Bastet

Like the ones who not only spend a night in the hospital after what would in the real world be outpatient surgery, but are in fact admitted to the hospital the night before the surgery?

Wow, with a clue that basically asked who Roy Rogers’s wife was, Dale Evans was a TS? At least one of them knew it was “Mrs. Roy Rogers”. Annie Oakley?! Given that, I correctly predicted John Ford was going to be a TS, too; these people clearly don’t know anything Western “before their time”. I wonder if bounce was a TS for the same reason I was slow in coming up with it (I think it was in time, but I was reading the archive rather than watching the show, so I'm not sure); the “gotta this” part of the clue to mean you’re leaving made me think of “jet”, which is obviously not a form of jumping, so I had to stare at the “also good to get one at the polls” part of it before my mind switched gears to bounce. There were quite a few clues I found overvalued, like the entire ICC category.

I only know it because of the university, and I only know the school because of the football team, so I was lucky that's what the clue referenced. Otherwise, Bowling Green would have meant Kentucky to me, too. (I suspect that's pretty common, that if you've never heard of the university, the only Bowling Green you have heard of is the one in Kentucky. [Of course, knowing there's a Bowling Green university doesn't mean knowing it's in Ohio, just that odds are better than if you've never even heard of the school.])

I loved that argument in the kitchen, too, especially that she was right about the past and he was right about the present; that's very realistic as to what each would see accurately vs. have blinders on about. (And, of course, that he'd turn it into a joke, that actually the TV raised them, heh.)

He stayed for awhile in Avila Adobe on that street; here's a brief history of the street that mentions it.

I'm not going to be home for tonight's game, but the archive is already updated, so I read the clues. I knew Grace Hopper was going to be a TS, and I had a feeling “Black Dog” was going to be, too (I think a lot of people know the song but not its title), but I was surprised by Pacific Crest Trail being one when Jason’s wrong answer was so close. It was the dates that did it for me; four years apart took me immediately to the Olympics, so I knew it had to be the torch.

I love that one. The last time I saw it was in the cinema last year, before the new Halloween, and half the audience recited, "Why can't we just get in the running car?" and "Head for the cemetery!" along with the actors.

Hmm. The pictures I saw were not at first glance something I'd get excited about, but as I read the ingredients of a few recipes I realized it could indeed be an easy, flavorful dish I'd enjoy. Which ground meat do you use? The recipes varied, and I definitely wouldn't use beef (I only like ground beef as a cheeseburger), but I think it might be nice with chicken (I love larb with ground chicken, and this flavor combination vaguely reminds me of that) -- I always have chicken breasts on hand to grind.

I don't know that it would help much, given how bad her teeth always were despite getting dental cleanings done every 12-18 months. If she'd tolerate brushing, it would certainly be worth the effort to perhaps be able to go longer between cleanings, but I think that's all it would do, since she seems like one of those animals who just has bad teeth -- her stinky breath came back quickly after each cleaning, and even with regular cleanings she needed extractions.

I know I've never seen one worse than David Duchovny. On The X-Files he once looked like he was gnawing on Scully's arm/her hospital bed sheet and more than once like he was constipated, but never like he was, you know, crying. (It was made all the worse to watch because Gillian Anderson was such a pretty crier.)

WTactualF, Bridgewater?! You had ONE job - don't take a sack. I could not hate the Cowboys more if they were the Patriots. So thank you, Saints defense, because I had some serious palpitations going on here.

That happens in "Dead Zone," and Dr. Joe is not shot until the first episode of "White Lies". He'd have to be deaf; he's right there. In the adrenaline rush of shooting at cops, getting his ass kicked, and being cuffed, I could write it off as him just not registering what he heard, but not that his dad's talk about needing to deal with Mark so he doesn't talk like his mother did doesn't remind him of it. Then again, he is not a particularly bright person. But the flip side is Amy saying it in the first place, knowing that they got the warrant the way they did expressly to keep Colson from knowing Mark spoke to them. She's not dumb, so what's her excuse? It was just a bad line. (Which only stands out because this show is so good; I wouldn't even think about it on many shows, because I wouldn't expect any better attention to detail.) It's from part one, that they decide to do it, but it carries through the arc; it's not until the case is solved at the end of part three that Amy asks to announce that Dr. Joe is alive, so his family no longer has to refrain from visiting him at the hospital (this is interrupted by Andy's heart attack).

