Bastet

I don't know why a widower would need to have a love interest at all within the one or two half-seasons this hypothetical series would run, but if Dan did, I certainly wouldn't want it to be his stepmom or his sister-in-law. Crystal marrying Ed was creepy (and stupid) enough, to turn around and get with Dan would be even worse - and that's before I add in how fucking annoying Crystal is. Jackie and Dan's relationship is fantastic, and I can't see either one being comfortable getting romantically involved even if their shared grief sparked any feelings in that direction - plus the kids would be quite rightly disturbed.

I've done that hike; it's beautiful. Have you hiked to Angel's Landing? That's quite a view, but it's not for the faint of heart; if you can handle Narrows, though, you can handle that one (unless the combination of heights and narrow trails would make you uncomfortable). That doesn't stop it from being crowded, but hopefully not too bad during the week this time of year. I also like the Upper Emerald Pool (you ditch a fair number of people after the first two). I like the Kolob Canyon section of the park a lot, too. Well, I like the whole place, it's beautiful.

We have our share of those, too, and you'll be among fellow tourists, so you might hear quite a collection. As for British expressions, while it's true that Americans as a lot are unfortunately not as well-traveled as many of their global counterparts, we do get out some. Plus, we like British TV shows. ;-) And, again, you'll be among tourists. So, you may certainly say the odd word here and there that gets you a confused look, but in general you won't have trouble being understood. But do, indeed, speak of cigarettes, not fags! Are you planning a week in each of the five locations, or will some get more time than others? You could spend a lot of time in D.C. and the surrounding area without running out of things to see and do! And it has a good public transportation system (something not true of many American cities), so getting around is easy. I used to go for a week at a time every few years as a kid/teen (my dad went a lot on business, so my mom and I would occasionally tag along and make a vacation of it) and a couple of times as an adult, and while there were a few things I made repeat visits to, I mostly did new things each time. I haven't been in many years now, and really should get back. But I digress ... I've been to all your destinations (although my time in Baltimore was limited), so I look forward to hearing of your adventures - and am happy to answer any questions I can. When I got behind the wheel to drive in Ireland, it felt so weird! But I adjusted quickly. The only other time I've dealt with the steering wheel and car being on the "wrong" side was in England's Lake District; otherwise, I've traveled by train.

Yeah, I still have several entries in my head, but it's pretty hard to recapture the lighthearted feel of the game right now.

Because it's offensive, and undermines the character. Blanche is perfectly happy with her active and varied sex life, which is refreshing in any female character, let alone one Blanche's age, and then this piece of shit episode comes along and revives the notion that women don't actually enjoy casual sex, they feel bad about it deep down, and it takes some man wanting to wait to make them realize that's the respectable thing to do.

Y is for yanked from TV, which is what a bunch of networks did with the show on the same day.

A couple of opinion pieces about the Roseanne cancellation I read tonight, both wondering why she was ever given a revived contract to begin with: ABC Deserves Zero Points for 'Roseanne' Cancellation by Pete Keeley for The Hollywood Reporter excerpt: An introduction from Edward Burmila for The Nation:

There's precedent - with the opposite result - on Roseanne itself, when Roseanne and producers came to a head when neither side would budge on a line of dialogue; it's how we got the episode where Roseanne goes to take care of Al and Jackie helps with the kids. Then, the cast - when asked about continuing the show without Roseanne, should it come to that - sided unequivocally with Roseanne and told producers to shove it (and told her about it, so she knew what she was dealing with). That was an entirely different situation; there, they believed her in the right. Granted, this was early in the series, and thus before they'd developed deep personal bonds on top of professional respect, but, again - before Roseanne had transformed into something ugly, and a scenario in which they came down on her side. So while they refused then, would they do so now, when they are not on her side? Especially if they could argue breach of contract and get paid for 13 episodes without actually doing them and enduring the media/public scrutiny? We'll see. I think most would like to cut their losses and move on, but their belief in what the Conners have to offer television is also undoubtedly a lure. I know all the financial reasons ABC would want to make it happen, and the emotional (and financial) reasons the cast would consider it, and I'd watch it, but I don't see a Roseanne-less Conner show getting off the ground, or succeeding in the ratings more than an episode or three if it did. But it was gone from the TV landscape full stop for a while, and still hasn't returned to the "mainstream" channels that were showing it before. I do think the original series will return in syndication down the road, despite the fact it lines Roseanne's pockets, though, because of all the other pockets it lines and the fact the original show spoke out in both subtle and overt opposition to the shit Barr has been spewing in recent years. I don't anticipate season 10 being part of future syndication packages, though. It will be interesting to see if/when they release the season on DVD.

