Bastet

She's very determined! Maybe you can get her a job as a product tester; let her earn her keep 🙂 . Then if there's actually a bowl she can't tip over, the manufacturer can put the two of you in a commercial, starting with black and white footage of you putting down bowl after bowl, her knocking them over, and you wiping up water, then switching to color as you put the winning bowl down and all her efforts are fruitless as you stand there smugly enjoying your own drink. "Shadow tested, Smittykins approved."

She wanted to keep it away from Jackie after Roseanne died. For a while and up until not all that long ago, Darlene was the more stable and responsible of the two sisters, and Bev and Becky's relationship has obviously changed over the years, so it could have made sense at the time she did it. (Of course, it overlooks D.J., but everyone overlooks D.J.) At least she has yanked it back, now that Darlene has shown she is an utter failure in her fiduciary duty to Bev and doesn't give a shit about it.

Wow, the only song I know from those ten is "Still Doin' Time" (and I frakkin' love that song). (Well, I know the song "We Just Disagree", but only the original, not this recording.) But I don't need to know the specific song to love this from the CU commentary: We seem to have skipped over #650-641: 650: Big & Rich, “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” 649: Kenny Rogers & The First Edition, “Reuben James” 648: The Judds, “Mama He’s Crazy” 647: Billy Currington, “Pretty Good at Drinkin’ Beer” 646: Toby Keith & Willie Nelson, “Beer For My Horses” 645: Steve Wariner, “Holes in the Floor of Heaven” 644: George Jones, “The Grand Tour” 643: George Strait, “Troubadour” 642: Gary Stewart, “Drinkin’ Thing” 641: Shania Twain, “That Don’t Impress Me Much” Here's the CU commentary for that segment. I unabashedly love "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" despite not knowing much else from the band and not being into the little I have heard. I have a particular soft spot for that song because during its heyday I was gathering items for a silent auction, and called upon my very old record label contacts to, among many other things, get a CD with autographed liner, autographed concert t-shirt, and another item or two I'm forgetting from Big & Rich for one of our low-value items and someone at the event went nuts for it. But, even without that, I think it's fun. "Mama, He's Crazy" is appropriately ranked on an actual Top 1000 list, but too low on this pile of shit. "Holes in the Floor of Heaven" is unbearable on any list. "The Grand Tour" is made of win, as is "That Don't Impress Me Much" - the former's lyrics are more timeless, but the sentiment of both is; they're both very easy to listen to.

And, in a staggering display of enlightenment given how they "valued" them as workers before the pandemic, finally do right by their employees in other basic ways now that they're under even more pressure and danger as essential workers who can't stay home. If these companies were actually taking the tangible, behind-the-scenes steps to treat their employees properly, and thank them in particular for service above and beyond under these circumstances - actually stepping up to put people over profits during a once-in-a-lifetime crisis (and, you know, maintaining what should be a baseline standard when this is over) - I'd be all for supplementing that with a genuine public "thank you" to the workers keeping us stocked with essential goods and keeping these companies not just afloat but profitable in the midst of economic disaster for so many other industries and small businesses within their own industries. That's not what's happening. So these "thanks to them" commercials that are actually "rah rah us" propaganda are disingenuous, pandering, and disgusting. During an average viewing cycle, I am more riled up than normal because of these exploitative commercials.

Bev used to have a soft spot for Becky - which made sense, since Becky actually liked her, while everyone else had a far more complicated relationship with her, but it also was a chicken and egg situation, because there was also a real extent to which Becky liked Bev in a way the others didn't precisely because Bev treated her better to begin with - and wanted to buy her things (up to and including a car) her parents couldn't, so I like the idea she sees shades of underappreciated teenage Becky in Mark and wants to do the same for him. And, indeed, the way Mark reacted to her arrival as contrasted with everyone else was highly reminiscent of the Becky of that general age when Bev visited, but then Harris came in also happy to see her and Bev blew her off. No, Harris hadn't kept in touch with her while she was gone as Mark had, but her instinct - before anyone knew money was on the table - was still to welcome her home and hug her (unlike anyone else other than Mark) and Bev is the one who shut that down. So, on the one hand, it was all complex, but on the other Bev came out of this looking better to me, and that's not what they were going for! I loved Bev telling Mark what Darlene was up to about the money; it's Bev's passive-aggressive bullshit, but unlike my historical norm, I'm down for it this time because Darlene is being such an ass. Good for Mark's "poor Harris" smackdown. And bless Bev's "You don't have a house, Darlene" when Darlene told her to "get out of my house". (And LOL at Bev coming to the Lunchbox to see the drain her money went down.) Darlene loathed, and rightly so, being ignored or dismissed by Bev in favor of Becky, so I understand her over-identifying with Harris in this situation, but on top of her dereliction of duty as Bev's POA, I just wasn't in her corner when I otherwise would have been. As always, Dan and Becky's relationship is the highlight of the series. Dan's guilt and Becky's empathy were very touching. And funny: "She's here"/"Nah, Mom's more of a shovel to the head kind of gal" I don't care what eventually becomes of Dan and Louise's relationship - it has moved at a realistic trajectory so that I'd be fine with them dating, but I'd be equally fine with them remaining friends or going their separate ways - but even though I'm not invested in it, in terms of having a wish for how it goes, I generally enjoy it. A love triangle, however, I would very much not enjoy; I never do. I hope this is just something to set up why Louise may continue not to be any part of Dan's life after she returns from the tour, depending on how Katey Sagal's show does, and not something that will be a storyline. I like that Dan's poker games continue, even though Chuck and D.J. are the only other familiar faces. New Loser Guy was good for laughs at his expense, between "He's single because he wants to be; you're single because all the women had a meeting" and "I've been asked to step out of the room multiple times".

