Happiness is a Rewatch

~ Jenny

We talk about rereading all the time in here, but this past two weeks I’ve been rewatching. For some reason, I stopped watching TV and movies the past couple of years. It wasn’t a decision, I didn’t decide I was too good for film, I just lost interested in that kind of story. But this past two weeks I’ve been catching up on things I’d watched before, mystery (The Art of Crime), fantasy (Doctor Who), home improvement (Love It or List It), just a catch all of comfort re-viewing. I’m looking at Legends of Tomorrow, Person of Interest, Leverage, all kinds of favorites along with suspiciously eyeing new shows that I might possibly consider while I’m writing the series-that-will-never-end (we’re contemplating a fourth book maybe). But mostly I am finding a great deal of happiness in revising old favorites. Doctor Who, in particular, is hitting all my pleasure points because when that show was good, it was spectacular. Anybody here remember the one about Van Gogh? Bill Nighy at the end of that one still makes me weep. Incredible TV. And then there “Blink.” Or the first Matt Smith, an almost perfect hour of narrative. But I digress.

What made you happy again this week? Or for the first time?

128 thoughts on “Happiness is a Rewatch”

  1. I’ve been a bit up and down this week; not sure why. High points were visiting two nurseries in south Shropshire and buying three plants – then rejigging a bit of the garden so as to make the most of them. Then a day in Shrewsbury, clothes shopping: didn’t find what I was looking for, but did get three tops I’ll enjoy wearing, and ordered jeans and walking shoes I like, which I hope will fit.

  2. I’ve been watching Leverage: Redemption. It contains all of the original actors minus Timothy Hutton, who ran into a little …um…issue and was fired before taping. They replaced his character with an initially naïve lawyer with a heart played by Noah Wyle. Sophie has taken over as leader.

    I’m enjoying it.

  4. Oh yay ! My previous comments disappeared.

    Rings of Power is making me happy. Beautiful design, good strong roles for female characters and people of color, and a line about artists being healers that I really appreciate. I am hopeful for the rest of the series.

    1. Everyone seems to be liking Rings of Power. Honestly, I barely forced myself to finish the first episode. Yes, visually fabulous…but the most unrelentingly depressing thing I’ve seen in a long time.

      Am I the only one who didn’t like it?

      1. There have been some negative reviews.

        I have problems of my own. Bob wants to go a Christmas novella to go with the Liz books, only he’s calling it a “Zmas Novella” because guess why.

          1. You’d think with his lust for zombies he’d go for Halloween, but no, he keeps talking about a Christmas novella. A heartwarming zombie Christmas novella.

          4. I would pay good money for a Halloween novella. Under represented, of you ask me. Also, Halloween is my favorite, all the joy without the family expectations.

        5. No zombies, please. I mean I will read it if your name is on it—and you probably have the best chance of producing zombies I can stand—but they have no appeal for me at all.

        6. I haven’t scrolled through all of the comments yet, but I’m surprised no one has mentioned Chris Moore’s The Stupidest Angel. It’s already been done, Bob. 🙂

      2. Funny, I have been hearing a lot of negative things ( mostly that there aren’t people of color in the cannon. Pooh Pooh), so I am rooting for the underdog. It’s definitely a lot of exposition and introducing of a large cast of characters for episode one. Two narrows the focus a little more, and we get to see more of the hobbits and the dwarves, who have a lot more heart than the elves and men. Durin’s wife is lovely. Oh and Gandalf (I think) falls from the sky like a shooting star. I am hopeful that the story will pick up as they get into the story now that most everyone is present.

          2. When she plunked that head down in front of the disbelievers my husband said: “Just like Cordelia.” I love him.

          3. And I really want a set of green man armor now. I’m playing with the idea of dabbling in hardcore cosplay techniques to make one… Because I need another expensive hobby…

        2. I haven’t watched it, but the theory is that it’s Sauron who falls from the sky, not Gandalf. Gandalf doesn’t show up in the official canon until much later.

          1. I don’t buy it. Maybe Saruman or Radagast, but Sauron is already there. Plus he landed with the hobbits. I don’t think you can be a bad person when you are raised by hobbits.

