zxy556575

Fox News: "Where were Obama's tears after Paris?" Except if he had welled up then, they would have blasted him for being soft on terrorism. I think this is the first time I've seen real, personal anger from Trevor during one of his segments.

Ah! Of course. That makes more sense than a girdle.

I wonder if they'd allow the star of a special week to be eliminated... I don't think Funches lost during his week. According to Wikipedia, Doug has had the most appearances and Ron is second. If the producers are going down the list, Nikki is next up for her own week.

Another examples of the writers specifically failing their characters was the romantic pairing of Nathan and Audrey on Haven. Most viewers were fine with them being together, or maybe even shipped them, but then the show slowly devolved into a treacly mess of the one twu wuv above everyone and everything else. The mistake wasn't bringing them together, it was making their relationship the focus of the show to the detriment of all other characters, plots, and ultimately, believability.

Random, but after Trevor mentioned that he really liked Tomorrowland, I watched it. I had wanted to when it came out but forgot about it. And I liked it a lot! From a sample size of one, then, he stacks up pretty good as a movie critic.

It's probably a fool's game trying to get inside Sam's head, but her thought process seems to be: I realize I can sometimes be wildly inappropriate, abrupt, attention-seeking, and overbearing. Pretty much like a bratty two-year old. In order to correct this, I need someone who will make me behave by imposing rules and order. In other words, be a strong and firm parent. Phooey. That's not anyone's job but her own. Certainly it's not Neil's.

Faking It! Discovery or TLC should resurrect that in the U.S. It was a fun show and the outcome was always a nail-biter. The expert judges who were brought in sometimes did NOT like it one bit when they were fooled, which was also great.

David reminds me of a situation with a friend who had a huge, ongoing argument with his dad over belongings he had stored in his parents' basement. His dad kept nagging him to come get his shit and my friend would get super angry about being nagged. My suggestion to him that, you know, the nagging would stop if he moved his shit out, was not well received. So I personally can't really fault David for continuing to push when nothing changes. Also, neediness in a partner wouldn't really bother me, so there's that. I'd much rather someone rely on and need me than be distant and uncommunicative. Ideally both partners would feel the same, of course. Maybe that's appealing to some. :) Who knows what kind of libido Sam has going on, but if both partners share a low-ish sex drive, then going biking, camping, shopping, cooking and cleaning together can be very companionable activities and a way to show affection.

I took the open carry joke to be the connection between men wearing actual penis costumes and guns being phallic symbols, and that many of the men (at least the ones featured here) refuse to acknowledge that they're being just as dick-focused as gay guys in a pride parade. Or something. Anyway, I didn't think it was meant as a slap to gays at all.

When did they change the team selection process? Anne and Male Chef X used to choose recruits for the other chef's team, i.e., try to foist the worst people off onto the other chef. It's odd considering how much I used to dislike the guy, but Bobby Flay has been my favorite male judge. Tyler has very little personality and needs to lighten up quite a few notches. Not sure if he was pretend-gagging during the Bloody Mary chicken segment, but I like to think it was real. I watched in slo-mo, then frame by frame when manbun was doing his flip, because he was wearing some kind of black elastic support belt under his shirt. If you have back problems, dude, maybe forgo the gymnastics.

I don't know why him standing instead of sitting threw me off so much, but it did. Mostly I wondered why -- are they trying to make the show seem more like stand-up comedy? Trevor kept fidgeting with his jacket button and his tie was hanging out the bottom. I looked up the Colombian soccer player who was murdered after accidentally scoring a goal for the other side. It was in 1994, but sweet Jesus. My indifference towards organized sports has been turning to active hate as I get older.

I suppose we'll be seeing these next. Less than 50 sf! I win!

Thanks, M. Darcy. I remember liking the show a lot when it originally aired, but when so much time goes by between seasons it's hard for me to pick up the thread again enough to care. I shouldn't have to rewatch all the previous episodes of a series in order to enjoy it. Harumph. It's also possible my brain is stuck in binge mode nowadays and I'm too impatient to put in the time anymore.

Oooh! I feel like a room without a roof! My name is Lordonia and I'm a couchaholic. Group therapy hugs to all my TPC brothahs and sistahs!

Oh my god, The Mole! I had forgotten all about it but am totally going to rewatch the Anderson Cooper seasons now. Thanks for the reminder! It had 5 seasons including one resurrection, though, so ABC did give it pretty good support.

The horse rescue was fascinating to watch. Okay. I eat meat so would never presume to say people shouldn't hunt, but it is interesting to me that Rick would spend so much time and effort and money trying to save his horse and yet make a living as a big game guide. Most of us create these personal hierarchies about which animals are "okay" to kill and which aren't ... some of it is even codified by law. I suppose in an ideal world I'd be vegan and wouldn't have to make peace with the dichotomies, except that I will still kill any roach or spider that comes near me as well as any stray rodents who might get in the house ... gah. When I see owners on Dr. K with their pet rats and snakes and whatnot, it all just makes me reconsider my world view.

