I have been mostly watching documentaries and some British television series. Here are just a few:
Maiden - documentary - did I mention this before? An all-woman crew takes a boat around the world in the Whitbread race. #girlpower
Public Speaking - documentary featuring the curmudgeonly Fran Lebowitz
David Crosby - Remember My Name - pretty self-explanatory
Beware of Mr. Baker - biography of the very disagreeable, but crazy talented, Ginger Baker
A Ballerina's Tale - documentary about Misty Copeland; very interesting, especially because I know very little about ballet, but I have heard of Misty Copeland. Ballet is incredibly hard work, and she is an incredibly talented and resilient person
A Murder in the Park - a documentary examining the case in Chicago that put a halt to the death penalty in Illinois, but was it done based on incorrect conclusions. This one will make you think.
Sholom Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness, a documentary about the creator of Tevya and The Fiddler on the Roof, among many.
Television
Grace & Frankie - Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are hilarious as a modern day Lucy and Ethel; it's streaming on Netflix
The Office - I am very behind the times, as some of you may already know, and somehow I stumbled across a marathon on and have been hooked. I could have done without the last season, but that's not even an original idea. I love it, though, it's funny, and smart and very human.
No Offence - a British cop drama with a bit of humor; some strong female leads, which I like. I finished season 1, and on to season 2
Broadchurch - again, late to the party, but I'm into it with a vengeance great cast, great writing and a damn fine mystery
Podcasts - I have a hard time listening to people talking at me while I'm working or just listening to people ramble on, so I don't really do podcasts, but I have been listening to Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone with my favorite comedian, Paula Poundstone, Adam Felber, and a rotating slate of guests and house bands. I have also been listening (and relistening) to The Office Ladies, Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer's podcast about The Office. I highly recommend both of these. Two little islands of sanity (well, maybe not sanity) these days.
Books - this list may look like a hodge podge, but it makes total sense to me.
The Godfather by Mario Puzo - read after watching the movies for the 10th time. He could have cut out one whole subplot and it still would have been a great read
The Naked Civil Servant by Quentin Crisp - a memoir/autobiography that doesn't hold back on the wit or the acerbity
Bright Lights, Dark Shadows: The Real Story of ABBA by Carl Magnus Palm - I was almost killed by the detail in the first 150 pages, but my persistence paid off.
In My Brother's Image: Twin Brothers Separated by Faith after the Holocaust by Eugene Pogany - wow, what an incredible (and true) story of twins, born and raised in Hungary, Jews who converted to Catholicism to survive, and then one had doubts after the Holocaust.
Don't Look Back by Karen Fossum - a Norwegian murder mystery (part of a series)
I'm halfway through a collection of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, and I'm just stopped. I can't. I just started a 750 page biography of Marlene Dietrich by her daughter. I'm on page 23.
In addition to all of these mentally stimulating activities, I'm also eating. I like to think I'm eating to support the economy, and I'm sticking to that. It isn't the same as eating with my friends at a restaurant or cafe, but I'm trying make my little effort to keep some of these businesses going. I've also been ordering some baked goods for delivery or shipping, like using Goldbelly.com (I just learned about them) to get some delicious treats from Angel Food Bakery in Minneapolis; through Goldbelly you can support a variety of small shops and restaurants from around the country.
And I've been walking and raising money for charity at the same time. I use the Charity Miles app which allows you to pick from a wide variety of charities for which you can walk, from food banks to malarial nets and a lot of organizations in between.
SO, that's what I've been doing. Stay safe and healthy, and check up on me to make sure I'm writing.
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| From Apple Valley |
