The fashion show.

O hai, guys. I guess I forgot to blog yesterday. I think I just flat ran out of gas and decided to watch the Oscars, and then flat ran out of gas on that, too. This morning I decided to make this an in-the-office day, which wiped out daytime blogging opportunities, but really, who cares about these lame excuses?

My office is in Livonia, another inner-ring suburb that feels like it is a million miles away. Forty minutes in moving traffic, 60 in rush hour. If I had to do this every day, I wouldn’t. All the podcasts in the world can’t make that commute work on the regular. But once or twice a week is tolerable, and today was a very tolerable day. So Monday, nearly in the books, will go down as a not-bad one.

I see you were discussing the Oscars today. I think I saw all of them but “The Post” and “The Shape of Water,” but fortunately, our brethren on the right were at work today to brief us all:

A reader writes to ask if I’m going to do an Oscars post. The answer is no; I didn’t watch the show, or see the movies nominated. He responded by saying that I really ought to write something. “The Academy used to play it safe with controversy, but now it’s moving the Overton window faster than in real life,” he wrote. “Who’d have thought one decade ago that the most prestigious award in the film industry would go to a film about bestiality, and casting it in a positive light?”

He’s talking about The Shape Of Water, a movie in which the female protagonist falls in love with a humanoid amphibian, and has sex with it (“cod coitus,” according to Sonny Bunch).

I can’t even. So I’m not gonna. But imagine how exhausting it must be to filter everything — everything! — through one’s politics, one’s “culture,” one’s whatever-it-is that keeps us from simply enjoying art. I’ll see this film eventually, but I simply refuse to believe that it’s “about bestiality, and casting it in a positive light.”

I’d rather experience the Academy Awards via Tom & Lorenzo, who are almost always how you say spot-on with their assessments. My overall impression: Almost all the hair was ugh, and I simply do not understand why anyone wants to wear a formal dress that blends in with one’s skin. One reason Lupita Nyong’o always looks so damn good is, she uses her skin as a canvas, and paints with color. (Her co-star in that picture painted with paint — on her head.) To be sure, her lean, muscular body doesn’t hurt a bit, but if all she did was dress in coffee-colored clothing, I think I’d be meh on her as I am on the Beige/Blush Girls.

Man, if I looked like Margot Robbie — so beautiful she sucks all the oxygen out of the room — the last thing I’d do is go to the Oscars with hair that looks like I let it air-dry after a shower where I was too lazy to rinse all the conditioner out. And another pale-on-pale color thing, only the detailing looks like Christmas garland.

One exception — because there are always exceptions — has to be Jane Fonda. As T-Lo like to say: BOW DOWN. She’s 80. Years old.

So that was my Oscar night. In bed by 10:30, missed most of the good stuff.

Posted at 7:56 pm in Movies, Popculch |
 

52 responses to “The fashion show.”

  1. Bitter Scribe said on March 5, 2018 at 8:17 pm

    I wonder how that guy would react to seeing “Gone With the Wind” described as “a film about slavery, casting it in a positive light”?

    133 chars

  2. Deborah said on March 5, 2018 at 8:50 pm

    Geez, I can’t stand to read the rightwing garbage. I’m glad other people read it and give me the basic gist, so I don’t have to make my head explode.

    Hooray! We finally got our cable box in and the remote synced up to it. We were on the phone with India for 2 hours and we asked the guy upstairs to come and help us. We had gotten a new modem too, which they said we needed but we couldn’t get it to work, so we’re just using the old one. I’m happy to do that forever, but I’m pissed that I paid for the modem and unfortunately waited so long to install it that I can’t take it back.

    586 chars

  3. Peter said on March 5, 2018 at 9:19 pm

    I just have to opine on two subjects:

    1. My lovely bride and I finally saw I, Tonya, and my gosh, I was left speechless. I saw the trailers and thought it was a comedy; I don’t know if it was the domestic abuse or how Jeff and Shawn looked like they were born too soon to be in the Trump Administration, but that film really got to me.

