BusyOctober

I am catching up on Las Vegas Law. Love the show a lot. However, I can't stand the defense attorney and his partner/wife! I swear I can see the oil slick that guy leaves behind him. I laugh out loud when he has scenes walking back to the defense table after addressing the jury. His "strut" is a combo of a cock-sure disco era hustler strolling into a club and the walk of someone who wiped his butt a little too aggressively & is "clenching/un-clenching" to excise the remnant toilet paper confetti from his ass crack. I have no idea how tall he is, but I'd guess he's short. He looks a little like Luke Perry...but not the full size candy bar version. More like fun size but with extra smarm.

I never have watched ANTM, is Lisa is just another Z-list "celebrity" to me. However for those of you do remember her from that show, has she just aged horribly or did she have some failed cosmetic treatment done to her face? Cuz I'm not seeing "model" anywhere in that face in its current condition.

I've only been hanging in with this show because I feel like I need to see it to the end for some reason. Personally I really started hate watching after they hanged Ruth. But I **hated ** this episode. It felt like it was written (and performed) by a troupe of 15 year olds.. The extended fight scenes, the extended surgery scene, the extended snake killing scene, the extended hanging scene all seemed like they were excerpts from a creative writing course taught by a frustrated unpublished Stephen King fanboy at the New School. I skipped a lot of it just to get to the end to see how they would let the Swede escape death for the eleventy hundredth time. To my surprise, they actually killed off a character whose expiration date was up seasons ago. Looks like next week we return to see more machinations of the would be railroad barons. Sigh...like Cullen, I will see how long I can limp along to the end.

When Matt mentioned selling the farm to set up plans for his old age, I thought "Jer" looked like a gigged frog! The panic was clearly written all over his face. He and his wife would need to get full time real jobs! No more chasing hipster art-y "passions" without Pumpkin Cash to fall back on! ( I'm not saying people can't make livings pursuing artistic careers like photography, dance, painting...just the Jer and Odd don't seem to be the types to actually work) I think Matt handled the conversation with Amy about her ideas for a kitchen refresh very calmly and maturely. And his talk with his friend, and then with the boys around the campfire were both very self-aware. I think he has become a little more introspective and able to see beyond his "my way or the highway" philosophy since the divorce started.

Of all the whacko, rude and unkind things that went on in this episode, the thing that had me most upset was Sonja attempting to pack up a care package for her kid! So many levels of Sonja Sadness at work here...1) not understanding the difference between a care package made up of all your kid's favorite things and sent with thought & intent vs. just ordering what you want from Amazon Prime 2) not understanding what should comprise a care package. Used toiletry items, half eaten snack packs and random free samples you picked up in your travels do not mean "I love you. I miss you. I wanted you to know I am thinking of you." to a 12 year old girl away at boarding school.3) the embarrassment/pity for Sonja from her interns as she slapped together a box of detritus off her dining room table & wanting to hold back the ramen for herself "in case of emergency" 4) the embarrassment for the poor daughter when she opens that package o'crap in front of her roommate or friends. Just made me so very sad for the daughter, the interns and Sonja (in that order).

