Shut The Door And Have A Seat

There are a lot of shows I’ve watched a lot of times. My sister (who is a certified therapist, so notices behavior patterns) jokes that she can usually tell how I’m doing based on whatever rewatch cycle I’m in. (Last spring I started texting her about how I watching Smash again and she called me immediately and asked if I was “doing OK? Smash is usually a bad sign.”) (I was both not doing OK and desperate to get “Cut Print Moving On” out of my head.)

“Comfort” media is a strange thing. Most of the people in my digital circles have their blankies, and they’re usually things that make perfect sense. Gilmore Girls, The Office, Friends, tend to come up a lot. The films of Norah Ephron and Nancy Meyers, The Lord Of The Rings or Pirates of The Caribbean trilogies also make the rounds. Usually something from childhood or adolesence, light, you can click in and out, or fully immerse, and get away from…whatever it is you need comfort from.

My two comfort watches are the Mike Nichols mini series adaptation of Angels In America and Mad Men.

I don’t think most people consider these comforting, so I wanted to talk about why I do, especially with Mad Men, which I am currently rewatching at the moment. (I watched Angels back in November.)

I love so many things about Mad Men, it’s stunning design, it’s thoughtful psychological approach to it’s deeply flawed and still unbelievably lovable characters. The way it breaks to myth of mid century American masculinity into a million pieces only to horrifyingly build it up as a way to remind us how little has changed, at yet…we’re not in the same place at the end as the beginning. Change is slow, and subtle until it hits you all at once.

And it’s also just…beautiful. It’s wonderfully written and shot and everyone is hot. You could ignore every bit of subtly and art in the series and still have a blast because it’s a also a splashy soap opera about an advertising agency. That’s why it works.

I can absorb into Mad Men like I can’t into other things, because it is so complete. And it’s deeply comforting to me, because of how normal it feels. There’s not a single “extraordinary” person in it’s sprawling cast and yet everyone’s lives, worlds, are given meticulous attention. It’s a wonderfully humanist piece of fiction that makes me feel seen and safe.

What I’m Listening To

It’s Blankie's Week!

I’ve ranted about Blank Check before, but this is their “Awards” where Griffin, David and yearly guest Joe Reid (This Had Oscar Buzz, another podcast I devour fanatically) use the structure of the Oscars to talk about the year in film. This is the tenth year they’re doing it, so I listened to the past 9…It’s a fun time capsule.

Cher: The Memoir Part I

I eyeball read the book at the beginning of the month. Loving the audio. Narrated by Cher herself in parts and by the brilliant Stephanie J. Block, who played her in The Cher Show on Broadway. I loved the book to begin with but both Cher herself and Block are bringing these anecdotes to life in a really fun way.

What I’m Cooking

Hey, speaking of comfort!

I made a shepherd’s pie. It came out great. I kept it simple, cheddar mashed potatoes ground beef seasoned with salt and pepper and Worchester Sauce and sauteed onions and carrots. I made it on Thursday and already ate all of the leftovers because I loved it so much.

What I’m Reading

Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire - Shut Up, I don’t have a problem, I’ll read all the Urban Fantasy I want. I can quit at any time. I’m very intrigued by October Daye and her Faerie shadowed San Francisco. I can’t wait to read more though, I am taking a break from anything fantasy for a bit. I’m feeling a little bunt out.

Deep End by Ali Hazelwood - Having long ago put Hazelwood in the “None of My Business Box” I picked up her latest for the book club I’ve joined. I really enjoyed it. It has a lot of the hallmarks of current trends in contemporary romance that kind of bug me. (Anxious heroine, without a lot of friends. A man so stalwart and kind he probably farts rainbows. Family trauma at the center of the narrative) But it’s compellingly written, the kink exploration was fun. I’m going to check out more of her work for sure.

Links

Preorder Anything Other Than You or Wheel of Fate And Freedom if you’re so inclined. Wheel is coming out on March 13 and Anything Other Than You hits on May 6!

The Marina Chronicle Books 1-5 are available on Amazon, and Book 1 The Dreams Of The Lost is available on KU.

As always, I’m chatting away on Threads, and posting sporadically to Instagram and BlueSky