Bastet

I came in just a few clues before the first commercial break, so I checked the archive during that break for the clues I missed, effectively "seeing" the whole game. I was rooting for Lindsey (although I had a moment's pause on that when she didn't seem to even recognize "Good night and good luck" when the correct answer to her missed DD was revealed), but I'd have been very happy with any of tonight's three in the finals. I hope Emma or Francois win (preferably her). Add me to the list of those annoyed by "ovaries" accepted when the procedure refers to the removal of the ovaries and Fallopian tubes; that's what the salpingo means! Removal of both ovaries would be bilateral oophorectomy, removal of both Fallopian tubes would be bilateral splingectomy, and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, what the clue asked about, is removal of both ovaries and both Fallopian tubes. Demi Lovato, a $200 clue with a photo, as a TS doesn't surprise me even in a ToC, I guess, since pop culture is a bit of a wild card under any circumstances (I couldn't come up with her name, either). Same with Rachel Hollis (her I've never heard of, and I can't with anyone I look up and find "influencer" in the results). The Barbara Kingsolver and Emperor of Japan TS did surprise me a bit, but no big ones tonight. I got subcutaneous, but I've never seen it abbreviated SQ, just subQ (I'm talking lay vernacular, though, not medical charts). And I knew the term "toady" but not where it came from until tonight; thank you, J! For FJ, I'd have been stuck with "Who is the guy who invented the barometer?"

That's what it said in the linked article:

I give a tour of the house if anyone asks, and people usually do, because I've done a lot of work on it over the years (it was a fixer-upper) and it's really cute, if I do say so myself. 🙂 I don't generally have people I've just met over for dinner, but there has probably been a friend of a friend I'm not thinking of who got the tour.

That's me with mustard. Or bananas; if I order pancakes that come with strawberries and bananas and specify no bananas and you bring me pancakes with those vile smelly things on them, do not just scrape them off when I send them back. I will know, and I'll be pissed.

From last week's episode thread, re. the history of Becky and Mark: Yes, after Darlene says Mark is even dumber than she thinks if he's going to turn down the Minneapolis job to stay in Lanford with Becky (which is what she'd asked him to do), Becky decides to tell him to take it. That's what she's headed to do when she gets in that huge, ugly fight with Dan. She thinks she not only isn't going to college, she's about to send her boyfriend away for his own good. She's in an absolutely miserable space in her head, and just viciously unloads on Dan. Mark winds up proposing, asking her to come with him to Minneapolis, and she agrees. The plan is for her to get her GED and go to community college there while Mark works the union job. Roseanne accepts Mark's assertion that he didn't make Becky do anything, she married him because she wanted to, and tells him Becky also wants to go to college, and if she doesn't, she'll know that's because of him. He wants her to go, he's happy to be able to support her - he wants Becky to be able to do what makes her happy. (It's later when he's threatened by it; see below.) It's the first crucial point in Becky's story that winds up going to shit because the next time we see the character, it's New Coke Becky; Mark has lost his job, and they're back in Lanford. She told him she was going back on the pill, that she didn't want to have kids now because she was thinking of going back to school. First, she revealed that she'd applied to university back in the day, and been accepted. She was talking about maybe becoming an EMT or a physical therapist, he translated that to becoming a doctor, and she said maybe, she didn't know, but the sky's the limit; it'll be hard, but exciting. He asks what about having kids, and she says she's going to go back on the pill; if she has a baby now, she'll be stuck like her mom, and she does not want to raise a kid in a trailer park. Mark was scared she'd outgrow him - asking Roseanne how many doctors she knew who were married to mechanics - and Becky was restless (and miserable, and embarrassed, in that trailer), and had been whining to Roseanne about how it's all Mark's fault (forcing Roseanne to defend him, heh), but it really wasn't about him, it was about having her ambition reawakened and wondering how on earth this wound up being her life, when it wasn't at all what she pictured for herself. She's smart, she used to have dreams, and she wanted to get that part of herself back and make something of her life. If that had to be without Mark, fine, but she wasn't aiming to ditch him. That's the head space she's in by the time she tells him about college and not wanting to wind up stuck by having a baby now. It would have been about trying to move forward together, so long as he was supportive, and once he got over feeling blindsided, hopefully he would indeed have been his old, supportive self. But no more talk of college, and then as the show ends, Becky's pregnant. So, a terrific episode, but another character development storyline dropped because they reverted to the aimless airhead version of the character (Lecy couldn't take the time away from school to go to Florida for the Disney episodes, so back came Sarah).

