Bastet

I can't believe no one guessed soccer. That no one deciphered Wind from the big hint in the clue was also surprising. The Spittoon and fridge answers amused me as much as they did Alex. I wish Travis and Paige had tied; I'd like to see both of them again. The only thing I didn't know/correctly guess in the first round was what YBS stood for. I was off to a good start in DJ, but Regicide and Haifa stumped me just as they did the contestants (the first one I just flat-out didn't know, the second I do but couldn't pull out of my brain). I'm not much for war history, so I was sure I was wrong with my guess of Robert E. Lee for FJ, but, lo and behold, I was right. So only three misses! At some point before I die (or lose my marbles), I will achieve a perfect game.

Team George! That wedding was ridiculous, and Annie was too immature to get married to begin with. Of course he winds up having a freakout over hot dog buns; he's living in some sort of bizarro world, where everyone else is nodding along with this batshit crazy wedding planner like this is all completely normal and acceptable. He got up to his own brand of crazy with the groom's parents, but otherwise whenever the movie asked me to find him irrational, I thought he was the only one still in touch with reality.

I had to read the archive due to the State of the Union Address, and, boy, is it a good thing I don't bet on this game, because liver, (Model) A, Dodge, Ralph Kramden, vintner, Lake (District), Hawaiian, and Bleak House TS were all clues I'd have confidently predicted someone would get. (Hawaiian as a TS floored me, and Model A was also quite surprising, with Model T ruled out.) Lots of TS tonight, and all the DDs were missed, too. Yikes. I'm glad Travis hung on to win a bad game, and I look forward to seeing him again tomorrow night. (Hopefully; sometimes my station airs the preempted episode later the same night and is back on track the next day, but sometimes we're a day behind the rest of the week and catch up using the Saturday slot that's usually occupied by a re-run.)

Nine times out of ten, I am annoyed by women being portrayed as jealous and suspicious, but the actor playing the wife has such utterly perfect line delivery on "What are you wearing, Jake from State Farm?" that I totally roll with it in this case; I love the commercial and was ridiculously pleased to see it return.

I forgot one - the Jake From State Farm commercial coming back. The new Jake's line delivery on "uh, khakis" isn't quite as good as the original's, but the meta aspect makes it a winner:

In the comfort of my own home, I immediately blurted out "Milwaukee" before correcting myself because, while the reference was an IG, wait a minute, there, they want the state, not the city. I like to think I'd be more deliberate in answering under game conditions, but it's entirely possible I'd have cost myself money. I've never seen his CNN shows, due to the weekday afternoon and Sunday morning timeslots, but I recognized him due to clips from them (and the debates he moderated) being played on other shows, his appearances on political talk shows, and, sort of, from his earlier appearances on the ABC shows (but I'd have never pulled up his name just from memories of that!).

I'm surprised no one even guessed Jerusalem, and the flagship and Jake Tapper TS were clues I'd have predicted someone would get. But I was accurate in my FJ prediction; Asia + 1953 year brought the DMZ to my mind and I stuck with it, but figured - and wondered if they were right, but "created" had me pretty confident - most contestants would go with someplace designed for the protection of endangered species rather than someplace resulting in it. I love the word onomatopoeia, and after "it's hard not to like a guy who doesn't know frumpy but knows onomatopoeia" on The West Wing, I could never possibly forget it. Travis's "shame I know that" after the 140-proof answer gave me a chuckle as it did Alex.

I'm not sure I'd want to spend any time with Bobby Flay in real life (unless his cat was there), but I can happily watch several episodes of Beat Bobby Flay back-to-back, while the only time I can make it through even a segment of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives is when they're visiting a place I've been. It's too bad, because I like the concept of the show, but can't stand Fieri. Same with Alton Brown; I really love the concept of his show, but cannot stand his jerk ass.

Those join robes and slippers as things I don't wear that all TV characters do. (I do have rubber gloves, but the only time I wear them is when using TSP. And since that's only when prepping walls to be painted, it's about once every ten years.) Well, I shouldn't say all TV characters have aprons. Like you were describing, it's the women on TV who all have them -- and in the frilliest, "girliest" colors and styles possible, so that it's funny when men borrow them. If a man on TV has an apron of his own, it has some stupid slogan about grilling on it, and that's the only time he wears it (right before wacky hijinx ensue, since using a grill on TV always leads to one or more of the following: wayward flames, incinerated meat, a protracted argument about whose grilling strategy is best).