That's messed up. I am not one of those people who thinks people in apartments shouldn't have dogs, that all dogs need yards, but I am one of those people who thinks most (not all, but most) dogs need more outside time than the "go do your business" out and right back in time. And that any dog taken to a communal area - or someone else's yard altogether - to poop better have an owner with a baggie on the other end of the leash! At least they seem to be somewhat dealing with the noise problem (can all three dogs have separation anxiety?) by increasing their time at home and thus decreasing the dogs' barking/howling time. Now if she would just cut down on her own noises. (Every night? I don't care if you're newly coupled, extremely ticklish, criminally perky, AND have a DVR full of fabulous comedies, how are you laughing and squealing every night?)

You all are making me want horseradish (not mixed with anything; I do like horseradish mayo on a sandwich occasionally, but to go with prime rib or beef tenderloin, my horseradish "sauce" is just grated horseradish root). Alas, I have some chicken panang I need to eat tonight as the last serving has been in the fridge awhile and I don't want to wind up wasting it.

Roseanne tweeting at Michael Fishman to leave her alone makes me sad for him. I said this last night, but it quoted something that got edited, so I was asked to post it again; sorry to those for whom it's a repeat -- the cast was all so close, it's hard for me to imagine the bafflement they've been feeling in recent years, torn between memories of the Roseanne they knew and loved (highly imperfect and batshit crazy, to be fair, but not in these ways back then) and the bond that remained from those many years of friendship and shared experience versus the hate-filled, alternate-universe subscribing asshole she'd slowly and then frantically become over the years that they'd have immediately walked away from in someone with whom they didn't share that emotional history. There was an article a while back with former writers talking about how they can't wrap their minds around Roseanne Barr having many of the opinions she now espouses given who she was then (on top of disgust that a fraction of those opinions had made it through the filters and, against all logic, become part of Roseanne Conner), so it must be so much more confusing for the actors, who had an infinitely closer relationship with her that carried on after the show ended. She and Michael Fishman shared a particularly close bond, and he often, starting as a very young man, spoke so eloquently about his respect for her and the way she stood up for what she believed in, so even though I don't know him, I felt proud of him when he was the first core cast member to come out with an unequivocal denunciation of her statements and endorsement of ending the show because of them. (I know what Sara Gilbert said, but Fishman's was the first post-cancellation statement.) Then she got snippy with him in response, and he still praised who she'd been and what she'd done for so long, saying it was the discrepancy between that and what she tweeted that disturbed him so much. And now she tells him to leave her alone. She's damn lucky he and the rest of them didn't leave her alone several years ago. For her to throw away any of those relationships (over something she did!) is really sad, because it's her loss, but it hurts them, too.

I didn't watch that during its original run, but caught a lot of it when TNT paired it in syndication with Cold Case. I thought it was just okay - I only watched it if I was still awake after Cold Case - but I've only ever truly liked a few cop shows, so it's more a reflection of personal preference than an assessment of the series. The cases were pretty decent, but I think I hated every personal storyline they ever did. But, hey, it has Marianne Jean-Baptiste, so if nothing else, there's that. Other than Major Crimes (on a local channel), I'm not watching anything in syndication right now, so I have no suggestions, sorry.

We skipped E, which is for the echo chamber Roseanne tweets into, where there's nothing wrong with her "joke."

Yeah, go ahead with your discrimination claim, Roseanne -- racist swine is not a protected class.

The finale aired last week. What ABC pulled from the line-up last night was a repeat of an earlier episode (the one where David came back).

I like this tweet from former Roseanne writer Danny Zuker:

That's why I think ABC was on notice that season eleven was going to be missing quite a few cast members, and that is the reason they canceled it. To get out ahead of it, instead of it being the cast members saying, "No, not going to associate with this" and the network standing there like a bunch of spineless enablers who'd happily tolerate her actions for the money the show brought in.

