Bastet

This is in syndication now, airing on TVLand. I just stumbled across it tonight, and it seems to air from 10-11 pm and 1-2 am (Eastern), but it's also jumping around with the episode order. I saw an article referring to a "two-week launch event" starting Monday, so maybe it settles down into a sequential order after that.

I know all of this is for entertainment, not education, but they pretend they're actually teaching these people how to go home and cook. If that was true, teaching them how to break down a cow to get one steak would be a pretty stupid lesson. Also, I hate boneless meat (other than filet mignon). Not that my personal preference has any bearing, but boneless meat is a peeve and I thus must grumble every time I see it. I find it difficult to believe neither Melissa nor Vivica (I think those were the two) knew what piece of meat - since pretty much all, if not all, the other options were innards - the beef tartare was made from. Their guesses were so dumb - including Melissa guessing testicles, when she had demonstrated just a couple of rounds earlier that she can readily identify them by texture - that I found it entirely scripted. I don't think they should have peeled the kiwi for a challenge in which one is going by feel only. They still could have gotten their testicles jokes with the fuzz on. As I mentioned before, I don't think I've seen Vivica A. Fox in anything other than Independence Day, but she's entertaining the hell out of me in this. And she's pretty much the only one. I loved Melissa on Reba, and she made some very cheesy material work there, but not here; she's had a couple of funny moments, but they've been few and far between. My mom called when the contestants were just starting to cook their steaks and we didn't hang up until a few minutes left to go, so I tuned back in with a big "Ack!" upon seeing Vivica in the running for elimination. Bummer, and they could have at least tasted the food, but you can't serve grey steak and stay.

I like that film, love Dunne in it, and certainly don't dislike Douglas in it, but I'm not sure it's on my short list of leading man roles of his I truly enjoy, either. Maybe, because it's a good performance overall, but there are some moments played way too broadly that give me pause.

That's exactly what my friend did (and she didn't have the egg crate for a while, but she always had good mattresses and the trundle mechanism locked the two tightly together, so the void wasn't much of an issue even without one). If she's not going to put a decent bed in there, that's her right, but then she can't turn around and get huffy if you go stay in a hotel instead of killing your back on a sofa bed mattress. I mean, what kind of conversation is "What kind of bed do you want in here?" "X or Y." "No, I'm getting Z." Okay, thanks for asking.

If you wouldn't find it as horrifying as I would to get up that early, I'd take the first flight; the entire day is lost to travel either way, so better to land with plenty of time to get home, unpack, cuddle kitties, and otherwise settle in. As for the bed, what about a day bed with a trundle? A friend of mine had one growing up, because her room was small enough that you really didn't want a full-size bed taking up space permanently, so this way she could sleep in a full but the rest of the time just have a twin taking up space. That way when it's your mom's sewing room, there's not a full-size bed taking up space, but when you or guests are staying there, no one has to sleep in a twin bed like they're a freakin' toddler (I went from crib to full size bed, so I have no twin bed experience other than a random night here and there, and I hate them) and they get two normal mattresses pushed together rather than a sofa bed mattress. Or a Murphy bed, if she wants to save even more space, but then there's nothing to sit on when it's put up.

Duck and Cover 2162 Votes Shutdown

My favorite episodes from season eight are (sorry, I can't remember titles for later seasons like I can with the earlier ones): - The "That's Our Rosey" parody of '50s sitcoms that skewers everything that was awful about those shows -- the in-show advertisements, the anti-Communist hysteria, the parade of gender stereotypes, "that darn Anderson account," the cute little kid with a tag line because he can't act to say anything else, etc. - The one when Roseanne and Jackie go on road trip, pick up Riot Grrrl Jenna Elfman, and get to talking about how sexist the music they grew up on was. A lot of people don't like it, and it's definitely filler, but I don't mind the random, meandering trajectory under the circumstances, because it just feels like road trip conversation. Roseanne and Jackie are having fun, and Roseanne and Laurie seem to be as well, and I totally catch their mood. And I love the way they are amuse themselves by trading insults with the sexist truck driver, a la Thelma & Louise. - The Thanksgiving episode, with DJ's Pulp Fiction-style play (it cracks me up on its own, and then comes Anne Marie's perfect reaction to that "people came to this country for the freedom" woman) and Roseanne's imagination sequence. - The "Don't get above your raising" episode (White Sheep of the Family, per the above post) with Darlene turning down the job with good (by Lanford standards) pay and benefits in favor of finishing school and using her skills on something more meaningful than coming up with ad slogans. She's now a "them" rather than one of "us," and that makes Dan and Roseanne react differently to her usual comments about the house, the town, their lives, etc. - Becky Howser, M.D., when Darlene's opportunities get Becky thinking. She tells Mark she wants to go to college and become an EMT or physical therapist or something like that, and he takes that as she's going to become a doctor and move on without him. It's incredibly well done, but then they switch back to Sarah Chalke and it's all gone. - David and Darlene's wedding, for the great moment between Dan and Darlene as he's waiting for her to finish puking so he can walk her down the aisle. One generation saying, "Oh, we have plenty of time" and the older one saying, "You think you have all the time in the world to do all the things you dream of doing, but the next thing you know fifteen years will have passed and your life will be far more about obligations than aspirations" is fantastic. - The next one, with Roseanne and Jackie at the hospital. "I've been with him since I was 16 years old." I'm not sure if this is in the same episode, or the next one, but when Darlene intends to install the new garbage disposal and Becky tells her not to, as it will make Dan feel like they regard him as an invalid who can't do those things anymore. I'm SO glad they had Lecy for that one; it's the last good moment between the sisters. - The brutal fight when Dan comes home from the hospital and cheats on his diet/exercise plan.