It's about population growth and economic growth; in the Sun Belt, they've gone hand in hand, but in the Rust Belt, a recent uptick in population growth after decades of decline hasn't also created economic growth -- because of the differences (in age, education, industries in which they work, etc.) of the people moving to the two regions. Basically, the Sun Belt gained the people the Rust Belt lost, those in the demographics that lead to economic growth/are attracted to and able to up and move to areas of economic growth, furthering the hand-in-hand cycle. So it's the Sun Belt's demographic delight, but the Rust Belt's demographic dilemma.

I couldn't believe when that stupid salad made a comeback - and you'll still see it on some menus today. An out-of-season tomato from a chain grocery store is packed with flavor compared to a wedge of iceberg lettuce that was just picked that morning.

The movie was okay. It's a properly outlandish storyline, it takes the piss out of the fashion, PR, and media industries, it mocks ageism, it's centered around the utterly dysfunctional relationship between generations of mothers and daughters, it's packed with celebrity cameos, and it has Eddy and Patsy on a series of booze-fueled schemes and misadventures (complete with falling drunk out of a car). It's AbFab, as AbFab has always been. It's just, like everything that came after the original three seasons, not as sharp. It's filled with familiar lines (the return of "you little bitch troll from hell" is great), and familiar faces. I wish we'd seen Titicaca/Sarah, but otherwise everyone was there -- Marshall & Bo, Magda and those other two women whose names I never learned, the nurse/beautician who mocks Eddy relentlessly, Claudia Bing, Lulu, Baby Spice, Stella McCartney ... I didn't realize "Justin" (Christopher Malcolm) had died until he wasn't in the film - I looked it up, because I figured that had to be the reason. And this was the last screen role for June Whitfield, although I think she was still working on radio up until her death. It plays more like a special episode that goes on too long than a proper film, but it's still a decent watch for a fan. (It has been three years, so no spoiler tags, but I think many still haven't gotten around to watching it, so fair warning that I'm going to discuss specific plots from here on.) It's very interesting that Edina finally admits to self awareness and tells Saffy what she's deserved to hear her whole life when she thinks these are her final moments (and that Patsy just sits there next to her, ready to go down to that watery grave with her) - and hilariously perfect that she goes right back to her old ways once she is exonerated. Like she said, she just wants to keep the fun going. She knows she's old and fat, and that it's pathetic to still carry on like a vapid teenager and squish herself into too-tight clothing instead of accepting the responsibilities that inevitably come with adulthood and dressing the body she has, but she'll indeed keep avoiding reality until there are only a few moments of it left. And I love Lola (even Saffy doesn't bother trying to call her Jane anymore) going along with Eddy and Patsy. Eddy rebelled against everything Mother was, Saffy rebelled against that by clinging to her Gran and that way of life, and now Lola rebels by throwing in with Eddy's shenanigans. It's perfect, and also poignant when Saffy tells her to do what she wants, but don't do it to get at her -- she ruined her life devoting herself to not making her mother happy, and doesn't want Lola to do the same. All the old women hanging out together in Cannes because the old men are all out on the patio trying to score a young gold digger is hilariously apt, as is Eddy fixing "Pat" up with the richest woman in the world once they realize Patsy is too old to pull off their original plan of marrying a rich old coot and waiting for him to die. The news coverage of the whole Kate Moss story wonderfully skewers the press, specifically the BBC, which is fun. My favorite thing is that Bubble has a villa on the French Riviera because she handles her own paychecks and has been overpaying herself for years. I also loved "Your death threats, m'lady" as Bubble delivered all the hate mail to Eddy, and Patsy reacting to the news Marshall intended to become a woman by saying, "You're small, you'll be able to get shoes."

