BusyOctober

In addition to the drop crotch, the exposed midriff and the jumpsuit showing up every. damn. season (and often multiple times within a season), I guess we will be forced to see the other Most Ridiculous Fashion Item Forced Down Consumers' Throats"...the open-toed bootie. These have been around for a few years, but I don't know why. Now UGG has gotten into the act with their interpretation of this monstrosity. I have seen boots move into year round wear vs. cold weather only, and sometimes it works. But I have also seen boots that definitely say "winter" via materials used for the upper portion (i.e.- faux fur, fuzzy pom-poms, suede,or patent leather/pleather) and then there's the stupid "peep hole" at the toe. I even saw a pair of Wellies with the toe cut out for crissake. What's the effin' point of that??? If I am pulling on a pair of Wellies I assume it's raining, muddy or slushy outside. Why would I want exposed toes and a hole for water to seep in to get the rest of my foot wet? Maybe the designers of this footwear trend are only producing them because it hadn't been done before, so it's a "new" or "innovative" twist? So with that logic, I guess we'll be seeing pants as hats and bras with pockets in future runway shows.

Agree...6 egomaniacs yelling over each other and shouting out questions was annoying. Looks like Barbara had some work done over the break...she looks good, but I think her surgeon forgot to remove the stick up her ass. The chicken soup people didn't have a chance. I don't know if the business would ever take off, but I think their pitch was a bit off base. The woman did mention her mom as inspiration after she was diagnosed with cancer. But then the talked turned to sending good old fashioned chicken soup for making someone with a cold feel better. If my college kid or my sister is 100's of miles away, ordering soup today to be delivered in 3-5 days is dumb. A cold doesn't last that long (unless it's my husband with his biannual man cold). I think a better pitch would be to position this as something you send to someone recuperating from an illness. I would have used examples like her mom's cancer diagnosis, or a new parents home from having a baby, or a friend recovering from knee replacement or a family caring for a seriously ill parent or child...these folks could use a nice meal that requires little prep since they have limited time or mobility. I think it would be more appealing as a "meals on wheels" model; it's a way to offer comfort in a box (&a remove the chore of cooking) to loved ones too far away for you to hand deliver a casserole or a batch of cookies. i guess those slide slipper shoes are popular enough, but I think they are hideous. The only places they're fashion appropriate are at the pool/beach, or in institutional bathrooms.

Way too early to know who any of these people are, but one person stuck out immediately... the guy who says he's 28 but looks like he's 58. All I could think of every time he popped up was he is a slimmed down Paul Blart, Mall Cop. He evenhas the Hawaiian shirt & the weird creeper 'stache Calling this season Millenials vs. Gen-X is so dumb. It's the same batch of bros and attention seekers. Throw in the obligatory cute but dumb girl and the grumpy old dude and we have the same group of Survivors we've had for many seasons.

DVR'd it and watched this morning. Meh. I like Kevin James, but it may take a few episodes to make me enjoy the rest of the cast. Wife and younger kids barely registered interest. The older daughter looks a little like Miley Cyrus in her Disney days, so I may never be able to like her character. I don't get the premise...he retires, but needs to rent out the garage for income? Why retire then? He still looks capable of doing his police work. Can't he go back there, even part time at a desk? Or why not line up a part time job as a security guard (Mall Cop???). I know that many people can't afford to retire if they don't have pensions or 401ks but I also know that cops have a pretty good pension plan. I also don't think my parents would be so understanding about the boyfriend/fiancé & drop out of school situation. If her parents are so chill and loving, why did she have to hide the BF or the engagement for so long?

Why do the Minis and their horrible moms have to return? I already have my seat reserved in Hell, so I don't care how shallow or mean this is; the mini girls are (on the whole) not so cute & the moms are some of the most unattractive women on TV. Don't know the names, won't learn the names but 2 dental related things really jumped out; * the little dark haired mini who mentioned how she deserved the crown b/c she battled food poisoning...her mom should stop allowing her to drink coffee/tea/cola or whatever the hell is yellowing her teeth. The red lipstick only accentuated it. * the mom with the half gray mop on her head...maybe think about putting some of your false eyelash, manicure, and extension kit money into a dental account for fixing that chasm between your front teeth. Why were the mini moms wearing crowns from Party City? Their kids were supposed to be in a staged pageant routine, not the moms. I don't attend dance competitions, but is it normal for moms and family members to play dress up with accessories to match their kids' dance?