    2. And speaking of comedies and the Trump Administration – how about that Sam Nunberg? I’d like to be on his meds, only not as much. If Roger Stone was as big a father figure as Sam claims, Roger would have got someone to take Sam to a nice clinic until he felt all better. Holy crap, the wheels are really coming off this cart.

    674 chars

  4. Julie Robinson said on March 5, 2018 at 9:26 pm

    But, Gone With the Wind IS a movie about slavery, casting it in a positive light. And the KKK is fine southern gentlemen protecting their womenfolk.

    Haven’t made it all the way through TLo yet, but am loving it as always. It’s my little reward throughout most days. Worked for two hours on something hard? I deserve 10 minutes of TLo as a palate cleanser.

    Deborah, do you feel like you work all the time when you’re at your vacation house? It’s almost like that here in Orlando, but we’ve been making great progress. Today we had scrub trees taken down or trimmed, Wednesday they demo the old pool enclosure and Friday they start the new one. We’re getting a new kitchen sink and are taking bids on heat pump/AC.

    But most importantly, we’re getting flowers! There weren’t really any in the yard, and that’s just no bueno. A neighbor who designs landscapes for Disney helped us choose flowering shrubs from a local nursery, and we got most of them planted today. They all attract bees and hummingbirds and butterflies.

    1026 chars

  5. Bitter Scribe said on March 5, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    Best tweets on the Nunberg situation:

    “Is Nunberg…just drunk dialing cable news control rooms now?” (Chris Hayes)

    “Wow, Nunberg just called into the Weather Channel!” (Alex Griswold)

    “We need an Amber Alert system to notify society what channel Nunberg is on.” (Phillipe Reines)

    289 chars

  6. Peter said on March 5, 2018 at 10:13 pm

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Nunberg takes a hostage at Trump Tower, breaks out a window, and starts yelling: “TOP OF THE WORLD, MA!!!!!”

    135 chars

  7. Dexter said on March 6, 2018 at 12:01 am

    6. You got me peter. That’s been in my top four all-time films since I made my first list in 1977. Over the years I have observed many situations where what you said would have been appropriate, but your example is spot-on, and really really did make me laugh out loud. For the cable-less, we’re talking about Cody Jarrett, played by Jimmy Cagney in 1949’s “White Heat”. Yep, Cody made it, Ma, “Top of the world…” bang bang you’re dead.
    I had to help Carla Lee and hit record on the dvr. It never fucks up. It fucked up. I missed Sam Rockwell’s and Frances McDormand’s acceptance speeches. I will find them later; anybody know where I could find them right-quick like? Frances had her Oscar stolen from an after-party. Some dude chased the motherfucker down and recovered it. Yea, chivalry, or whatevah….

    Back east, monster snow’s a-comin’ to cover up the smashed and drowned habitats from Quincy Mass to Maine. If I was building or buying near an ocean or gulf, I’d just go inland a little ways. Frightening scenes.
    What the FUCK! Sitting here my head felt like …well, like a spider was crawling around on top of my head. A little translucent spider WAS fucking crawling around atop my head. Jeezuss H. Kreist…what next?

    1248 chars

  8. Brandon said on March 6, 2018 at 12:49 am

    @dexter: Their acceptance speeches and more are at https://www.youtube.com/user/ABCNetwork

    90 chars

  9. ROGirl said on March 6, 2018 at 5:36 am

    Did anyone look up “Overton window,” re: the commentary from our right-wing brethren? It’s a thing, apparently, thanks to Overton, a dude from the Mackinac Center, and now it’s part of the Oscars backlash.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window

    253 chars

  10. alex said on March 6, 2018 at 6:22 am

    In other words, Tinky Winky opened the Overton window just a crack and look how it let The Color of Water just come pouring right through it.

    141 chars

  11. Suzanne said on March 6, 2018 at 7:09 am

    https://twitter.com/kimkardashian/status/970789369639399424?s=21

    Kim Kardashian West is on board with the student March for Our Lives, so clearly, it will be a success.