  5. My brother and sister in law are visiting for a couple of weeks with their 11 year old black lab who is very patient with my 3 year old Spaniel-Maltese mix. Every time I think I want a big dog, I spend a few days alone with Axel and the desires go away. 😀

    They will be here for one more week and then my mother will travel home with them to see their new home in South Florida for a couple of weeks. It’s been great having family here and will be nice to have some time alone when Mom travels. It’s not that I don’t love having her with me, but as a care giver… it’s nice to get a little break every now and then.

  6. Happiness was best hugs ever from granddaughters home from their holiday. We had breakfast and a walk along the river with my brother and nephew. Bittersweet time. Wish there would be no such thing as dementia, thus the bit up and bit down week.
    Happiness was birthday celebration last Sunday for my bf’s mother. 98. She is a wise and gracious woman.

  7. Happiness was FINALLY receiving my copy of Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen. I gulped it down in one session while sitting in my hammock swing and sipping on a chai latte.

  8. I’ve been impatient and bored, busy and unable to settle. So happiness has been out in the yard, hacking at bittersweet and wild roses in the garden. Had a fun visit to the Exeter (NH) UFO Festival and walked around the town, now all galleries, bookstores and restaurants. Found a second-hand copy of the book How Literature Saved My Life, which I will give a whirl. More like multiple drop-ins.
    Getting ready for my trip to Amsterdam/Paris later in the month.

  9. Vincent and the Doctor makes me ugly cry every damn time.

    I don’t usually rewatch series but I will go back to favourite episodes or scenes a lot.

    We had a lot of fun on our trip, it was well worth it.

    I’m exhausted and leaving now to go to Edmonton to see Come From Away. Yay caffeine! I totally over scheduled my September. This week we have 2 out of town appointments, I work at the drug store 2 days then we go to see Paul’s family and have a weekend away with friends. In between we have to pull the garden and possibly go apple picking. I think October will be quieter. Maybe.

  10. Happiness is getting ready to leave for California on Tuesday, having recovered from covid, also having recovered from hernia surgery, and also having made arrangements for a huge surprise party for my husband’s 75th birthday. We return from CA on September 24th and his birthday is October 2nd.

    Thirty people so far have rsvp’ed that they’re coming. One remarked that it must be extremely difficult to keep a secret from my dear husband. I realized that it’s fabulous to have a secret; it’s thrilling to tell half-truths and all out lies; and, it’s exciting to have something serious and real to think about and plan. I kinda think I should start volunteering or doing something new after this party comes off. My brain cells are having the time of their little lives!

    1. How great that you’ve recuperated enough from all the health challenges to travel! And how are the plans for the party tent and port-a-potty secrecy part going? My fingers have been crossed for you, which has made it kind of hard to type. 🙂

      1. Jinx, Thanks for your interest. We’re still not sure about the lie to cover the port-a-potty. We might just blame whoever isn’t around when it arrives. (Oh, Sean ordered it and didn’t tell me why. Ask him.) We’re definitely playing it by the seats of our collective pants.

        The tents, tables, and chairs can go to our next door neighbor.

        My son and daughter in law will fly into Boston from Warsaw the night before, pick up a rental car, and spend a night with a friend up there. They’ll drive across Massachusetts for the party and will stay for the week.

        I’m trying to negotiate lots of gluten-free individual chocolate cakes with a coop nearby so that folks can have penuche* cake/cupcakes or the gluten-free option for dessert. The rest of the food is ordered. I really want to make vegetarian, gluten-free, and meat-lovers options plentiful. I haven’t found a bakery that makes penuche frosting (brown sugar or butterscotch are other names for it), so I’ll be baking wildly. Fortunately, my daughter’s birthday is 2 days before my husband’s, so we’re going to make lots of cupcakes and tell my husband that we’re freezing them.