The difference from how Tommy was referred to in the first episode and in the second is just the usual discrepancy between a pilot and the series it becomes. But how his absence was explained (or not) after the baby story line, I have absolutely no recollection. Knowing this show, he probably was just gone without any reference.

I hate that Bud Light commercial, too. But I love the pirate in this commercial for NFL Sunday Ticket:

It might have been the actor's availability - looking at his list of credits, he did quite a few other projects in that time frame (and got arrested at one point in there, but I don't remember what came of that).

The Cold Duck and Cover 2162 Votes (Still just going with the ones I don't know, but leaving Leo's funeral out for now.)

One of the few films with Melvyn Douglas as a leading man in which I enjoy his performance. (Lubitsch directing certainly helps.) I almost always enjoy him in the supporting roles that came later in his career, but he generally did nothing for me in this era, with Ninotchka as a significant exception.

Christ, Brandon Marshall, you have to make that catch! I didn’t want him signed, and absolutely nothing has happened to alter that opinion. The Giants have quite a few additional problems – the Swiss cheese o-line, no running game, Eli being Eli (mostly good, sometimes great, and then sometimes WT actual F, are you a rookie?!), the three missed tackles that gave up six on the ensuing punt return, stupid penalties, etc. – but, good grief, he’s a waste. I know it's early, but this is shaping up to be a long season.

I like the McMansion hell website, but had forgotten all about it - thanks for the reminder. My pet peeve for today is how fucking awful the Giants have been so far this season. I know it's only less than a half into week two, but damn. Also that I forgot to turn off the ringer on the phone in my parents' bedroom when I went to bed there last night (I'm kitty-sitting every other night while they're on vacation, and I sleep in their room rather than my old room because it has a Sleep Number mattress [so I can make it feel just like my mattress, plus they have a much fancier version than mine so I can elevate the head to watch TV, elevate the feet to help my circulation if my feet/legs are sore, etc.], a king-size to accommodate two cats and me, and a big ol' TV). They have one of those phone numbers that, despite being on the Do Not Call registry, gets a shit ton of sales/scam calls. They have a call blocker device that blocks them after one ring, but that one ring starts at some unholy hour. So I got woken up at seven-something, thought, "I need to turn that off," and went back to sleep, then got woken up at eight-something - lather, rinse, repeat. It's off now, along with the ringers on all but the living room phone, which is far enough away it generally doesn't wake me, so I'll be good for the rest of their trip. But every time it woke me up, it woke Chester up, and he tried to lick me into agreeing to get up and feed him.

I completely ate it coming down a flight of (concrete) stairs in a parking lot back in my 20s; being young, flexible, and lucky, I came away with just scrapes and bruises, but that fucking hurt and apparently left quite the psychological impression -- ever since then I have a tendency to get all tangled up in my head and then my feet (I start thinking I'm going to trip, which makes me trip). I've never fallen again, but I stutter step a fair bit. It's annoying. So, while I like the exercise of stairs, and will still opt for them over an elevator in many circumstances (e.g. I'm not in heels or going more than six floors), I do like an escalator in lieu of one flight of stairs because I still get a little bit of exercise (I don't just stand there, I climb them) without the flashbacks or whatever goes on my head on stairs. Getting back to Hints From Heloise, I keep a mason jar full of paint for every color I use in my house to have on hand for touch-ups, patches, etc. You still have the issue that the paint on your walls has been exposed to light for however many years while the paint in the jar has been in a dark cabinet, but at least it came from the same batch. (Use a sponge rather than a brush and feather outward, and you can very often get away with it even after a long time has passed.) And saving it in the jars takes up a lot less room than nearly-empty paint cans, plus keeps really well -- keep the lip wiped clean of paint, and you can open that thing up to fresh paint just needing a good stir after many, many years. I change my wall art far more often than I change my paint color, so I've patched my share of holes left by screw anchors and being able to go out to the garage and grab the appropriate jar o' paint (I label them with the color, sheen, and room(s) they're used in) is a big help.

