Bastet

Yeah, it's just a joke that Gillian and David, her especially, have made on more than one occasion over the years when asked (specifying it as octopus porn is her new addition). I like the time she did the rabbit ears impression as her answer (meaning a Rabbit vibrator).

No, I was responding to the post about it being fine for an adult to take that attitude (that second place is just the first loser), but wrong to send that message to a child. Thus I said that while Jen was an adult when she said it, she was relaying what had been drilled into her head as a child by her dad. So that's why your response to me confused me, but now we're on the same page.

I figured someone would do this; thank you. I saw that blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot of four people and thought, "Wait, so if I'd recorded this, I could go frame by frame and know who emerges from LCK as the fourth finalist?" and then realized there could be former contestants as sous chefs in the mix, too, so it wouldn't necessarily mean anything.

I didn't; I said her father did the same thing to her as a child Jeremy is currently doing to his daughter.

Jen was saying it as an adult, but relaying it as something her father had always taught her. So, same scenario as Jeremy saying it to his child, just fast-forward a couple of decades.

Carl's decision this week was about as stupid as Kwame's last week, so he was a clear choice for elimination. Had he cooked something that could actually be prepared in the time allotted, I'm sure he'd have done a better job with it than Isaac did with his dish, so that was a truly boneheaded move. It was also clear to me Marjorie was safe, so that when Padma called her name it was going to be to say "Please join Jeremy" rather than "Please pack your knives and go," but it wasn't clear to her and she must have had quite the cardiac event. And, damn, it sucks to be Amar -- going home for toast (and losing to a crudo), and then missing out on the chance to cook French food for Hubert Keller. It was cracking me up that they kept showing the plank either Tom or the guest judge stood on to add some height. They went to the trouble of using one that blends in with the floor instead of using the standard box, but then showed it on camera multiple times.

And to think, it originally didn't exist. (Aaron had written a scene in which Leo was the one who went to get CJ, Richard said it should be Toby, and Aaron re-wrote it.)

Cool; some of those bugs were really interesting looking.

I needed a quick pick-me-up, so I watched the scene where C.J. falls into the pool and Toby asks her to join the campaign. It is perfection. Allison and Richard together are my jam, and everything about that scene is great. Blind C.J. falling into the pool, of course, but it really only gets better from there. The way Toby laughs (something we hardly ever see, but it's so open and free when it's with her, like when she throws the basketball through the window), and the way he puts his hands on his hips when she tells him to shut up. "Avert your eyes." The way she stomps up to the pool house to get a towel. "They said you'd been fired. Were you stealing things?" A nice shot of those great legs. "So this would be less." And then when she asks if he really thinks she can do it, and asks if Jed Bartlet is a good man. Their body language is so great. It worked like a charm; I am in a much better mood now.

That works for me!

"Are you an Asian girl?" That's as far as I made it with the episode.

You can send me the collard greens, but your husband can keep the rest. Maybe it's a strategy to get out of cooking. When my parents first got married, my dad was on dish washing duty and promptly broke a dish and two glasses or something like that. My mom did the dishes from then on.

It just depends on your plan; I have neither a deductible nor an annual limit. And count me in with wondering why the "I'm bathing the children" woman doesn't just say, "No thanks, I'm not interested" rather than coming up with an excuse (especially since, as has been amusingly pointed out, the excuse does nothing to scare the guy away if he's casing the joint rather than trying to drum up business).

At 7:20 last night, I realized, "Oh! It's Tuesday!" and turned on the TV. So I missed quite a bit, and never really got into the episode because of it. I was hoping for a re-airing, but there wasn't one, so hopefully they'll show it again next week. I liked Jane and Korsack and Jane and Maura talking about retirement. I really shouldn't, but I love when Jane pouts. But Frankie and his opposites attract meet cute - that I could have done without, since he was watching her instead of the street. Nice surveillance, dude. And I don't think he looks like Montgomery Clift, although the way she drew him, he kind of did. I still can't figure out where they're going with Kent. Nor can I figure out why the name patch on his lab jacket looks better suited to a gas station than the M.E.'s office.

