Bastet

I still rock out to that (and "Youth Gone Wild", but especially "18 and Life") whenever it comes up on my iPod.

Pretty weak responses, but more than they've done previously. Pepsi still hasn't done anything. (When contacted by AdWeek for its article reporting on the investment firms calling on those three key sponsors to divest from racism by cutting ties with the team unless its slur of a name is replaced, FedEx was the only company to respond, but only to say it redirects any questions about the team name to Snyder. Nike and Pepsi did nothing. Then FedEx felt the social media heat and publicly called for a name change, and in response to that Nike seems to have pulled Washington gear from its website. Still crickets from Pepsi.)

You got me curious, so I just looked it up, and it sounded like "plastic" to me, too. So I turned on the CC: She says "six scallions", but there's an "uh" right before the "six". Once I read that (well, actually being the notorious YouTube CC, it reads six "gallons" instead of scallions), I could hear "uh, six scallions" plain as day. But until then, yep, I heard "plastic scallions".

🤢🤮

That drives me nuts! With the last batch of episodes, something else I was watching was on at the same time (it probably coincided with either the last run of Pit Bulls and Parolees or that of The Vet Life), and I didn't even make the effort to watch the re-runs, because I wasn't up for getting frequently irritated with some of the practices at Pol and by some of the farmers, and all the damn breeders they have for clients. This time around if there's nothing else on, I'll give it another try. But I have a hard time with this show in a way I don't the others. Like Dr. Emily said in her blog post that gave some background on how the clinic is run and why she left, it's not the safest or the best, but it's also a lifeline for people who can't afford anything better - in an area where a whole lot of people fall into that category. But, like I said when she wrote it, Dr. Pol could afford to do better - by his patients/clients and his grossly underpaid staff - but a real "my way is good enough" proud defiance to change is firmly set in his mind.

I tend to find romantic relationships that develop over the course of a series annoying distractions from the relationships and storylines I care about, because I hate the way such relationships are generally written on TV, especially how women are written in them. So the couples I like are usually ones who are already a couple of when the series begins. A few I've liked that happened along the way: - Laura and Bill, Battlestar Galactica (my hands-down favorite) - Bonnie and Adam, Mom - Emma and Mark, Playing House And I've even liked some shows entirely predicated on will they or won't they. I loved the first three seasons of Moonlighting, but didn't want Maddie and David to become a couple (friends with benefits, maybe). With Remington Steele, though, I did - Laura and Steele having a future was believable.

Oh, have they put that back in rotation? Good! I wonder if any of the people who objected to this a couple of years ago are a little more in touch with reality now and will receive it differently.

I was once shuffling through songs on my iPod, saw "Into the Night", Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love", and Gary Puckett and the Union Gap's "Young Girl" all within a few songs of each other, and thought, "Jesus Christ, I've got a statutory rape playlist going here."

I love this: This article is a collection of celebrity social media posts honoring Carl Reiner.

She will forever be the woman at the strip club in Summer School to me, but I agree, she does a good job; I think she plays the character's emotions very naturally. Dana's mom is out of line accusing Dan and Roseanne of doing something wrong, but it's understandable why she's upset - she's got a 14-year-old kid at home with a hangover. I like her opening line, about how it's hard keeping an eye on her kid as a single parent, so she has to count on other parents to help out once in a while. Speaking of that episode, to this day if I am hungover and get a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I say, "I look like I've been reincarnated as a rag." Also, Darlene cracks me up when Dan asks Becky who was the bartender, and Darlene helps out with, "Wasn't it that girl who was over here studying with you?" I think it's one of TV's best teen drinking episodes, because the parents were angry but didn't make it into more than it is; they firmly avoided the After-School Special feel. I like Roseanne's attitude: "You know, I'm not so much bothered by the fact that you took a drink. I mean, you tried it, you got sick, you got caught. What really bugs the hell out of me is that I just can't trust you anymore, and I always thought I could."

Aw, I was just thinking about Carl Reiner a few nights ago, because I watched Slums of Beverly Hills for the first time in many years, and had forgotten he played the uncle. He directed one of my favorite films, All of Me. He also directed a stupid silly film, Summer School (in which he also appears, playing the teacher who quits), that I have watched so many times I can recite along verbatim. And he and Mark Harmon sat down years later to record a commentary track for the DVD. It's quite funny.

