Please tell us about your Thanksgivings, good and bad, and share pictures of your food and pets if that is the way of your people. Two of my dearest friends came to my house and we did NOTHING other than marathon Supersizers Go… and various Marvel movies and ate when we became hungry and periodically rolled over to prevent couchsores. My children gamboled about charmingly, and it was a truly restorative time, until I checked the news. So, let’s go there:
Everything about the terrorist attack on Planned Parenthood is horrible, from the violence itself to the mealy-mouthed coverage to the actual monsters applauding it on Twitter to the GOP’s shifty avoidance of the issue in the first place.
This shit with Stoya breaks my heart. I believe her utterly and completely and 100%, and I think she’s brave and that James Deen is a rapist and has been using his already-weird cloak of feminism to manipulate women. (Not that I feel strongly about this, obviously.) Kitty Stryker had some great stuff on that latter part here. I’m praying for her, and for all rape victims, that they would be believed and supported and that our culture would recognize that women who work in the sex industry are no less valuable and beautiful and worthy of basic human respect and decency than anyone else.
Okay, let’s talk about Jessica Jones. I’m still only halfway through, but I am pretty into ittttttt and here for your thoughts. (It has plenty of flaws, but I think it’s new and fresh and great and dark and fucked-up and I love it and also ROBIN WEIGERT and an actually immortal, unchanging Carrie-Anne Moss. Also, Luke.) But, man, you need to kill this guy, girl. AND STOP SHIPPING THEM, I have seen people SHIPPING Kilgrave and Jessica, and it. is. not. cool*.
*Desire your desires, and everything, but that shit’s fucked up. There are so many beautiful shipping opportunities on this show!
The full story on the artwork Drake lifted for his Instagram, uncredited:
The big deal, as Valeza put it, and as any artist will readily agree, is that it diminishes his ability to make a living. “Artists depend on visibility,” he explained in an email. “Artworks posted without credit hurts that.”
Cherished Friend of The Toast Carvell Wallace wrote about The Two Lives of Michael Jackson for The New Yorker, and it was brilliant and moving:
I wish he had been talented enough to make people happy, but nothing more. It would mean, of course, that we would never have got to have him, but he would have had himself. I have a son of my own now. He’s twelve. He recently told me that one of his earliest memories is of coming home from school to find the television on, trumpeting the news that Jackson had died. I can picture my son at that age, wide eyes like dark moons; soft, simple skin; the tiniest and most perfect hands; centuries of soul packed layers deep in his little voice. He reminded us, in fact, of a young Michael Jackson. Probably many children, in a certain light, remind people of a young Michael Jackson. My son remembers walking into the kitchen and seeing his parents, grown, weary, and old, embracing each other and crying as though they were the babies. He did not understand why.
Cyber Monday shopping while black:
Enduring such profiling as a child has probably subconsciously influenced my shopping habits as an adult. Before I became an online shopping fan, I spent as little time as possible in stores. I would go into a shop, make a beeline for what I wanted, and leave. I’ve never spent hours trying on clothes, and during my rare retail outings, I try to minimize my interactions with staff. My husband points out that even while grocery shopping I don’t like to ask staff for help. I simply assume they won’t be helpful.
The funny and perfect and beautiful Jane Marie treated us to a special Black Friday Bargain Bin, and we shall have glorious Bins every Friday from here on out.
My son, James Tiberius, and his visiting friend Mr. Wilson, who is in no way worried:
I must now ask you for a little help! I am taking a break from social media for Advent (THERE WILL BE NO THINKPIECES ABOUT IT ON MY RETURN, I PLEDGE THIS TO YOU!) and hopefully it will be a rich and fulfilling time for me, and my new puppy, who can only benefit from said choice.
There will be no change to Link Roundup, and I will share numerous puppy pictures upon her arrival, but I WOULD like to ask that you email me (nicole at the-toast.net) anything you’re writing or reading that you really love, so that I can link to them without my usual Spending All Day and Evening On Twitter Sifting It For Gold system. Thank you!
Eliza won our Thanksgiving game of Scrabble:
Oh my godddd your cat’s name is Eliza!!!!!!!
And yes. Best way to win Scrabble.
I named her pre-Hamilton, obviously (we got her as a kitten in 2005; she is a Senior Cat now), but feel free to pretend that I just changed her name recently
this Scrabble game was actually in progress, we all just got up to get snacks, and when we came back this had happened.
this is truly the most perfect picture.
She is perfect.
I’ve been playing it all wrong this WHOLE TIME
you just spell CAT, then win
She is majestic.
Also, Nikki, what dessert did you end up making, and how did it turn out?
Dan made a very rich chocolate cake with very rich chocolate frosting, which was TOTALLY non-Thanksgiving-y and DELICIOUS. But I got so many good dessert recipe ideas from Toast Points comments, and am already gearing up for Christmas baking adventures!
She’s such a beautiful cat. Eliza’s A+ catting is giving me life.
she is the prettiest and definitely knows it.
How dare you pay attention to things that aren’t her!
That is a Very Good Cat. Congratulations.
I played a lot of Scrabble with various relatives over Thanksgiving, and it was fun (I even won a couple of times — usually my aunt beats me), but now I wish we’d had a cat involved!
Triple-word-score-bingo-with-a-Q+ catting, Eliza!
Game over, cat wins. THE END.
AHHHHHHH Gorgeous fluffy girlkitty. I miss my unconditional-love fluffy girl kitties so much. My rabbits are fluffy, but are not so much with the purring and snuggling into my neck.
WHAT A GOOD CAT, I LOVE HER.
I’m just repeating what I said on Twitter, but we should launch rapists into the sun.
JESSICA JONES. I finished it last night.
I had many yaaasss moments, where they turned a trope on its head or confronted why I was expecting Jessica to behave a certain way (Like why is it her responsibility to fix Kilgrave? Na bitch, kill him dead!)
Without getting spoilery though, I did feel the last episode was a bit meh. I saw it coming from miles away
I also finished it this weekend! I really liked how they took a lot of things about rape/abuse/trauma survival and amplified it in the plot. (Many survivors have trouble trusting anyone afterward? Jessica literally cannot trust anyone, because anyone could be controlled by Kilgrave, etc.) But not having expertise in this area, I would be really interested in the opinion of someone who has more knowledge than I in how well the show handled it.
Also, I love David Tennant and continue to love David Tennant, but watching him pull out the Doctor’s mannerisms for Kilgrave was terrifying. I mean, even more terrifying than Kilgrave was already.
Yeah I liked that too, although there were a few times where the metaphor was a bit too obvious, like being hit over the head.
I really liked how she was sure in herself (even though Kilgrave kept trying to gaslight her and change the facts) and how she said out loud that he had raped her. Without that scene I think there would have been a lot of people who would think ‘This is weird, but it wasn’t rape because he wasn’t violent’ or some other stupid justification.
I loved that it started out as a rape metaphor and then they went ahead and said the word too.
And I just realized that Trish, while threatened, had never personally experienced Killgrave’s powers until late in the season but that she always believed what Jessica told her. Which is wonderful.
Trish! I loved the parts where she clearly stated her boundaries with people, because you know she couldn’t always do that and now she can. Heart-eyes.
Agreed, the metaphor was pretty loud. I have low expectations for subtlety in a Marvel show, so I was just glad to see them addressing it at all. And I too am very glad that they made her sure in herself! It’s a refreshing change.
I love how committed Netflix is to making Kilgrave horrible. He’s like the human form of “You’ll Be Back:”
this was my exact thought.
Yes! I love when shows let people be truly evil; non of this ‘likeable’ bullshit, the man is evil.
Also with Simpson! I was properly shocked, but in a good way, with the whole Clemens thing; He reminds me of Grant Ward from AOS. I like when they allow characters to have no redeeming qualities
Oh man, Simpson. I really didn’t expect him to turn out so awful, but I never liked him, so this is fine with me. And yay for Trish not tolerating his bullshit!!
On a related note: I love Trish. And not only because we share a name.
I liked what they did with Simpson (Although it all got a bit messy at the end, it could have been better thought out), but as a person he’s awful.
I really liked that Jessica and Trish shut down his ‘you women need a man to help so I’m going to take over and you stay here and be safe’ bullshit. So many other shows just let the white knight ride in and ‘save the day’ when the women already had it handled.
I also liked that he was shown to be a bad guy and a creep; cause I was feeling a bit weird about the whole ‘He tried to kill Trish and then they started having sex’ thing. I wasn’t surprised by it, and any other show would have tried to redeem him like that, and then he goes on to be a supporting hero and all is well; but within this show it felt so out of place! So to have him turn into a very typical kind of abusive dude (I’m trying to keep you safe by knocking you out and locking you in a cupboard because I don’t believe you are capable of looking after yourself’) was pretty satisfying, and although he’s no where near Kilgrave levels of abuse, he’s still representative of a common type of guy.
That is a great analysis.
I have internalised this trope of “man appears out of nowhere and saves woman” so much that I kept catching myself waiting for Luke or someone else to show up and save Jessica. Good thing it never happened!
Yes, I absolutely loved that they didn’t forgive him after he did the stuff that wasn’t Kilgraved.
I still have a few episodes to go, but somehow I can never remember Simpson’s name. I have just been referring to him as “Trash Cop” and see no reason to deviate from this moving forward.
I liked Simpson for about five seconds while he was going down on Trish, but the rest of the time I was like “PLEASE LEAVE, SIR.” Unfortunately, he did not.
My FAVORITE part of the whole show was when Trish turns to Simpson and says “Look, last night was great, but that doesn’t mean I want your opinion.”
That line was heroic.
It was pointed out I think on an AV Club thread that Simpson starts becoming a mega-asshole again after literally taking red pills. Which I’m not sure if that was intentional but I think is funny.
It’s in the original comic that the show is based on, which was written before Reddit was A Thing. But it’s a great coincidence!
I kinda figured it was from the comics, but it was still pretty great.
Yeah the pills are red, white and blue for a reason – subtlety has never really been Marvel’s style.
I assume there are more Hamilton valentines wherever this came from? Link please?
I really really really wish I could watch Jessica Jones. But all the gaslighting/mental manipulation/rape stuff is super triggering for me. (It doesn’t help that I’ve fixated on it slightly so that now even when I see like, non-problematic Jessica Jones stuff on twitter, it makes me super anxious. I have it massively blacklisted on tumblr but you know, you can’t blacklist the whole internet.) It’s too bad though because besides that it seems like a really good show and I wish I didn’t find it so upsetting.
That’s totally fair, I can imagine it being a tough watch for people who have had similar experiences! And there isn’t really much relief (Kind of like Breaking Bad or Sons of Anarchy, its all go all the time. Except those are very male shows, and this very much a female show)
Maybe one day you’ll feel up for it and get to binge the whole thing and enjoy it; that’s like my favorite thing sometimes, I avoid a show for years and then do it all at once!
I definitely enjoyed the show and it had good moments, but I don’t think you’re massively missing out. I mostly enjoyed it for its reclaiming of the victim narrative, but outside of that “yay we don’t usually see this on TV!” interest, the actual show was weirdly plotted/paced/structured imo!
I noticed that there’s literally no named white men in the show who aren’t abusive in some way – they even lampshaded it with the support group scene where Girl Twin (forgot her name, ironically) refers to the one white man there as a trope instead of naming him. I love it. And I love what they did with Simpsons character – and I love how Trish did not put up with ANY of his bullshit, but still got sucked into him anyway, because that’s what abusers do to people
I didn’t quite notice that, but I love it! I did notice that there was a lot of non-white men in it though, and it seemed very natural; not like the show runners were trying to prove anything or shout about it, just that it was a fact of this world.
However I also did notice a lack of prominent non-white women though (There were a few side characters, but IFIRC no main/named characters), apart from Rosario, whom I love to the end of this earth, but doesn’t come in until the finale. Maybe someone else has a different take on it, but it felt a little disappointing to me (Reva Cage only kind of counts, all she does is die, and I don’t think she ever talks)
Yeah, there was a lack of named women of colour for sure. Just the one black lady (Emma) who had to smile for Kilgrave, and Reva who just gets killed…
Was Rupert (boy twin) abusive? I didn’t pick up on that.
I don’t know if he was abusive (what was going on in that apartment! I really wanted more of the twins relationship) but he was definitely on the line of creepy\obsessive.
Jessica showed no interest in him and gave him no indication that she wanted anything from him; but some how he fell ‘in love’ with her.
I imagine if he had lived he would have either gone in the total stalker direction or in the ‘maybe I can nice guy my way out of the friend zone’ direction
Yeah, I saw his love for her more along the lines of the love a puppy feels for a wolf- starry eyed adoration, without expectation that it would ever be returned. Maybe if he’d been around longer it would have morphed, but the vibe I got was “You are the most badass thing I’ve ever encountered, wow, mind blown, I’ll just make baked goods for you and offer them as tribute and maybe you will say a word to me one day,” which, while not inspiring in an adult, seemed pretty harmless. More along the lines of goddess worship than romantic pursuit.