        2. That’s what my sister did for my surprise party. There was a big concert a day after my birthday and my sister told me that all the bakery I saw cooling at her house was for that. I wasn’t sure she was lying to me until I walked into Ted’s house and saw the same bakery out of the corner of my eye. Of course she had to bake a whole second batch the next day.
          But I have a very good feeling about your party. I think that everyone there will have a wonderful time. And you can celebrate your return to health at the same time.

        3. I saw a TikTok the other day where a portapotty was delivered to the wrong address and they had to wait to get it picked up again. Maybe a riff on that?

          Good luck! Sounds terrific.

      1. Oh yay! The next door neighbor tent is the perfect solution! And YOU are going to have a Very Busy September!

  11. What did I watch/rewatch? I don’t have cable or even antenna service (bad connector) which is why I don’t watch TV. The built-in DVD player works fine… but I gave all my DVDs to Goodwill, except for Galaxy Quest, Firefly, Serenity, and Jumanji. I have the first nearly memorized, I’ll binge-watch the second and third around Christmas, and the fourth needs to marinate a little longer. On Amazon Prime, I watched Miss Meadows, which will never be on my rewatch list.

    If watching and rewatching didn’t give me the happies this week, what did? Gardening, mostly. Possibly re-gardening. I’d talk about the fabulous salad I’m going to make from harvesting lettuce and tomatoes and green onions, but that would turn a gardening comment into a delicious food comment. This comment is about the gardening. It’s about Sheba’s amazing tomato crop (32 tomatoes so far!), not about how juicy they are (they totally are!). It’s about taking the Romaine from the ranches now before whatever turned a pepper plant brown ruins them. It’s about the second wave of red fire peppers. I kept the last few red fire peppers from the first wave in a condiment cup (sealed) and they went fuzzy on me. No matter. I also have a few ripe piri-piri peppers for that hypothetical garden fresh salad.

    Shopping made me happy, too. I made up a subscription list on Amazon for things that I buy repeatedly, and put it in the dotter’s name. I warned her that the double chocolate chip cookies are mine! All mine! So is the chocolate flavored Stevia. She can have all the keto snacks, garbage bags, laundry detergent (she does my laundry), potato sticks, mixed nuts, Clorox toilet wand refills, and ramen noodles. A mix of practical and frivolous. Whatever. It made me happy. 🙂

  12. We had a reunion of former library employees on Wed., meeting for happy hour at a place that has outdoor seating. It was so good to see everyone, including the woman who drove in 60 miles or so.
    Today, my smaller happy was that the grocery cut pumpkin rolls into smaller sections, so I have two slices and won’t be tempted to inhale an entire pumpkin roll.
    Also, good conversations after church and a bit of hope in the search for our new rector.

  13. I’m no longer able to lose myself in fiction on screen for some reason. Neither the series I’ve loved in the past (Matt Smith & Karen Gillan were so wonderful) nor new TV dramas or even films appeal to me at the moment, and I don’t quite understand why.

    So on screens, all I can really stomach are home renovation shows that deal with small scale homes rather than mansions, or news programs that focus on resistance to the craziness in the US political world. I could watch Liz Cheney & her committee hearings all day every day, for example.

    The thing that made me happiest today was an opinion piece from Friday by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post. He was reacting to the Senate GOP leader who demanded that Biden apologize for calling MAGA folks “semi-Fascist.” In response, he provided a draft apology that started like this: “I regret that the heads and bodies of police officers got in the way of your truncheons and flagpoles while you were engaging in Legitimate Political Discourse at the Capitol. I hope that you didn’t hurt your fingers while gouging their eyes, and that their blood didn’t stain your tactical assault gear; if it did, please send me the dry-cleaning bill! I am so sorry that, on your Normal Tourist Visit, you didn’t get to use your noose or all the guns stockpiled at the Comfort Inn in Alexandria. Please forgive me for previously quibbling with your plan to “hang Mike Pence” and your use of the Confederate flag in the halls of Congress. I apologize that you had to break windows and doors, climb scaffolding and rappel into the Senate chamber. My bad! Next time you want to overthrow an American election, just knock.”

    Made me smile.

