Bastet

OMG, yes - most of those dresses are hideous, especially that enormous pink frock.

Not many teen movies or romantic comedies are among films I really like, but word of mouth had this one on my mental watch if it's on list. I finally stumbled across it tonight, but an hour into its 2:30 (with commercials) run time. I looked for a thread to see what others thought, because I figured it has to be a good one -- even meeting the characters in progress like that, I was quickly drawn in, and even not knowing who the guy in the Oh, he's Blue! reveal was, I enjoyed the cheesy ferris wheel scene. I love that the final scene was about all the people who make Simon's life enjoyable - his family, his friends, and his new boyfriend, not just the boyfriend (the switching seats in the car thing was lame, but I just have to roll with stuff like that). My favorite moment among those I saw was one praised by several others, the teacher going off on the asshole "prankster" kids in the cafeteria. The switch from "Love, Jacques" to "Love, Simon" was a lovely moment, too. And I loved Simon's fantasy about straight kids having to come out, too.

She was also intelligent and passionate, and seems to have been a great friend and mother. She strikes me as someone with extremely narrow and ass-backwards world views - seriously, if you wrote this shit for a fictional character, you would hear howls of protest that you'd written an offensive caricature of southern Christian women, yet when fame handed Carter a book deal, 250 pages of antiquated lecturing is what she chose to offer the world - who, because of her profession, was surrounded by people who don't subscribe to her philosophies, and cared dearly for many of those people -- yet never realized hey, these are good people living good lives, so this narrow box I think the world should squeeze itself into clearly leaves a whole lot of people out; I should rethink what I was taught. I can't tell from the book whether she never examined or just denied the rampant sexism at the root of her thoughts. Interestingly, the part where I disagreed with her least was the chapter on her decision to get plastic surgery. That was frank discussion about how difficult it was to get accurate information from cosmetic surgeons, her fear when surgery day came, her desire to freeze time rather than wind it back ten years, the physical brutality of recovery, her “that’s not me” disconnect upon looking in the mirror post-op even after the swelling and bruising had subsided, and even a little - surprising for her - on the bullshit nature of “needing” it in the first place at only 45 years of age. I think the work she had done (a face lift between pilot and series, and then brow lift during season one’s hiatus) was subtle. But I think it's sad how she, upon watching the first screening of the pilot, felt she looked compared to her costars -- the fact she looked older than the rest of them, because she WAS more than ten years older than them, made her so uncomfortable about the prospect of being known as "the old one", she went under the knife. (This, of course, is heavily influenced by working in an industry that practically told women they should go out and shoot themselves, but at the very least not offend cameras with their person, somewhere between 35 and 40.) She did say, “It makes me feel sorry for myself in an odd way that I was so amazed by my appearance. What must I have been willing to settle for? I wonder as I’m writing this. Aren’t we pitiful sometimes.” And a lot of her advice about choosing a plastic surgeon, if one is going to go that route, was sound, and she encouraged women to own what they had done rather than be embarrassed about it.

I'm going to make pork chops tonight, too. (Well, a pork chop; it's a regular-sized one, rather than the thin cut I normally buy, so I'm just grilling one rather than two.) Kale sautéed with red onion and garlic for the side, and I have not yet decided on the salad -- maybe some sort of slaw.

Oh my gods, y'all - Dixie Carter spent 18 pages of her book lecturing in meticulous detail how people should groom and dress themselves: two paragraphs for men, two pages for babies (yes, babies) and children, and the rest for women. Yep, 15 pages of specific instructions on how to bathe, brush our teeth, and dress. I'll give her points for self awareness: after she spent two paragraphs declaring babies should be dressed only in white, she wrote: "Yes, a pterodactyl flew through the centuries into my window and pecked out these last paragraphs". But then I'll deduct a few, because, I shit you not, on the next page she criticized the do and don't type of articles on celebrity fashion, asking, "Why do we need the catty comments?" I'm not even halfway through the book, but I'm going to have to just start skimming for tidbits about the show. Because, rest her soul, this woman was batshit crazy.

When I was a kid, the first time we took one of our cats camping with us, she spent the first night running up and down the motorhome annoying everyone. So the next day my dad kept physically interrupting her naps while saying "Stop that sleeping" so she'd sleep that night. She didn't particularly like him to begin with (he was out of town when I brought her home, and got home right after she'd settled in; I think she viewed him as an interloper), and that really did not endear him to her. But it did work, so there's that.

The kid is clothed - doesn't bother me at all. I like the dog hanging out in the kitchen to chow down on any fallen food. Mostly I like the song.

I think "Stranded" in season two was the first time Suzanne used Helen's name when doing something she didn't want to be associated with (in that case, checking into a motel with Anthony), and I know she did it again in season three's "E.P. Phone Home" (the "And I'm her sister Debbie" scene) and "The Junies" (pretending to know Libby and lure her away so the "Hell's Belles" could rescue Charlene), but I may very well be missing some.

