Bastet

I just got home, so it was another archive night for me -- all those TS and clues left uncovered might have been painful to watch. The São Paulo TS surprised me, once Rio was ruled out. And interplanetary surprised me, especially with transplanetary said first. Sacraments also surprised me, because if I know/can correctly guess (the latter in this case) something about religion, I figure it's common enough knowledge that at least one of three J! contestants came across it during prep, if nothing else. Hunter S. Thompson surprised me a bit, as did I-10, Mark Harmon, and Royal Caribbean, and I'm also a little surprised no one even took a guess with cyclops. I stared blankly at my monitor for the entire Greater Than category. Boo, hiss. The older I get, the more current pop culture I am ignorant of. But I did well otherwise, and FJ was an instaget, so good for me.

It was actually the titular couple (married in real life) on an old, mostly-forgotten show, Mary Kay and Johnny in the late forties. But I'm too lazy to look up how long it was until that happened again - maybe the Munsters? Samantha and Darin on Bewitched?

That's exactly what I was going to say, @Yogisbooboo64 - for me, it would depend on what the behavior that caused me to end the relationship was. Some things I would not want to be made to revisit, no matter how sincere the apology and regret. Some things you just have to live with the pain of having done; the closure you'd get from an apology isn't justification for causing further pain to the person you hurt. So I say, yes, definitely write the letter for your sake, but think long and hard about actually sending it to him. (Which, I realize, is what you're doing by asking for advice here.)

And here's my little goober with a yawn that would make a lion proud (yes, she'll get her teeth cleaned this year):

Since this past Christmas will almost certainly turn out to be Chester's (my parents' polydactyl cat with small cell lymphoma in the intestines that isn't responding to treatment) last, we decided to make a paw print impression (with a hole at the top to string a ribbon through if we want to make it an ornament) of him while he's alive, rather than just waiting for the one you get from the crematorium. And then we did one of Bandit, who was not as cooperative a hand model as his brother. And I later did one of Riley - and that was the most fun, just me, handling a cat who loathes being held unless we're lying down. I don't have pictures of the boys' imprints, but here is Riley's (which I took with it turned slightly instead of head-on and was too lazy to photograph again once I realized). Because I didn't have anyone to help me, the left-most toe didn't come out all that well and I cheated with a Q-tip. But how perfectly tiny and symmetrically cute is this little paw, I ask you?!

I don't have a smart speaker, or smart anything, but I am prone to throwing mini tantrums when technology lets me down, so I enjoy this commercial that for some reason was not readily available in good quality/its entirety on YouTube and thus share via iSpot link instead of an embed: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/ZpwV/at-and-t-internet-fiber-smooth-jazz-playlist

Contestants have long (and maybe always, or at least since the first one did it) been admonished not to do it. And when James consistently didn't abide by that, apparently something more was said. But it's never been reported what would have happened if he'd kept doing it - would they dock money, rule him incorrect (incorporating the extraneous stuff into the answer, thus rendering it incorrect), what? I suspect nothing, but maybe they told him not only would Alex not read it, they'd digitally erase it, so there would be no point, so, seriously, knock it the hell off. Another good game tonight; not many TS, and no real head-scratchers in the bunch. I didn't do as well as they did, but fine, and FJ was an instaget; it's one of those songs I love in spite of its lyrics (and the shitty movie that shares its name), so the clue brought it immediately to mind. I considered a few other songs, but after doing the math on the release year, I felt sure it was "Sweet Home Alabama". I was bummed they only uncovered two clues in the Super Bowl category tonight. At least one of those two clues was about the Giants beating the Patriots. Again.

That's difficult for some people to do, and I haven't seen the commercial, but if she can't get in because of how some asshole parked next to her, I can see why she'd rather push a button than mess with it, no matter how limber she is. But the idea of standing there while my car parks itself/backs itself out is a bit creepy to me (I'm not opposed to automation, but I am leery that we as a society get so excited by it we don't properly consider the effects, so every new instance of it gives me pause).

