Bastet

Baxter was my only cat who didn't mind the vacuum; in fact, I had to vacuum around him on occasion. The others have all left the room, or at least leapt up to observe safely from above. I was very proud of Riley yesterday when she stayed on the bed while I vacuumed the bedroom; she'd long since quit being truly afraid and running from it, but she would always switch rooms in annoyance/uneasiness.

Thank you. The wedding isn't until the very end of June, which is one of my annoyances with this dress mania. When I checked on availability, one would come in no later than the 2nd of June, and the other two would be in no later than one of the early days of April (and the bridal gown came in nearly a month before its "no later than" date, so they seem to pad the timeframe quite a bit to avoid problems). So her sister is hounding her for a color choice and I'm sitting here wondering where's the fire. I know her sister will need hers hemmed, because she's short, but still - it's just a hem, not a completely customized fit. The dress she's leaning towards will come in by the beginning of May; Cinderella's mice could hem the damn thing in far less than nearly two months.

Yes, that's where it is in my local markets - that sprouted stuff does not last long, so it's kept in the freezer. I'm not often in the frozen food section of the store, so it seems like most times I am, for a second I'm startled to see bread (I hate bread that has been frozen; mine has no preservatives, so I have to keep it in the fridge and that bothers me enough - freezer, I cannot handle) before I remember that I know that about the brand.

Last night was supposed to be lamb chops, but by the time I finished my various projects around the house and plopped down with a drink to watch TV, I no longer felt like cooking, so I tried some more offerings from the new pizza place - instead of one of their specialties, this time I tested their take on my go-to basic pizza, which is olive oil, fresh mozzarella, Italian sausage, mushroom, and spinach on a thin wheat crust. They continue to impress, so I am happy to have another great option nearby. Tonight will be the lamb chops (seasoned with fresh rosemary and garlic and broiled), with roasted asparagus. I picked up some arugula at the farmers market, so the ubiquitous mixed greens side salad will tonight consist of arugula, endive, and radicchio, with some shaved Parmigiano-reggiano and a lemon vinaigrette. I'm sitting here finishing my Bloody Mary and haven't even made breakfast yet, and I'm already fantasizing about dinner.

Ha - yes, because my friend had groceries delivered when I was visiting, and they were out of the bread she requested, a preservative-free whole wheat with no added sugar from a local bakery, so substituted Ezekiel (without telling her). As she unpacked, all of a sudden came an indignant squeak of "Why the hell is there a bible verse on my bread?" Anyway, I swear I could taste the lentils, which I don't like, but it was okay. My friend thought it was fine, but stuck with her usual after that one loaf.

Seriously. If I can immediately answer a question about religion/mythology, its value should be $200. In the Kids Tournament.

How do I not remember any of that?! I love the Christmas episodes on this franchise, but none of that rings a bell. With mention of the RV, is it the one where they're supposed to be bringing back a suspect, but manage to get themselves banned from the plane, so have to trek back in the Johnsons' RV? I remember that basic storyline, but none of those moments. Fritz's quote about parting with her for $20k over asking is great, and I really can't believe that one is gone from my brain. I should borrow my friend's DVDs again and do a re-watch, but I'd just be antsy to get to the seasons with Sharon. Maybe I'll watch those, then start over from the beginning.

I almost never wear pantyhose/stockings; never with dresses and only very rarely with suits (state court, no, but federal court maybe every other blue moon, depending on the judge and whether I feel like indulging or saying to hell with their outdated, sexist notions of appropriate attire). But when I do, I opt for the thigh highs -- much more comfortable.

Seriously (and I have a nice one, a gift back in the day). At this point, the bar tab they need guests to run up in order to hit their minimum may very well be taken care of by me alone, and, beyond that "holy shit, at least it's mostly over" relief drinking at the reception, I may need potent potable reinforcement to get through what has become a two-day ordeal. And this is a low-key wedding! My friends who've suffered through far more intricate and involved productions had my sympathy at the time, but now I'm quite empathetic.

