK? If Brianna died...then...???? I am no expert on the British KIngs and Queens and the intricacies of their lineage, but I am certain if Brianne were killed in 1948, it wouldn’t have changed King George VI or his daughter’s (eventual) reigns. Wouldn’t some Scottish plot had to have been hatched as far back as the nieces and nephews of any Stuart’s left way back in the 1700’s? Or are we supposed to just take it on face value that had Geillis been successful, the Windsor’s never would have ascended? I can only suspend belief so long!

I am happy with the end result. While I was very impressed with Chrissy's Immunity Domination, she annoyed me with the smugness. I know she didn't label herself a "Hero"; that's the team she was assigned to, so she and TPTB had to squuueeeeeze her "story" to fit the stupid narrative. However, I think she started believing her heroine status a wee bit too much. Her speeches just rubbed me the wrong way. Starting with her intro, we are told she is a "hero" because after making the "heroic" decision to be a stay at home mom. Great. Many parents envy your ability to have had that option. She then made the "heroic" choice to rejoin the workforce when her kids got older. Congrats. Thanks to her marketable skills, she chose to seek a job after years away from the 9-5 world. Then she kept applying to do Survivor and finally gets picked. Good for her; she attained a personal goal and should be proud/happy, whatever. Then when she asked for a leave to do the show, her employer said no, so she "bravely" left her job to pursue her dream. OK, again...another personal choice. Jeff asked if she's gone back to work (outside the home), and Chrissy tearfully tells us all that she hasn't, but she has learned, through the Grace of Survivor, that spending time with her family is really what she/life/the universe is all about. Um, cool. You are among some of the luckier people who have options, choices, means, resources, support systems, etc. to make these life decisions. It does not necessarily make you a hero. You were dealt a great hand in life, and played it to the best of your ability to benefit yourself. So, congrats maybe in order, but not adulation.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this one since sometimes "cute kid runs a biz" is obnoxious IMO. I'm glad Marcus got Lisa to meet with other female business owners/ mentor types. I think she is able to run that business with a little guidance from some experts. I did have a big question though...their business is making very little money; a few thousand each year if I heard correctly. While it's a good thing sales appear to increase year over year, their profit was hardly enough to support Lisa & Cory's household. Lisa even said she hasn't taken a salary. She said she has no other job except Mr. Cory's Cookies. The licensing deal didn't seem to have paid out very much in the year (but I may have missed the financials there). So, how did she pay for rent, utilities, groceries, supplies for cookies & whatever else on a non-paying job before Marcus came along? I thought maybe she had relatives helping out, but she said she grew up in foster care & came across as she and Cory being a team of 2. Once the process is in place & sales start picking up, Marcus will probably hook up Cory & Lisa with one of his other food companies - Sweet Pete's for example. And maybe get Lisa to invent a dog friendly cookie to sell in his pet stores.

Why do we have to spend any amount of time with secondary and tertiary "people" like Rinna's spoiled brats and various "glam squad" androids? Mikey and those Hamlin girls are THE. WORST. I know Yolanda pimped her girls hard during her years on the show, but yet they didn't come off as entitled, spoiled, clueless as Mealy & DUH-lia are. Yes, the Hadid girls were crazy rich and surrounded by opulence before their modeling took off, but they weren't as obnoxious as Rinna's kids. The Hamlin spawn were bratty from their first time being on screen, and Rinna wants us to believe she & HH go out of their way to make sure their girls are "grounded"? Get the fuck over yourself. And if watching Rinna do all she can to be a Kris Jenner clone (excuse me, "Klone") this season, then I'm out. As for Mikey and his thirst for being a star, I can't even hate watch him. Looks like I will be wearing out another remote's FF button if Mikey is going to become Erika's equivalent of LVP's Giggy - every time you see one of them, their lap dog must be in the shot. At least Giggy is better styled. And he can't speak. Although I'd venture a guess that Giggy would be a better, more informed conversationalist than Mickey on any given day.

Re. the FL alligator situation...I have an aunt & cousins in the Orlando area. All 3 cousins and my aunt have homes in 4 different, nice, upscale gated communities. Two of the houses are on golf courses, the others are not, but all 4 have screened in pool/patio areas. All 4 of them have woken up to alligators &/or VERY large snakes in their screened in pool areas. My Dad was a golf pro at a course in Tampa/St. Pete. The course was part of a 55+ community. At least 2-3 times a month, he said one of the residents lost a cat or dog to a snapping turtle or alligator. Some gators would come right up to the patios/porticos at dusk...and...just...wait. He said the smallest amount of rain that collected in standing water on the greens made for some very tricky golfing. If a ball went within 20 feet of a water hazard, he advised people to just take the strokes, get in the cart & move on to the next hole! Whether I were an LP or average height person, I would NEVER let my kids or pets out near any sized puddle in FL. Of course, I'd never move to FL in the first place because of bugs, gators, snakes and humidity, so there's that safety net for my family.

Most assuredly not. All the cleaning products in the world won’t help if you don’t use them/can’t find them buried under a ton of crap, Amy. In the spirit of the holidays, I will say that she looks nice in the picture. That shade of blue is lovely on her. Maybe Amy plans on strapping little wash cloth booties on the cat so he can clean as he wanders all over the counters? If she lays down a spritz of all purpose cleaner, the cat can pad through and at least sanitize small sections of her food prep area.

Did they kidnap one of US magazine's photographers? Who is snapping all of these <<spontaneous>> shots? Can't be the cat...he's in too many of the pics. Can't be Ember. Her little hands & fingers are too cold to hold a camera since Mommy & Daddy spent the clothing budget on various indoor hats and infinity scarfs. Or maybe Jeremy is finally putting his camera equipment to use & he setup cameras/tripods/timers in rooms all over their house?

I like Hoda a lot. I hope she gets to stay in the co-host seat. I think she can be serious enough to carry the more heavy stories and the news. She is light hearted enough to be the goofy, up for anything emcee for the fun segments as well. KL either needs to stay where she is, and maybe rotate in other people to play off her brand of "goofy", or be gone from her permanent gig & only do "roving reporter" stuff to tell all the stories with the "Christian" spin she embraces. And for the love of whichever God KL prays to: no. more. singing. ever. Did anyone watch this morning's segment with the "etiquette expert"? Why was he dressed like Greg Brady? And how is "try to say at least one nice thing about a dud gift you receive" expert - level etiquette advice? Isn't that common practice most people (born before 1999) had ingrained in their brains from childhood? And as for those born after 1999, they aren't really the audience for Today. Nor would they take advice from a guy wearing a 1972 turtle neck and perm.

I think I would have preferred getting pummeled with the potato cannon vs. eating some of those mashed potato concoctions. Vanilla?? In cookies, yes. Potatoes, abosolutely NO. And I haaaaate dill and red pepper. But I learned that olive oil is a spice apparently. This challenge always surprises me when most of these chain smoking chimney contestants get even one item correct. How they can taste anything beyond ashes, tar and nicotine is a mystery. Does Elise have children? I’m too lazy to look it up, but if she does, I hope Child Protective Services in her home town is watching. What a disaster of a human being.

I watched every season of Parenthood, and Monica Potter's character, Christina, was consistently my least favorite person. I thought Christina was an entitled, elitist, histrionic, whiny baby who was always on the verge of tears (happy tears, sad tears, frustration tears...didn't matter). After seeing her on the Profit, I realize Monica Potter never had to "act" for her role. She is an entitled, elitist, histrionic, whiny baby who always is on the verge of tears! And her nasally voice just puts me over the edge. Her whole melt down at the store was a real WTF moment. Too many tantrums to keep them straight, but let me specify- I am referring to the one when she walked out (again) from the conversation while caterwauling how she is the SOLE SAVIOR for not only her Mom & sisters, but for all of Cleveland! Really?? Cleveland's economic survival relies on MP's crappy Ye Olde Shoppe of faux shabby chic and "rustic farmhouse" <<wink wink>> tchotchkes? Pretty much everything in her store, aside from her magical Sea Buckthorn potion, can be found at any Target or Marshalls or TJ Maxx or Hallmark store. And I bet their price points are considerably lower. I felt bad for all the employees, but sorriest of all for MP's poor sister Jessica. That woman looked like a dog that's been beaten into terrified submission. She visible curled herself into a protective ball whenever her harridan of a sister entered the room or spoke. I wish Marcus could pluck her from her prison and set her up as a graphic designer in one of his successful ventures. FREE JESSICA!

Those fruitcakes made me really really want to try one! I ate one bite of the old fashioned, heavy as a brick kind of fruitcake when I was 5 or 6 b/c I had to per my mom. We were living on base and were invited to my dad's flight commander's house for a Christmas party. The officer's wife was from England and made her fruitcake as a "special treat" for the kids. I was given a slice and my mom whispered I only had to take one polite bite. That's all it took for me to never ever touch the vile fruitcake again. Stephany irks me as well, but I can't say why. I'm a chocolate cake lover, so her's sounded the most delicious to me. Bonus points for 'not having enough fruit' in it! Josh us my favorite. Everything he makes (except those jelly donuts) looks so beautiful and picture perfect. Jennifer's farm story got me a little teary, and I have never had to do barn chores before opening gifts in my life! She definitely earned brownie points from Nancy on that story.