Miscellaneous Monday
Today’s post is just a bit of randomness. Before we dive in, the picture above is from Tug Dogs, an amazing dog training company a couple of hours from here. I first heard about them from BARK, the Keeshond rescue that connected us with both of our darling dogs, Mulder (2015-2023) and Genevieve (1998-2012). One thing they do at Tug Dogs is to take in dogs that have behavior issues, diagnose the issues, and help the dogs to feel safe and secure, so they can help them to understand how to live happily in a confusing human run world. I follow them on Facebook, and the funny picture above was about the brown lab, who clearly LOVES mud puddles. So funny. OK, onward.
I recently read Small World, by Laura Zigman, which I really enjoyed, and made we want to find more of her work. Separation Anxiety is the story of Judy, a 50ish woman in the middle of a very rough patch. Her parents have recently died, within 2 years of each other, both after painful illnesses. She and her husband are emotionally separated, though they cannot afford to physically separate, so still live in the same house. Her husband suffers from debilitating anxiety, which prevents him from getting the kind of work that he would find meaningful. Judy is the author of one very successful children’s book, which was turned into a television series, and two flops. She is suffering from writer’s block, unsure how to move forward. Judy is mourning the loss of her son’s childhood. He is a young teen, middle school aged, and she desperately misses the age when he needed her more and opened up to her. In the midst of all of this grief, for her parents, for her marriage, for her changing life, she comes across the baby sling she used to use when her son was a baby. She longs for the weight of a baby against her body, and on a whim pops her sheltie in, and discovers that she feels deeply comforted in ‘wearing’ her dog this way.
Zigman has a way of condensing the feelings that Judy is suffering in such a poignant way.
“Grief obliterates the present, forcing you to relive the past and dread the future.”
“So little gives me joy now that I’m afraid I’ll get rid of every single thing I’ve ever owned and end up with nothing. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Feeling empty only makes me want to be emptier.”
Highly Recommended.
I’m participating in Engie’s Cool Bloggers Book Club, and this time we are reading My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante, beautifully translated by Ann Goldstein. I’ve not read the book before, though I have watched (and adored) the HBO series (in Italian with English subtitles, thankfully) based on the books. My Brilliant Friend is the first in a four book series, and each 8 episode season corresponds with one book. I feel a bit ridiculous, because I loved the show so much, I am immersing myself as much as possible. I am reading a physical copy of the book, listening to the audio book via my Libby app, and re-watching the series on TV. I’m not sure whether I will maintain this multiple medium immersion, but thus far I am adoring it. If you’re so inclined, the first 2 episodes of the series get you through the childhood section of the book. Highly recommended.
Are you watching the new season of True Detective, also on HBO? This season takes place in a fictional town on the Bering Sea in Alaska, though it was filmed in Iceland. Jodie Foster is amazing, as is co-star Kali Reis. I loved the first season of True Detective, with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The next two seasons didn’t really keep my interest. Season 4 so far is gripping, and I’m all in.
Have you seen the Netflix documentary chronicling the night that We Are the World was recorded, The Greatest Night in Pop Music? We watched it the other night, and it was surprisingly entertaining and interesting. I remember the phenomenon that was We Are the World, Live Aid, Farm Aid, and the parent of them all, Do They Know it’s Christmas, (with its cringy but well intentioned lyrics). I had a We Are the World sweatshirt, maybe I’ll find a picture of it and you can see my HS boyfriend. If you have any memory or interest, give this a try, it’s really good.
If you’re in the mood for some stupid fun, give After Midnight a try. It’s a late night game show with ridiculously low stakes. Host Taylor Tomlinson is joined by 3 comedians each night, and they compete for entirely subjective points (she awards points based on whether they made her laugh or not) by making fun of internet culture (lots of Tik Tok stupidness.) They play for goofy prizes like a zip lock bag of ranch dressing, some keys that were left behind by a prior guest, the approval of Tomlinson’s father. It’s very silly, and makes us laugh. If you don’t stay up late watching live TV, you can watch on the CBS app or Paramount+, or on YouTube, though on YouTube you watch segments and they are out of order, which is somewhat annoying to me.