    171 chars

  12. Deborah said on March 6, 2018 at 7:39 am

    Is it just me or does something seem like it’s going to explode soon.

    Yes Julie, when I come to NM there are always a bunch of projects to do. I’m taking it easy right now because I seem to have done something to my back again. It isn’t excruciating like it was last year but I’m afraid to do anything strenuous lest it get that way again. I mostly like doing gardening and organizing when I come to NM, so it’s kind of a bummer when I can’t.

    457 chars

  13. susang said on March 6, 2018 at 8:16 am

    Tilda Swinton can wear anything. I liked Dana Girara’s outfit over Nupita. But, I always lose the T&L contest over who has the better outfit. Sorta like the elections.

    My IdiotCousin put something on Facebook about his moral outrage (Young Republican) at the Oscars and how he was too hip to watch them. Ick.

    316 chars

  14. Pam said on March 6, 2018 at 9:28 am

    I didn’t watch the Oscars, tried, but just No. I watched the Access Hollywood follow up and commentary (I miss Joan Rivers). My favorite was Tiffany Haddish who wore her Oscar dress for like, the 4th time. Said she paid $4,000 for the dress (more than her mortgage) and she was determined to get her moneys worth. After all, it was an Alexander McQueen!!! It rates wearing more than once. LMAO. She’s very funny.

    419 chars

  15. Connie said on March 6, 2018 at 9:38 am

    I miss Joan Rivers too. It just seems wrong to not watch Fashion Police the week after the big awards shows.

    In other news I have paid for the NYTimes. I took the Feb. 50% off sale, while my WaPo purchase was the Memorial Day 39.95 special.

    I asked this before: What are you paying for in terms on internet news?

    320 chars

  16. Julie Robinson said on March 6, 2018 at 10:31 am

    My WaPo subscription is 3.99 per month, which carried over from the Kindle I bought my sister. I don’t suppose they’ll offer me your deal, Connie, since they’ve already got me on auto renew, but that’s okay.

    NYT never offers less than 10 per month and so far I’m holding out. I do love their theatre coverage.

    BTW if you have a homebound person in your life who loves to read, an ereader is one of the best gifts you can give. Jeri had trouble getting out much except to doctor appointments and it was a waiting room sanity saver for her.

    She also got her email, read the WaPo, and I loaded music she could listen to with headphones. Absolutely the best $50 I ever spent.

    678 chars

  17. Bitter Scribe said on March 6, 2018 at 10:39 am

    I don’t miss Joan Rivers and her constant sneering at other women’s looks, not at all. It might have been a little easier to take if she hadn’t had so much plastic surgery herself that by the end of her life, she required professional assistance to blink.

    255 chars

  18. Deborah said on March 6, 2018 at 10:39 am

    Connie, WP and NYT (I don’t remember what I paid), I bought a subscription to TPM ($50) and we get the New Yorker both in print and online (again don’t remember how much $). The rest I read free. Not news but I also have Amazon prime (I think it’s $90 per year) and Netflix ($8 per mo?)

    292 chars

  19. Dorothy said on March 6, 2018 at 11:01 am

    Never was a fan of Joan Rivers doing clothing commentary. She was just a bridge too far in many ways – her plastic surgery which made her so scary to look at, and her scathing remarks never struck me as funny, but mean most of the time.

    We pay $3.99/month for the WaPo. At my job we can see the NYT for free (the University pays for it) but only from our work computers, so I take advantage of that all the time M-F 8:30-4:30! We also pay for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette because we miss Pittsburgh (16 years next month since we moved away). Can’t recall what we spend on that. And of course the Dayton Daily News – we get it delivered Sunday only but have online access all the time.

    I saw The Shape of Water (someone yesterday said they only knew one or two people who had seen it.) I saw all the Best Picture nominees this year except for Phantom Thread. I watch the Oscars every year. I record it when I need to go to sleep before it’s over (which has been the case for about 5 years now.) I’m not glued to it – I fart around on my iPad or knit and go get a snack etc. Mostly I want to see the acting, directing and best picture winners. Everything else is just part of the production.