Oh yeah, I forgot about him. He was definitely clueless and irritating though, I kinda blocked him out.
Can’t find it now, but some dude on twitter (jokingly) posted something like “Man, I love Jessica Jones, but all the ladies are characters while all the men are either villains, victims, or eye candy and oh wait now I understand that-”
Luke Cage looks like he gives some awesome cuddles, though.
TRENDY GUY
Yes, that was awesome.
Why doesn’t she just kill him? Is that a stupid question? I mean, I understand the motivation set up in the first episode, but I can’t say I fully understand why she knows he’s continuing to fuck other people’s lives up and yet stays so committed to proving that he’s real. Or is that part of the metaphor? I’m only like six episodes in, so maybe I haven’t gotten to it yet.
Not a stupid question! But she wanted him alive because she wanted to save Hope. Once Hope was dead though (hardy har har) she was out for the kill.
I guess I just don’t believe that saving Hope is more important than saving all of those other people whose lives Kilgrave ruined while Jessica was tracking him down. I’m willing to believe that Jessica believes that, but it’s involved a lot of screaming at my television. And again, I’m only a couple of episodes in, so maybe it will make more sense.
I think she over-identified with Hope, and really wanted to somehow give her “justice.” She’s not thinking big picture. Apologies for potentially spoiling you! I binge watched and don’t remember what events happen in which episodes.
One thing that bugs me is why didn’t everyone just wear noise cancelling headphones near Kilgrave? We know that works.
Tenant’s deliver of, “IT’S PATSY!” was a thing to treasure.
Yeah, I was thinking “everyone needs some earplugs, stat”.
I got to say that I am pro-Jessica Jones in theory, but in practice I only watched the first episode and do not mean to watch any more. I think it is great that people love it, and I think that it is very important and validating, I agree, but it is not for me; the cartoonish flip-kicks of Daredevil I can cope with but, dang, I cannot handle thirteen hours of this kind of business.
(i would, on a related note, say that many of Daredevil’s flaws and — I don’t know but I am guessing — possibly many of Jessica Jones’ flaws are caused by the thirteen-episode, half-season length. For Netflix shows, this is a completely arbitrary length to hit, and it is, frankly, too long.)
See I was the complete opposite; Daredevil was just too slow for me, and it felt like they were dragging it out to fill up the 13 episodes. Like it takes the entire season for him to become Daredevil, a thing we all knew was going to happen (The suit was in the intro FGS!)
Where as Jessica Jones really felt like a 13 hour movie, things change and move fast, each episode had a lot going on, and many characters only lasted an episode or two, instead of being drawn out and shoe horned in to other episodes.
Well, my problem with JJ wasn’t its slowness — though I agree that hacking Daredevil down to about six hours would have improved it immensely.
Can I ask what it was then?
I was going to say, it is very much a womens story; they didn’t try to make a regular male super hero into a woman, the whole story is very women-centric (Which obvo I am all about!)
It is — and let me be clear that I don’t think this is bad, I am just saying that it was maybe too overwhelming for me — the fact that it was shaping up to be an extended metaphor for rape and violation.
Fair enough; it was very on the nose with its metaphors at times
I’m with you. I watched the first episode. I thought it was compelling, and women-centric, and I’m glad it exists. I think it’s great that they treat PTSD from rape so seriously. But I can’t watch anymore. “Dark” is not what I look for in tv; I like it to be an escape from the bad things in the world.
Yes, I can’t watch it for the same reasons. (With the added fact that all that is very triggering for me.) I might have been able to handle it, if it didn’t seem like the entire season was saturated in that/was a metaphor for all of it. It’s just too much unfortunately. (Which is sad because the lady-centric things are the only Marvel things I’ll watch.)
I mean hell, I don’t know I’d even say “metaphor”- it’s a narrative, IMO, about recovery and trauma, period. I think it’s great at that, but I’ve been watching it way slower than I watched Daredevil just so it doesn’t overwhelm me.
I found Daredevil profoundly boring but Jessica Jones was fast (and employed lighting and contrast). And for me it was much more relatable.
Same! And with all the fanboying about it, I just felt like I didn’t ‘get’ it (TBH I can’t remember if I even finished the series)
Whereas JJ felt like there was always something happening, she was always trying to get Kilgrave, even if her plans didn’t work!
Maybe a bit of the difference is that we already knew who the villian is in JJ, whereas in DD the audience and Daredevil don’t know who the villian is at the beginning (although the audience finds out pretty quick and omg does it take Daredevil years to catch on.)
Plus in JJ, every episode drives the larger plot; In the beginning she takes a few ‘unrelated’ cases, although they are actually related to the plot, or JJ thinks they are, but after that each episode is part of the larger story; where as DD felt like some episodes were deliberately stepping away from the main plot to deal with smaller plots (Much like a network procedural would)
This is exactly how I feel, too, caveats and all, with the additional factor of Hope’s parents (especially her mom) reminding me very, VERY strongly of my parents and what they did for her reminding me of some specific things my parents have done for me at some of the darkest times in my life.
Whereas I couldn’t handle Daredevil because of the gratuitous onscreen violence, but though Jessica Jones was amazing (though I certainly understand why people would choose not to watch it)
this is where I am, though I might try to watch again at some later date. I really tried for two eps. I think Daredevil was okay for me not because I found it cartoonish but because it was men being violent towards men, for the most part. (I had a hard time with the one ep with the kidnapping and the BASEBALL BAT and it’s the only one I wasn’t able to rewatch.) Violence against men, well, I can close my eyes and cover my ears if I need to, and then look back and be mostly fine. Violence against women makes me feel sick for hours. It’s just so hard to watch.
Daredevil definitely hard parts that I think were too much (see also: the decapitation by car door), but I think similarly, I’m maybe inured to it?
right, which isn’t necessarily a good thing either.
“Violence against men, well, I can close my eyes and cover my ears if I need to, and then look back and be mostly fine. Violence against women makes me feel sick for hours. It’s just so hard to watch.
This. It’s also why I found Orange is the New Black too stressful to watch. I empathize with the characters too much.
i have, kind of, an opposite reaction? violence against anyone isn’t fun, but i am pretty desensitized to it, television-wise.
when it comes to sexual violence specifically, the genders are flipped for me. maybe it’s because we see so much sexual violence against women on tv, but it just scans as normal violence. seeing a man be raped, though, is deeply troubling and stays with me for days. it could be (1) that it’s not common, so i haven’t gone numb to it, or (2) at my core, i just think women are tougher. they can handle it and move on. i feel like men will be broken. (this all occurred to me after watching Sons of Anarchy, which generally reduced me to one raw nerve in a variety of ways.)
that is maybe super fucked up! who knows.
I don’t know, it’s so strange where the line is drawn for each person! I deeply dislike sexual violence happening to anyone–I’m extremely likely to nope out no matter who it’s happening to. I can usually stand physical and emotional violence happening to men (though I did nope out of Hannibal because I couldn’t take Graham being gaslit–gaslighted?). Like, in JJ, when Simpson broke into Trish’s apartment and she was struggling for her life, my heart was in my throat. The idea of Jessica getting anywhere near Kilgrave’s area of influence terrifies me.
It’s belatedly occuring to me that maybe it’s not who’s doing the violence, or who it’s being done to, but the way in which it’s done. Maybe I have more trouble dealing with the type of violence that is generally done to women in TV/books/movies–like gaslighting, assault, and stalking–than I do with the stype of straight-up physical violence fictional men are usually subjected to.
it *is* incredibly personal and interesting to think about. and yeah – violence that gets inside you, and fucks with you on a mental/emotional level, is so much more troubling than just brute physical harm.
and maybe that’s why seeing men violated is so bad for me. women are built to withstand it; on large and small scales, it’s part of our daily life. men, not as much. so i feel pity for them on an existential level.
Sons will break anyone. That show does not let up.
But I agree with you, the rape scene in American History X has stayed with me more than any female rape scene ever has (although Gemma is a close second)
i became so tightly-wound during my SoA run that my friends started to notice and comment on it.
also i watched Tig’s daughter burn alive in the same week I watched Stannis’s daughter burn alive on GoT. it was a very dark time.
Gemma’s rape was hard to watch (so hard to watch) but watching her white-knuckle it through the aftermath and keep it a secret, was harder.
i haven’t seen American History X and it sounds like i shouldn’t. 😛
That one and the one in the american adaptation of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – it was just so brutal.
It is very intense and I can completely understand why you would not want to put yourself through that!
A friend who I trust and knows my taste in movies and TV shows told me that she didn’t think I’d like it. I trust her, looked up plotpoints on TVTropes, and agree with her 100%. More shows from feminist perspectives, please, but this show is Not For Me, and that’s okay!
The only part of Heroes I found really hard to watch was the puppet master, and here a character with a similar gift is the villain in a series. I’ve watched some of it anyway, but I think I might just need to take a break.
Dropping by the link roundup to ask for good finals vibes. I’m terrified and will remain terrified until Christmas break.
I’m writing a 1500 word paper today entitled “I, Poor Monster: Gender and Sexuality in a Queer Twelfth Night” so that’s fun.
that sounds like the best paper ever. TN is sooo queer and also surprisingly fun (except for the weird match-the-spares swap-the-twins ending, obv). in my second or third year at university one of our assessments was to perform an adaptation and i was a super gay lady olivia who flung myself at cesario’s feet weeping and clutched his ankle so he had to drag me offstage. good fun.
sending you very positive thoughts for all your finals work <3
Thanks! I live and breathe Twelfth Night. My avatar here is when I was Viola for our production my senior year. My brother played Sebastian.
All my good vibes shall be yours.
Excuse me while I squee to class because the Toast is lovely and encouraging.
Excellent paper topic. I’d give at an A.
Best of luck on your finals (You can do it!)
Thanks! Let’s hope you’re not the only one who would give me an A….
Yay Twelfth Night! Viola is my favorite Shakespearean character, but I feel like he total cops out on her in the end. I’ve never seen a production that really did justice to the genderfuckedness of the play and Viola as the badass smartass she so clearly is.
You never saw my high school production.
It was a musical.
I did a lot of eyerolling and pulled a lot of faces re: Orsino.
Also we rickrolled it.
There is a YouTube adaptation of Twelth Night coming up, by Quip Modest Productions: Twelth Grade or Whatever.
I haven’t seen their first show, Like, As It Is, yet, but I hear it’s very queer, and I guess so will be the new series.
Good luck in your finals, and don’t forget to eat, breathe, and sleep!
I’m so HERE FOR THAT *flails while watching She’s the Man and Just one of the Guys again*
I googled it and Holy Cow this is EXACTLY what I’m writing my paper on I’m so going to use it. Thank you so much!
Well, that sounds like the best paper ever. I hope your professors love it as much as us Toasties do!
All the good thoughts for finals week–you can do it!
You’re a shining star and you will get every point.
<3 <3 <3
Want to read!
Ugh, I don’t know how I ever got through school. Hugs and best of luck to you.
To all the Jessica/Kilgrave shippers:
NOPE.
Also, here is a picture of one of the pups I spent my holiday with
Her name is Piper and she is the snuggliest pup in the morning and a holy terror in the evening. She’s small but highly compact- we’ve been calling her “the tank” because she barrels over her little brother with her rotund-ness.
Miss J and Piper forever. Jessica/Kilgrave for never.
Piper! What a good dog.
Shipping can mean a lot of different things. Anyone who’s thinking “Oh, but she can fix him with the power of her love!” or “Oh, but he just loves her so much, can’t she see that?” (and, to my despair, I’m sure there are some) can take a long walk off a short pier, BUT I’m also sure that a lot of people are just enjoying its fucked-upness. Which, yeah, I’ve shipped some creepy shit in my time. Doesn’t mean I think they’re happily ever after, or that I wouldn’t call the cops IRL. Just means it’s fun in fiction.
I think there might be an element of cross-over with Doctor Who fans who just want to see DT be awesome and want to believe that he’s really a ‘good’ person.
Like someone was moaning on twitter that Kilgrave is ruining DT as The Doctor. But like, he’s an actor, this is his job. And to be honest I much prefer DT as a villian/messed up person, but I first saw him in Harry Potter, so there’s that. Also Broadchurch anyone?
I mean, I adore Richard Armitage as Francis Dolarhyde on Hannibal, but that doesn’t stop me enjoying North & South.
The DW fantards I’m imagining feel this way are that brand that believe he *is* the doctor and can do no wrong. I imagine watching JJ would be hard for them.
He was probably their first Doctor, and also they don’t know how acting works.
I love him as the Doctor. I also think he gives fantastic Villain. He’s very expressive and dramatic in a way that more often suits villainous roles than heroic ones, and I’m not sure how well he’d do in a role that was meant to be more understated, but give him something to sink his teeth into and he’s gold.
