Bastet

Cats tend to be very routine-oriented. Every evening when she rises from her late afternoon nap, Riley goes into the study to use the vertical scratching post, then go sit on the cardboard horizontal scratcher against another wall. When I have everything cleared out of that room because I've shampooed the carpet (it's the only carpeted room, so the only place she is disrupted in this way; when I mop the wood or tile floors, they're usually dry and things put back before she even notices), she - after momentary confusion - claws on the fireplace brick (that the scratching post is normally up against) and sits in the (damp carpet) spot where the scratcher is supposed to be. She will not be deterred from her routine by something as trivial as the total absence of the items used in that routine.

I know a lot of MDs don't care for chiropractors, so I enjoyed Dr. Lavigne's interaction with his wife (the "um, you could ask me about cat anatomy" and then the "no/"well that's why I'm calling in a chiropractor") and the chiropractor, to learn what sort of physical therapy could help compensate for the kitty's atypical movements. And the blinged out padded harness to cushion her chest. So cute. And it is definitely impressive how she handles stairs. I love the way the gang all kids each other, so got a particular kick out of Anne's, "Now, y'all did not just meet Lavigne" when the guys found out he didn't say anything about his birthday bowling plans. Also when Dr. Ross started making jokes about his age and she reminded him she's a year older. When this show first started, I felt like there were too many "at home" scenes (and I couldn't stand the little I saw of that Hendersons vet show because of them), so I don't know whether there are fewer now or it's just that as I've come to "know" these folks I am more keen on them, but I enjoy them now.

When he wants more food, Chester sits on the mat in front of the refrigerator. I was at my parents' house last night for dinner, and as I came into the kitchen with the dirty plates, I saw Bandit had joined him there. When you enter the kitchen, they remain politely seated for about 60 seconds, but if you haven't taken the hint and opened the fridge to get their food by that point, the simultaneous meowing begins. And Bandit has no indoor voice, so it's quite the cacophony. Baxter used to run one step ahead of me, in case I had forgotten where everything was. He'd go to the pantry at meal time to remind me that's where the cans were kept, then dart over to the cupboard, in case I no longer knew where the bowls were, and then go sit in front of his place mat in the laundry room, just to make sure I remembered where his bowl was to be placed. Maddie would just amble in at her leisure, knowing the food would be there, which is mostly how Riley is, but Baxter was very concerned about memory lapses.

Pretty much anything I have quite a few of is organized alphabetically - spices, books, DVDs, etc. - because that's the quickest way of locating the particular item I'm looking for. That spice rack contains as many things as the spice aisle at my local market; if not alphabetically, how does she have them organized, to know where everything is?

Wait; you chasing after her just feeds her narrative (which gets endorsed by her father). I know it's a lot different to draw a line in the sand with a child - meaning both as opposed to a fully-grown adult who is more cognizant of what she is doing and as opposed to someone of a different relation to you - but you're going to have to. For the sake of both of you, if that helps; it's not just about what's best for you (which you do need to emphasize), but also what's best for her in the long run (which, of course, will always be a concern even when not the number one priority). This may not be an entirely good thing (I never watched the show, but I know the fundamentals of the mother-daughter relationship). There's very little between two people that is 100% one person's fault, and I'm obviously only hearing your side, but I feel confident the majority of this is on your daughter. However, you can still use this period to not only focus on your other (than her) interests, but to also look back with the critical eye only hindsight can provide and determine where you'll do things differently with her going forward. My condolences on the death of Snowflake, with my simultaneous nod of empathetic kudos for doing what's right for her despite the drawbacks for you. I know how brutal the empty house is, and, while you are a name on my monitor, you are truly in my thoughts. I love that you're inclined to offer your time and love at a shelter when you're emotionally ready, especially if you'll be concentrating on cats -- all homeless pets need all the help they can get, but shelters generally get far more people wanting to socialize the dogs than the cats. If, when you are able, you offer your time to the feline residents of your local shelter, you will help them so much. And help yourself, too.