Dry food isn't a particularly effective teeth cleanser. Yes, they chew, but so do we. And we brush. But we still have to go in for professional cleanings because there's still tartar/plaque despite the brushing, and the real problems are under the gums anyway. Plus, despite the crunching we hear while they eat, cats swallow some of their dry food whole (look at it when it comes right back up - it looks pretty much like it did going down, right? - and even cats with no teeth at all can eat dry food). It's better to just feed a healthy canned or raw diet, with dry food a treat at most, and brush the cat's teeth if you can (I can't do Riley's), understanding that - like us - some cats just have worse teeth than others, and will thus need more regular cleanings (and, even with that, may need the occasional extraction). So, there is no dry food particularly good for teeth. But if you do want to feed dry food, the healthiest options are the few on the market that are not far higher in carbohydrate content than is ideal for cats (they're still higher than idea, but not as bad as the majority) and use fairly good ingredients -- EVO, Nature's Variety, or Wellness Core. I'm glad Louis is back home, and hope he isn't too sore from the extraction. And I hope your bank account isn't too sore from that bill. Ouch. Completely in line with what it would cost here, so I'm not disparaging your vet, just commiserating - Ouch.

FANTASTIC! What great relief for you - I'm happy to hear it.

I think the core cast would have majorly conflicted feelings about continuing, but I think many of the newbies, who have no longstanding personal relationship with Barr, would say, "No money is worth this," and walk. So I think ABC wanted to save face by being the one to pull the plug rather than clinging to a sinking, toxic ship until the point they'd have to cancel it.

While I've had a few minor quibbles and a couple of major issues with the revival, I have been enjoying it, but I support the cancellation. On a different show, she should just be fired, but on an eponymous show, and not just that, but one where Roseanne Barr has - despite the valiant efforts of her fellow executive producers - bled through into Roseanne Conner, that's not a realistic option. So, with that off the table (I mean, if someone wants to try Roseanne's Family, go ahead, and I'll be there, but I don't really see a Roseanne-less Roseanne gaining traction), better to shitcan the whole thing that to continue the impression that Roseanne Barr speaks through Roseanne Conner, when everything out of Barr's mouth is unhinged vitriol.

Didn't they ditch the character because of the utter lack of charisma or presence by the actor? I've read that, but it may well have just been supposition based on how bland he is - assuming that must be the reason the character was written out. But being dull as dishwater certainly didn't lead them to get rid of Michael Michele with any quickness, although I guess Gallant was around for a while, too. It's hard for me to imagine how either of them were cast in the first place; their line readings during audition must have been like they were in the show. Maybe the dullness didn't really show up until they were amidst the rest of the cast.

I make all my own dressings other than ranch - then I use the Hidden Valley dry mix, combined with mayo, sour cream, and milk. But never something out of a bottle; all I've ever tried tasted too sweet to me at best, and an odd, synthetic taste/aftertaste at worst. I love salads, and make some sort of mixed greens side salad with almost every dinner meal - I cannot have them ruined by crappy dressing. That's puzzling about not having "none" as an option when selecting a sauce or dressing, though. I guess if they actually read and abide by the notes section and don't give you any (or, if they do, it's on the side rather than mixed into the salad, and you can just hand it back to them when you pick it up [of course, if delivered, you're forced to waste it, and that sucks]), it's a moot point, and I do understand that probably a good 95% of people ordering want a dressing, but it's a website/app -- when listing the options, how hard is it to add a checkbox for "none"?

That's what I have (not Long Beach, specifically, but Los Angeles), with a half bath off that service porch. It's fantastic, because it means my washer, dryer, and laundry tub/utility sink aren't in the garage, as is common here (usually in an attached garage, but not rarely in a detached garage, which is what I have, and would not appreciate trekking out there even with our great weather most of the year), but when speaking to a general audience I tend to say laundry room, as service porch doesn't properly register nationally -- people picture a screened-in porch rather than a regular "room," original to the house. I didn't see the episode, but three homes with a washer and dryer in the kitchen would, indeed, have given me pause; that is not at all common here, certainly not to the extent three random homes would be set up that way.

It would have made sense, given how many kick-ass actors guest starred as the mothers of main characters, to do a Mother's Day marathon of which Maggie was just one part, along with the Eleanor Carter arc (anything that puts Mary McDonnell on my screen gets a thumbs up from me), Piper Laurie's appearance as Doug's mom, Beach Richards's life and death as Peter's mom, same with Bonnie Bartlett as Mark's mom, Corday's mom's visit (Judy Parfitt), etc. But what the hell about Sally Field/Maggie Whatever says Memorial Day? They should have done a Gallant marathon if they wanted to make it topical, but he's so dull no one would want to watch a whole day of his episodes.