I think you’re right, some fen do seem to have trouble with that.
He does play a more understated character in Broadchurch, who’s kind of an asshole but fundamentally driven by moral principles. It’s a great show, a great performance and totally worth watching
Only one of the pups? My god! I don’t think I can take much more cuteness than this!
such a fluffy puppy!
THAT FACE!
Aww, Piper!
Re Jessica/Kilgrave, let’s just go straight to a classic:
FWIW, I found “watch an episode of Jessica Jones” to be a pretty good antidote to “accidentally just read a bunch of toxic tweets about the Stoya thing, wow people sure are assholes.”
I was deeply, deeply moved by the last episode, at the moment where Jessica speaks to Trish. [being intentionally vague here to avoid spoilers.] Also, David Tennant is one HELL of an actor.
Yeah, the sort of “password” thing between Jessica and Trish got me right in the feels, because I also usually don’t tell my closest friends how much I care about them, but now and then I will and it makes me feel so vulnerable but also invincible, so my heart was right in my throat in that last showdown.
Jessica and Trish’s friendship/sisterhood has been giving me life and has been such a wonderful thing to see onscreen.
It is hands down my favorite part of the show! I was so worried about Trish in the first episode–I figured she’d go the route of the killjoy friend who always has to be saved–and I was so, so pleased to be wrong.
We had a pretty Bad Thanksgiving this year. Because of my dad’s hand injury, we had Thanksgiving in a restaurant, and it was a horrible experience. They sat us five rooms away from the buffet (a party which included my mobility-limited mother, my 95-year-old grandmother and my father with the busted up hand) and the food was overwhelmingly mediocre. The only thing that was actually worth remembering was the creme brulee. After the meal, my dad actually apologized to us because it was that bad.
Later that evening, my sister and I went out to our favorite local diner and got a wonderful meal. We left a substantial tip for the amazing waitress we had.
Oof, I’m so sorry. That sounds terrible. I hope your next Thanksgiving is doubly spectacular to make up for this one.
Also, I had Thanksgiving with my in-laws (who before I characterized as being boring), but then they left early while I was in an extended and noisy argument with my mom about this new translation of Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and now I am wondering, am I the boring one? is that what the problem is?
pls explain the argument Ibsen is my MAN.
It’s an old argument that my mom and I always have, which is: I think realism in the theater is boring. It’s not a very good argument! That is probably why everyone left!
(I actually prefer Strindberg because, even though he was a misogynist, at least he was weird.)
I can see where you’re coming from.
Doesn’t mean that I agree but I still see what you mean.
Well, you’re in good company, hardly anyone agrees with me. (ESPECIALLY MY MOM.)
The new translation/adaptation of Enemy of the People isn’t really realism and it is AMAZING! I reviewed a production here in Toronto last year and now they’ve remount it and it’s gender swapped with a woman Dr. Stockmann, and the wife is still a woman, and it sounds even better!
I am here for any and all theatre conversations.
That conversation sounds more interesting than 9 out of 10, tbh.
Petition to have Nicole’s son meet Mallory’s dog ASAP
They can wear diapers together.
I’m so full of feelings today. Mostly anger. I’m sorry in advance.
First, my weekend was, kitchen-wise, a disaster. A friend and I started the Advent/Christmas baking on Saturday, and almost everything went wrong. We even had to throw away the dough for what was supposed to be the yummiest cookies. Aaargh! We then wanted a glass of red wine to accompany dinner to have at least something nice. Turns out the wine was too old already. My friend ended up spitting her sip into the dishwater.
And yesterday, I tried to use the pasta dough my flatmate left in the fridge – let’s just say it didn’t work at all.
Then I read an article on Jessica Jones by someone who obviously doesn’t understand the show and says “it could very well be a Brazilian telenovela” – because it is so shallow. Um, no?
And I shouldn’t have read the comments. They made me even angrier. Some person wrote “Jessica swears, drinks, and sleeps around = bad show” (“Sleeping around” is way nicer than what they actually wrote).
Yes, she swears, but who doesn’t? Yes, she drinks, but mostly to deal with her TRAUMATA. And no, she doesn’t sleep around.
And today, the books I need for my paper are not here and I don’t have time to let them be shipped here from another library.
Then some girl occupied the one copier that is situated where my other books are so I had to drag them to another part of the building just to bring them back ten minutes later. I was so angry I made a sign.
(I don’t expect anyone to actually read all this, I just needed to get it out of my system.)
Booooooooooo
I read it all. I have BTDT. Mostly my first semester of grad school. It sucked. Hang in there!!
Thank you!
I am having SO MUCH FUN with Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, so thanks for that Toasties – I know I’m late to the party, but making up for it by evangelising about it to everyone I know. Just watched the episode with all the French business and… !!!!!!! I swooned! At that bit! You know what bit I mean if you’ve watched it. That bit.
I am late to this party, too, but I am so happy to be here! I am busily revising my career plans in order to become a dashing lady detective of independent means. I’m sure this is completely feasible.
If not, I’m sure I could at least up my headgear game. It appears the internet would be happy to provide me with cloches for days.
I have decided that my sexuality is Hugh Collins stepping into the boxing ring (with a hefty dollop of Lisa Bonet singing Peter Frampton- I’m a wonder)
It really is the best show…the costumes! The intense chemistry between perfect haired Miss Fisher and gloriously jawed Inspector Robinson! THE HATS!
Marvelous. All of it.
I did not find Hugh attractive until that episode, but it was a revelation. I think it was the hair.
Full same! I just considered him a wee puppy of a human person but that episode? Oy vey.
This was the glory of my Thanksgiving, and now I’m trying to decide if my post-Thanksgiving cold is so bad that it would be best served by a half day of Miss Fisher (instead of a half day of turning a conference talk into an article draft, because tweaking citations is so taxing). I’m halfway through season 2.
Phryne shimmying down ropes while breaking into buildings! Hugh and Jack in bathing suits searching for the murder weapon! Dot praying that God sends Hugh a sign that God is actually a Catholic!
I had to restrain myself from immediately re-watching MFMM so that I could watch Jessica Jones without being spoiled. Have since finished Jessica Jones, so this Christmas is beginning to look a lot like overwhelming UST dripping with cloches and cheekbones 8D
I may have purchased a red wig from a black friday sale so that I could cosplay as Dr Mac at the convention I’m going to this spring…
It is the best thing in the entire world.
I am about to watch the last episode and I am NOT READY for it to be over!
Whew. So many feels about Jessica Jones. BMB was my big HS boyfriend and things ended-complicatedly–as can happen when one person is a dramatic goth feminist and the other has a weekly comic strip.
On top of wanting not to like it because of that, my abuse history is still awfully close to the surface, recent events healthwise have already triggered me, and….
I am LOVING finding out what parts of me I abandoned before falling into the black hole that was my marriage, and hey, I liked comic books, and not just because I wanted to date a comic book artist (he was a totally random public transportation meet cute, actually). And I have been really loving getting back into them with Thor and watching Agent Carter and living where they filmed the Avengers, eyc movies—and it’s been great to share that experience with my 12 year old geek girl daughter. And I can’t go there with her. Right now I suppose it’s all moot because I don’t have Netflix, but…it’s a lot to unpack.
So im setting that aside because its holidays and I’m mom. But. So conflicted!!
Also, A+ naming with James Tiberius, I am glad that we decided not to go that route, I think you wouldn’t want to go to the Tiberius well too often.
I did get to spend the day AFTER Thanksgiving shooting a bunch of arrows, though, so maybe I am pretty interesting.
Sorry if I don’t get the joke, but is the baby actually named James Tiberius? That would be epic. A strong choice. But epic.
Is there a German word for when you think you actually cook better than the host and would prefer your own Food & Wine-sourced recipes and 1000+ thread count sheets than their guest room? If so, THAT, but generally Thanksgiving was great! I finished the Toast-recommended book “Sister Queens” about Queen Catherine of Aragon and have thoughts if people want to discuss! Otherwise, I’m glad I always come back home on Sat afternoon so there is 1.5 days of fam expectation-free ME time each holiday. A+, highly recommend.
My parents went to Thanksgiving at a friend’s place and my mom groused to me on Saturday “I can cook much better than that! Her turkey and stuffing were so dry! And my sweet potatoes with maple syrup and cranberries are MUCH better!” So my mom wants a re-do at Christmas when I can be there to help her cook.
Aaaaand this is why I don’t host Thanksgiving. Period.
It’s why we host- we like our own version better! Although the stuffing was not up to put usual standards this year- toasted the bottom a bit. Such is life, though- well give it another go next year.
Gastgeberüberlegenheit (host-superiority). I made it especially for you 😉
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Thank you, internet hero!
German truly is a marvelous language.
How would you like your internet?
Every single year I have this. We go to spouse’s grandma’s house, where the food is…..sturdy, and very American traditional, and there’s LOTS of it, but it’s just……it’s not very good. I do bring a dish so at least there’s something with salt and flavor there, but man, it’s such a disappointment every time.
Sturdy American Traditional is the perfect description of the what im talking about. Canned vegetables + gravy “starter” packets.
This is a thing my spouse’s grandma makes every year and insists we eat.
That. Is. Horrifying.
Someone brought that this year to my stepdad’s mother’s house! I told everyone I had a migraine (sort of true) and ate a slice of bread and a little turkey. Then the next night my mom and I cooked an AMAZING meal for immediate family since I told her I was tired of going to boring “faaaaamily” meals where there was nothing I could eat.
oh my god there is literally as much sugar as pasta in that recipe.
We sometimes make a similar “salad” with jello and cool whip and fruit and marshmallows. I never would have thought to put pasta in it…
The pasta truly is what separates it from other kind of goofy yet delicious “salads” and puts it squarely into “nightmare” territory.
No. What. No. That is unacceptable.
We make something similar, but not for Thanksgiving. We call it Frog Eye Salad, and do not include marshmallows. #mormonculturefood
*cries*
Oh, thanks for this thread in semi-anonymity, Toasties. Such a perfect internet home.
I do Thanksgiving with local, found family instead of birth family every year these days. And I have no major objections to the birth family, there is nothing toxic about hanging out with them. But it is also SO MUCH better because I get to cook and we get to never, ever eat turkey and the potatoes get to be made with 100% cream and 100% garlic and just a little potato holding them together, and I still get to eat the one food that got me through decades of mediocre holiday spreads: Pillsbury crescent rolls.
And I want to talk about why holidays that are about “mandatory family” (ie, Thanksgiving) are so much more my speed than “mandatory fun” (ie, Halloween), but that it only works if the family is the right family and… wow, there is no way to write that non-hurtfully if my legal name is attached to it.
My family is likewise pretty ok, but honestly with Thanksgiving so close to Christmas, it’s just a lot, and I’d really rather have a couple of days off that don’t involve my mom still treating me like I’m 12, and don’t involve dealing with my spouse’s racist relatives, and shitty food that I don’t like, and so much driving ALL THE DRIVING, and just ugh, you know?
I could use that German word if it exists – yesterday, my boyfriend and I made our own Thanksgiving meal primarily because we prefer our own cooking. And here is the thing – most of our family are great cooks! In fact, on his side, several of them are professional chefs!
But all of our mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving (we had 3 family gatherings on the day) were overly whipped. And it wasn’t until I was reading the Monday check-in on the Billfold, where Mike says they made two kinds of potatoes, that this could be a preference. So yesterday we made skin-on golden mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce with lots of orange zest and cointreau and roasted turkey and it was INCREDIBLE. Also, very satisfying bc another serious problem with eating Thanksgiving hosted by other people is that you don’t get the leftovers.
SKIN ON GOLDEN MASHED POTATOES IS EXACTLY WHAT IM TRYING TO SAY
The potato of choice in bfs fam is “so soft its nearly mashed” potato salad with So. Much. Miracle. Whip.
Potato salad is not a Thanksgiving food. Potato salad is a summer picnic food. Thanksgiving is not a summer picnic.
The potato of choice in bfs fam is “so soft its nearly mashed” potato salad with So. Much. Miracle. Whip.
Here is an interaction from several years ago that I think perfectly encapsulates my relationship with my stepmom: my dad asked me to prepare the mashed potatoes, which I did according to our family’s age-old tradition (butter, more butter, garlic, cream, more butter), including some lumps, because what are mashed potatoes without some texture? Some minutes after I pronounced the potatoes finished, my stepmom took the bowl and, without saying a word (though her expression was quite eloquent) proceeded to whip the potatoes past all semblance of potatoness.
I don’t have a problem with her preference for incorrect potatoes – heaven knows I’ve got my own weird tastes – but maybe express that preference by using your words, instead of just assuming your stepdaughter is lazy/a jerk and acting martyred when you have to “fix” them yourself.
passive-aggressive potato martyr!!!