    1. I saw that, too. The nerve of these idiots to want an apology! That was the best one for that request.

  14. Hot on the heels of Jenny’s topic today on rewatching TV shows was a story I read this morning on who makes the most money in residuals. Did you know that the estates of Lucy and Desi from I Love Lucy were still getting a paycheck until the studio was sold? It was kind of a mixed bag. For instance shows like Third Rock from the Sun and Wonder Years did not receive any. Seinfeld was definitely a winner. It all depends on the contract.

    1. Lucy and Desi took a paycut to use 35mm film to film the show. In the return they got to keep the rights. So when reruns and syndication became a thing, they were in the money

    2. It really does depend on the contract, Victoria Principal was a talent agent at one point and negotiated her own contract for Dallas. she removed the clause that gave the network the right to consent and profit from her outside endeavors

  15. Having recently built up a lot of tension and stress, I got a massage today, and perhaps more than the actual massage (which was lovely but not quite deep enough or long enough), what made me happy was just having that time to do absolutely nothing during which someone was taking care of me.

  16. I haven’t done it in a while, but I sometimes rewatch the first episode (season 1, ep 1) and very last episode, (season 6, ep something) of the show Justified. The last episode is titled “The Promise,” which the writer in me took to mean “the really bad things that could happen won’t happen because of the promise the writers made in the first episode.” And now they are making a reboot, so there will someday be new episodes to watch.

    Unfortunately, life has been heavy lately, so I’m looking forward to many happies scheduled for October, including a book festival, a writing conference/retreat, and a new book release at the end of that month.

    1. A reboot of Justified? Still based on Elmore Leonards work, I hope. And still Timothy Olyphant, I hope.

    2. The second season (I think?), with Mags Bennet (played by Margo Martindale) was like a Greek tragedy. The outcome was so inevitable, so baked into the character’s flaws. It was brilliant.

      So excited to hear there’s a reboot in the works!

    1. Best birthday gift ever was 5 sets of keys. I got that twice. My key fob is attached to my wallet now. Last year, I got a tile for my birthday. Now as long as I keep the ringer turned on I can find my keys. If the ringer is off and my phone is with the keys, well, That is God telling me to start cleaning.

      1. I lost my Airpods and remembered to look for them on the “Find My…” app, which located them in a park I’d been in two days before. I went to the park and followed the bouncing ball to the exact place indicated. They were not there. Found them that evening in. my. purse. Sigh.

        1. When I can’t find something and have searched endlessly, I give up and go ask the dotter. She does a quick glance around the room, and points to whatever I’m searching for. Someone once said it’s like proofreading your own manuscript – you need fresh eyes.

  18. Been rewatching some episodes of Hot in Cleveland. Betty White still cracks me up. Just the best:)

    And recently, hubby and I rewatched the remake version of The Parent Trap by Nancy Meyers. The original premise is ridiculous–that parents would think it’s okay to split up their twin daughters to avoid their own discomfort with an ex–and the reunion glosses over and forgives a lot really easily, yet somehow it’s still a fun movie.

    Thinking of rewatching Baby Boom next just to continue the “Instant Happy Family” theme. Plus, do love the fixer upper Diane Keaton gets with all the constant repairs. And I’m a sucker for the apple orchard. I have two apple trees that mostly feed squirrels and chipmunks, so that bit of the movie is more aspirational. In a perfect world, I’d want an apple orchard and a maple syrup bush combo, but I don’t think there’s a movie for that yet:)

  19. We’re watching Stranger Things and just finished series 2. I like starting a series late so if it’s any good there is plenty more to come.

    1. I didn’t think I liked Stranger Things after the first season. Too spooky and unresolved, but I got on board in a big way after that. I love how everyone helps each other.

  20. The first Matt Smith episodes was one of my favorite Dr. Who’s ever. I was sure I wasn’t going to like him (I always get upset when I lose a Doctor) and by the end of the fish fingers and custard scene he’d completely won me over. And yes, the Vincent episode was one of the best ever. Cry like a baby every damn time.

    I’ve been watching Escape to the Country, a British show where someone is looking for a house in a specific part of the UK countryside. And reruns of The Great British Baking Show (which I’m seeing for the first time, because they’re later seasons). Very comforting.

