Here is where my wife Kim and I starting our day, with a German couple who deejay on YouTube. It’s a good place to be when you are going to anywhere. Today, we are expected to be getting 14 inches of snow so we are definitely not going anywhere. I’m also going to be dipping into some poetry from several copies of a poetry quarterly journal called Rattle that were donated to the library.
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How not to let the news overwhelm you
Today, I listened to the following episode from the 10% Happier podcast with Dan Harris:
In the episode, Harris talks with Claudia Hammond, an award-winning writer and broadcaster. She is Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex and is the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s All in the Mind. Her latest book is Overwhelmed: Ways to Take the Pressure Off.
To me, the most relevant part of the conversation between them was about how to not let the news overwhelm you. That part of the conversation begins at 30:44 and ends at 40:56.
For me, the key takeaways were these:
- No news alerts on phone unless it’s for your job.
- When does news affect you? Morning or evening? What’s best time for you to get or seek updates?
- Choose one site or source reliable for you and fixed times.
- Include a longer read. That way, you won’t be left with “panicked headlines” as Hammond calls them.
Myself, I absolutely do not have alerts. In fact, I have limited notifications and use an app called minimalist phone that assists greatly with that. As for when news affects me, it’s moreso the late afternoon and evening where I get especially stressed by the news. So, I think Harris’s idea to put the phone away after dinner or at night might work for me.
How do you not get overwhelmed by the news? What strategies work for you?
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The re-inauguration of this blog
Last year, on this day, I started this blog. As I said then it was not coincidental when it began, but “it” still is not, and still will not be, the focus of this blog.
My inspiration for this blog was a quote from Candide by Voltaire, which two friends last year said that I need to read:
All I know is that we must cultivate our garden.
Candide says this to one of his traveling companions Pangloss after they encounter a Turk who tells them:
I have only twenty acres. I cultivate them with my children, and the work keeps us from three great evils, boredom, vice, and poverty.
One of my friends who recommended the book told me this was going to be his philosophy too, to cultivate his garden, for the next four years. So I thought I’d attempt that too by sharing transmissions or messages I receive from the universe whether it be from books, TV, movies, or my own, and others’, life experiences.
I’ll admit this first year, I didn’t do that but instead only shared three grateful things every Thursday. However, this year, I’d like to share more than just that and share what is “getting me through,” whether it be books, TV and movies, music, or podcasts. I also might change the theme here, we’ll see. Stay tuned.
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My 10 favorite TV series and movies watched this year
Alphabetically, here are my 10 favorite TV series and movies that I watched this year.
- Arcane: League of Legends
- Come See Me in the Good Light
- Corner Gas
- Death Inc./Fisk
- Detective Montalbano
- Ghosts UK, Seasons 4 & 5
- KPop Demon Hunters
- The Studio
- The Venture Brothers
- Wednesday
The list is mostly in no particular order, except for the top being my favorite discovery of the year and best show I’ve seen in a long time. I’m not going to give a synopsis of each, or on what streaming platforms they can be found (you have the power of the Interwebs).
A few notes:
- I included the TV shows Death Inc. & Fisk as one because of their shared, awkward quirkiness.
- Kim and I watched Ghosts UK years ago, but we never were able to watch the last two seasons because it wasn’t avaliable on any streaming services we were paying for. We bought the complete series on DVD and finally got to see the final two seasons. It was worth the wait.
- Three of the four were animated, but none of them were like the others. I also just learned last night that The Venture Brothers has seven seasons. Netflix only has three seasons. We’ll watch the rest on the Adult Swim app with commercials unfortunately.
- Only one is nonfiction, Come See Me in the Good Light. It’s about the last year of the life of poet Andrea Gibson, who died this past summer.
- Earlier this year, I finished the last five books in the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri, and so I’ve been making my way slowly through the series based on the books.
The one my wife Kim and I watched the most together was Corner Gas, a light Canadian comedy that aired from 2004 to 2009. It now is found on various platforms. I’ll leave you with the opening of the first show, which pretty much sets the six seasons of the show perfectly.
What are some of your favorite TV shows and movies that you watched this year? Share in the comments.
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A Child’s Christmas in Wales
Tonight, my wife Kim and I will be watching the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol, with Alistair Sim as Scrooge, and in our minds, the definitive production of the Christmas classic. We watch it every Christmas. However, every Christmas I also watch another production I consider a classic too, the 1987 adaptation of Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales or listen to Thomas himself reading it.
I shared both with my sister and a friend via text. My friend sent me this version by Richard Burton:
My friend gave this analysis, which I thought was right on and the reason I like the Elliot version the best:
Elliot gives a gentler, friendlier performance, and of course that’s partly because it’s a video production. The others are reading. There’s a serious authority to Thomas and a kind of repressed ferocity (as there often is) with Burton.