Sometimes I’m sad that I live far enough away that it doesn’t make sense to visit my family for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and sometimes I’m really, really not.
We send guests home with leftovers, because leftovers is the point of thanksgiving and it seems awfully selfish not to share. I even get my containers back most years. Thanksgiving without leftovers is a tragedy in my book.
My family has two Thanksgivings: the family-reunion Thanksgiving where we eat mediocre turkey and Jello Salad while trying to ignore the racist uncles, and the personal Thanksgiving where my nuclear family makes a good turkey and edible sides.
Not that I do Thanksgiving, but I get that super hard at Christmas.
First time SIL hosted Christmas dinner, it was a *big deal* for her (I don’t know about elsewhere, but in Irish families, who hosts Christmas is a big fucking deal. Only the truly superior daughter gets to do Christmas). Mother and I arrived with cooked food (we did a few sides) with the full intention that these things would go back in the oven to heat up again. We were about an hour before dinner and the meat was all cooked and sitting out ‘resting’. And when we offered to heat the plates (A time honored tradition in our family; if the plates are cold there is nothing but bitching from mother all through dinner) we were told ‘there’s non of that fancy stuff in this house!’, Brother was no help of course (He is also a hot plate evangelist, but he just wanted his missus to be happy of course)
Anyway, suffice to say, we all sat through cold plate of rather plain food, and I spent the whole meal eye-ing the microwave wondering how much shit I’d be in if I heated up my food.
Wait, are you saying your fam heats the actual dinner plates in an oven or microwave? Because that sounds lovely.
Yes, do you not? It’s one of the best small pleasures in life. Just throw the plates in the hot oven* at the end of the cooking process (usually after food is out of the oven and its turned off, otherwise fingers get burned)
Tell me they do this in restaurants near you! Any restaurant that doesn’t heat its plates is not worth your time.
*my preferred method, we’ve never used the microwave, but other methods involve draining veg over said plates in the sink and putting plates on the radiators as soon as takeaway has been ordered. We may enjoy luxuries, but we are also super cheap.
Its honestly a simple touch I have never in my life noticed but I may start immediately doing forever.
This is how I shall be remembered.
I only went home for the day on Thanksgiving, like 10 AM – 6 PM, and it was the perfect amount of family time. One workday. ‘Cause that shit is work. Love them but I really needed to enforce those boundaries, and I’m proud of myself for doing so!
Also, anyone have thoughts on the Walking Dead MidSeason finale? I was WAAAAAAY underwhelmed! I really thought we’d see Abraham let loose with his rocket launcher…
I haven’t watched it yet, but I will be here for you tomorrow.
The season so far has occasionally been okay in a big sea of awfulness. The low point for me so far isn’t even the ridiculous shit they did with Glen’s miraculous survival, but rather his bossing Enid around and taking her gun, which reminded me so much of Dale taking Andrea’s gun in the second season that I wanted to throw something at my tv.
I thought it was a funnier episode than anticipated? I’m not looking forward to the upcoming storyline much though.
Yeah, Carl’s “your dad was an asshole” line was Great. Oh teens! They cant stop teen-ing! Even in the apocalypse!
Also Sam’s little drawing of Carol’s nightmare scenario and “just…pretend you’re a person who is brave.” Which isn’t even bad advice but is pretty funny.
Didn’t Chekov have something to say about a rocket launcher?
Anyone else anxiously following Paris? Let’s get this right, world leaders. *crosses fingers til they fall off*
There was a rally yesterday but we were hosting our monthly queer family hangout and by 4 pm on sunday I am too tired to be an activist.
I saw a photo of all the shoes and cried even more than I usually do on an Sunday. I am anxious as well.
I was sick all weekend, so my thanksgiving was lying on the couch, alternating between watching the Great British Bake Off and playing Fallout 4. My BFF was nice enough to bring me Thanksgiving leftovers from their party, so that was really nice. And I have many feelings about Nick Valentine, synth P.I. And also Norman, the baker.
Oh, Norman. He thinks pesto is exotic. <3
We just finished watching this season, and my favorite part was when Norman made some comment about how “Mr. Hollywood” won’t like it, and he said “Mr. Hollywood” very sarcastically. I thought this was some sort of mocking comment about how Paul likes things “flashy” as they would in “Hollywood”?
My fiance and I didn’t realize that the host’s name ACTUALLY IS “Paul Hollywood” until several days later.
He was trying so hard! His idea of exotic just didn’t jive with Paul and Mary’s!
Mr.BHam does an EXCELLENT impression of Norman “upping his game” by sprinkling half a pound of powdered sugar onto his cakes.
Did anyone else take the Buzzfeed quiz on which Jessica Jones character one should marry? I took it twice and got Luke both times. I can live with that. http://www.buzzfeed.com/sarah-jaynea/which-charac…
And who else is desperately trying to avoid everything purple on all the JJ quizzes so as not to get Kilgrave??
hogarth 🙁 🙁 🙁
Yusss. I got Jessica. We would be fabulous together. Matching motorbike boots 4 life.
(Purple is my favorite colour, I had to choose it.)
But surely Kilgrave the Murder Rapist Who Controls Minds wouldn’t be considered a romantic interest. Surely people aren’t that forgiving just because Tennant is hot. Surely people know what the fuck emotional abuse is.
That is, I really wish I could be sure of it.
I got Kilgrave. I’m really not sure how, considering I said I liked work, family, and red.
I got Trish! Yessssssss. We will practice krav maga on each other as foreplay.
I got Jessica, which said “her life is as exciting as yours is boring” which, well…….is not wrong.
I got Malcolm! He’s a real cutie so I’m happy with that.
Malcolm! Hell yes.
I got Luke Cage! Not mad about it. lol
Malcolm! I blame the kitten in a teacup.
Hello Toast I baked stuffing for the first time and it came out really well and I am super proud of myself for mastering a Family Recipe. I also made gravy. My girlfriend and I hosted. There was a bit of drama since my aunt invited me over after two months of radio silence, but otherwise it was lovely.
Also, the girlfriend and I signed a lease together on Saturday. I am semi-already-moved-in to her place but it’s official as of February 1.
That’s all I got, I’m so happy in a general sense right now. Hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings or at least a few days off if you don’t celebrate. Non US Toasties, hope you had a good weekend!
Congratulations!
My Thanksgiving was kind of atrocious 🙁 My MIL did not make gravy or mashed potatoes and she belittled my husband and smoked the whole time. I did, however, make delicious soup last night, so still a productive holiday weekend!
My MIL also did not make mashed potatoes or gravy! And she said something later about how my family is so obsessed with potatoes – I’m all, yeah, it’s because they’re awesome.
I do not understand the no mashed potatoes business! It’s by far my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I complained about it to my sister who *also* did not make mashed potatoes for the dinner she hosted at her house.
There were no mashed potatoes at my thanksgiving last year and I overcompensated by eating potatoes the rest of the weekend. I didn’t regret it.
I moved across the country a couple years ago so have been having friendsgivings with whoever else is around and I didn’t realize how strongly I felt about how my family did thanksgiving until the first time there were no mashed potatoes and only ONE pie. Don’t they know how thanksgiving works?
(This year was much more successful – many mashed potatoes and an acceptable number of pies)
only one pie?! How does that even work?
We only had 5 pies and a cake, which was barely enough for 12 people (jk, we still have pie left over)
Nooooo!!! Gravy is what holds everything together! My condolences.
I had to go into the office on Thursday and I think my meeting with my supervisor about my current project took on a slightly despairing note because of that, but so it goes sometimes. I did FaceTime home and watch the family drink mimosas and watch the dog show, which was nice. And I made a chicken over the weekend. It’s not a turkey, but it’s also not nearly as expensive as one and I can eat it for a while.
My Thanksgiving was very solid. Divorced parents were civil, my pies got rave reviews, and my brother-in-law has an amazing wood chip grill that he used to make the turkey, so no bone-dry bird for us.
In other news, I am employed at a certain Midwestern university that is closed today due to a threat of gun violence. Obviously I’m working from home, which is nice in itself, but everything is sad and scary.
That Midwestern university is my alma mater. I’m really anxious and dismayed that this is happening. I have friends and friends there now. 🙁
I’m employed at the same university. Wishing us all peace today.
Another alum. Depressing that all the battles over gentrification and crime in the neighborhood come to this. Peace to all.
Nice to hear from others on this! Peace to all of us, indeed. <3
I am also employed at that Midwestern university. Stay safe all. I got really angry last night after hearing about it. And also scared. I mean, the FBI contacted the university about it? That makes it even more horribly real somehow.
I agree.
Also an alum of the school with friends still on campus and this news freaks me out so much. Stay safe everyone.
As an employee/alum of a different university in the same town, I was also upset to hear the news. You’ve got my support and good thoughts.
This is excellent news: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/nov/30/no… (Not that Northern Ireland is doing stuff incompatible with human rights, but the fact that this ruling has happened, as hopefully that means change might happen. Although I would like it if the restrictions were lifted in all cases, not just when it comes to “good abortions”.
I know various Toasties have enjoyed Rhik Samadder’s kitchen gadget reviews; let me draw your attention to this, which is a thing of beauty and a joy forever: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/…
My partner and I have Jessica Jones lined up to watch on Netflix after we finish Veronica Mars (yes, we are very slow). Him, to me: “You know how we both like morally-conflicted female PIs in a noir setting? Well …” *points to Netflix description of JJ*
omg I just started Veronica Mars too and I binged the entire season in one and a half days IT’S SO GOOD. Veronica Mars karaoke-ing to One Way or Another is perfection. And Logan’s aspirational voicemail quotes ahh <3
I have way too many intense feelings about Veronica Mars
From a former VMars fan, I personally found the experience is much better if you stop at Season 1; rather than continuing with Season 2 and 3.
We are halfway through S3 at the moment. Unfortunately, I loathe Logan (I have come to loathe him less over time, but I still generally disapprove). Even the voicemail quotes.
The first season is arguably one of the best seasons of television ever made, but just…don’t necessarily expect the same quality from the next two. Still enjoyable, but it’s kind of like how Twin Peaks went off the rails once Laura’s killer was revealed. After dealing with The Big Central Mystery, it’s like…where do you go from there?
Yes! Jessica Jones is the natural successor to Veronica Mars. Like, just watch the first 30 seconds and ask yourself, is this not basically interchangeable with the opening of the Veronica Mars pilot?
I mean that in an entirely positive way because I too love morally-conflicted female PIs in a noir setting.
Also, I still can’t quite reconcile Krysten Ritter’s character in VM with Jessica Jones. She actually annoyed the hell out of me when I first saw her, but I now realize that that was due to her doing a great job at portraying an insufferable character rather than being personally insufferable.
Inspect a Gadget is wonderful. I can’t get the image of Rhik forlornly making a wreath of moldy dehydrated orange slices out of my head.
I know that there must be greater context to the Kips Bay tweet, but I do not know what it is, but I am here to say that I am always in favor of abandoning it. Why, Kips Bay, why??
Also the charmingly-monikered Turtle Bay does not receive enough love from this City.
Hamilton reference. Safe to assume around here that it’s always a Hamilton reference.
Well then I am glad that nothing’s changed since the Revolution, then.
AGREE. The only reason one should enter a bar in Kips Bay is to immediately abandon it. (also, it is a Hamilton reference, in case your question wasn’t rhetorical).
I would like to put in a hearty reccomendation for Starz’ Flesh and Bone. So much great dancing! Weird Shakespeare-esque plot arcs! Nods towards magical realism! And pairs quite well with Jessica Jones.
(also huuuuge trigger warnings, but most of those can be avoided by doing what I did and skipping everything but the ballet pieces)
Oh man, I can’t wait to see it! My childhood best friend is in it, and so I’ve been hotly anticipating it ever since filming wrapped.
Charlie Potato Hashbrowns is seriously into carrots. And apparently my dad has been feeding him french fries when he’s trying to train him, which I can’t help but feel is a form of cannibalism?
HE’S SO TINY AAAAH
My life is made better every time I am reminded that there exists a dog called Charlie Potato Hashbrowns.
How big is that box? How tiny is that dog?! THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW.
The box is like an average sized liquor store box. Not too big, not too small. The dog is VERY TINY.
THAT. DOG.
Because illness in the family kept the main cooks occupied this holiday, I did all the cooking for Thanksgiving. And I realized that the difficulty of cooking turkey is grossly exaggerated.
Now there were only four of us & it was just the turkey breast so it was only in the oven for two hours, giving me plenty of time to freak out about the Kennel Club show. Then I started everything else early before more family came home from the hospital and wanted to “help.” Anyway, brussels sprouts with dates and bacon is a winner.
My mother said the same thing about turkeys when I asked her. I still haven’t cooked one, but it seems only logical that it’d be about the same as roasting a really big chicken. And there doesn’t seem to be mass panic over chicken roasting.