The timing of reading this is funny only to me, but I'm going to share anyway -- just last night, when someone mentioned her MasterCard (instead of just credit card), I immediately played that scene in my head, when Stan says he doesn't have to beg, women come to him, and Dorothy zings, "Right after they get the approval number on your MasterCard." Of more general interest to the thread, I think Herb Edelman did a terrific job with the character. There has to be some small but palpable degree of heart in a character like Stan to sustain him for as many years as the show lasted, and he nailed it. We see all the reasons Dorothy's initial reaction to "It's me, Stan" is to slam the door in his face and why the pregnancy is the only reason she married him in the first place, but we also see why she stayed married to him beyond the kids and was heartbroken by the divorce. He's a laundry list of negative things, but in his own Stan way he loves her, their kids, and even Sophia. He loves no one more than he loves himself, so he's ultimately rightly rejected. But he has his moments, and Edelman plays those moments every bit as well as the more-prevalent narcissistic buffoon notes, so the character works in a way that's impressive for a secondary character on a show that's the very definition of a situational comedy.

Well, most dating relationships only last a short while, so that's pretty normal that we didn't see most of those men in more than one episode. It's not really abrupt, just that between the last time we looked in on these folks (via an episode) and the next time, it had turned out that duo wasn't compatible for some reason and the relationship didn't progress.

The show liked to pat itself on the back for showing um, ya know, women can have casual sex and/or numerous partners (happily, not as an unhealthy means of coping with/compensating for something or as a reaction to male-induced trauma), but then the writers would pull shit like the Eddie storyline and that godsawful "like a lady" line and shoot themselves - and their characters - in the foot.

I only saw the reveal, so maybe I'll backtrack a bit upon seeing the full episode, but for now I'll be the outlier: Both rooms looked better after the designers got ahold of them, and there's nothing in either one to clutch one's pearls about. Fundamentally, any fools who'd not only go on this show but bleat about wanting an extreme change deserve whatever they get. But I don't think anyone got anything to wail about, regardless. Hildi used a dark color. Oh noes! Paint over it (I wouldn't want my ceiling that color, but the walls were fine). I don't even understand the "we can't have the slats because of the kids" objection, so piss off; she came up with a way to create separation in some god-awful open concept cookie cutter living room. If you want a different means of delineation, do it yourself. Ty's room having barnyard animals for the reveal was a ridiculous touch, but also very obviously an exploit animals for entertainment moment of stupidity for the camera; they were hardly there. Setting their distraction aside, there were simply bales of hay as a bench. Get rid of them - done. A bar in the bedroom is dumb, but not difficult to remove. The floor was flat-out awful, and I didn't catch what was there before, but plywood may be an easy sub-floor to cover. No need to kvetch.

Boy howdy. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to watch the episode in full, but I saw bits and pieces tonight, and Suki's face was a recurring source of amusement. "That face!" was said aloud more than once. Just adorable.