I agree with everyone saying taking a hard-line approach to food isn't a good idea. I certainly don't think kids should be allowed to proclaim they don't eat vegetables, or have a list of "don't like it" foods so extensive that basically all they eat is mac & cheese, chicken nuggets, and carrot sticks. (Which is what a former friend of mine was allowed to do as a kid, resulting in her still eating only half a dozen foods as an adult.) But kids, like all people, have things they really find unpleasant to eat, and they shouldn't be forced to eat those things. As I recall, the general rule in my parents' house was I had to try everything - no declaring something icky without tasting it - and I had to eat a little bit of the things I didn't particularly care for, but I did not have to eat the things I truly couldn't stand. So if the vegetable was peas, which I can't stand, I didn't have to eat any, even though that meant the only vegetables I ate that night were in the side salad. If it was Brussels sprouts, which I now love and crave but was just "meh" on back then, I had to eat some, and got a properly balanced meal. There were many more of those nights, so it was fine, nutritionally. And, while my mom didn't make something different for me (something I wouldn't do, either; I'd be the "I'm not running a restaurant here" mom), she made sure not to make a whole meal out of things from my "don't particularly care for" list. So if the main course was something I was "meh" about, she paired it with sides I really liked, and vice versa.

(I had no idea who that was, but looked up Daybreak and found out it's Colin Ford.) While I agree he doesn't readily lend himself to outcast status, I equally can't picture him as "beat 'em off with a stick" level of desirability based on that embedded picture; he looks pretty generic to me, so I'd believe him in a variety of roles on the fictional character spectrum, depending on how he was written and portrayed, but the more they drifted toward one pole or the other, the more they'd have to sell it.

It depends; as I referenced upthread, you can renew online/by mail for a certain number of years and then you have to renew in person and start the clock again. (I think it might be that at the five- and ten-year renewals, you can do it online/by mail, and then at the 15-year, it has to be in person. Or maybe it's every ten years. And after a certain age, the requirements tighten further. Whatever the specifics, you cannot always avoid going into the DMV.)

"Yeah, and if you apply yourself, you can be [a millionaire] too." "Really?" "No, those days are over." Perfect. This was typical Dan, wanting his family to pull together (I love "families always come together for the holidays so they can fight in person"), frustrated by his inability to dissuade his kids away from bad decisions, and expecting someone else to fix it. It's really poignant, even as I am completely in tune with Darlene's frustration with everyone. Jackie and Becky having a plan that is clearly done by people who don't have any business knowledge or experience takes me right back to the original Lunchbox plan. So does trying to come up with a name. The original series did a better job with the conflict between wanting to play it safe and wanting to take a chance on something that might finally give you some autonomy and a chance, when playing it safe gets you out of the hole for just a short time, but taking a chance doesn't have any better odds. But this is getting at it, at least. And the fight between Becky and Darlene was old school, with the combination of going for the jugular and speaking the truths they were always the ones to point out to the other. And, yeah, Harris and Odessa taking out Dan's bike is like Becky and Mark doing the same. Only Mark actually knew how to ride (even if he did mess with the carburetor). And Harris saying she won't hang out with Odessa anymore is like Becky lying that, no, she won't see Mark when Roseanne and Dan ordered her not to. Mark's turkey place settings made me laugh (especially at Darlene and Harris both wanting their turkey to be the executioner). As did this exchange between Dan and Becky: "Bev will live here until she dies, and I'm too old to carry her lifeless body up the stairs." "Cut her up and make trips." "See, you can't leave; you're the only one who'll make that joke with me."

Since I missed James's appearance in the initial round of this ToC, this was my first time seeing him since I got sick of him during his original run. It turns out enough time had passed that he didn't bug me. I still have several others I'd rather see win the whole thing, but it was nice that time reset things to me just watching him, rather than being annoyed by him. Okay, I still rolled my eyes at his shout-out wagers, but less strenuously. I loved the lyrics category (especially Alex reading "My Humps") and the Fantasy Football category, even if it did bring back horrible memories of the Seahawks blowing Super Bowl XLIX I had to nearly physically shake off to continue the round. I can't decide if My Favorite Year being a TS surprised me. Kind of bummed me out, like it did Alex, but I'm not sure it's actually surprise-worthy, even in a ToC. Same with The Confessions of Nat Turner; I initially was surprised none of them knew it, but on reflection I backed off that, too; I think pop culture is a bit unpredictable at any level. Convoy and posse comitatus (I guess none of them watched The West Wing, heh) still surprise me, though. FJ was a little challenging, I think; it took some pondering that might easily prove hard to conclude in the time allotted and under game conditions.