The only tricky part is that a full turkey takes time so some planning is involved. In my case this was mitigated by A, being really small, and B, I love planning! I just smothered that thing in rosemary and olive oil and shoved it in the oven. The harder part was timing the sides so things didn’t get cold but starting it soon enough that I could make executive decisions before the rest of the family got home. Like half and half instead of milk in the mashed potatoes. On Thanksgiving calories don’t count.
For all the Broad City fans out there, I shared a Thanksgiving meal with the guy who played Kevin in the episode where they were trying to get to the wedding (he’s the blonde with the braces who took poppers). Turns out we’ve been sharing Thanksgiving together the last 3 yrs (he’s my friend’s brother in law) and I knew he was an actor but I never put 2+2 together, even though Kevin looked *so familiar* to me. He’s a great dude and he said it was a lot of fun to tape that episode. I wanted more info about Abbi & Ilana but I had to play it cool.
I just watched that episode! That is neat.
OMG! that’s one of my very favorite episodes. he’s fantastic in it.
Wow, that is amazing. I love that character and his poppers. He is just so off-the-wall.
That feeling when you take two days off and come back to work feeling more exhausted than ever before = Thanksgiving. My aunt insists on hosting it at her place in New York, which is fine, but this year she called us a week before and said she was overwhelmed and would rather we didn’t stay the weekend, but leave Friday morning. Which, I understand being overwhelmed, believe me, but we weren’t going to drive 5 hours Wednesday night with two small children just to turn around and head back 36 hours later, especially with my husband still recovering from his concussion. We offered to just stay home (really! not passive-aggressively!), but that was taken as an insult. The compromise, in the end, was that we would be in charge of feeding everyone for Friday-Saturday, so my aunt wouldn’t have to lift a finger. We made the food in advance and brought it down in a cooler. We cleaned up every damn thing so that the house was virtually spotless at all times. But it was still totally clear throughout the weekend that our presence was a huge imposition and they just wanted us to leave. In conclusion, we’ll be staying home next year and you all are invited.
Boo aunt boooooooo
Poor you, that sounds horrible. Staying home sounds much more fun. (Why did your aunt not just gratefully accept your offer not to come? If I explained that I was feeling overwhelmed and my guests offered to cancel I would take them up on it, rather than taking offence and making them come anyway and do all the work.)
Staying home is the best.
That was such a Kobayashi Maru your aunt put you in! “I don’t want to host you but I’ll also be offended if you don’t come?” Not cool.
Staying home on Thanksgiving is the BEST. I highly endorse it. That’s what me and my husband have done the last two years since we live equally far from either of our families, too far to travel for such a short trip. It’s amazing because you get to do WHATEVER YOU WANT, including spending all day in your jammies, plus all the food is exactly the way you like it.
My boyfriend met my entire family on Thanksgiving! It was my first time ever bringing a guy home and I was SO nervous. I think he was a little overwhelmed at first, as he’s from a small, quiet family and we are…not. But, he got along with everyone and we all had a good time. And, if he saw any embarrassing baby pictures hanging up, he did not mention them, bless.
This Thanksgiving, I told my conservative evangelical family that I support marriage equality and resettling refugees, and then gave them examples from the Bible to back it up.
You’d have thought I told them that I worship Satan himself. The pearl-clutching incredulity was truly spectacular and I enjoyed it immensely, and I only regret that I scandalized my poor, unsuspecting grandmother who is no doubt praying for me at this very moment.
I am thoroughly looking forward to Christmas this year, because I know they’ll bring out the big guns, and boyyyy am I ready.
You are a warrior worthy of honour.
Heck yes! Keep fighting the good fight!
In college, the Christian Fellowship humans would sometimes come into the Hippie Non-Profit Student-Run Coffee Shop where I worked and the day I got to point out that my church (national denomination) was pro-choice As A Matter Of Official Policy was a very fun day indeed.
Take many good notes on Christmas, that sounds like so much fun!
Surprising Conservative Christians by being both liberal and versed in Scripture is hilarious.
Wholeheartedly agreed. I don’t think schadenfreude is a Fruit of the Spirit, but I’m willing to risk it.
It’s a Fruit Product of the Spirit, with both natural and artificial flavors.
You are so right. I love to tell my conservative relatives, “That does not seem like something Jesus would do.” Then I quote a scripture showing Jesus to be the radical liberal he was.
I like to quote the Old Testament passages about mercy and charity, since so many Conservatives are enamored with the angrier bits of the OT.
I have a fantasy of tying down all the awful conservative trolls that I know (luckily the number is declining as I spend more and more years away from my hometown) and taping their eyes open and making them watch every single episode of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and then all of The Colbert Report and then all of Colbert’s Late Night run so far. After that, and ONLY after that, will they be allowed to participate in holiday meals and go Christmas shopping and open their big stupid mouths to do anything except eat.
Last year, my brother and I went out and got ramen on Thanksgiving because of my otherwise atrocious family. This year, we decided we were going to host friendsgiving and make homemade ramen to put a good spin on a previously bad situation.
So, my fiance made homemade noodles and chashu pork WITH A BLOWTORCH and it was both entertaining and very delicious. A+ new tradition, highly recommend the Annual Thanksgiving Blowtorch.
There are so many delicious things you can blowtorch, too!
Yes!! I am so stoked for creme brulee!
Can we have an advent thread? I’m not giving up social media, but we are attempting to go back to the fasting/austerity/intentionality/mindfulness of Ye Olde Advent in an attempt to calm things down between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Plans include: daily physical activity/meditation, a ban on eating out, and no sweets in the house (barring Sundays, of course). Yeah, okay, it’s mostly a plan to lose some weight/stop treating our bodies like crap, but also we’re trying to be more mindful and focused on family/important things than mindless consumption, during what is historically a period of All The Consumption for us.
Thoughts/advice/anyone else doing anything similar?
I grew up Catholic and am still deeply confused by the Christmas obsession that happens around this time of year. December is for wrapping yourself in a blanket and contemplating the human condition.
I tend, in my pagan-y way, to try and do something similar between Halloween and Yule. Less austerity per se, but staying inside more, not throwing huge parties or going out shopping a lot, focusing on meditation, reading, and generally being quiet and inner-focused. It gets a little wavery at times, especially toward the end–everyone leaves around the 20th for family stuff, so if I want to have Christmas parties with my friends, which I do enjoy, it has to be a week or two earlier–but it’s a nice goal to keep in mind.
Yay! I would like to join you here. I often here that Advent is about waiting and anticipation, so I’m trying to contemplate what that means.
Related to this, does anyone know of a good set of Advent prayers/meditations? I’d like to do something daily to help reset and calm and such, but I’m not sure where to find something that’s not terribly evangelical.
I don’t know how you feel about Ignatius/Catholicism, but I’m a fan of the Jesuits and their practice of the examens: http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/18250/advent-… (sorry for lack of HTML skillz). I’m not actually Catholic, but I do love some of their practices.
I’ve found this, which from a quick overview, doesn’t look very evangelical. I also recommend looking for Taize chants, and listening to/singing those while going about daily business. They’ve got chants from various countries and traditions, and I’ve found them to be very calming and centering.
I found a great book of short Advent readings called Waiting for the Light last year. It’s Christian but definitely not super evangelical – one of my favorite readings was a Sylvia Plath poem.
No wait! It’s Watch for the Light, not Waiting for the Light, which appears to he a Shirley MacLaine movie. Here is the Amazon link for the book: http://www.amazon.com/Watch-Light-Readings-Advent….
I’ve started doing something similar for the month of January. I’m not religious but the holidays and winter are so overwhelming that I take January to be quiet and stay home and take better care of myself. I highly recommend it!
This is a slight tangent, but does anyone have secular advent traditions? I am not religious but I was raised Catholic and loooove the whole idea of the liturgical calendar and having chunks of the year devoted to various things.
I do have a kind of minimalist advent calendar that I love, was thinking about adding a wreath but that may be too religious-y, I don’t know.
My home country is secular as heck but loves advent for some reason (and so do I!). Let me teach you our ways. This tradition LOOKS religious, especially if a wreath feels too religious to you, but I’m pretty sure no church invented it.
1. Get a thing that can hold four tall candles. Preferably they should stand side by side, but anything goes really. Decorate it.
2. Put some kind of wintery lamp (usually with several tiny lights) in your window and light it every night until Christmas (or just never turn it off if you’re lazy). Looks nice, yes? Lights in the window is apparently all cultural, not religious at all. You can put up a star, if you want, but that’s the only remotely Christian part except Advent itself.
3. Make or buy some baked goods that feel like winter or Christmas to you. We like saffron buns and ginger snaps.
4. Get some spiced red wine.
5. Now, every advent Sunday you do a little ceremony. Light one new candle and enjoy a mug of warm spiced wine (you don’t have to put raisins and almonds in it, but it’s an avaliable option) and your baked goods. First week you light the first candle, next Sunday the first AND the second one, and so on.
Seriously, do this, it’s the best.
Oh, this is the advent wreath I was talking about with the 4 candles! Regular wreaths like on a door are totally non-Religious to me. So in church/my childhood home, the 4 candles are set up in a wreath of evergreen type stuff. They have 3 purple ones and one pink one, and the pink is lit on the 3rd Sunday and that’s called Galdete Sunday or some such thing, so I think what I might do to make it feel less connected is just get white or red or something.
LOVE the idea of adding spiced red wine and other festive treats to this!!! Thank you!
Yeah, I’ve never seen any special colours, most people use white candles or maybe red. They’re not supposed to be church-related, at this point lighting advent candles is more of a tradition than a religious ceremony. I thought of them as a weekly Christmas countdown. They give December a stabilising rhythm, I feel.
Advent is so great. Yes please, I will have another saffron bun. More wine? If you insist! If you have access to a particularly great child, kids take the responsibility of lighting the candle verrry seriously. I used to get hot chocolate instead of wine when I was a kid.
I think the wine is basically the same concept as “mulled wine”? It should be heated and spicy and slowly sipped, while it’s dark as fuck outside and you truly believe that this time the sun may not actually EVER rise properly again.
No snow here yet, but the days are so short you could keep them in a matchbox, and we still have weeks to go until winter solstice…
I’ve been reflecting a bit on this as well, and I keep going back to contemplating the season of darkness in which Advent falls. I’ve found these three posts particularly interesting, though I’m not sure I have any action on them yet. In order, they each precede from the other, building out on a common central theme of darkness and silence and the light we know to be coming. There are more than a few call backs to the Christmas season being centered around the pagan solstice, and how those two celebrations can lend deeper significance to each other.
1. http://megcasey.com/archives/319
2. http://www.adesignsovast.com/2011/12/turning-our-…
3. http://www.onbeing.org/blog/finding-ancient-pagan…
Yes, I would like to do something similar.
I don’t really know what I believe right now, but I read more poetry in December, and I feel more. . .receptive? to the sentiment vs. the sentimental when I go back and reread–The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas (some of L’Engle’s other poems and bits from The Irrational Season are very good on Advent without being super-preachy), the end of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, my Christmas with Anne Lucy Maud Montgomery stories, Miracle on 34th Street, Holly and Ivy. . .they all make me feel more kindly towards the world.
Among the many reasons I am sad and angry about the Planned Parenthood shooting, I am sad and angry because a friend of mine just started working for Planned Parenthood (in another state) as a nurse and was so excited to finally be following her passion for abortion care. Now she is terrified, and furious, and doesn’t feel safe at all. No one should have to feel that way about their life’s work (which is, by the way, LEGAL), and my heart is breaking for her.
That sucks. I hope she’s able to find a way through this. Let her know she has the support and admiration of many!!
I had a lovely Thanksgiving. My immediate family was all together for the first time since January, and my aunt’s adorable tiny dog remembered me! He was very attentive and demanded many games of fetch. And everyone stepped up for post-meal clean up most evenings.
Also guys – Rhik Samadder and Felicity Cloake are my new OTP.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/…
Looks like someone beat me to it. My point still stands.
They are clearly adorable together.
‘Felicity is a strange woman’ – is it getting hot in here or…?
Well, I wound up rushing out of state to take the GRE this weekend. I’ll take my score, but can anyone please tell me what the math with the exclamation points is? I did NOT do that in high school and it psyched me out to see the math yelling at me.
Factorials? 4! would mean 1 x 2 x 3 x 4, for example.
So if they gave me, not-so-hypothetically-speaking, a letter in front of the shoutpole, that meant to introduce all the letters before into the equation?
It’s been a long time for me, but I’m pretty sure you would solve for that letter, and then factorialize it? That’s what I would do. But like I said, it’s been a looooong time.
I think lemonadefish is right, but it’s also been a long time for me. I’m mostly commenting to appreciate your use of “shoutpole.”