I've watched some disgusting kitchen/restaurant/bar rescue shows, but I don't think I ever physically gagged...twice...as I did upon hearing about boiled burger & old, frozen rotisserie chickens soaking in a warm bath/microwave to thaw & be served! I don't know where in WV this place is, but my husband and his buddies experienced inedible food while visiting there. They ride ATV's and go to WV to ride the Hatfield & McCoy trails. The first year they went they cooked some meals at their camp site (which could be its own episode of a makeover show), but they went out to a few restaurants for a couple of meals. Their 2 most memorable meals were a breakfast at a small cafe & a "steak dinner" at a highly recommended "steak house". The breakfast - they rolled up on the place @ 7am and sat at the counter with a view into the kitchen. The place had no brewed coffee. Sanka or Maxwell House instant coffee, brought to you in the dirty smudgy jar along with a paper cup of tepid water, and packets of non-dairy creamer powder. The guys decided to skip heavy pancake specials & ordered egg sandwiches on English muffins from the menu. There were 4 guys. The waitress took their order, went to the freezer & took out 1 wrapped store bought pre-made egg sandwich from the freezer. She then placed one on a paper plate, zapped it for a minute or 2, then brought it to the table. Went back to freezer to get the next one...she did each one separately. One of the guys asked for a small OJ (list on the menu as "fresh"). She told him it'd be a few minutes while she "mixed up a batch"...it was TANG! Steak House- they asked several locals where they could get a good steak dinner. Overwhelmingly they were told they "had to" go to this place in the next town. "it is worth the 30 min drive!" So, off the guys go and the place is busy, but they get a table. Server passes out very dirty, sticky menus and says "Afore y'all get to pickin' sumpthin', I got to tell you we's outta cuppla items...we ain't got no more prime rib, nor the T-bone, but the New York Strip is your best bet." OK, 4 NY strips it is!. Again they were seated near the open kitchen, so they could see everything. The "chef" took out 4 frozen small slabs of meat from the freezer and ONE AT A TIME proceeded to "cook" them on a single electric hot plate. As each one was done, it went under a heat lamp. It took over 40 minutes to get them to the table, served with under cooked tater tots and canned mixed veggies. Two of the braver guys attempted to cut their steaks with the dull knives and started to chew...and chew...and chew. They paid and left and drove another 45 minutes to a McDonalds they saw off the highway. They have gone back to WV over the years, but now they stop at Walmart and stock up to cook all their meals themselves. MAybe I tell them to check out the Town's Inn next trip.

This is who Karen reminds me of.

So without the public humiliation or rigors of "therapy", I can diagnose Tara and WhatshisName's relationship problem...Tara, you married a gay man. This guy would probably have a a better shot a long term relationship if he paired up with that guy Cody. And what was the deal with him running around looking for his "wife", asking if anyone had seen "Tara Reid"? Um...she's the only 'Tara' expected in the house, so last name is not necessary. i have no idea what rock the production team kicked over to find these "celebrities". I can honestly say the only person I had heard of was Train Wreck Tara. I skipped last season altogether after not knowing who anyone was, so I don't think I'll be tuning in this go-round either.

Anyone else calling bullshit on Damon's claim he wears his Titin compression gear "every day"? Even if he wears it under his street clothes, I don't recall him looking so bulky on previous episodes of this show or Shark Tank.

Maybe it varies by region, but that gift exchange they did is what I call a "Yankee Swap". Same rules-pick a number, #1 gets to pick first and last after everyone else- usually a price limit and decision made ahead of time if it should be gag gifts or nice ones. Around my neck of the woods, a"White Elephant" is a gift exchange where you intentionally bring a crappy gift you received in the past and re-gift it. So Amy with the re-gifted picnic basket was the only one who followed what I know as White Elephant. In my family, we have a crocheted toilet paper cover from 1970-something that rears its creepy doll head every few years when we opt for Whote Elephant vs. Yankee Swap. If Audrey and Jeremy were so in love with their purchased gifts, why not just buy it for themselves then buy another item to exchange? I'm sure these people all have a few extra TLC bucks in their accounts, no? i can't pin down why I dislikeAudrey so much. She looks very vacant and uninterested in most of her TH's like she'd rather be somewhere else. There's no light behind her eyes....shark eyes.

More delusional owners, with the same helpless under-appreciated, unpaid victimized employees. That place was a dump! I live in Mass, but never been to that town. Like most of New England, that area is very picturesque in the fall & winter, but I'm not sure the Vienna is on a high traffic tourist route. A lot of those old mill towns hit the skids in the '70's & '80's and never really recovered. I'm sure there are a lot of drugs in these areas (sadly like almost every other city & town in America), & not a heck of a lot of opportunities, but I'm always baffled why employees stay put in a shit job to be abused AND not paid. I wonder if government agencies assign people to watch shows like this and Robert Irvine's? That could be a full time job - catching idiot business owners who break a ton of labor & tax laws! If you don't have a payroll system or a POS, how are you reporting tips and receipts? You're probably NOT. So in addition to the Board of Health and the Building Inspector knocking on their door, I'm guessing they should expect the IRS & the Labor Board crowding their porch too. I'm glad I heard Gordon say he only did a couple of guest rooms b/c he wasn't doing a make over show! That woman expected every room to be redone and seemed pissed he only did the few he showed. She just showed all the viewers and customers how truly ungrateful and cray-cray she really is. Even if Gordon's crew emptied the place and gave it a good sweep, it would have improved that heap 100%. There was so much clutter (which means dust and grime IMO) and all the furniture looked so shabby. I would never stay there if I saw all that "decor" looming over every horizontal & vertical surface. That kind of clutter just tells me the owners don't care about anything. Why would I think their rooms would be clean or their food would be prepared with care?