Here (CA) you can renew your registration, but not your license, at AAA; license renewals can only be done via DMV.

I really admired her, so I'm a little jealous of this one. I'm glad you had that experience - how wonderful. She struck me as one of those women it would feel inspiring just to be in the presence of.

I was just going around the dial, and came across the Seinfeld episode with "He took it out". Julia Louis-Dreyfus's delivery is everything, especially the way she blows on her glasses in the middle of a key line.

Wright killed me not making the interception to put the game away for Seattle on San Francisco's final drive. The Seahwaks killed me all game, really, leaving me thinking they all had their hands greased for how much difficulty they had hanging onto the damn ball. And bull-fucking-shit on ruling Wilson sacked in OT, so good on him providing the first down on the next play. The Seahawks could have, without just a couple of key mistakes, handed the 49ers their first loss in regulation, so going to OT pissed me off and made me fear they were going to deserve to lose. It was a fun game to watch, right up until that fatal INT. Except, wait - not fatal; McLaughlin misses the FG and Seattle lives to play another drive. But then a wasted timeout that doesn't yield anything on 3rd down and they have to punt. Then they turn around and force San Francisco to punt it right back. They only need a FG, and have nearly 1:30, but no timeouts. Wilson's feet set them up, and it comes down to the kicker who's had a good career but a horrific game last week. Who gets iced right before the ball is snapped, rendering his successful kick moot. He squeaks it through again, and the 49ers are undefeated no more, thanks to a division rival. So, yeah, exciting game! I still haven’t gotten used to Richard Sherman playing against the Seahawks, though.

I read the archive during halftime, so I'm a little bummed I didn't actually see Emma win; I like several of the contestants, but she's the one I'm rooting for most. I liked her mind going to "Can I get a witness?" rather than "Can I get an amen?" in the bible clue. (I'm also a little bummed I didn't hear Alex reading the Marquis clues or saying "genre".) I figured writ of certiorari was going to be a TS. I also dreaded how many TS there would be in the women's sports category, and they indeed lived down to my expectations, but despite the fact contestants generally don't know much about women's sports, I was surprised soccer was among them, given the recent widely covered victory of the USWNT. The other TS that surprised me to some degree were ostentatious, Caddyshack, and Blaise Pascal. That last one probably wouldn't have surprised me at all in a regular game, but I was mildly surprised in a ToC game. I'm also surprised FJ was missed by any of them, but it's nice that Dhruv included a message to Alex rather than just a big question mark or blank. Edited to say: Awww. After reading about Alex's reaction to Dhruv's message and the timing of the whole thing, I tuned in to see the FJ answers revealed, and, wow, yes, that was quite a moment when Alex struggled to get himself together and move on to the next contestant's answer.

She (Kathryne Brown) also appeared in the first C&L reunion movie, and later had a recurring role on Judging Amy.

Yes, Louise was a trainer; she would also go on rescues when needed (even if she got peed on, heh) but she was their primary trainer, going back to VRC's early days in CA. Elise handles basic medical stuff like Lizzy and M2, does home checks, goes on rescues, etc. She's been there a long time and it was nice to finally hear from her directly in an episode.

That was Louise.

