Bastet

Okay, this “smart people cage fight” in which students compete in mock trial for a paid internship in the first semester is as ridiculous as it sounded a couple of hours ago, especially in whatever strip mall law school Christy is attending. And, yo, objection sustained; counsel is testifying. Plus, it’s still ridiculous what large percentage of the tiny number of students are taking notes on paper. But, whatever; law school is something I cannot expect anything other than a show focused on it to handle remotely accurately. I like that Adam follows Angie Harmon around the dial – and helps Christy prepare for her totally unrealistic mock trial. And I love Bonnie providing the perfect defense, and Jill’s distaste for Oklahoma even as compared to Texas (my dad is from there, I have lots of family I grew up visiting there, and I hated it, so I’m always down for an Oklahoma joke). “I’m 300/10, what does that mean?” Tammy works for me as comic relief. Bonnie and Tammy were fun, physically. And making Adam join in on Clue – hee.

WTactualF with the Saints tonight? I like them, but am not emotionally invested in them, so I wouldn't care if this implosion wasn't against the damn Cowboys. The loss works to the Rams' advantage, so yay, but fuck the Cowboys. And while I'm on WTFery, it is appalling that the officials didn't call a penalty on that "I have lowered my head and aimed my helmet at my opponent's helmet and thus could not be more textbook if I tried" nonsense that should have kept NO's drive alive. Regardless of that implication, you just can't let a hit like that stand even under this lip service given to player safety.

Mock trial and a paid position in the first semester? Oh, I can't wait to grumble about this. I knew they were going to go there with the former, as fiction loves to do, but I hadn't counted on the latter.

I did as well in FJ as one would expect from the category and my near-total ignorance of all things religion/mythology. Vocabulary categories are among my favorites, so I was a little bummed to see two “date” clues prove TS; elucidate, fine, but intimidate kind of surprised me. Sulphur Springs, Andrew Johnson, and quartet, too. Sinatra low-key surprised me as a TS as well; the movie gives the time frame, and then Hoboken tells us it’s someone from New Jersey – come on, one of them should have reasoned their way to that. I guess that one contestant sort of counts, since he seemed to “know” but couldn’t spit it out (probably along the lines of “oh, jeez, that really famous singer, why is this not coming to me?!”). I have zero interest in the Indiana Jones franchise, something I’m often alone in, so it kind of amused me for that one to be a TS. My true surprise of the night among TS was 150 (years).

The one where Christy dates the hard-partying firefighter is on right now in syndication, and he's with the Napa fire department (it's on the truck he drunkenly drives into her trash cans). I've only ever heard/seen Napa listed as the setting, never Santa Rosa, and that sounds exactly like what this show would do - set a group of AA members in a place known for wine - so I'm going to stick with that unless I hear it said on the show they live in Santa Rosa.

She's a weird combination -- a perky sad sack. I find her exhausting in her neediness, so I'm glad we're getting very small doses of her. She probably talks customers' ears off at the casino.

I prefer my interaction to just be of the "Hi" and "Thanks" variety - which is how it is at the local market I frequent - but I'm generally not annoyed by idle chit chat at the chain grocery, because I know they're just doing what they're instructed to do and even I have it in me to grin and bear it momentarily - and I certainly don't want to give off the impression I think a clerk isn't worth responding to; they're a person finding the best way they can to interact with strangers all day. I don't even necessarily mind questions/comments about what I'm buying sometimes, but some of it is intrusive and/or judgmental and thus inappropriate. I don't know that I've ever had that happen to me directly (nothing is springing to mind), but I've observed it while waiting in line. I think it's a line of chatter they should just stay away from on general principle. I have to repeat "they're made to do it" like a mantra when I'm at Ralphs and happen to pass by a number of employees out on the floor, resulting in hearing "Are you finding everything you need?" umpteen times, because the cumulative effect is quite annoying, but each one of them is just doing what they're told to do. And, oh gods, when I stopped off for milk on my way home from the campground Sunday, meaning I was in a grocery store earlier than I am normally awake, and was barely through the door before receiving an entirely too loud and chipper, "Good morning!" I summoned up the energy to reply "Good morning" even though that was very much not what I was thinking. I mean, personally, I prefer surly over perky, because I hate perky the way Mr. Grant hates spunk, while surly I understand, but perky is going to go over better with the manager, so I'll deal. I just would prefer silence.

