Bastet

If I'm sitting and watching (rather than having TV on to listen to while I'm doing something else), I always change channels during commercial breaks; I initially go around the dial to see what else is on in the time slot, and during subsequent breaks I flip through those channels, hoping at least one of them is not also airing commercials at the time. I like when there's a movie or episode I've seen countless times on to watch a couple minutes of during commercial breaks.

Well, whether it's labeled 11 or 10b, it's a batch of new episodes, the first since the January-March run.

Yep.

Same. Sara Gilbert harbors an affection for this relationship that seems blind to the truth of it, so I think we're not only stuck with it but that it will continue to be written in a way that ignores major aspects of the reality of it.

I love the Eleanor arc (which is pretty much a given, as I love Mary McDonnell, but I'd have enjoyed it with another actor, too, because I like what it gives Carter). I know scheduling meant they likely couldn't have ever got her back even if they'd tried, but I wish they'd had Carter mention her from time to time, indicating they'd spent time together, so we knew the progress made in that arc continued.

Interesting game between the Raiders and the Bears. I wouldn't have woken up earlier, but had I known I could actually see it (last I'd looked yesterday, I still didn't have FOX thanks to the dispute with Dish), I'd have got out of bed earlier to see more of it. (There was no morning game on CBS in my market, so I thought there was no morning game for me at all, and lounged around in bed watching the rest of the DVD I fell asleep to last night, not realizing until noon I actually had a game available to watch.) I thought the Raiders were in for a second half implosion, but they pulled it out. Two wins in a row, wow. Not so much for the Giants, of course. I'm not exactly eager to watch "highlights" of that game. My cat's life would have to somehow depend upon their victory. And since that will never happen, I can happily live out my days rooting for them to lose. Thus: Go Pack Go!

Yet a lot of them engage in such activity, and the difference between how an opposite-sex pairing's kiss is treated and how that between a same-sex pair is regarded under the same No PDA at School policy is worth exploring. It continues to warm my heart how far Dan - who lost his damn mind at any and all stereotypical "feminine" characteristics or interests of D.J. (all while loving Darlene embracing stereotypical "masculine" interests) during the original series - has come to where he is now, and maybe we'll get a scene where he stands up not just for his own individual loved one but for someone he just observes in the same position because his eyes have been opened. Either way, it's a delight to see his interaction with Mark. And with Becky. And Darlene. And Jackie. Basically, Dan Conner is aces, and probably the most-realistically written character in this spin-off/continuation universe.

I'm so glad this show is back; I could watch it for the rest of my life. Jammall made me so happy last season when he sucked it up after disappearing and returned to ask for his job back, so I'd hoped he'd retain the confidence that if he was honest with Tia, she'd work with him on scheduling when things got tough. It's a real shame. I appreciate their being disappointed, not angry. It's a loss for the dogs, as he's very good with them, and I hate that he did this to them and to himself. I hope things work out for him. I laughed when the female adopter told her husband to scoot over on the couch so there was room for a dog to jump up between them. Their previous VRC dog certainly seemed to have a great life as indicated by those photos, so I'm glad they returned to give another one the same. All three dogs they saw were adorable! Trina the pot-bellied pig of a pit came out, and I thought she'd be my favorite. Then the dog who'd been near death emaciated showed off her recovery, and I was just as enamored of her. And then Mini Pants said, "Cuteness contest? Hold my beer" and draped herself over the adopters. During the rescue of Napa, I loved seeing the auto shop guy with the stray cats he feeds. I hope (and assume) they talked with him about getting them fixed if they aren't already. The sisters worked really well together to get the dog. The picture the next morning of Napa flopped over in the worker's lap was terrific - what a great thing for Mariah to wake up to. It's wonderful when animals revert to their natural personality when they feel safe again.

Yeah, some people are just like that, due to very-limited social interaction, and that's statistically more likely to occur with an elderly woman (retired/never worked outside the home, husband is dead, kids and grandkids live elsewhere, friends have died off/been moved into assisted living, etc.).

It's common, yes, especially in the case of infection. Anything that makes peeing uncomfortable can cause them to do it elsewhere sometimes, especially someplace soft. But they also sometimes return to the "scene of the crime" and pee/poop again someplace they went previously, so the subsequent pee could also be because she can smell that she previously pooped there (they can smell it long after we think it's gone, which is why enzyme-based cleaners are the way to go). (Were the kidney values elevated on the blood tests? If so, cats can still easily undergo anesthesia under those circumstances, but there's a special protocol, so just make sure they'll be following that if there's kidney disease warranting it.)

I looked up Trader Joe's in Illinois, and there are nearly 20 of them -- but, at a quick glance, they're all much closer to Chicago (or Evanston, where Northwestern University is located) than Lanford has generally been described as being. Lanford is smaller, farther removed from a major city, and more economically depressed than the locations in which you typically find a TJ's. The Buy 'n' Bag makes a lot more sense. Was David said to be working at one in Lanford? Maybe he's commuting, because he couldn't find work in Lanford? If there was a TJ's in Lanford, half the family should be trying to get jobs there; it's a good place to work.