Bits and pieces of math are coming back to me. If you aren’t solving for x, but you’re given x!, you can write it out as x*(x-1)*(x-2)…1. I forget the proper notation for doing this. This can be helpful if, for example, you’re supposed to do something with an equation like x!/(x-1), as the “(x-1)” will cancel out. I haven’t yet remembered why on earth this would be helpful, but I know it’s helpful in SOME context, because I distinctly remember having to do that in calculus. Hopefully this vague and incomplete advice will be enough to help you track down the full answer if you want to Google more.
It’s a pi sign! Like the capital sigma for summations, except with multiplication. So if I put “i=3” under a pi sign under a 6, then the formula i, it means 3x4x5x6
They’re factorials! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factorial
Was it factorials? 5! = 5 x 4 x 3 x 2 x 1
We did in high school for like 5 seconds.
Okay, I see this has already been answered (should have refreshed). But it reminded me of this tumblr post: http://autisticnarset.tumblr.com/post/13289165176…
Factorials! Commonly crop up in probability problems (the old “choose x out of y things”), binomial coefficients and such.
When I first encountered them I thought of them as really excited to be their value, like little numeric cheerleaders (… and kind of like Jeb!)
ok, now I am thinking Jeb! = Jeb*W*HW…
I watched the first twelve episodes of Jane the Virgin over the holiday. I have never been happier with anything in my life. We are extremely lucky to be alive in the same time as Gina Rodriguez, Andrea Navedo, and the writers of this show, and I would love to discuss it with you all forever.
YES I LOVE JANE THE VIRGIN SO MUCH
Here for JtV discussion always! I have gotten all three of my sisters-in-law into it, so we talked about that over Thanksgiving.
So I keep hearing such positive things about it, but I can’t get past the premise, because it just seems like a very transparent anti-abortion sermon??? Please correct me if I am wrong!
I don’t think it is! I admit I only got a few episodes in before I forgot to keep up with it as it was airing on hulu, but there was a great discussion between Jane, her mom, and her grandmother about abortion, and how Jane had always assumed that her religious Grandmother had been the one to persuade her mother to not have an abortion, but really her Grandmother had advocated for an abortion and her mother had been the one to decide to keep the baby (who grew up to be Jane). I felt like it was treated as a legitimate choice Jane might make.
Okay, that does sound good. I’m just longing for pop culture representations of women who have an abortion with a minimum of fuss and it’s very clearly the right decision for them and their life isn’t COMPLETELY WRECKED afterward, they aren’t reduced to a wan ghost of their former selves, consumed by regret as everything turns to ash in their mouths, etc.
I had the same concerns about the entire premise being too absurd. The set up IS absurd, but intentionally so (telenovela!), and they do address the abortion aspect in a way that was satisfying to me. The main character definitely is a religious Catholic, and decides that she wants to keep the baby, but abortion is discussed and presented as a legitimate option that just isn’t right for her. I thought it was handled in a non-preachy way.
It is the best! And there is so much to love! My favorite thing is that amid all the craziness, you can count on Jane, Xiomara, and Alba to be human but grounded and essentially good.
Also the narrator just *slays* me.
I would kill for Rogelio to be my Brogelio
It is the perfect show. That is all.
So, on the Planned Parenthood shooting – a nonprofit where I live has just announced they’re starting a clinic escort program. I want to volunteer, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough mentally to do it, and also I don’t know if I’d be seriously risking my safety. But I kind of feel cowardly not even looking into it, you know?
How about looking into it, but giving yourself permission to say, “Actually, now I know more about it, this is too much for me. Is there another way I can help?”
If they’re running a good volunteer programme, they’ll want to give you lots of training and support to do something that is really difficult, and they’ll want to make sure that everyone who takes it on isn’t doing more than they can handle. So they should be clear with you about what the responsibilities are and what the commitment is, in terms of time but also in terms of emotional energy and grit. It is totally OK to feel that you’re not up for it!
If they are a bad volunteer programme, and they try and pressure people to commit even though they’re worried or unsure, then it is a very bad idea and you should DEFINITELY run away from them.
This is really helpful, thanks! I tend to get ahead of myself, so one step at a time is always a reminder I need.
I’ve only done it the once, because it involved getting across town early in the morning on a Saturday, which is sadly not sustainable for me. And it was kinda taxing, even though no abortions were being performed that day (the doc was under the weather). But I am glad I tried it! And in addition to the amazing advice from msbias, you could also give yourself permission to just try doing it the once.
Do you have a friend who would be willing to try it out with you? We were a group of three or four, with one of us a regular, which was helpful and grounding.
I’d recommend driving by the area to see how the building and escorts are set up (or ask the volunteer coordinator directly). At the clinic where I work, patients drive through the area where protesters can stand, and then walk directly into the clinic (many yards away from the protesters). The job of the volunteer escorts is mostly to direct traffic/wave cars through, not to physically shield patients through the crowd. They still do a great service, because it can be confusing to pull into a driveway surrounded by protesters and it’s nice to see someone in a PP vest smile and guide you in. The volunteer escorts stand near the protesters and may overhear them if they are loud, but the amount of actual interaction is pretty low. Something similar might be the case for you!
(Even if it’s not, I echo the other commenters that you should try it, but give yourself permission to bow out if it’s too taxing. Self-care first!)
Yes, this is the case at my clinic! (Perhaps I volunteer at your clinic?) I do occasionally guide patients past the protesters when they arrive on foot, and if I’m at the back I’ll walk with them from their car to the door, just chatting a bit so they don’t have to listen to the protesters shout things at them. I’ve only encountered one protester who genuinely scared me and a few who really got under my skin, but the vast majority of them are easy to ignore.
I also attended several trainings and my first shift was a “shadow” shift where I wasn’t expected to do anything but stand there, really. And I was told multiple times that if I determined that the job wasn’t for me, I could stop at any time, and they’d be happy to use my volunteer services elsewhere if I still wanted to help. So, OP, do some research if you’re up to it! You can always stop if you find you’re too uncomfortable.
….St. Paul?
Haha, yep! Hello, fellow Minnesotan. I’ve almost certainly waved at you at some point in the past few months.
AMAZING! Thank you for your waves!!
My movie theater is in Kips Bay. I will shout about abandoning it if the opportunity presents itself post-Creed.
I got sick in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, and am still feeling poorly. I spent the weekend re-reading Agatha Christie books, so it wasn’t all bad.
Your Canadian political news tidbit of the day: Justin Trudeau had Harper’s desk dismantled and got his dad’s old desk out from storage.
Especially since JT said it was because Harper’s desk was too big. Heh.
And then the media got to use the photo in this article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/justin-trudeau-pi…
Which made me realize why Trudeaumania was a thing. A bit of swagger there that you usually don’t get in Canadian politics.
The best thing I got out of that article was that Trudeau also had his dad’s “hang in there, baby” poster taken out of storage and hung in an adjacent office.
My favorite was Justin under his father’s arm as an infant, clearly being carried bodily away form the fun stuff. The saluting Mountie is just icing on the cake. (Does one capitalize Mountie?)
Oh. I… um.
Need a minute.
Someone should have Harper’s desk set on fire.
There’s still time, if it’s dismantled isn’t it more firewood-sized now?
Guys I inhaled all of “The Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce” this weekend and it is my favorite thing right now. Lisa Eldelstein, L.A mom nonsense, Janeane Garofalo? Also there are some surprisingly emotional moments that didn’t feel over the top, but were just rather moving.
Anycray, back in the office, trying to catch up with emailzzz.
I feel like the writers are taking common tropes of asshole men and rape culture and dialling it up to a 1000. Kilgrave is basically the personification of male entitlement. Simpson is that guy who’s just trying to help but he only manages to undermine the agency of the women and be overbearing and annoying as hell. The whole “smile” thing taken to the extreme. The fact that Kilgrave is not at all physically threatening but still is abusive as all hell – I’m loving what they’re doing with it.
The fact that this is one of the first times women got to create a superhero TV show and they pretty much kicked ass and created probably the best MCU villain as well as tackled social issues important to women is giving me SO MANY FEELS including increased casual misandry feels
Simpson is like the Costco brand knockoff of Captain America and I shrieked with joy when Trish told him “Last night was fun but that doesn’t mean I want your opinion.”
Kilgrave is so petulant and Simpson is so dumb and overbearing that i frequently found myself cackling like a witch whenever one of the men in the show got dissed which was VERY OFTEN. Kilgrave getting verbally smacked is amazing because that man baby does NOT take it well.
Ugghh its like you’re inside my head but 1000% more articulate.
I love all of this.
TV these past few years as well as the upcoming lineup just makes me so happy. Hopefully the success of JJ means we get more female show runners in the future
Now all I want is a Black Widow movie in the style of JJ.
I really liked her story-line in AoU (Dealing with the indoctrination and abuse she experienced as a child and coming to terms with everything she has done since), but I was sad because it was wasted being shoe-horned into a boys movie.
Why can’t we have the nice things!
(I’m over here praying that JJ will make the boys-club see that women superhero’s do work, without being bubble-gum innocent, and women can make amazing tv and movies!)
I just watched The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron and I agree. More Black Widow! I would even accept a Black Widow focused movie with Steve as her sidekick because I will never get tired of her gauging his interest in various women from the office.
Here’s the thing about Kilgrave/Jessica – the only way it works is if you completely ignore EVERYTHING Jessica says.
I get the appeal of the mind control thing, and heaven knows I’ve read my share of non-con stories and stories about characters who canonically cannot stand each other (Harry/Draco, e.g.). I can even imagine a story where you explore Kilgrave’s motivations or POV. But no matter what fandom goggles I put on I cannot see a situation in which I would actively root for them as a couple, not just because he is a bad dude but also because she is so explicitly repulsed by him.
I can understand the appeal of exploring their previous relationship through fic, or exploring their current relationship. And who hasn’t gone back to an ex at some point, no matter how much they repluse you. So yes I can see the appeal of Jessica/Kilgrave fic
However, actively shipping them as a couple? nope.
Yeah, I am usually the first person to ship “bitter rivals/enemies but also UNDERLYING SEXUAL TENSION,” but I cannot with this. It’s too gross.
I’ve seen very little “actual” shipping of them. What I have seen is either people who are into the total wrongness of it – mind control, non-con, etc. – and many, many more gasping at the idea that anyone could *possibly* ship such a thing, where is your morality. I’m not saying there’s none, because the world is a wide and magical place, but idk, I think it just seems pre-emptive to be worried about it?
As we’ve done for the past…lots of years (I’ve actually lost count), my fiancee and I went down to DC for Friendsgiving. A lot of her friends from undergrad wound up in DC after graduation, so it’s become sort of a tradition to have Thanksgiving dinner together, along with other people everyone’s gotten to know through grad school/work/etc. While we usually stay through the weekend, this year we couldn’t find anyone to take care of our cat, so we wound up driving back home right after dinner. Although considering we came home to this, it was sort of worth it:
Smooosh face. Wish I lived nearby, I would sit the heck out of that cat for you.
What a sweetie! The embodiment of cozy.
Thanksgiving was okay, in that the food was great and my energy-sapping brother decided not to go (“The only holiday I’m interested in celebrating anymore is Yuletide”), but I have been forced to admit to myself that my beloved baby cousins who are now 18 and 24 are kind of insufferable and the older one is almost certainly not going to get any better.
I trust your judgment on that 24-year-old baby cousin. But I just gotta say:
I, too, was insufferable at 24. I am far less insufferable now. It can happen.
I was, too, and I hope you’re right and I spoke too soon.
“Yuletide”? Does he mean Christmas or is this more of a Festivus thing?
My cousin started making her pumpkin pie AFTER our dinner, and she said it would take 20 minutes. I side-eyed at my husband REAL hard and then cackled when she served us hot nasty pumpkin pie 2 hours later (she made it with all yogurt and no sugar, from a recipe on the back of the yogurt container, what!?) and I happily ate the pecan pie and pear cranberry crostata that I had made.
Also my generally very well-intentioned family got super racist and I wanted to start playing “Hello” but instead I started talking about the prison industrial complex.
One of my family members was intent on starting a political discussion and tried to for nearly 10 minutes while everyone ignored him. I finally took the bait when he started in on how dangerous the Syrian refugees are and used verbatim the poison grape analogy. So I countered with the far more applicable Jesus-Mary-and-Joseph-were-religious-political-refugees-in-Egypt-from-Herod analogy, and the whole thing launched a two-hour Family Inquisition.
My sister literally started singing Hello about 10 minutes before we all ended the conversation.
Thanks, Adele.
Thanksgiving meh.
Long drive to in-laws. Meal itself was small and not very good. You may have seen my reference to one small pie for eight adults and two children (which turned out to be plenty, because they don’t seem to like pie, plus it wasn’t very good). Husband spent the whole time SICK IN BED IN THE OTHER ROOM leaving me alone with only a toddler to defend me from his family.
