Distraction Action

I’ve never seen Die Hard. Why not? Eh, it looked like a cheesy Bruce Willis frat boy, aren’t-men-strong-funny-heroic-sexy-strong, fluffy, two dimensional, leave-your-brain-at-home action flick where lots of things go boom but none of the good guys die or suffer much more than a scratch. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Then I heard that it’s a Christmas movie. That is my least favorite holiday and that put me off even more. To be fair, I don’t think I have a favorite holiday. I’m not a holiday kind of person.

All of a sudden though, I want to see Die Hard. Warum? I just read a post praising the villain, played by Alan Rickman. My god, he was one of my favorite actors. The man could play a ham sandwich in a 2-act about a lonely, unfulfilled panini. He'd make it emotionally encompassing — rich and funny without cheating the depth. I’d leave the theater in tears but also laughing, remembering his tone, postures, and looks that communicated much more than mere words.

I wonder if Rickman and Tim Curry ever performed together. They’d totally burn down the house!

* just did a quick search and the sad answer is no. WHAT a loss to the theater! Can you just imagine them in Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story or Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune? How about A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters or Murder for Two by Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair? 

They would have killed! Seriously.
~~~
I’ve been in a book reading valley — just have NOT been able to find any new reads or fresh authors that trip my trigger. The better part of the problem here is that I’m after something that will amuse and distract me from the horrors that are going on in the world right now but I don’t want something that’s the literary equivalent of cotton candy, deep fried oreos, and Cadbury Creme Eggs. //shudder// 

Sure, I want a happy ending but I want some adventure, a little realism, a thought provoking theme or two wouldn’t be bad. So, this brought me back to Philip K. Dick who I haven’t read in eons. What I remember from when I was binge reading him in my 20s is that his books are fairly uneven. Some are brilliant, coherent, well written, provocative, and just generally great fucking rides. Others? Well, they may have some of those aspects to a certain degree, a few of them, but not enough to make the book, for me, a banger.

Right now I’m desperately trying to get away from doomscrolling. Spending an afternoon reading even a mid PK Dick sci-fi novel is gonna be light years better for my head than taking in more about the Cornell 7, how Pedo, Musk, etc. are working to rig the midterms, and seeing how many fresh innocents ICE, Putin, and Bibi have maimed and killed in the past 24 hours.

So then, I’m reading Dr. Futurity. The opening scene is set in the year 2012.

Jim Parsons is a talented doctor, skilled at the most advanced medical techniques and dedicated to saving lives. But after a bizarre road accident leaves him hundreds of years in the future, Parsons is horrified to discover an incredibly advanced civilization that zealously embraces death. Now, he is caught between his own instincts and training as a healer and a society where it is illegal to save lives.  (source) 

I’m enjoying the book so far but Dick def dips down on the cheesy side. Fer instance, when the leader of one of the tribes is responding to a statement Parsons has made that upsets her, Dick makes sure to describe how her full breasts lift as she takes a deep breath, her long, gleaming hair falling over them. When I read the line I rolled my eyes so hard I broke the sky.

Reminds me of that Tumblr post titled Male writers writing female characters: 

Cassandra woke up to the rays of the sun streaming through the slats on her blinds, cascading over her naked chest. She stretched, her breasts lifting with her arms as she greeted the sun. She rolled out of bed and put on a shirt, her nipples prominently showing through the thin fabric. She breasted boobily to the stairs, and titted downwards.

Dr. Futurity came out in 1960. You know, the ‘60s — back when Playboy serialized Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Ursula K. Le Guin’s Nine Lives. That’s when they featured Arthur C. Clarke as well. 

I’m sure Dick was writing with his mostly male audience in mind.

Transitions and Trash

We’re in the last weeks of summer. Vacations will be ending soon. School starts back up on September 8th. The sun comes up noticeably later. As a morning person, this always registers as a disturbance in the force. Yeah, I know nothing’s actually wrong but the lessening of the light doesn’t thrill me.