Yes, it was a recurring theme for Jackie to get on Dan's nerves, and since she and Roseanne spent so much time together, she had plenty of opportunity to do so. How he feels about her - like a pesky little sister he'll do anything to protect - is something she knows, but it's very typical of Jackie (who is insecure) to need to be reassured of that from time to time, especially now that her sister is dead and she's still hanging around so much. I think from the first episode (of The Conners), when the general issue was first raised, to now is the right amount of time to have passed for Jackie to explicitly address it with Dan, and that a chicken with PTSD is what prompted her is just the kind of thing I've always loved this series for.

When the "Buckingham Palace band played this" clue first came up, I immediately thought of their fabulous rendition of Respect to honor Ms. Aretha. Then when I read on to the date, I briefly tossed a few "Yay, America" songs around in my head as possibilities before deciding it was probably our national anthem (once it was confirmed, I had a vague recollection of it happening, but it obviously didn't stick in my mind -- I was on a hiking trip at the time, yet still overloaded with the nightly news and only select moments remain in my memory bank). A lot of TS surprised me tonight – Scotchgard and Marvin Gaye most of all, but also rafting, thermometer, lunge, Neigh (surprising because of the horse sound part of the clue), and law students (with the Grisham and "of course," it would be lawyer, but then it said class, so law students seemed something at least one would reason their way to, even if, like me, they've never read any of his books and only seen a few film adaptations). Ronin and Shaft a little, too. I can't remember any TS I got that didn't surprise me at least a bit other than Pro Tools; it was quite a night of "Seriously, none of you know that/can figure that out?" I was annoyed they only got to one Denzel Washington movie clue, but at least it was one of my favorites, Remember the Titans. We got a “boo, hiss,” at least.

I was hoping for – but not remotely expecting – an open adoption with her friends, but I knew Becky was going to back out. I don’t have a problem with her deciding not to go that route, even though I think it’s the best one and would make the most interesting storyline, but I do have a problem with her showing up in the middle of the night to make a grand announcement when she hadn’t given it proper thought; it’s her right to change her mind, of course, but she should have given it more thought and sought more counsel before making a premature offer and getting their hopes up like that. Of course, there was at least a whiff of predatory behavior on their part (which raises the issue of adoptive parents closing open adoptions after they get what they want), so I'm not overly invested in them. Darlene and Becky have a long history of getting through to each other when no one else does, and I like seeing that continued. LOL at Darlene contrasting Becky with Andrea, saying Andrea’s life before parenting was good, while Becky’s already sucks. And then the poignancy of their it takes a village talk about taking care of the baby. I'm still not sold, but I am along for the ride. In the first episode, I loved the poignancy of Jackie making up tasks to stick around the house, and loved the idea of exploring the extent to which she still feels like/is regarded as a constant familial presence in Roseanne’s absence, so I like seeing that thread picked up here. The scene with her and Dan at the end, with Cornflakes standing in for Jackie, was beautiful – she doesn’t need to be invited; she's family. Which means she drives them fucking crazy, but they love her. Love it. Geena’s face when Mary got all into the chicken coop idea (despite not knowing what the hell was happening, just wanting something new that sounded exciting) was great. “You know, I was as smart as you, and look what happened.” Heh. Sad, but heh. I liked seeing the two Beckys together again, and laughed at Andrea being like any other parent, hating it at times, even though she had to do so much more to become one. And that she busted out with “You’re going to love being a mom” after all her complaining once Becky announced her pregnancy. Darlene’s method of picking up the harasser’s tip was great. But I wish I saw what most of you and the “Woooo” studio audience do between her and her boss, since they’re obviously going there. A boss/subordinate relationship has to have a shitload going for it for me to get behind it, and I’ve got nothing so far here. And I could definitely do without him coming in to play white knight, which Darlene wouldn’t appreciate from a boyfriend, never mind a boss acting "like a boyfriend." (I think of when Becky got pissed at Mark for punching her Buy 'n' Bag boss - and Dan for wanting to but getting there too late - and extrapolate to Darlene, and oh, hell no with this macho "my woman" shit.) I take a hard pass on this whole thing, but I like Darlene manipulating his feelings to say she's quitting because he's going to give her a raise and medical benefits.

