Bastet

I'm nuts - I once pulled over to free a bee - so I'd have driven back to where I thought the rat hitched a ride so she/he would be released back into a familiar environment. Because I, like I said, lose my damn mind and start anthropomorphizing the hell out of animals, worrying that being separated from family and "friends" is traumatizing. But it would have been the same "open the hood and stand back" method of release; a friend/neighbor when I was in junior high had pet rats, and I used to play and cuddle with them all the time, but your average street rat/mouse is not something I want to touch. (I would, however, let Mr. Squirrel into my house - something he tries to achieve about once a week, as he is completely unafraid of me or the cat and believes our yard to be his own, so he just suns himself on the patio door step and tries to come in when I open the door - if I didn't know it was a terrible idea. And it's a good thing I understand how vicious raccoons are, because, oh my god, they are so cute!)

Titus' mother raised him right. He was perfect with the domestic violence victim -- assuring her she wasn't at fault, had nothing to be ashamed of, etc. and encouraging her to leave her abuser because she deserves better, but without a whiff of judgmental "Why the hell do you put up with this shit?" crap. Even those of us educated, trained, and experienced with the complex psychological, financial, and societal system that is domestic violence can sometimes have trouble wrapping our minds around how long it can take someone to leave her abuser for good (many will be shocked to know a victim, on average, leaves and returns seven times before permanently breaking free [or, tragically, being killed]). But you keep that frustration to yourself, and he did it beautifully.

It's Glenn Beck's propaganda delivery system (TV station, website, radio station).

President Obama said, in an interview during his first few months in office, "The American people, I think, not only have a tolerance but also a hunger for explanation and complexity, and a willingness to acknowledge hard problems. I think one of the biggest mistakes that is made in Washington is this notion you have to dumb down things for the public." And I thought, "What a refreshing and lovely way for the president to think of the American people. Unfortunately, I'm almost certain you're wrong."

I was on such a high from USC winning the Rose Bowl, and then I switched over to the Sugar Bowl and heard Brent Shitburger's voice and realized I was going to have to listen to him in order to watch OU. I hate that guy. He's not going to be back calling the national championship game, is he? It was so nice without him last year.

It depends on the office; I wear knit pants (without a button or zipper) to work with some frequency. We're pretty casual (not as casual as one [major, national] organization I worked for, where almost anything was okay, including shorts and flip flops!), so pants like these, when paired with the right top, easily fit in with our environment (there's no actual dress code). We only don business attire for depositions, court, etc.

Exactly. I buy my own insurance, and I had to go through a whole appeals process way back when I first bought the plan, because I was initially denied for pre-existing conditions (conditions not much more serious than having sneezed before, seriously). When the ACA was implemented, I could have switched to a different plan in compliance with the ACA and - as is true for most people, despite the hysterical reports making it seem like the opposite was the norm - it would have given me equal or better coverage for less money (nothing to do with subsidies, as I don't qualify for them; just on its own, it costs less per month). However, since congressional Republicans immediately started hollering to the heavens that their new sole purpose in life was to repeal the ACA, I was afraid to -- let's see, I've long been grandfathered in to this existing plan, so while now it doesn't comply with the ACA (basically meaning I still have co-pays for everything), I can't have it yanked away from me for, you know, using it and thus tallying up more "pre-existing conditions." If I drop it and switch to an ACA-compliant plan, I save money every month (and not a small chunk of change, either) and get better coverage, because some services will no longer require a co-payment. But if Republicans get their way and repeal the ACA, allowing insurers to once again deny people plans because of pre-existing conditions, I can't get back into that plan I gave up; I will be completely screwed, unable to get insurance, no matter how much I'm willing to pay for it. So, I'd better hold onto my existing plan until the election, even though it costs more; after that, if we still have a Democrat in the Oval Office, maybe this "Repeal!" furor will die down enough that I can feel safe switching. So, I've paid thousands more per year, and will now have to keep doing so -- in perpetuity, perhaps. And my premiums - for this plan that has nothing to do with the ACA - keep going up every year, just as happened every year before the ACA existed. Because that's what insurance companies do -- raise your rates every year (because you get older every year). The ACA is not the cause of it. That repealing a law that prohibits insurers from denying coverage to those who need it most (and to virtually anyone, on the pretext of "pre-existing conditions," which basically everyone has if you define it broadly enough, and they do) and provides subsidies for those below a certain income level so that tens of millions of people who previously couldn't qualify for and/or afford health insurance now have it is a mere thought, let alone a goal, let alone priority number one for Trump, Ryan, et al. -- it's disgusting! The ACA is not socialized medicine (unfortunately; we'll never have true healthcare reform in this country until we have single-payer national health insurance ["Medicare for all"]), it's a goddamned Republican plan that keeps the profit-driven private insurance system in place and simply removes two major obstacles to accessing that coverage. All this is costing me is money. It will cost some people their lives.