Maybe it was my own mood, but I pretty much cried through the whole of Saturday's show. The 10th anniversary Katrina banner started it, then that poor skeleton puppy Almonaster, the sweet adoptive grandparents* with the twins in prison, and Mouse finally getting her own home after a decade. Damn. Did the vet mention possibly removing the rocks from Almonaster's stomach? Could they be contributing to his lack of appetite? Mariah looked really pretty this episode. * I don't want to presume, but they mentioned health problems and Myra looked like she may have had a double mastectomy. I don't even know these people, but it all just hit my sad spot.

I liked that limits were imposed by the layout of the existing house, which meant we got to see something a bit different than the standard open floorplan of new builds. Seemed like the media room was originally intended to be an office/study and was pretty small for its re-purposed use. And yes, the TV in there was totally tiny! The laundry room is accessed through the first floor half bath, if anyone wondered where that went. There's also a nice outdoor shower space. I did like the three chests of drawers that were pressed into use in the kitchen, but overall the room was pretty generic. Deliberately so, I suppose. If I were living there, the first change I'd make would be to re-paint the bedroom ceilings white. Personal taste, but rooms feel like they're bearing down on me when ceilings are the same color as the walls. Well, that would be the second thing after removing all the superfluous accessories used to make the photos look pretty but that get in the way of life. Table lamps and tchotchkes blocking the TV? Fifty throw pillows? A stool with a plant on it sitting in front of the powder room toilet? Gone! Probably put some, you know, cubbies or shelving and hooks in the mudroom instead of using it for yet another wall of art. I'd also end up screening both the main floor and master bedroom lanais because, bugs. Nitpicking every aspect of the design? Why else watch?

I hadn't really thought about it, but if the couples are prohibited from being seen in public together while the show is airing, that's pretty shitty. They're already on shaky ground in their relationships and a forced physical separation would make it even harder for them. Gah. These people willingly agreed to all of it, in writing. These people willingly agreed to all of it, in writing. These people willingly agreed to all of it, in writing. *shake it off* Back to no pity.

The show really didn't spare much time for the exterior. I went through the photo galleries on the HGTV site and the boat was featured there. It's a Bryant Speranza, if you're looking to boost your product placement purchases up from the Delta fixtures, Glidden paint, Lumber Liquidators flooring, or baked beans!

Just watched an episode of Tiny House, Big Living from Jan 1 that featured a couple with their three young children building a yurt in Hawaii. They actually weren't ridiculous! They had land, they had plumbing, they had a separate yurt outhouse, and they made their own furniture that was curved to fit the walls. They created a fishpond and aquaponic vegetable garden in raised beds. Yes, their kids were shoved up in the "loft," but they were young enough to be able to stand up. Maybe as they get older the parents can add a couple more bedroom yurts. Not sure about a wooden sink and counters in the tropics, but I guess they're not that difficult to eventually replace if things go sideways with rot or termites. Silly things like the cutlery tray being stored underneath the dish drying rack would, I assume, be remedied once the homeowners start living there day to day.

New Year! New Dream House! 20 years!! Nice to see a remodel for a change. Merritt Island looks really nice. I'm not sure I was buying that bringing in a huge crane to remove the roof really saved any time since they had to manually cut the trusses and prepare the roof for removal, but whatever. They kept the exterior of the house in the traditional spirit of the neighborhood, which was nice. I guess Linda Woodrum is out? Not that the designers have much leeway since they're locked into Ethan Allen, but the new guy seems to be following the same general style. I liked the bleached floors and understated-to-bold color palette. The huge surfing photo in the living room was nice. Not as convinced about the TV in the bedroom being perpendicular to the bed. Hope the occupants enjoy their necks perpetually cranked to the left. If they thought ahead and put the TV on a swing-out bracket, I take it back. I can never fault the landscaping/hardscaping. Do you think Bromstad is embarrassed to be brought in for craft projects these days? I fast-forwarded through whatever that "Youtube sensation" segment was. Small niggle: the online tour used to let you explore from room to room once you entered, but now you have to click into each area separately. Way to strong arm me into giving you more page hits, HGTV. Btw, I really have a craving for some Bush's baked beans!

Girl crushes! Totally Susan Dey as Laurie Partridge. So pretty, so cool, so talented! And she had the straight-ironed hair down pat. Her (older) brother was hot as well. Ahem. Would I rather have had her life traveling around in a groovy bus than going to high school in Sunnyvale, CA and working at Walgreen's? Oh, my.

Okay, so Ashley posts a very nice, smiley picture of her and David that was taken back when we all know she was disgusted by him? After that day, we've seen her physically move away from him and avoid his touch. It seems like either an attempt at some revisionist history on her part, or just going along with the directive to keep viewers guessing. In passing, David looks thinner in that picture than he does on the show.

It's interesting that we didn't have this same discussion about Jamie, who can also be somewhat dismissive/cold, or Sean, a weird introvert. I believe Sean is an ER nurse and Jamie is in labor and delivery. In my experience, which was primarily cardiac care, ward nurses are too busy to chat and tend not to invest very much of themselves in patients. Perhaps Ashley is planning to work in an area that doesn't require much patient contact, like coma care. ;)