Wearing a jacket that would make Andy cringe, was my first thought. It's kind of sad to see him in such a stereotypical Italian role at this point, but it's a recurring role and may improve (I'm not sure I'll be watching, as the show is completely unrealistic, but it was rerun last night and I figured I'd check it out). The Dish/FOX pissing contest means I didn't see Major Crimes last night (thus watching the All Rise repeat), but - since I can't watch the Rams game, either, thanks a lot, assholes - I just watched "Dead Zone" on DVD. I'll wait and watch the three-part "White Lies" continuation together, although hopefully the station will be back on by next weekend. It's a disturbing case to watch, but it's good to show that neo-Nazis indeed still exist, even in places like Los Angeles. James Duff said that when the actor playing Dwight did "Sieg Heil" at the table read, Mary McDonnell gasped, because he did it so chillingly. And, indeed, it plays that way. When the DDA hears the addresses of the homes involved in the real estate fraud and realizes the Zyclon Brotherhood lured these people in to be killed by Dwight is another moment that sends a chill down my spine - and a tingle at realizing this is the evidence he needs to get a continuance to develop the conspiracy claim he's previously been unable to prove. I love Taylor's "I already am" when Dwight says by the time they figure the case out, the black guy will be in charge, and that's the moment I'm always reminded they're getting ready to kill him off. (I may have previously mentioned that, at the time White Lies aired, Duff said there would be no more main characters killed off ["this isn't Game of Thrones"]. Lying sack of shit. Yep, still bitter.) My only quibble is something I only noticed on second viewing -- that the squad twice indicates Mark in front of "Uncle Henry," meaning Henry should have known who led the cops to him rather than buying their story that Dwight talked. The first one, when Julio says, "I guess this is the back bedroom Mark said his uncle kept people out of," while explicit, can be written off, as Henry was in the meth basement; we don't know how close to the hidden door he was, so we can assume he was far enough down the stairs not to hear. But the second, when Amy says, "I guess we found Uncle Henry," is as they're cuffing him. It's not as explicit a reference, but even if people in addition to Mark refer to him that way, Dwight Darnell certainly doesn't, so at the very least "Uncle Henry" would have known they got info from someone who does. It's particularly egregious, because the elder Mr. Colson brings Mark up. I was initially also annoyed that the contacts list on Sharon's phone makes no sense, but then I decided it must not have been her actual phone, but one Mike fixed up specifically for Henry to be lured into using, and crossed that off my list. Oh, wait, there is a second one: When Pa Colson, who is driving the truck, is shot and killed, his dead body somehow manages to bring the truck to an abrupt stop and keep it that way. Wardrobe has been putting Sharon and Andy in matching colors more often than any other characters (across both shows, Greg LaVoi always used matching/coordinating colors to signify who was in sync on cases) since well before they got together, but this episode always makes me laugh for being the first time they match on a morning we know for certain they got dressed in the same home. So I giggle a bit to myself wondering if Andy got dressed while Sharon was in the shower and, upon getting out, she just coincidentally put on a blouse the same color as his tie and they didn't notice, or whether they knew they were going to match. I hope it's the former, because the latter is lame, but it makes me laugh. (As does the set decorating, in that Rusty chooses the one of Sharon's many sets of mugs that is the same teal color.) Also Sharon and Andy's little flirting across the table while Rusty is attempting to bribe her with breakfast; we see so little of them as a couple, even little hints the actors throw in are nice. And I love their reaction to Rusty's "remember how uncooperative I was when I first got here" and idea that they lie to a little kid about finding his dead mother to move their case forward. Provenza guessing Mein Kampf when Mike says there was a book of Mark's in the car never fails to make me laugh. As does "his little game of Pop Goes the Nazi". I love the subtle but clear way Sharon shuts Julio down when he's trying to dictate what they will and won't do with respect to questioning Little Adolf as a witness -- "If possible, Detective, we will hold off notifying Mark ..." is a great way of reminding him she's in charge, not him, without outright humiliating him in front of the squad. And I like that she gives Provenza the school idea to get the address, but makes clear if that doesn't work, Mark's info is going on the warrant so they can search the Colson house. I also enjoy Sharon sending Provenza and Andy in to take first crack at Henry, doing the we're bigots too routine; it's a nice touch to listen to them weave their "we're the only white guys left and our boss is a woman" tale of woe while the female captain and detectives of color look on in Electronics. And then sending Amy and Julio in to switch to the "remember us, the black chick and Latino guy who kicked your ass" dynamic - wonderful. Andy advising Rusty not to bug Sharon, to just stand nearby and look sad in order to nudge her into letting him observe Buzz's interview makes me laugh, as does the fact I'm so frequently irritated with Rusty this season, no matter how many times I've seen this, when Andy replies to Rusty's "but I gave you guys the idea about Mark, where's my reward" pout with, "You see, this is why nobody likes the press," I always half expect him to say, "See, this is why nobody likes you." I like Sharon's face when Rusty's sad face works, and how it transforms as she warns him to just stand there and be quiet. That we get this big Buzz vs. his father's killers storyline despite the fact Phillip P. Keene can't act but happens to be married to the executive producer really bugged me at first, but I try harder each time to let that go and just enjoy it for what it is. I'm only somewhat successful. I like the final scene of Sharon and Rusty watching Dr. Joe and Julio prepare to tell Mark about his mom's death; Rusty saying Mark is going to need a lot of professional help reiterates how far he's come with Dr. Joe, and Sharon adding he will also need a lot of love is a nice reminder of how far he's come with her.

