Bastet

The fish and chips challenge was interesting, where Bobby was being challenged by someone whose wife had lost in the final round a few years ago. Bobby doesn't normally engage too much in the smack talk the challengers throw at him (he mostly just volleys with the judges he knows), but this time he - without much provocation - told the challenger, "I'll tell you what; if I beat you, I'll make us some apple fritters," referring to the dish the challenger's wife had lost with. I wonder if there was more of the "she was robbed/how'd he pull that off" commentary we didn't see leading up to that, because it stood out to me as something Bobby doesn't often do to those he doesn't know. Also, I now want fish and chips. It's not my favorite, and I'll only eat thin-cut fries (because I hate potatoes, so I only like fries if they're so thin and crispy they just taste like oil and salt and serve as vessels for the ranch dressing I dip them in), but I like it every once in a while and now I'm craving it. Both tartar sauces and fish looked good (I wouldn't eat Bobby's chips).

The song always puts me in a good mood, so if I only hear the commercial, I like it, but if I look up, I don't - I hate that big mouth floating around.

If it wasn't for that Music I'm Not Familiar With category (in which I still managed to know one and correctly guess two), I'd have had a perfect game -- go me, I was two clues short of running the table in a game made for people 30 years younger than me. Justin bugged me, and I can't even articulate why. I don't generally have a reaction one way or the other to adult contestants, so why I had a visceral I don't like this guy reaction to a kid, I don't know. But I'll definitely be rooting for others in the semi-finals.

While procrastinating, I got to wondering who wrote the comedic episodes not written by Belanoff, and it turns out Duppy Demetrius wrote most of the rest of them: "There's No Place Like Home" and "Cutting Loose" (and "Under the Influence," which has numerous comedic elements). He wrote a couple of The Closer's comedic episodes, too. The remaining few comedic/comedy-heavy episodes are scattered among different writers, so the vast majority of comedic episodes across both shows were written by those two. As I mentioned, Belanoff came into the franchise with several sitcoms under his belt, including Murphy Brown - so he learned how to write intelligent comedy for a workplace ensemble early on. Demetrius had only done crime dramas, so he learned how to do to comedy on the job; it's a great writers room to learn it in, since even the "regular" episodes weave in funny moments and lines brilliantly.

No, you just have to be between the ages of 13 and 17 (per the FAQ on the show's website). That's probably why they call it the Teen Tournament rather than the High School Tournament (or they just like alliteration).

I did indeed continue to regain my appetite to the point I was ready for the rib-eye steak hanging out in my fridge tonight. I could use a little iron boost, so I also sauteed some Swiss chard (and made a Caesar salad), and I hope my body has adjusted to the new normal.

I'll have to revisit the Country Universe commentary on this list when I have more time, but of the 40 songs posted so far, there are only six I like (which is not to say I dislike all the others; there are some I dislike, some I don't know, and some I find just fine but don't truly like and thus wouldn't put in the top 1000 out of the entire history of country music), so, yeah, I'm giving the side eye.

Bandit - my parents' cat, but I named him - is only one of two in our entire family history of cats without a "people" name (well, since I came along; the one before I was born and the one we had when I was born had purely pet names). And the second, Yeager, falls in between a bit - it's a last name, as he was found at the airport and named after Chuck Yeager - but we didn't pick that; he was found, taken in, named, and then abandoned a year later by neighbors, so when he showed up at our house we knew who he was, and when we found out he'd been dumped, we kept both him and the name. Exactly. Maddie was incredibly well behaved, so she hardly ever got middle named, but when she had her moments and I said "Madeleine Alice," she knew Mommy meant business. Baxter heard "Baxter Adam" a lot. Usually in the context of "Baxter Adam, get off your sister." They loved each other, but he was the quintessential pesky little brother. And that's one of the problems with non-people names (at least for me) - it's harder to attach a middle name. Bandit doesn't have one, nor did Yeager. Chester (my parents' other cat, whose name came with him - he was an owner surrender at the shelter, and 8 years old, so they kept it) doesn't have one, either (what goes with Chester other than Cheetah, at least to this Cheetos Puffs lover, and he looks nothing like one), but all the other family cats with "real" names had one, and all of mine had/have a middle name. (Riley is Riley Alexandra; I kept up the A theme.)