Election Day (Part 2) The Cold In God We Trust

I can't believe next week is already the season finale; it seems like the show just came back! Mars was adorable during the meeting with Leo, but his bond with Veronica was pretty immediate. Veronica not caring at all that planes were taking off over her head was cute, and her claiming her chair was fantastic. Poor Harvey; he looked so sad and painful. Seeing him feel better was so nice, and I like the soft spot Joe has for him. The ark is cute, and that would be nice to be able to keep them on the property (like in the warehouse, where they can just move them upstairs) rather than having to evacuate them elsewhere. It's easy to spot the stories that were filmed quite some time back - the ones where Tia's knee is still giving her a lot of problems (and where Cypress Lake is still fixing its flood damage).

Same as before: Election Day (Part 2) The Cold Tiebreaker: In God We Trust

Matt Leinart and Vince Young sitting down to reminisce about the national championship game was nice. Obviously, I have lingering nightmares about that game, but I also have such fond memories of that era of USC football, and that's more important. It was just such an utterly fun time to watch; they were great, they were pumped up, they ran exciting plays -- it wasn't just the winning, it was how much fun they were to root for. Plus, that national championship game was a great one. It just ended wrong. :-) This one is shaping up early to be one hell of a game, too -- Texas is in serious underdog mode and playing their asses off, and Helton's team needs that kind of test. I like him as a coach on the technical aspects of the game, but I'm not entirely sold on him yet in terms of creating the right attitude among players - reducing mental mistakes, not looking ahead and forgetting to play the game they're in, halftime regrouping, etc. - so this will be illuminating. I just hope it ends better. :-) And I'm getting a good laugh out of the "Fine, it didn't happen - we never lost that game" stance; all the good things USC is supposed to accept never officially happened because of the overblown punishment, I think turning the narrative around and saying this didn't happen either just shows how silly it all is.

Heads up: This will no longer be available on Netflix as of October 1st.

Well, I guess I'll just look at summaries of the ones I don't know and picked based on that: Election Day (Part 2) - Sounds like it's a lot about the new time and little about the old The Cold - Sounds like this is when Josh/Donna got going, and I find them gross Tiebreaker: In God We Trust - Just because

Yeah, which is why they're held captive there, their wings clipped to varying degrees (so some can't fly, some can fly short distances that won't get them outside the grounds, and at least one can leave and return), and subjected to a breeding program, ensuring the Tower won't be without ravens.

Oh, so there were seven (or more) dishes they had to plug into the right country/dish slot? If so, then I withdraw my complaint on that front and chalk it up to another instance of me not paying proper attention to this fluffball of a show and thus being as dense as the contestants.

Despite all but literally throwing up my hands last week, I decided to watch again when there was nothing else on at the time of the second airing. I made it eight minutes before I wanted to bow out again. How fucking stupid to act like there’s any “we have to taste this again to figure out what it can be!” suspense where you both have only two of the six wrong, and know which two they are – just go switch those two! It reminds me of a baby shower I endured where two peopled had tied in the game where they had to guess how many whatevers were in a jar and whomever came closest to the number would win. The stupid host said A guessed Y and B guessed Z and they were tied, so for the tie-breaker, A and B would guess again. Both just sat there and looked at her like, um, it’s the midpoint of Y and Z? Plus the whole let’s trot out foreign words/foods as fodder, and the silent Asian guy to pull noodles. Bleh. If you were really teaching a total cooking novice, you’d give them easy-peel shrimp. And, in a previous episode, a chicken whose head had already been chopped off. You don’t need to make them jump right to the “gross” aspects of ingredient prep to teach them how to compose a meal. Just more manufactured drama, which requires one to rely on the entertainment value of the contestants in the absence of legitimate instruction and learning, which is why I thought I might like the celebrity version when I can’t stand the regular version. And they’re trying, as are Anne and Rachel, but this is painful sometimes. Fundamentally, I don’t find playing stupid funny. So self-deprecating (or good-natured mocking by the hosts) humor about that of which one is legitimately ignorant and the “duh!” moment when it sinks in is humorous. Faking befuddlement by basic items and terms is not. Especially at this stage of the game (and, gee, all of a sudden everyone was doing well with minor errors - they couldn't possibly have already known the basics of cooking, could they?) Despite her extensive credits, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Vivica A. Fox in anything other than Independence Day, and I definitely don’t know anything about her off camera, but I’m digging her on this. Going back to willfully-ignorant dunces, we come to me -- I haven’t paid proper attention to who was on what team, and who was eliminated. Was Carmen Electra on the team that was lopsidedly depleted, and thus her injury knocking her out of competition was quite a convenient storyline to make it closer to even (and thus no one going home today, to maintain something close to balance)? And is this – unlike Chopped – a series in which those who are eliminated still get a lesser donation for their charity?

Yep, and made popular again several years back via the film Julie & Julia.