The autumn equinox isn’t until Tuesday, September 22 but I’ve always felt like summer was over when school buses rolled out again.

I may’ve mentioned that Jen, Oni, and I have begun watching Stranger Things during our weekend “tea” times. NOT a warm, sci-fi comedy-drama, like Resident Alien but still a fine distraction from our current reality. It’s a creepy, suspense filled, sci-fi thriller, with evil government labs, alternate dimensions, and middle school kids playing D&D.

The setting is a bleak small Indiana town in the 1980s (that’s the vibe anyway – maybe it’s later but it seems pre-cellphone, pre-internet). The weather seems to be permanently overcast. 

This sounds like it would be a depressing drag, doesn’t it?  It's not.

There’s Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) home though. Joyce is the distraught mother of the missing 12-year-old, Will. She’s a single mother who’s a clerk at the local general store. While she’s definitely not a top earner, this is rural Indiana so it’s, comparatively speaking, inexpensive. 

The house she and her two sons live in is the epitome of white trashdom. I mean, it’s not just a ramshackle mess, it’s grubby and grimy down to a molecular level. Dingy doesn’t even begin to describe it. It looks like it’s made out of cardboard and has never, ever been tidied let alone cleaned. Also, there is just SO much junk laying about. Fer Christ’s sake, a house fire would be a mercy. 

So far, this is the only part of the show that’s bugging me. Ya see, Joyce doesn’t come off as white trash. She’s certainly frantic and disturbed about all that’s happening (as one would be, what with a missing child, monsters and shit) but she seems to be intelligent and sane. She appears to be logically, scientifically working through the clues she’s given.

So, why is she living in this toxic waste dump? Paradox anyone?

Related – I’ve read that the term white trash is considered by some to be a terribly derogatory and offensive slam against all low-income white people. 

When poor (or formerly poor) white folks do get portrayed in the media and pop culture, they're often reduced to a series of offensive stereotypes: that they're angry, lazy, dirty, overweight, sunburned, stupid, racist, alcoholic, abusive, jobless, tacky, diseased, violent, backwards, Bible-thumping and uneducated. (source) 

This is NOT Joyce. WHY are they living in this beyond bleak house that looks like it’s given up its will to live?

When I use the term white trash, I’m referring to people of any income or education level who fail to behave in a rational, sane, kind manner. Fer instance, Prez Pedo and his entire administration are white trash. Pedo’s MAGAt cult (AKA the new Klan), are all white trash. Elon MusKKK is MOST def white trash. Bozo the multi-billionaire, same. 

Also, there are the folks who spend the rent and grocery money on Trump merch and wear shirts that proudly proclaim they welcome the president’s sexual assaults.

I only mention it but J6 was Woodstock for white trash.

There’s Rachel Powell, business owner, mother of eight, and rioter who was convicted of three felonies and six misdemeanors. She def counts as white trash. David Dempsey, who had been sentenced to 20 years for stomping on police officers' heads, amongst other things during the riot, and then pardoned by Pedo. He's white trash. Andrew Taake assaulted Capital cops with pepper spray and a metal whip. He was sentenced to over six years and pardoned. Andy was just rearrested on child sex crimes charges. Trash. Theodore Middendorf pleaded guilty to destruction of government property. He’s now doing 19 years for sexually assaulting a seven-year-old. That’s worse than trash.

At least 40 January 6th insurrectionists pardoned by President Trump have been rearrested, charged or sentenced for other crimes since January 6, 2021, according to new analysis by CREW. At least 12 pardoned insurrectionists have allegedly reoffended since receiving their pardons. Several have argued that the pardon should cover unrelated criminal convictions and in one case in November 2025, Trump explicitly re-pardoned one insurrectionist for his unrelated weapons charges.

Seven of the pardoned January 6th insurrectionists are charged with committing child sex crimes, ranging from sexual assault to possession of child pornography … (source) 

Go read the full piece at Citizens for Responsible Ethics in Washington’s site (dated December 18, 2025 – the figures are undoubtedly MUCH higher now). It’ll blow your mind. At least 97 former Capitol rioters have been accused of other post-J6 crime. 

This, these people are white trash.

Escape!!!

Jen, Oni, Kevin, and I are taking a pause on I’m Dying Up Here and Mind Hunters. Why? I need straight up serious escapism – straight up/no chaser. Very kindly, they’re humoring me. Also, they like the same escapist shit as me so … we’re good.