A lot of people act like washing machines are plumbing mishaps waiting to happen, and thus if they're upstairs the water damage will be worse, but I'm with you. I lived in a two-story townhouse for about eight years, and the laundry closet was in the upstairs hallway between the two bedrooms. Perfect.

Yes, I know. And the MA Salem is all but certainly what each of the three contestants meant with their "What is Salem?" answer given the wording of the clue. I simply said that I, being even more familiar via personal experience with another New England city named Salem, specified a state, but didn't expect the contestants to, in a FJ, be punished (what, universally?) for not doing the same.

You didn't miss anything; it's just a compilation of publicly-available information, so most of those who went on to really do something with their lives are not included and it's largely just a list of those who've tried to extend their fame in ways that range from lame to dubious - and even that list often consists of outdated information because many of these folks' 15 minutes ran some time ago. For example, did anyone who stopped rolling their eyes and laughing long enough register any surprise at this career trajectory for Eric (from season one): Didn't think so.

I neither have nor want an alarm (too many annoying false alarms for everyone I know who does have one, while not seeming to actually deter burglary or lead to arrest when it happens), and I don't particularly care if I don't lock my doors - if I unlock a locked door to use it during the day, I don't lock it again until I leave or go to bed, and on the occasions I forget to do so then, I don't worry too much about it, I just roll my eyes at myself and lock it the next night/time I leave. (And I don't live in the boonies; I'm in a close suburb of a large city.) What I do fail to relate to - and think happens more often than in real life - is the number of TV characters with unlocked doors who are hunky dory with family/friends using those to pop in or, even when expected at a certain time, just walk in without announcing themselves. I loathe pop-ins, and if I'm expecting someone, I prefer a knock/ring, but there are a (very) few people in my life I'd accept in the latter scenario instead opening the door and calling out "Knock-knock" or similar and then waiting for me to respond. Anyone just coming in and making their way to the room I'm in? No; that wouldn't happen a second time. And if I had folks in my life routinely doing this like so many TV characters do, I'd get diligent about locking my doors in a hurry.

I just had this on as background noise while I cleaned, but it seemed like there weren't too many TS. (Of course, if the average clue was as wait, is this a trick question? easy as FJ, that's faint praise.) I was rooting for Stephanie, but Teagan was my second choice, so good for her. Like most posters, I included the state along with the city in my FJ answer (maybe because Salem, NH is the only New England Salem I've been to). But with the category spotting New England, the clue only asking for the city, and it being FJ, I can't object to none of them getting that specific. In a non-FJ clue, I'd have expected a BMS prompt, though. I don't love the Teen Tournament, but I don't avoid it like the plague as I do Kids Week, and - in theory if not necessarily in execution - I like the fact there are two this year because they had that many great contestants among those who tried out. With everything going on in the world, a larger-than-average pool of teens with the interest and ability to compete on J! makes me smile.

Stress has been causing me a few ailments lately, including lack of appetite and food not tasting as good as normal, but I started feeling a good deal better yesterday morning. I didn't eat during the day, even though I hadn't had anything Saturday other than a bowl of mushroom soup for lunch and a basic side salad for dinner, but I did have my traditional Sunday morning Bloody Marys and my taste buds actually registered them properly, so I was optimistic. Indeed, I was able to fully enjoy crab cakes last night for my dad's Father's Day dinner. He wanted potatoes of some sort, so I made oven roasted fingerling, red, and purple potatoes with rosemary and garlic for him and my mom (I hate potatoes), and roasted some asparagus also with rosemary and garlic. The salad was spinach with mushrooms and a warm bacon dressing. Today I've had a small mixed greens salad with walnuts, feta, and balsamic vinaigrette, and I can already tell I will be hungry for dinner, so I'm going to roast a chicken and some broccoli tonight (salad to be determined; maybe arugula based). I have a rib-eye steak in the refrigerator, so hopefully I'll keep improving and by tomorrow night I'll be up for that big a meal.

