Auntie Anxiety

Ironically, I just bought a pack of 24(?) sock rings (they are plastic rings with four "teeth" attached to the outside of the ring and pointing toward the center) the other day, for a whopping price of $1.99. They last me for years. I have them in a bowl where I take my socks off for the day, push the tops of the pair of socks into the ring and toss them into the laundry bin. So when that woman (and I simply hate it when someone has had a life-altering illness and uses that as a reason for investing because I've had my share of serious health issues and really don't feel like I'm entitled to any favors) said there is nothing like her "invention" on the market, I was shocked to hear it. How about Googling before declaring yourself a genius? The sock rings I bought were around for at least a decade.

Yeah, I have also gotten used to the flashbacks and can follow them better than last week though I don't really remember what happened in Season 1 including why Martin(?) is on the run in the first place. But I am a big fan of Sean Bean so I figure I'll just go along for the ride. Not much to watch on a Monday night anyway.

I think that one of Debi's problems was that she was very focused when it came to reaching difficult goals (Olympic figure skating, medical school, orthopedic surgery) but never learned what to do once she achieved those goals, sort of like "Okay, now what do I do?" Clearly she is psychologically impaired, probably starting with her feelings of failure over not winning Olympic gold. I think she's still punishing herself for that. The loser boyfriend is just another attempt for Debi to: a) give herself an impossible goal (i.e.,getting him to sobriety which would inevitably cause yet another host of problems for herself, between the two of them having a "sober" relationship which neither of them really knows how to navigate and her not knowing what to do once the goal is reached), and b) self-punishment for being a "failure" and feeling like she doesn't deserve better. And if she can fixate on him and his problems, she doesn't have to deal with her own. It rankles me to think that my tax dollars are most likely going to support the two of them.

Has Iyanla actually fixed anyone? Because most of the people seem to go back to the same life they were living prior to her two day tornado. She's still the same Iyanla from "Starting Over" (the best snarkfest ever), as annoying and as ineffectual as ever.

This is the tip off that Vicki knew Brooks was a con man. You don't make someone sign this kind of agreement unless you suspect that your "renter" is going to try to screw you. So she knew what he was capable of but her desperation to have a man around was much more important. Brooks reminds me of the snake who offers to give the frog a ride across the river and ends up devouring the frog midway through. You really can't blame the snake; he was just doing what snakes do.

She is such a narcissist. Because who gives a shit how sad her mother would have been to lose a child, such an unthinkable thing for a parent to have to go through? Certainly not Vicki.

No way in hell that he had a PT evaluation done. I had just a few PT sessions when I was battling leukemia because the doctors wanted to make sure I could negotiate stairs and had enough balance to stay safe once I was sent home. I was very weak after all the treatment (intense chemo for weeks at a time) and they knew I lived alone. But they can say that the bill doesn't appear to be from them. Brooks' version was clearly a bill from City of Hope I Don't Get Busted. Total bullshit. No way it would be so drawn out. A six week hiatus would mean that the cancer would have time to grow instead of getting pounded into submission. Unless you are an outlier (or and out-and-out liar!), you would have no appetite. The thought of a casserole would have made me even more nauseated. I see Vicki as a bottomless pit of need. The idea of casseroles is symbolic to her. And if you actually DID bring over a casserole, she'd be upset because you did it only once. I believe she has numerous personality disorders (narcissistic, dependent, histrionic, borderline); a mother who would throw away the relationship she has with her daughter just so she could have a man in her bed is a sickening thought. There is NO ONE in this world over whom I would risk losing my relationship with my kids. Her mother was in her 80's; did Vicki never entertain the notion that her mother was going to predecease her? I just can't with that woman..... OhGromit, you read my mind. I didn't even see your post while I was writing mine. As I always say, the key to knowing someone has a personality disorder is if that person thinks they are fine and their behavior makes everyone around him/her feel crazy.

Actually, that's not entirely true. Just about every procedure, every medication, every treatment, etc. that I had for three cancers was paid for by my health insurance, probably adding up to close to $1M (including 60 days in the best hospital in Boston). That being said, my health insurance costs me over $1K a month, and although I like to complain about it, I remind myself that it really is the best bargain I ever got. I had to pay the copays ($20) and an occasional fee. So Brooks could be correct about that.....if you believed that he did/does have NHL. I don't believe it for a second.

I caught that too. It was kind of like, "Okay, Dad, whatever." I'm just worried whether the bed could accommodate another couchie. This show is my favorite hour of my television week. I love their comments and their reactions. It would be great to be Brandy's and Julie's friend because those girls are a riot. The banter leaves me in stitches and those chihuahuas just add to the hilarity. And I seriously hope Zeno son never comes home with crabs.

Actually, yeah. I didn't have a port for my low dose cisplatin (once a week for five weeks) nor did I have a a port for my ABVD chemotherapy for Hodgkins' Lymphoma (every other week for twelve weeks). After that, my veins were pretty much shot. I had a picc line, then a Hickman port, then a different kind of port in my chest for the third cancer, but I was getting chemo round the clock in a hospital for a number of weeks for that bout. That particular chemo cocktail was very intense. But a lot depends upon the state of your veins, I think.

