Bastet

So he was just assuming she was Christian based on the color of her skin and her name? There was nothing in her interviews that revealed her to be a Christian? Because without any indication of her religion, there are two assumptions going on here - that the two brown guys with "ethnic" names were not Christian and that the white gal with a Western European name was (thus putting her at such an advantage Alex felt the need to remind us categories and clues are chosen before contestants are assigned to the game), placing Christianity as the default. Which, of course, sets aside that the Latin words (how this atheist easily came up with the answer) and/or potential for non-Christians having heard of the passage mean there are, as is typical, ways of getting to the answer without being a reader of the Christian bible. Gross, all around, if that's the case.

The hell? Did Alli go to a Christian college, or otherwise indicate herself to be Christian? I don't know how across the board that pronunciation is in Canada (e.g. how a person's name Regina would be pronounced [in the U.S. I've heard both, but the "gee" pronunciation more frequently]), but I know that's how the city is pronounced.

I only know few if any passages from any bible, and my knowledge of Latin is rudimentary (mostly consisting of phrases used in the law), but FJ was still easy for me because veritas (indeed, thanks to that phrase if nothing else) and vita were immediate translations and, while a couple of things sprang to mind for via, "way" made the most sense in the context of a statement by Jesus so that didn't take me much longer. FJ was all I saw, but I was clear on what three words in the quote they were looking for - the ones other than "and."

I have a number of farmers on one side of the family, several of whom grow almonds, and they do that, too. It's my mom's relatives, so she grew up hearing it that way, and to this day - she's in her mid-70s - has to mentally correct herself before she speaks the word so she doesn't say it wrong.

Her initial reaction that that situation doesn't surprise me, without even getting into the "don't get above your raising" issue, given Darlene's age and the fact Becky had run off not too long before. "Why do all my kids want to leave me [before the typical age kids leave]?" was but one of her reactions, resistance is a typical first response to the idea of your high-school-aged kid moving to another city, and they realize in fairly short order they should let her take this opportunity. (And I love when Darlene says never mind, she's decided not to go, and Roseanne says, "Staying here against her will is one thing. But staying here because she wants to - that's sick.")

I don't much like President Bush, and was pretty neutral on Barbara Bush (good qualities, indeed, but tell the Hurricane Katrina refugees crammed into the Astrodome or the Iraq war casualties about her tact and compassion), but after a 73-year-marriage, in which she was seemingly the emotional strength, I can't imagine how he felt watching her final hours. He probably figured he would die first, and probably would have found it easier to do so. But she lived a very long life, loved and was loved, and was able to die somewhat on her own terms, and I imagine those who loved her will take great comfort in that when the grief fades a bit. I sat in a parking lot yesterday listening to his obituary on All Things Considered, as I'd arrived at my destination but wanted to stay and revel in his contributions to news radio and public broadcasting.

Yep, often written as don't get above your raisin' In addition to academic discussion - not to mention that going on among those who "got out" of their small/poor towns - there have been songs, and apparently even a documentary, about the subject over the years.

R is for the rag Becky looked like she'd been reincarnated as when she was hung over after getting drunk on tornadoes

We saw that on the show. The "Don't get above your raising" phenomenon is real, and it played out when Darlene was offered and turned down the copywriting job because she wanted to do something more meaningful with her writing skills. Darlene became a "them" rather than an "us," and suddenly all her sarcastic remarks about the house and the town - the same things they'd all been saying for years - stung and pissed them off. They wanted better for their kids (their whole motto about their parenting goal being to make life 50% easier for their kids than they'd had it) but there was also a layer of resentment and jealousy that popped up against their will when it happened. It was another way the show reflected a common reality.

I think they met at just the right time and were very good for each other as first loves, but when she went to Chicago that should have been the natural end to the romantic aspect of the relationship. They were horrible for each other after that, and kept forcing a relationship that had run its course. Not only would it have been healthier for them, but it would have been far more interesting for me to watch had they learned how to develop a friendship that took into account their history and the fact he was now part of the family.

I have a chicken roasting, as I'm going to need a lot of leftovers this week and that's the perfect source, so I'm munching on a mixed-greens salad right now and will pop in some asparagus to roast once the chicken comes out to rest. I have some fresh tarragon, so one lunch this week will definitely be chicken salad sandwich.

This was mostly background noise for me, so I missed a lot of specifics. It was my first night tuning it at all to the tournament. As a civil rights attorney, I rooted for Jordan. Rebecca was impressive, though – with the glaring exception of answering heart for an organ donated to one’s twin; she's not going to live that one down for a while. William, eh; I’m a bit bummed to see him be the one of the three to move on. I'm even pickier - any time there's a category like tonight's heteronyms category, I think one shouldn't be credited with a correct answer unless one gives the two pronunciations in the same order as the definitions listed in the clue.

No, the Downy Odor Protect - allegedly - blocks odors from seeping into the fabric for 24 hours after washing. That's the entire pitch of the ad - it conditions fibers to lock out odors for a day. So, it would have to have been freshly laundered when he put it on (e.g. he washed it the night before), but, if so, it would have kept the steak grease smell from sticking to his shirt, and his boss wouldn't have known he was lying about where he was.