(Although he said it in LCK, it doesn't spoil who he competed against or who won, so I'm not putting it behind tags.) As soon as he mentioned his chicken and waffles concept, Philip said he had a good waffle recipe. Kwame said he was going to use frozen. I don't remember there being any discussion in the episode of him looking for and not finding a waffle iron. So it seems he just decided from jump to do this with frozen waffles, not that he'd intended to make waffles and circumstances prevented him from doing so. Which is an astoundingly stupid decision. Like deciding your concept is going to be fish and chips, so you're going to pick up a bunch of frozen fish sticks and make the fries (or vice versa).

I just re-watched the Naked Gun movies this past week, so he's present - and much younger - in my mind, such that his death was a little jarring for a moment until my brain caught up to reality.

Yeah, back in its first few years of existence, a few of my friends who filled out the questionnaire got a "Sorry, we can't match you" type message. They were all atheists. I also heard from several atheists who got a bunch of moderately to severely religious (specifically, Christian) folks as their list of potential matches -- even though they'd answered questions about the religious inclinations of a potential partner by saying it was important that religion not play much of a role in their life. As word of the various experiences like this spread, eHarmony got a reputation, which they're now apparently trying to counteract.

They're selling a cleaning product that the mom uses to clean up after that little snot. Yes, yet another commercial in which a husband or kid makes a mess, and a smiling mom cleans up after them.

I am positively giddy at the thought of an Allison Janney/Richard Schiff reunion, so thank you for posting that! Now I just need to keep on top of when it's going to air (I like the show, but don't watch it regularly). So, any heads-up -- please post.

Maybe she just doesn't wear a wedding ring. I know quite a few married people who don't, for various reasons. I've never paid attention -- is she always without one, or just during certain segments?

No, not the season finale! I still have a rather odd reliance on this show. I’m going to have to start recording morning reruns again. Tia sounds really different in some of the VOs; it’s tripping me out. It’s heartbreaking to see Earl stumble like that, but I’ve noticed a little something off for a while … maybe since a bit before his surgery, but it was pretty vague then. Chronic pain is no fucking joke, and I have nothing but sympathy for someone who goes down a bad road trying to deal with that - especially when it’s getting addicted to something legally prescribed to you! - because once it hits addiction stage ... man, that is some controlling, debilitating shit that is so hard to overcome. And, not for nothing: Substance-abusing Earl is blowing off work and snapping at the drop of a hat … but also over-reacting to a dog’s condition and making middle-of-the-night phone calls for Lizzie’s veterinary medicine knowledge. Kudos to Tia having that initial conversation off camera. I also appreciate everyone agreeing to do their “see ya soon”s on camera; it’s an important thing to show. Earl is a textbook illustration that being addicted is a horrible thing, but addicts are not horrible people – it can happen to anyone under the right (wrong) set of circumstances. I am rooting for him like I root for those I know personally. Also sad is the woman who’s become the neighborhood dog rescuer; she has the best of intentions and is doing a pretty good job on the whole, but isn’t equipped – with separate spaces or with adequate behavioral knowledge - to safely house that many dogs. Tia handled her very well. Tia loses another great parolee to long-distance romance. Matt certainly handled his resignation better than Jake, but he also didn’t have the same level of emotional history. Good luck to him in the future. Does Matt have a child in Louisiana, or am I confusing him with one of the other parolees who have kids? I think it must be the latter, because he came to VRC as a parolee directly from working there as an inmate on a work program, but for some reason I have a picture of him with a young girl. At any rate, I’m going to miss him. I dig Country Matt. (As do those dogs. I know it’s meant to be a stepping stone, but I just miss these guys when they move on. I can only imagine what Tia and crew feel.) But bringing back the beard? Not a good look. :-) Tree/Sunflower! By leaps and bounds, my biggest fear about being burglarized is the idea someone could harm/let out and leave vulnerable to harm my cats. When moving, it’s totally reasonable to leave your pet in the comforts of her familiar home short term to take the first load of stuff and then come back to bring her along with the final load, and these people come back to find their stuff – and their dog – stolen in a break-in. I’d be coming out of my hair. Their reunion was the perfect counter-balance for this episode. The power of this show! I’m glad production didn’t make Tree’s family take down their Christmas decorations in order to try and disguise the time of filming – and am impressed they turned footage around that quickly.

