totally off topic -- just a lot of random stuff Showing 1-50 of 1,139

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Anything goes here. I started this thread because I was watching South Park on Hulu tonight, and saw an episode where they referred to the shows on Investigation Discovery as Murder Porn. I thought it was funny, but there's nowhere else in this group's discussion threads to post.

So post about anything -- with the exception of promoting your own books.

[Feliks]

Bravo! Vox populi in action. No rules, eh? I can hardly believe it..

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Feliks wrote: "Bravo! Vox populi in action. No rules, eh? I can hardly believe it.."

There are always rules -- being polite is one of them.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

On the other hand, I have tried watching ID and there are a number of shows that I would describe as "trashy." That's why I thought the South Park episode was funny. I've commented to my husband that if they didn't do all of the hot sex scenes in these shows, each episode would last about 20 minutes from the murder to the solution. The only show I watch on that network is Vanity Fair Confidential.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

I watched one show called Scorned:Love Kills -- and it was almost like watching soft porn.

[Tom]

Wives With Knives!!

[Feliks]

Nancy wrote: "There are always rules -- being polite is one of them."

That should never be an effort: being polite towards others. Certainly its natural with me. On the other hand, let's say we were discussing WWII--would anyone really take it amiss if someone remarked in passing, 'those ^*#&@#%! National Socialists'?

I just like the implied freedom of the phrase 'anything goes'. No one would take that as leeway to be abusive towards others, its safe to say.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Thanks for understanding. Politeness, courtesy, are NOT up for debate in this or any other thread.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Tom wrote: "Wives With Knives!!"

LOL -- haven't seen that one. Scorned was bad enough.

[Skye]

Ok, I saw the coming attractions for a new series called The Royals with Elizabeth Hurley and Joan Collins,. this should be a hoot.

I think I am going to like CSI-Cyber, and I bought the DVD of Flash Dance, which I think I think is sensational.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

I'm devoting much of my tv watching time to Game of Thrones this season starting 4/12. The bad thing about that is that I've already read all of the books so I know what's going to happen.

The other show we're really liking is Better Call Saul on AMC. I didn't see how it could possibly work, but it really does.

[Skye]

Is Better Call Saul good? I know it's a spin off from the other show, and I do get AMC, but I am subscribed to ENC or HBO.

[Feliks]

Okay well since I am not a tv viewer and since Nancy has created this thread for any topic--I am going to take her at her word, and toss in something unrelated, purely from my own head.

Question: what style of table manners do you practice in your household? When I was a tyke, these were the firm, inviolate laws of dinner table conduct:

a) No eating with your elbows on the table
b) Do not read a book at the table
c) You must attend even if you're not hungry (sickness, the only valid excuse)
d) Be on time--sit down when everyone else sits down
e) No tv watching while eating
f) Ask to be excused if you need to arise from the table
g) Do not wolf or gobble your food
h) Do not reach across the table to help yourself, ask that a dish be passed to you
i) A shirt --with sleeves--is the minimum attire for upper body when eating. No naked torsos.
j) If you dislike a dish, fine--don't eat it, choose something else--but no complaining aloud about it
k) Say 'please' and 'thank you'
l) No fighting
m) Coughing, sneezing, or blowing one's nose--step out to another room to do this

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Skye wrote: "Is Better Call Saul good? I know it's a spin off from the other show, and I do get AMC, but I am subscribed to ENC or HBO."

It's from Breaking Bad, which is one of my all-time favorite shows ever. He was the sleazy attorney in that show. In this one, it starts out with him as a manager of a Cinnabon in a mall, so it's his backstory and how he got there. It's really good.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Feliks wrote: "Okay well since I am not a tv viewer and since Nancy has created this thread for any topic--I am going to take her at her word, and toss in something unrelated, purely from my own head.

Question: ..."

I love unrelated...that's what this thread is all about.

I'll jump in. My last fledgling left the nest, so it's just the two of us now, but I'll give you what it was like with children home.

a) No eating with your elbows on the table -- I could have cared less about that.

b) Do not read a book at the table -- no books, no Ipads, no handheld games - it was purely family time and talking about everyone's day

c) You must attend even if you're not hungry (sickness, the only valid excuse) -- Well, I did encourage sitting with the family. If not hungry, eating not necessary.

d) Be on time--sit down when everyone else sits down. -- They sort of straggled to the table, but all I had to say was "dinner's ready" and they all got there.

e) No tv watching while eating -- if it was something special, that rule got broken, but that was definitely rare

f) Ask to be excused if you need to arise from the table -- indeed, yes.

g) Do not wolf or gobble your food -- not a rule, but generally understood after having to say things a couple of times

h) Do not reach across the table to help yourself, ask that a dish be passed to you -- definitely

The only other rule I had was that everyone had to wait for the others to finish before leaving the table.