    Deborah when you said you feel like something is about to explode, I assume you meant politically? I too feel like the boom is about to be dropped on Trump. I can almost taste it. Of course watching Rachel Maddow puts me in that state of mind nowadays. I just hope it’s not wishful thinking on my part! I know Mueller has to be methodical, precise, steadfast in building his case(s) but Lordy it’s about killing me, the suspense!

    1632 chars

  20. Scout said on March 6, 2018 at 11:18 am

    When the level heads here at nn.c are saying things seem to be heating up for Agolf Twitler, I begin to have a glimmer of hope that the nightmare is almost over. One thing that concerns me is that Creeper Pence is waiting in the wings a la Frances Underwood. We all know he’s as dirty as the rest of them with the added horror of being religiously insane.

    Margot Robbie has that same je ne sais quoi as Nicole Kidman. Jane Fonda is AMAZING. And Lupita Nyong’o might just be the most gorgeous woman alive.

    Dorothy, you didn’t say if you liked Shape of Water. It was certainly NOT “about bestiality, and casting it in a positive light.” The mood of it was riveting to me and I’m so glad it won.

    Another movie I really loved even though it is out of my usual genre preference is Black Panther. Well worth seeing on the Big Screen.

    845 chars

  21. Heather said on March 6, 2018 at 11:32 am

    I don’t know, I like Margot Robbie’s hair. Mine certainly doesn’t look like that air-dried.

    I missed the Oscars because I was flying to Spain. Did I mention I was going to Spain? 😉 Anyway I saw see I, Tonya before I left (Black Panther was sold out). I enjoyed it and it did have a lot of sympathy for Tonya but was also a bit judgmental about her economic stratum. I still can’t believe anyone took that Shawn guy seriously. I also watched Call Me by Your Name on the plane, probably not the best way to see it–the father’s speech about how most people are too damaged by 30 to truly love hit a bit close to home.

    Sevilla is lovely but a bit rainy–still, I’ll take it over Chicago right now. Have been downing Riojas and Riberas and a few finos. Tomorrow we’re going on a road trip around Andalucia for a few days.

    824 chars

  22. Scout said on March 6, 2018 at 11:42 am

    Heather – enjoy! I absolutely LOVE Spain. It is my favorite country in the world with Italy in close second place.

    Sam Nunberg’s performance art yesterday was astonishing. Who better to go to for the recap than Charlie P? https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a19122431/sam-nunberg-robert-mueller/

    310 chars

  23. Sherri said on March 6, 2018 at 12:09 pm

    Basset, what’s going on in Nashville? I see the mayor resigned.

    65 chars

  24. susan said on March 6, 2018 at 12:27 pm

    Mr. Nunberg has purty lips.

    27 chars

  25. Dorothy said on March 6, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    I did like The Shape of Water. Forgot that I also did NOT see Call Me By Your Name. Get Out was terrific and such a surprise – I didn’t really pay close attention to it’s hype. I spotted it on Showtime or HBO a month or more ago and recorded it to watch later. In my opinion The Post and Dunkirk should not have been nominated. But what do I know?!

    351 chars

  26. Deborah said on March 6, 2018 at 12:46 pm

    Dorothy, yes indeed I meant politics. Although I’m cautious now, after thinking for sure that Hillary Clinton would win the election, and knowing all of the dirty tricks the repubs have pulled in the last few years, like the SCOTUS theft. It feels like people running around with their hair on fire in the Trump admin and his close circle of criminals.

    Heather, I’ve not been to Sevilla, my husband has been there and raved about it. I surprisingly find that Finland is my favorite country. I used to think that about Italy and then maybe Spain, I love Paris but the rest of France is ok, not that I’ve been everywhere in France though. We had talked about going to either Norway, Switzerland or Japan for nearly a couple of weeks in June, but since we went to London in December and may go again in the fall, we may curtail the international travel for a while.

    Yeah Basset, I was wondering about your mayor too.