This is our friends’ son, Naji, who works on fishing boats, currently fishing for crab and selling it at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. Imagine our delight yesterday when his parents sent us a text, asking if we would like some fresh crab. Um, yes please. Imagine out extra delight when they told us that the captain of the ship gave it to them free. YAY! So we feasted on fresh Dungeness crab for dinner.
Do you store your berries in mason jars? I recently heard this keeps them fresh longer. The link I posted to said to rinse and then completely dry them first, which I didn’t do. Also, it doesn’t mention putting a paper towel in the bottom of the jar, but I saw that tip somewhere else, so I did. I hate wasting food, and it can be distressing how quickly berries go bad. I gave it a try, and so far, thumbs up.
Finally, I thought you might like to know that I stopped in a local Indian grocery store to get my favorite tea, and saw that indeed, they sell chana, which I’ve also seen called chickpeas, chick peas, and garbanzo beans.
Bonus content – for Tierney at Portmanteau Suitcase, who said in a comment that her favorite YouTube yoga instructor Tim is allergic to shirts. That comment reminded me of this cartoon I saw awhile ago. HA!
Do any of these things resonate with you? Free crab? Silly TV shows? Do you remember ‘We Are the World’?
36 Comments
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I remember We Are The World, in fact, my family and I were just having a conversation about it, because we were trying to remember that song vs. Michael Jackson’s Heal The World. They are both very 80s (or was that the 90s?). We also looked up all the “Aids”: Live Aid, Band Aid (?) etc.
I have not seen any of the shows that you have mentioned! I am a pretty boring TV watcher; I don’t really watch much, but when I do, it is ofen stuff I have already seen. Lately, I have been putting Top Chef (which I have seen before) on in the background while doing chores around the house, but otherwise, I mostly watch YouTube videos about travel and adventure if I do sit down in front of a screen.
J
I don’t remmeber ‘Heal the World’, but I just looked it up and it’s 1991, which would certainly have a lot of an 80s vibe, right?
I like re-watching TV as well. Yesterday I put on a gardening show on Pluto TV with my favorite British gardener, Monty Don, to have in the background while I read blogs and worked on this blog post. I didn’t see much of it, but it was perfect for a blustery day.
Suzanne
FREE CRAB. I am so jealous!
Berries must be a hot topic on the internet right now because I recently watched a video about how to keep them fresh longer, too. It involved boiling water and I probably should have paid better attention to the details, because I tried it with some blueberries and they got all bloated and flabby. Yuck.
We Are the World! I feel like that song was such a fixture of my childhood. So many occasions where it featured as feel-good music!
True Detective is SO GOOD this season. I haven’t watched last night episode yet but I’m excited for it!
J
True Detective was INTENSE last night.
Boiling your berries? Weird.
nance
Rick and I just watched that Netflix doc about We Are The World. Incredibly interesting and entertaining, and once again, I was confronted with my conflicting feelings about Michael Jackson. What a brilliant talent, and what a tragedy. His voice was incredibly pure and just like velvet. What a shame that he came to such disrepute and made the horrible choices he did.
Hey, J, I’ve been wondering about you, what with all the weather reports I’ve been seeing–atmospheric rivers and flooding and all that rain. Are you above water and okay out there?
J
Thanks for your concern Nance, we are fine. It was very blustery yesterday and I was afraid to take the stinky crab shells out to the trash, as we live in a townhouse complex and the trash bins are under some HUGE Eucalyptus trees, which belong to a neighboring complex. They are notorious for dropping branches.
On my walk this morning, there were at least 4 downed trees. The good news is that I came across a tree that had dropped a bunch of grapefruit, so I took as many as I could carry (3). If they’re any good, I’m going to make an appetizer salad for dinner tonight with grapefruit, avocado, and leftover crab. Too bad there weren’t any avocados available, though I think they don’t ripen on the tree, so they would be too hard anyway (if they had been knocked from the tree.)
The weather report on the news was a full 15 minutes, so half of the newscast. I worry about folks down south. Weather guy said maybe 6 inches of rain in LA, which is going to mean flooding and mudslides. Not good.