There's nothing wrong with that at her age. She's about to possess a degree from a prestigious university, has a wide variety of interests, and will, as she pursues further education and/or gains work experience, hone in on a smaller list of them to pursue as she goes through life. Good for her. Same with Mr. "Undecisive" from tonight changing majors several times. Interesting that tonight's game had a Florida and a Florida St. student (I'm sure rival schools in one match have happened before, too) and the Yale student was from Florida, too. I like the pre-med student picking the film category clue to start the second round after Alex said he bet he knew where she was going to go, and then moving onto Health & Medicine only after that - seems a deliberate response, and I enjoyed it. But I can't believe she can't pronounce arrhythmia! She must have only ever seen it written, not heard it said, which surprises me. No surprise they all got FJ, and indeed all finished writing before Alex was done reading the clue; that clue was not at all befitting FJ. I think so; pandemic is a more specific term (it's broader in scope, basically an epidemic that has spread across countries or even continents to become a pandemic), and not indicated by the clue, but also not ruled out by it, so they accepted it.

Even knowing the "twist", it was still funny to see the group's reaction when they realized Alex walked in on her, not the other way around. That entire conversation was hilarious. I know nothing about Outlander, but the Rachel Maddow fantasy was hilarious! Alex's horrified "That's not my phone!" and running out of the house was perfect, as was Penelope's struggle with whether she or the women in the group are right about making sure he understands how natural and healthy it is for women, too, versus sparing him any further embarrassment. Because it is a tightrope to walk - things that are personal and private can easily be regarded as embarrassing or even wrong when we don't talk about them at all, or only in joking and/or crude terms, and this happens a lot when it comes to women's bodies, but there is a time and place. Lydia was so funny throughout, especially with, "It is Adam and Eve, not bzzzz and Eve." And how she enlisted Leslie in her attempt to get revenge. And the vibrator wedding, which Lydia would crash by getting an invitation from the groom's side and sitting with the blenders? Ha! The whole concept of boundaries is an ongoing one with this family, and that played out nicely underlying all the humor. Lydia thinks Penelope is looking for a man and wants to help, but she goes about it by posing as her online (with a godsawful profile) and interviewing prospective dates. Elena wants Lydia to be comfortable with her sexuality, but she makes her uncomfortable by being so blatant (instead of just leaving the book on her nightstand or something). Penelope's rule is a pretty basic one they should, but won't ever with any consistency, abide by: We knock on doors, we don't overshare, and we don't meddle.

Yes, Padma straight-up told Kevin that Karen wouldn't be up there if he didn't have immunity, but he does, so she is. When she got to Karen, in talking with each chef on the bottom about their dish, she said, "I want to get to your dish, but before I do," and then addressed Kevin: "It's a good thing you have immunity, because otherwise Karen wouldn't be up here." While not a team challenge, they picked the best dish from each art group and the worst dish from each art group in determining who was eligible for the win and who was eligible for elimination. It's not like they picked the worst four out of the whole lot, and Karen was one of them. The picked the worst of each group. His was the worst from their group, but he had immunity, so, since she had the second-worst, she was the one up for elimination. It's not like he made an awful dish, she made a good one, but because of immunity, she was on the chopping block. There were substantial problems with her dish; if he'd picked another team, she'd still have been up there. So it's not some tragedy that she didn't get to skate by, and I never heard her treat it that way. But it's inaccurate to say Kevin having immunity didn't have any bearing on her being on the bottom.

That clip was great! I can't wait for the rest. That type of conversation never gets old for me. The teenage son mortified by any and all reminders his mom is a sexual being always makes me laugh (how do they think they got here?), and when it's specifically about masturbation it's usually even funnier. And I love Lydia's reaction. "Did you learn that in the army? Because no one [by which she means no woman, of course] in our family has ever done that."