    920 chars

  27. Jakash said on March 6, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    Interesting link @ 9, Rogirl . Some folks are concerned about “The Academy … moving the Overton window faster than in real life?” The fastest, most dangerous movement of the Overton window I’ve ever seen was the idea that this nation would elect Dolt 45 going from “Unthinkable” to “Policy” in about a year-and-a-half. That makes sleeping with a fish-person seem pretty reasonable, by comparison… Of course, for the majority, his presidency has remained unthinkable the entire time.

    Michael Shannon, one of the stars of “Shape of Water,” wasn’t very close to the Red Carpet the other night. He was in Chicago for the final performance of a play he was directing. Here’s a photo of him watching his movie win Best Picture at a local bar:

    https://twitter.com/ChrisJonesTrib/status/970836724321603590

    816 chars

  28. basset said on March 6, 2018 at 1:00 pm

    Sherri, she got caught fooling around with one of her bodyguards, an inquiry followed into trips they took and many hours of overtime pay. this morning both of them pled guilty to theft connected to the OT, got probation and will have to pay restitution. her resignation takes effect at five today. three-minute press conference, no questions.
    tennessean.com and newschannel5.com probably have the best accounts and details.

    427 chars

  29. basset said on March 6, 2018 at 1:04 pm

    And the only movies I’ve seen this year were “Dunkirk” and “Darkest Hour,” thought they were both brilliant but as the son of a Blitz survivor I probably have a different perspective.

    183 chars

  30. Connie said on March 6, 2018 at 1:25 pm

    Disappearing post. I will say my NYT cost is $8 month, and my post disappeared into the ether.

    95 chars

  31. Julie Robinson said on March 6, 2018 at 1:29 pm

    This year I only saw The Post, Darkest Hour and Lady Bird, and I would give The Post best picture. I also loved Darkest Hour; guess I like wonky movies. The Post was a ringing endorsement of the importance of strong and independent journalism. I walked out inspired and enthused.

    279 chars

  32. Deborah said on March 6, 2018 at 1:40 pm

    I checked out Tom and Lorenzo, and I disagree with their critique of Francis McDormand’s dress. I thought it was perfect except maybe I’d go for a little less “color” in it, the yellow/greenish color mixed in was a little off but it looked good on her. If it were gray and black it would be something I’d wear for sure if I ever had an occasion to wear something fancy. I thought the tapestry fabric texture was stunning. It covered a lot, which is what I’d do too.

    I thought the actress with the shaved head and painted silver swirls on it was stunning. I hope that’s a thing we’ll see more of, I had never seen anything like that before. I take that back, there might have been something like that in Black Panther but I don’t exactly remember. Also, the way that actress combined her head style with her Grace Kelly type dress was a brilliant juxtaposition as T & L said, it made it very contemporary.

    910 chars

  33. Sherri said on March 6, 2018 at 3:15 pm

    Ever since the Tennessean got Gannettified, I have a hard time reading it. The Gannett web design is awful.

    Sounds like it’s been an exciting mayoralty for all the wrong reasons. First she was in the news because her son OD’ed, then it was this affair, but it was just an affair, it was over, no crimes or policies violated, and now, nude pictures and out of here. And the grandson of the man who was mayor most of the time I was growing up is now the mayor.

    465 chars

  34. Dave said on March 6, 2018 at 4:15 pm

    We subscribe to the Tampa Bay Times and as a part of that, we get access to the Washington Post. A friend who lives in Virginia Beach and subscribes to the Virginia Pilot tells me he has the same deal through the Pilot. He also gets the New York Times because he donates to the local NPR station.

    I also subscribe to the Lancaster Eagle Gazette, my home county paper, because it cost only $5.99 for a digital subscription for a year, even though it’s badly Gannet-ized and there really isn’t that much in it.

    That Nashville mayor certainly fell hard, losing her son and then the public outing of all her other activities, how does one recover from that?