I liked Mulder and Scully in season ten, and think the season on average was good (Babylon was pretty awful as I recall, the Weremonster episode was utterly fantabulous, the mytharc bookends were okay with good moments, and the remaining two MOTWs were good with great moments, so -- good on average). It's hard to slot it into my ranking of seasons, though; it's so short, and the first six have such high nostalgia factors for me that it's hard to slide season ten in there anywhere. I could probably put it before season seven, though, or at least equal with it. I'd have to watch Babylon again to see if it would rank among my five or ten least-favorite episodes, but I have no real desire to do that. First Person Shooter is definitely still below it! Fight Club, too.

Basically, your contact is weighted by how much effort you put into it: adding your name to a pre-written email gets tallied at the lowest weight, then sending your own email, then sending a fax, then calling, then writing a letter and sending it via USPS. But that has changed over the years; messages via Facebook or Twitter have to be slotted in there somewhere, and it's now commonly said that calling carries the most weight. And that way you get to talk to a staffer and may get some good feedback - or at least judge by their attitude - on how many other constituents are reaching out with your (or the opposite) message.

Isn't she attending with Bill, as former First Lady, as opposed to attending as Person Who Won the Popular Vote But Lost The Presidency Due to Antiquated System of Bullshit? I'd be fine with the Clintons, Carters, and Bushes sitting it out (the Obamas skipping it would be an even bigger break from the norm; that's in its own category) on the grounds there is nothing normal, routine, or remotely acceptable about Donald Trump being inaugurated president so there's no need to observe tradition by attending. It would generate an absolute shitshow of bad press, but I'd applaud it. But, on the flip side, I won't condemn them for sticking with that tradition. (Assuming it is tradition, because now I'm starting to second guess myself; I know it's traditional for the outgoing President and First Lady to be there, but is it also traditional for the former presidents and first ladies to attend as I think it is? Off to research ...)

One of my favorite professors signed that letter, and there are a few others I was hoping/expecting to see on there; hopefully more will sign on.

That's it?? That's the only episode from S10 I've re-watched (I bought the Blu-Ray for that episode and the blooper reel, basically), and I almost have it memorized. I saw that (and the S10 premiere) at a screening, and could barely contain myself waiting for it to air so I could see it again. That one became an instant favorite for me. Nothing will ever top Bad Blood, Small Potatoes is still second, and I've not yet contemplated where exactly it sits in my ranking, but it's top ten for sure.

That someone wouldn't know the significance of Strange Fruit makes me sad, but then I realize how old it is, that Billie Holiday (or Nina Simone) don't exactly get radio play these days, and how protest songs have gone the way of the Dodo, and I check myself. It's cool that this may introduce the song to a new audience. Come to think of it, since Trump is probably among those unfamiliar with the song, she should have skipped the explanation. Then he'd have been all excited to have actually found someone else willing to perform, and agreed. Surprise, Donald!