Only plus: they recently purchased a full-sized trampoline, which the baby enjoyed immensely! And she liked hanging out with her three-year-old cousin, even if he was an annoying whiner.
in a week I will have already seen Hamilton
Thank you for commenting on Stoya/James Deen! It is such a huge thing for the sex community. Deen was such an image of hope – look, it’s possible to be male and top and still a feminist – but maybe nope. (“Maybe” to it even being possible at all, I mean – I 100% believe Stoya, and will always 100% believe any woman’s statement of assault.)
In case anyone was wondering, as I was, whether Oh Joy Sex Toy had anything to say on the James Deen stuff, here is their statement ending their relationship with him.
I was wondering about that and was very happy to see their statement.
It’s sad that it’s a relief when someone responds to rapists swiftly and appropriately bug here we are.
They were the people I was most interested to hear from. Glad to see that– thank you.
For anyone still hanging around in this thread and pining away for Behind Closed Ovens–pine no more! Pinkham just put up today’s over at Wonkette http://wonkette.com/596424/stories-of-the-worlds-… (adjust your bookmarks accordingly)
Today’s Google doodle is LMM. That is all.
I was initially shocked that Google would do a doodle celebrating a living person currently appearing in a hit Broadway show that this person also wrote.
But then I realized you meant the original LMM.
MY MOUTH ALSO DROPPED thinking that Hamiltunes had infected Google HQ, but no, apparently there is another! I am now better educated.
The ORIGINAL LMM, WHO WILL BE THE ONLY LMM IN MY BOOK.
(Yeah, I see those initials and my brain goes to Lucy Maud Montgomery first.)
Because life is strange, I am STILL on Thanksgiving vacation, and then I go back to work tomorrow, and then I go back to “Thanksgiving vacation *cough*” and fly across the country for a job interview on Wednesday. I say stupid things in job interviews when I go into them too confident that I’m going to get the job, not to mention the disappointment, so I’m working on my prep today while also trying to focus on the idea that this is it, after Wednesday this will all be over and I will go back to normal life. It’s weird. I’m excited. I’m nervous. Wish me well.
Thanksgiving was great – my husband & I cooked EVERYTHING ourselves including three pies, and that would’ve been overwhelming were it not for the fact that my dad washed every single dish. EVERY. SINGLE. DISH.
I am in love with Jessica Jones as a show and a woman, including her single pair of pants and especially including her banter with the Night Nurse.
You have a good dad.
He’s a gem of a man & no mistaking.
I love your dad! My mom was sick so I did all the cooking (with my brother’s help), which I don’t mind, but my stepfather did NOTHING, and didn’t even say thank you. (flames. flames from the sides of my face)
Ugh, the worst.
i looooove her single pair of stretched-to-ill-fitting pants. and that they’re the first thing she puts on when she stumbles out of bed.
(maybe i just admire it, having not worn a pair of real pants, with hardware on them, in maybe 4 years.)
I had my first family Thanksgiving in four years (just with my parents, a tiny family with the same political views, we are blessed but also this is a family of choice because my mom replaced my biological dad with a better model).
Pro: They willingly allowed me to play all of HAMILTON as we prepped Thanksgiving dinner, and they were impressed and appreciative.
Pro: Excellent food, gorgeous weather, Oregonian exercise instead of shopping on Friday.
Con: the horrible PP shooting, foremost, and also feeling once again more emotionally invested in my parents’ reaction to things I care about than I ought to be, at age 27. Generally wishing I had a community of peers close to me, and missing my one really good friend back in Houston. What is an introvert to do. (But I am for real going to be sending in a volunteer application at PP, so.)
Pro: I saw Spotlight last night, and it was EXCELLENT, all about the importance of journalism and, unlike in all the movies I saw with my parents over the weekend, no one got shot! That is important to me.
Spotlight was indeed terrific. Check out Ty Burr’s review in the Globe in which he affirms that Ruffalo’s odd facial expressions in the film are spot on. I saw this film in a theater north of Boston in a city that I know to have been hit by the abuse and coverup. Lots of older folk, and I couldn’t help but wonder.
Haha, watching it, I knew Ruffalo’s faces and hunching had to be based on reality. They were too specific.
Ooooh, that would be an interesting place to see it, indeed. There weren’t many in last night’s theater — maybe a dozen, and there was an older couple a little further down my row. I could hear their quiet comments occasionally, nothing bothersome, just observations like “and he’s Jewish” when Baron unwrapped the catechism book from the cardinal. And we all made little noises when the messages were displayed at the end of the movie, including the lists of other cities with the same scandal uncovered.
I had a surprisingly lovely Thanksgiving with my mother in southern Vermont, though the reason I’m here is that she was in the hospital for a week with what turned out to be something akin to Lyme disease and needs some assistance getting back on her feet. Low key, low energy, but I’m glad I was here, that the trip was astonishingly easy (last-minute red-eye), and that she’s getting stronger and more energetic every day. Now I’m about to drive her in to town for a doctor visit and the agenda for the rest of the week. I will try to take a postable picture of her adorable Jack Russell, Anabelle, who it is my responsibility and honour to take for walkies every 10 minutes so she can harass the local vole population.
I hope your mother continues to improve, and that your trip home is equally non-eventful and short!
too much at work to do, to fully participate in all the discussions, but, thanksgiving was not great because i felt happy and festive and thus drank too much wine and revealed too much of my values/life to my mother, who became very sad, and used the word “wholesome” twice the next day, in her sadness, to explain what she wants for me. (my dad remains an unconditional fan of me, so there is that. it causes tension between them and i Do Not Care.)
it’s always been a love-but-not-like relationship there, but to see her lean into resigned depression was just, really a bummer. i left as quickly as possible the next morning and i think we were all relieved at that.
so, no wine at christmas, and less talking.
I’m sorry to hear that. It can be a really fine line, where you’re like “yay! I’m having a good time with you and this wine! We’re sharing our feelings and getting along and maybe we’re really friends! Surely they want to know my thoughts and opinions!” but then suddenly the record screeches to a halt and you realize maybe you shouldn’t have told them whatever it was. Glad you’re home to your own place and I hope your mom doesn’t press too hard on whatever it is.
that is very sweet, thank you. 🙂 and yeah, you nailed it. “i feel happy and safe, imma drink as much as i want and say whatever! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . fuuuucccckk.”
the bad thing is, it’s happened before. i am just terrible at learning. (i only go home on Feast Days and they offer me wine asap. the game seems a little bit rigged.)
My guts came after me again on Wednesday, this is apparently their new menstrual MO, but this time I had medicine! So I made it to Thanksgiving buffet at the local casino. Which sounds cheesy but they really do a good job.
I decided to start a Whole 30 thing (basically a 30 day paleo diet) since that’ll be just enough time to see if my guts try to get me again next cycle. I don’t know whether to hope it works or not. I mean obviously I hope it works but this is a lot of meat I am eating.
Also I realized there is one Android device in the house, so I installed that cat collecting game on it. Happy Holidays to me.
Let me know how the Whole 30 goes for you, I hope it helps! A friend of mine does it periodically as a sort of all-beef cleanse I guess, and I wanted to join her both to be supportive and to see if it would help w/pain issues. She gave me a link to their food list for vegetarians, and it says right on the list, “The best fats for you are animal fats, of course,” and while I STILL consider trying it, that stopped me in the short term. I think the meat/eggs version might make more sense, actually.
Yes, please report back! I have issues that sound a little familiar so I’d be curious to see if the Whole 30 thing works as a sort of “reset” or occasional fix.
We had a lovely Thanksgiving- no fights about politics, though my sister and I had a small one about Deflateghazi. It was just my parents and sister and me, and nobody else even phoned. We re-watched the Ehle/Firth “Pride and Prejudice” and made a lot of family in-jokes.
But then I got back to the apartment and learned that some port I had drunk before the break, thinking it to be mine, in fact belonged to my roommate and I feel TERRIBLE and like a cad.
Also the dark and post-holiday letdown and general sad state of the world are EATING MY SOUL.
I celebrated Thanksgiving in my favorite way: being taken out for dinner in an excellent restaurant. No family of mine was involved.
Thanksgiving was problematic this year. My father died a few weeks ago and my whole, deeply screwed-up family (60+ of his descendants) descended on the ICU in Reno for several grueling days of grievance-airing and general bitterness. Lots of unnecessary “look at Meeee!” drama while my older brother and I (both of us detached ourselves geographically and emotionally years ago) took care of business, drank, shared a few horrible childhood reminiscences with my older sister, basically reaffirming that we have no need to feel guilty about not caring that dad was dead.
On the upside, having seen everybody so recently there was no need to beg off spending the holiday with any of them. On the downside, my husband had to work the entire holiday weekend, but upside again, I took a day off when his schedule allowed and we had a closed-door, phones off day of indulgence with each other and the cats, so it’s all good. But the rums all gone.
Why is the rum always gone? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xR0h6FGCBY
It was nowhere near as dramatic as your thing sounds, but a beloved (by others) family member died right before thanksgiving and I feel so much not-caring. So, so, much. But I managed not to rain on anyone else’s grief parade, so I’m proud of myself for that, if that makes sense.
It gives you quite a workout, all that biting of tongue and holding in the eyeball-rolls during the ritual outpourings of grief, often by the even-more abused siblings or the adult grandchildren who barely knew him. Most of my inner monologue for four days was “shutupshutupshutup it’s not about you” aimed mostly at myself, but also mentally directed at a group of adult nieces (in their 30’s, so zero excuses!) who couldn’t stop the reality show of their lives for five minutes to help out.
I love living 1500 miles from the genetic kinfolk.
You deserve a medal, and all the pats on the back.
I had a good Thanksgiving! Opportunity to go to two different places, either one would have been really hard for me, so I Charlie Browned the hell out of the day: Made popcorn and cocoa and lots of coffee, actually did some work, and watched a bunch of Parks and Rec which is really waffle porn when you think about it. Currently waiting to hear about a place that seems plausible but complicated–if it comes through I may buy a waffle iron to celebrate (and make falafel waffles, they’re a thing!).
Hey Toast. I had an okay Thanksgiving. My mom flew over from Russia, and it was alright, but that night she woke up from pain in her arm and we had to go to the ER. She’s okay; it was some nerve thing, but now since she doesn’t have insurance in the states I am expecting a bill in the mail and everything is glum.
And the next morning she told me maybe if I’d gone to Harvard to study medicine, it would have turned out better and she wouldn’t have had to go to the hospital, and I feel so angry and devastated and sad.
Ugh. I’m sorry that she was unwell, and I’m extra sorry that she tried to blame you for it. I hope you know that what she told you was untrue, and said in sickness and anger, and that she comes to her senses and apologizes for being awful.
Oh noo that’s a really crappy thing to say to you! I’m so sorry 🙁
I spent Thanksgiving with the awesomest of my priests (and the current clergy team is 3 kick-ass women, so that’s saying a lot), and I did my annual duty of giving someone my grandma Viola’s pie crust recipe, because it is objectively superior to all other pie crust recipes.
Don’t leave us hanging! What is this Viola recipe? I’m always down to learn about a better pie crust.
Cut together 3 cups flour and 1.25 cup vegetable shortening, until it’s evenly reduced to lumps the size of small peas. To this, add:
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1 Tsbp. white vinegar
5 Tbsp. cold water
Mix together until smooth, kneading very slightly, but not over-kneading. Chill for 1 hour, then roll out. Makes two 9″ pie crusts (upper and lower). Bake pie at 400F for 10 degrees, then turn down to 350F for another 30 minutes.
Interesting! I’ve never made pie crust with egg in the dough.
It comes out incredibly light and flaky (and gets crumbs everywhere), and the vinegar gives it a bit of zip.
I was about to post, “I’m sorry, your recipe can’t be the best piecrust because my friend Kathryn’s piecrust is the best piecrust,” and then you posted this and it’s basically the same recipe.
It’s the egg and vinegar, people. Makes all the difference.
SCIENCE!!!
Thanksgiving was mostly fine. My father-in-law traditionally makes the turkey and announced that he is officially hanging up his apron and will not be doing so in the future. Which is fine. The rest of the family is willing to pitch and handle the meal, but he sounded so sad about it. It basically sounded like he was ready to lay down and die right there at the table.
My daughter (6) spent the evening of Thanksgiving and Black Friday with my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law, who thinks the sun rises and sets on my daughter, took the small one clothes shopping. My daughter, who has a very healthy body-image, took to modeling all her new clothes and jewelry (Nana got suckered into a Claire’s), and commenting on how fabulous she looked and wasn’t it wonderful that they went shopping so she could get those things?
To be fair, she does look pretty good in her new Christmas duds. She also does not f*** around when it comes to the holidays.
Omg, she is ADORABLE! She has the best hair and face.
Your daughter is a BOSS.
I love my family, but spending a long holiday weekend with them always reminds me of how little I have in common with most of them, how few topics of conversation there seem to be when we all get together, and how cranky I get when I have to spend that much time in constant contact with other people. I’m seriously considering doing a Friendsgiving before the actual Thanksgiving weekend next year followed by a three-day visit with the family instead of the full four days.