Sarah asked all my questions...I feel like a lot of what happened was left out in editing. A few other things bugged me; 1) what happened to the existing "mobile kitchen"? That seemed like a great asset for catering gigs...keep hot food churning out vs. letting it die in chaffing dishes. 2) new food trucks had NO connection to the "brand" or their food. Does their catering menu already include Hawaiian shaved ice and grilled cheese? With a name like "Honest" I would think this company offered natural, local, organic food (or in the hipster language of Panera "Clean food"). And as Sarah mentioned those 2 trucks are going to add to expenses in a big way - maintenance, licenses & permits, inspections, staffing, purchasing, fuel...I don't get it. 3) I understand Marcus wanting to "oomph" up the presentation, but buying a lot of venue specific tchotchskes seems wasteful. Plus that crap needs to be stored when not in use. Someone needs to organize it and maintain inventory so the items don't get too shabby looking & shop for new ones. More admin responsibilities and expense IMO. Buy some multi purpose serving dishes/platters. Some contemporary, some traditional white mix and match stuff will go a long way for most events. 4) Marcus dropping the bomb on the crew that to maximize business he added the trucks and expanded the "capacity", but don't worry about hiring any new employees...you all will now work in shifts!

Not sure I'm in for another round if Nia Vardalos and her husband are still the hosts as indicated in the article above. I love Mary Berry, and Johnny Iuzzini wasn't a bad substitute for Paul Hollywood. I just found Nia & Ian disengaged, charmless and unfunny. I think Jeff Foxworthy did a better job when the US first hopped on the GBBO train. I did watch the 4 eps of Holiday Baking and I tried to be open minded about the contestants. But they were lacking the talent and skills of the GB bakers. I couldn't root for any of the US folks. Yet I find myself in tears when any one of the British contestants has to go home because I truly enjoy and like and admire all of them!

My husband records a show on Food Network, "Burgers and 'que" or some thing. I just attempted to watch it and lasted less than 10 min. How does that bald dude Michael Symon have a TV show? I thought Guy Fieri was obnoxious...wow. Michale Symon has to be the most grating irritating untalented personality I've seen in a long time. I think I ground my teeth down to nubs just trying to listen to him and his equally obnoxious bar hopping bros... the loud shouting over each other, the oversized sandwiches or pizzas or whatever being jammed into their open maws, all while they still scream at each other with particles of meat spewing forth and licking their fingers. I was so nauseous. If he isn't talking with his mouth full, he's throwing his head back and giggling about anything and everything. GAH! I've been married for 15 years and we have a great relationship, but if he ever suggests I watch Michael Symon, or any show he is on again, I may need to find a divorce attorney.

While I wouldn't ever consider myself a baker to the degree these folks are, I have made a few enriched breads in my day. So as soon as they announced 2.5 hours for the Signature, I was shocked how many chose an enriched dough recipe! Two of my go to favorites are a cinnamon swirl bread & "quick" cinnamon buns. The cinnamon swirl takes at least 5 hours from start to finish (but oh-so worth it!). The buns are a bit faster to turn out, but still take closer to 3 hours on a good day. And both of these recipes have only ONE filling. Putting chocolate, fruit & nuts in their bakes was a yummy idea, but not practical for the allotted time; those loaves would never be baked through with only 20-30 min to spare for time in the oven. I knew Paul would be squishing his thumb into a lot of under cooked dough. No one in my family likes rye and we aren't too fond of savory breads. Needless to say, none of the show stoppers made us hungry (but many of them looked beautiful).