What’s on tap?
Well, we’re just about done with the second and final season of Why Women Kill. Things look bad for Bertram, Scooter, and, possibly, Vern. Catherine’s jealous, betrayed, and heartbroken. Alma finally achieved the position in society she's long craved but AT WHAT COST?! Will Dee and Rita manage to survive? 

I believe we have one episode left.

Same with Resident Alien. That is, one to go and the the show’s over. The gang’s trying to find and eliminate the giant killer Mantid alien before it releases its egg sac and Mantids take over the Earth. Honestly, would they do any worse than humans? I’m betting Mantid leaders would be an improvement over Trump, Putin, and Netanyahu.

We’ve just started watching two new-to-us shows – Stranger Things and Good Girls.

Stranger Things – A young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, there are terrifying supernatural forces and one strange little girl. It’s a sci-fi, action, horror, drama, mystery show. This should keep us entertained. I sure as fuck was drawn in by the first ep anyway. There’s five seasons – JACKPOT!

Good Girls – Three broke, in definite need, very normal suburban moms pull off a big grocery store robbery to dodge financial ruin, help their kids, and gain independence. It seems to be the start of something big. The show is labeled crime comedy-drama. First ep was fire! Four seasons – WOO HOO!

There’s also a new season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds fresh out. We can’t binge watch this one. RATZ! Next ep will air on Thursday so we’ll see it over the weekend. //sigh//

Occasionally, Jen and I will fire up an old Buffy ep. We watched the very creepy Hush on Saturday.

Unfortunately, I was reminded of how the annoying acting performances of a few of the actors always mars the show for me. A thought – maybe it’s not the actors. Maybe it's how they were written and/or directed?

Buffy was always truly uneven. She’d switch from vulnerable teen to confident, strong girl without missing a beat. No transition, no fade – it was as if a switch was thrown. Jarring and amateurish.

Willow – her over-the-top, socially awkward, shy sidekick shtick is just rural, midwestern, junior high level theatrics. It’s embarrassing.

Allyson Hannigan’s jejune performance as Willow was rivaled by the actor, Amber Benson, who plays her girlfriend Tara. Oh my fucking god, Tara was just beige amounts of awful. Her character’s backstory is that she was raised in a strict religious cult and is breaking free (exploring her witch talents and being a lesbian) now that she’s in college. A lot of possibilities there BUT she’s played as even more insecure, meek, and absolutely stilted than Willow ever was.

 Now, I understand that writer/director Joss Whedon was a complete prick (though I don’t know the full story, he’s been widely described as “toxic and casually cruel”) but he did write some believable, consistent women characters. Anya, Faith, and pretty much any of the other characters, within the Buffyverse, came off as real people. For that matter, alt universe Willow (also, Willow when she went to the dark side with grief) was a MUCH stronger, more realistic persona.

It seems Whedon just has/had absolutely zilcho talent for writing and bringing to the screen sensitive, socially awkward female characters. I mean, Xander wasn’t exactly a smooth, secure dude (understatement alert) but he was consistently believable. Spike had his less than smooth-guy moments but he was always credible – zero cringe. So, maybe those gawky, amateur hour performances of Hannigan and Benson’s were Whedon's doing, NOT necessarily the actor’s?

I understand that Hannigan, post Buffy, has had a successful career in both movies and teevee. Good for her. I’ve not seen anything she or Sarah Michelle Gellar have been in. This is primarily due to their projects not pulling my interest. Even if they did, I’d be reluctant to sit through performances that I figure would be uninspiring (based on past performances). 

Meh, movies aren’t cheap. 

I’m not gonna leave the house and be around a lot of people (potentially RFK jr. endorsed anti-vaxxing, disease carrying people) unless I’m pretty sure I’m gonna get my entertainment money’s worth.

Distractions

Yesterday Jen, Oni, and I watched the third and final installment of Good Omens – a teevee show created by Neil Gaiman, based on the novel cowritten by him and Terry Pratchett. I was surprised to see that there even was a third season given the myriad sexual “misconduct” (to couch it ever-so-gently) accusations, by multiple women, against Gaiman. 