“Party Foul” is my least-favorite episode – well, at least among those in which Sharon is alive <sob> – because I’m disgusted by just about everyone’s behavior. Especially Patrice; it is astounding that I wind up liking her as the show goes on, because I’m appalled by her introduction. “I know a troubled kid when I see one.” Oh, really? Then why did you never get any help for the one down the hall, whom you’ve been raising since she was eight? Patrice is happy to lure Wesley into being arrested for a murder she knows damn well her granddaughter committed because "he’s a crazy boy who couldn’t take no for an answer.” Oh, you mean like your granddaughter? You know, that chick notorious for her uncontrolled temper who stabbed a young man to death because he kindly and respectfully broke up with her. Because the script plays fast and loose with whether Keisha really is mentally ill to the point of diminished capacity, I’m also annoyed with everyone else; because if she is, they’re horrible to make her believe she’s dying to elicit a confession, and if she isn’t, they’re horrible to let her avoid prison (just imagine what Toby’s family feels about all this). I do like Sharon’s handling of Rusty’s crush on Jeff, though. His history makes crushing on an older guy even more problematic than normal, and he’s going so far as to talk about delaying college so he can keep working with this guy. She’d have earned a maternal freak-out, but instead she speaks logic, trusts Mike’s assertion Jeff is a good guy, and waits to see if he’ll do the right thing when he learns how Rusty has interpreted his comments on work versus college. Her restraint pays off, and it all works out. It also gives us the perfect line delivery on her “How much?” query when she wants to know just how much Jeff "really likes" Rusty. And another cute scene with Rusty at the end, when she acknowledges, “oh, well, yeah, that too” she’s happy Rusty is doing what she wants as they go over his class registration. “Acting Out” is a nice palate cleanser, because I love it – mostly. I’m a bit annoyed with Rusty (the world’s worst buffer) in the end, because he not only knows how private Sharon is but feels that way himself. It’s not cute to gang up with Nicole and do the whole “But they’re definitely not dating, as far as you know”/”Or as far as they know” routine. It’s also problematic that Andy – who, up until this point, was only guilty of not correcting his family’s misinterpretation of his relationship with Sharon – apparently, in the previous night’s phone call with Nicole, did indeed refer to them as a couple. (It’s either that or he’s been lying to Provenza all along, which doesn’t seem likely.) It seems he gave one last-ditch effort at avoiding the whole thing by explicitly confirming Nicole's impression and offering to take the boys to get ready (which would've allowed him to avoid the dinner Sharon arranged to set things straight). Sharon values trust and honesty even more than the average person, probably partially due to her history with Jack, so it’s also not cute to use her as a prop. What is cute, however, is every one of Sharon’s reactions after Nicole asks her how she goes out with Andy at night and then bosses him around during the day: Her “not at all” when Mike apologizes for interrupting and then inventing a time crunch to hustle Nicole out of the office. The way she reclassifies “as a family” to “as a group” in response to Nicole’s Nutcracker invitation. How she inches away from Andy in Electronics and then practically jumps away when she sees him come up behind her in the storage container’s mirror. “Yes, a little relationship clarity could do us all some good.” The way she stands up when Andy starts to take a seat in front of her desk. “Don’t worry; I’ll help you” when Andy acknowledges he needs to set Nicole straight but says he doesn’t want to. I spend so much time laughing at her antics. At Andy’s, too. First when he, because his daughter is sitting there, tries to contain his amusement at J-ME having provided a urine sample by taking a whizz on the director’s car. Then at his “why do you need to talk to Sharon?” nervousness and hovering behind Mike trying to look into Sharon’s office to see her and Nicole. And then I laugh hardest when the show employs one of my very favorite of its numerous wonderful cut to the audio of the next scene while staying on the video of the current scene transitions – Buzz saying (of the footage of J-ME on Skid Row), “The first part is just watching the guy wandering around aimlessly” as Andy does just that before heading towards Electronics. I also love his “Occupational hazard?” when Nicole asks how he could mislead her. And then there’s Provenza’s ballet move, teasing Andy. J-ME’s manager and everyone’s reactions to him – every minute with him is gold. Everyone’s faces when Buzz spills the beans that J-ME is dead. Sharon humming the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy to entice Rusty to attend the ballet; him asking if that’s how they perform it and her, “No, it’s an orchestra” response is great. All the gofer/PA stuff. (Minor quibble: there’s a continuity error with the ballet program; they’re mostly consistent with when Nicole hands it to Sharon, but there’s one shot where Nicole still has it when Sharon should.) While I love the episode for its personal stuff, this is another one – like “There’s No Place Like Home” – where I am annoyed by a fundamental flaw in the premise of the crime. Ana would never have let J-ME go on so long with his off-script story before calling cut, period, let alone one she’d recognize as something that could get her killed. Him going off script had been a recurring issue, to the point she was hoping to ditch him, and she’d have cut him off right away. It especially annoys me because the plot doesn’t strictly require that the entire "me and Little Maria" story be on film. She could have cut him off a little later than she logically would but still far earlier than she did, and they later discovered the whole story via his script notes, not the dailies. So their “Hey, that’s just like the Mateo Perez murder” realization, necessary to resolve the case, could have still happened without requiring me to suspend disbelief. I know that eliminates the OMG, this is on film motive for the murder, but there’s still the fact that when Simms told him how dangerous it could be to share that story, J-ME just brushed it off because he was a big, clueless user of people; it still works as an explanation for beating him into silence. But it has Justina Machado, and I really like her. When I saw her in this, I immediately recognized her from a guest shot in an episode of Cold Case, in which she gave a memorable performance. And she was terrific in the One Day at a Time reboot.