I have watched this show off d on over the years, so I tuned in this season (skipped the wedding specials b/c I can't stand Audrey). There's many things that bug me about this family, but the one that made me snort was Amy's lack of understanding how to say "Parmesan". I think she also made a comment about never using it?? Or knowing what it is?? Isn't she supposed to be a great cook? Didn't she try opening a restaurant/ catering company or write a cookbook. I could be misremembering that, but who doesn't know what "Parmesan" cheese is? It's not exactly an exotic or esoteric ingredient. Pizza Hut and Olive Garden have it on their menus! Did they ever explain where Jacob is? Is he away at school or did he file for emancipation? Jeremy does sound profoundly dumb when he thinks he is just being profound spouting off about "hard work" and what it takes to run the farm. I get the feeling Jeremy and Audrey are expecting to get the business handed over to them. I think Amy and Matt should just sell it, split the profits and go start some new adventure.

I admit I'm only watching with one eye & one ear now...I don't know why I'm still watching at all really. But I am also confused about Blotto Becky. And what was Ben's a-ha moment? I hope Abe really is on the outs with Washington and Ben since he really hasn't don't much to help the cause. I don't get why beating up old man Townsend & destroying his farm was "the only" way Abe could get Robert to join them. More of Abe's incompetence at work. I am assuming the real spies of the Continental Army were slightly better since they eventually beat the British. I kinda hope Peggy gets trampled by a horse or gets smallpox. Andre's mopey face over Peggy and Arnold's persecution complex are boring. I think the only characters I like at this point are Rogers and Townsend Sr & Jr.

I guess I need to get my hearing checked because many of you heard "LaNausea" but I heard "Menagia" as in... "I axed my cousin Du'Nahwanna-werque to borrow me some money so I could get a Menagia Twah for one of my baby daddy's birfday present. He always be texxin me 'bout gettin' nasty with me & another girl for a Menagia. I already spent all my disability & assistance checks on iPhone 6's &X-boxes for my 5 kids."

I've never understood the actual room make-over aspect of this show...does the production team re-do ALL the rooms in these heaps or only a couple to show off at the end? It would be very expensive to get all the rooms re-painted, re-carpeted, re-furnished, but if they only do one or two rooms in a 10-20 room place, it really won't make a difference to the owners or future guests. And please God tell me when they re-do whatever number of rooms that thy replace the mattresses & pillows along with the duvets! So skeevy to see stains in the room I'm staying in. I always bring a sheet from home and my own pillow when I travel. Another thing I don't get on any of these "rescue" shows...when the owners say they've lost their passion, or don't want to work so hard any more, or their kids don't want to take over...why don't they just SELL the business? I guess in some markets it may be tough, but that place in Idaho is in the middle of fly fishing paradise! Looks like it could be sold in a heartbeat. If I've been struggling and my relationships have been suffering for years because my former passion has become a soul-sucking, wallet draining albatross, I don't think 3-5 days filming my depression and failure with occasional pep talks from Gordon Ramsey would be enough to turn that ship of the damned around.