I agree wholeheartedly about MJ. I loved him way back when, what a waste. We loved his pronunciation of Lionel. 🙂
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
You’ll appreciate this story – last year I got a huge discount on an annual subscription to HBO through my credit card. How much HBO did I watch? Practically nothing. Now just as my subscription is ending suddenly I’m hearing about all of this great stuff on HBO!!! Gah!!! But I will not weaken, I will let the subscription go and only get a monthly one every few months or so. I’m really liking MBF and I definitely want to check out the TV show afterwards.
J
There are SO MANY streaming services, it’s ridiculous. Do not weaken, just keep a list of HBO shows you want to watch, then binge them when you have the time. Remember when you couldn’t turn ‘premium channels’ on and off, and had to stick with a channel via your cable package? I like this system better, though I DON’T like paying for so many services.
Ernie
I was in 8th grade in 1985 when We Are the World was all the rage. It was our 8th grade song and we sang it at our graduation ceremony. That song brings back such strong memories. I look forward to watching the documentary. I don’t have HBO, but at some point I’d like to watch the series with Jodie Foster. I really like her. Dang, I have not yet checked the Brilliant Friend out of the library. I laughed at how immersed you are in the story right now. Maybe you’re immersing yourself enough for both of us, since I’m not working towards my goal of reading it. That separatoin anxiety book sounds relatable in so many ways, except the marriage part – thank goodness. I don’t have a dog to stick in a sling and I’m not gonna get one. Still, the book sounds good.
J
I know, I’m ridiculous about My Brilliant Friend, aren’t I? I really related with Judy in Separation Anxiety (Also not my marriage, or my child either), but her struggling with her grief really struck me. I lost my mom 16 years ago, and my dad 7 years ago, and it still affects my day to day feelings.
Nicole MacPherson
J! I was going to tell you that this weekend we watched Good Grief on your recommendation – and wow, was it ever good! It was pretty much a perfect movie IMO.
I read Separation Anxiety but didn’t like it – but I think that’s on me, it was when Barkley was sick and old and it just didn’t hit for me in quite the right way. I know you can relate to that – I think it was bad timing on my part.
J
Yay on Good Grief! I really liked it.
I totally get how reading a book during certain circumstances can e really hard and make it a NO. Anticipatory grief, what you were going through with Barkley at the time, is so insidious. When Mulder’s lymphoma came back, I wanted SO MUCH to just be present for him, to enjoy the time I had and make his time as happy as I could. And I really, really couldn’t. That’s why the quote about grief robbing us of our present, due to reliving the past and dreading the future, hit me so hard.
Margaret
I do remember We are the World! My older daughter loves True Detective and is enjoying this season. Unfortunately, I don’t have HBO. (or practically any other streaming service I want)
J
I’m glad to hear she’s enjoying it! Maybe it will come avalable on Netflix someday…or somewhere that you might be able to watch it.
Tierney
I love that comic and yes, I think that Tim probably has similar confusion. Not that I have a deep parasocial relationship with him and think that I know all about him. But it seems clear the shirt allergy is severe. Thank you for thinking of me!
Also, has there ever been a NaBloPoMo SF bloggers meet-up? It seems like there are at least three, if not more, and it would be fun!
J
Tierney, there hasn’t been a meet up that I know of, though I found this group relatively recently. I think there are 6 of us if you count San in Sacramento.
J – Me
Tierney – You – Portmanteau Suitcase
Kyria – Travel Spot
JT – Saying Nothing in Particular
Mieke – Home Here and There
San – The in between is mine
That would be FUN!
Anne
Just adding my name to the list so I can have a reason to visit from the Midwest, LOL. 😉
I just finished the audiobook of MBF today (early, yes) and will now review the e-book for each week’s assignment. The audiobook was definitely better for me – it let me focus on the story and not get tripped up on the names. So. Many. Names. 🙂
J
YAY! Come one out! I’m trying so hard not to go ahead…it’s hard!
Sarah
You know loved that book– True Detective in on our list, and I am going to try the berry trick! They look very appealing in those jars, so maybe that helps them get eaten faster.
J
Have you seen season 1? It’s really good too. Seasons are stand alone, no need to watch 1 before 4 or anything.