That "Silent Salesman" display case looked like something I would have made for my toddler daughter's room. I'm guessing they went to Home Depot's closet storage section, grabbed two shoe shelf bins and glued them together. Then they went next door to A.C. Moore to get some bright colored scrapbook paper (or maybe a roll of funky duct tape?) to jazz up the stark white particle board cabinets. The only thing missing was a few "My Little Pony" stickers. And the "redesigned" case wasn't much of an improvement. As for the watch itself...meh. Flip Flop Guy is right, I think it's a shrinking market. I can't afford high end time pieces, but I'm sure there is a demand for those as a status symbol. I haven't worn a watch in years. I did own several Swatch watches back in the day, and that's what these Flex things look like to me. Swatch even had the interchangeable bands (although a little different than Flex's). They had cool Swatch Guards to protect the face from scratches! There are over 200 Flip Flop Shops? Worldwide? Really? I go to Target every spring to get a new pair (or 2). I do not need a niche store to satisfy my need for seasonal plastic footwear. Nor do I need to pay marked up prices for them to help the store pay its overhead. I never understood how stores that sell only hats or only sunglasses or only flip flops survive in malls. Of course - I am not twenty-something, and I don't live in a beach community, and I don't wear flip flops year round. I work in an office that requires shoes and specifically bans flip flops.

I think the "fresh out of the wrapper" lines on the shirts is because they ARE fresh out of the wrapper! I imagine the wardrobe dept on this show has a bin full of men's shirts to hand out to these litigants. I can hear the PA, after laying eyes on some of these people, "Oh God...here's the Kohl's/Target card. Run up the road and get these losers a shirt with a collar and some sleeves for chrissake." Then again, if they do that for the males on this show, they are desperately in need of some back up outfits for many of the females. I could live happily ever after if I never have to see another titty-tat or neck tat again.

So, as a champion of "truth" and the right for people to issue hurtful statements, can we assume Bethenny will not take umbrage if (when) any of her exes, her mother, her daughter or business associates make comments in the media or to her surgically revised face about any of B's short comings as a human? Of course not! The truth spewer rights only apply to Bethenny. It's so frustrating when I hear rude, ignorant, selfish sociopaths announce "I tell it like it is" or "I'm allowed to say how I feel" or "I speak the truth & if you can't handle it then you can't handle me". You can't enrobe a ball of shit in chocolate and tell me it's a bon-bon. It is not appropriate or acceptable to say anything or everything you feel or think! We teach children that it isn't polite to hurt peoples' feelings for Christ's sake! There is a difference between throwing verbal barbs with intent to hurt vs. truth/opinion statements. There is a thing called tact. See also; empathy, courtesy, restraint, discretion. Luann may not be Mother Theresa, but she makes her own adult choices to live how she wants to. If she screwed all of Manhattan per Bethenny, so what? If she's decided it's more important to be married to a player than to acknowledge his dodgy past, that's on her. That decision isn't hurting anyone of her cast mates (yes, that means YOU Miss Five Fucks) or society in general. Her kids are grown and won't be treating Tom as a father figure, so they aren't affected either. So, it is no one's business but Lu & Tom's. Why Bethenny has such a hard on about Luann is beyond me. She keeps harping on Lu's sex-tivities and what a horrible, evil person Lu is. I'm not seeing it. Lu didn't handle the Carole/Adam thing well and went off the rails at some imagined slight to her niece's honor. So, B can be resentful of that on her BFF Carole's behalf, but it doesn't explain the deep seated hatred or B's campaign to destroy Luann. And Bethenny's treatment of Jules was text book bullying. She belittled Jule's short husband (at their 1st meeting) by suggesting he dress as R2-D2 for Halloween. Then through the rest of the season, she disparaged Jule's marriage, her home, her parenting, her intelligence, her eating disorder and her religious practices all on camera. Bethenny will do whatever it takes to remain Alpha dog (wolf?) of her TV pack. Ramona, Carole & Sonja have all tucked their tails under and follow their leader. Dorinda has been mostly spared because that woman can bare her fangs enough to make B. think twice about getting into it with her. Apparently Jules didn't get the memo to act as submissive as possible around B. Bethenny took Jule's lack of kowtowing as a challenge to her dominance and went in for the kill. Congrats, Bethenny. You managed to chase another human being out of your life.