"Turn Down" was written by Adam Belanoff, who had written for a few sitcoms (among other things), and, while he also wrote "regular" episodes and didn't write all the comedic ones, he did pen the majority of them: The Agony and the Ecstasy, I, Witness, Frozen Assets, Acting Out, Hostage of Fortune, and Skin Deep. He wrote many of the comedic episodes of The Closer (where he also wrote "regular" episodes), too, including To Protect & To Serve, Dial M for Provenza, Layover, and To Serve With Love.

He's being a jerk yet again (assuming same guy), and was wrong in that instance, but a better way of phrasing the general rule is to say "good" goes with nouns (adjective) and "well" goes with verbs (adverb). The exception with people (nouns) is that "well" is used when talking about their state of being -- "she's well" rather than "she's good" if you ask how someone is doing.

Working was my first example of scenes that should be shown. She need not have a job, though, as you said; it could be a scene of her volunteering somewhere (who'd know the difference in a commercial, really?) or even left off altogether. Whatever activities chosen for the montage of an average life, it's just that I think a montage would be a lot better than this extended pirate fantasy if they're trying to say people can get their "normal" life back, rather than being frequently held hostage by migraines, if they take Whatever Drug.

I don't either, although I'd have to check their clothing to be sure, but that multi-day impression is what bugs me about the commercial -- it comes across to me as an illustration of how many migraine-free days she can have on this medication, and thus get back to a "normal" life. But her normal life consists solely of elaborate pirate games with her daughter? I don't think so. Why isn't it a montage of the various things - which includes, but is not limited to, playing with her kid - she would like to be spending her days doing if migraines didn't pose a recurring obstacle? A "week in the life" commercial, in which she's working, lounging on the couch reading, getting together with friends, doing a home improvement/organizational/craft project, going for a walk/hike/bike ride, playing with her kid/pets, etc. as the VO drones on about the wonders and side effects of the medication - you know, like pretty much every other "your life could be so much better with this drug" commercial out there - would be better. If it is supposed to be a typical singular day on this medication, both mother and daughter need fuller lives. (I get migraines, but am fortunate enough to only get one or two per year and they last about six hours. They are truly debilitating while they last - and the "hangover" from the meds is far better than the migraine, but still a time when I'm not 75%, let alone 100% - so those who deal with chronic migraines have my utmost empathy.)

I like seeing his cross country kids come out to these clinics, too. I remember one time he did an all-cats clinic, and most of the members of the girls team showed up to volunteer and none of the boys team. I'm still irritated, heh. The owners of the lab with that excessive jaw tissue growth illustrated how beneficial these clinics Planned Pethood puts on are. There was no mention of neutering the dog while he was under, and they took him from the neighbor when he was quite young, so it seems they got him fixed at some point. It was just the extra cost of dealing with this problem they couldn't afford. And legitimately - these aren't the folks who don't want to skip a few Starbucks runs and movie nights in order to sock money away. They're both surviving only on disability checks, and found out about this clinic via the food pantry they rely on because those benefits barely keep them going. Time and again with those segments, we see that Location + Economy = A whole lot of people who love their pets and do the best they can, but for whom veterinary care just isn't realistic. I can't imagine looking at my yawning cat and seeing there's a big slit in her soft palate and deciding, eh. For, what, six years? I appreciate that she brought her in as soon as it started causing a problem, but how is that not something that you, if not make a special vet appointment for, at least mention at the next check-up to find out what it is and how to proceed? I can only imagine how tough it was to keep the torn ACL dog whose name I'm forgetting from running and jumping as she healed, but they got through it and now she's dock jumping again. I love the way owner and dog instantly connected at the shelter; that was me with my late cat Maddie. I'm not a "heart cat" person; I have bonded with every one of my cats equally, even though each individual connection is different in its particular aspects. But Maddie was my deepest initial connection; as my eyes scanned the cages, she was the one I was drawn to approach first, and within one minute of interaction I knew she was one of the two I'd be taking home; when I closed her cage, I told her, "Don't worry, you're coming home with me; I'm just going to find your sister or brother." I then stood there and cried at only being able to choose one more; I wanted them all, but knew I could only take two. But that she would be one of them was an instant and irrevocable conclusion. We only see bits of each story, so I hope that in addition to chipping the dog who got out, they recommended a collar with contact info (on the collar itself or an ID tag) -- not everyone will bother to, or immediately can, take a found animal to be scanned, so if the info is right there on the animal, they can contact the owner directly even faster. So it's best to have both - an external ID and then the chip (especially with cats, since breakaway collars can come off during their misadventures). Dr. Jeff said of the cabin they have some solar, so it sounds like they can temporarily power things that don't use a lot of electricity, but can't run things with motors (thus, no fridge, just the cooler sitting in water). And no running water at all. That is not for me, and why I am so grateful my parents bought a motorhome when I was six -- over the course of my childhood (and beyond), I got to spend time in so many beautiful locations like that forest, but with a shower, flush toilet, refrigerator, etc. But they obviously dig it, so good for them; they work a lot, so I'm glad they have a relatively local place for quick getaways. I like all the vets, techs, and staff members we've "met" on this show, but I'm getting to really like Susan, the adoption director, now that we're seeing so much more of her. She's another good egg. They didn't say in the update what ferret experience the adopters had, but I'm not worried, because we did see Susan be clear they need the right type of owner who is aware that it's like having a puppy/kitten for life. Fred on the slide was adorable.