I'm so glad this show is back! Economic euthanasia is a heartbreakingly accurate term. I’m angry with the people who choose not to spend the money necessary to treat their pets, but I’m far more upset about the number of people who would if they could but simply can’t; it’s getting harder and harder for the economically disadvantaged to stay afloat, and pets are often the first casualty of that reality. Thank goodness for those like Dr. Jeff who can and do provide low-cost services. The cat with the embedded collar was captured at just the right time. I loved Susan telling him, “Tomorrow I’m going to pick you up, did you know that?” He has the kind of story that increases adoption chances – tearjerker beginning, but with no ongoing special need. Add in being young and friendly, I’m not surprised he got a home quickly. That dog who loves hanging out watching “cat TV” in the adoption area cracks me up. I used to work with someone whose dog had her own pet cat, because she just loved them so. How much more obvious did the sketchy backyard breeder situation need to be for Lola Jane’s owner to know she was dealing with total assholes? I appreciate that a sick puppy is with people who will care for her, but lining the pockets of these gross people just perpetuates the cycle. Koda having to be carried because he was too scared to be walked back to the treatment room got an audible “aww” out of me. And then another one when he was so happy to see his daddy.

@Suzy Rhapsody, your posts continue to break my heart. You worked so hard and deliberately focused on providing your daughter with better options, and she opts to toss herself in the gutter in spite of it all - and her father enables her. It's undoubtedly terrifying for you to wonder how much she can screw up her life before seeing reason - if she ever does; there remains the possibility she digs herself an insurmountable hole. Where to draw the line on contact and help with such an adult child isn't clear on paper, let alone within the reality of this is my only child, what do I do?! concern. Most immediately, I extend my condolences on the impending loss of Snowflake. Pets are part of the family, and the unconditional love they provide can become even more potent in the face of our human family members letting us down. Being adorable, loving creatures in our homes (meaning physically and emotionally central to our daily lives) is no small thing, and I wish you had someone to be with you for the process - so generous of you, yet so hard for you - of letting her go. Please give yourself the time and space to mourn this as a discrete loss; even if the rest of your life was perfect, this would suck, so don't diminish it because other aspects of your life also blow chunks right now. While it's much easier said than done, I think your therapist is right in counseling you to focus on your own life. While her brain is not fully formed, your daughter is legally an adult. You have no control over her actions, and no partner to help you in guiding her. You have to remain a resource in the big picture, but remove yourself from the day-to-day. The only thing you can control is your own life. So try to think about what makes you happy in the midst of this shit, and then hone in on easy (low-cost, low-involvement) ways to indulge that, on a day-to-day and then week-to-week basis, further narrowing your scope based on what you find brings you fulfillment and pleasure without breaking the bank or unreasonably inconveniencing you. It will flow from there; you'll meet new people, you'll expand or alter your interests, etc. You'll have a life that doesn't revolve around whether or not your daughter texts. You'll be ready to jump back in with any help you can provide if/when she opts to work towards getting her shit together. But until then - or, tragically, if never - you'll have your own life. You'll know you did the best you could. My heart goes out to you. There is not a single easy answer, or even a general philosophy that is easy to implement; you're in a tough spot, full stop. But your daughter and her dad continue to whittle your options down to one; make the best of that you can for yourself, and be ready to pounce back on the situation if/when reality starts to penetrate her mind.

All those Alex asks Alexa segments seemed to be pre-recorded, to avoid any "live" glitches where it pronounced something wrong or outright did the wrong thing.

Well, poo. I was rooting for Sara, but this was a really good game to close out the tournament. Sara’s laugh at herself when she answered running back for a hockey clue was great, as was her laugh when it turned out there is a drink and a magazine called Metropolitan and a total brain fart was going to wind up being ruled correct. I think the only TS that surprised me was folic acid. FJ was an instaget based on skimming the clue (I read ahead of Alex to buy myself time to answer), then I second-guessed myself with Life before going back in for a close read and seeing the year. I hope this two-week break has cured my fatigue with runaway games and I get back in the James groove Monday.

Yes, and it's why I never believed their "No, really, 'Tard' came from our misspelling of tartar sauce" explanation for the cat's name. The cat looked and moved funny, so they offensively named her Tard (as in the slur "retard") and then when she became famous as Grumpy Cat, they came up with the Tardar Sauce cover story. With that grumble expressed for the last time, I feel sorry for anyone who loses a pet, especially one only about halfway through her usual lifespan; it's hard enough to lose them "on schedule," but when you have a pet die young, that's extra tough. They must have been floored when something seemingly simple to treat wound up having fatal complications. Poor family. And poor Grumpy Cat.