Crowdfunding is repugnant to me. I know these things have probably helped some people in desperate situations like unexpected loss of a job or medical bills, but I see it being used (abused) by people with overgrown entitlement glands. I was recently invited to a fundraising event for a co-worker "Sandy". She had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and her sister organized the event to help raise money for "treatments" including things like doctors, rides to chemo and wigs. I didn't quite understand why she would need money for the medical stuff since the company we worked for had very good benefits, and both she and her husband made good livings, but I paid &50 for my ticket. We were told $40 of the ticket would go into a Go Fund Me account and the rest covered the venue. Once at the party, there were other "opportunities" to help like buying raffle tickets and a silent auction. Again we were told via signs showing the Go Fund Me page that the money we gave would be put into the account. Toward the end of the night, my co-worker's sister took center stage and announced over the 6 weeks the page had been active plus what was raised that night totaled $13,457! The crowd cheered! There were tears of joy! The sister continued to say if we could all just "dig a little deeper" we could hit the $15k goal that night. I saw some people take out check books and buy more raffle tickets. In another 20 minutes, they hit the goal. Yippee! Tear stained sister takes stage again to announce, "We did it! Thanks to your generosity, Sandy, her husband, John (sister's hubby) & I will be able to go to Hawaii to recuperate after Sandy finishes chemo!" You could hear the jaws snapping open, chins hitting the floor & eyes popping out of sockets. I don't know if I was more disgusted by the money grubbing or by the complete lack of embarrassment these people felt after fleecing family, friends and co-workers.

Why is Robert being such a dick about Sol? That seems like the biggest plot hole to me. They were friends and lovers for 30 years. Robert cheated on Grace for 20 of those years with Sol. Sol had one emotional night of goodbye, closure sex with his ex-wife of 20 years, not some rando he found on Grindr.

I didn't watch either of this 2-parter other than the intro on Monday. I shut it off and cancelled the DVR. Yet another abused, mistreated, low self-esteem victim had to go on a national TV show to have Dr. Phil mansplain to her that she needs to leave her tormentor. And I'm sure there were numerous references to Robin's "foundation". And lots of camera shots of Robin's bobble head nodding in agreement while attempting to force her frozen face into an expression of sympathy. This could have been done over email for chrissake. Dear "Dr." BusyOctober- My fiancee is mean to me, puts his hands on me, humiliates me and makes me feel like a worthless heap. However I luuuuuuurve him with all my heart! He's nice to me...sometimes, and I already picked out the wedding dress of my dreams. I realllly want to play dress up and be a princess and get lots of presents and have all the attention on meeeeeee on my wedding day. I'm just worried that my abusive fiancee (who I LOOOOOOVE sooo much) will leave bruises on my arms. My dress is sleeveless, and David's Bridal won't take it back. Should I stay with my piece of shit boyfriend? Please tell me what to do because I am just too stupid to figure it out for myself or to heed the advice of every friend, family member and complete stranger who I've told my sob story to in line at Walmart. Thanks! Dear xxxxx, Yes, you should leave him. Preferably before you make the cliched mistake of getting knocked up by him because you think having a baby will fix everything. Regards, Doc Busy

I saw the PBS biography of the real Harry Selfridge and I got the impression he was an megalomaniac asshole. He did have a lot of success, but I think his ego got in his way. He was a gambler, a womanizer and basically disowned his only son for marrying an employee of his store. He never met his grandchildren because the son never told him. I don't remember if he had a relationship with his daughters. Harry Selfridge was thrown out of his company by his board for mismanagement and for racking up huge debts and playing with the books. He died penniless, which is sad considering the vast wealth he had accumulated. PBS has really painted over the real Selfridge with a very broad and kind brush in order to make this a soapy drama. And of course, the timeline has been extremely kind to some of these characters. Harry Selfridge & Mae specifically. Harry should be in his 70's at this point in the story,yet Piven looks like he hasn't aged past 45 years old. While I have enjoyed many of the characters - all the store employees - I haven't liked ANY of the Selfridge family members since the beginning. I'll keep watching til the end, but I don't enjoy it like I did the first season.

That song was cringe-worthy...not only the lyrics and the music, but the wah wah wah parts were horrifyingly bad! I know it's the 60's & the times are a-changin' in Poplar, but it was very jarring to see a curate and the daughter of a vicar dry humping in the living room of a convent to the orgasmic panting in that song! As soon as I heard the diagnosis of post delivery preeclampsia I thought of poor Sybil in Downton Abbey. Thankfully Nurse Crane was on the job and not that idiot Earl Grantham hired! I felt bad for those kids living the barge life. If anyone needs a prescription for the pill, it's that lady. Stop having babies when you live in a floating closet!