    665 chars

  35. Sherri said on March 6, 2018 at 4:40 pm

    I pay for the NYTimes, the WaPo (a discounted subscription since I’m an Amazon Prime member), the WSJ, the Guardian, and the Seattle Times. I also pay for Texture, which gives me access to digital versions of a lot of magazines. I also pay for TPM and Slate Plus.

    I don’t have time to read all of it, no.

    311 chars

  36. Deborah said on March 6, 2018 at 6:09 pm

    Santa Fe has a daily called the New Mexican, I only skim the headlines and read the 5 free articles I get a month. Espanola, the town 20 miles from Abiquiu has a weekly called the Rio Grande Sun, comes out On Wednesdays. It’s a hoot, I can read it online which I do sometimes and I can buy it from guys on the street in Espanola on Weds afternoons and it’s really popular. Espanola is a horribly corrupt place and the journalists at lhe Sun do a good job of exposing it. IMO.

    479 chars

  37. David C. said on March 6, 2018 at 6:15 pm

    I get a WaPo digital subscription for $10 a month. I used to get our local daily disappointment the Oshkosh Northwestern digital subscription when it was $5 a month. Now they want $29 a month. That’s pretty messed up for a Gannett paper that’s half warmed over crap from USA Today.

    281 chars

  38. Jolene said on March 6, 2018 at 6:39 pm

    Deborah, with your white hair, you would look fabulous in a black and gray version of the Frances McDormand dress.

    I pay for the Post, the NYT, the WSJ, the LATimes, and the Financial Times. And, yes, that is ridiculous, and, no, I don’t read all of them everyday. There’ll be something great that I want to read so I subscribe, and I do appreciate being able to read whatever I want when I want to read it. Together, these subscriptions are about $85/month, but hearing the rates that some of you are paying makes me think it’s time to see if I can negotiate lower prices.

    I did just get XFinity to reduce my cable bill by $16/month, so that saving would cover two and a half months of these subscriptions.

    720 chars

  39. Suzanne said on March 6, 2018 at 7:03 pm

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/06/us/politics/gary-cohn-resigns.html

    Aaaand another one bites the dust!

    107 chars

  40. Deggjr said on March 6, 2018 at 8:31 pm

    For purchased content, I also buy TalkingPointsMemo.com ($50/year) as a reaction to their coverage of the Bush firings of the US Attorney Generals. Carol Lam was the main firing target for her prosecution of Duke Cunningham. The other AG firings were cover. The lamestream media completely missed the story. Where would we be without people like him?

    I also subscribe ($5/month) to the podcasts of Ed Burmila of GinandTacos.com. He’s a (soon to be former) Political Science professor at Bradley University. He has insights plus the high energy of youth.

    562 chars

  41. alex said on March 6, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    I pay for access to a group of small-town papers in my part of the state and the WaPo and get the Fort Wayne Sunday paper in print. Haven’t quite decided if it’s worth being a Slate Plus customer or paying for the behind-the-firewall coverage at Talking Points Memo. I spend too much time online as it is.

    Tonight making a corned beef in the Instant Pot, so staying up and killing time on the internet. It still takes 90 minutes to pressure cook a corned beef. Everything I’ve read about it says it’s going to be more flavorful yet healthier because you’re supposed to cut off all but the thinnest layer of fat. Nearly carved half my $20 corned beef away.

    Just checked on it and my gasket was leaking. First time that’s happened. Hope the second try is the charm.

    This isn’t a St. Paddy’s dress rehearsal or anything. I just started jonesing for corned beef. Cabbage goes in for three minutes after the meat’s done.

    927 chars

  42. basset said on March 6, 2018 at 9:58 pm

    Which, for some reason, reminds me of a song:

    “These days will be remembered by America’s noble sons
    If it hadn’t been for Irishmen, what would your Union done
    Hand to hand we fought em, there in the burning sun
    Stripped to the pants we did advance, at the Battle of Bull Run.”

    That’s from a David Bromberg record, no telling how close to the real original it might be.