I don't understand what's confusing about it -- he's late because he had a nice long lunch at a steakhouse, lies and tells his boss it was a doctor's appointment that kept him, his boss knows he's lying because he can sniff steakhouse on his shirt, and if he'd used the super-duper fabric softener (Downy, I think) that repels odors for 24 hours, he'd have gotten away with it. Yep, it's Downy:

Yep, it was just these two parts. Sensible Chic.

I've heard some couples wrestling with how to handle that -- people who don't have someone at home to leave the kids with (because if you're gone for a weekend, you want your kid staying with Grandma or something; it's different from just being watched by a sitter for the evening) are going to bring them on the trip, but then the kids are - quite rightly, should that be the hosts' preference - not allowed at the wedding/reception, so providing a sitter at the hotel is really all the hosts can offer to make things easier. Then people can decide either that works for them, or they'll just stay home. Any hard feelings either way - "I can't believe I couldn't bring my kids" or "I can't believe they didn't come because of their kids" - are thus unwarranted.

Maybe he goes to rehab at the end of the episode, creating the perfect excuse for him to remain off-screen indefinitely yet also leaving an easy avenue to bring him back and possibly reconcile him with Darlene should Galecki's availability be different next season. Someone is swiping Roseanne's pills, and she's been on them for a while, so it has to be someone new to the house -- I thought maybe Harris (although I think a more likely story with her would be stealing them to sell rather than to feed an addiction), but if they go missing during David's visit, then he works as the culprit.

She did an episode of Grace and Frankie a couple of years ago, and was great!

I finally had a chance to watch yesterday, and Becky being different now than she was when we last saw her didn't bother me, because I took that to be the whole point - after Mark died, she made one bad choice after another, and now here she is, stuck in a life that isn't what she wants, no clue how to change it, and feeling like she's run out of time to do so. I loved that conversation between Becky and Darlene, where Becky said the Conner sisters are falling down and how the hell did they wind up like this, and then Darlene suggested they tell each other what's wrong with them. They have a history of getting through to each other when no one else can, and this was a nice reminder of that. And I like that Becky contacted Darlene after the appointment and told her what happened; Darlene had done nothing but rag on her for being too old for pregnancy, and, living at home, would have found out since Jackie had already spilled the beans to Roseanne, but she still told her. And Darlene, knowing Becky was drunk as duck and upset, went to see her. I loved the sisters part of this episode.

At a semi-recent family wedding I skipped out on but heard about from my parents, my mom's cousin was pissed that the bride and groom had specified "no kids, please" because that meant her son couldn't bring his two kids. Her son, however, quite reasonably wondered what the hell she was complaining about, because it was a nice, evening wedding, so a) his kids didn't belong there and b) he'd have a much better time if he was able to kick back and socialize without having to make sure his kids weren't bothering anyone, had something to keep them occupied, etc. Thankfully, very few of my friends opted to procreate, so I rarely have to deal with this, but I've heard several stories of friends being asked, "Can I bring my kid?" (or, worse, sometimes just showing up with said kid) to birthday dinners that are clearly designed for adults only. Quick tip: If the event starts when your kid should already be in bed, it's not an all-ages event. It's all so weird to me -- as was said upthread, invitations are addressed to who is being invited. So if someone invites you, or you and a guest, to something and says jack all about Junior, or children's activities, or anything about the event indicating it's an all-ages thing, leave the rugrat at home.

No, same episode, just with extra footage this time around. I forget what word/phrase was added to the title, but it was the kind of thing that turns up in bonus footage/commentary versions of previously-aired episodes of shows, so I clicked on the episode description, which mentioned extra footage. I just had it on in the background, and then wound up getting in the shower, though, so I didn't pay enough attention to notice the new content.

What a beautiful tribute; from your words, I feel as if I knew Stinky. She definitely chose the right set of steps to camp out on, demanding to be adopted.

The one that springs to my mind upon hearing the title is Janet Jackson's.

Despite not wanting to be touched other than under specific circumstances (none of which include a TV host), that's probably the one habit of Perky Paige's that wouldn't annoy me had I lost my mind and signed up for a TV show; she needs to keep them in the primary cameras' frames upon reveal, when it's human nature to not just turn around but walk around, and no matter how much you prep someone beforehand they'll just do what they're going to do in the grips of the emotion of seeing their room, so holding onto them gives Paige the best shot of corralling the homeowners to preserve the shots of genuine reaction. For that to come off remotely naturally under the guise of "let me guide you in and tell you when to look" is just Paige doing her job.

I saw bits and pieces of this episode, but mostly just the “here’s what we did” and reveal segment, plus I was watching on a small TV. So, from that limited perspective: Ty’s room: Multi-colored floor carpet tiles over wood that didn’t cover the whole room, so there was still a hardwood border. I keep most of my (1930s) hardwood bare, but cover parts of it with area rugs, so I’m not automatically opposed, at all, but what they covered seemed more attractive than what they covered it with. I liked the similar color pattern on the wall, though. It’s just an okay room, but what they had before was criminally boring, so it’s an improvement. I like that the homeowner who thought she hated bright colors liked the way they were used. Good room, just needs a little adjustment to be a great room. Carter’s room: Ugh, pink. It’s the one color I just can’t look past. Even with the ombre, that was too pink. Even if I liked the color, it was a boring room. Having not seen the introduction, I don’t even understand what sort of room it’s supposed to be. It’s for her, but what is she supposed to do in there? She was a lot happier than I’d have been with it. I wouldn’t have been mad, because I could easily fix it, but it was just a boring room to me.