I have more scallops to use (my last until I venture out again), so I'm going to make them pretty simply: pan seared with asparagus and topped with a sauce of reduced white wine, orange juice, and butter, plus bacon (I normally make it with pancetta, but I don't have any) and chives. The side will be even simpler, sesame snow peas (snow peas with sesame oil and seeds), and the salad mixed greens and avocado with lemon vinaigrette.

I think that looking at Julia and somehow having trouble seeing her as a Debbie (the reporter even says she doesn't look like a Debbie) is part of why I like it. The context is that Julia has been dragged along on this Elvis trip, so she's not among "her people", but hates the condescending reporter who's going to present them as even more ridiculous than reality. Not in any way wanting to be publicly associated with any of this, Suzanne as usual pretends to be Helen Van Pattenson Patton, and Julia comes up with "Debbie" - either because there's a real Debbie to go with the real Helen, and Julia doesn't like her any more than Suzanne likes Helen, so she's joining her in maligning the Van Pattenson sisters, or because Julia is using a name that springs to mind when thinking of someone unlike her, the kind of woman who'd come to something like this.

Boy howdy. I remember a friend complaining about this back when it came out. I downloaded an electronic copy to finally read it, and just the chapter titles! Seriously, this is what she chose to write about: Part One: There's Nothing Wrong With Wanting To Be Beautiful 1. The Cultivation of Natural Beauty 2. My Childhood as a Health Nut 3. Good Habits - Results and Roses 4. Aesthetic Surgery 5. Please Don't Wear Black to Weddings, You-all Part Two: Beauty All Around 6. The Spirit of the Home Part Three: The Essence of Beauty 7. Trailing Clouds of Glory Coda: Prayers For My Daughters Yikes. I'm still going to read it, since it's free, but, yes, I'm sure I'll have the same reaction as you and my friend did. You beat me to answering the question about the name, and I was also going to include "And I'm her sister, Debbie", because it cracks me up to a disproportionate degree. It is not that funny of a line, but something about the way she says it turns it into a hoot.

LOL. That is the worst. It feels like 15 minutes of her annoying singing voice repeating four words over and over. I try to hang in, because Jean Smart plays Charlene's sense of pride so beautifully on her face, but nine times out of ten I can't. The other one I find just unbearable is when she sings "May You Always" at the end of "Bernice's Sanity Hearing" - and then they play more of it over the end credits.

They're sell by/best by dates; treating them as "expiration" dates leads to a tremendous amount of wasted food each year.

Yeah, it's in the lyrics - "Your husband woke up first, now you've got something up your sleeve. What you didn't know was you were surprising your father-in-law Steve". So did she just not think about the fact her in-laws were visiting, used to it being only the two of them in the house? Was she cognizant of their presence in the house, but figuring they'd use the guest bathroom? Why she assumes it's her husband even with two additional people in the house isn't spelled out, but it is clearly stated that she thought she was getting in with her husband.

I have some shrimp and scallop ceviche "cooking", and will make a nice big salad with it - butter lettuce, scallions, cilantro, avocado, and the shellfish, with a little reserved marinade as a dressing.

That makes sense - what material did it seem to be, that she intended to paint?

I agree. I watch gymnastics during the Olympics, but that's it. And I always have a hard time with it, because I admire the skill, but it's disturbing how they all have bodies that look prepubescent and how girlishness is emphasized via their make-up, glittery hair, and leotards. And that they never had a childhood because all they ever did was train, often away from their families. From the little I know, it has always seemed like the process is inherently abusive. (And I felt like I lived in a parallel universe when everyone around me was hailing Kerri Strug's vault as this incredible heroic moment, because I was horrified she was put back out there for that second vault. We can't let the Russians win gold, so let's send a kid out to run full speed and launch herself off an injured ankle?!) So I wasn't surprised to hear Jamie Dantzscher talk about never being believed when she said she was injured, having to keep training and competing while injured, being held to a weight standard she couldn't possibly maintain in a healthy way, etc. I always figured the Karolyis were assholes - when you're hand-picked by Ceaușescu, you're not going to suddenly become nurturing and supportive when you cross borders - but hearing the details of their cruelty and how isolated the girls were was eye-opening. As you said, it's important to set that stage before getting into what Larry Nassar did - to understand that he positioned himself as the only nice adult these girls dealt with at USAG, the guy who validated their feelings the coaches were monsters and sneaked candy to them, and then abused that trust by sexually assaulting them under the guise of medical examination. It was heartbreaking hearing them talk about how beaten down they were; of course they felt powerless. As Rachael Denhollander said, "I didn't know much at 15, but one of the things I did know was that victims of abuse weren't treated well - they're mocked, questioned, blamed, and shamed." They didn't see any avenue in which they told someone, were believed, and saw something done to stop it. And, guess what, they were right. It also broke my heart to hear Jennifer Sey talk about how they so thoroughly doubted their own perceptions to begin with, because they thought they were working hard and doing well, but were constantly screamed at that they were fat and lazy, that they questioned themselves as to whether they were actually even being sexually abused. What really got to me was hearing Jamie say getting to the Olympics did not wind up being a dream come true; she felt no pride in being an Olympian. But when she stood up in that courtroom, that's when she felt proud, and if she can feel proud about something, maybe she's starting to get a little better. I cried seeing Maggie Nichols - denied a slot on the Olympic team at least in part in retaliation for reporting Nassar - win back-to-back NCAA titles, and, especially seeing her have so damn much fun. It is sickening the number of people who knew and did not do a damn thing, and in fact covered it up, because they thought protecting the program - this brand to be marketed - was more important than protecting these girls - who were just product. I'm glad for this documentary giving further exposure to the Indianapolis reporters' work, saying putting this one man away is just the beginning. The first victim to report him did so in 1997. He should never have had the chance to rack up 500 more. I initially wished they'd shown a little bit of that "tongue-lashing of the century" the judge delivered at sentencing, but then I realized it's so much better that the final shot from the courtroom be of all those survivors standing, cheering, and supporting each other after Rachael delivered the final impact statement and so beautifully advocated for the maximum sentence as the only just result.

