Bastet

I have not seen the UK version in its entirety, just what CBS/Paramount+ showed during the strike (I think just the first two seasons). I liked it, but like the US version better. I don't know if that's unpopular, but it is atypical for me -- normally when a show I like has UK and US versions, I prefer the former, as British humor generally appeals to me more than American. But something about the US version of Ghosts hits the spot.

This is appalling, even within the fucked up American system. It would be a hard pass for me; there's no way work-life balance is respected in a firm that thinks this is an acceptable PTO policy.

I agree. My friend's dad is absolutely obsessed with golf, so tried to teach both his kids, but neither found it fun so he didn't force it. When grandchildren came along, he again wanted to see if either would be into that as an activity they could do together; the grandson didn't like it, but the granddaughter did. It sounds like she has had a metric shit ton of stuff going on over the past couple of years, so she could be overwhelmed by her life, lacking the emotional energy to interact with anyone beyond her immediate family. After such a long relationship, it really hurts to receive silence instead of a simple explanation if that's the case, but whatever her reason is, she has made it clear by that silence she is not going to respond. If and when she ever gets in contact again and explains, you can decide whether or not to renew a relationship, but I don't think you should show up at her house and confront her.

Every once in a while, I oppose what Kerry is saying or doing, but most of the time I agree with her. Some of that agreement, however, comes with a cringe as I think, "Jeez, you really should have said that differently." I think Mark was too lax in general, more of a buddy than a manager. He was great for team morale, but the department wouldn't have functioned without Kerry. I love when Anspaugh becomes the new chief of staff and is ascertaining who does what in running the ER. Everything he asks, Kerry is the answer, so he asks Mark "Aren't you an attending, too?" Mark's answer to what he does is all feel-good stuff, while Kerry is doing all the administrative work. Everyone loves to put her down as a bureaucrat and some of her rules are indeed overkill, but you have to have a Kerry. The big difference for me, in terms of how I felt about a character during the original airing and how I feel now, is Mark. I remember he bugged me a number of times, but I pretty much thought he was great. Now, though, I frequently find him insufferable. They all, being TV characters, bring their personal baggage to work and take it out on their coworkers and sometimes patients, but he's just awful when he's in a mood. He's pretty much unwatchable after he's attacked; I am sympathetic to your trauma, dude, but good lords. And the appalling way he behaves with respect to Jeanie's HIV status because he's upset Susan didn't want him? GTFO.

I remember that clue (not the specifics, just that knowing what TLDR meant was a J! clue) because it was something I had learned in the Everything Else forums here, so wouldn't have known if not for hanging out on this site.

And then redeemed herself for the "Seymour Butts" commercials when she made this commercial for Aviation gin (which is just okay, but that's true of so many products, so get that paycheck, Jane)

Nope, just EW making a story out of nothing.

And where "Things were better/easier then" is even remotely true in the first place, it's only true for rich, white, cisgender, straight men with no disabilities, so people with "good old days" memes can get lost.

There's a fun thread in the Music section about mondegreens (a term I had not heard until the thread was created; I had no idea there was a word for it). That one would be a good addition.

The initial reactions to Kerry were interesting in how they varied, and rang true to me. First, Morganstern was right that someone who's strong in his weak areas is a better idea than someone who's very similar to him. Mark knows, yes, she's the right pick, so does it, but at first is wishy washy when conflicts arise (which is so Mark, which is why he needs a Kerry). When Peter, who had done a rotation with her, hears about the hire, he tells Mark it's a step in the right direction. Makes sense, as he likes things orderly and doesn't give a shit about pleasing personalities (see, e.g., his own). But Susan bristles, because she's stressed out at home (thanks to her dumpster fire of a sister and not far into Kerry's tenure having Little Susie dumped on her) and wants to be dealing with Mark and her friend, the Mark Jr, instead, so things are easy and familiar at work. And Doug, of course, is an insolent jerk from jump because he won't even listen to his own best friend when he wants to go his own way, so he's certainly not going to listen to someone like Kerry. I love one of their early interactions, which I just re-watched, where Kerry directs a kid with chicken pox to a room she believes to be empty because Doug can't be bothered to fill out the board - especially when he's treating a patient who should be seen at a clinic, but because they made a mistake he has decided the mother should come to him for everything - and when he gets in her face [complete with raised voice, hand gestures, and that obnoxious self-righteous look on his face] about how his patient, a kid with AIDS, doesn't need to be exposed to chicken pox, she has perfect delivery on her response of "No kidding, so maybe you can let us in on the secret that he's here". Thinking back, that may be when I was drawn to Kerry as a new character, and certainly something I love on re-watch. Doug is one of those attractive, charming male characters who gets away with way too much by the writers - and the audience, as art is imitating life here - because of that attractiveness and charm. An "oh, that rascal" attitude that downplays or even outright dismisses inappropriate behavior. I was never fully down with that, and as I got older I lost all patience with it.