“Open Line” is another Rusty is annoying me episode, which is a recurring source of disgruntlement this season and beyond. It wouldn't be so bad if he was being presented as the typical I know it all now college kid he’s being, but he’s not – the show wants us to believe he’s such a wunderkind in the making that even Sharon and Judge Grove are just bowled over by what a great job he’s doing with his vlog. (I know part of her reaction is relief this story keeps him spending a good bit of time at the PAB, but still.) This show, like all cop shows, has consistently presented professional reporters as nuisances or even with outright disdain, but now Rusty is The Greatest. And, yes, the work he winds up doing to identify “Alice” is great, and his heart is always in the right place. But the mistakes he makes because he has no idea what he’s doing are smiled upon. Because it’s Rusty. And Duff is firmly wedged up his ass at this point, and just continues to lose sight of the field as the show goes on. Anyway, I do like how Sharon’s attitude in front of Taylor and Andrea changes when she realizes this idiot her son not only interviewed Slider about Alice without telling her, he talked to him about the case. I still wanted her to snap that it’s her phone, snatch it out of his hand, and give it to Andrea, but I grant it’s more realistic for her to handle it as she does. I like the continuation from the previous episode, where Sharon is still sending Julio out into the field over Provenza’s nervousness about Taylor’s objection; there’s a deleted scene that makes explicit how important this is, in which Julio tells Provenza he’s good, and if he can’t do the whole job, he doesn’t belong here anymore. As a Battlestar Galactica fan, I like the reunion of “Laura Roslin” and “Captain Apollo,” especially with such a different dynamic since Jamie Bamber is playing a total asshole (not to mention using his natural accent, which was so jarring to me when he first opened his mouth). Sharon’s smirk when Malcolm realizes he’s in real trouble is terrific. Mike mocking “the Facebook, the Twitter” is great. As is “Can’t Undo?!” But everyone “shutting down” their computers by simply closing their laptops makes me roll my eyes so hard. I get a kick out of Provenza being as irritated by Buzz’s references to his reserve officer training as Andy is by any and all references to Badge of Justice. “Turn Down” is so hilarious, I don’t even mind that Buzz is shoehorned into one of Provenza and Andy’s misadventures. There are so many things that make me laugh: - Provenza being in a worse seat in the “Batmobile” every time the opening credit sequence changes – first he’s driving, then he’s the passenger, and ultimately he’s in the back because he keeps screwing up the car - All the names Buzz gets called based on what he’s saying: Mr. Boy Scout, Barney Fife, Don Ho, Sherlock Holmes - The return of the privacy sign (and the casual way the groom reveals he, too, slept with Danny “once or twice or six times”) - Everyone’s reactions to Danny's musical performance during the rehearsal, the bride’s hysterical voice mail messages, and to Provenza revealing he’s going to take his uniform to Patrice’s for sexy times - Andrea’s reaction to Andy saying he agrees there should be no secrets in marriage - Sharon’s reaction to the groom saying the bride hasn’t eaten anything but breath mints in three days in order to fit into her dress, and to the bride killing that sandwich (I also love the bride saying “no, I may pick a little” when Mike asks if she wants him to clear away any of her smorgasbord) - Sharon’s giddiness when she gets her idea about unlocking the victim’s phone, Dr. Morales demanding “Okay, but nobody tweet about this” when he agrees to shock the corpse, and Mike's "holy crap" when it works - Frank Fontana the father of the bride screaming like he’s discovered a mutilated body part when he opens the mini bar to find it’s empty and his bill just got even higher, his confession – “glub, glub, glub” – and Sharon offering him a deal like she’s officiating a wedding ceremony - The sister’s laundry list of anti-anxiety medications including Valium three times - Buzz being so relieved by Sharon saying she’s glad he spoke up, because they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the game if a murderer got away with it, only to have her give him a look and pointedly say, “Of course, it would be nice to go” – I love the way he bumps into chairs as he scurries off to get back to work - Amy asking Sharon to hold on while she moves away from “the argument … against marriage” in order to continue the call, and Sharon asking Amy if the tranquilizer darts are for the suspects or Provenza