Did this show lose their hair & makeup crew? Some of the adults - Jess, Kira and Abby specifically - looked really hard and aged. Ashlee and Holly looked the same, and Jill didn't look too different (just an ugly personality masked by a hella ton of procedures). I never thought Kira or Jess were anything beyond average "mom" looking albeit they both need to back away from their suit cases of Mary Kay product. But the make up (?), lighting (?) last night made those two look extra haggy IMO. They need to get in on Jill's secret for how to slow down the effects of the decaying of one's soul from showing on the surface. Jill should get Kendall some early intervention appointments as well. Jill's sneer of superiority has been inherited by her kid and it is starting to become a permanent look for the girl.

I don't understand how a business owner with multiple stores doesn't know the cost per item. Isn't that part of a business plan? Wouldn't a bank want to know some of those details before making loans? At the very least, as a lender I'd want to make sure the biz owner had some working knowledge of his/her financials. Unless he avoided bank loans all together? Maybe his pop up prairie dog creeper wife is funding the stores? The whole Grace issue was hinky from the jump. I assumed an affair as well, but the EEOC filing was a surprise; not as much a surprise that Dave hit on her, but that Grace was still hanging around the place with such an a-hole boss. I know good jobs are tough to come by, and the person being harassed shouldn't have to run away from their livelihood. But could Dave have really been paying Grace so well it was worth it to stay? For TWO years after he showed what a dick head he was? And not only is Dave a stubborn jackass, he's incredibly stupid too. He obviously didn't consult a lawyer before firing Grace. How can he have a leg to stand on re. a retaliation/retribution charge from his employee with a FILED EEOC COMPLAINT?? The business itself...meh. I like a good (homemade) soup but I've never been motivated to go to a quick serve joint and order any. We used to have a chain "Soup-er Salad" around here. It was in the mall near my office and we'd go there for lunch sometimes. I don't think I ever ordered a soup. Salads were good and they had an awesome chicken avocado wrap. I think they called their wrapped sandwiches/salads "walk abouts".

Jill and Jess are horrible people. That's nothing new, I know. They are both so vile and full of hate and jealousy. I bet if you cut either one of them they'd bleed green. Kendall just isn't cut out to be a dancer in the same caliber as Maddie. Or Nia. Or Brynn. Jill is warped to think that Kendall has the same commercial appeal or talent as some of the other girls. If anything, Kendall has begun to lose some of her girl next door natural good looks. I'd almost be ready to say living with her witch of a momster is turning the poor girl's insides and outsides as ugly, but that can't be the only factor. Maddie, Mackenzie and JoJo live with horrible ugly mean spirited mothers and (at least on TV) the girls seem fairly sweet and respectful. Jill and her new lackey, Jess are so disgusting in their bullying. As for the dances...yawn. Same ol' lame choreography. What was with the boy's mom lying about Brynn being the one stalling back stage? Yes I know it has to be producer driven "controversy". That group dance was energetic but nothing as challenging as I'd expect from a group of tweens who have been dancing for most of their lives. Reality Cowgirl got it right...more of the same crap and histrionics.

Re. the dating/sleeping with "married" people...it's a stupid argument when the people involved are separated &/or in the process of divorce. I don't like Bethenny and her shrewish behavior, but for Lu to be clutching pearls over the fact that B & her new man were both (technically) married when they first got together is ridiculous. The world knows Lu & her past men have had various arrangements with regard to exclusiveness vs. "open" relationships, so Lu needs to slide the look of mock horror off her face. She has also made it known that she is an adult with sexual appetites and has no shame (nor should she) about who & how many she sleeps with. B & Dennis knew each other in the past via B's old high school friend, but I do believe Dennis & Mrs. Dennis were separated before B. entered the arena. I do not think B. busted the marriage up and became the other woman. They met and started dating when B. was separated/divorcing. Dennis was separated. They are two consenting adults with no further romantic ties to their soon to be exes. So, in short, who the fuck cares that these two are together now? It would be entirely different and more hurtful to the families if either Dennis or B. were still married, living as a married couple in their homes with the spouse and children, and the spouse had no clue of an affair. That said, B. is vile and manic and is out to destroy anyone who deigns to deny her whatever homage and kowtowing she thinks she deserves. Her only goal in life is to be seen as RIGHT!!! and VINDICATED!!! that she knows all, by God! She thinks she is the paragon of what every business woman, mother, friend, lover, lifestyle guru should strive to be. In reality, I think B. is petty and insecure. She claims to be so busy and running from meeting to meeting, and juggling so many responsibilities (all while bleeding profusely all over Manhattan for months on end). Yet she has time to research a la a "CSI: Bitchville" agent for dirt on her frenemies, and then plot and scheme how to use her intel to take down her target at the most opportune time. She could have been a real role model or at least begrudgingly admired for her successes and struggles. At one point, Bethenny was my favorite Bravo-lebrity. But not anymore. She is a horrible person. And on a shallow level, she looked as hideous on the outside as her black twisted insides. All the lifts/pulls/fillers and surgeries made her look more reptilian than ever. I kept waiting to catch a glimpse of her forked tongue slither out of her iguana face.