Yeah, one of the greatest things about this place is it had only two owners prior to me, and the last one owned it for nearly 50 years and did very little to it. Sure, that meant those big projects were left for me, but I'd rather do them and know for sure they're done properly than have to untangle other people's attempts to cut corners.

Installing a toilet is quite easy so long as you can handle the weight. For clogged drains, I first use a bladder (hose attachment); if the clog can't be pushed through with water, I pull out the big guns and use an electric snake. If it's a really minor issue, I use the baking soda and vinegar routine. Same idea here; my house was built in 1938, and the quality of the construction materials and craftsmanship is worlds better than what is used in most new construction now. I had the original galvanized pipes replaced with copper, my dad and I re-wired the electrical and put in a larger breaker panel, I had a steel roof installed, and replaced the windows (still wood, but the exterior is clad in aluminum, and the glass is triple- paned), so the house will still be good to go long after I'm dead.

I did, too - it gave me flashbacks to Kerry Weaver (ER) getting all excited over the chance to use her beloved sternal saw.

That was a bit like the Cardiac Kids of old. Go, Trojans! You tried very hard to give away the game in the third quarter*, but then remembered how you can play. Thanks for an entertaining Rose Bowl. It was sad to see Adoree Jackson - one of the most versatile players I've seen in a while - unable to complete the game, but I loved seeing how excited he was when USC set themselves up with a chance to win it in regulation. *Taking nothing away from Penn State's comeback in that quarter, but USC defenders started throwing themselves at runners' feet rather than tackling them, the offense got shell-shocked and did a whole lot of nothing for a while -- I was worried for a while that USC was really going to embarrass itself and the conference. Now, go OU!

I pronounce it correctly, and often have people tell me I'm saying it wrong! I don't think I've ever had anyone point out my "error" when I've written it, but it has happened multiple times when I've said it. Then when I explain that no, I had it right to start with, there's the look of confusion before I nudge, "You know, Brussels - capital of Belgium," and then they put it together. (As for why I've said "Brussels sprouts" so often in my life, they're delicious, and I order and buy them a lot.)

I'm in Los Angeles, so I'm stuck with this game.

Watching that game was starting to cause me physical pain, so I'm glad CBS switched us - although I don't give a shit about San Diego/Kansas City, so I'll switch to FOX and further torment myself with the Rams' shitty play. I wish we got the Giants game instead. I appreciated Jack Del Rio's honesty and disgust heading into the locker room at halftime; if he was a different type of guy, we'd have been treated to a Jim Mora style "We couldn't do diddly poo ..." rant.

While this is fundamentally just another attempt to goad people into buying diamonds, I must say this one particularly irks me. People will come out of the woodwork testifying to their partner and their best friend being one and the same and, seriously, hooray for them. Personally, however, I find it creepy; for me, those are two distinctive roles and such overlap would be unhealthy. So I find the ads disturbing.

Before we get too far removed from Christmas to post this photo, here is Bandit (one of my parents' two cats) Christmas morning. He's "The Shredder" -- while he has greatly calmed down from his early days (estimates are he was about three when he showed up seven years ago), when he'd make confetti out of any paper you left available to him, he still leaves his mark from time to time, and loves to dive into the pile of discarded wrapping paper after we've opened presents. This year, he played for a while, and then dove under the pile, popping out like he was under bed linens rather than wrapping paper before taking a bath and a nap. Here he is just before the bath:

I'd be rooting for Washington, anyway, because they're Pac-12, but I loathe that turd Nick Saban, not to mention my dislike of Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian, so I really don't want Alabama to win. Which, of course, they will. I knew the Huskies defense giving up the first down after keeping Alabama stuffed at their one yard line for three downs was going to seal the deal, so this TD was pretty much inevitable.

Aw, so sad about Sutter, but I'm glad he had these extra few good months with his family. I remember the announcement when he recovered from his surgery: First Dog returns to work, resumes limited office trash can inspections, rigorous nap schedule.

I don't like the movie ending of Lonelyhearts; I wish they'd stuck with the play's.