BusyOctober

Watching last night's episode, I was reminded again how joyless and expressionless Jerk & Odd are. When talking in the car, Jerk says "Tori's baby shower is coming up." in a flat, monotone voice. "Oh yeah. That will be fun." Odd replies, straight-faced and dead eyed, with all the emotion of someone being told she will spend the next 3 hours watching paint dry. I also noticed their car seems to be lacking seat belts. Maybe it has lap belts, like a few older cars do? I hope in addition to house hunting they plan to car shop too. I'm sure there may be a way to retro-fit a car seat into the hipster mobile, but wouldn't it be safer to get a car with the proper harness/latch system? If they can drop $400+k on a house, I am sure they can upgrade the car. I will say I thought Odd looked more natural with her makeup last night. I don't think the dark lipstick does her any favors, unless looking like the Joker's granddaughter is a trend in Bend.

Like many of you, the ending wasn't satisfactory for me either. Bloodline was a compelling story and had so many amazing actors involved. It's too bad more people didn't get the buzz going and make it a hit like OITNB or House of Cards. Maybe there wasn't enough sex/nudity to keep some viewers interested? All I know is Kyle Chandler has been my TV boyfriend for years (I don't think he knows, but that's OK). I will be very disappointed if he doesn't come back on another show PDQ so I can continue my one-way love affair. Until then, I have Friday Night Lights to re-re-watch. In addition to all the unanswered questions listed here, one of mine was why was Sally so surprised at hearing her property would be underwater/worthless in 10 years. Um, duh. Most of the Keys and mainland Florida (and a lot of coastline communities) are eroding and being reclaimed by the ocean. Wouldn't a 40+ year resident of the Keys have been clued in to this environmental situation prior to now? I live in New England and there are several beaches that have lost frontage, and islands that have been "sinking" at exponential rates every year. Like Sally says, the ocean/water takes everything back at some point. A friend of mine watched the whole series and had a few questions that left me baffled. Not because of loose ends or incomplete story telling like some of the questions posed here. I was baffled because I couldn't understand how my friend's interpretation of some events were so far off base. Here are just two: - "Meg took the Sunfish out to escape her family and start a new life. How long do you think it took her to sail to California on that little boat?" - "So the dark haired woman John sees with Danny is really Sarah. John can "see dead people", but I wonder why dead Sarah is hanging out with Chelsea? Can she see ghosts too?"

I love how Jian Yang is sticking it to Erlich at every turn. "You are fat and you are poor." Never thought I'd agree with Guilfoyle, but I hate how every computer/tech device has to "speak" or show pictures. Why do I need pictures of food in my fridge? What's next? Washers and dryers will let me watch my laundry spin around via an app? The more tech put into appliances means higher prices, and increases obsolescence. If I pay $4000 for a talking fridge with screens and voice recognition and when some circuit blows or LED quits working, the fancy pants option I paid for is dead and too costly to repair. So, while the "refrigeration" may still work, I'm stuck with a non-tech $4k fridge that I could have had for $900 at Home Depot. I just don't see the necessity of some of these tech-y add-ons for appliances, but I am not 20- or 30- something, so I could be too old to appreciate the wonders of the micro chip.

Double post

I believe biakbiak was referring to New England... around these parts we have a Dunkin' Donuts (Dunks to us locals) on just about every corner in every town. In my city, there are 11 of 'em within a 3 mile radius of my house. If you tell a cop or a lawyer around here that you were at Dunks near the time of the crime, they'd easily believe it...practically everyone in New England hits a Dunkin Donuts at least once or twice a day! Gregg was a class A asshole. Another self centered sociopath who thinks murder is a better answer than divorce. Probably because he didn't want to tarnish his soldier boy reputation. He didn't want to look bad for divorcing his wife and breaking up his family to take up with a new GF. "Hmmm...do I want to just pay the lawyer and split the assets and deal with a few dirty looks from my wife's friends and family so I can move on with my new love? Orrrrr....do I put on a half-assed costume, drive an hour away to my friends' house with my very specific bullets and storm in, guns a-blazing, and kill my wife and good friends so I can move on with my new love? Yup, I know what I gotta do...now where did I put my Rastafarian hat from last Halloween?"