When I renewed my (CA) license last year, I had a choice - another regular license, or the "real ID" that will be accepted for air travel. I don't want to have to take my passport on domestic trips, so I got the latter. Especially because I'd have to go in either way, as the time had rolled around where I had to renew in person rather than online/via mail. It was when DMV offices across the state didn't have appointments available for months out, so one morning just before my birthday I had to drag my ass out of bed and wait in line outside the local office for it to open. Brutal as that was, it was worth it, because I was out of there about an hour later, while whenever I drove by it during the day, the non-appointment line was wrapped around the block. Then CA changed the regulations, requiring an additional proof of residency, so those of us who'd received the new ID under the old regulations had to bring ourselves into compliance with the new ones, but I just had to sign and return something they mailed to me (it was a little more involved if you'd changed addresses in the interim). So, for the clusterfuck it was made out to be, it wasn't actually that bad. I'm trying to motivate myself to start stacking firewood, but am taking a web-surfing break first. I did get the other stuff done in the yard that I'd wanted to do first, so I'm still mostly on track. The delivery person was supposed to arrive between 9:00 and 11:00, so I was really hoping for 11:00, but of course he woke me up at 8:45 to say he was about half an hour out. It's better, really, as I want to be finished up to go for a walk with a friend at 4:00 and then be home for Monday Night Football, but it's just unfortunate timing that today needed to be the day, because I really would have liked sleeping in, even more than normal. Thank you for referring to them properly.

Right?! "It tastes the same to me"? Aw, hell no; get your defective taste buds away from me. I don't like Dr. Pepper, but there's some pretty funny stuff in the Fansville commercials. I really like one of the ones with Brian Bosworth as the sheriff, where the refs move in across the street. And I like Eddie George as the doctor. It's a good series.

9 to 5 fans, you know that moment during Violet's fantasy of knocking off Mr. Hart when she delivers a musical "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha" and sticks her tongue out at him? That's what I do whenever the Cowboys lose a game. I don't care about the Vikings at all (in the NFC North, I like the Bears and kind-of-like the Packers), but I'll rejoice in anyone other than the Patriots beating the Cowboys. It eases the sting of the Rams and Giants both losing; it can never truly be a bad football day when the Cowboys lose. I watched the Falcons-Saints game this morning, and it proves you can't count anyone out in a rivalry game. The Falcons defense was impressive, but the Saints just flat-out played poorly. I saw the final minutes of Chiefs-Titans, and, wow, what a finish for Tennessee. (I also saw the end of Bills-Browns, and couldn't begin to care.) I moved up my walk with a friend tomorrow in order to be home in time to watch the Seahawks try to hand the 49ers their first loss of the season.

I am so annoyed with myself. I've been so busy and stressed I haven't yet advertised my old car for sale (peeve number one, because that's money I've paid out insuring both cars and money I've not taken in from the sale), so it's been sitting, covered, in my driveway, off to the side, basically between the house and the garage, so not visible from the street. (But not hidden from rats, squirrels, and such.) I know damn well a car shouldn't sit for too long, and kept meaning to drive it, but it's a pain to uncover it, maneuver it out of its spot, and put the cover back on, so I was always too tired/annoyed to do it, and kept thinking I'd advertise it any day now and thus take it on test drives, and lost track of how long it had been. Tomorrow morning, I'm having firewood delivered, so I finally have to move the car as that's where he's going to unload the half cord of wood (he can't stack it for me this year, so I'll get my exercise moving it, which is another peeve). After an exhausting week, I spent the night at my parents' house last night to cat sit, they got home early afternoon today, I stayed there to watch the first half of the Rams game, came home at halftime, and headed out to move the car, looking forward to coming back in and watching the second half. You guessed it - dead as a doornail. I started calculating how long it had actually been sitting, got really irritated with myself, and abandoned that line of thought in favor of hooking up the jumper cables to my other car. As soon as I grounded the negative, the horn on my dead car started honking; the theft deterrent system was doing its thing and wouldn't shut off. I don't have time/mental energy for this shit; I just need to get the car started and out of the way. So I looked up the fuse diagram to see which fuse is for the horn, yanked that out, hooked up the jumper cables again, got the car started, drove it around a while, and parked it out front. So it's out of the way, and when I get it back in position I will charge the battery, put the fuse back in, and see if the anti-theft system is still somehow stuck in "on" mode or if resetting everything did the trick. I also need to get under the car and make sure nothing has been gnawing on wires or hoses (everything looks fine under the hood from above). And then, once I know it's indeed still in great condition, I need to get the damn thing sold and out of my life. I am so irritated I haven't done that already, and now caused myself an additional problem because of it.