I like it, and buy it, but Skippy (crunchy) is still my favorite, so I laughed when America's Test Kitchen did a taste test of chunky peanut butter, and Julia said the very same thing. I eat so little peanut butter I think I'm going to go back to the Skippy.

We call it Sphinxing. Cats are extra adorable (and, of course, regal) when they strike that pose. Bandit, one of my parents' cats, has one front leg that is all white and one that is white with a big patch of his dark grey striped pattern. Even more often than he "Sphinxes," he sits with just that patterned leg extended. Showing off his pretty leg, we say.

I was born not long after that, and I got the smallpox vaccine (which became kind of amusing decades later as an X-Files fan given the conspiracy storyline about what, in addition to inoculation, the vaccine was used for; I had a brief moment of giving my scar the side-eye). It had fallen off the recommended list, and was no longer part of the routine vaccination protocol, but it was still available. Between basketball pre-emptions and not being home, I've missed much of this week, and the archive isn't updated, so I decided to go ahead and spoil myself reading here and just get back on track next week - until I read it's another Teen Tournament. Bleh. But better than Kids Week, so I'll probably still tune in at least half the time.

Yeah, to me she just came off as someone with a really short attention span (and an incredibly vague thesis). Beat Bobby Flay is a 30-minute show where we get to "know" the contestants about the same/a little less than on Chopped, and there are only two rounds in that one. It's the right amount of time; squeezing three rounds into 22 minutes would obviously mean showing less of the process of creating the dish and/or of the judges critiquing the dish, and they're already light on the latter (and not overstuffed with the former) in 44 minutes. It would basically be Ted introduces everyone, the first mystery basket ingredients are revealed, everyone says I'm going to make X, then 30 seconds of each of the four chefs making their dishes, and, boom - dishes are presented and the judges give their feedback.

That sounds like something out of my nightmares. I had a chicken breast left over from roasting a chicken, so I chopped it up and mixed it with onion, celery, tarragon, and mayo, intending to have a chicken salad sandwich, only to remember that the market was out of the bread I like (made with nothing but wheat flour, yeast, water, and salt) so I have no bread. I don't even have any lavash to make a wrap. Damn. I don't eat a lot of sandwiches, and I was looking forward to this one. Not enough to make a special trip to get some, though, so I am just eating the chicken salad. Dinner will be seared scallops with a mango and cucumber salsa. Vegetable and salad to be determined tonight. I have a lot of mangoes, so tomorrow night I'll make shrimp tacos with mango slaw.