Exactly. The stolen gas cans were to fuel the boats illegally transporting the girls. The purpose for the extra gas was not to intentionally kill the immigrants as a retaliation for unpaid ransom. Those girls were not kidnapped. I think they were trying to get to the US (illegally). That boat got torched b/c the Coast Guard got too close to the operation one night on the water. The smuggler guys panicked and set the boat on fire to cover their tracks, killing the people locked in below deck. Idiot Eric & Dummy Danny were just making illegal money by getting the gas to the pick up point. They probably knew the bad guys were dealing in drugs or human trafficking, but I don't think they ever thought they'd kill those girls. Kevin needs to go ASAP. He is too stupid to breath on his own, and has no concept that he has literally sold his soul to the Devil by acting as Roy Gilbert's lackey. He is a danger to anyone in his circumference, so Belle and baby Rocky (ugh) need to get the hell outta the Keys. Where is John's son? Did he go off to college? Is he on the show anymore? I know he wasn't a major character, but it's weird that he hasn't been mentioned (other than John during his soft sell to the Diaz family re. plea deal). They have mentioned the rough time Janey is having with her parents, but what about Ben?

Those two were definitely dealt the losing hand from the DNA deck. Yikes. The taller one looked like a Crispin Glover + Sloth from The Goonies love child. In other notes from this episode...I need to know where did Mr. Squattah get his fancy shiny purple disco shirt? It looked like it was in mint condition from the Deney Terrio 'Dance Fever' collection. Yes, I'm old.

I already watched Ep 1 and it is taking every ounce of will power I can muster to not watch another one right now. Maybe I will watch just one more tonight, as soon as my husband go to bed. Now excuse me while I whip up a tryptophan and melatonin infused meal with a Sleeptime tea chaser for my DH's dinner...

Let's pretend for a moment that Whiny Man was telling the "troof" & NOT doing anything illegal. It's tricky, but suspend your disbelief and take his story as fact. Here are just a few of the many things my inquiring mind wants to know... Call me a sheltered snowflake, but is selling "milk, eggs, juice boxes" out of an apartment a real thing that exists?? I understand if an actual corner store is on the ground floor of a building, like a 7-11 or "Mini Mart" where residents can stop in to get a coffee or package of paper towels on the way up to their unit. But in an actual apartment?? Did he have the place outfitted with a "Dairy aisle", complete with a commercial refrigerator to keep the milk & eggs he was selling to his "elderly" customers at proper temp? And if he only uses the place to sell between 8:30am & 1am, then sleeps at his fiancee's house, does he pay rent on this unit? Does he make enough selling 3rd hand groceries to cover the rent & make a profit? Or, like so many guests of this show, is his rent paid by you, me and Byrd? I'm sure this was a cash only business, so what did his 2016 tax return look like? I know this smooth operator had too many other marks against him on JJ's radar (lawyer lying, fake receipt, cell phone in the hot tub), but I really wish she asked more questions before she declared "we're DONE!"

Brooke isn't fooling me with her relative calm and normal behavior this leg. She did wig out a little bit and I heard her whine her soon to be trade marked "I CAN'T DOOOO THIIIISSS!!!" at least once. I can't stand her screeching, her hyper criticism, her flailing & wailing. And Scott got on my nerves tonight screaming "Bitch!" every round of his game (yah, yah, gamers do that, trash talk, competitive sport blah blah blah). I just do not like the word, especially when it's said with such vehemence and anger. But that's my own issue I guess. Tara & Joey are still my faves, despite the both of them showing signs of pouty entitlement these last 2 legs. Tara had a bad case of Killer Fatigue in this leg IMO. She was frustrated doing something she had never done before and everyone was getting past her. Yes, that's true of every racer in almost every leg, but towards the end of AR, everything is magnified. I'm too lazy to look up their ages but are "Team Mom & Dad" that much older than the rest of the "kids" in the race? They don't look much older to me. Or are they "Mom & Dad" because they do in fact have kids of their own? LoLo - meh. If they win I won't be upset. Little drama, little personality, but I prefer them over Brooke & Scott any day of the week. Bye Matt & Redmond. I'm sure it will be a long time before either of them take a subway or train anywhere.