Thanks for those. Now having seen a glimpse of NCAA competition alongside my Olympic viewing, it's really driven home why I prefer the vault and bars to the balance beam and floor -- with the first two, it's just about the athletics (like, ya know, with male gymnasts in all their exercises), while with the latter two, at apparently any level, there's also the stupid flouncy let me entertain you gestures thrown in when it's women's turn to compete. Also, I didn't realize until talking about this documentary with a friend tonight that Jennifer Sey is one of its producers. I commented earlier on how affected I was by her thoughts, and I found this Op-Ed she wrote for the NYT in March 2017 when the Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on the bill discussed above; in advocating for its passage, she wrote:

I'm partial to Mary Jo imitating Daddy Jones back at the cabin. Also, that episode saved the song for me. I love Charlie Rich's voice, and the piano intro is great, but the lyrics suck. It's a "hate to love" song. Along came "Nightmare From Hee Haw" and I could just, if nothing else, enjoy the song for reminding me of that episode. Also, I don't think I've ever remembered to ask until now something that finally hit me a few re-watches ago: Am I the last fan in the world to realize Junior is played by the same actor who played T. Tommy Reed?

Sadly, it is correct. She joined Penny and others in USAG in lobbying against it, their claim being USAG's policies were solid, and gymnastics was a safe, happy place for the athletes, so no need for the bill. (The NYTimes reported it.)

Yes, that's what we're hearing here. The colorful rockets bursting in air stuff will happen on the 4th; there are always people in various neighborhoods who put on shows in the middle of their street. I wonder if there will be more of those this year since all the official shows are canceled.

Pasta night: Caesar salad, and penne with grilled shrimp and massaged kale, topped with kale pesto and some diced crispy bacon. I'm so delightfully full.

Oh, my - I'm used to fireworks for a day or two before and after the 4th of July (and New Year's, and maybe Memorial Day - people like to explode shit, even though it's illegal here outside of sanctioned shows). But this year is nuts. There are no sanctioned shows this year due to COVID-19, people are bored (and apparently sitting on quite the stockpile), etc. and Los Angeles is one of the many areas of the country in which fireworks have been going off for weeks, despite the fact the 4th is still a week away. On a purely personal level, it doesn't affect me; between triple-paned windows and TV, my cat and I barely hear it, and aren't disturbed by the muted noise we do hear. But since I don't just think of myself, it's really bothering me. It's well known that there are a lot of people with PTSD and animals who are made anywhere from anxious to panic-stricken by the sound of fireworks. If they just happen for several hours on the 4th and New Year's Eve, people can plan for that and either leave or ride it out in various ways. But for unpredictable days/weeks on end, especially during a pandemic, leaving isn't an option, and masking/coping mechanisms only go so far. That is such an unreasonable burden on neighbors, and in exchange for what - alleviating boredom? It's profoundly thoughtless, not an oh, it's harmless fun scenario. (And that's before getting into the danger of setting off fireworks in ways that pose a fire danger.) Oh, that would indeed suck, but I've never experienced that, so that's not what I was referring to - it's just been folks making noise for their graduate while she/he, upon their name being called, crosses the stage and then poses for the diploma hand-off picture; lather, rinse, repeat with the next one to whatever degree generated. All that does is extend the final part of the long, boring ceremony.

I've never seen 30 Rock, so I don't know anything about the episodes in question, but in reading Tina Fey's statement requesting they be pulled from syndication/streaming: I appreciate the understanding that intent isn't a free pass to use such imagery. (To steal from The West Wing, "Let's forget the fact that you're coming a little late to the party and embrace the fact that you showed up at all.") But then I read that there are FOUR episodes to be removed. On one series, blackface was used four times?! It's interesting to me that Hulu pulled the Golden Girls episode in which blackface imagery is used for humor via Blanche and Rose entering the room with mud masks on their faces in the midst of a "no, really, I'm not racist, I just ..." conversation between (white) Dorothy and her son's black future in-laws, none of whom want this interracial (and older woman/younger man) marriage to happen, but has not been reported to have also pulled the "Rowdy Girls" episode of Designing Women in which (white) Suzanne thinks they should - in lip-synching to "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" in a talent contest fundraiser - wear skin-darkening makeup in order to "look the part". Julia and Mary Jo (white women as well) say hell no, explicitly stating that's blackface, and racist, and Anthony (the sole black employee [I can't remember in what context in this point in the series, as he started as a delivery driver and wound up a partner] says he's tried to explain this to her, but she has a point - this isn't like Al Jolson's painted face with a big white circle around the mouth, it's theatrical make-up like Eddie Murphy used when he played a white guy on SNL and Laurence Olivier used when he played Othello. Julia calls the local (Atlanta) chapter of the NAACP to confirm no, they should not do this. So, yay, message clear - it doesn't need to BE the racist imagery of old, it EVOKES it, and that's still racist and a no-go. Except, wait, they give the lone black guy the "well, she's not entirely wrong" dialogue, and when Suzanne shows up in the make-up anyway (Charlene forgot to call her to tell her it was definitely a no-go), they're appalled and embarrassed, but she still makes her way on stage despite the seriously, dumbass, it's racist reiteration and that's played for laughs. I don't have Hulu, so has that DW episode been pulled and it just hasn't been reported yet? If it hasn't, I wonder if it's just because they haven't been made aware yet? Or if it was evaluated and intentionally left because of the context, where there's a real discussion about the history of blackface and its continued status, no matter the intent, as racist? If the latter, was it a weighted evaluation where that's more important than the fact the episode ends with a completely unrealistic scenario in which it happens anyway (in reality, Julia would have locked Suzanne in a closet if she had to in order to keep her from appearing in public like that, sullying the firm's name) and it's funny? Or did they just gloss over that (and the fact the black dude was the one given the "well, it's complicated" lines)? I hear blackface on modern-day TV mentioned, and that problematic DW episode is what immediately springs to mind. So I'm curious about its fate.