That takes me back to my teenage summer working in a video rental store. "I'm looking for the movie starring that guy who was in that other movie with the blonde girl." Oh, sure, it's right over here. Granted, it could actually be fun sometimes, when it was someone who opened with a sheepish laugh and acknowledgment she/he was about to ask a ridiculous question, because sometimes with a few prompts and follow-ups we could string enough together to figure it out. It was the people who truly thought I should be able to take in extremely-limited information and just hand them a tape who made me want to bang my head (or theirs) against something.

If a first date is something you have high hopes about, and it not leading to anything more than that is something that hurts, that's a problem, and will be a recurring one. You always seem to be putting too much pressure on yourself (and, in turn, expecting too much out of the women) and thus setting yourself up for disappointment when reality inevitably happens (romantically, you don't click with far more people than you do). I know telling someone to relax is fruitless, because one feels what one feels, but I do encourage you to try - via whatever let me look at this logically/employ this technique to physically calm myself routine works for you - not to place so much importance on these initial meetings and instead just take them for what they are and go from there.

Dear Universe, please do not ever again let me hear Alex Trebek talk about needing some hot stuff, baby, tonight. Thank you. What ISBN stands for is apparently not as common knowledge as I thought, because I wasn’t expecting that to be a TS. Frontispiece, though, I correctly predicted would go unanswered. Tom Waits as a TS made me sad, but I can't decide if it surprises me. I figured all three would get FJ, and I think my eyes bugged out a little when Sara didn't get it. Damn Bible category keeping me from running DJ as I'd run the first round; I hardly ever have a perfect game, and I was on the cusp of one. Oh, as I finished typing that, I remembered I missed one of the "New" Entertainment clues, too (whatever the first one was; I've already forgotten). Okay, just insert usual grumbling about it coming up so much more often in the game than any other religious text instead.

I get paid the day before - payday is Friday, but the direct deposit goes through first thing Thursday - and it just came up in conversation last week that a friend's direct deposit hits Wednesday (for a Friday payday). So it happens.

That reboot is a great show. I didn't watch it until shortly after Netflix had already canceled it, so I almost didn't even bother, in case I was setting myself up for an unfinished ending, and I'm so glad I went ahead and watched. It has three generations of great female characters (two of whom are played by Rita Moreno and Justina Machado, so it's a real treat) and explicitly confronts women's issues, including the specific experiences of Latina women. I heartily second the recommendation.

Unless it's Mr. Burt Reynolds. Because I would be devastated, just devastated, if we didn't have that "Which one's the slut?"/"I am!" as all three raise their hands moment.

Wow, you're right; if you'd shown me the trailer with no identifying information and then asked me to guess which network it was on, I'd have guessed ABC. In fact, I'd have probably said, "ABC? I certainly know it's not CBS." I have a hard time watching shows set in the legal profession (my profession) because I'm prone to distraction, or even irritation, by the inevitable inaccuracies, but that is one seriously good trailer; I'm going to have to check it out.

A day later and I’m still annoyed Julia didn’t win yesterday. Go Sara! Dave’s facial hair isn’t a mutton chop, is it? Those are sideburns on steroids (and maybe connect to a mustache), while he didn’t have anything coming down the sides, just a mustache that zoomed out into madness off the end of his chin. So I don't think those are mutton chops, but I have no idea what the style is called (other than ugly). Or maybe I've just misunderstood mutton chops all this time (I dislike all facial hair - well, other than eyebrows - so it's not exactly an area of expertise). I ran the first round (and, like another poster, pre-called Hot For Teacher; also School’s Out), but I missed one each in ancient battles, math, women authors, and foreign films in DJ. Big drop-off, but still a good game for me overall. Until FJ, but I wasn’t expecting much from myself based on the category; I would have to study composers in order to compete. I’m surprised vegetate was a TS, with Alex all but saying that “veg” was halfway there. John Woo was a bit surprising, too, especially when Dave went on to be pretty knowledgeable in that category. They were obviously bad in math, but, even well into realizing that, the range TS still surprised me. I correctly predicted North Sea and perihelion were going to be TS.

Three murders. Six, altogether. This is getting serious.