[Feliks]

Oh yeah that last one, is worth remembering. That item probably irked me more than anything else. To this day I get restless just sitting in a chair, after a meal. Waiting while adults gab away. Torture!

[Skye]

When everyone was alive or nearby, I was a bit too liberal, and the television was on; however, we talked and enjoyed the meal.

[Bill]

Feliks wrote: "Okay well since I am not a tv viewer and since Nancy has created this thread for any topic--I am going to take her at her word, and toss in something unrelated, purely from my own head.

Question: ..."

I think we followed those rules when I was growing up, we generally had a nice family dinner... although it never paid to sit beside my Dad. He loved to scoop the butter off your knife when you buttering your bread or reaching for the bread and swatting you in the face as he brought it back to his plate, or sliding a knife with butter on it under your nose.. Mind you, we did have fun meals as I recall

Now I sit on the chesterfield with my plate in my lap, one dog on the floor in front of me and one sitting beside me both watching me eat. Funny they don't mooch of the missus who sits on the other end of the couch, until I've finished eating.. I guess they know I'm a soft touch.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Bill wrote: "Feliks wrote: "Okay well since I am not a tv viewer and since Nancy has created this thread for any topic--I am going to take her at her word, and toss in something unrelated, purely from my own he..."

Now that we're on our own, we eat in the family room watching tv during dinner. I have a dog on my side of the sofa, Larry has one on his. They give us the eye all through dinner.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

They're not on the sofa, just one on each side of it.

[Feliks]

Friend of mine says that when she shares a big bag of Doritos while sitting together watching a movie with her daughter, you can only grab one handful at a time-- then you must wait until your partner grabs a handful-- before you can grab yourself another one. Frankly I laughed because I could not see the sense in this dictum, but apparently this rule helps stem greediness and fast-eaters...breaking the rule means you have a fight on your hands! hahaha

[Jan C]

Good rules to live by.

Elbows on the table received a sharp call of "Mabel, get your elbows off the table" or sometimes just "Mabel".

We lived by the tv rule probably until there was some big news thing - killing of JFK - or we got the new color set and dinner time came during a football game. Pretty soon there was a tv in the dining room. It wasn't always on though.

Then the rules came into conflict with my grandfather's "rules" - they weren't serious - he suggested using the tablecloth or your shirt sleeve as a napkin. Things like that. But don't get caught doing it.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Feliks wrote: "Oh yeah that last one, is worth remembering. That item probably irked me more than anything else. To this day I get restless just sitting in a chair, after a meal. Waiting while adults gab away. To..."

One time my son was in a huge hurry and kept yelling at everyone to hurry up. My husband made a point of eating extremely slowly just to torture the kid. The rest of us were cracking up.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Oh my gosh. Terry Pratchett died :
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment...

[Bill]

I think he'd been sick for awhile, if I remember correctly. That is sad...

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Bill wrote: "I think he'd been sick for awhile, if I remember correctly. That is sad..."

I think Alzheimer's...that's incredibly sad. I can't even imagine it.

[Bill]

Alzheimers is insidious, like cancer. My mother had it; I think it's one of those 'diseases' (probably not really a disease but more of a condition?) that affect the people dealing with it rather than the person with it, especially when it gets to the final stages...

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Bill wrote: "Alzheimers is insidious, like cancer. My mother had it; I think it's one of those 'diseases' (probably not really a disease but more of a condition?) that affect the people dealing with it rather t..."

My friend would agree with you. Her mother-in-law has it. This is a woman with a PhD in French who has just deteriorated completely. I think that scares me more than anything, if truth be told. I'm sorry about your mother, Bill.

[Bill]

Nancy wrote: "Bill wrote: "Alzheimers is insidious, like cancer. My mother had it; I think it's one of those 'diseases' (probably not really a disease but more of a condition?) that affect the people dealing wit..."

Exactly. It seemed to run in my Mom's family; I think both of her sisters had it too. My sister had some blood tests done to see if she had an susceptibility to it, but they were negative.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Bill wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Bill wrote: "Alzheimers is insidious, like cancer. My mother had it; I think it's one of those 'diseases' (probably not really a disease but more of a condition?) that affect the peop..."

That's a relief for her, I'm sure!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Is anyone watching the HBO show "The Jinx?" It's an amazing documentary/interview with Bob Durst. The reason I asked is because he's just been arrested again -- the arrest comes out of Los Angeles, where he's thought to have killed a friend of his just before she was going to talk to the police about what she knew about his wife's disappearance.

