watching lately

Winter is a good time to cozy up with some good TV (a good book too, of course, but I love beach reading even more...), and so I've got an update on what I've been watching lately, everything from reality tv to late night and in between.

reality: it's just finishing up, but I got pretty into the latest season of Project Runway Junior. I can't stand the not-Heidi Klum host, but I love Christian Siriano and Kelly Osbourne as hosts, of COURSE Tim Gunn, and the more encouraging/less mean girls vibe of the teenaged contestants (though sometimes I must roll my eyes at their melodrama, or how they don't understand half of the phrases Tim Gunn utters). And their creations are really quite impressive. Also love the commentary by contestants from the last season of regular PR.

period piece: though it's of course a totally different time period, after finishing The Crown on Netflix, I was most definitely going to be receptive to the new Masterpiece Victoria series. All the drama of the royals: the question of proper marriages, the issue of advisers trying to sway the young female queen, all that good stuff. Victoria herself feels a bit more childish and less likeable than Elizabeth, but I still eat up the soap opera-etized royal story and all the period costumes and finery that come with it.

late night: as with any late night shows, this is not actually something I watch late at night (early bedtime...thank you, DVR), but Samantha Bee's show Full Frontal has been so good throughout the election/inauguration season. She's entertaining enough as is, but then I really appreciate the female/feminist perspective she provides on a lot of current issues (i.e. Trump).

adaptation: I really enjoyed the book The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving when I read it a few years ago, so I was intrigued when I saw there was an adaptation done as a Netflix Original under the title The Fundamentals of Caring. Books are usually better than the movie, of course, but I thought this could have the makings of a great indie movie - and I was right. Loved it. It has all those elements of kinda deadbeat dad trying to make right, quirky characters, crazy road trip, makes you laugh and cry. (Also, if you like this story, some similar great ones with down-and-out dads, redemption, road trips, etc. are The One in a Million Boy and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.)

comedy: it took us way too long to get around to it, but Aziz Ansari's Netflix series Master of None is so good. The kind of quirky (without being super awkward or squirm-inducing) funny that I love, and so smart and snappy and clever. Plus as a Netflix Original the show has the ability to play a little creatively with formatting and narrative, and it deals with some really interesting issues of modern life in this generation - dating, being the child of a first generation immigrant, and so on. It's entertaining on its own merits, but if you're interested, do yourself a favor and up your appreciation of the show by listening to Aziz and co-writer Alan Yang interviewed on Fresh Air.


What have you been watching lately? Anything I should add to my Netflix queue?

watching lately

Now that it's really turned winter, the cold and snow have me wanting to curl up indoors (though I can hardly complain, with the mild December we had - and I'm thanking my lucky stars, because I need to be eased back in to my first Michigan winter after 5 years in Cincinnati!). That, in combination with our fabulous sectional couch that finally arrived just before Christmas, has upped the TV watching. Here's an update of what I'm enjoying lately in the categories of drama, comedy, reality, sports, and mini series.

drama: I came late to Parenthood and then binge-watched a whole bunch of it on Netflix a year or so ago until I caught up... and have been left hanging until finally the last season just came available, so I'm excited to finish it off, tissues in hand I'm sure.

comedy: we're still enjoying our nightly DVR'd sessions of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and the Daily Show with Trevor Noah, but I've also been finding amusement in Jerry Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, especially the episode with President Obama (admittedly, not a comedian). This one's available to watch online and the episodes are pretty brief, which makes it a fun one to pull up on my phone while I'm on a cardio machine at the gym.

reality: I've been watching Top Chef for years, so I always love when they have a new season in a new city. And I was a fan of Richard Blaise, so it's fun to see him as a judge.

sports: as my dad said on New Year's Day: we're in a month that has a major tennis tournament again! That's an exciting month in my family, and so we're all tuning in to the Australian Open as much as possible - though the time zone makes coverage a bit harder on this one. Pulling for my guy Novak Djokovic.

mini series: the final season of Downton Abbey! Of course! I am loving it (of course), especially in conjunction with listening to the new Masterpiece podcast, which has great interviews with many of the actors. (Also really enjoyed the special episode of Sherlock that aired over New Year's - very cleverly done, and I'm looking forward to the return to Masterpiece this summer.)