I mean, dude’s not exactly a popular old boy right now. Maybe he never will be again. His agents, publishers W.W. Norton say they won’t work with him again. Anansi Boys publisher Dark Horse Comics have dropped him. The UK stage production of Coraline has been canceled, and Disney has put production of the movie of The Graveyard Book on hold. There’s not been a formal public boycott but I think his popularity, excepting his hardcore fanbase, is def fading. (puts in mind Trump’s dwindling cult)

I was never a big Gaiman fan – always seemed there was something missing. I felt I should be into his stuff – all the cool kids were and, from the book jacket copy it seemed like I would be. But…meh. Always, disappointingly meh. //shrugs//

The book Good Omens worked for me probably because it was a collaboration with Terry Pratchett. Terry Pratchett brought in humor and a more down to earth, don’t-take-yourself-so-damn-seriously tone.

Good Omens the teevee show – Gaiman served as showrunner (similar to being the conductor of an orchestra – showrunners have primary creative control). Pratchett’s sensibility was maintained though. I was wondering, now that the world knows what a depraved, mentally fucked, creepazoid dick he's alleged to be, would there actually be a third season.

Yes and no. 

Deadline reported that Amazon will end production of Good Omens with a 90-minute final episode to be produced this year, instead of a full third season. "Gaiman contributed to the writing of the series finale but will not be working on the production and his production company the Blank Corporation is no longer involved," Deadline said. (source) 

I absolutely loved the book and first two seasons of the teevee series. Even knowing that Gaiman had little to do with the last 90-minute episode, I felt conflicted in watching. I mean, the bastard’s still denying what all these many women claim. He’s making money off me viewing this episode. Still, I watched and felt, at the outset, a bit hypocritical. Okay, that feeling is lingering.

The show was completely brilliant though. Much more Pratchett than aren’t-I-deep-special-and-artsy Gaiman.

No spoilers from me! Okay, two very minor ones. God is a Black woman and the devil is an old, twisted white guy. That’s not actually a surprise though.

Another show we’ve been trying on – Bunheads. 

It's a fish-out-of-water story – a once-promising classically trained ballet type dancer becomes a Vegas showgirl. Gets tired of bright lights/cheesy life, marries an impossibly nice, rich guy who she barely knows. He conveniently dies in a car crash leaving her a huge property in rural California, complete with angry, mentally unstable mother-in-law who teaches at a home ballet school. Drama and shenanigans ensue.

It was created by Amy Sherman-Palladino – the same person who did The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel! How could we go wrong?

Well, lemme just tell you. First, Bunheads is built like a house with no interior structure – there’s no load-bearing skeleton holding the storyline up. Blanket forts and sandcastles have more structural integrity. The writers seem to get bored easily and *BAM* shift gears mid episode…repeatedly. Willy nilly, they add lap robe additions or afghans for the blanket fort’s new sunroom or whatev.

Also, we’re to somehow believe this 30+ year-old Vegas showgirl drops her entire life, drunkenly marries a near complete stranger, moves with him away from all her friends to a new state, all because of one bad audition for a more artistic/less showgirl-ish role?

As for the the mother-in-law – after watching Trump over the past 10 years, I think we’re all becoming adept at diagnosing a potential narcissist. Plus, I don’t need the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Illnesses (DSM) to figure this woman’s bipolar too.

Really, the writers could try building a coherent story instead of relying on gags and what ifs thrown out at desperate midnight WE’VE GOT A DEADLINE IN EIGHT HOURS brainstorming session.

No wonder the show only lasted one season.

Monster Meme Day

Some days you just have to kick back, eat leftover Easter candy, watch cute cat videos, NOT work on your taxes, ignore the news, NOT doomscroll, read comic books, and laugh at funny memes. Today is one of those days. The world will just have to fall apart without me.

Every person needs to take one day away.  A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future.  Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.  Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.
~ Maya Angelou, Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now

The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of room, not try to be or do anything whatever.
~ May Sarton

A day without laughter is a day wasted.
~ Charlie Chaplin

