samhexum

It's over already

Despite my innate cynicism about people, I would think somebody who would do this would have some kind of arrangement with the mom.

For various reasons, it made sense for me to order groceries this morning from Walmart. They sent a driver who didn't speak English so after the 8th attempt to unlock the front door of the building with the app on my phone and him saying not open, I asked several times if he was at my address. Answer? First silence, then "No English", then he hung up. Two minutes later I got a text showing that my order had been delivered and left in front of a red door. I guess someone had let him into the building. Only one teensy-weensy little problem... our doors are beige. Tore out my hair out dealing with the AI to get to a person to refund the order. Placed another. EXACT same thing happened, except I eventually got a text saying we couldn't deliver AND found one from the shopper from 15 minutes earlier in Spanish telling me (I think) that his GPS took him to an an address # totally different than mine so I knew where he was... a building on a cross street across from the other end of my block. I had a driver last year who actually spoke English tell me that happened to him but he could understand me when he called, so at least I got that order (minus the stuff that was ruined when half of my gallon of milk leaked out). I guess brand new still-in-development-stage technology like GPS just doesn't work in remote, underdeveloped wildernesses like NYC. No wonder the fees are so high... I have to pay for the R&D that makes this form of grocery shopping so efficient and worth having my blood pressure skyrocket all day and being too annoyed and short-tempered to work on another problem I am trying to get resolved this week with another company (which is one of the reasons I thought it would be worth it to pay for that bargain delivery)... which makes winding up with no food at all at the end of a totally wasted day SOOOOOOOOOOOOO worthwhile. But who needs motorized carts when grocery delivery is such a bargain, right? Actually, when StopnShop had their own delivery fleet they were very good and cheap enough and their customer service was easy to reach and generous with refunds and credits. Alas, they gave it up and now use InstaRipOff.

For various reasons, it made sense for me to order groceries this morning from Walmart. They sent a driver who didn't speak English so after the 8th attempt to unlock the front door of the building with the app on my phone and him saying not open, I asked several times if he was at my address. Answer? First silence, then "No English", then he hung up. Two minutes later I got a text showing that my order had been delivered and left in front of a red door. I guess someone had let him into the building. Only one teensy-weensy little problem... our doors are tan. Tore out my hair out dealing with the AI to get to a person to refund the order. Placed another. EXACT same thing happened, except I eventually got a text saying we couldn't deliver AND found one from the shopper from 15 minutes earlier in Spanish telling me (I think) that his GPS took him to an an address # totally different than mine so I knew where he was... a building on a cross street across from the other end of my block. I had a driver last year who actually spoke English tell me that happened to him but he could understand me when he called, so at least I got that order (minus the stuff that was ruined when half of my gallon of milk leaked out). I guess brand new still-in-development-stage technology like GPS just doesn't work in remote, underdeveloped wildernesses like NYC. No wonder the fees are so high... I have to pay for the R&D that makes this form of grocery shopping so efficient and worth having my blood pressure skyrocket all day and being too annoyed and short-tempered to work on another problem I am trying to get resolved this week with another company (which is one of the reasons I thought it would be worth it to pay for that bargain delivery)... which makes winding up with no food at all at the end of a totally wasted day SOOOOOOOOOOOOO worthwhile. But grocery delivery is such a bargain, right? Actually, when StopnShop had their own delivery fleet they were very good and cheap enough and their customer service was easy to reach and generous with refunds and credits. Alas, they gave it up and now use InstaRipOff.

I haven't watched any more yet but read this commentary and agree with it a lot: The Conners far exceeded anyone’s expectations — including my own. Having risen from the ashes of the Roseannerevival in 2018, this quasi-spinoff went on to run an astounding seven seasons, falling just two seasons shy of matching its predecessor’s original nine-season run. But along the way, the powers that be began to play fast and loose with continuity. Rather than embrace the franchise’s rich history, they often wrote around it (or worse, forgot about it entirely). Right off the bat, the revival disavowed canon and resurrected Dan Conner. Quite frankly, it was the only way forward. But then they began to rewrite the legacy as they saw fit, suggesting not only that Season 9 was a lie, but that any late-in-run development they had no desire to see through was a figment of Roseanne Conner’s imagination — a part of her unsold manuscript collecting dust in Dan’s garage. First, they did away with all of Jackie’s character development and reimagined Laurie Metcalf’s alter-ego as a spinster. Her ex-husband Fred? Didn’t exist! And Andy? Well, if Fred didn’t exist, neither did their son! Occasionally, Metcalf found ways to make it work — her comedic and dramatic prowess was on full display in the Season 2 classic “Slappy Holidays,” and any scene opposite Estelle Parsons (aka Bev) was pure gold — but more often than not, one of our greatest living actors was left twisting in the wind. Now, just imagine for a second if Andy had existed and was estranged from Jackie. Not only would their eventual reunion have afforded Metcalf a strong showcase, but it would have offered audiences an explanation for why Jackie grew increasingly isolated in her older age, and why it took her so long to feel like she was deserving of love. What if that had been a part of her journey in the lead-up to meeting (and marrying) Neville? Eventually, Dan and Roseanne’s fourth child, Jerry, was also scrubbed from the record books. At first, he was holed up on some fishing boat in Alaska. Three years later? Poof! Gone! Had he never been mentioned, I doubt I would have cared. The revival had a hard enough time figuring out what to do with their other son, DJ, before they ultimately let Michael Fishman go. After the revival planted the seeds for DJ and his father to go into business together repairing motorcycles — a storyline that would’ve harkened back to Dan’s days owning and operating a bike shop — the first season of The Conners hammered home that Darlene and Becky’s younger brother was in therapy, still battling demons from his time in the Army. But just like his wife and daughter, those ideas evaporated into thin air. In truth, though, I’m more disappointed with how they handled the absence of David. There was a way for Johnny Galecki to remain off screen and not make Darlene’s ex-husband a deadbeat dad — a development that never quite meshed with the version of David we knew and loved from the original run of Roseanne. All it would have taken was the occasional line of dialogue to indicate that David, who still lived in Lanford, took an active role in Mark and Harris’ lives; the kids were old enough where it would have been believable if he and Darlene were never in the same room together once their divorce was finalized in Season 2. Despite my qualms, I did, in fact, enjoy a lot of what The Conners accomplished. The writers delivered a masterclass in how to handle the unforeseen death of a central character, then did a superb job navigating not only Dan’s heartbreak, but his conflicted feelings about moving on with Louise. They couldn’t have found a better on-screen partner for John Goodman than Katey Sagal, though the award for best replacement spouse — and the very best revival addition — goes to Jay R. Ferguson’s Ben Olinsky. As a longtime Darlene and David ‘shipper, I never expected to like Darlene with Ben as much as I have, but Ferguson immediately felt like he belonged, and played well off of just about everyone. Last but not least, I’d be remiss if I didn’t applaud Becky’s arc. The character lost her way in the later seasons of Roseanne; for whatever reason, they just never wrote as well for Sarah Chalke as they did for Lecy Goranson. Thankfully, Goranson stayed put after she returned for the revival, and we got to watch Becky confront her vices, become a mom and finish grad school. As the producers put it, Becky became the person she was meant to be all along. The fact that she found a sweet, sensitive boyfriend in Tyler was an added bonus. All told, I’m glad we got another seven years with the Conner clan… even if I would have handled a few things differently The Conners Was a Good Revival — But If They’d Honored Roseanne History, It Could’ve Been Great TVLINE.COM 'Roseanne' and 'The Conners' too often forgot (or simply ignored) their own history, which prevented a...

Posted April 10 Oscars to Add Best Stunts Category, Starting With 2028 Ceremony TVLINE.COM Stunt performers are finally getting their day in the sun: The Oscars are adding a category for best stunts... I think the best stunt would be to stay awake throughout the whole Oscar telecast.

At the last remaining video store in Pocatello, Idaho, the curtains have closed after more than 30 years, but owner David Kraning found a way to keep a crucial service going for his most loyal customer. Christina Cavanaugh, who has Down syndrome and is mostly non-verbal, has rented a movie from The Video Stop every day for the past 20 years, often the same titles at the same time each afternoon. “She doesn’t ask for very much, she asks for very little, so when she does express herself, I try and accommodate her,” said Toni Cavanaugh, Christina’s mother. Though Christina’s family owns most of the movies she rents, the routine of visiting the store and checking out films is essential to her well-being. “She’ll only watch them if they’re from the video store,” Toni explained with a laugh. “I think it’s comforting.” When financial realities forced Kraning to close The Video Stop, he faced a dilemma about how to break the news to Christina. “Last year, just looking at the financials, it wasn’t sustainable to try and keep the video store going,” Kraning said. “This was one of my first jobs and I remember back in high school, her bringing her daughter in, getting the movies.” Instead of simply shutting down, Kraning, who also owns the convenience store next door, created “Christina’s Corner” — a special section with shelving and a display of DVDs designed to look like the video store experience she was accustomed to. “That somebody would do something so kind, for her specifically like that — he wasn’t thinking about anything else except her. That’s huge,” said Toni. Christina still arrives around 3:30 p.m. daily, selects a movie from Christina’s Corner, and checks it out herself at the register. Before leaving, she gives a gesture that powerfully communicates her gratitude. Toni says Pocatello has been the ideal community for raising Christina. “The people here treat her like family — especially Dave and his team, who continue to prioritize her needs despite business challenges,” she said.

Alabama’s largest house is for sale, and it can be yours for $5 million WWW.AL.COM The mansion is the 44th largest in the United States. are we to assume this means you're in the market for a pied-a-terre?

Tomato/tomahto Potato/potahto Clamato/clamahto

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck to stop in Flushing for one-day appearance on May 3 The Hello Kitty Cafe Truck, a popular mobile pop-up known for its signature pink aesthetic and themed desserts, will make its only New York City appearance in Flushing on Saturday, May 3, as part of its 2025 national tour. The truck will be parked outside The Shops at Skyview, located at 40-24 College Point Blvd., from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., near the mall’s main entrance. The Flushing stop is expected to draw Hello Kitty fans from all five boroughs eager to enjoy exclusive merchandise and photo-friendly sweet treats. well, now we know what @pubic_assistance, @nycman, and @BenjaminNicholas will be doing May 3rd...

They got rid of the narrator. To tell you the truth, I missed her more than Hilary.

yes... maybe they just don't like you.

I'm about two episodes behind, but I know what's coming. The recent episode guest-starring Leslie Ann Warren as Bobby's estranged mother, whom everyone had thought was dead, was quite good.

Tom Ellis Lands Lead in FBI/CIA Team-Up Series at CBS

CBS has greenlit the single-camera comedy DMV, which stars Colin From Accounts standout Harriet Dyer. It is a workplace comedy “set at the place everyone dreads going most.” The single-cam hails from executive producer Dana Klein (Friends, Fresh Off the Boat) and boasts an ensemble that includes Dyer, Tim Meadows and Molly Kearney (Saturday Night Live), Alex Tarrant (NCIS: Hawai’i), Tony Cavalero (The Righteous Gemstones) and Gigi Zumbado (The Rookie). (Dyer will also continue to write and star in Colin From Accounts, which was recently renewed for Season 3 at Paramount+.)

Sacre Bleu!

Some of us can't afford such a bargain. After I pay my rent out of my disability check I have a whopping $336/mo for all of my luxuries like food, internet and phone, doctor co-pays, insurance, gas to get to the doctor to pay the co-pays, etc. You know... the fun stuff that makes life worth living.

Traze, formerly a pizza pop-up, has opened in Long Island City at 21-03 45th Road, at 21st Street. Owner Natalie DeSabato took over the space from her previous employers, who owned Corner Cafe, the former tenant at the address. There, she’s debuted a permanent home for Traze, outfitted with stained glass lighting fixtures, serving pies more standard like sausage-vodka sauce, and more out-there, like a falafel pie and “the Elvis” (with mashed bananas foster and bacon).

https://tvline.com/recaps/ncis-los-angeles-updates-hetty-missing-callen-anna-baby-1235438342/ Sam Hanna’s NCIS Visit Brought Several NCIS: LA Updates — Including the Latest on Hetty! TVLINE.COM During LL Cool J's 'NCIS' visit, Sam Hanna came bearing gifts -- in the form of 'NCIS Los Angeles'...

https://tvline.com/news/heartstopper-cancelled-no-season-4-netflix-movie-1235438499/ Heartstopper to End Nick and Charlie’s Love Story With a Movie Instead of a Full Season 4 TVLINE.COM It's time to say 'bye.' Netflix's 'Heartstopper' won't be getting a Season 4 but will at least be...

The starting catcher on the world champion Dodgers is also a recording artist? Who knew?!?

PREACH!

you just wanted me to post this again, huh?

My favorite store is my favorite because of good prices, being within a half mile of all of my doctors (and a block of some of them), and because it has BY FAR the most such carts I've ever seen in a supermarket (used to be 7, now I think it's 8, but one's usually out of order). And I still sometimes have problems because nobody at the store ever seems to think to plug them in to recharge them when they are not in use. They are a godsend. I can't afford to order for delivery and I can't walk around a store; I can waddle from my car to inside, but that's it. I'm familiar enough to know that the Amigo brand, if properly charged up, will take you approximately 10,000 miles, but the brand with the yellow motion controls will get you about 10,000 inches before the charged indicator display falls into the orange level and then rapidly into the red level, accompanied by beeping indicating your impending stranding in the dairy aisle or the freezer aisle. I've gotten pretty proficient with them over the years, though there have been the occasional bull in a china shop moments when the store has been very crowded and I've been very frustrated and impatient. And, yes, people are (almost always) very gracious and helpful when you're in one. P.S. I hope you feel better.

Street co-naming in Briarwood honors legacy of Jack ‘Giacomo’ Virdone, longtime pizzeria owner and community advocate – QNS QNS.COM Community members gathered to co-name a Briarwood intersection after Jack Giacomo Virdone, longtime Alba’s... I once saw David Krumholtz in this pizzeria.