"S/he offered to help. I didn't ask for the money!" This seems to be a reoccurring excuse for non-repayment and I don't think these idiots understand that in these cases, semantics and choice of words are everything. If my friend, GF, BF, cousin tells me how they couldn't pay rent or a car payment or for a child's Christmas present, and if I have the ability to help financially, the follow up conversation can go one of 3 ways... 1- Wow, that sucks. I'm sorry you have to deal with that. 2- Wow that sucks. I have a few extra bucks at the moment. I can loan you XXX and you can pay me back over the next (insert terms here). 3- Wow that sucks. I want to help and give you XXX towards it and I hope it helps. Just because you don't say the words "I need money from you to cover this financial obligation" & you manage to successfully wheedle money out of someone you know, does not mean any monetary amount that formerly belonged in that person's bank account is automatically yours with no further thoughts to repay it.

The scam artist "antique" dealer is from my state. I never heard of him or his shop, but he sounded sketchy as Hell on JJ. I looked up his shop on Yelp and most of the reviews (going back to 2010) said he was a crook. Very rude and dismissive to customers and didn't want to be bothered by people ready to spend $$ for his junk. I hope his scammy ways don't ruin things for other consignment shops. I've had some good luck selling furniture and clothing via a little store near me. I suggest sellers need to be fully aware of the contract, terms of sale/no-sale of items, and make pop in visits to see if their merchandise is on view on not. I couldn't follow the car salesman with a seizure scam. I don't know how JJ keeps her composure as much as she does with some of these ignorant, illiterate litigants. The mumbling, the non-answers, the lack of common sense and respect...my blood pressure goes up just watching the show!

I just didn't see the allure of these tee shirts. Nothing that hasn't been in stores for years. I don't think the "designs" were so special or unique. Some were nice, but graphic tees are everywhere. And I don't need a wardrobe full of them. Of course I state this opinion as someone who the fashion/beauty industry believes is invisible - a 40-something, 5 foot tall woman who wears a size 10-12.

OMG! My ear drums have been shredded by Lauren's voice! The nasal tone and accent were steel tipped fingernails on the world's longest chalkboard. And that's a hard looking 25 years she's wearing. Thank goodness Jared left with Caila. I'm not invested in their relationship and could not care less if those two end up together. I'm just glad I don't have to see or hear the two of them mention CrazyPants Ashley in every.single.conversation. is Ashley employed? I mean a real job, with health benefits; not just showing up in Mexico every summer with her trunk o' false lashes. I sure hope so because at 28 she can't take advantage of her parents' health insurance any more. And if anyone on the planet needs long term analysis, it's Ashley. Loved the voyeuristic lizards watching Carly and Evan making out...up until Evan had to tell us he had a bonner. How many more episodes do we have to hear Amanda, in her pwecious widdle baby voice, tell us how confused over Josh and his intentions she is? Amanda seems like she'd be confused by a game of peek-a-boo, so I don't know if she has the brain cell capacity to see him for the d-bag bro the rest of the world can ascertain within 5 minutes of screen time.

I finally figured out why Jared looks...odd (IMO). His eye sockets are wide set, but his eyeballs are very close together. It gives the appearance he's almost cross eyed. Aside from his looks, I find his "personality" and lack of social awareness off putting. He claims he likes Caila a lot and has feelings developing for her. He knows Ashley is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs and has weakly told her that he "doesn't like her that way". He knows her presence is jeopardizing things with Caila. So what does he do? He lets Crazy Pants remain by his side while a relatively normal girl with relationship potential pack her bags. Caila will easily find a better BF (or husband) well before Jar-eyed figures out he is trapped in Ashley's psychosis (and ridiculous lashes) forever. Or at least until the bats in her belfry call the men in the white coats for a ride to the quiet room with rubber mats on the wall.