Here, have a boatload of memes.

You’re welcome. 

The Fool

I was feeling pretty low last night. Health-wise it’s been a hard winter and our coastal New England weather has kept me, for the most part, indoors. I haven't been for a real walk in months and recumbent elliptical workouts are NOT the same. I’ve been feeling old and way less than superhero-ish. WAAAH!

And then I saw a news report. My winter could have been a LOT worse. Just imagine being Kristi Noem! She gets fired, her very much NOT secret boyfriend (and partner in grift), with whom she’s cheating on her husband, dumps her, the $220 million self promo ad campaign (which was a complete grift for her and her homely fuck buddy) gets exposed and is never run and then some tabloid comes out with the news that her husband dresses in bad fake boobs, hot pants and spent BIG bucks every month online with sex workers. 

I’m totally not kink shaming here. What consenting adults do in private is none of my damn business. If it made him happy – hey, party on! Question though – he spent $25,000 on sex workers? Maybe it’s just me but that’s kind of a LOT of dough.

He owned an insurance business? Is that a real money maker? Did that bring in enough not to sweat 25 Gs? OR did Kristi just do a lot of fancy financial footwork as governor of South Dakota? I mean, that’s completely on brand for her. Maybe the Noems come from big fat generational buckos? Did no one notice or care that $25 thou slipped out the door or were Bryon’s sex workers included in the household budget?

GOP Congresscritter Nancy Mace, Can Cop

Also, these are Republicans. Ya know, the party that’s so anti-trans that they want to perform junk inspections in public bathrooms. They scaremonger that kids go to school and are being, at minimum, groomed to become transgender OR *gasp* gay. This is the party that’s always going off about manliness and alpha shit?

So, let me get this straight, it’s okay to wear the clothing traditionally worn by women when you’re a dude married to a Republication governor and Prez Pedophile cabinet member, but it’s NOT okay if you’re an every day American who’s just trying to live your best and most authentic life. Gotcha. This is GOP logic for you.

Unemployment Barbie’s has asked for sympathy and privacy as she goes through this hard time.

“Ms. Noem is devastated. The family was blindsided by this, and they ask for privacy and prayers at the time,” Noem’s representatives told The Post. (source) 

She deserves the same amount of sympathy and privacy that she’s given immigrants and their families or Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Precisely zilchareeno.

Also, her and Bryon have been married for 34 years. Is she trying to say this came outta nowhere? All of a sudden, after 34 fucking years together, ‘ol Bry started dressing like a Skid Row two bit street hooker, calling pricey dial-a-heaux services to get off and Cosplay Kristi didn’t notice? Maybe she was too busy boffing Lewandowski in her taxpayer funded $70 million luxury jet’s boudoir to notice or care. I only mention it BUT, with the amount of time she’s very publicly spent playing dress-up, it seems pretty damn clear that costume play was a big part of the Noem marriage. She's known all along and is only “devastated” and “blindsided” that this came out – that it’s now very public knowledge. 

To be clear, I’m not mocking Failure Barbie and her husband for his specific fetishes or their apparent open marriage. No, I’m making fun of HER because SHE’S a stack of hypocritical, fraudulent, thieving, ruthlessly self-absorbed, compassion-free rotting dead skunk heads, stinking to high heaven. 

Honestly, the only thing Bryon Noem has to be ashamed of, is having been Kristi Noem's husband. That and being a Trumpublican.

One other unexpected funny bit – the execrable Megyn Kelly quipped that she was glad Cricket doesn't have to see this.  💀 💀 💀 Yeah, Cricket and that poor goat too.

Things To Be Known

If I gotta know this stuff, well, so do you. Dammit.

• Snorkeling whale sharks are now a thing. Oh wait, I misread that. It’s snorkeling WITH whale sharks.

Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish, measuring up to 45 feet in length and adults weigh about 41,000 pounds…Whale sharks are the largest shark species, and ironically, are benign. They are considered harmless and are often referred to as “gentle giants.”
   ~~~
The whale shark is a filter-feeding carpet shark, meaning that it can neither bite nor chew. 
   ~~~
The whale shark is found in open waters of the tropical oceans and is rarely found in water below 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
   ~~~
It is believed that whale sharks may have a lifespan of 100 to 150 years. (source) 

