I haven't seen anyone mention this, but in Southern California, we cracked up at the, "You're killing me, Larry!" at the end of the commercial because it's a phrase that's been ending local commercials for Sit 'n' Sleep for years (possibly decades? I haven't lived here that long). Not appropriate for East Peck, but…

Yes, there was a reason for the odd taping schedule. (Also, the taping days were Monday and Tuesday instead of the usual Tuesday and Wednesday, which threw me when I got the initial call.) They'd taken a week (or maybe two?) off after season 33. But there's a writers' strike looming, so they wanted to get a few weeks'…

So, I did my taping for Jeopardy! yesterday! It will air during the first week of season 34, and I'll get more specific about the date in September. I can't get into too much detail, but I had a fantastic time, and I presented myself well. There was also a technical mishap during one of the games I wasn't on, and it…

So, this is Jeopardy! eve for me. I am in the contestant pool for taping on Monday and Tuesday this week. I always thought that if I got a spot, I'd spend my time memorizing lists of Supreme Court justices and Oscar winners, but…real life intervened. I had writing deadlines to meet and a kid to parent. Also, more…

I got it, which gives me a nice confidence boost, as this is the last episode I'm watching before heading into my own taping date. (Eeeeeee!)

Well, I didn't realize that it was a Midwesternism, but I thought of horse and pony first, and I grew up in the Chicago suburbs to Michigander parents.

Absolutely your have to type it. No clicking, just tap on the bottom row of the keyboard.

As did I! *high five*

Spoilers for the 4/5/17 show: Well, based on her bet tonight, she was betting based on (dis)comfort with the category.

*sigh* It's always frustrating when the leader answers FJ correctly and loses.

*Sigh* It's blatantly obvious when Alex has a crush on certain female contestants. I guess Abigail is doing it for him.

The betting was really interesting in this one, and it made me think about what you'd posted yesterday about comfort in categories.

It took me this episode to realize that I'd seen the actress before. As soon as she said, "You really need to switch to computers," I realized she was annoying Audrey from Ellen DeGeneres's sitcom, the rare character that survived from back when the show was called "These Friends of Mine" (which got retooled and…

I'm thinking that the first round is mostly about accumulation, so I'll go for the maximum unless I have enough of a lead that I need to protect more than enhance. If I get it wrong, there's still time to make up for the loss.

Tangent: I'm closing in on my taping date, and I've been trying to get a firm grasp on FJ wagering strategies. I'm starting to think it might be better to give up on full optimization in favor of a few strategies I can rely on under pressure. I have a rationale worked out, but most of it comes down to betting to…

I had the exact same thought as I watched.

I was confused because I'd thought India was already in the Commonwealth. Oops.

I knew it due to my background in musicology (La Calisto is a crazy Cavalli opera from the 1650s, with lesbianism and unconvincing cross-dressing), but it's not the type of info you'd be able to suss out from the clue alone. That's just one where you either knew it or you didn't.

I was so frustrated that Asian Flags was left unfinished. The first two clues indicated that the category wasn't nearly as difficult as the contestants thought, and considering how poorly they did on Cousteau, they could have afforded to look into it. (Also, I'm bitter because flags of the world is one of the things…

HOMES doesn't give you the order from west-to-east, which the mnemonic does. I grew up near Chicago, and honestly, I get Huron and Erie confused sometimes. Since I'm prepping for my own J! appearance (EEEEE!!!), I appreciate the mnemonic's potential to help me avoid a stupid mistake.

I've been following Tom and Lorenzo's analysis and careful comparisons between the original films and the recreations, and one of the things that struck me is that Jessica Lange is much less intense than Joan Crawford in the still images. Crawford's eyes burned, and her eyebrows are piercing. Then I realized that…