Camp for adults doesn't appeal to me, but I know a few people who would be all over that for college reunion get togethers. Any excuse to sit around a bonfire and drink will sell to the late 20-30 crowd. I just don't see how it makes money and grows, or why established camps wouldn't just do this kind of event themselves. The zip lock Baggie for cars was a good idea. I think protecting the interior and wiring would be very helpful in the event of crazy floods and hurricanes. However, for all the waterproof protection it offers, it won't prevent the car from washing away and floating down the street. Even if it's zipped up in its Baggie, if your car is washed down stream and crashes into other cars or a bridge abutment, your vehicle will still be totaled. Lacross girl was very poised and I bet she will be successful. I think her gear was too "niche" for Shark Tank. Hopefully the tv exposure amps up her business. No interest in old school pinball, and I stopped playing video games when the slaughter of hundreds of innocent frogs started to weigh on my conscience (aka Frogger Fail of 1987). For anyone who is interested in gaming, nothing is preventing a bunch of other enthusiasts from doing what Weirdo with a Beardo did. As Charlesman noted above, it can be done for less money by someone with the know-how.

Amber was high as a kite made out of sheets of cocaine with a crystal meth tail. Too many questions that will never be answered... why would Phil allow such a train wreck on tv? Her condition should have been assessed before the cameras went on and she should have been arrested for the litany of drugs in her system. why are Amber's parents and sister (& Phil) looking for ways for this nut job to get her kids back? Amber is a lost cause and any attempt towards "reunification" will only hurt those kids. She doesn't want them back anyway, so that should speak volumes to CPS. However, based on experiences with similar horrible human beings like Amber, I know CPS holds reunification as the Holy Grail of serving and protecting children. Why waste very expensive therapy on this person? Psych beds and rehab beds are so sadly limited. There are thousands of people more deserving than this piece of crap. And if she's only going for TWO WEEKS, then Phil and Robin should just take stacks of thousand dollar bills and piss all over them. I don't think Amber can even last 2 hours in a treatment center. Even if she could make it to 14 days, she is so profoundly damaged, 2 weeks won't even make a dent in fixing her. I get that addiction is a disease. I know from experience with family members, getting sober is a very long and difficult road. However, Amber hasn't had the revelation that she needs to change her life. Until she decides for herself she needs help, help offered will not work. But until that time comes, if ever, she does not need the rest of the world to make excuses for her disease. Her family should not condone and enable wreckless, dangerous, and illegal behavior. Call the cops if she gets in car. Don't give her money. Don't let her crash on your sofa. Tough love is tough, but keep enabling and it will end badly. If Amber is on roads, driving under the influence and kills herself in an accident, that would be sad. If she kills innocent passengers, other drivers or pedestrians, that would be tragic.

OMG...Melissa, STFU and LEAVE already! How many more times do we need to see her tearful goodbyes? How can we miss you (not) if you don't drag your ass and & ratty extensions out the damn door? I see the tradition of hideous "evening wear" and Ru Paul's Drag Race style stage makeup & hair continues. And the mini moms are following suit. Yikes. Was this show sponsored by "Lace! Lace! Lace!"? And some of these moms need to watch how low they go with those necklines. A scoop or vee neck can be good for large breasted women, but deep scoops or vees are not your friend, (Jill). Wow, Jess was extra shrill on this show She almost sounded drunk. Very slurry.

Yup, sarcasm was the intent. I've been to acupuncturists and I understand the meridians and chi and Eastern medicine philosophy. I found it soothing and relaxing so I can see why people believe in the mind/body/spirit connection.. What I can't believe in is the notion that holding various sized objects with different materials in them can allow a "doctor" to know which muscles are behaving in a "healthy" way vs. "sick".

I toootally believe Yo's holistic dude is legit. I'm going to find out if he has an affiliate office on the east coast so I can clutch a pint of Ben and Jerry's to my chest & he can tell me how good my calcium levels are (snerk). And I especially enjoyed the "health care advocate" weighing in on the exam. I'm sure Yo appreciates the educated opinion of someone who I'm guessing gleaned her medical knowledge while restocking shelves at the Malibu CVS. Portia blew $37k on an app???? Holy crap! I freaked out when my 9 year old wanted me to "unlock" extra puppies in a stupid dress up pets game for $4.99!