• Fuck Face Fetterman is a nothing more than a bag of rotting turnips that’s been left out in the sun on a hot August day (actually, I’ve known this for quite some time). Also, I think he’s related to that quisling, Krysten Sinema in some way. I guess that’s obvious.

• You can herd sheep from/in a golf cart. This would certainly be useful if you’ve got wonky balance and need mobility aids to get around (like yurs truly). I want sheep...also llamas and alpacas.

• Canned whipped cream is called “squirty cream” in the UK. Sounds like something out of a ‘70s porn flick, doesn’t it?

• Dale Partridge was NOT a member of the Partridge Family. The “christian” nationalist pastor, who says women shouldn't be able to vote or hold any positions of power, does bear a distinct resemblance to little Tracy Partridge and MAYBE old Dale can even beat a mean tambourine but, no, he was never in the Partridge Family. 

Gosh, I don’t know how these rumors get started.

Also, I only mention it, he’s reason 500-infinity-zillion why there NEEDS to be mega strict separation between church and government.

• Nutmeg is a hallucinogenic. Granted, you need to take five grams of the stuff to get off and five grams of ground nutmeg goes a long ass way in a recipe. IF your recipe calls for that much (around 1-1.5 teaspoons) check to be sure that recipe makes at least 4–6 servings, or is a full 9-inch cake, unless you’re planning on taking a little trip.

Slofoodgroup notes that nutmeg can be used as a relaxation and sleep aid too:

Nutmeg is believed, by many, to help folks relax and experience a level of mental and physical calmness when consumed. Some Ayurveda practices recommend drinking warm milk with nutmeg before bed to fall asleep more easily and get a better night’s rest.

Cool, eh? 

• Hazelnuts are the official state nut of Oregon. Massachusetts doesn't have an official state nut. I feel deprived.

We have an officially designated state bird (chickadee), flower (mayflower), tree (American elm), song (Massachusetts by Arlo Guthrie), muffin (corn), bean (baked navy bean), and dinosaur (Podokesaurus – full name can be translated as "swift-footed lizard of Holyoke”) fer fuck’s sake, but NO official nut? 

WHY not?!

Distractovision

Jen, Oni, Kevin, and I are on the last season of Mrs. Maisel and, I’m tellin’ you, I’m dreading the end.

I decided to do some advance research. What shows are out there that would appeal to the four of us? They don’t need to be full blown comedies but a healthy dose of wit is important. The shows must take us away from current traumas. So, The West Wing and Veep are right out, no matter how good they might be. Distraction is imperative. (Also too, now that teevee costs money, we can’t just turn on the set and *boom* watch interesting shows for free like when I was a kid – yes, I’m old. The programs must be available on the platforms Jen and Oni subscribe to.)

Ideally we’d like science fiction but we’ve already watched most of the good, fun, big series and franchises. 

Battlestar Galactica (the 2003 version), The Mandalorian (I couldn’t get into a lot of the other Star Wars teevee offerings. Dunno why. Just not my bag I guess), Alien Earth , Dollhouse, Eureka, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, WandaVision, Misfits, Murderbot, Firefly, Warehouse 13, and of course...
Star Trek:
     Discovery ✔️
     Strange New Worlds ✔️
     Voyager  ✔️
     Picard ✔️
     Next Generation ✔️
     Deep Space Nine ✔️

I know Star Trek Academy is out right now. We’ve watched a couple episodes and, honestly, it’s not grabbing me at all.

I don’t know if it’s because the cast is primarily VERY young (teenagers) and I’m so VERY not young so I’m NOT the target audience. Or maybe I just can’t get past the fact that they replaced Chief Engineer Peli, a thousands of human years old Lanthanite, previously played by the seriously awesome Carol Kane, with a younger, much less naturally charming and eccentric actress. She also lacks Kanes’ dry, surreal, easy carriage. Kane, no matter what she says or does, feels organic. The replacement, on the other hand, is on the clock and really, truly giving it her best damn shot. You can see that she's working hard – she's sweating. It’s distracting.

So, I can watch the show but I’m not psyched about it.

 We’ve taken in a couple episodes of the interesting Why Women Kill.

A darkly comedic drama detailing the lives of three women living in three different decades: a housewife in the 60s, a socialite in the 80s, and a lawyer in 2019, each dealing with infidelity in their marriages. (source) 

So far it’s clear that infidelity is just one reason for each of the marital unions' endings. It’s reductive and simplistic to say that’s the only reason. The humor is subtle and the show's engaging.

Minx is fun. The main character is a bit of caricature of an earnest, young, early ‘70s feminist though. At least at first. She’s just graduated from Vassar and, in her ultra serious, inexperienced, biz world neophyte way is, bumblingly, trying to start a feminist publication a la Ms.magazine. She falls in with a savvy, bighearted men’s porn-mag publisher and they work together to produce the first erotic magazine for women (with a feminist bend). Hilarity, warmth, and personal evolution for all ensues.

And we just watched our first I’m Dying Up Here episode, which we all loved. This is the most serious of the three new-to-us shows despite it being about standup comics. It’s set in the LA stand-up scene of the early ‘70s. A group of young comedians try to become successful at Goldie's comedy club and potentially snag a star-making spot on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show.

It has a documentary-ish feel to it. Reminds me a little of John Sayles’ Return of the Secaucus Seven – an old favorite of mine. I look forward to seeing more of this.

Anyway, I’ll definitely miss Maisel but I think we’re all set in Distraction Land…for now.