Lisa's Yarns
Separation Anxiety looked familiar so I looked it up on goodreads to find that I abandoned it at 20%. So I must have fallen in Nicole’s camp in terms of it not being a fit. But I really don’t remember much at all about it! I find it fascinating how different our experiences with books can be. I’m also reading My Brilliant Friend but have to say I do not really care for it and would probably DNF if not for CBBC… but a friend told me that she tried it because it was her good friend’s favorite book ever. Which is a head scratcher for me so far!
J
It’s so interesting, isn’t it? A book that I adore might be a blah for someone else, and the same in reverse. I always wonder if there is something missing in me if I don’t like a book that someone I know loves, like if I am just not getting it. But hey, we don’t all like the same music or the same food, so why should we all like the same books?
NGS
We watched that doc this weekend! I think it’s the first television I’ve watched in months. Now I have that song stuck in my head, though, and it was not a good song. Let me just say that Huey Lewis has aged WELL and Bruce Springsteen’s voice, even when it’s shot, makes weird things happen to me. I also really loved how it was clear that Springsteen thought it was a terrible song, but was professional about it. It turns out I have a large number of thoughts about this documentary, but most of them boil down to how gross I think Michael Jackson was and how hot I find older white men with deep eye wrinkles. Look, we’ve all got a type.
J
LOL on your type. Yeah, they both look pretty good and have amazing voices. My husband is REALLY into music, and was watching. I don’t know whether I would have watched on my own, but I’m glad I did, because it was really interesting, so cool to see them all there together, and I liked what someone said about them all being their without their handlers, so they could mingle and talk and fan girl on each other.
Ally Bean
Do you store your berries in mason jars? I’ve never heard of this but will try it. We store crackers and nuts in mason jars in the pantry, but nothing in mason jars in the frig. I’ve not watched the We Are The World documentary. Kind of conflicted about seeing it. MJ was so brilliant and so warped all in one person. You’re staying dry with all the rain I see you’re getting, or maybe got at this point?
J
Ally, regarding MJ, yes, those thoughts definitely come up when you’re watching. It was really interesting though.
Southern California got the worst of the storm(s). I did see several downed trees on my Monday walk. 🙁
Ally Bean
You know that your reply don’t come through on WP so I feel like I’m missing part of the story. Still pleased to know you’re doing OK. Maybe someday WP will allow me the privilege of viewing your replies in real time. ?
J
We can dream! I don’t know why it doesn’t work.
Melissa
I just looked up the TV series for My Brilliant Friend and it is on SBS on demand here so I will be able to watch it for free – Yay! I’m enjoying the book and it would be good to watch the show as well.
I will have to try that trick for the berries.
J
Oh, I hope you like the TV series! And that the berry trick works for you. I think the next batch of berries I buy, I’m going to try rinsing them first, then drying them well (I’ll just put them on a dish towel on the counter for a couple of hours.)
Tobia | craftaliciousme
My sister told me to go watch “A night in Pop” as she loved it too and wanted to hear my opinion and bath in memories, I yet have to do so.
Let me know how long ou were able to stor ethe berries. I love having blueberries in the fridge and luckily they rarely go bad but raspberries and blackberries is a whole ne issue.
J
Tobia, we’ve eaten them before they go bad, which is good news. We have had the same issue with raspberries and blackberries. I think you should give this tip a try.
San
I do NOT store berries in mason jars (because most of the berries I buy are frozen), but I’ll keep this in mind for the summer month when I will buy fresh fruit more often 🙂
I am also reading “My brilliant friend” and I did not know there was an HBO series.
J
We spend far too much money on fresh berries around here.
Stephany
I didn’t know that My Brilliant Friend had been made into a TV series! I may have to give it a watch, although that would entail re-upping my HBO subscription, womp. I’m not loving the book as much as other people, but determined to keep going and hoping it turns around for me!
J
My daughter and I love the TV series. I’m limiting my viewing, keeping up with the chapters we are reading. I love that it’s in Italian, so no weird British accents for Italian characters or anything like that (like “All the Light I Cannot See”)
Reading the comments on Engie’s blog, I think this book is very hit and miss. Which does make for interesting conversation!