I like how open she is about having chronic anxiety, and how she balances challenging herself while still knowing when it's time to say "This is too much for me".

All my soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, etc. is like that -- pretty containers that I refill from big bottles via Costco. A lot of those just pour, but the big shampoo/conditioner bottles have pumps, so I still have to hold my breath and hope the damn thing will work when I give it that first twist. Just less frequently, since they last so long (especially the shampoo). Same, so as not to waste, but also so the bottle has a shot at actually being recycled; if it's dirty, forget it.

I can't find it on YouTube to embed, but in this commercial, the dad's reaction to his little shit tween requesting a picture of the dinner he just made her cracks me up.

I think I hold my breath each time I have to do that, due to how many times it doesn't work.

That's a great interview, and I particularly liked this, because I - a founding member of Team Patty - have always credited Bess Armstrong with not being afraid of being labeled "unlikable", which, as a woman, she inevitably would be, and instead playing Patty honestly:

Yes, the Olympics forum always has a thread for the Paralympics; here's the one for Paris.

I liked her from the beginning, and was usually on her side, especially with Doug. That guy has no respect for authority, and tosses policy out the window on a regular basis. He always thinks he knows best, sometimes overriding (or at least trying to) a patient/their parent's express wishes. Granted, virtually all of them take turns doing that, but it was his MO. Same with Malucci and Pratt.

She negotiated it into her MGM contract that she didn't have to do publicity and could return to the theatre at least once a year; they gave her good roles but didn't renew her contract, so I wonder if they got pissy about her daring to demand to have a say in her career. The films in which she appeared after that weren't very good, but she transitioned to a combination of stage and TV, working steadily until she was about 80.

I recognized Silvia by face and voice, but don't remember a single thing about her performance on Top Chef. Other than waiting too long to sear the breast, there was some very good cooking in that episode. I loved Tiffany and Brooke's reactions when Silvia and Voltaggio came down to the final second. I don't know Ayaka at all, but loved Tiffany's reaction to Frank in that episode. And him being referred to as "the worst guest in the dining room". I think he's too much in that way only a white man can get away with; he just gets called "tough". Michael's score of 4 - ouch. But it was telling that Frank clearly thought that was Ayaka's dish, so how much did her gender and/or race subconsciously influence his scoring? They need actual blind judging on this show! For how many dishes he complained he couldn't taste the chorizo, I started to wonder if the dude just actually can't taste chorizo. I wanted all the clams & chorizo dishes; I love that combination (also shrimp & chorizo). And I really wanted both of Brooke's dishes, especially once she got a score of ten.

A while back, my mom asked me what was up with girls being so obsessed with Taylor Swift (she must have seen something on the news about the tour), and I said teenagers by nature tend toward the extreme so they obsess and move on, but at least these girls are giddy over a woman rather than only a bunch of guys.

I thought that was a really fun idea, and Shota did, too. I'm sure the guy with the salad would have won if he hadn't forgotten a component, since his dish was great but as a result of that omission didn't use the banana thing enough.

Same here. That center was an incredible accomplishment, using the Carter fortune to help communities that had been so neglected. And if he took shifts at County again, he'd have the best of both worlds, in still getting to interact with patients as he loves. This made me watch the finale again, and I love the stuff with the old gang. I love that Kerry came. Susan and Peter, of course, but she also made perfect sense given her relationship with Carter. And then to get Elizabeth in the mix as well by having her come up with Rachel for her med school interview -- it was all nicely set up. And, of course, as you said, the "Dr. Greene" line at the end. I started watching the pilot afterward, and the way Carter describes the process of inserting an IV to Rachel in the finale is exactly the same way Benton described it to him in the pilot. A nice bit of symmetry I'd never noticed.

Cyndi Lauper also has a song "Unconditional Love" (from her A Night to Remember album) -- I haven't thought of it in years, but now it's playing on repeat in my head.

I wouldn't have minded them still being together, but I'm not at all surprised they weren't; their relationship was really odd to me. They hadn't been dating all that long when she wanted to foster that baby with HIV and he just kind of declared they'd get married. Which they did, and indeed jumped into parenthood immediately. Very shortly after that, Jeanie decided to quit*. Take all that on when you don't truly know each other yet, and odds aren't in your favor for long-term success. *Kerry was such a good friend to her, and I love that when Jeanie just quits coming to work before finally being summoned and announcing she's not coming back, Kerry's reaction is to be happy she's happy and tell her to call her when the baby's older and doesn't need so much of her time, as there will always be a job for her at County.

I was rooting for the indigenous chef from CA. I liked all the first round dishes, but nothing in the second stood out to me. (I'd happily try all of them, just nothing had me wanting to reach through the screen.)