Bastet

I'm miserable about the Giants game (and fuck the officiating*), but the Rams/Seahawks game was exciting and the Rams remain undefeated. Add in the Cowboys losing, and at least I had a sliver of sunshine on this dreadful weekend. *From what I've read and the clips I've seen; we got the Packers game, so I did not see the Giants game for myself.

No, they're filming in front of an audience (other than Hillary Clinton's appearance in the first episode, which they shot on a closed set).

I don't remember the last time I heard it used correctly; it seems as if every single time I hear/see it, it's being used to mean the exact opposite of what the word actually means. That informal definition has taken complete hold here.

Yeah, I don't spend money willy-nilly, but my impatience means there are quite a few transactions when I'd at least consider skipping the dollar rather than waiting for someone to go get change. At a charity fundraiser, definitely. So I don't think it's bad that she hung around for the rest of her change, but I am surprised that in that environment her reaction wasn't to say, "Oh, that's fine, just consider it a donation." It's a dollar. To help animals. Maybe just habit, or her mind was elsewhere already. Or she was there to score cheap stuff, not to support the cause, so that just wasn't her mindset to begin with.

Testify! Sadly, it's typical -- people spend more on caring for dogs than cats, more dogs than cats get adopted out of shelters/fewer dogs than cats come into shelters to begin with (and shelters get more volunteers to work with dogs than with cats), medical research is done on dogs first (and sometimes only; so many veterinary drugs are prescribed off-label for cats, because the only testing done was on dogs), etc. If you ask me (and even if you don't), it's one of the countless things affected by living in a sexist society - cats are stereotypically associated with women, and dogs with men. So, like women compared with men, overall, cats get treated worse compared with dogs. At its country location, VRC takes in/adopts out cats. We saw the episode with Jackson Galaxy (star of Animal Planet's one cat-centered show) helping design the cat condos, and helping Tia and crew capture a colony of community cats (ooh, I love alliteration, and I created it in spades without even trying), so I hope we will see a few more cat rescues/adoptions in future episodes. Yes, it is called Pit Bulls & Parolees, and given how poorly pits/pit mixes fare compared to dogs as a whole, I fully support that focus. But they also are inundated with hounds, and the show reflects that, and we see occasional stories about "random" breeds as well, because that's the reality of VRC. Since cats are part of that reality, I want to see it on the show from time to time. At any rate, I was glad to see the show return last week, and very happy for a new episode tonight; I desperately needed something soothing today. Jed, the vision-impaired hound with burned paws dog Earl and M2 rescued under the trailer, hurt my heart. The trust these dogs place in strangers, either because they sense they’re being helped or because they’ve just given up, never stops getting to me. That’s an old dog, who had been someone’s pet; that kind of neglect and abandonment makes me so angry. Little Boo putting the brakes on when they tried to walk her on a leash was funny, but it speaks to the fact they have so many dogs, and not enough people/time to get everyone the leash walking they need. They have enough people in the city, but they don’t even have enough employees, let alone volunteers, out in the country. But she loves her new owners, and they her, and curiosity got the best of her; she'll do fine on a leash. Matt talking about how the dogs make a bad day better and give peace of mind was sweet, and I like him enjoying flipping the script and teaching his brother, who had always taught him. It was good to hear Troy’s perspective, how in his ‘hood dogs are trained to protect their people/house at all costs, so he’s afraid of dogs belonging to anyone else. I love that they started him with puppies as a result (“who can be afraid of a puppy?”), and you could see him getting gentler with each puppy (not that he was rough, just that, as Matt said, he’s not a particularly gentle person naturally). I hope Troy succeeds there; he’s visibly lost and struggling, and I hope VRC winds up being the life-changer for him it was for Matt.

Yeah, he wasn't trying to make her think he was her new secretary, he'd sat down to write her a note because she wasn't there to receive his gift (the mock-up cover and a year's free subscription, much to her dismay). When she came in and saw him sitting there at the secretary desk, she made the joke about the lawyer thing not working out (for anyone who doesn't remember, JFK Jr took a lot of guff for his failed attempts to pass the bar exam; the third time was the charm for him, and he became an ADA for several years before turning to journalism with George) and then asked him to file something.

We pretty much have to get something like this, or the wannabe YouTube star mentioned above. Assuming we see people actually being Murphy's secretary; so far, we've just seen the interview/introduction.

I don't remember the exact dialogue, but when he informs her they make a point of the fact he's complying with department regulations in doing so -- that he was informing his superior within X time of a change in relationship status. So they had been hanging out together outside of work for whatever time, and once they decided to start dating, he disclosed it pretty much right away.