I'm with you - I've never seen any of them, because I don't care who's playing him (even Pierce Brosnan, whom I find one of the most attractive people on the planet), I just do not have any interest in James Bond. Spy stories, gadgets, guns, cars -- these recurring themes of the trailers aren't my jam, and nothing I've ever heard about the films, especially their treatment of the various "Bond Girls", leads me to believe there's anything in them for me.

I watch the Super Bowl for the game, so I miss some of the commercials while I'm refilling my plate, but of those I saw I liked the Doritos commercial with Lil Nas X and Sam Elliott (I love the horse refusing): The one with Jason Momoa (who would be infinitely more attractive if he washed his hair and shaved his face) and Lisa Bonet: The Loretta ad from whatever "turn your whole life over to us" product Google is offering: The Alexa ad with Ellen and Portia: and the Groundhog Day one posted up thread. The Cheetos ad with MC Hammer was okay, too. At least he was another person I recognized -- there were so many commercials that I could tell featured celebrities, but I had no idea who they were.

They split up last year. It hasn't been announced on the show yet, but it was posted here last summer that Mariah had announced it on social media in response to questions.

Ha - whereas Troop Beverly Hills is the only one of those I've seen, and it's indeed a guilty pleasure. I hardly ever catch it on TV, but whenever I do, I watch at least part of it.

I think so, too. I still don't know who I'm rooting for - there are players and coaches on each time I like and dislike, and fundamental things about each team I like and dislike - but I'm still excited for the game, because I think it's going to consist of some really good football.

There's a resemblance, but it doesn't seem to be her. Procter is older than that woman, and I don't know what she's up to these days, but unless she seriously mismanaged her CSI money, she shouldn't need to be accepting non-speaking roles in commercials.

Oh, that's funny! I can't pick a favorite part, but the little helmet on the groundhog is a contender.

It's incredibly important she take all possible steps toward avoiding pregnancy, but that doesn't mean you have to interrupt your own life to shepherd her through those steps. She wants to be an adult; let her act like one. If you'd asked in your prior employment situation, I'd have said it may be worth it to take time off to make sure she follows through; if it would be a non-issue at work, maybe go ahead and do it even though she doesn't need or deserve your assistance, because if there's no downside for you, it might be worth doing to make sure she doesn't further fuck up her life (not to mention putting you between another rock and hard place) should she become pregnant and choose to parent. But under these circumstances? Not even a maybe, because it's clearly not worth it for you to get involved. You have a good thing going at work, but it's new and must be nurtured. That takes precedence over taxiing her and holding her hand (literally or metaphorically). She either does this or doesn't, on her own. (And she should still be using condoms, anyway, as she's far from being in a long-term monogamous relationship with a trustworthy partner.) Boo hoo, she's having to hire an Uber driver to get to the appointment -- that's the position she put herself in. You handled it just right - declining to take time off to accompany her (and explaining why, since she doesn't get how the world works) but congratulating her on a responsible decision. Done.

Yes, despite their subsequent "Arrowhead [tomahawk] chop", mascot horse named "War Paint", and pre-game drum ritual, the team name was itself directly named after a white dude -- one who, claiming to be "Chief Lone Bear" per the local Arapaho in establishing the Boy Scouts of America’s tribe of "Mic-o-Say", lead to Kansas City's culturally misappropriated name. Yay? Anyway, according to my friend who follows VRC on social media, Crackles and Samuel had already been adopted before Dog Bowl (but the owners let them appear to promote the rescue), and Hunter and Texas are still looking for their forever homes.