Co-signed on all fronts! I love them, but not much in common. Now that I have to travel to see them, I always come home on Saturday, to give myself a day. I liked it better when I saw them frequently for short periods instead of infrequently for several days. 3 is the best number of days, 4 max.
over the years i have shaved it down to less than 24 hours for thanksgiving, and only about 36 for christmas. keep the dream alive.
Just saw this.
more at link http://alexandrhamilton.tumblr.com/post/134276063…
Without even talking about who should be president, this is seriously ef’ed up. This makes me so angry. It’s not only anti-democratic, or whatever is the best way to put that, but disrespectful to us. I think I have to start organizing for Bernie. Then, when Hillary gets the nom, as I pretty much expect, I’ll volunteer for her.
Am I supposed to be disgusted at Online Media or Online Polls?
You should definitely organize for the candidate you feel most passionate about, but I would say that online polls are pretty skewed.
It is really impossible to overstate the degree to which online polls are useless.
Thanks. I guess I overreacted, thinking of all the *other* problems with political bias in media… How embarrassing. :/
Don’t worry about it! I really do think you should organize for your favorite candidate. 🙂
Thanksgiving was ok. Food was awesome, college boy showed up (despite still mostly living at dad’s). The trip to take him back to school Friday for a football game (he marches in band) turned into a great girlfriend/mom/little sister bonding trip, despite being pouring rain and 40 degrees, and I was glad I didn’t let him convince me his dad was driving him home (and thus leave early and not have to sit in cold rain for 4 hours), because dad saw the forecast and bailed on him. The football game sucked in terms of our team AND my general ambivalence towards the sport, mingled with the knowledge that it’s the reason my children have their favorite identity forming musicality.
This year, the first high school game of the year I watched a kid who lived across the street get a compound fracture in his leg, ending his senior year and losing his college scholarship, etc, plus he’s still in a wheelchair. Friday a guy on the opposing team left on a board, and the only thing they are saying is that he can feel his fingers and toes. I minimized that for the little girl, but how do I justify my kids’ love for band and the violence of football?
The rest of the weekend was silly, high schooler recovered and bonded with grandma black friday shopping, my girlfriend gave me a new couch and it makes me so very very happy (it’s her old one but she is single and so it’s perfect and I can get rid of the one my ex left me with). My boys jammed together all weekend and their music made my mom cry with happiness.
I have way, way, way too many leftover sweetpotatoes.
Gotta shift those kids’ musical interests over into jazz band, or big band, or ska band, or something.
There are no worries on that score. College boy is in Marching band, wind ensemble, was in jazz band, was in the All Ohio State Fair band for 3 years in a row, and is declaring a music minor. High School boy is in Marching band, Symphonic band, jazz band (which meets at 6 am twice a week, yay!), and they were jamming to music they simply saw on youtube, liked the band, and bought the sheet music to (similar to moon hooch, a band called Too Many Zoo’s). Middle school girl is in general band, will march at the end of next year, and will start Jazz band in January (meets at 6 am on the day in between the two other jazz band practices).
I don’t agree that you need to shift your kids’ interests to other bands- marching band is great! And not necessarily tied to football. Maybe introduce them to drum corps- all of the amazing music and marching, none of the football! Also it might be helpful to keep in mind that marching band is a very finite period of their lives. College marching band is not a thing for a lot of people for a lot of reasons and after there are basically no opportunities to march. So marching band is a 4-8 year period at best. That would be the reason I’d suggest you nudge them into additional enembles- playing an instrument as an adult is great!
Yes, marching band was a short period in my musical education. In college our marching group called itself a Show Band, preferring drum corps performances. We grudgingly sat in the stands and played fight songs for football games we never watched in exchange for a chance to dazzle in the half time show. After the first home game of each season, football fans tended to stay in the stands at halftime, stampeding to get to the bathrooms at the *end* of our show. We preferred playing for the basketball team. Players would make requests and thank us after the game.
I’m remembering the basketball coach was a Brubeck fan. I remember Sing Sing Sing was a frequent request. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, SmrtCookie!
🙂 that all sounds lovely. My high school marching band was loads more successful than the football team. And even though I went to a huge football university everyone loved the band. Marching band is such an intense experience during such a formative part of people’s lives that I get a little protective of it!
I spent my first Thanksgiving On My Own visiting my friend in New York. It was mostly excellent–she had another friend visiting and I was worried I was going to feel really left out but I only felt left out a little sometimes? And that was partly because I did something bad to my foot and now am limping really pathetically, with a big blister on my toe, and had trouble keeping up with all the walking. Anyway, my friend’s friend had RSVP’d for us to go to HIS friend’s from high school’s vegan Thanksgiving dinner, which meant some last minute scrambling on what to bring. The whole evening kind of felt like we were in some very meticulously casted show about Brooklyn hipsters. Also, we all agreed her boyfriend was THE WORST, but her other friends were pretty awesome.
While I was gone, apparently there was a problem with the pipes that may have caused a leak in the unit below me and the doorman called and seemed very disapproving I didn’t have some sort of solution or explanation besides telling them they could enter the apartment and I would definitely check in when I was back about how bad the damage was.
Now I’m back in the grind, herding my students through their exit exam and trying to blast through grading so I can leave to visit my brother in Cambridge with it completely done. This is really why I missed family Thanksgiving, but I have to admit, 9 whole days with my brother, SIL and nieces without my parents, without having to take an international flight with my parents, and getting to sleep in the guest room instead of on the playroom floor is looking better and better.
Aww guys, I was going to eat a pie alone with the cats for Thanksgiving, but the most wonderful guy at my school found out that I was alone and he invited me into his plans.
I’ve been crushing on him ever since we met earlier this semester. He figured this out, but for some reason it doesn’t bother him. The thing is that he’s graduating in two weeks and could end up literally anywhere in the world afterward (our school specializes in international things).
Whenever we run into each other on campus he stops to talk to me even if it makes him late to class. And he told me I’m adorable when he dropped me off after Thanksgiving. (This is true. I am very gorgeous, and much younger than him.) He’s so smart and good with children and has lived all over the world. We share two languages, which is important to me.
Some of his options do involve staying in the area; I hope he stays. I don’t want to lose someone like this so soon.
I’m sorta-maybe swooning just reading your description of him. I’m glad your crush turns out to be genuinely crushworthy for the holiday!
this is truly the thanksgiving experience of a lifetime.
:3 I was grateful for him this Thanksgiving. Even if I don’t get to date him, the experience reminded me that the future is bright. If there’s one man like this in the world, there must be more! (And I will find them.)
The Magic Mike XXL DVD arrived through my letterbox tis morning, so I am happy.
I’m sure there’s plenty of amazing Jessica Jones discussion that I am excited to read tonight. But I just have to jump in and say it is SO good. Amd Malcolm is the best. That is all.
MALCOLM! God, I love Malcolm.
I had an Alonesgiving during which I massively decluttered my new apartment of moving boxes, saw TWO excellent movies on the big screen (“Creed” and “Spotlight”), and started arranging “Coventry Carol” for solo banjo.
Toasties, on Christmas Eve I am going to New Orleans for three days. Reveillon dinner at Galatoire’s!!! I will be my usual flaneurial self but wouldn’t mind some Toast company.
Are you me? That was my Thanksgiving, down to the boxes and the movie choices!!! Well, other than the banjo. I am not that talented.
As far as Jessica Jones go, I ship Robyn and the circular saw that Luke Cage used on himself.
She’s the worst. Stops the show dead in its tracks. Please tell me I’m not alone.
I haven’t finished the show (on ep 6 I think), but she sounds terrible.
She/they are so creepy (not in the good way) and weird and like “wtf is this doing here”?
i’m only on episode 5, but i will be very disappointed if The Twins do not play some surprising and significant role that justifies their existence.
if robyn continues to be what she has been, with no payoff, i will deeply resent it.
Spent Thanksgiving with my husband’s brother and (2nd) wife and 3 young children, even though the brother is only a year younger than me (and my kids are 26 and 23), plus husband’s parents. It was good. I like his family better than my own. SIL and I did all the cooking (except for various things that we just bought) and we cook well together. Lots of wine and sangria was involved. We had some amusing moments:
Walker (age 4) getting a new pack of Star Wars underwear and putting all 5 pair on at once.
Here is Walker showing me his Star Wars underwear — https://www.instagram.com/p/-mtU31MavhvMz0LdJIRZK…
Dashiell (age 2) and my husband saying “Happy Hoween” to each other over and over.
Dashiell going back and forth between two people to read him the same book over and over.
Henry (age 5), who is a very intense child, getting upset about how brown his toast was.
BIL, trying to calm Henry down at one point by telling him that SIL loved him so much that she “baked” him inside of her in a warm and loving environment for 9 months. Henry screamed, “SHE BAKED ME?? THAT IS WHAT YOU DO TO FOOD!!! WHY WOULD SHE BAKE ME!?!?
Husband deciding to set our alarm for 7:00 a.m. on Saturday morning so we could visit with the family a little more, before we flew home. We get up, he goes downstairs, he comes back up and says “Don’t be mad”, but only BIL, Henry and Walker are up. I said, well at least there is coffee. Husband pauses, and says, “Don’t be mad, but the coffee hasn’t been made yet.”
Walker also called me “cray Aunt Allison” and then he would repeat it softly to himself. So awesome.
All in all, it was a pretty good Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was excellent save for the cold I came down with and am still fighting, ugh.
Now I’m stuck with crap, Hanukkah is next week, what do I get for a husband who has zero hobbies or interests? He doesn’t drink coffee or alcohol, has no major sports affiliations, isn’t a gamer, wears a uniform to work, isn’t a gym rat or a biker or a golfer, doesn’t cook, doesn’t currently have a functioning vehicle, has no fandoms … I got him some stuff to do with our daughter but I feel like that’s not really a present for him? He already bought tickets for Star Wars, I could get him a gewgaw to go with that but I don’t know what’s interesting in the new movie besides BB8 and that one thing is way out of my price range.
ugh. It’s gonna be socks, isn’t it.
Something for him to do with you?
Does he read? Books are good.
If he goes to movies semi-regularly, or you think he might like to, maybe a gift certificate for your local movie theatre?
His favorite food, in its highest-quality version. If there’s a candy he grew up with that has been discontinued, you can likely get it at Vermont Country Store, online.
I give this advice every time: A set of ratcheting tie-downs. Babies, mothers and brothers: everyone can use a set.
zip ties! duct tape! a shop vac! (if you live in a house–somehow all guys like shop vacs). If you’re mean, a bunch of different magazine subscriptions that highlight subjects, like Scientific American, or Outside or similar, or travel, to give him hobby inspiration.
Does he shave? There are fancy-yet-affordable razor subscriptions, I hear. Otherwise, yeah, opt for a nice version of whatever clothes he’s most in need of.
My family and I had our first fight free Thanksgiving in maybe ten years. I stuck around to help clean up and play a hand of cards with the nephews, whereupon I went to an adults Thanksgiving with a bunch of cool writers and horror geeks. From there I went and got to spend a night and day with two good friends that I’ve barely gotten to see recently because of work schedules, and then I napped intermittently for two days while eating lots of leftover dressing. Sometimes things aren’t as bad as you feared.
So he actually did do a rom com, The Decoy Bride, but it was so bad that it's almost more horrific/tragic to watch than his other stuff.
I stuffed and cooked a turkey breast and made sides on Friday, since I had to work on Black Thanksgiving.
Which wasn’t so bad, because after I’d rushed around trying to help idiots find the perfect pairs of cheap socks and Wranglers, someone decided to have fabric cut. She wanted me to help her out with a bunch of sewing things I hadn’t a clue about (no sorry, I just cut the fabric, I have no idea how much fabric you’ll need to make a maxi slips for a 2x woman). But it wasted like 45 minutes of my time walking around trying to help this woman and was close to the end of my shift.
The turkey breast was one of the best things I’ve ever made and I got the recipe off Simply Recipes if you are interested.
I stuffed and cooked a turkey breast and made sides on Friday, since I had to work on Black Thanksgiving.
Which wasn't so bad, because after I'd rushed around trying to help idiots find the perfect pairs of cheap socks and Wranglers, someone decided to have fabric cut. She wanted me to help her out with a bunch of sewing things I hadn't a clue about (no sorry, I just cut the fabric, I have no idea how much fabric you'll need to make a maxi slips for a 2x woman). But it wasted like 45 minutes of my time walking around trying to help this woman and was close to the end of my shift.
The turkey breast was one of the best things I've ever made and I got the recipe off Simply Recipes if you are interested.
Full same! I just considered him a wee puppy of a human person but that episode? Oy vey.
Thanks. I guess I overreacted, thinking of all the *other* problems with political bias in media… How embarrassing. :/