Wow, I'm surprised to hear that. (I started to watch Disclosure Friday night, but I was wiped out and fell asleep about 15 minutes after lying down; I haven't yet had a chance to start it again, but the little I saw was great.)

That's a link to the Cam Newton story; here's the one about the Patriots being sanctioned. The NFLPA is not amused by the players continuing to hold workouts despite an advisory not to do so sent out last weekend by the union's medical director. Here's the original interview:

Because their taste test audiences are always so overwhelmingly white (as is the on-air talent), I try to keep an eye on the quick glimpses of recipe and equipment testing to discern the diversity of the staff. It's hard to tell, because they have a lot of people doing hours worth of testing, and only show brief snippets under the VO summarizing that testing, but what little they show is predominantly white. This is what they say (on the ATK website) about the staff: But in looking at the little shown of the folks who test recipes and equipment, they don't seem to be living up to that. (Shocking, I know.)

All I know about Post Malone is he's musical artist (I've heard his name, but I just looked up his hit songs and I've never heard any of them), so I've never seen him before, but that commercial was funny - I like the poor spleen in his empty basement office, desperate to be useful like the rest of the team. I also like "Commencing happy face/Oh, too much, too much".

This was damn good. I did not like his last couple of comedy specials on the whole, but liked parts of them and have generally liked a lot of his past comedy, so I was very interested to hear what he had to say in this. As a Los Angeleno, hearing him start with the extrapolation of what it felt like for about 30 seconds of our damn, this is my worst one yet (or, in his case, first one); am I actually going to die? fear during the Northridge earthquake to George Floyd's knowing, near the end of nearly nine minutes, that he was going to die, was particularly powerful. As was learning 8:46 being both the amount of time George Floyd had a knee on his neck and the time of day Chappelle was born haunted the latter on an extra level. And hearing the origin of his name near the end, followed by "these things are not old, it was not a long time ago, its today" and a reiteration of what he'd said earlier in response to Don Lemon calling black celebrities out: the streets are speaking for themselves, and will do it whether I'm alive or dead, they do not need me. As was asking how in the hell LAPD (or any police department) can't understand what's going on in the streets, given how they turned out when some of their own were killed by Chris Dorner. "We saw ourselves just like you see yourselves." He didn't need to reach for misogyny in reading Candace Owens and Laura Ingraham for filth; stick to what they say and do, not their gender, which is irrelevant. They are repugnant people, but it's not because they're women, it's because they are racist, sexist, homophobic, bigoted, lying, willfully-ignorant assholes. But I loved the rest of it, especially the raw honesty in talking about how he, for the first time, thought he needed to get his family out of town; people were never going to understand, and he was so damn tired of trying to explain something so obvious. And I'm so glad he pointed out the NRA once did oppose an assault weapons ban - when armed Black Panthers stormed the capitol in CA.