    Not a lot of happiness here–I’ve been really sick with a plague (although thankfully not THE plague) which I have no idea how I got because I still mask everywhere indoors. Horrible sore throat and swollen glands (went to urgent care and tested negative for Covid and strep) which then followed up with some kind of bacterial infection in my mouth and my first ear infection since I was a kid (I went back to urgent care and the PA, who happens to be a good friend, looked in my throat and said, ACK!” which is never what you want to hear). SO then I had to take antibiotics for the first time in over 30 years (I avoided them that long because they make me so sick). And they made me so sick. Plus gave me thrush. So I had to get a special prescription mouthwash.
    Basically, it’s been a no-fun week.

    I guess my happy is that the original virus seems to have passed, the weird infection was taken out by the antibiotic, the mouthwash is working, and hopefully my digestive system will recover in time for me to leave for BoucherCon on Tuesday as planned. And hey, I lost four pounds because I had no desire for food or alcohol, so there’s that.

      1. Well, I’m a bit of a Pollyanna always-look-on-the-bright-side person (remnants of my 6 years of therapy where I worked like a dog to turn my negative outlook into a positive one).

        So, on the bright side, it didn’t happen WHILE I was traveling, when I would have been sick away from home, without my regular healthcare providers, and might have gotten my roommate sick.

        It wasn’t Covid.

        It seems to have cleared up in time for me to go and still have fun (although we’ll see how the stomach feels and that damned ear infection better be gone when I get on a plane…)

        And the next time my doctor says, “Oh, I’m sure we could find an antibiotic you could take if it was really urgent,” I will know to laugh bitterly and roll my eyes.

        Plus there’s the four pounds. So it was miserable, but it could have been worse. (I am such a damned overachiever when it comes to getting sick, aren’t I?)

        But honestly, I don’t know how my friends manage chemo. Because this wasn’t that and it was damned unpleasant.

        1. Take care Deb, My mother gets ill from Antibiotics too, I think there are two main types and one of them doesn’t affect her as much. Her doctors also give her a lower dosage, but she is on them longer. It isn’t ideal, but she can bear it easier. Remember to eat some yoghurt to build up some good bacteria, Antibiotics pretty much strips everything away.

      1. Sending good, healthy vibes your way, Deb! And imagining how free you are — when your at the Con and meeting Donna Andrews in person — to eat anything you want.

  21. Happily planted a hedge of Flying Dragon cold-hardy orange trees. Every part was happy-making; the plants arrived healthy, the rootballs weren’t huge so I didn’t have to dig giant holes, the weather turned overcast and sprinkled, perfect for planting, and a friendly Patio Cat “helped”. Just thinking about how the hedge will grow in, interspersed with shrubs, makes me happy. I can’t wait to breathe the orange blossoms next year.

    1. Is that Poncirus Trifoliata? I have a mature tree of that species and I love it, but it has some VERY menacing thorns. Be careful where you plant it, because too close to walking paths or patios and you might regret it later on!

      1. Citrus Trifiolata, maybe the same thing? It has wicked thorns but we actually chose that for the hedge purposefully. It’s going along the back border of our property and having a barrier that discourages trespassing is a thing we want. We debated building a fence but there are a lot of difficulties with that due to infrastructure to work around, so we went with a hedge instead. We will need to keep it pruned so we don’t get scratched accessing the irrigation turn-on but they are supposed to be very easy to prune, shape, and even bonsai if you want to do that.

        1. I bought a baby plant of that in the spring: I’ve longed to grow a lemon tree, but don’t have anywhere to overwinter it. I’d never heard of a hardy citrus. I know the fruits aren’t edible, but I’m hoping for blossom. Might not keep it if it’s too vicious, though.

          2. It’s very easy to prune new growth back in the spring, since it’s very soft and pliable. You can do it with your fingers, even.

            The blossoms (fairly late in the spring season in my area) do smell very fragrant and very much like edible orange trees. The little fruits are also very fragrant in the fall – citrusy and spicy, but they are all seed inside, and every seed wants to sprout into another plant. I do love my tree. Not that sure about its little offspring, though….