I tried The Fosters, liked it briefly, then hated it intensely and tuned out, but still made sure to catch their first episode together just to see them reunited. They had great chemistry on this show, and it was still there in that one. Young Collier (IMDb says Colliar, but I've always had it in my mind as Collier, and so he shall stay) was so cute, but adult Collier pissed me off a lot; I kept channeling Anthony Bouvier (Designing Women) and sneering "racist swine" at him. It always seemed to be consistent with his characterization, though, so I have to give points for that - from what I remember, the main characters were well developed, and any bad acts by any of them made sense, rather than being plot-driven. I remember being ticked off when they recast the actors playing the young versions of Rene and M.E. - but didn't they keep the kid playing young Collier? (Holy crap, looking that up to confirm, I just now realized that young Collier is the same guy who played Brandon in Easy A - no wonder I liked him so much in that movie.) That searching led me to this article from last year, looking back quite fondly on the series (including an interview with co-creator/executive producer Nancy Miller). This show doesn't get its due when talking about TV's handling of racism and race relations. From the article:

I could have sat here until I died and not come up with FJ; when I say religion/mythology is my worst J! subject matter, I am not kidding. Unlike the contestants, however, I did get portal vein, Dallas, Portland cement, pineapple, Octavia Butler, bosc pear, and maybe another TS I've already forgotten. Didn't Dan say "Godfather: Part II," and isn't the film title actually The Godfather: Part II? I liked the pluralization and fruits & vegetables categories. Also the Any “Port” category – I usually do well in categories where every answer starts with a certain set of letters. (I’ve never heard a steakhouse referred to as a porterhouse; I got it based on it being a cut of steak, but that tidbit was new to me.) I thought the storm category clues would have been better suited to the first round than DJ.

I was with a friend when she went into Macy's during a mattress sale. They didn't have the one she wanted, so I suggested they give her the more-expensive model at the cheaper price, and same thing - manager said yes, just no delivery. Since her brother had a pick-up truck, no problem. Ugh, that imitation. The first part of the routine is so funny, about going from full to starving (that's the part my mom and I always quote to each other, because a family friend is exactly like that with Chinese food), and the content of the part about the manager yelling at him to leave is great - if he just would have done it in his own voice, it would be golden. Fries are the only thing I eat at McDonald's, and I don't eat them very often, but a couple of times a year I have a serious craving for them. Morgan Spurlock's experiment where the burger and fries from a family-run restaurant started rotting as you'd expect after however many days but the McDonald's burger and fries still looked normal weeks later was disturbing, but I can't help myself. Going back to my wedding peeves, I am ready to hang myself with chiffon. Or wrap a bridesmaid dress around someone else's neck and twist, and at this point I don't much care whose, although the sister of the bride is a top contender. We have so much more latitude in choosing our dresses than the average bridesmaids, yet she's being a pill, trying to change the entire color scheme of the wedding (bride had a list of about ten colors she liked, all light to medium, for an outdoor summer wedding, and the bridesmaid is now whining the one she likes best is a dark blue) -- despite the fact that when it was her wedding, she vetoed the maroon color my friend/her sister picked out as a bridesmaid dress, because it wasn't summery enough and didn't match the overall look she had in mind. And what's really bugging me is that the bride, so over this whole wedding thing at this point (which I knew she would be, which is another of the reasons I didn't think this ridiculous exercise would ever actually come to fruition), is ready to just give in so we can order dresses and she can pick coordinating flowers, thus concluding any and all wedding planning/prep she has to do. I like the cobalt blue, and will wear it if she wants me to, but I want it to be because she truly likes that as the color, not because her bratty little sister got her way. Oh, yeah - have I mentioned that while I have never met her sister (I've met her parents when they've come out to visit, but the sister never comes - she has kids, so, of course, the world must come to her), I kind of hate her? She's a somewhat negligent pet owner, so that's enough to be dead to me, plus she's not at all understanding of my friend's mental illness (depression that she's battled since adolescence), and when she gets annoyed with my friend for something, instead of telling her why she's put off, she gives her the silent treatment. I'd been telling myself to be nice when I meet her, and form my own opinion in person (although the facts speak for themselves, I am obviously just hearing them via my friend's perception of events), but now she's pissing me off yet again. The bride also doesn't like her fiancé's (adult) children, and - again, telling myself I just hear her take on them - they sound annoying to me, plus his parents are mega-religious. It may be an interesting rehearsal dinner. Hopefully the relaxation of the spa day that precedes it will see us through.