It's one of the Geico "rhetorical questions" commercials: The series is most famous for spawning Maxwell the pig, a character viewers either love or hate (I hate, but probably would have loved had the "wheeeeee!" been several seconds shorter). I liked that woodchuck one, and also Ed "Too Tall" Jones: Abe Lincoln: The fútbol announcer: And the Waltons:

I think the only third party the two of you should discuss these things in the presence of and have guide the conversation/fallout is an educated and trained professional. I don't think she's ready for that, and I'm not entirely sure you are, so I think what's best for now is for you to work on you. (She's not ready to work on her, and she may never be, but she has to do it in her own time.) I don't know where exactly the line should be drawn in your relationship with her, but I do think it's clear it needs to be moved back some. You're not getting anywhere, and it's harming you. There's a world between no contact at all, ever, and clinging to the scraps she chooses to dole out, and you need to find it. On your own -- you determine (and you may need a therapist's help for this) what degree of involvement is healthy for you, and she either is open to that or isn't. Every mother of a newly-grown child needs to figure out who she is in addition to being a mother, and that's particularly true in a case like yours, where you were a young, single mother - almost all your adult life has been primarily about being her mom; all aspects of you were lived with an eye towards her present and her future. Add on the fact your daughter is not currently invested in that relationship, and you really need to develop your life as a person who is many things on top of being a mother.

Thanks, everyone. I don't understand opening your mouth to say something like that, and it particularly pissed me off given his knowledge of the situation -- if an "outsider" saw Chester, they'd be well within their rights to be concerned he's being either neglected or forced to suffer by owners who won't let go, but this dude knows the story, that he only looks terrible. So if his own cat was in this situation, he wouldn't treat him (which he could afford just as easily as my parents can) just because of how he looks? That doesn't even compute, but setting that aside -- If he wouldn't do it, doesn't think my parents should do it, whatever goes through his head, why say it to the people who love Chester? I think it's more common in Key West and Oak Park, given the Hemingway history in those locations, to call them Hemingway cats, but you can find people all over the U.S. who know "Hemingway cats" refers to polydactyl kitties. I think they're adorable (cat paws in general are cute, so add an extra toe and you just add cuteness); when I was a kid, the print shop in my neighborhood had a polydactyl shop cat oh-so-creatively named "Toes" so he was my introduction to the genetic condition (I hate saying genetic mutation, even though that's accurate). Chester's black fur makes it difficult to see in photographs, but his "thumbs" are particularly pronounced, so every time a new vet tech handles him, there's commentary on how he really looks like he has thumbs. Chester has a lot of quirks we've never seen in another cat, so we joke he's from another planet, and it has become part of that to say the cats on his planet are clearly on the brink of world domination, because, as the commercial taught us, the only thing stopping cats is the lack of opposable thumbs:

I didn't see that from the beginning; how long was he having trouble peeing before they brought him in? It frustrates me how many cat owners, especially those with male cats, don't know the signs of a potential blockage and/or understand a blockage is life threatening. The condition of that poor cat's bladder was horrifying, so while I applaud the owners getting on the next plane to get him treatment once they knew how serious the situation was (and thank my lucky stars I live someplace where specialized care is a short drive, not a plane/ferry ride, away), I also question how the hell it got to that point. So I'm curious about the part I missed -- I came in as Dr. Oakley did the ultrasound and extracted a copious amount of bloody pee (by which I mean blood with a bit of urine in it, damn). I feared Tic Tac would not make it through surgery, and kept half an ear out - I had the show on in the other room while I worked in the kitchen - to come back in and unfortunately confirm I was right. Preventable deaths are especially sad.