I sometimes do (well, to help, not do them alone, because a lot of people are picky about how they're done). But I'm not going to show up at someone's party empty handed! So if I don't really know the person, there's a chance my little token of appreciation will be something they won't use/consume themselves; there's no sure-fire gift that any and every host is guaranteed to like. But if not, it's still something they can pass on to someone else.

I've heard two in the last half hour! Bon Jovi's "It's My Life", which references Frank Sinatra's "My Way"* ("Like Frankie said, I did it my way") and Hank Williams Jr.'s "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down", which references his dad's recording of "Lost Highway" ("And I think I know what my father meant when he sang about a lost highway.") *It also references their own "Livin' On a Prayer" ("It's for Tommy and Gina who never backed down"), but that was already noted upthread.

If you don't know the person well enough to know what they like, what do you bring? Wine or liquor, they may not drink. Chocolate, they may be diabetic or dieting. Flowers/Plants, they may be allergic. Soaps/Lotions/Candles, they may be scent-sensitive. A decorative item for the house, it may clash with their décor. I think it's best to just accept these generic thank you/host/etc. gifts in the spirit they're given, and pass it on to someone else if it's not something you want. (I've received several coffee-related gifts in such situations over the years; I don't drink coffee, so I give them to my dad or a friend.)

Yep, here it is.

I assume they were tile? I painted (with an epoxy paint designed for this use) my bathroom tile because it was that awful pink some people love but I hate; it was a temporary fix until I get around to renovating the bathroom -- except I still haven't gotten around to it 15 years later. I will have to get my butt in gear soon, as it's finally starting to peel in the shower and one spot on the countertop. But for a long time it looked good, especially the white (I did the floor and shower white and the countertop green). If she uses the right product, it's a good cosmetic fix until she's ready to replace the tile.

Frank was an asshole; I hate men like him, so I hate characters like him since TV asks us to find them amusingly crusty, and I risk permanent strain rolling my eyes at the episode where they try to do the yeah, he's awful to everyone else, but look how he is with his family - and here's a special needs child if you're not buying it - storyline, but even assholes sometimes have their moments, and Frank's connection with a dying Pratt is a lovely one. My favorite Frank scene remains Neela telling him about himself after one of his usual sexist, racist, and homophobic remarks: "You're a horrible man. Do you think it's pleasant being greeted every day with a fusillade of homophobic, xenophobic ranting from a bigot? From now on, I expect nothing from you except silence, blissful silence." Which the show tries to paper over with the heart attack and "family man" revelation. I am not buying. Then or now. Fuck that guy. But I can still appreciate the Frank/Pratt scene as part of him. Frank is still a congenital jackass, but that scene is genuine and touching.

Ha! That was me when I saw Levine - who does a wonderful, nuanced job - in the indie comedy/dramedy (several years before Monk premiered) You Can Thank Me Later and about halfway through the film realized, "Ack! It's Buffalo Bill!"

Not that I know of. He was much more nuisance than scary, and after she was repeatedly very dismissive of him, he did stop, but I wonder - not having known until now that making him the killer and offing him wasn't always the plan - if the producers knew and that was part of the decision to get rid of him. I hope so, since she shouldn't have to keep making out with the guy who's bothering her. I figure Michael Zaslow knew, given how close they were, and that would certainly add to him hating the guy, but I wondered if Mark Derwin knew/mentioned that aspect or just couldn't stand the jerk for general reasons. (I only know it happened because, several years after the fact, a friend of mine became friends with someone who'd worked on the show [behind the scenes] for several years at that time and remained friends with Maureen Garrett. But, being a friend, that person divulged very little about her, and this story was kind of a casual aside [keep in mind how non-seriously such things and far worse were taken back then].)