Aw, I like that one, too. I haven't seen it in quite a while (I think I only ever see it online), and this was the perfect time to see it again.

Whoever was organizing our ten-year high school reunion went into full-on stalker mode. Someone called my parents' house to ask for my address, and my mom said no, she would not give out that information, and she happened to know I had zero interest in attending a reunion, but she'd be happy to pass a message along anyway. Then someone called the mom of one of my best friends, who's a teacher at the school, to ask for my address! Thankfully, she also respected my privacy and said that's not information she's comfortable divulging, so no one ever got my address. By our twentieth, someone would have easily been able to find my work contact info online, but thankfully we never had another reunion.

I'm taking such comfort in revisiting this show right now. No matter how many times I watch it, I never fail to marvel at the writing and the acting. The way Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (and later Pamela Norris, but Linda remained the master) explicitly addressed issues big and small with honesty, heart, and humor is masterful, but wouldn't have succeeded as it did without the delivery. And while the line delivery on the big moments is legendary, the little things they did are just as great. For all of Julia's epic rants, one of the funniest things Dixie Carter ever did was ask, "What'd she say?" when Suzanne mumbles the item she is peddling is edible underwear. And when Charlene recounts the "There's no need for introductions, Ray Don" encounter to remind Julia who the IRS auditor is, the way Jean Smart imitates Julia every time she says the name Ray Don is pure art. The way they all play off each other is truly something to behold, and a large part of why the show endures. I remember an article about that wonderful reunion special they did for Lifetime (which was airing the show in syndication, to great success) noting that Hal Holbrook said, during a break in its filming, how lovely it was to revisit the show because they all loved each other, and they all had such wonderful craftsmanship. He's right, and that combination shines through, and it's timeless.

The Stanford TS surprised me at first, but based on their answers, they obviously don't know the Pac-12 (which makes sense based on their locations). Seven Sisters still surprises me, though. As does extra virgin olive oil. I'm also a bit surprised only one got FJ. I cannot believe the Sistine Chapel clue was in DJ. Even in the Toddler Tournament, that would be a $200 clue. I laughed that Sirad, the Princeton student, rang in first with (University of) Texas after Marshall, the UT student, had nabbed the clue about a novel set at Princeton. Emma was so dominant in the first round, I thought it was going to be a runaway, but it got competitive in DJ. I was rooting for her, but good game. I had a good one, too, just missing a few scattered clues in DJ.

Ooh! I almost stopped reading when I saw it was Kim Zimmer and Robert Newman (I kind of think I'd like her, but I hated Reva and Josh and the way they ate the show SO MUCH I have a visceral reaction), but then I spotted Maureen Garrett's name and squealed. Add in Liz Keifer and Jerry verDorn, and I am there! Thanks for letting us know.

Oh, yeah, this will go smoothly and equitably:

Because I watched it over and over as a kid, I associate her with The Cat and The Canary. Dying peacefully at home with her family after 94 years of life is pretty much the ideal way to go. It's unfortunate that if her family wants to have any sort of memorial gathering with others, that will have to wait, but all in all I hope they're comforted by the fact she enjoyed (and she did indeed seem to enjoy it) a long life. I like this (from the linked obituary):

Yeah, I certainly hope it's not happening now! But I don't understand why it ever happens. This came up in conversation with my mom's cousin many years ago, and when she said she enjoys when people unexpectedly stop by, I was gobsmacked. I've never known anyone to regard the pop-in as anything other than the rude intrusion it is, and I really can't wrap my mind around thinking it's okay to just turn up at someone's door without asking and expect to be welcomed with open arms. My mom, who had a visiting friend with her, once phoned me from the car - meaning she was on "speakerphone" - to say they'd just had lunch in the area and wanted to know if they could stop by so Friend could see all the work I'd done on my house. At least they didn't just show up, but the hell?! I barely know this woman; show off your own projects! If she's into home renovation projects herself, tell me in advance she'll be visiting and ask if I might like to show her what I've done. Then I can plan, and invite you over at a convenient time. I replied, "Remember when I was a kid, and you'd admonish me for asking you if a friend could stay for dinner or spend the night in front of said friend?" And, no, I didn't let them come over; I said hello the friend, and hoped she was having a nice visit, but I was not prepared for company at the time.

Aw - my "niece and nephew" (two of my friend's cats; I am "Auntie Bastet to quite a few cats) are black litter mates named Scully and Spooky, and Spooky has a (very) little bit of white in the same spot as Fox.

And that was all Dixie Carter, not the script; she couldn't keep a straight face after Annie Potts delivered that line, so she came up with a reason to turn her back to the camera -- Julia would turn back to the bar to down her drink.