We learned who his parents were (Daniel and the woman who died), just not his real name. Which I loved, because it ultimately not mattering - to him, or to Laura - who he'd been born as because he'd truly become Remington Steele was the point of the whole thing.

I hope they build a set for Murphy's office this time around, too, just for the return of her dartboard with the different things on it each week. That amused me as much as the revolving door of secretaries. I think the "Reserved For John Sununu" sign was my favorite, but other contenders include the Geraldo book signing advertisement, the naked woman mudflap, and some of the many parking signs. Just imagine the stuff she can put up there now. Two episodes without it, though, so they may not be bringing that back.

The paternity was a retcon, and an offensive one; there is no way the Carla who tells Peter she's pregnant and lays into him when he asks if she's sure it's his is lying, or even less than sure who the father is. No, that's some bullshit they came up with later that is not at all supported by the original scenes. And, yes, he used protection with Carla. (It's Jeanie with whom he was lax about it - "we were careful, but not too careful.")

I got Bolivar and quadruple bogie (and wrestling). I didn't know quadruple bogie, I guessed it based on Sara's wrong answer of double bogie. I know shit about golf, so my real answer was "something with four" based on the math, so when Sara seemed to know what she was talking about with bogie, yet it was wrong, I figured it was just the "double" part and guessed "quadruple bogie" because of four. Now, I would never have potentially embarrassed myself by guessing that in a game, but that's what I did at home. The clue also stipulated Seinfeld cast member, so they should have accepted just about anything, including Elaine, because that clue was so ridiculously easy (she's the only female star of that show, so once you give away Seinfeld and she/her, you might as well put up a picture and just be done with it) they deserve whatever they get. I think Adam was trying to remember how to pronounce her name, and decided to just go with Dreyfus.

If you start here, and keep going through the various parts, you can see all (or at least most; I haven't watched all the way through to confirm) of Murphy's secretaries:

I hated every minute of their storyline; she deserved better than that gross, greasy dude. As a Vegas hook-up, okay, I'll just say she had very thick beer goggles on. But to stay married to, and then procreate with, him?! Poor Susan.

It’s like they’re just trying to piss me off with the pictures of famous people. I missed the first several minutes of the first round, and Wednesday's bad mood had absolutely nothing on today's, so I wasn't expecting to perform very well but I had a decent game. I'd have bet zero in FJ based on the category, as I have no interest in military history (or military anything, really), but I guessed it instantly. Wrestling as a TS was my surprise for the night; what other sport would they bother to highlight in an "even this was done naked, tee hee" clue?

I agree. Only a select few have my cell phone number, as I don't like getting routine calls on it -- I only want it called when I'm traveling (and then you better really need to speak to me because, hello, I'm traveling) or you know I'm in the car on the way to see you and you need to talk to me about that. Otherwise, call my house or office as appropriate, and I'll either answer or get back to you later if I'm busy. So those who have my cell phone number are also told, "But don't call me on this unless [description similar to above]." Every once in a while, my friend has a brain fart on that, leaves me a message on my cell phone, and I don't hear it for two weeks because that's the next time I bother to charge my phone. But there are people who don't check their landline answering machine/voicemail (but still have one) and want all calls on their cell, so I have to remember that about them just like they have to remember the opposite about me. We all figure it out, and mostly remember. (The one thing I won't cater to is "text me," because I hate texting, so I'll say, "I'll email you.") But, yeah, we can't expect someone to know we think phone calls are only for emergencies, or whatever our rules are, unless we tell them. There's too much variation in communication preferences to assume someone is thinking about it the same way.

It’s still more awkward than I’d like, but also still has enough going for it that I’m happy to stick around and see how/if things level out. Murphy and Avery’s shared fundamental conception of but differing ways of being the fourth estate is a nice underpinning for which I am all in. And I just love their relationship in general. Avery unlocking his phone to record “I’m sorry” and making a loop of it his ringtone cracked me up. As did “I spit on Wisconsin Avenue, which was a blue state that turned red, so it’s also sort of a statement.” And Murphy’s assistant -- she was straight out of the original series. “No, false alarm" as she didn't hurl. The original font in the credits, and on Phil’s window and apron, and the gang at their old table at Phil’s, continue to make me so happy. I like the continuity of Murphy being banned from the White House press room – Murphy did that back when it was just individual journalists being regarded as pariahs. And her making calls trying to get back into the room reminded me of her trying to score a ticket to the Inaugural Ball when she was snubbed for the first time. I like the callback. Avery’s reaction to Murphy sneaking into the break room was great. And bring it on for Murphy calling Huckabee Sanders out on her treatment of the press as an institution. “The enemy of the people” is what’s happening, so if you’re going to do a show like this, how do you have Murphy respond other than with a full-throated “what the hell is wrong with you?” attack, and then what do you do other than call out the press going along with it -- but also have Avery point out that if legit journalists boycott the briefings, the only coverage of them will be from propagandists. But this episode was a drop-off from the first, and the revival isn't handling the news as entertainment/politics as bullshit angle with anything near the degree of sharpness it did the first time around (which, admittedly, was a high bar; this isn't bad, it's just that the original was great). The first episode, fine, there will be rust and it was still pretty damn good in spite of that, but this one should have been better after everyone settled in. I'm in for the long haul, but they can't afford to shed viewers like they will; I hope the next one (which was originally number four - and the last of those they shot in advance - and got moved up to number three) kills it, but if it's better than this one (as reviews seem to indicate) they should have moved it up another week.