Wow. I knew a bit about him, but reading that Hollywood Reporter obituary was eye-opening for the tremendous impact he had on television. He's the reason CBS shifted from the Beverly Hillbillies/Petticoat Junction style of programming to things like M*A*S*H and Norman Lear comedies: That alone would make him a major figure on TV history, but that's just one example. And he had the mind for it early on:

From another thread: If you have a short torso, narrow shoulders, or sloping shoulders, straps are a battle. I have a short torso, and that's one of the things the bra expert I talked about in the other thread keeps in mind when selecting styles for me. I found this article that goes into a lot of the reasons why straps may slide, and offers some suggestions. Unfortunately, there's a fair bit of ground left uncovered in terms of what styles to look for depending on the source of the problem. I mean, duh, racerback, but there aren't a lot of those and they tend not to be all that attractive. (Although you can use a j-hook to turn a "regular" bra into a racerback. But that's not always comfortable.) So there may not be anything new to you in there, but just in case you want to take a gander.

Continuing loose straps discussion in Small Talk ...

I tout this whenever it's relevant, because I agree: Me and My Vulva. Pictures of 100 vulvas, the third in photographer Laura Dodsworth's series showing some of the variety among body parts (the first was breasts, then penises). The subjects are self selecting, but the project still shows a far more diverse range of shapes and sizes than seen in traditional media or porn.

But that's just it -- there are plenty of women just as happy to have that test come out negative as the ones hoping it's positive are upon finding out they're pregnant. As I said in the commercials thread, I understand them wanting to show only happy consumers to advertise their product, rather than showing it being thrown in the trash while the user bursts into tears because the result is the opposite of what she wanted. But it's wrong that 99% of those happy scenarios are of women finding out they are pregnant. The big selling points - the low level at which HCG can be detected in the urine, the wait time, the ease of reading the results - apply equally to those hoping for a negative result. But showing women - especially women without wedding rings - happy with a negative result would just ask a vocal segment of the viewing public to throw a fit, so they stick with pregnancies; they're catering to sexism in what they choose not to use in their advertising, even though a lot of the women actually using their product are in that excluded category.

I have about a dozen bras, and none of them are uncomfortable (and they're all underwire, D-cup). I go to a local lingerie shop run by a woman who really knows her stuff and stocks high-quality bras that provide support but still come in pretty colors, patterns, lace, etc. (I hate boring underwear, so have a colorful and varied selection of bras and panties). (She also offers a variety of mastectomy bras, which I don't need, but I appreciate how wonderful she is with the clients [including my mom] who do). She can take one look at you for the first time and tell you what styles of bra are best for your breast shape, and does a proper fitting. Not everyone has that kind of access, or can afford the offerings. A quick perusal of the ThirdLove website yesterday (looking for info on the origin of the name) indicated it attempts to provide as much fit and style service as can be provided over the internet. The one bra I clicked on because it caught my eye from the home page was available in B-G cups, but I saw something else on the homepage with a little "sticker" advertising its availability in A-I cups, so they seem to offer a good range of sizes. I didn't check pricing on anything, though. Anyway, I hadn't seen the commercials or heard of ThirdLove until the posts here, but if I didn't have a local option, I'd probably have been inspired to do some browsing.

Darlene's degree did her plenty of good; she spent 15+ years doing what she loved, but being the sole provider for her family for most of that time meant she didn't have much in savings, so job loss made moving back in with her parents a financial necessity when she didn't find anything else right away. Now Roseanne is dead, Becky has a child ... if things were still "normal" in the Conner household, and if this was reality, Darlene would have been looking for jobs in Chicago all this time, found one, and moved back by now. Instead, the family situation - and the fact she's a sitcom character, so won't ever move out - means she's finding what she can in Lanford. As for how she paid for school, she got a scholarship for tuition, and was offered a work-study job at the bookstore to pay for meals and books (but that was with her living in the dorm, and she wound up in that apartment, so I don't know). Dan and Roseanne gave her a small allowance every month, too. Oh, and the one time the school was identified, when Darlene and David got their acceptance/rejection letters, it was called the "College of Creative Arts" - one in NY (that Darlene wanted to go to, because Roseanne's cousin Ronnie [Joan Collins], Lanford's only success story, was going to let her live with her and loan her the money for tuition, but she didn't get in) and the one in Chicago.