Thank you! I thought it was just me. The woman, Barbara from last week stated HER opinion (off camera, but mic'd) that SHE wished Luann would walk away, but SHE thought Luann would rather go through with it and divorce later vs. losing face by calling off the wedding. Never once did she say to Carole "Luann told me she'd rather just get married and deal with the aftermath later. Barbara is the one who had "cold feet" on behalf of her friend; Luann did not say the things Carole is attributing to Barbara. And in another conversation with B. about Lu & Tom, Carole compared B's relationship to Lu's situation by calling it a "worldwind romance". The phrase is whirlwind romance". Maybe Carole needs a ghost speaker too? Carole was beyond ridiculous talking about how great she is with parents...um, maybe its because you were born in the same decade (as was I)? You and Adam's mom have a lot more in common than you and Adam. What the hell is up with all the vests and coats made from forgotten Muppets skins? The shaggy fur is everywhere on RHONY and I hate it. Carole has an electric blue Cookie Monster coat. Luann, Romona & Dorinda have shag shrugs. Sonja carried in a white flokati rug vest, then Tinsley showed up for breakfast wearing one. Bethenny wore a full length lavender (or gray?) duster stitched together from bathmats found on the Home Goods clearance rack. Stop it! If "everyone is wearing it", then the cachet of owning it is over. Drop them off at Sesame Street.

Does anyone else think Jerk & Odd are actually using this show as an audition reel for a zombie themed show? The two of them are so dead in the eyes and have no emotion or expression. And what is it with Odd gazing at Jerk in every single TH? He isn't saying anything profound or interesting or amusing. Is that part of her submissive Christian wifely duty? "And the Lord sayeth 'If thou marries a dolt, cleave unto him. For though he mayeth be an unskilled donkey, he hath been blessed with the God given appendage woman doth not have'. For the penis is the Power & the Glory! Amen." I was really impressed with Zach and Amy's conversations. She really is supportive and it's good Amy has been Zach's cheerleader. She did a good job. Amy's friend Lisa needs to cut her hair. Much too long and unflattering color IMO. I hope they didn't have to pay the restaurant advisor a big fee to crash their pipe dream. Any quick Google search or conversation with any local cafe owner would have told them the same thing...50% + new restaurants fail in the first year. Huge money upfront with very little profit. Don't go into this business just because you like to cook (and really, after seeing some of Amy's cooking skills, I question her abilities). Maybe I heard her wrong, but before she met with the advisor, did Amy say her idea for her dream restaurant was "home cooked meals, already prepared"??? WTF? If I want food that has already been prepared, and set out under heat lamps, I can go to McDonalds or Olive Garden. If she really wants to express herself via food and make money, I have a better idea than an expensive storefront restaurant. Maybe Amy could partner with a local grocery store or coffee shop (or the farm she already owns) and create some prepared meals/desserts. I know there are plenty of places I go to that have a small freezer/ refrigerated section with home made soups, sandwiches, breads, cakes, casseroles for customers to take home. In fact, whenever my family goes apple picking, the farm we go to has amazing produce and prepared food in the "barn". We pick our apples, then buy veggies and one of their awesome chicken pot pies to take home. While we make our apple pies, we cook the chicken pie and make a big pie -themed Sunday dinner.

Maybe it's because Flo 2.0 Brooke is always screeching "I CAAAAN'TTT!!!!", but it seemed to me Scott had done more of the tasks than she had. That's why I was squeeeing in anticipation of Brooke having to do the bike/fish trap thing. But, nope. Then I saw there was a river/boat task and for a brief moment I had flashbacks to Flo in those round wicker basket boats. Again I was hoping that task would happen and Brooke would have to implode. Nope again. I have a horrible feeling those 2 are going to win just because I dislike Brooke so so so very much. In addition to her rotten attitude, it irks me that once she makes it to the mat, she acts as if all is great and she was an amazing competitor and partner. Talk about a revisionist. Were the Race production planners trying to kill someone on these legs? Bungee jumping and then torturous bike riding, ladder climbing, manequin-carrying. foot rowing AND climbing 500 steps in 90% humidity and 100+ degree heat??? Thank goodness Phil came down the mountain to meet up with Floyd and Becca for their elimination. The only way Floyd could have made it up there was in an ambulance.

I didn't like this because of the story, the acting, the characterizations, etc. It just wasn't my cup of tea, and if anyone asked my opinion of it, I'd suggest other shows or movies I enjoyed more instead. My dislike had nothing to do with historical accuracy. How could it be historically accurate when it takes place in the future? And I do agree with you that most historical dramas are not accurate. Unless written from the point of view of a biography or from a contemporary's diary, it would be next to impossible for anything produced in the 20th/21st century to accurately reflect the real facts of events that took place centuries ago. Some shows get it closer to "real" than others, but I guess it's up to each viewer to decide what discrepancies he or she can tolerate.

She's trying to either cozy up to or replace Lori? http://pagesix.com/2017/05/15/bethenny-frankel-joining-shark-tank/ I would give ANYTHING for Sonja to be on an episode with Bethenny. She'd be wearing one of her Burlesque costumes (the one with underwear of course) & vamp her way through her presentation. "Hi Sharks! I'm Sonja and have I got a sexy toaster over for YOU! It doesn't exist yet, despite working on it for 8 years, but it is the best toaster oven ever! Just ask my Nigerian football team. It comes in a box with half naked men on it! You can make entire glamorous Upper East Side meals in it! Things like TOAST! And TOASTED English Muffins! You can even reheat a slice of pizza one of your twenty something Interns or French "lovahs" leave behind! Now, who's ready to turn up the heat and get TOASTED with ME?"

Sarah isn't my favorite, but the woman has good game play. Despite looking like a stranded big mouth bass all the time, she has brains & works on her strategy. I still don't want her to win though. My girl Cirie is in trouble. So is Aubry. There are too many Idols and Immunity plays out there, and they ain't got one of 'em. Tai has 2, Troy has 1. Brad can win challenges easily. Sarah has her 'legacy' immunity. That leaves Aubry and Cirie as the un-Immune sitting ducks. sigh. Maybe Tai can be sweet talked into giving up one of his idols??? What's the expiration date on those anyway? At 5? Or 4 or 3? I don't feel one way or the other about Brad, but it would gall me if he ends up winning after not doing much "Outwitting". I do not want to see his tears and his praising of Jesus and his other Savior, Saint Monica, for divinely granting him the win. If an alpha male wins, I may as well not bother to record the Reunion since all the time will be spent on him. And I am not looking forward to seeing a Cochran cameo appearance either. But he will be singled out of the audience for two reasons; 1) to expose his role as Debbie's "advisor" while on Exile & 2) to embarrass/shame Aubry for making the boyfriend comment. Probst will spend 5 minutes asking the two of them if there is a chance for romance and other icky annoying stuff. I wonder if he will mention how Aubry crushed Cochran's "record" time in the card house challenge?

Wow, I didn't think Bethenny could be any more of an egomaniac. Way to make freakin' charity events all about YOU, B. As a divorced mom- who is also a millionaire businesswoman with multiple NYC apartments, a house in the Hamptons, designer clothes, toys and food for herself and her child, able to jet off on weekend helicopter ski trips like the rest of us go to the grocery store, and has several TV shows to her name, I think you are definitely the person to show others that the struggle is real. The gals down at the shelter will feel as if they are looking in a mirror as they hear your story! Please... And nice nonchalant mention of how much Dennis admired and desired you for.all.those.years he was married to your friend. It was so easily & naturally slipped into her conversation, we hardly even noticed. Not. Some people are name droppers. Bethenny is a self adulation dropper. BTW, Dennis and Tom had better not stand next to each other at the next cocktail party, or else B may take the wrong doppelgänger home that night. Then she can add her name to Tom's Been There Done That list. Tinsley is entitled to date who ever, but I hope they will stop showing her trolling for teens in the future. It's really rather icky. Maybe Dorinda's human trafficking cause should do more to help the young victims wandering the streets after a night in Sonja's Menopause Manor?

I know they knew having an LP was a possibility, and it probably never even was a factor when they decided to start a family. I wonder if Z & T discussed genetic counseling at all? I know my scenario is totally different since my husband & I tried to conceive via IVF. I was 39 when we started the process, so the clinic suggested genetic counseling. I found out I was a carrier for the Cystic Fibrosis gene, but thankfully my husband was not. We also discovered that for whatever reason, the majority of our embryos were not viable...no reason for it at the time, but my husband and I could only produce "scrambled eggs", and no implanted embryo would survive past 8 weeks. Even if we did get pregnant, and if we told our baby would likely be born with some kind of birth defect, I don't honestly know what difference it would make to us. We ended up adopting our fabulous daughter 10 years ago. And it turns out, she was the baby we were always meant to have. Just like little Jackson is in the arms of the parents he was destined to be with. They will do a great job as parents, thanks to Tori being a little smarter than the average Roloff. As for Jerk and Odd's progeny....maybe Aunty Tori will drop by often to help out.

Sigh...Amy Amy Amy. Enjoy whatever time you want to with Mr. Bland Chris, but do not get any more emotionally invested. If you can't manage that, than you should walk away from him. He hasn't been very respectful of her feelings (IMO) and it doesn't look like he's looking for anything deeper than companionship. Which is OK for him to want...he hasn't been married and may not ever want that kind of commitment. But he should be honest and tell Amy frankly that all he wants is a girlfriend to do various activities with and ride his motorcycle and go away for weekend trips. Romance and sex may be part of the equation too. For some people, that is all they want or need. But Amy needs/wants more. I don't blame her either. She wants the fairy tale and whirlwind romance and a mutual level of emotional connection. She wants someone to adore her since it's pretty obvious Matt never provided any of that. Both Chris and Amy deserve to be happy in a relationship, but I don't think its with each other. Of course Jerk & Odd want a unique name for their precious hipster snowflake to be. And of course they have hipster doofus friends with hipster children... the little boy's name is "Honor"...really??? It may be because I can't stand Odd, but she did not look engaged with those kids. Lots of far away stares and "uh-huhs". And I agree their house hunting was a total farce. Are they looking to BUY or RENT? If in the market to buy, I'd like to know if it's all TLC bucks for the down payment, because neither one of them can be pulling in wages enough to cover a $300k (or more) mortgage. And how insufferable were they sniffing and sneering at the "older home"? One of them stated they prefer "new" so it's less work for them. Um, yeah, dummy! So would every other prospective buyer, but here's a quick real estate 101 lesson for you; new construction in desirable neighborhoods, with no (God forbid!) planes flying in the vicinity COST MORE! That is why many first time or young buyers look for a home with "good bones" and potential to expand. It's called a "starter home". So their complete ignorance of basic economics tells me those two buffoons will be moving to the farm (as planned). Whether they have the balls to squeeze Amy out of her home or convince Matt to build them their "new construction" palace, they will be permanent residents on Matt's Pumpkin Compound soon. And they had better check the snotty attitude toward the "messy" family situation they keep bitching about. People get divorced. It's hard when it's your parents, but you are adults, not 3rd graders. Where's all their Biblical empathy and pathos for (mostly) Amy & Matt? Non existent because they are too busy looking down their noses at the "failure" of their marriage and passing judgement on the (gasp) non-marital, non-procreation, non-treehouse sex Matt and Amy, and their respective consenting adult partners may be having. As much as I like Zack & Tori, Zack got on my nerves a little when he was hemming and hawing about taking a full time job because he didn't want to give up "family time". I totally understand his hesitation to work for Matt (OMG, I can't even imagine the micro managing he'd do over Every.Friggin. Thing.) But how does he think 99% of the rest of Americans pay bills and keep a roof over their families' heads? It's called getting a J-O-B. And most of us work way more than an 8 hour shift every day. Nine to 5 would be a luxury for a lot of folks. And trust me, the majority of those parents would also prefer to "stay with the family" and to work only 12 hours a week coaching. In reality, not only do parents work a full time job, many have part time jobs as well! AND they still find time to do volunteer work, spend time with family & friends, work out, do weekend warrior projects around the house...millions of non-reality TV show-having people have made this their way of life for generations.

I knew nothing about this when it popped up on my DVR. I love all things British, so I watched it last night. I fell asleep a few times, rewound to try to catch up, fell asleep again. I did make it through the whole thing and my reaction overall was "WTF was that?" The 'behind the scenes' thing at the end left me even more befuddled...this was a hit play??? Ghosts of Diana? Kate is Lady Macbeth? The only thing that I thought was good was how much most of the actors looked like their characters. Even little George & Charlotte looked close to reality. Harry was a bit pudgy though. I get it that is was a fictitious look at what the future "could" hold for the monarchy, and telling the story in blank verse was supposed to give it some Shakespearean legitimacy. But if anyone asked me if they should give up 90 min to watch this, I'd suggest reruns of "Wolf Hall" or "Victoria". Or binge watch "The Crown" instead. Two crowns thumbs down.

A very small point in such a good drama, but it's one of those nitpicks that makes my brain churn...Trixie always looks like a million bucks, but I need to know. How does she afford so many of those dresses and fashionable clothes? She isn't from a wealthy family. The other girls may not have her high sense of fashion, but they must all get paid the same amount, right? What do the other young nurses do with their money? They aren't dressing like Trixie. They don't have cars to upkeep. Barbara is saving for her wedding/married life I guess? Maybe the rest send money home to their parents? I don't think the nurses have to pay rent and meals are provided, so I'd guess their salaries would be low to reflect that. So if Trixie spends all her earnings on clothes and beauty treatments, that's fine. Maybe she earns a little extra b/c she's "head nurse"? Or does she get paid to teach her exercise class?

I don't remember the details, but I know Phyllis declared her atheism and vegetarianism in her first (or second) episode. I can't go back and look it up, but I'm pretty sure she let everyone know at one of her first meals she didn't eat meat. And I think Sister J invited her to prayers and Phyllis explained her view on religion. I'm just glad it all worked out for Phyllis. Sister MJ is amazing. So glad to see baby/toddler Susan and her family. Loved the other mom offering support and getting Rhoda involved in the thalidomide group. The other mom, Lydia, was played by the actress who plays Miriam in "Home Fires". I liked Lydia a lot more than Miriam.

Of everything offered up last night, the only practical, investment worthy item was the bridal slip thingy. I had a very simple dress, but I was talked into getting a petticoat ruffle underskirt to make the dress pouf out better. It did look better with it but it was a pain in the butt to maneuver during my one trip to the bathroom at my reception. I actuallly ended up going into the handicap stall and taking the dress and the petticoat off to use the bathroom. That slip bundle bag trick would have been awesome! I think even bridesmaids and mothers of the bride could benefit depending on the volume or length of their dresses. $30 is nothing when talking about wedding paraphernalia. I was a bit more careful with most of my wedding money since we paid for most of the big day ourselves, but I know friends who were "up sold" some pretty ridiculous over priced add-ones because the attitude can quickly become "it's only another $30-50-90 -200 more...at this point, won't make a difference!" Hair care product bros were beyond assholes. No woman is going to but a product with the word "laid" in the brand. As for their pitch including other "sexy" or unconventional names, most marketing likes to dance on the edge of wild or crazy. They imply their product will result in ah-maaaaazing sex or make you desireable. Calling your product "Laid" is uncreative at best. I guess "I'm Fuckable" didn't pass the first round of testing? Paint and drink nights have been around for a long time. They are fun, but I think there is a lot of competition. That couple sure knew how to get Barbara's attention though. Unfortunately her free looksie at some peen still wasn't enough to get her to invest.

Sonja: It was yellow ice, now it's brown ice...hahaha! Me: dry heaving and scrambling for the remote OMG. So disgusting. Gray Gardens is real people; first doing laundry in the bidet, now the retch-inducing ice. Does Sonja think the yellow/brown ice gives her some kind of UES cachet? Like it's "designer" ice? Do you think she knows frozen water shouldn't come in colors like precious gems? "Come on in everyone! Welcome to my Harry Winston inspired cocktail party! Would you like your drink chilled with the Canary Yellow ice or the Chocolate Diamond ice? What's the matter? You all look like you smell a fart or something!" I know we don't see a lot of Hannah (thank you, TPTB), so we don't know a lot about her. But she comes off as immature for her age. She acts like a 13 or 14 year old with the dramatics. I don't doubt she loved Richard and I'm sure her written note came from her heart, but she just seems "young" for a 20-something. While Hannah does look a lot like Dorinda, Dorinda is much better looking IMO. Hannah looks like she could be Sandra Bernhardt's kid. That nose and the big wide mouth...I know bright red lipstick is (was?) the rage, but some people shouldn't necessarily call attention to their worse feature. At least the color is flattering on Hannah. That "Skinny Girl" red lip Bethenny sports does her complexion no favor (but yet, I think she wears red clothes really well). Tinsley's friend with the dog car was a joke right? Please tell me no one on the crowded sidewalks of NYC is remote controlling their purse dog in these cars. I could kinda understand it if I saw it on Beverly Hills since there are many ridiculous trends out in La-La Land (I don't condone it in any city...so unnecessary and ego-maniacal).

I believe the "coffin bed" cost more than hanging over the rope for the night, so for some desperate people, the rope was the only option other than sleeping on the streets. I think they said that real "doss houses" were jam packed and coffin beds were rented out in 8 hour shifts. The bench & rope set ups were also packed in shoulder to shoulder, so no cheating by stretching out on the bench versus hanging over the rope!