I only saw the episode in bits and pieces, but if I was superstitious and had a dog with a splenic mass, I'd take her/him to Cy-Fair. Two dogs with huge masses on their spleens, when splenic masses are often hemangiosarcomas (a horribly aggressive cancer), and both are benign? Like Dr. Lavigne said, it's hitting the jackpot twice. I'm so happy for Ginger and her owners. I laughed at Becky's "this is embarrassing" when her mom asked Dr. Blue how Becky was doing at work. And at her correcting his "with possible extractions" to "with definite extractions" - some animals just have bad teeth no matter how their owners take care of them, and Lily is certainly one of them - yikes, 14 teeth at once! That has got to be one seriously sore mouth. My cat Maddie had bad teeth, too, and once had four extracted at once; she was an incredibly stoic cat, and that was the one thing she showed a reaction to. I have the Bonus Tails episode on now since the Dish/FOX pissing contest means I can't watch Major Crimes like I normally do now, and Sutter Butter's owner is getting me just as choked up the second time around. (He's her mother's cat, whom she took in after her mom died, and she can't bear the thought of losing him, too.) I know it will happen to her eventually, but the loss seemed fairly recent, so I remember being very relieved that the seizures seemed to be caused by hypertension (and a crazy high BP at that) and thus meds solved the problem. If there's an update to the update saying Sutter Butter died, I may cry.

My parents' cat Chester has IBD, that has probably progressed to small cell lymphoma (we did not put him through another colonoscopy to biopsy again, as whether it's now the lymphoma or "just" an extreme case of IBD, the treatment is the same - steroids and a chemo drug with minimal side effects). He was adopted from the shelter six years ago, as an owner surrender stated to be eight years old. He had quite obvious intestinal issues, but nothing amiss on standard tests, and after several months of food testing to eliminate any food allergies as the culprit, colonoscopy and biopsy indicated IBD and ruled out cancer. His symptoms were managed for years on a raw diet, but late last year he started needing mild steroid therapy and this year a major flare-up indicated it was time for the full court press of prednisolone and chlorambucil. He is otherwise healthy (very; he has the kidneys of a cat far younger, when they're often the first to go), tolerating the treatment well with only one side effect, starting to put the slightest bit of weight back on, and still a very happy boy - absolutely no change in his personality or enjoyment of life. He looks terrible, though, because he's skinny and has bald patches (the steroid causes hair loss, so much of the fur in places where it's minimal to begin with - e.g. his heels, the outer edges of his ears - has fallen out and his various shaved patches for ultrasound, IVs, etc. grow back in only minimally). The neighbor across the street - who has a cat and dog of his own - knows, through conversations with my parents, the overview I've just outlined for you. I've been cat-sitting this week while my parents are out of town, so going back and forth between my house/cat and theirs. Leaving their house this evening, I ran into the neighbor, who, in the course of brief chit chat and upon spotting Chester jump into the bay window to watch me leave, said, "I wouldn't spend any money on that cat; he looks terrible." I said, "Then I'm glad he's ours and not yours." (He just chuckled.) The worst part is, when I told my mom about it, she said he'd made a similar remark to her recently. (Nicer than me, she replied, "We're happy to do it.") Seriously? Piss up a rope, jackass. I don't have any current pictures on my computer, but here's Chester back when he had more fur and more fat, basking in the glory of having won the wrestling match with the much-larger Bandit over a toy (despite Bandit's fur and the toy's feathers on the rug, it wasn't a violent match). (And, yes, those are "thumbs" - he's polydactyl, with one extra toe on each paw.)

I wouldn't either, but judging by Nextdoor postings, every neighborhood has at least one Gladys Kravitz.