Susan Rattan's voice made her instantly recognizable to me, and I didn't even watch L.A. Law; I've seen her in other things and that show was so well-known in its day I knew the cast's names and associated them with it regardless. I didn't know Sam McMurray (Ned) by name - I had to look him up - but by face I recognized him from about a dozen different things. He's a total Hey, It's That Guy character actor to me. Bonnie is absolutely the person who would let a blind guy drive. “Let me check with my cancer. What do you think, boss? Mr. Prostate says we’ve got to go.” Heh. I'd have rather Christy been a cucumber than a pickle, because I'm tired of all alcoholics on TV being addicted to everything (except caffeine and nicotine, because their AA buddies always find mainlining coffee and cigarettes perfectly fine without ever raising the question of dependency, but smoke a joint or place a bet and they freak their shit), but I liked the GA characters. This was a rather so-so episode to me, though. I don't even have specific reasons why, but it was just okay.

FYI (no pun intended), the answer to that can be found in the media thread of The Conners forum. Maybe she just didn't feel like Twitter was the right venue for it; she wouldn't have needed it as a platform when she was on the air (and I can definitely see her being a "my reporting speaks for itself, and it needs more than 140 characters to do so" person if the network tried to get her to establish a social media presence in order to help promote that show), and then after, she just didn't want to engage in that form of discourse. Now, though, it was presented as integral to getting the new show she wanted to do off to a good start, so she let Avery set her up, got all caught up in the one-liner snark, and will want to use it in a better way going forward. It works for me (a non-user), and I appreciate that she wasn't stereotypically befuddled by it (saying "pound sign" instead of "hashtag" and stuff like that); she had the general familiarity with it any of us sentient beings do, whether we use it or not for various reasons, and picked it up quickly.

The Brady Bunch thing wasn't in an interview or intro; it was the answer to one of the Kids clues last night (where you identified the TV show based on the list of [some of] its kid characters), and he said, "What is" normally but then sang the "The Brady Bunch" portion of his answer. Only he did it in a way that only vaguely approximated the actual melody of the theme song, so the audience had absolutely no reaction, which made me laugh.

I had to go look that up:

Major Crimes - Sharon Raydor is the epitome of comfort to me (so, thanks a lot, James Duff, but if I stop at the season five finale and start over, I manage not to get sad) The Golden Girls, Designing Women, Roseanne, AbFab, and Seinfeld - comedies I know like the back of my hand yet still laugh every time Moonlighting (seasons one, two and part of three, anyway) - the sheer brilliance of it makes me happy, and it reminds me of a fun time in my life The West Wing (seasons two and three, especially) - watching well-intentioned politicians is very comforting

I would turn that around and ask, Why are you answering? If the phone rings when you're in the middle of something, let them leave a message and then call back when you have time to chat. If you're in the middle of a doctor's appointment, are you reading texts any more than you'd be answering calls? So I don't see the difference between him calling for the things he called about than if he'd texted about them. But if he calls for every little thing, yeah, I'd find that a little odd. (And I'd be annoyed by the 10:00 "I'm in the neighborhood" thing whatever the medium, because you have to have an established relationship for that to be okay.) I email a lot more than I call (I don't text), but I'm nowhere near the point that calls are reserved for emergencies. For me, calls are for conversation; catching up/discussing current events with someone who doesn't live close enough we can go chat over drinks, or just a short conversation that's going to involve multiple things - I want to get all the information at once, in a natural back and forth. Emails are for asking a question or two that don't need a timely answer and aren't going to involve much follow-up.

I see this has been answered, but, FYI, if you find yourself wondering about anything else you see repeatedly used on the forum, you can check the Glossary thread (which maybe should be pinned, since it's for newbies, and a newbie isn't going to know it exists to go scrolling for it) to see if it's explained there.

It was already there - my mind followed the same path. The lack of reaction really amused me, too.