Some of those I'd never seen before, like the one where the "teenager" gets caught making out in the car. Or the one with the gas station bathroom, which made me laugh out loud (once I stifled my "that toilet would be so disgusting!" reaction).

Same here, although I'm not sure that's unpopular. I like the way they worked through him having lied from the beginning and salvaged the friendship. It was a nice trajectory, that could have developed just as naturally into dating. I've said this so many times I nearly bore myself, but I also agree so strongly I'm going to go ahead and do it again. He liked the Benton/Corday relationship, too. He just could not stomach being in such a visible role on such a visible show and perpetuating the problematic presentation. It took courage to risk "making waves" like that, and good on him for having it. Peter and Cleo being boring is a separate issue that does not negate his point. Co-sign this one, too. She was perfectly fine by me. They gave her too many storylines and connected characters as compared to the rest, but I find the Abby is the worst character ever refrain far more tiresome than that lopsided focus.

The Drinkwell is a very good and very popular fountain, but its design makes it problematic for those whose water is really hard; the motor can't be properly accessed and cleaned, so it burns out quickly due to the build-up. In those areas, the Pioneer - similar quality, features, and finishes - is a better option, because you can actually get to the motor to thoroughly clean. (I should add the caveat that this was the case years ago when I was comparing, and I'm only assuming the designs are the same now.) My cat would hardly drink water if we didn't share a glass. She occasionally drinks out of her bowl, and drinks from a big vase on the coffee table once a day, but her favorite water source is my glass (I drink water all day, and have some on the nightstand overnight). I have several different sets of glasses in different styles and colors, and her favorite is one with a wide mouth, allowing her to stick her head in, access water, and still breathe comfortably, until the water level is pretty far down (other glasses, she can only reach if it's at least 3/4 full). So that became the style of glass I use for my water every day. Because Riley is in charge; I just live here.

That Dorothy costume looks ten times better than anything Dorothy ever actually wore. Anyone creating a Sophia costume that doesn't include the purse should be drummed out of the business. I would not look at any of those and think Golden Girls. Knowing they're supposed to be the Golden Girls, the only one I think comes close is Blanche, but the jacket should be more loose and flowing and she should be shown with kitten heels. Rose and Sophia both need different dresses and Dorothy needs a shapeless shirt - or perhaps something with a construction paper garland - and should be shown with boots or sandals.

While the episode once again happily coincided with halftime of the football game, I still opted not to watch in favor of prepping some ingredients for dinner. Even just looking at the archive after the fact, this seemed to be a pitiful game - so many blank spaces, I initially wondered if I'd happened upon the site at a time when the game's clues were still in the process of being uploaded. But, despite the number of clues left uncovered, it didn't seem like an unusual game in terms of TS. Some of those were doozies, though. By the time I read the clues, I'd had several drinks and become pissed off by the football game's outcome, and I still did better than the contestants! In particular, the PGA Championship as a TS when you're spotted the "P" and asked to name a golf championship? Seriously?! LOL at Alex having flashbacks, when Yankees was a TS in the Baseball Managers category, to the notoriously "duh, I don't know" response by contestants in a previous NFL category, but it was just one clue; if the game hadn't been so damn slow, and additional clues had been revealed, I wonder how the category would have gone. FJ was an instaget, and I initially predicted all three would get it, then changed my mind based on the odd nature of the game. I am not at all into nobility, but I'd have enjoyed seeing more of the "Song Royalty and Nobility" category revealed.

Goddammit. That was a terrific game, it just didn't end the way I wanted it to. I am all about player safety, and erring on the side of it, but that was one seriously bullshit roughing the passer call on Matthews late in the game; that was pure shoulder-to-shoulder, and it being called casts a pall on my utter enjoyment of this close, back-and-forth game. Not because of any direct impact on the outcome, just that it was pure crap officiating in a match that was otherwise about what the teams did and did not do in a division rivalry game.

Awful. I got annoyed enough to hook my laptop up to my game room TV so I can watch through Prime, and when it first popped up I thought I had a video problem on that input!

Okay, now I'm officially irate with this Dish/FOX pissing contest; NFL Network is not airing Thursday night football, so everyone is conspiring to deny me Rams vs. Seahawks. (The only alternate available to me is streaming it via Amazon Prime, but my TVs aren't connected to the internet/my computer, so I'd have to watch on my little 19-inch monitor, and no thanks.)

Cool. I haven't been keeping up; is it going to be all returning cheftestants and these are just the only ones spotted so far, or is it going to be a mix of new and old? (Or is that not even known?) Any which way, I'm excited that a new season is being filmed.

I didn’t come home until the end of the interviews, and mere moments later was yelling “Jim Beam!” at the TV. The DuPont TS surprised me a bit, and, looking at the archive for the clues at the beginning of the game, Sherlock Holmes does, too (that no one at least guessed him based on British sleuth). Bill spacing the category and missing billfold amused me as much as it did Alex. I loved the nearest capital category. FJ was an instaget, so I'm on a roll this week.