I wasn't home to see "The Shame Game" last week, and I'd missed it during the previous syndication rotation, too. Even though I have the whole series on DVD and don't even particularly like the case in that one, when I tuned in tonight and realized which one I'd missed I was bummed, because I love beyond reason the scene between Sharon, Rusty, and Provenza when Rusty lashes out at Sharon about wanting to get rid of him, Sharon's voice breaks in the middle of saying she can't be objective about Daniel Dunn and she gets the hell out of Dodge before anyone can see her cry, and Provenza quietly tells Rusty off for the accusation. I was home tonight, though, for "Dismissed With Prejudice" - it's another case that annoys me, this time for how easy it makes it look for a conviction to be overturned, but I like the episode in spite of that. I like the focus on Mike, and the trajectory of his relationship with Lydia. She has absolute shit for parents; her dad killed her mother and then manipulated her into doubting and ultimately recanting her memory of seeing that, which is clearly the most egregious act, but her mom - who'd drugged her to sleep through sexy times with the boyfriend when the husband was gone, and was assisting an embezzler despite her role as an insurance investigator - was apparently planning to run off without Lydia when she fled the country with Zapata, since there was no passport for Lydia. But Mike always believed her - he believed her when he first interviewed her as a little kid, and he lets her now, as a young adult, regain trust in her memories, so - as horrible as her circumstances are, once her dad says he wishes he'd just killed her too - she at least knows she wasn't a mixed-up kid who falsely sent her father away for murder; she was right all along. The reveal of what happened, with Lydia walking through the house again, and showing flashbacks to what she saw at the time, is nicely done. "I believe you. I have always believed you" is what it boils down to. And the actor playing Lydia does a good job with the bewildered confusion; "I don't believe you"/"It's yourself you don't believe" is great. Mike pulling Lydia into his arms when her father obliterates his good deed of not making her testify again by saying he wishes he'd killed her, too, is powerful; I always like the cases to which one or more squad members connects in a particularly emotional way. And Tao gets his due when Sharon gestures for him to, again, place Mr. Reichman under arrest for murder, after they confront him with Zapata's body buried in the backyard and with the broken tip of the knife that killed Elaine in his sternum. One of the many things I like better about this show than The Closer is delving more into the squad members' lives and careers, and this is a good Mike episode. I also like how Lydia joins Rusty in showing, although in a much more subtle way, how material witnesses fare in the criminal justice system. I generally avoid cop shows, so I may simply be unaware of other examples, but my sense is either none or very few get into that. With Rusty, it's explicit, and with Lydia you have to pay attention, but in her case the prosecutor doesn't even know where she's been living the past eight years. She was just a witness whose testimony they needed to make their case. She provided it, and done - no need to even think about what becomes of this little girl now that her mom is dead and her dad is imprisoned. Rusty asking Provenza for advice on tying a tie - because he's worn one for 100 years - is great, as is dapper Andy standing next to Provenza in his usual attire objecting to him being the one asked. I also like Buzz and Provenza spinning Rusty back and forth in his chair as they question and instruct him. And I really like imagining Sharon's reaction when Rusty chose that awful shirt and tie combination upon being allowed to select the outfit for himself (but she lets him, as that was their deal). And it's cute that owning a suit is something Rusty can be bribed by; you wouldn't automatically think of that as something he'd be into, but the way he says he's never had one before and wonders if it makes him look more mature is touching. Sharon plays it perfectly with Daniel Dunn, telling him how much Rusty would - although he'd never admit it - love to hear about his mom back in the day. (And it's an important puzzle piece that Sharon Beck's parents apparently threw her out when she got pregnant.) I like how Sharon plays it with Daniel all along. Her starting position is skeptical but evaluating, knowing he had no idea he had a child, he has rights, and she may lose Rusty to him; she's willing to assume he genuinely wants get to know Rusty and do right by him until/unless she sees differently, and hopes for the best in this relationship that must legally happen. But she's ready to protect Rusty if that's not how it pans out. Sharon's frustrated "his attorney will love that while suing us for millions" reaction to Provenza's "it's always the husband, so, no, we didn't actually consider any other avenues" dismissive response is great, as is "I don't need a thousand reasons, I need one" when he also shrugs off Zapata's blood being found at the scene. I also enjoy her telling Fritz the FBI's "watchful, waiting" surveillance of Zapata's wife for nine years hasn't exactly been productive, so the federal government, not Mike, needs to pay to bring her in for an interview. (It's even better in hindsight, once we learn Zapata's wife has known all along the FBI was watching her.)