As a result of our conversation, for some reason, I was reminded of another production from 1987, The Dead, an adaptation of James Joyce’s short story of the same name in the collection Dubliners. It is one of my favorite movies, especially for the ending monologue (um, trigger warning, not a merry ending):
I found the entire movie on the Howdy channel on Roku. It also is free on Tubi. I’m watching it now.
Do you have Christmas TV or movie traditions? Share in the comments.
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Pause
Putting the blog on pause until the end of the month. Be back then with a review of my year in books (really nothing), TV and movies (too much), and music (a bit of this and that). Also I’m working on retooling the blog in the new year. See you all after Christmas.
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To life, to life, l’chaim
Every Thursday, or Friday or Saturday, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.
As it is Thanksgiving, I am almost obligated to share three good things, being the theme of the day. Today, however, I’d like to give thanks for one major thing: my wife is not preparing to go to the hospital for a very serious heart issue that could, and almost did, kill her. The condition – the short version, her mitral valve in her left lower heart not working correctly – necessitated her being in the hospital for the month of December last year as doctors and nurses almost literally resurrected her.
The longer version, for those with questions or don’t remember or know about, I refer you to her CaringBridge website we set up to keep family and friends updated on her stay at the hospital.
One year later, her mitral valve is working correctly and while she still has primary lymphedema and lipedema (Google, please – it’s too long to explain and you can go down your own rabbit hole), she is alive and kicking.
She just ended a two-week vacation during which she was able to visit her dad, stepmom, and sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces in Maryland and just returned to work last night. We had early Thanksgiving with those on her shift and significant others, with Kim making the majority of the side dishes.
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29 years, ramen, and gelato
Every Thursday, or Friday or Saturday, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.
Tomorrow, Kim and I are celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary. We both are off for the entire weekend; Kim, ending a two week vacation on Tuesday. We had thought about going on Sunday to a Mexican restaurant about an hour away, but decided last night, we probably would just hang out all weekend with TV and movies we’ve been meaning to catch up on. We’re silencing our phones except for calls from immediate family who might want to wish us happy anniversary Sunday.
Also influencing our decision was we unexpectedly went out to dinner last night. It wasn’t planned, but when I went to get gelato pints at a local eatery, the chef there was doing ramen, only his second time. With the place, having a small kitchen, and us not ordering ahead, we had to wait about an hour but it was good.
Oh, yes, we still got the gelato pints and will enjoy them today and maybe tomorrow, although not likely. In fact, as I’m writing this early, I think I’ll go have some now for breakfast.
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Fantastic Four & more!
Every Thursday, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.
I’m going to keep this simple today, compared to other days when this is very complex, ha.
Kim is visiting her dad and stepmom in Maryland , and they’ll be visiting her sister, our brother-in-law, and their two daughters, who live about half an hour away. Kim got there yesterday and she’ll be back Sunday. So that’s Good Thing No. 1, that she’s able to see them. It’s been awhile.
Meanwhile, I have today and tomorrow off, and I’m catching up on movies that Kim didn’t want to watch but I do. So, this is Good Thing No. 2. First up, and one I’m watching even now in the background with closed captions as I dictate this, is The Fantastic 4: First Steps. I’m about an hour and 10 minutes in, and it’s pretty good , if not great. (I actually finished by time I finished this post and can recommend, although maybe not highly – but fun, if in right mood, which I was). Of course it doesn’t take much to be better than the other iterations of this.
Among the other movies on my list are Jurassic World Rebirth, Thursday Murder Club, and Prey, part of the Predator series, which I’ve had in queue for a while. I’m planning on watching in Comanche, which is one of the options.
Good Thing No. 3 is when Kim returns home, her vacation continues into the following week and ends the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. On Sunday, Nov. 23, we also celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary. Nothing special planned but I’m also off from work, so that will be good too.
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Pete and Repeat…
Every Thursday, I share three good things from today, in the past week, and/or in the week or weeks to come, to focus on what is good. I encourage you to share in the comments your three good things too, if you want. I was introduced to thinking on three good things for the week by Deb Nance of the blog Readerbuzz who lists hers every Sunday on her blog.
Basically, this week is a repeat of last week with minor variations and an addition:
- We watched the fourth season of the British version, the original one, of the series Ghosts last weekend, and this weekend, we’ll watch the fifth and final season.
- While baseball is over, we, mostly I, are/am watching the Major League Soccer playoffs. It’s a diversion for the most part from “the world.”
- The addition is Kim’s vacation starts Sunday and runs through Thanksgiving. She works that day, but we both are off for our 29th wedding anniversary the weekend before. She also is going to see her dad, stepmom, sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces in Maryland for a few days next week and into the weekend.
So, what’s good in your life today, this past week, or in the week(s) to come?
Transmissions from the Northern Outpost 