I never really formed an opinion on the stolen property charge, because, sure, it's not exactly unlikely, but it also wouldn't make sense under the circumstances -- and the DA's behavior was pretty much verging on bizarre (and the system really did, time and again, have it in for VRC and its crew when they were here in L.A. County). Tia spent a whole lot of money defending Aaron, and I hope for her sake above anything else that he was worth it. Mondo has been gone from VRC for a few years (per a Facebook question), but I don't know the timeline/specifics. He initially stayed behind to close up shop in Agua Dulce and then decide what to do given his large family and local ties. He, his wife, and at least the one young daughter came to New Orleans temporarily while she sought some specialized treatment for her cancer, but I get the sense that was never intended to be permanent. I don't know what he's doing now.

Lucky in the driver’s seat of the motor home was just adorable. I love these behind-the-scenes specials, with the way the crew gets involved – and listens to Tia, damn the shot, when she says to back off. I love Tia’s question to owners who move and leave their dogs behind. “How did you think this was going to play out? What was supposed to happen – he’d open the door and go look for a new home himself?” I also like her, “Oh crap, why can’t you [snapping turtle] be a regular turtle?” She cannot see an animal on the side of the road without helping, but she knows those things will take a chunk out of you. “Last season, an alligator. This season, a snapping turtle. Next season, let’s go for a wild pig.” Hee. Ivy and that little girl remain one of the cutest owner/dog bonds I’ve ever seen. I teared up along with Tia as she talked about watching the episode and reflecting on Mariah and her childhood buddy. I cannot fathom having grown up without my cats, so it is a special little tug – even though I don’t like kids – seeing a kid and a pet adore each other. I could watch a show about Jethro every week. A friend who uses Facebook sends me home videos that Tia posts on her Facebook page, and that dog cracks me up. There’s one where Jethro is asleep on a couch or bed, tucked under a blanket other than his head, and just refuses to get up; it’s early morning and they have to head into the city and he’s just not having it. You can hear Tia saying, “All the mornings you wake me up at 6:00 with your woo-woo-woos … get up!” I still can’t believe he survived his mystery illness. The "blooper reel" was fun, but Tia's comment about finding her "future ex-husband" at the prison was interesting -- did she divorce Aaron?

I'd never heard of crate training until joining a pet forum a few years back. I'm still iffy on it in general, but I've come to understand how incredibly beneficial it is in some situations. And through a friend forwarding me pics/videos from Tia's Facebook page, I've seen oodles of pics of her dogs out and about in the house, so I think Tia is doing it the way it's designed to be done. Which I'd probably still never do ... unless I had that many dogs, maybe. Like lordonia, I cast no aspersions on those who utilize crates in some fashion; I don't have dogs, so it will never be an issue, and I still don't know enough about it - but I've definitely been educated out of my knee-jerk "that's awful!" reaction in all situations.

I had to stop watching Jackson Galaxy’s show because it was too formulaic and staged, but the man knows – and loves – cats (and his Spirit Essences have worked fantastically for several cats in my life), so it was nice to see him in a different context. Big kudos to that woman taking care of them for two years. I’m a huge proponent of TNR programs for community cats, so I know several people who care for a colony in their neighborhood. I think it’s great that they showed the proper way to handle a situation like this, the evaluation, the gradually increasing physical contact over the course of a week or more, the creation of positive association with the traps, etc. Do it wrong, and you may wind up getting one or two total and scaring off the rest of them for a long time. I love those cat cabins. The situation with the mama dog Milky Way reminded me of Artemis, with Tia wandering around with her to see if she’ll lead her to puppies. Like with Artemis, I figured by Milky Way’s behavior that the puppies were gone, and momma had just been turned out when they were done using her. Yay for Bullet! All that time without even an application. And the home check takes me back, yet again, to how much I respect their lack of rigid, one-size-fits-all rules. So many rescues would never adopt a dog to someone without a fence. VRC insists on hard-core fences in most situations. But here, with a dedicated couch potato, and a responsible owner who will have him leashed during his brief forays outside, they understand it’s a good fit. I love his owner. “You’ve been waiting for your momma.”