A change in their insurance means they now get half the drugs for twice the price. There are pain pills involved, so it could be either one of them. They're joking about it in this clip, but that's the first episode; it could be revealed that one of them has been hiding an addiction. We haven't heard much about what Jackie's life will be like in the revival; it could be her, if that article was using "Conner clan" to refer to the whole main cast. Or Harris could be stealing them. Or it's a different addiction altogether, but opioid seems the most timely.

I loved Sheldon on his season of Top Chef; I was incredibly happy Brooke and Kristen were the top two, but he was a beloved number three. So it was nice to see him again. Unfortunately, I haven’t been back to Hawaii since he appeared, but when I next return, I am so checking out his Tin Roof restaurant. I liked the two different version of adobo, and would have enjoyed both, but Bobby’s had too much rice (just as a personal preference; I only eat rice to soak up really saucy dishes, as otherwise it’s just unnecessary filler to me), so I was rooting for Sheldon's. He poured tequila shots at the end of the round, too. Sheldon for the win!

I don't remember many of the pre-Sharon Raydor episodes anymore, but I love the "Skybox tickets?!" shenanigans, and I really love Cherry Bomb, because Brenda - who will normally stop at nothing (including, you know, extra-judicial execution, which is one of the many reasons I like Major Crimes so much more) when she thinks someone is getting away with murder - realizes the other young rape victim truly doesn't have it in her to come forward, and backs off, telling her, "You've already done enough things you didn't want to do." It's a big moment for her, and it makes that girl later showing up in her office, ready to testify, all the more satisfying (what Brenda thought was a murder at the time she backed off was actually a suicide, but now they could still go after him for rape). Of the Sharon episodes, it's hard to pick a favorite, but the two-part Living Proof is a top contender -- it's a brilliant combination of gruesome case (the war criminal stealing the identity of one of his victims) and hilarious hijinks. And a Christmas episode, which is always good. I love every minute of those two hours. Also Death Warrant, because, hello, bean bag gun! Also "Why would I lose her?" and that face as she hangs up. I also like the "Daddy Say Yes" teen star one, for Gavin and Sharon snacking on Twizzlers as they watch Brenda trick the wife/mom into confessing.

That being a TS blew me away. Seriously. Who listens only to music released in their lifetime? No one! Between radio stations that play a variety of music, your parents listening to "their" music when you’re a kid, modern music services that make suggestions based on your choices, etc. people are exposed to music that was produced before they were born. It bugs me so much every time he does any variation on his stupid "before your time" routine. I was thrilled when the FJ category came up, as I had recently quizzed myself on European rivers! (Yes, I am a dork; I refresh my geography knowledge from time to time, because capitals, rivers, and sometimes even locations of countries to which I haven't been don't stick in my mind otherwise, and geography ignorance is a peeve of mine, so I make sure I don't become one of the people I complain about.)

Yes, Our Town, from the end of season two. That's one of the many episodes this one reminded me of -- kind of a cross between Sanguinarium and Our Town, with allusions to several other episodes sprinkled throughout.

I've gone with my friend to have her cats put to sleep, so I know it's hard even when it's not your own pet; my condolences to you, @chenoa333, but I'm glad you were able to do it when the owner couldn't, so Sophie had a familiar, loving presence with her in the end. And I cannot imagine enduring the double-punch to the heart you went through, @CJKing, having to say good-bye to two cats in two weeks, so my deepest sympathies to you.

I think it's that they were in agreement they couldn't do it, had already told the kids no, and then it was Roseanne getting a look at David's home life that made her change her mind; given her history, he knew that if she changed her mind based on that, it was BAD in the Healy house and they were just going to have to make it work. It's why he changes his attitude immediately when she says, "No, I don't mean messed up like we're messed up. I mean bad. Really, really, incredibly bad. I grew up in a house like that." I cannot stand her acting in this role, and she's at her most cringe-worthy in that scene.