Need even more ideas for something to watch? Check out my fall watching lately.

watching lately

Thanks to our TV living on the floor for the first month or so after our move, and to not knowing where any of my usual channels are with this new cable company, my TV watching dipped quite a bit over the summer. But now that we've got a newer and bigger one mounted above the fireplace and it's getting to fall cozy couch weather (as opposed to summer beach reading weather), I'm looking for what my regular shows are going to be...

I'm always hopelessly behind on pop culture things, so I have no idea what's new and what's good. So let me know if there's something out there I shouldn't be missing - but in the meantime I'll fill you in on a bunch of old news... here's what I've been watching in the categories of drama, comedy, reality, home improvement, and kids lately.

drama: our fancy new TV has a button on the remote for Netflix and Amazon Prime, so we've been utilizing those subscriptions even more lately... especially when I discovered that The Newsroom, which I've been wanting to watch and cursing my lack of HBO access on forever, is now available on Amazon Prime. Around here we're big Aaron Sorkin fans, and I'm getting just as into these characters and plot lines as I did with The West Wing. I love how he puts you completely into a world and its inner workings, this time a newsroom (of course). It's funny and smart and interesting and emotional and entertaining. The characters are all great, but Jeff Daniels is especially great in it.

comedy: we don't have any sitcom that we're following at the moment (unless Modern Family's new season has started? Have I missed that? Darn move forcing me to program a new DVR...), and we never watch the late shows (we're asleep!), but as big Colbert Report fans we decided to DVR The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when it started. We're actually rather enjoying the first half of each show, which feels a little Colbert Report or Daily Show in presentation. So we can sit down after Hendrik goes to bed and get through about 3 episodes in an hour, watching the funny beginning part and maybe the occasional guest.

reality show: the show may be losing a little luster for me after this many seasons, but I always love to tune in to Project Runway to see what new design challenges they come up with and what snarky things Heidi Klum and the judges are going to come up with - and of course get some Tim Gunn action! He's my favorite. I don't have a favorite designer yet this season but am leaning Ashley (love this winning look from episode 1!).

home improvement: though they're not always done to my personal decor style, I love to see the houses Chip & Joanna do on Fixer Upper, partly for the amazing transformations and partly for inspiration to make some stuff happen around my place! The exterior of this adorable bungalow makes me want to get on the landscaping and pain around here, pronto.

kids: Hendrik has very little screen time - partly because I try to avoid it, and partly because he hasn't been all that interested up to this point - but occasionally when he's just having a rough time (a toddler day, as I call it), we calm down with a little Sesame Street. Who can argue with that? Usually he sits at the computer desk in the kitchen for about 10 minutes of an online video and then runs off to play, but it's handy to have in the queue for those crabby post-nap times when I'm trying to start dinner.

What are you watching lately?

watching lately

Along with e-books, I've been spending a lot of daytime nursing hours with Netflix... Here are a few things I've been watching and enjoying lately that I can recommend for your viewing pleasure:

Orange is the New Black: I heard the director of this Netflix original show on Fresh Air and it got me really interested in checking it out (if you like the show, you might enjoy listening to the interview - it has some really interesting background information on how the cast was selected, etc.). I had to get past some of the women's prison language/nudity/sex in the first episode (I was watching it with my mom after all!), but otherwise I loved it from the start. It's smart, funny, and highly entertaining, while also having rather poignant and thought-provoking moments on a whole range of social issues, from race and class to sexual orientation and the justice system. I love how every episode gives the backstory on how a different one of the women ended up in prison - it really humanizes people you might be tempted to just write off. And did I mention it's really entertaining?

Derek: another Netflix original that my sister recently told me about. It's a Ricky Gervais show, so it has the mockumentary style, outrageous characters and completely awkward-funny moments I'd expect of him, but it also can be really sweet and sensitive and touching - he stars as a mentally challenged man working as a nursing home aide who really sees the good in everyone. So it also raises social issues of how we treat people on the margins of society (elderly, handicapped) - while still being really funny and entertaining. One of the co-stars is Karl Pilkington, who has done a bunch of podcasts/tv shows with Ricky Gervais that we've liked, and even in their characters in this show their banter is a lot like their "real-life" interactions, wbich is kind of a hoot. Anyway, these episodes are only 20 minutes long, so you can breeze right through them, and you should, because it's great.