I'm kind of hoping these losers all get stranded in "Paradise" so they don't add any more stupidity and psychosis to the general gene pool. Unfortunately for Amanda's 2 little girls, they have an emotionally & intellectually stunted mother who will probably pass on her baby voice and bad decision making. On the other hand, since Amanda has not been present in their lives during her multiple pursuits of "love" (aka- communicable disease from various Bro's), maybe those girls will develop independence?

I have no doubt the Twins (or at least one of them) is as dumb as shown on TV. It is astounding how so many people have little to no basic knowledge in their brains. It can't be dumped on just 20-somethings either. Twenty years ago, I volunteered in an after school enrichment program in an inner city elementary building. I was assigned to work with a 1st grade classroom. The teacher was 26 (only 1 year younger than yours truly). She was very bubbly and energetic and everything you'd want for you kid's classroom. Until she started to teach. * the Friday before MLK day, she had the kids sit in a circle to discuss the importance of the holiday. She asked if anyone knew why we had the day off to honor MLK. A few kids said, "he's the President?" or " it's his birthday?" Miss T said "Noooo! We celebrate Mr. KIng because he helped Abraham Lincoln free the slaves!" * one project we did was learning about the 50 US states...where it was on the map, the capital, etc. Each kid was going to be assigned a state to study and share what they learned. To pick the kids pulled a state puzzle piece out of a hat. After all 20 kids got their states, Miss T said she was disappointed no one got the biggest state in the US. I was just about to remind her that both TX & AK were indeed picked when she said, "No one picked CANADA." * while helping her correct spelling tests I notice she kept sighing and saying "Here's another one that got it wrong..." I looked at the pile of graded papers and noticed she marked several kids wrong for spelling "pumpkin". I said " I think you made a mistake...these are all correct." She looked at me and laughed, "Not you too! It's P U N K I N!"

I don't understand why these small business owners always want to expand. What is wrong with being a big fish in a small pond? Bigger is not always better. If this restaurant had been rebooted successfully in ONE location, then maybe open a second shop (or is that shoppe?). Opening more spots increases overhead and can often diminish quality if not managed correctly. Most of these chuckleheads on The Profit or Shark Tank do not have great management skills. So thanks to their large egos and attempts to be the next big national chain, they lose money quicker than ice cream melts on a 90 degree day. Sandy was a real piece of work. I agree she didn't have the right temperament to be the Candy Lady...no sense of fun or joy or warmth. And no tolerance for other opinions. I don't think she has the right temperament to be in HR either! I can't imagine being an employee with a problem and having to go see Sandy McGrumperson about it. "Sandy, I am uncomfortable with how my co-worker makes ethnic jokes in the break room." "You think that's a problem? I have to find someone to pick up spilled jelly beans off the damn floor everyday!"

Ashley is certifiable and all the show makers, participants and viewing audience knows this. It really is unethical to pull this woman out every summer and run her very fragile psyche through a shredder for entertainment. Ashley may be partly to blame for some of her delusions, but IMO the biggest asshole in this "relationship" is Jared. Despite seeing all her mania on display and knowing how obsessed with him she is, he has maintained contact & continued to socialize with Ashley. As a result, she thinks there is still hope of getting her fairy tale ending. He should have manned up last year and told her, "I am not into you in a romantic or sexual way, and I do not think we can even be friends or acquaintances since you have much stronger feelings than I ever will. I wish you the best, but do not contact me." But no. In the name of being the nice guy and not having to face the prospect of people not liking him, Jared only allowed the situation to escalate into another round of Ashley leaving her snot and tears all over the resort. I am old enough to be almost all of these BIP-er's mom, so I get that my interpretations of 'hot' is not in synch with someone born during the Clinton administration. But Jared, Daniel, Izzy, Evan, Vinny and newbie Jen don't even show up on my physical attractiveness scale. Yeesh.