          3. Oh, and Charlene? Collect all the little fruits from the ground every fall, and ask your neighbor on the other side of the hedge to do the same. It will make a wonderful hedge, but you don’t want it spreading in directions you haven’t chosen.

  22. I baked a double batch of my secret recipe brownies and froze them for “emergency” use, when I get a craving. I started Murder with Puffins. Rewatched Teahouse of the August Moon, an oldie and a goodie. “Socks up, Boss!”

    1. We’ve recently re-watched all the ‘Step Up’ movies, which are not good movies in the critical sense, but which all contain loads of dance scenes and music which have made us nostalgic for our dancing years, but not in a way that makes us really regret that dancing has been not-a-thing for us since early 2020, if that makes sense. 🙂

  24. The high point of my week was finally talking to my niece before she left for France. I am horribly jealous because I’d love to be a fly on the wall and just watch her hang out with my brother and sister-in-law and listen to the 3 of them tell jokes. I tried to convince her to go to Toulouse and Albi during her time on her own, but she reminded me that she hasn’t been to France since she was in middle school, so she has a long list of places she wants to go in Paris. If she is getting her email, I think I will remind her of her cousin Rachel’s favorite chocolatier( if it is still in business.) It is in the Marais, which is a neighborhood I’m sure she will want to explore.

  25. After a long work week I rewatched the third season of The Newsroom. And then went back to the start to watch the very first episode for possibly the hundredth time. It’s still just satisfying, and it did make me happy.

  26. I think that all this talk of re-watching things will make me dig out my old Prisoner DVDs. After reading about how Ron DeSantis is trying to eviscerate voting rights in Florida, listening to Patrick MacGoohan declare, “I am not a number, I am a free man!” sounds very restorative.

    2. Oh original Prisoner… Being menaced by a lighted Beach ball – Rover. I wanted to go to Portmeirion in a blazer and have get filmed running away from one. I watched the documentary and one of the writers actually worked on the secret behind the village only I think he was let go before it got to the draft stage. Then the TV series just went with inscrutable. They talked about it in the documentary and it did make everything fit

  27. I’m really enjoying Trumps troubles. I was scrolling on Twitter and something came up that said “doom scrolling ?” Take a break and (I forget but something like take a walk or read a book) and I thought oh no for once I’m joy scrolling.

    Enjoyed having my daughter and her partner here. We locked on many parts of the US party—but not the fake. We tried three options (a taste testing order) from one bakery and 6 people said no to every one. So DH and I must go looking for cakes and food restaurants with outdoor seating for the non rehearsal dinner the night before. Our lives are hard.

    The to do list for tbr London party is huge and even after all we have accomplished there is still a lot to do for the US one. But it is fun to look forward to two parties….

    I’m doing a lot of rereading. And I’m trying to do PT for my kneee and fit in the elliptical since my doc says to limit walking for a while. I can read while doing both of these.

    Many of my garden plants are doing so so—the combination of expanding the borders, increasing shade, and limited weeding capacity has not been good. But my cut and come again zinnias are doing great and since they are all you see in tbt main front bed and at the start of the path to the house people think it’s all gorgeous ( well, our crepe myrtle and fig trees also look great) so it’s just me looking at my badly nibbled on impatiens and my not very flourishing nasturtiums and so on. But I can cut lots of zinnias for inside and I think I know what to do next year . So the colors at least make me happy. Also

    THE FIGS ARE RIPE! We are eating 10-15 a day. Unfortunately DH got multiple wasp stings today while harvesting so not quite an unlimited blessing. But still lovely. And we are still eating our own tomatoes and basil. We probably have 20 meals worth of pesto in the freezer. So we will have summer all winter long.

    1. Debbie, I’m with you on the troubles of the orange buffoon. But it feels like a tease every time something bad shows up. So far, there have been no consequences, and he plays the victim card and gets more support from “the base”. I’m hoping this is finally the thing that gets him arrested and put away and denied access to social media and the press.