    No Instant Pot for us, we don’t have the counter space. Maybe the next house, the one we’re looking for now, will have more room. Alex, how long did you soak that corned beef? Wouldn’t be St. Paddy’s season if you didn’t get your brisket brined, y’know.

    632 chars

  43. Gretchen said on March 6, 2018 at 10:10 pm

    I admit to taking an unhealthy interest in Rod Dreher (first link). Between his obsession with the idea that someone somewhere is having, or at least condoning, kinky sex (see objection to Color of Water, which is somehow different from liking The Little Mermaid), to his multiple daily outraged posts about someone, somewhere, on some obscure college campus, being insufficiently respectful of conservatives, well, it’s hard to see how he maintains the energy to draw breath. The “I never thought it would happen to me, when the liberals silenced me” bear a humorous parallel to the old Penthouse letters.

    614 chars

    • nancy said on March 7, 2018 at 5:56 am

      I, too have noticed the Penthouse/Dreher similarities. He must be exhausted from maintaining this level of outrage and fear, but as a longtime reader, I can only say it’s the theme of his whole life.

      201 chars

  44. alex said on March 6, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    No brine. Just rinsed it with tap water, patted it dry, threw it in the pot with the seasoning it came with, along with a chopped up onion and a bunch of crushed garlic cloves, a beer, and a box of chicken broth. Well, two boxes of chicken broth. The first one mostly boiled off when the damn thing was leaking steam. Right now got it sealed properly and it’s doing its thing and smells wonderful.

    397 chars

  45. Gretchen said on March 6, 2018 at 10:17 pm

    I buy Talking Points Memo, not for the extra content, but just to support a really good reporting team. I also pay for the Washington Post, my local paper, and the ultra-local suburban online publication, because reporting is important. I do not pay for the New York Times, because obsessive reporting about Hillary Clinton’s emails while ignoring any policy coverage or coverage of Donald Trump’s flaws, is not acceptable. And their post-election coverage, hiring a climate-change denier, someone who tried to get her professor fired for his views who now claims to want intellectual freedom, and a gal who wrote a whole top-line, prime real estate column on how over-30 women shouldn’t wear yoga pants because she doesn’t want to look at the dimples on our butts…well, these people would be overpriced if they were the filler on the local grocery coupon handout. Nope, not paying for them. I hope climate-change denier and yoga-pants hater are reduced to handing out fliers in a parking lot.

    1008 chars

  46. Connie said on March 7, 2018 at 8:59 am

    Bassett, we don’t keep the instant pot in our kitchen. There is a shelving unit at the bottom of the basement stairs that is big kitchen overflow. Instant pot, Kitchen Aid mixer, and such. I have to ask nicely for someone to haul them up for me when I need them.

    265 chars

  47. alex said on March 7, 2018 at 9:20 am

    I keep the Instant Pot in a cabinet when it’s not in use. Wish I could do the same with my food dehydrator but that thing’s just too effing yuge.

    145 chars

  48. Suzanne said on March 7, 2018 at 10:32 am

    I think if I had to keep the love of my life, my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, in a cupboard or basement, I wouldn’t use it nearly as much. It’s very heavy and awkward to lift. And looking at it every day brings me happiness.

    220 chars

  49. Bitter Scribe said on March 7, 2018 at 10:32 am

    Gretchen @ 45:

    someone who tried to get her professor fired for his views who now claims to want intellectual freedom

    Who dat?

    139 chars

  50. Deborah said on March 7, 2018 at 11:57 am

    Do any of you wear progressive lenses? If so what is the trick to reading especially on a laptop? If I push my new glasses up and hold with my left hand in that position I can see properly but that makes it hard for me to type (one handed). And do you really get used to the distortion from side to side. I feel like an owl when I look around, I have to look directly not to the side. Tell me I will get used to this, please.

    425 chars

  51. Deborah said on March 7, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    This is like a James Bond movie https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/mi5-believes-russians-tried-to-kill-former-spy-sergei-skripal-jqzbbcvt3?shareToken=c989a79d9cacdf33e040889471f1b9b6

    182 chars