Thanks. I'm doing surprisingly well. The fourth anniversary of my last cancer (for which I received a bone marrow transplant) is upon us and all seems well. Looking back on it, I'm kind of amazed. And I didn't have anyone taking care of me and didn't get (or want) a single casserole. Because NOTHING tastes good (or right) when you are undergoing chemotherapy! I'm still thinking about the excuses being made for Vicki not being allowed into the infusion suite for Brooks' alleged chemotherapy and how it is against privacy rules to see another patient getting treatment. If that were the case, then no one would be allowed to enter a hospital to visit ANY patient, because you might see the patient in the next bed or the next room or someone in the radiation treatment waiting room. And every patient would have to be blindfolded so s/he wouldn't see another patient on the same floor.

Yes, Brooks seemed to sail through "aggressive (his words)" chemotherapy remarkably unscathed! The majority of people start losing their hair after the second treatment. I know this from firsthand experience as well as being told by numerous doctors and nurses. You lose your eyebrows, you lose your nose hairs, you lose your pubic hair, you lose the color in your face, you lose weight. It's all gone. To me, Brooks looked like the epitome of good health.

I have been treated (and survived) three different cancers (cervical, Hodgkin's lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia) in the space of four years. I had chemotherapy for each one of them and was treated at teaching hospitals. There were no restrictions on having friends or family come in to sit with me during the four hour treatments. Even during the leukemia, which was terribly serious, I could have visitors but they had to wear masks due to my compromised immune system. And yes, there were other people sitting in chairs right next to me getting their infusions and being visited by guests; in some cases, I'd wish there WERE restrictions on visitors! I have also had numerous scans, MRIs, CTs, PETs, and CT/PETs. The results were at least a full page, single spaced long. The doctors looking at the scans would list everything they saw, EVERYTHING, about my entire body. There were comments stuff that had absolutely no bearing on the cancer. After all, they have to cover their asses. Vicki embraced Brooks' cancer story line because she figured it would give her the most screen time. She is a desperate, stupid woman.

So I'm guessing that Rhonda isn't pregnant? Or that she lost the baby and doesn't want to tell Andre because she's afraid of his reaction?

It wasn't until the 1960's that anyone made the connection between smoking and lung cancer.

Really nice episode and the pair were well matched. I'm glad she was with an older guy as I think it helped her feel like she had a father figure to keep her safe. She reminded me of a dark-haired Hayden Panitiere. I think it meant a lot to the guy to feel like she trusted him with some of her secrets. Hope they stay in touch.

Loved it. And since I also watch Vikings, I recognized some of the characters' names and had a little knowledge of the back story which helped me figure out who was who and what was going on. Always nice to see Rutger Hauer on the screen.

I have had my fill of hipsters. Tired of the beards, tired of the vests, tired of the "coolness" of the hip-geoisie. Enough already. Talk about a niche product. If anyone wants to give me $9 (plus shipping and handling) for a pair of super duper cool socks, I'll go to the local Marshall's, buy a pair for $3 put it in a mailer and gladly steal your hard-earned money. And I wondered how many people actually buy a second wooden tie after they've bought the first one. The wedding was obviously a re-enactment, although I'm not sure what it was a re-enactment of. The guests looked like people they pulled off the street and received a Wicked Good Cupcake on the way out as payment for their time.

"Every episode of Empire is like a season finale." Amen, Lamont, amen. I want to be Brandy and Julie's best friend. Love their witty banter.

Welcome back, couchers. I have missed my favorite meta show. Where else can you watch people watch tv while you're watching tv? The puppy choir won the gold medal tonight.

To me, the Eli-Eastman fight was like bad drama gone ridiculous. I really want to continue to watch this show, but they have to give me something, anything! With my busy Sunday night tv schedule, I need a good reason to take up DVR space, not to mention my time.

If he expects to run faster than the walkers, he really needs pull up those goddam pants.

Wonder what the lazy approach would be toward those obstacle course competitions for immunity.

I just saw it as yet another attention seeking device for Honora. She's an immature child who always wants to play the victim and what better way than a service dog to play up that aspect of her neediness? Service dogs do have a purpose, don't get me wrong, but I am suspicious of anything having to do with Honora. Seeing the way Shane was treated by Alana and Danielle and seeing the way Dani was treated by Alana, Danielle et al., the common denominator is the Mean Girls. My guess is that Dani wouldn't have had to do anything for them to be nasty toward her. I was very impressed with the way Dani spoke to the group in a very grown-up, direct way. She accepted what they said, she didn't make excuses, she apologized for her shortcomings and pledged to do better. Guess that wasn't good enough for the adolescents.

All it would have taken is if one of those douchebags had stood up to the others and said that they should be willing to give Dani the benefit of the doubt and, since it was only a few more days, they could just grin and bear it. Instead, they decided to emotionally beat her up and make her out to be Public Enemy #1 for not waking up enough to put wood on the fire? And let's think about the wood on the fire for a minute. Six people, 8-9 hours of sleep at night if you're lucky and Dani was the one who shirked her responsibility? About how many times a night do you think the fire needed to be tended? More than once an hour? Did she miss one rotation? It's so ridiculous and petty. What if someone wanted to call out Chris, the fisherman, for not being capable of catching one friggin' fish? Talk about a major league fail. The only reason I find this show more palatable than other reality shows is that they don't ply the contestants with liquor.