When I first got Maddie, she was terribly sick and just wanted to hide all day (and then get in bed with Baxter and me at night), and her chosen place was the shelf of my bedroom closet. When she started feeling better, I'd find her sitting on the hangers instead! (She had been sick for so long, she was down to 4-1/2 pounds, so she could sit on and walk across the hangers without moving them enough to knock her off balance.) I, too, figured she jumped and pulled herself the rest of the way, rather than being able to jump that high, but I never managed to see it. We had those pillows for sitting up in bed when I was a kid, and when not in use they were on the bedroom floor - and the cats would curl up so they were "hugged" by the back and an arm.

I love her putting that crown back on. There's only room for one queen bee. Yes, she hums a little ditty, and then toasts in the direction of the bedroom where everyone is sleeping, "Well, girls, Happy Vacation." I also love Suzanne in "Big Haas and Little Falsie", when she says to Mary Jo (re. training bras), "You little people have to train yours, and you call us dumb?" I just love that they made an entire episode about how society treats breast size. "These things are power!" Annie Potts has said women still come up to her on the street and do that line. The next disc, which I'll watch tonight, includes "The Wilderness Experiment" and I can't wait. "Some white girl."

I'm now one disc into season three in my re-watch, and it's not as if I've never noticed this before, and the episode is still hilarious, but the fundamental flaw of "Reservations for 12, Plus Ursula" - that the Ursula situation exists in the first place because of the kids' presence, yet nothing about that makes sense - bugs me: First, Charlene tells her parents Mary Jo and J.D. are bringing their kids, except Claudia, who is on a ski trip. So that should be four kids - Mary Jo's Quint, and J.D.'s Rex, Hannah, and Burt. Add Reese's two grandkids, and there should be six kids. Except there are five, all little (and none of them being the actors who previously played Quint, Hannah, and Burt, there's just some random, barely-seen group of five children). The live-in au pair for a long weekend makes even less sense if there are teenagers to help keep an eye on the little ones, so I understand Rex not being there from a storytelling standpoint, but they should have thrown in a line explaining his absence like Claudia's. Fundamentally, why in all hell do SEVEN adults, four of whom are parents, need an au pair to stay with them for a long weekend to help take care of five kids? Five is how many Mary Jo and J.D. have between them, and just the two of them didn't need to hire help when they went to a local hotel for the weekend. But add five more adults, to what is planned as a family vacation, and suddenly they need another set of eyes and hands? When Reese blows off the objections to the old lady they'd just interviewed, he says all she has to do is sit there if they want to go to a movie, and J.D. says when the kids are at the beach at least one of them will be with them*. And that scenario - hiring a babysitter to watch the kids one evening while the adults go out - makes sense. Having an au pair board with them does not. *But, of course, as the guys are headed to the beach with the kids, Ursula shows up, so they not only decide to sit in on the interview, they send the kids on ahead alone! With that said, the episode is hilarious. Delta Burke's line delivery when Suzanne tells Mary Jo, "I mean, here you have this gorgeous girl who gets up at 5:30, cooks your boyfriend's breakfast, then goes jogging with him. And what do you do? You're in the bathroom trying her brassiere on your head!" is perfection. As is Charlene's initial, "Mary Jo! You put her bra on your head?!" reaction. And, of course, Mary Jo's compulsion in the first place. "Suzanne's fits me like a beanie, but Ursula's covered my whole face." I also love when Julia smacks Reese on the butt when he tries to roll over and go back to sleep. And other than the parenting/grandparenting fail, the characterization is right on -- Suzanne is the only one who takes on Ursula herself; the others aren't annoyed with her, they're annoyed with how the guys react to her, including right in front of them.

I use cloths rather than paper towels for most things, so one roll lasts me months, and I like having the size option for the rare things I use them for. And probably use the half size more often than the full.

If I see that self-congratulatory Amazon commercial one more time, I fear for the fate of my TV. Why don't you thank your employees by paying them a decent wage and benefits, providing proper safety equipment and training, and not imposing unattainable per-hour goals on them that degrade both their body and spirit instead?

I'm lucky in that I've been working from home for years, and I don't particularly care for being around people (in fact, being an introvert, it doesn't take long for it to become draining), so not much has changed for me and I'm not at all bothered by being home. If I had a partner or roommate or, heaven forbid, kids home with me, yes, I'd be climbing the walls, but since it's just me and the cat, I'm perfectly content. Being a lawyer for a non-profit organization, with courts handling only essential functions like restraining orders, search warrants, parole or bail hearings, etc. (none of which, other than the occasional restraining order, are things we handle), it's an uncertain time. Good thing we're used to working on a shoestring budget, but that also means there isn't really any room for temporarily cutting back in order to ride out this time where there's even less than normal coming in -- we can't do a whole lot to reduce what's going out.