I wasn't home last weekend, and forgot to look for a re-run, but I'm back in the swing tonight. Walter's problems seem like a result of bad breeding - he's got a heightened version of everything that can typically be wrong with the breed. Do I need to say again how much I hate breeders? Nope, moving on. I'm glad he's doing better. Hardtime's mom is batshit crazy, but there are far worse things to go crazy over than your dog. (Was she a breeder? She said she was his third owner, but then said something about him being repossessed, so I wasn't sure if she'd bred him and wound up getting him back, or if she had nothing to do with his origin and just became his third and final owner after he got passed around from bad home to bad home.) His breathing, distended abdomen, and the color of his gums freaked me out through the TV. I hope they can keep on top of his condition for some time to come. The flatulent opossum was very cute. We have a fair number of opossums in my neighborhood, and I occasionally have one living in my wood pile; I have a soft spot for them. I am not down with birds as pets, but Diego's mom has taken care of him for 18 years and loves him; now that he is a captive bird, I like that Cy-Fair is helping her care for him. I know it's partially for the show, to cut down on the need for talking heads, but the way the vets talk the techs through what's going to happen and why is nice; it supplements their education and training without being patronizing. And, of course, it's nice to see a show about a clinic in which there are techs providing monitoring. This show reflects what I'm used to, in terms of what procedures are done in the dedicated OR, what's just done in the procedure room, the degree of monitoring and sterile procedures for each, after care provided, etc. I'm never uncomfortable watching this show. The vets being at varying stages of parenting is an interesting dynamic, with Dr. Lavigne sending his first off into adulthood and Dr. Ross commiserating with how he felt just taking his daughter to daycare. "Spot me." "On the treadmill?" "I may trip and fall off." That was great, and then, "Actually, I have 100% of the house and I'm letting you use 25%" was even better. Fun ribbing among the Lavignes.

They're making up for lost time showing Toney now that they can again, aren't they? I left before last week's episode ended, and missed some of the beginning of this week's. I came in just in time to see how skinny and scared the dog Earl and Toney were rescuing was. I love the name Daffodil, because of how she blossomed after just a short period of care. Gus Gus is really cute; I love the little squatty bodies. She's a good size to live in a truck. The way she hauled herself up in the test truck was adorable, and then she did the same in Phyllis's. Those two are going to love the hell out of each other. Phyllis's dream of traveling upon retirement turning into starting over as a long-haul trucker at 58 because she got laid off and had too much seniority to get another job in phlebotomy really touched me. I'm glad she's making the best of it, but, man, the American economy makes me angry. I love how they created a VRC Bowl to determine Burger just isn't cut out for multi-dog playing in that small a space, and to get them used to the fog machine that scared the dogs at last year's Dog Bowl. The Dog Bowl is such a great opportunity to get their dogs adopted, they have to do everything possible to pick the dogs with the best chance of benefiting from the experience. I wish Animal Planet would just ditch the fog machine, though. "We don't limit ourselves when it comes to adopters. We don't care if you're a millionaire. All we care about is that the dog is going to be safe, well cared for, and loved." Preach. I love how few bright-line rules VRC has, instead matching the right dog with the right home. Maybe it doesn't have a fence. Maybe it doesn't have a yard to begin with. Hell, maybe it's a truck. For some dogs, that's not enough. But for some it is, and they'll happily make that match.

Yeah, it is called I Am Jazz, not Meet the Jenningses. Granted, she's the baby, the only one left at home, has needed a lot more medical care than the other kids, and has been an activist (including traveling for speaking engagements, on which her mom had to accompany her) since childhood, so I'm sure it is and always has been unbalanced in real life. But I doubt the family's focus is as lopsided as the show's; while show life is centered on what's going on with Jazz, in real life, there's a lot of stuff going on with all the family members and attention is more spread out.

The tube pan testing segment made me do two things: look up the difference between tube pan (which I'd never heard of) and bundt pan (which is what I'd have called it), and realize I have not had angel food cake in eons. As far as I know, my mom used to make it in a bundt pan and just deal with the shenanigans in letting it set upside down and getting it out, rather than having one with feet and a removable bottom. She's not going to want to do that anymore, and I certainly don't, but I don't bake enough to go out and buy one of the winning pans (it's only $18, but it takes up space). So now I'm going to have to research which local bakeries make a really good angel food cake, so that next time I have people over for dinner, I can get one of those for dessert.

Yes, that's what it's called on the show's page of the CBS website.

Oh, do I relate - I usually say "big yawn for a little girl" to Riley, but it's also frequently "one day, you're going to unhinge your jaw" because so many of them are serious yawns, and the dark spots on the inside of her lips and roof of her mouth to this day sometimes strikes me at a different angle and give me a moment of "Shit, What is that?!" before I remember it's okay. Every morning when I get up and "commute" down the hall to my office, this is what my bed looks like until I can finally make it several hours later when she wanders out for food: