Bastet

Grace feeling the vibrator and getting the sudden urge to "call her cousin" was hilarious; they’re making sex toys, candidly discussing the results the next morning, but she doesn’t just say, “I’m going to go try this thing out; see you in the morning.” It’s totally Grace to still have these moments. Frankie mouthing, “What the fuck?” to Grace when the women’s group started praying was great. “What are we going to do?” “There’s a strong rip current today, I’m going to walk right into the ocean and be on my way to Hawaii.” But my absolute favorite was Frankie saying, “Let me handle it. I have been waiting my whole life to talk to a bunch of Bible thumpers about my naughty bits.” I knew that friend of Grace’s was going to take one home with her – and that the others would come around. But it was still funny. “You two are doing god’s work.” “Silent man with spittoon” as a proposed role for Sol made me laugh out loud. I’m a total Brianna about kids, and it was a dick move for Mallory to just show up to what is supposed to be lunch for the two of them with her kids (call and say there was a sitter mix-up and give Brianna the option to either reschedule or have the kids along), but I agree that, as her sister, Brianna needs to dial back several notches with her open disdain (but she doesn’t have to pretend she actually enjoys being around little kids; she doesn’t, and that’s fine). I love Grace and Brianna bonding over the fact Mallory has too damn many kids, so when she calls they hope she’s not asking them to watch them. “Suck it up and be nice about the kids.” “All of them?!” “Pick two to start.” I like the conversation Mallory and Brianna wound up having. If Sol isn’t yet ready to retire completely, that’s fine. Why does he have to just because Robert did? Their friend, with his, “All I’ve ever wanted to be is retired” annoyed me – good for him. Sol feels differently. Move on. Plus, it’s their own firm, that they’ve spent their lives building; it’s not like putting in your papers and collecting your gold watch from some corporation you don’t give a shit about. To that end, I’m not sure how believable I find it that Robert just up and retired in such short order, but I guess since he knows Sol is still there part time to help with the transition, and that the transition is to Bud, it works. I'd like to see Bud at work, with them retired.

Everyone needs easier-to-open condoms, not just old folks. And I agree that means they may very well get a more receptive audience at the incubator if they lead with that, and then follow with the vibrators, because they’re pitching to young men, but this business is for baby boomer women; Grace has the facts on how they’re an under-served market. And fundamentally, damn, Jacob needs to butt out. If he wants to put his butt on the line for 1/3 of the loan and they all agree, he can be part of the business; otherwise, go eat your breakfast at home and let the actual business partners work. Jeez, show, don’t make me dislike the yam man. (And how did he and Frankie get their condom package prototype made so quickly?) Grace zapping Frankie with the laser tag was a cute little moment. “I still haven’t emerged completely from peri-menopause.” “I’m going to bet you have.” Nice talk between Frankie and Brianna, with Frankie accepting Brianna’s silent apology, and being the one to tell her what she needed to hear said out loud about the break-up: If it wasn’t right for you, it wasn’t right for anybody. I love the way Frankie describes her dream: "I was shaving a cat, only it wasn’t a cat, and it wasn’t me." Because, on the rare occasions I remember my dreams, that’s exactly how I'd describe most of them – I was at home with Julie, only it wasn’t my house, and Julie looked different.

Oh, I know; I always know if she says a recipe serves four, I can feed it to at least six if not eight. But those slabs of cake were out of bounds even for her, especially since they were so sloppy. It was jarring. And disgusting.

“We’ll form an old-lady gang. We’re creaky, but tough. We’re forgetful, but fierce. Gravity may be no friend of ours, but that doesn’t mean our bottom line will bottom out.” Grace in Count Drinkula pose staring at the painting was a great shot. “He is with you? But he’s so nice.” “Thank you, Mom.” “Any time, darling; you’ve always been like a daughter to me.” I want very badly to cut (or at least comb) Barry’s hair and shave his face. I snorted my own drink (water, sadly) out my nose when they started playing the drinking game about Bud’s girlfriend. “I have to pee; do you have my special soap?” was my favorite. “This didn’t come from a box of martinis you got me four years ago?” It’s telling that Robert didn’t know Grace was lying; it was pretty obvious, and especially should have been to her husband of forty years, but he doesn’t even know her that well. Yet he still steps in to humiliate the so-called friends who were talking shit about her, and encourages her, saying it took a few tries with the last business, too. Sol is so selfish, at least in one specific way. He does something to anger or hurt someone else, and then he feels bad (genuinely, because “this fucking guy” is not a bad guy, but instead very well intentioned), so he feels entitled to force his presence upon them, or lay some information on them, despite their wishes or what’s best for them, because he can’t stand feeling bad any more. He does truly regret the damage he causes to those he loves, but he prioritizes his own pain over theirs by basically demanding forgiveness. It doesn't work that way.

I gave up on this show. I was going to record it two weeks ago, to see if I liked it more being able to fast-forward through the police segments, but I got caught up in something that night, and then it just fell off my Thursday night radar altogether. A&E had been airing New Orleans episodes afterward, with chyrons of little tidbits about what we'd seen and a few minutes of bonus footage, so I'm missing that by having forgotten all about the show for two weeks, but I sure don't miss the Tampa episodes I didn't see.

I just saw the episode where Ina has a friend and her two kids over to make pizzas and decorate a chocolate cake with candy (I normally don't watch the episodes with kids, but nothing else was on and I was delaying getting out of bed). I love that she tried to keep the cake from being quite as ugly as it would inevitably be after letting kids decorate it with candy, by choosing color-coordinated candy. But, oh my god, what was up with those giant portions she cut for everyone? Four of them, and half a sheet cake was gone. The slices took up entire plates! (And those were salad plates, not little dessert plates.) That was gross, and I really don't see the point of it. Plus, they were these weirdly shaped slices, because she basically just hacked into the cake at random. It was like this odd little, "Fuck it, you made me do another damn episode with kids, I'm done" ending.

Apparently, I can't either, because I just checked to see if season three was available yet; I've never had Netflix access on the day of release before, so I don't know what time the episodes become available, and thought maybe it was at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on release day, so since it's after 9:00 here on Pacific time, I figured I'd check. Does anyone know what time the episodes will become available?

I did a re-watch over the past couple of months, too, and loved it -- in fact, in the case of The Party and The Coup, I loved them even more than I did the first time around. I always found both episodes great, but this time around I was particularly moved by how nuanced The Party is. Everyone has conflicting feelings, even Babe (she's firm in her choice and at peace with her life, but she's also sad that it has come to this). And, oh my goddess, the penultimate scene in The Coup, when Grace and Frankie tell everyone off got me even more fired up this time; the cat was looking at me with that tilted head, as if to ask, "What are we fist pumping about?" I love every word of those final minutes.

I've been wondering a lot about Captain; I'm so sorry to hear he's proving to be such a complicated case. I've never heard of an instance where the PU surgery won't solve the blockage issue, so I can imagine how frustrating this is for you (and for your vet, too). There are Yahoo Groups (and probably Facebook groups, if you use that) for owners of pets with all kinds of chronic medical conditions; you may want to see if there's one for owners of cats with urinary blockages, because then you could post about Captain's complicated situation and see if anyone else's cat was the same way and what their vet wound up doing. Then you could talk to your vet about whether or not that would be a good option in Captain's particular case. As DeLurker said, there's no good in pretending this doesn't hurt like hell. Wallow while you need to, and let us know any time you need a virtual shoulder to cry on. You're going through a lot right now, and it's miserable. I will be hoping the very best for Captain, and you.

That's when it bothers me the most: Character A says, "you and me," Character B snottily "corrects" her by saying, "You and I," and the scene goes on to something else. The professional writers believe Character B is correct.

It would have made a hell of a lot more sense than Dorothy leaving the household to marry a man she'd known for about five minutes - and to whom she'd become engaged as a prank. I know the ending came about because Bea Arthur was leaving, and there really isn't another plausible reason other than killing Dorothy off, but I wonder how much notice they had of her intention to move on; unless it was an eleventh-hour announcement, they should have set up a more plausible relationship. It has always bugged me, and I hardly ever watch those final two episodes in syndication. (Besides, who wants to see that awful dress again?)

I have the series (well, seasons one through seven and then 10) on Blu-Ray, and I don't even have Netflix, but I'm still bummed because my parents have Netflix and I have a list set up for when I'm staying at their house to kitty sit -- it was nice to know that, should the burning need to watch Bad Blood come upon me (as it does), I'd be able to watch, despite the discs being at home. Alas, it has been on there for quite a while, so I'm not surprised.

Some people seem to have a burning desire to stick an apostrophe in any word ending with the letter S (someone here once said something along the lines of, "An apostrophe does not mean here comes an S"). I know the language has some funky rules, and there are nuances within the "use an apostrophe to indicate possession" rule, certainly, but the basic possessive vs. plural concept is simple. Add me to the growing list of those amused by the "nip it in the butt" blunder (which I'd never heard before).

Heather strongly resembles my favorite vet tech, so I was rooting for her from the beginning, especially when she asked the woman who cut herself in the appetizer round if she was okay as soon as time was called. Forget the burnt meatballs and slimy okra, the color of the sauce in Sophia’s appetizer looked thoroughly unappetizing – like pale Pepto Bismol. The more I heard from her, the more I disliked her, so I was glad Heather’s food almost always looked better to me and I could continue to root for her. Happy to see her win. Carolina’s steak in the entrée round was even more unappetizing looking than Sophia's appetizer, so no surprise to see her go that round despite the delicious sauce, but I'd have sure loved to lose Sophia a round earlier. I really did not like her.

When I worked in HR (which was actually semi-fun, as it was for a record label, which back then were dedicated to being anti-corporate), my favorite complaint was from the employee who didn't like the brand of tampons in the dispenser in the women's restrooms. First of all, wrong department; go see Administration. But, I'm sorry, you have access to free tampons, and you're complaining about the brand? Hey, I'm pretty loyal to "my" brand, too, but in the event I don't have any on me and find myself in need of a tampon? I am just damn happy to have one right there.

“When a thing exists which you really abhor, I wish you would remember a little whether in letting it alone you are minding your own business on principle, or simply because it is comfortable to do so." - John Galsworthy “Speak your mind even if your voice shakes. Well-aimed slingshots can topple giants.” - Maggie Kuhn “If everyone does one thing, they are likely to do two things, then three things. Then they are likely to influence friends and family, and that’s how you build a movement. That’s how change happens.” - Laurie David These things don't stop being true when one is a celebrity. In fact, I think they become more important to remember -- when society hands someone a microphone, they have a responsibility to use that influence.

How shocking. I love those ads, too, and am embarrassed to say it took me a few airings to understand how the "ballroom jeans" got their names. In my defense, I'd mostly been hearing the commercial, and when I finally saw it went, "Ohhh." And then, "Ha!"

I'm not worried about it; the preview was evenly balanced between age-related storylines and those in which age is irrelevant. And one of the tenets of this show has always been that older women are not defined by their age. At the same time, things inevitably happen (to your body, to your mind, to your attitude, to society's perception of you, etc.) as you grow old, and acknowledging those changes - laughing about them, lambasting them, lamenting them, or lauding them, depending on the circumstances - is another basic function of the show, something important to see since older women are still too often ignored. I think they'll keep up the honest, humorous look at life as these individual characters, with all that informs their experiences -- which includes, but is not limited to, being "women of a certain age."

Mastitis is one of the seemingly few cat issues on which I have nothing beyond common knowledge. Was it always just the one gland, or were others affected and they've gone back to normal, while this one has lingered? At any rate, I'd normally say this is something to email the vet about, but you say it's a new vet, so that may not be feasible -- she or he may not be willing to answer a question about a new animal without an examination. But it doesn't hurt to ask. Oh, how fun - I can't wait to hear (and see) who you wind up with. I've almost always adopted older cats, but I've had a couple of kittens in my day; I understand that twinge of guilt when you don't opt for an adult, but you're still giving a homeless pet a home, and potentially saving a life. Plus, with a larger dog, and with your situation, there are some good reasons for getting a puppy so you can be the one training from the beginning. Re. the picture I deleted for space, but of course - cats know when you are getting ready to get up, and promptly climb upon you accordingly. And then look at you like, "Look how adorable I am cuddling with you; how could you possibly disturb me?" Re. the curtain rods, good to know, heh. Maybe you'll have to use toggle bolts when you reinstall in order to withstand Luna? "There's no expansion anchor that can hold me!" She could become a spokescat and earn her keep. I've never had a cat climb the curtains. I've had one climb the side of a brick fireplace all the way up to the ceiling, though (as a kitten). And then look at me as if to ask, "Now what?" I don't know, Goofball, this was your idea. This is the same cat who enjoyed climbing trees, but felt the process of getting back down was too cumbersome -- the lumberjack took too much time, the walk down the trunk only worked for a few steps before the shape of the claws was no match for gravity -- so she'd simply walk out on a low branch and let go.

Using the last roll and not replacing it takes me to a somewhat similar peeve: When my dad is at my house, he never, ever refills the Brita pitcher, even if pouring himself a glass of water means he's putting it back bone dry. I come out of my hair every time, so at this point I think he just does it to mess with me. But it drives me nuts; I don't discover it until I want a glass for myself, and while it's no big deal to refill, and takes hardly any time, it means I have to add ice -- and then the water is colder than I want (but preferable to warmer than I want as it comes out of the tap). Plus, you're not supposed to let those filters dry out. Grrr; my dad is hardly ever here, so this is only an occasional annoyance, but it drives me batty.

She died later than that, but I had to look it up to find out when -- 2003, at age 54. She'd been having severe headaches for a few days and then, boom, a aneurysm burst and she died of cerebral hemorrhage. As for what else one might recognize her from, she had a long list of credits. I primarily think of her as the surgeon who did Darlene's appendectomy on Roseanne, but she was also in a Cagney & Lacey movie and a whole lot of other TV shows in the '80s and '90s. Films, too. I do and I don't, because his realizations are pretty self-focused: I missed out on what so many interesting women could have added to my life because I was too caught up in narrow beauty standards to bother with them. It's annoying that he had to actually step into the shoes of a woman to notice what was blatantly happening to the women all around him (although, sadly, this is not all that unrealistic). And his realizations don't really go anywhere, certainly not to becoming an ally in the effort towards systemic change. The whole premise of the film is too White Knight-y for me, with "Dorothy" being the only woman to challenge the sexist attitudes and actions permeating the set (and life), a frustration that would have been mitigated had Michael examined how a lifetime of male privilege influenced his actions as Dorothy right out of the gate. I remember one commentary said something along the lines of, Tootsie examines feminist issues but does it by keeping actual women in the shadows. And that's pretty much exactly where I come down on whether or not it's a feminist film. It is, however, quite soundly in the category of sharply-written comedy. And you can't go wrong with Dabney Coleman as your scoundrel (see, e.g. 9 to 5).

Who raised these people? I don't understand leaving cabinet doors open, because who wants to look at what's inside - or bump their head on a door - but leaving the refrigerator door open? Didn't they get That Look growing up when they stood in front of the open refrigerator for too long (with or without declaring, regarding a fully-stocked fridge, "There's nothing to eat in here")? Maybe they did, and this is some odd form of rebellion; now that I'm an adult, I'll just leave the door open permanently? I'm well and truly baffled by this one. I, unfortunately, have had co-workers who don't push in chairs, and a few who don't close cabinet doors, but I haven't encountered an open refrigerator.

While there's certainly narcissism - and a touch of delusion - involved, Blanche looking in the mirror and seeing only her best features (or seeing in her mind's eye the younger version of herself as still existing) is infinitely preferable to me in a woman, especially a woman her age, than one who has so internalized society's narrow standard of beauty that she looks in the mirror and sees only those features which don't conform. It's entertaining, and I do laugh at her about it, but I also truly enjoy the way Blanche regards herself. And that when Dorothy or anyone else takes the piss out of her following one of her grandiose descriptions of her own beauty, she's generally not fussed about having reality pointed out to her; she just goes on her merry way.

Yeah, going to a game/competition your kid is in and staring at your phone would be pretty bad parenting, but a class seems different to me -- it seems like pretty much the equivalent of practice sessions for after-school sports, which parents don't attend. So, I think it's fine to spend a good chunk of time reading; you're basically just stuck there because it's too short a time to drop them off and come back for them, right? I think it's a good system for the kids to come to the window and say, "Watch me," when they're getting ready to do something they want you to see (their favorite apparatus, something they've been really working on and are proud to have improved, etc.) and otherwise read or whatever to pass the time. I never participated in any sports that weren't through school, so my parents didn't have to drive me someplace and wait -- I just stayed after school for practice and my mom picked me up when it was done. If parents had to sit there while we did bump, set, spike exercises or practiced lay-ups, I'd hope for their sake they had good reading material! A friend of mine moved in with her fiancé, and he leaves their kitchen cabinets open all the time; if she lets him live long enough to actually marry him, I'll be impressed.

I like that the animal rescue worker said of Baldwin, the fact he's a tripod will make it easier to find him a home -- animals with something dramatic (but not something that requires ongoing specialized care) tug at the heartstrings. Gypsy the deaf dog loving life with her deaf owner certainly tugged at mine. Speaking of that rescue worker, I'm impressed she can tell those black puppies apart. And the pile of sleeping lab puppies was adorable! Jack, the cat with the bone lodged in his trachea, is very lucky it didn't do any damage. I wonder how he got ahold of a bone; raw bones are fine, unless the pet swallows too large a piece whole, but owners have to be so careful with cooked bones because of the puncture risk. I was hoping they'd have included a talking head to that effect for the audience's benefit. That was quite a rock Sampson swallowed! I'm throwing out to the universe my request for a Dr. Jeff/Pit Bulls & Parolees cross-over episode. Villalobos desperately needs more organizations it can partner with for spay/neuter events. And, while I can't remember if Dr. Jeff has ever specifically addressed the misinformation and discrimination against the breed, I've seen a couple of staffers in pit-positive shirts. So I'd love to see Animal Planet bankroll a Planned Pethood trip to New Orleans (like it did with My Cat From Hell's Jackson Galaxy coming in to help Tia assist a local woman in rounding up and housing a colony of feral cats [to give credit where it's due, Galaxy also provided a lot of additional help on his own])