I was irritated not to arrive home until ten minutes into the show -- only to find out it didn't matter, as the station is running Monday's episode. I quite enjoyed it the first time around, but would like to see the new one tonight. So, off to the archive I went. I ran the first round, but the colorful pop culture animals category killed me in DJ; I only knew the white rabbit (I've heard of Pinky and the Brain, but couldn't spit that out). I think I missed a few more scattered clues, but I got FJ. So I had a really good game. So did the contestants; not a lot of TS, and no big surprises among them (grocery stores and suicide a little).

That's addressed in one of the company's blog posts; it is rooted in the idea of the three things they want women to love about their bras - style, feel, and fit - but ambiguous, so that it prompts people to wonder and ask "What does ThirdLove mean?"

Aw, Alexandra Spaulding (Guiding Light). Beverlee McKinsey was an incredibly tough act to follow, and I indeed liked her Alex better, but I enjoyed Dusay's performance of the role as well (at least what I saw; I quit watching GL several years into her run).

But they didn't accept "Beep me". That was ruled incorrect, and "page me" got the "we'll accept that; we were going for 'fax me'" response from Alex.

Yeah, I like Louise and the trajectory of their relationship, but she made me cringe in that scene -- way too thirsty, saying she'd turn down what is probably her last opportunity to tour if he wanted her to stay. WTF? It was only for 3-6 months! You don't turn that down to avoid being away from a spouse, let alone a friend (especially in this day and age, when it's so easy and cheap to communicate). Hell, people are away from their children for long stretches for work they don't even like. Getting paid to do the thing you love? Pack your bags! Yes, that was how Harris presented it - as something she'd be able to do for that price through the employer's program.

It's hard for me to pick a favorite. If Woman of the Year had been released with the original ending, maybe that would be it (especially with that sizzling chemistry in being their first collaboration). But Adam's Rib is a strong contender (especially with the settled-in chemistry that works so well for a married couple). There's a real charm to Desk Set, but more about Bunny and her job and coworkers - and their competition with EMERAC - than her relationship with Richard. Without Love is an underrated gem. But there is just something about Pat and Mike. The plot is a little thin, but the dialogue sparkles, the interaction between the characters is natural and breezy, it makes for decent commentary of its time on gender roles and women's sports in particular, and Hepburn's athleticism enhances the whole thing.

"Harris got a letter from Central Illinois State." "The college or the penitentiary?" That was funny, but it was also quite poignant to hear Dan and Darlene discuss Harris's limited options and how to respond to her plan to work within them. Cute hug between mother and daughter on Harris's first day. The Becky/Jackie interaction was nice, too. And Dan still not being ready for more with Louise is completely natural, and I really like that being honored. This was in the can before Katey Sagal's pilot was greenlit, and touring easily supports Louise being gone for a bit and then back, regularly in and out of town, or just gone, depending on whether that pilot gets picked up to series and, if so, whether Sagal can make guest appearances (same network, so it's definitely possible if scheduling allows). The toilet is in a different place than it used to be, and that kept distracting me during the scene of Dan in the bathtub. Odessa doing Monty Python at the door when Darlene came over amused me.

I do, because a friend and I had been emailing about it all morning (we were both Charlie's Angels fans as kids, and liked how Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith, and Farrah Fawcett had remained friends), and after Michael Jackson's death was announced, one of the first things we mentioned was that Farrah just got seriously bumped, and it was a shame (she certainly had her faults, but as far as I know she never raped children, so ...). So, while I certainly don't remember the date, when someone mentions it being the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, the first thing I think is, "And Farrah Fawcett's".

Yeah, I certainly understand wanting to show scenarios where people are happy with the results, rather than people tossing the product being advertised into the trash and bursting into tears, but since plenty of women take one of those tests hoping for it to come up negative, it's ridiculous for 99% of those yay, got what I wanted scenes to be of women turning up pregnant.

The Gibraltar TS surprised me, as did adverb and preposition. Interjection didn't surprise me, but their guesses for that clue did. I agree with those saying if they were going to accept "page me" they needed to accept "beep me", since pagers were commonly called beepers. No, you've got it - all the clues were asking for the word (beginning with A) that is the antonym of the given definition.