      1. I think there is a reasonable chance he will go to jail. I think there is no question at all that he will be indicted and try to delay a trial until there is a Republican President who he thinks will tell the justice department to drop the case. But I also think that any case will be in DC before a DC jury and he will not be able to drag it out that long and the public trial will be, like the Jan 6 committee hearings , something that even Fox and other conservative news sources will carry and it will help break through.

        I will also say that I think they probably won’t indict him until after the November elections partly because of their policy but also because they want to get evidence on who else may have been selling the documents . It’s pretty clear he isn’t the only target.

        And I would not be surprised at all if they execute search warrants on other residences before the election.

        That’s what my crystal ball shows anyway ….

      2. I can’t wait for the January 6th hearings to start again although I fear nothing will come of it. Another thing that bothers me (amongst many) is how did he get control of where to bury his former wife, at a golf course no less. His three children must totally be under his thumb or so power hungry by extension. To me it was their responsibility. Just saying.

        2. “If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”
          ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956

    2. The case against him is helped by the fact that Rupert Murdock who owns Fox has realized he could be guilty by association if nothing else and word is he severed ties with Trump!

  28. My number one happy this week was hearing about Sarah Palin’s loss in Alaska. She lost her special election bid to replace te late Rep Don Young.
    It was a triple whammy happy because Mary Peltola democrat took Youngs republican seat. AND Peltola is the first Alaskan native in congress!!!
    So freaking happy!

    The Van Gogh episode of Dr Who is one of my favorites. And I also cry.

    Fans of Selena Gomez from Only Murders In the Building (and many other tv shows – she started off as a little kid on Barney) – she does a show on HBO Max called Selena and Chef. She is in her kitchen and a chef is in their kitchen and the chefs are teaching her to cook. Each show she gives 10,000 dollars to the chefs favorite charity – and they get to talk about it. She is 4 seasons in and the last 4 episodes of season 4 just dropped – Last episode of season 4 Gordon Ramsey shows up at her door & the show is wonderful.

    Someone on here recommended the documentary KEDI. My daughter and I loved it! it is about street cats in Istanbul and the people who take care of them and how they have become a part of Istanbul culture. I have a firestick and we rented it for 2.99. I’m tempted to buy it. It was so sweet!

    On the less happy scale – I gave up on wordpress.com for an author website. Going back to blogger. I can have judithjennings.com for an address on blogger. Not completely there yet but confident I can do what I want there. WordPress.com should come with a disclaimer that it is only for computer geniuses.

    Back to happy – I work tomorrow and because it is a holiday – double time and half, baby! Yeah!

    1. My persistence finally paid off. I have exactly the website / blog that I want at judithjennings.com

      WordPress is impossible. Blogger is not easy but at least it is doable and they have live chat that is very helpful!

  29. Beauty and the Beast is going well. We had to replace Chip and Mrs. Potts, but that’s worked out.

    I went to the Scottish Games yesterday and that was fun and I got many pretty things.

    Also, I don’t have covid after having a scare this weekend because I stayed at my mom’s and she got sick on Saturday. We both tested negative today and her cold seems to have already gone away after a long nap 😛

    1. Are Scottish Games where they toss a hammer on a chain and throw a log? Once upon a time, my old boss did that, before he broke bones and had back surgery. He did a baber toss where he got a bit o’ his kilt betwixt fingers and wood, ye see, and flung his kilt wi’ it. (Fortunately for the lassies and wee ones, he were wearing a jock strap.) “Don’t look, Ethyl!” It was too late. The pole was flopping about.

  31. I went to the opening of an exhibition that included work from two of my friends. Check it out, so beautiful!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CiCW40OLaQh/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch8nu7fJO2s/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

    There was a glass vase I am coveting but $$$ ($1135, so ok for art, but $1135!). Also I have a two children and a dog.

    In new (to me) TV, I’m watching Fleabag which is (thus far) really good and getting better, and rewatching my favourite episodes of Miranda (in the psychiatrist’s office with her mother, best ep ever) – so a break the fourth wall theme.