Yeah, unfortunately, to make that line work as serious we have to go to the New Coke Becky years, when Darlene was such an ass she was damn near sociopathic and Becky was a moron. Back when the characters made sense, Becky was mocked by her sister based on who she actually was/actually did, and then in later seasons we got this pod person whom Darlene skewered as an airheaded bimbo. The revival season of Roseanne and then The Conners have embraced that false characterization for humor, favoring "Becky was a teenage skank" jokes over reality.

Kathy Bowman! Or I guess just Meagan Fay – initially because I thought Kathy and Jerry couldn’t have had a girl after going back to Chicago who would be old enough to be Austin's mom, and then realized they easily could have a daughter who’d now be in her mid-to-late-20s – because there’s no way Kathy would have stood for moving back to Lanford. And they didn’t capitalize on any of the terrific allusions they could have used to show it was the same character, not just the same actor. But that was still fun, like using Sarah Chalke in another role in the revival season of Roseanne. This was better than the first episode; I laughed more in the teaser than the entire previous episode (which, mind you, I didn’t dislike): - Dan’s “I get that” upon learning Mark and Austin kissed because they got so excited over personal pizzas, and “Austin says I don’t listen enough” being met by him with “Did he also say you drink too much, because that’s coming?” Ha! (But it’s also sweet that Dan has obviously been listening to Mark’s descriptions of people, and asks accordingly who Austin is.) - Jackie’s version of helpfulness remains intact - I love Dan’s description of all the kids as babies - “My manager’s in a terrible mood, he tanked his SATs” is funny on its own, and for reminding me of when Roseanne worked for The Little Maggot (Brian, the high school kid who was her manager at a fast-food restaurant, him there to save up money for a classic car and her there to support her family) I was moved by Mark’s hurt over Austin’s denial, and, despite my many issues with David, I like that he dressed in a suit for the school meeting – too little, too late, but it's a cute little hint to his mindset. And I liked him and Darlene talking to Mark about what happens when you openly live as who you are when who you are is outside the small-minded dictates of your society, and how lonely it can be waiting for everyone else to catch up. Of course he’d jump the gun and ask Darlene to go tell the kids they’re back together. She’s hiding something major from him, yes, but even if that wasn’t the case, he’d be out of line. Which brings me back to my weekly refrain of I can’t with this stupid love triangle. Ditch them both, Darlene! But Ben is written better this season (so far) than last, so if he wasn’t her boss in a two-person operation, I’d be rooting for him. Becky and Dan are everything. It’s so special given the trajectory of their relationship over the original series; I love that they've wound up where they are (not in terms of circumstances for each of them, but the closeness so long in coming).

I recently found out what it is, because a local Japanese restaurant fired its drivers, making customers go through UberEats or Postmates for delivery, so I just order elsewhere, but a friend ordered from there when we had movie night at her house last month -- you order from a restaurant, grocery store, etc. and it pays (which is obviously added to your charge) some random person through Postmates to pick it up and deliver to you. You can track the driver on your smartphone (which I don't have, another reason for not using it), and the guy who delivered our food was quite possibly more drunk than we were judging by the numerous wrong turns and backtracks he took to go just a couple of miles down major roads. Anyway, despite not being interested in the service being advertised, I also laugh at that Martha Stewart commercial, precisely because of her delivery on "He'll be fine".

My latest UO: I enjoyed Otherhood. I don't think it's great, I agree with most of the criticisms of it, and the material isn't worthy of the actors, but I still straight-up enjoyed it. It's about women, and middle-aged women at that, the happy ending is about themselves and their friendship more than their relationships with their sons, and their husbands are only a small part of the story. Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, and Felicity Huffman have good chemistry together, and their talents mean they elevate the banal and nail the good. The scenes between the three of them make the whole thing worthwhile. I like that the film acknowledges the flaws in the mothers as well as the sons - but I agree with critics that it downplays their intrusion and interference more often than it gives the "kids" their due - and the letter Carol's son wrote to her made me tear up. I don't care about the criticism that the friendship between the "kids" is underdeveloped, because it's not about them. Their childhood friendship spawned their mothers' friendship, and their current relationship doesn't need to be believable for the women's to be, because it long ago quit being about the sons -- it started because of the boys and developed into family friends (the husbands becoming friends, too), yes, but the women long ago developed a relationship that was fundamentally about the three of them, which is why it wasn't diminished when husbands and sons were gone. The one thing that does bother me is the "one-year later" ending making the resolution of their big fight feel rushed (and that the "here's everything that's wrong with you that I've been holding in for years" fight in a public place is so cliché to begin with, but, again, the acting goes a long way). Okay, and that Carol chucking her dead husband's stuff into the pool is such a pale imitation of Bassett's legendary stuff-burning scene in Waiting to Exhale I wish they'd left out the homage all together. But it was a pleasant way to spend two hours parked in front of Netflix and I felt happy at the end of it.