If you still want to do a little something the two of you: "I was hoping to see you the night of your birthday like we'd talked about, but didn't hear back from you. Would you like to [go to dinner/come over/whatever you'd like to invite her to do] on [date A that's convenient for you]? If you're working, I could do [date B that's convenient for you] instead. Let me know which of those is best, and I really look forward to seeing you; it has been too long." It's more than she deserves, but she's your daughter, and if it would do your heart good to see her, make a second stab at it. Otherwise: "I was looking forward to seeing you, but when you didn't get back in touch as scheduled I assumed you were no longer interested. I hope you had a nice time whatever you decided to do that night instead."

I'm also in favor of keeping Wendy the way she is. Initially, all we knew about her was she cried a lot, so I love these random and hilarious tidbits we pick up along the way - and the non-funny ones, like she has a patent on something - because I like the juxtaposition of someone who on the surface has a totally bland personality but who, if you add up all the little glimpses into her life she doles out, has had many interesting experiences. And I also like (as a viewer watching a sitcom, not as a person evaluating how a group of people treat a friend) how it goes in one ear and out the other with the group; at first, all she did was cry, and they never noticed when she started doing more than that, and either cut her off or ignore her, assuming it's going to be more of that type of annoying, useless thing, and thus miss a lot. (Realistically, Marjorie would see what's happening and pause the conversation to let Wendy speak, or at least follow up with her individually, but the others are acting exactly in line with their myopic natures.) Whatever the writers initially intended with the character, she became a sitcom archetype, the character only seen through the others' eyes and only in a very specific way, and her thing is ignored boring weepy appendage with a "secret" life we get hints of. I'm good with that. There can be some huge revelation in the end - my preference - or remain as it is, but I'm good. I haven't watched this yet (I usually don't see episodes in real time, just in syndication), but I am bummed to read that Marjorie is still not getting much storyline attention so far this season; she used to be well integrated, and somewhere along the way they ran out of steam with her. It's disappointing for a show that did an episode about how society doesn't see - sometimes literally, like the guy behind the deli counter who looked right past her to ask who's next - older women, assuming they no longer have anything to contribute, to turn around and ignore this great old broad.

I didn't see the game, just read the clues on the archive, and my eyes bugged out a bit at "people on the underground railroad" for the Pullman porters clue! I know very little of the Winnie the Pooh universe, so the contestants' performance in that category surprised me - that in a group that included someone who knew Heffalump, none of them knew Tigger, and no one knew brain, either. Stone of Scone surprised me only because it seems to come up with some regularity, and did recently, so rock + Scotland should have led at least one person who has prepped for this show to the answer. Lather and flinty as TS were mildly surprising, too, but I correctly predicted the underrated Tom Berenger was going to be a TS.

My program guide had two episodes – both of which I watched as reruns - with tonight as original air dates, which makes no sense, but they were both new to me, so here I am: For the one in the usual new slot, I don’t hate anchovies, but I’m not excited by them, either – I like them as a flavor enhancer, but wouldn’t know how to make them the star of a dish without being a fishy salt bomb. So I was curious to see what the contestants came up with in Bobby's challenge. I missed part of the preparation, but based on what I saw and the judging, I’d have liked to try both first-round dishes. Second round I also missed chunks of the preparation, but both agnolotti dishes made me hungry (except Bobby’s dish including eggplant, but I could have rolled with that as just one ingredient). It seems Carson’s old man glasses are supposed to be transformed into cool when combined with his fashion-forward suit, but I just found him to look ridiculous. With respect to the black rice episode that aired afterward, I love olives, and both first-round dishes looked good except for raisins, a crime against grapes, in the winner’s dish, but I hate overly-salted dishes, so I bet I’d have agreed with them. I’m not a rice fan (it’s filler not worth it other than with soupy dishes like curry, and cauliflower “rice” is a better option these days, for my taste), so the round two dishes didn’t do it for me at first glance, but all the seafood in the challenger’s dish had me drooling. Bummer to see him lose.

I didn't see it, but I'm sure it exposed why I've kept my Amazon ordering to a minimum for many years - if I can't find what I want anywhere else in the time I want it, I give myself a pass, but I can't stretch my "it's such a good price, so convenient, and I procrastinated so 'need' it now" privilege beyond that. Amazon is pretty average among corporate America for how it treats those higher on the food chain, but its treatment of warehouse workers is not something I can regularly support (or something I should ever support, and I freely accept all calling out of that hypocrisy - including the fact that every Thanksgiving "the cats" use my credit card to give a friend who uses Amazon almost as frequently as I use my toothbrush a gift certificate for taking care of them).