  32. I highly recommend Our Flag Means Death as a pretty short TV that crams a ton of heart into a silly show about a crew of fairly incompetent pirates. Wonderful costumes and Taika Waititi is amazing.

    1. My son Christopher Corbin is in the third episode of that. I watched it because he was in it and very funny. And because I love all things Taiko Wahiti. It was so much fun

    2. Taika Waititi is amazing, period. At least I think so. He’s got an astonishingly intelligent, humorous face, which is mobile and always interesting to watch, and then he has the movements and body language of a gymnast, or maybe a ballerina.

  33. Happiness is rewatching The Adventures of Superman with the kiddo (who is seeing them for the first time). It’s the version with Teri Hatcher, and I love the writing. Very fun.

    Last night he wanted to watch Bob Ross and to snuggle, so that was the best ending to any day ever.

  34. Happiness is hanging with my extended family in Sarnia who all actually get along with each other, are interesting and kind, and they watch GoT and LOTR.

  35. Late to the happiness party, but perhaps appropriately so, since my happy is having a new keyboard for my desktop computer for the first time in probably close to fifteen years, and I was expecting to hate it, but I don’t. I really loved the old keyboard and didn’t realize how glitchy it had become until I plugged in the new one.

  36. Happiness this week is flying to Utah to hang for a couple of days with a friend before heading to Yellowstone for a week. That is my absolute happy place.

    My travels yesterday were perfect. Flying on Labor Day Sunday is highly recommended.

    I cannot wait until I hit the pine forests and get a nose full of that pine-scented air. And the sulfury smell of the thermal features. Nothing makes me happier.

    1. If you love that smell you should start saving now for a trip to Rotorua, New Zealand. The hot springs are amazing, there are bubbling mad pools and eerie landscapes abound (there’s even a place called Craters of the Moon). And you can even learn about traditional Maori culture while you are there.

      1. I have been! In fact, I stayed so long that I got locked in and had to climb a fence to get out.

  37. I started watching the extraordinary attorney Woo on Netflix. Wow! It’s really a feel good. A friend recommended it and I promise to watch it. And I’m so glad I did I’ve only seen the first episode but it’s great. I got asked to do an article on some of my favorite books. I chose to post seasoned romances. I asked Jennie which of her romances she considered seasoned and of course she is one of the ones I chose. Here’s that post. https://shepherd.com/best-books/romances-with-seasoned-heroines

  38. Re-watching Heartstopper for the I’ve completely lost count at this point time. I love that show so much and it makes me happy to see such supportive and for the most part emotionally healthy and literate children (except for those two shits Harry and Ben). Also discovered Due South (anyone else remember DS?) fanfiction about 20 years late so I’m probably going to do a Due South re-watch if I can find the show online somewhere or if my dvd player still works.

    1. I loved Due South, Fan fiction, it was about Fraser wasn’t it. They had some great episodes and Leslie Nielsen singing on the train

      1. Yes! I just loved the humor and still remember some of the running gags. My favorite season was the one with Ray Kowalski so I’m starting with season 3 and then will go back–thank God it’s on YouTube! I’d forgotten how gorgeous Paul Gross is too which is a plus.

    3. I also adored Heartstopper – such an lovely sweet queer romance. I really hope next season we get Elle & Tao as the primary couple. I really should locate a copy of the graphic novel.

      1. Wait, is Due South the program about a Canadian Mountie who is assigned to a Podunk town somewhere in Central California, and his lizardlike “oh, for cripe’s sake!” US counterpart? I loved that show!!

  39. With Jenny’s permission, I was preparing to digress to a food post. This is it. On my blog, it was going to be titled, “Let’s Make Chili.” Because, you know, I was going to make chili and video it.

    Long story short, the cell phone battery died mid-filming. But not until I filmed freshly picked tomatoes and a yellow sweet pepper for the intro: “Today’s ‘Some Things Must Be Endured’ is brought to you by the number SEVEN and the color YELLOW.” I then proceeded to “COUNT” the tomatoes into a container. I think I got video of the onion being chopped. That’s it. I’m eating chili on hash browns, now.

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