Gilt/guilt was a bit surprising as a TS. Lieutenant, too; I have no interest in military or para-military organizations, but that’s the sort of thing one picks up well enough from TV and such that I would’ve thought at least one of them would know it. Bavaria was mildly surprising, but I got the sense none of them wanted to guess. Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves wasn't all that surprising as a TS, but it made me sad. While I knew FJ, I'm not surprised it was a TS, but I am surprised by who two of them picked as their the wrong answers. I guess that's rather the point -- if you don't know it, you're just throwing out random names, but I guess in that case I expected more "??" non-answers than the "um, no, her husband isn't a director, never mind the brother-in-law part and the year" guesses. Angelina Jolie wasn't terrible, because at least she was married to a director (Billy Bob Thornton) in that general timeframe, even though they'd been divorced for several years by then and she didn't win an Oscar until several years after that (and not for anything he directed) -- I can at least see the thought process there. I had no idea I knew Uncle Kracker, but the “familial” category made it come out of my mouth. I had to look up the spelling, and that made me realize I actually do know a couple of his songs, but just didn’t know who sang them, including Memphis Soul Song, which I quite like.

I don't have one - I'm a Sleep Number fan for life - but I happen to know this: You don't send it back, they arrange to have it picked up by a local charity or mattress recycling company. What they do if there is no charity interested/with room or mattress recycling company in your general area, though, I do not know.

Ha - I'm pretty sure I even have that album and still forgot about her cover; that just speaks to how many artists have recorded it.

Anderson's version does not work at all for me, but Smith's - which I'd never heard - does, so thanks for posting that. Speaking of Help Me Make It Through The Night, thinking about how many covers of that song I like (Sammi Smith, of course, but also Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Charley Pride, Willie Nelson, Loretta Lynn, Joan Baez), many of them better than Kristofferson's original (that's not uncommon for me; I love his lyrics, but his voice I only really get into on certain songs) made me realize that is one frequently-covered song! I know Anne Murray recorded it, too, and Engelbert Humperdinck, plus several others, I'm sure.

For this audience member that would have been Geena, not Becky. But I am less irritated than if it had been Darlene or, worst of all, Harris. I like that everyone's reactions were appropriate to the character -- as much as I disagree, Jackie would absolutely think this is great*. Dan would be concerned but supportive. Darlene would be surprised and snarky, but not hostile or lecturing. D.J. would just sort of be there, heh. *This is the first time it has annoyed me that they're not acknowledging Andy's existence, because, after that experience with Fred, who better than Jackie to commiserate with/give guidance to Becky about getting knocked up by a one-night stand you don't want to ever have to deal with again yet are now tied to because he wants to play happy family?

So is the other truck, so why is it only her? What does he - the one who went out and bought them without talking to her about it - need a big-ass truck for, either? I want to hate that one a little less than the rest of the "Surprise! A vehicle!" holiday commercials since the guy is played by the actor who played Wes on Major Crimes, but, nope, I hate it like all the others. Cars shouldn't be a surprise the vast majority of the time; it's an uncomfortably expensive item to receive as a gift, if it's instead a situation where it was purchased with joint finances that's way too large a purchase for one party to make without discussing it with the other, and regardless of the financial circumstances a car is something one should get to pick the make, model, and features on themselves, not have chosen for them. Yet every year at this time, the airwaves are littered with people surprising each other with cars. Also, it says "Gift like a pro," and gift as a verb drives me crazy.

He's DACA, as his dad said, so he's protected from deportation - for now.

Oh, I'm so sorry to read all this, because there's not one aspect of it that's anything but a bad idea, and you are almost certainly spot on in your prediction; fast forward several years, and she's going to be in a tough place. Not that her life can't ever improve, of course, but she's going to make it a hell of a lot harder. It's terrible that her own mother thinks it's hunky dory for her barely-in-college, never lived independently, hasn't even started to become who she is, teenage daughter to get married (period, let alone to a 26-year-old [these are among the few ages at which a seven-year age gap matters] she's only been dating a year-plus) -- your niece is turning her whole life over to this guy, and who should be her main voice of reason is silent! I understand how helpless you feel, and because the fictional Conners (Roseanne and The Conners) are present in my mind these days, I think of Dan, after Becky runs off just shy of 18 and marries Mark, despairing, "She's going to get pregnant, she's going to forget all about school -- this is it! This is her life!" I wish there was something you could do or say that would wake your niece up, but odds are she's set on this foolish path but good. Offering words of wisdom and then standing back and watching this dumpster fire burn is probably how it's going to go for you, and I'm sorry for this extra stress in your life when you least need it.