I think the second part of “Return to Sender” is even better than the first; the increasing emotion and tension is perfectly done. It’s a solid resolution of the threatening letters, and to Sharon’s insistence that Rusty be allowed to address his sexual orientation entirely at his own pace. The sequence where they shut down the streets to force Wade Weller to leave Tyler behind and make a run for it must have cost a pretty penny, and they trimmed and looped quite a bit of earlier stuff to make room for it, but it was worth it; the tension is terrific, and it just plain looks good. Since not everyone has the DVDs to have ever seen those numerous cut scenes, I’ll try to remember at least the most significant ones to weave into my thoughts of what remains. Sharon’s tenuous grasp on her control really amps up as this goes on – she is more openly anxious than she’s ever been in front of others – but it’s never over the top. When she can’t keep the emotion out of her voice as she tells Rothman if Linda knows the identity of who tried to kill “my material witness” she better cough it up is wonderful, as is how she regroups to be right back to Darth Raydor with her mere minutes later. There was originally a scene, while they were waiting to interview the mom identified by DNA as a familial match in the hopes of getting her to give up her son’s identity, where a weary Sharon appreciates Provenza’s attempt at "this'll work" optimism, but lays out that if they don’t find the letter writer, Rusty will have to go into Witness Protection, and if Mom doesn’t get them there, they can’t be blackmailed into offering Stroh the leniency he seeks in exchange for the guy’s identity. It provided even deeper emotional context to her being “Oh my god, this has to work” desperate for the vehicle containment operation to succeed, while always adamant that Tyler’s safety is more important than capturing Weller; she takes all of her responsibilities very seriously. Those poor kids at the homeless shelter are tremendously sad to contemplate: Fundamentally, the guy running the program refers to “another hopeless kid” who is “more trouble than he’s worth” and claims they don’t abandon these kids, the kids do the abandoning. And then the one in charge of their “safe spaces” is actually a serial killer using it as a hunting ground! The actor playing Wade Weller does a great job, because he’s utterly creepy in the moments when Wade drops his façade, yet completely believable when Wade is playing his good guy role (look, especially, at the genuine concern he seems to have for Tyler right up until he puts his handy knife and couch cover in his bag as they head off). It’s easy to see how none of those poor teens in his photo collection ever saw him coming. The story of what Wade was put through as a teenager was also horrifying; his mom sexually trafficked her 13-year-old son in exchange for drugs and housing, and then sold him outright to that predator for a big wad of cash. When it comes to Wade’s demise, I don’t cheer shootings, especially by cops, or flippant remarks like “That created some distance” about even justified killings, but eagle-eyed bespectacled Provenza taking one of those shots that only exists on TV was totally palatable. Especially because, originally, when the squad was in Weller’s basement looking at his photo collections, Provenza quietly told Julio, “When we find this guy, you know how I expect you to handle it.” (And, of course, Julio had earlier assured Rusty, “Don’t worry about that guy; I’m going to kill that guy.") Yes, please, with a shot necessary to save a victim’s life rather than a planned extrajudicial execution. The courthouse stuff was great (other than nitpicks like Rothman’s inappropriate outfit and Rios asking Rusty leading questions on direct examination [you can only do that on cross]). There’s a little bit trimmed from the scene of Provenza advising Rusty before he’s called in: Morales comes out from his turn on the stand and, not seeing Rusty behind him, starts telling Provenza how brutal being questioned by Linda Rothman is ("now I know what an autopsy feels like from the other side"). When he spots a horrified Rusty, he mouths “Oops” to Provenza, gives Rusty a fake smile and says, “You’ll do great; love your tie” and takes off. The best, of course, is Rusty realizing the opportunity to get the excluded letters admitted after all. Judge Grove’s “To your own question?!” when Rothman objects is hilarious. Rusty’s proud smile, Emma’s gleeful smirk, and Rothman’s I just got played by a teenager; reluctant props face are all very satisfying. It’s also nice that Taylor went to the courthouse in order to personally assure Sharon, who couldn’t be there, that Rusty was holding up. It’s largely to keep her focused, but there’s a little smidgen of Taylor the father in there, too. Rusty coming out to Sharon starts off so sad – his experiences leading him to equate gay men more with those guys who picked him up on the street than with men like Dr. Morales and Dr. Joe and thus thinking Sharon won’t want him around once she knows (“I’m just like them, and I can’t fix it”) – and winds up so beautiful - “Rusty, what you are is who I love, and all of you is coming home”. Who is chopping onions in here? It’s also a terrific bookend to Rusty’s nightmare (which always reminds me of A Nightmare on Elm Street) that opened the episode in which he saw Weller as himself. It always strikes me that Rusty is sleeping on the couch at Provenza’s, even though there’s a guest room, because it reminds me of when Sharon first took him in and he refused to move from the couch to the spare room. Now, like then, he wants this to be temporary, and refusing to settle in and get comfortable helps him believe that. Another deleted scene had Emma in their best attempt at her this is why she does what she does before she was largely, thank goodness, shuffled off the show. After the hearing and Weller’s death, she and Linda Rothman were in the Murder Room, and Rothman, the squad, and Fritz were trying to get her to make a life sentence deal with Stroh (Rusty's performance on the stand providing leverage to force him into a better-for-them deal than he'd originally wanted), and finish this all off for good. Rothman responded to her “It’s not my call” dithering by saying whenever she hears stuff like that from DDAs, she thinks she should quit her crappy job and run to be their boss; she suggests Emma borrow some imagination and get it done. After Rothman leaves, there’s an honest moment of understanding where Emma looks at Sharon, Sharon says, “I can’t be objective,” Emma responds, “And I have to be,” and Sharon gives her a nod of acknowledgment before going into her office (where the scene with Sharon, Rusty, and Provenza kicks in).

And that's exactly how it should be determined whether or not to toss food - what it smells, looks, feels, or tastes like - not what date is printed on its packaging. It's widely estimated that 30-40 percent of the U.S. food supply is wasted each year, and that treating those dates as "expiration" dates accounts for 20 percent of it.