If you're not watching it, you can get it on demand.

[Skye]

I don't get HBO but I have seen advertisements for this on other channels.

[Skye]

The Collector
Has anyone read this gem or seen the movie with Terrance Stamp and Samantha Eggar?

[Skye]

written by John Fowles

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Skye wrote: "The Collector
Has anyone read this gem or seen the movie with Terrance Stamp and Samantha Eggar?"

I watched that once, and I was home alone and got a huge case of the willies.

[Skye]

It's wonderful and so is the book.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Nancy wrote: "Is anyone watching the HBO show "The Jinx?" It's an amazing documentary/interview with Bob Durst. The reason I asked is because he's just been arrested again -- the arrest comes out of Los Angele..."

Oh my gosh. So tonight we watched the final episode of "The Jinx" and right after it was over, I got a news alert from the NYT:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/16/nyr...

[Bill]

Skye wrote: "The Collector
Has anyone read this gem or seen the movie with Terrance Stamp and Samantha Eggar?"

I saw it a couple of years ago finally and thought it was excellent. Then I read the book, also excellent.

[Jenn]

Nancy wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Is anyone watching the HBO show "The Jinx?" It's an amazing documentary/interview with Bob Durst. The reason I asked is because he's just been arrested again -- the arrest comes out..."

I just posted about this over in the true crime thread, but I have been watching the series, and just finished the final episode this morning. Such a creepy ending. Why was he always whispering to himself? He made that mistake with the microphone in an earlier episode, also. I had no idea until I watched this that he lived for awhile in a small town near where I used to live.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Jenn wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Nancy wrote: "Is anyone watching the HBO show "The Jinx?" It's an amazing documentary/interview with Bob Durst. The reason I asked is because he's just been arrested again -- the ar..."

You know, the whispering was creepy in itself, but what made my jaw drop was when Jarecki held up the two handwriting samples and asked him if he knew which one he didn't write. I just remember that it was for me the OMG moment.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

But here's the thing -- this guy has enough money not only to hire the best attorneys, but the best jury consultants. They'll stack the deck again like they did in Texas with the jury.

[Jenn]

He is not the smartest criminal. To get arrested for stealing a sandwich when you have a bunch of money in the trunk of your car and you are on the run? I hope they can finally pin something on him since he seems unstable, to say the least!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Jenn wrote: "He is not the smartest criminal. To get arrested for stealing a sandwich when you have a bunch of money in the trunk of your car and you are on the run? I hope they can finally pin something on h..."

My husband and I talked about that. I can't help but think that somehow he wants to get caught, maybe if only deep in his subconscious mind somewhere.

There was another thing Jarecki said that made me think. He said that Durst was a guy for whom when things went wrong, murder was an option.

One more thing we talked about: some guy said that Durst was the "unluckiest man," to have been in the wrong places at the wrong time. Once I could buy, but come on, THREE times? Nope

[Jenn]

Nancy wrote: "Jenn wrote: "He is not the smartest criminal. To get arrested for stealing a sandwich when you have a bunch of money in the trunk of your car and you are on the run? I hope they can finally pin s..."

Yes, I think he did want to get caught because it didn't make any sense. Plus with all his mumblings to himself all the time, it's like he has two sides at war. If you knew you were guilty of multiple crimes, why would you participate in a documentary, knowing they will be investigating you, unless there was part of you wanting to get caught? I don't know anyone who has had three people they were close to end up missing or the victim of murder. A little too much coincidence there! I don't blame the brother for hiring a bodyguard...

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Mary wrote: "I saw a blurb about that on the news and wondered about double jeopardy."

It would only be double jeopardy in Texas. They found him not guilty there. He's never been on trial in Los Angeles.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Don't feel thick. Perfectly understandable.

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

LOL, Mary!

[Sandysbookaday (taking a midwinter break)]

Happy St Patricks Day from NZ!

[Nancy, Co-Moderator]

Happy St. Patrick's day to you!

[Wendy]

Childhood Dinner Rules: As we were always outside playing, dinner 5pm sharp. Grounded if late. If you did not finish dinner, no desert. Period.
This Durst guy has suspected in murder or suspicious death 2x

Which brings up a question to all of you Legal Eagles and Armchair lawyers. My own childhood orthodontist and his wife were brutally murdered back in the 80s. Their eldest son was tried. One trial was a mistrial, the other found him innocent. MANY felt he did it. NO DNA testing back then. SO if they reopened this 30 year old cold case and found he was guilty, what happens?