Even if they didn't know Carson was ill or did but couldn't provide a reasonable accommodation in order to keep her on, and didn't want to recast the role (something that had fallen out of favor, and for good reason) there's no excuse for turning Carla into every sexist, racist stereotype on TV before getting rid of her -- if they "needed" to permanently dispatch with the character, rather than just no longer show her, they could have killed her off without first doing the "I lied; he's not your kid" bullshit. Peter being the biological father would make the Peter/Roger custody dispute a non-issue legally, but would still raise the ethical issue of ripping this child away from his primary home based on biology and let Peter honor the court's "best interests of the child" standard on his own by realizing Reese is best served by continuing his relationship with Roger. They could have done everything they wound up doing, including writing Peter off via a job that gives him more time with his child, without assassinating Carla's character and perpetuating nasty stereotypes to boot.

Transportation costs for the non-local adoptions seen on the show are covered by the production company. "Regular" adoptions, no (unless something has changed), and that's why they do them in groups whenever possible, because it would be cost-prohibitive to do them individually like on the show (out-of-state adopters used to bear the transportation cost, divided up equally among the group, but that extra amount reduced the number of non-local adopters, and there simply are not enough homes to be found in New Orleans, so VRC started eating the cost). That poor emaciated red dog; as Tia said, the only comfort is that, knowing she/he (don't remember) was dying and was finally with loving people, she/he let go and died in a warm, safe environment. The way M2 burst into tears on sight, and that got Tia going too, really touched me. These people do such wonderful work, and at such a high emotional cost. Public defender is a tough gig, and PD in New Orleans? For those who don't know, their justice system in general and PD system in particular is infamous (tougher still is being the defendant reliant upon the system, but it's a job with long hours, low pay, and continual heartache/frustration). Like her husband, I'm glad she is able to come home from work to be greeted by the unconditional love of a pet.

I've never been to that one - I'm iffy on satellite locations in general when it comes to restaurants - but I'm sure it's close enough to the original that, yep, you're just not into it.

There's no way it would be equal. There's very little that affects men equally to women, and the degree to which their looks in general, and especially their weight, is scrutinized and criticized is not on the list of exceptions (which can probably be inscribed on the head of a pin).

Yes to originating in Harlem, but it has also been in Los Angeles for a very long time, not just in recent years -- Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles (founded by a Harlem native) has been doing big business here for over 40 years, and there have been several other options for at least twenty. Roscoe's is an institution, and whenever anyone is skeptical about the combination, I take them there - if you don't like it there, you won't like it anywhere* - and almost everyone loves it, while no one has disliked it yet (just a "sure, tasty, but I don't get the hoopla" reaction). *We have enough other restaurants serving it that local publications have "best chicken & waffles in L.A." lists, but Roscoe's is king. I'm in the "really good when I'm in the mood for it, but that's maybe once a year" camp.

Drivers who don't turn their lights on in fog, even though it's down to the ground and you can't see the traffic lights until you're practically in the intersection, so a car's lights are the only way you're going to see it until you're practically up its trunk. (Perhaps they got confused by the "don't turn your high-beams on in fog" and translated that to "don't turn your lights on in fog," but, no, I think they're just dumb, because they were also whizzing along a good 15-20 mph faster than was safe for the conditions.)

I agree they should have let the visual stand on its own, but Bergen's line delivery saved it for me. My mom grumbled, "No one is that dumb" when Murphy asked how long her giant turkey had to cook just as the doorbell rang, but on a sitcom, I go with it. Especially since Murphy's complete ineptitude in the kitchen is a long-running gag. I liked this one a lot. Phyllis continually instructing Avery to refill her wine was terrific, as was, "Why would an angry wife chop off her husband's finger?" to clue the guys in on what they were looking at. And you know I loved, "As a former New York City cop …" And then, of course, her assuring Miguel's parents she'd take care of him. Miguel's mom emerging from the kitchen, saying she'd done all she could and it was in God's hands, was just mildly funny, but when the lights went out and she declared, "The Lord has spoken," I laughed out loud. It was nice hearing Avery say something like "the whole family is here" when he walked in. I'm less irritated by Pat bringing his own food than I'd normally be because Murphy responded to vegan by saying, "That's the green stuff, right - I'm sure we'll have some of that," so he wasn't completely out there thinking he'd have absolutely nothing to eat, but still. Either decline the invitation and go somewhere serving your kind of Thanksgiving meal, or go and accept that you might be having the side salad for dinner and then stopping off for food on the way home. But, like the "what, a turkey the size of my oven takes a while to cook?" thing, I just have to roll with it on a sitcom. It was worth it to have him there for the "Ohio" stuff with the ICE agent. I like that they lulled the audience into thinking this was an episode just about wacky Thanksgiving hijinks, and then threw in the "no, we came back on the air to say something" twist -- especially on a night when some people are watching with people they don't normally watch with. It probably led to some arguments, and maybe some discussion.