As the episode opened, the surgery stuff made me think of Sanguinarium, then dastardly organ transplant teams made me think of IWTB, then eating organs brought me to Tooms, and finally a stake to the chest of Bad Blood. All in the first two minutes. The allusions (even if only in my mind that is looking for them this season – the 2111 address makes me think of 1121, so I’m seeing references absolutely everywhere) continued: vampire cult = 3 (and cults in general = Red Museum, though, thankfully, not TFWID - maybe the outfits), cannibalism for eternal youth = Our Town, hand wounds = Revelations, twisted angels = All Souls, “You Stink” = WOTC. When the NY feds said they know Mulder’s reputation, I wanted him to respond, “I have a reputation?” Since when does Scully have to go to church every five minutes, even when they’re out of town on a case? But, hey, a mention of long-lost brother Charlie, and bless little Dana Scully for after two days starting to pray for a puppy instead of her little brother’s health – that made all the church stuff worthwhile. As did Mulder’s transitive property speech, but WTF with “Are we together?” Um, yeah, Scully, you have been, for eons, and you know that, even if the folks writing you sometimes don't. For good and bad, and there’s a whole lot of both, you two have been tied together for life for a very long time; stop it, Show. Cue guessing on what she whispered to save this conversation, but at least “I’d like to do it together” is included, stupid as it is for that to need to be said. Other thoughts: “There, she looks better than ever; we’ll eat her for now” and “I remember him, he wouldn’t shut up; I’m glad we ate him” -- wonderfully awful. Everything around the There’s Got To Be a Morning After memory/performance was even better. I do love this show's repertoire of songs to die by. And yet Mulder’s “Progressives, not bifocals!” objection amused me far more (even though it’s rather dumb, since they both needed reading glasses back when the show started, and the characters were in their 30s then). As did “Did you get your hair cut/Are you kidding me?” Those two and their dynamic are why I can’t quit this damn show. “Loved you on Dragnet.” “Is she a Netflix executive?” Also LOL to both lines. Having had to make a “liver shake” for a sick cat, the thought of drinking those blender concoctions made me want to gag. Which I know was the point, but normally when shows want me grossed out, I’m not, but this time I had smell-o-vision. Hey, Jere Burns. I hadn’t seen him since the ‘80s, and then a couple of years ago he turned up on Major Crimes, and now he’s on XF. It is so weird that last week’s episode had the normal tag line, when this one continued the tradition of no other episode this season doing so (and you know the finale is going to be something weird) Ugh, Tad Whatever and his stupid conspiracy theory show on the radio served only to remind me we have to get back into that shit next episode and I Do Not Want To. But, overall, this one was fine; with the diminished expectations I’ve settled into this season, I’ll just enjoy it for what it is - a stupid case that never really came together, but that had entertaining moments, and some nice M/S interaction.

No, singular. The new champ performed very well. I said frameless, instead of rimless, for the glasses. I guess that’s shower doors, not eyeglasses. Continental drift was my surprising TS for the night. Not shocking, given general science knowledge, but still a little surprising. I got a few others (bacchus, Chernow, and one or two others I'm blanking on), but that was the only one that I was surprised no one else got. I thought Prince George and, especially, changing of the guard were too easy for DJ. I thought the same of the FJ clue; isn’t the electoral college process a fresh hell in all our minds? I’m glad the South American capitals category wasn’t entirely made up of “what’s the capital of this country?” clues. “Easy for me to say” when the contestant stumbled over “Marlboro Man” – which I also had to say carefully to spit out – gave me a chuckle.

What a nice blast from the past to see this show up as a forum. It was one of my favorite shows when it was on, but I remember very little about it. I wish it was available on DVD, or that Lifetime would air it again.

If I'm with my mom and we so much as drive past a restaurant with a buffet, we burst into a John Pinette routine. And if it's a Chinese food buffet, forget it.

I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt there, too, that they overlooked the legendary/based on part of the clue - even though McKayle also answered The Feminine Mystique in FJ, despite "fiction" in the category and "novel" in the clue.

I cannot believe Cuba and Thanksgiving were TS. I also knew Molly Pitcher, citizen, and glycogen, but didn't bat an eye at those going unanswered. The Hemingway/Cuba and Lincoln/Thanksgiving connections being lost on all three of them, though - that surprised me.