Sleepwalk with Me: a short movie by comedian Mike Birbiglia (who I like for being funny without being completely crass or raunchy) about a struggling comedian traveling nonstop to different gigs and dealing with crazier and crazier sleepwalking episodes as he gets increasingly tired out. Worth a watch if you've got Netflix!

Most people would think that with a new baby you'd watch fewer movies, but it already takes us forever to get around to things that we want to watch so we watch only a couple a year anyway - hard to watch fewer. But in the first few weeks of Hendrik's life, we stayed in on weekends and he spent most of his time dozing on our laps (not so any more!), so we actually got around to two

Lincoln was as great as we expected from all the good reviews (Daniel Day Lewis great too but especially loved Tommy Lee Jones in his role), but there are a lot of historical figures/facts to keep straight, which wasn't super easy to do with having to occasionally get up and pace around with a fussy baby. It helped that we've listened to Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals, which the movie was based on. That one's worth a listen if you have a long road trip, by the way!)

The Bourne Legacy: the Bourne movies are the only action movies Peter's gotten me to watch with him (the rest he reserves for times when I'm traveling), so we thought we'd check out this latest one, even though it doesn't star Matt Damon. Not as good as the Matt Damon ones I'd say - but then again what kind of judge of action movies am I? Entertaining enough for a Saturday night when staying in was our main option.

Any other Netflix Instant recommendations for me? In the market for a new series now!

weekend: recipes for fun

With recent work travel for me and long weekday hours (plus three 6-day weeks in a row) for Peter, we've been feeling a little short on quality time - and we've gotten a bit backed up on our DVR. A lovely Friday night and Saturday together remedied both issues, and as with all good weekends, it went in combination with good food. Our recipes for fun:

Friday night we finally watched the final 30 Rock episode while we enjoyed one of our favorite dinners - tostadas with lots of limey guacamole.

Saturday morning we woke up feeling refreshed from a 9-hour catch-up on sleep, and then we had a leisurely breakfast at the National Exemplar, the first thing we do when we get the chance after busy weekends/time apart.

Sunday it was back to work for Peter, but I prepped for and enjoyed a fancy Downton-themed dinner party with some friends. Though they aren't exactly a period-authentic recipe, I couldn't help but also make some cute teapot shaped cookies to munch on while we watched the season finale.

For our dinner party, I made goat cheese and fig canapes based on this Downton Cooks recipe for the appetizer course, which we had along with deviled eggs, followed by a spinach, pear, and goat cheese salad. Our soup course was a squash and pear soup, followed by a lemon sorbet palette cleanser before our main course of sauteed salmon with herbed butter sauce, lentils, and asparagus with balsamic dressing. All topped off with chocolate mousse for dessert and served on my friend's lovely inherited china. (Most of the recipes came from this cookbook.) It was so much fun! And don't even get me started on the season-ending shocker...

Also, for the occasion I dressed in my best 20's-inspired wear - pleated peplum and pearls - following another classic recipe: black + white (which just so happens to be the theme of Marionberry's trend of the month... check out more black + white combinations there!).

Did you do anything fancy this weekend?

five things Friday: Downton edition

Tell me you watch Downton Abbey, right?! This season it's perhaps gotten a bit more soap opera-ish and some of the romance scenes are a little cheesy (Matthew talking about "making babies"? I cringed a little), but I'm enough of a fan that I don't really mind. I love period dramas and Masterpiece Theatre and Maggie Smith, so of course I'm hooked. This season has also made me cry for the first time, and the Dowager Countess has had some most excellent quips.

a favorite line from the latest episode, after the Dowager Countess asks what the Scarlet Letter is and is told that it's a novel... ha. Original image via,

So if you're like me and just can't get enough, here are some other ways to get little more Downton in your life, now that we're down to the last episode of the season:

1. Eat Downton-style: for the season finale this weekend, some friends and I are having a multiple course themed dinner party before we watch. We've picked out some recipes from the Downton Cooks site and the Unofficial Downton Abbey Cookbook to channel our inner Mrs. Patmore (we're avoiding the liver and kidney dishes though...).

2. Relive the episodes: get the quick version that plays out if Downton Abbey took place entirely on Facebook or the snarky version with these great Vanity Fair recaps.

3. Watch some great spoofs: Sesame Street's Upside Downton Abbey is adorably funny, and Jimmy Fallon's Downton Sixbey is a hoot too.

4. Reenact scenes with paper dolls: these printables from Vulture are from last season, but I still love them.

5. And if you start go to into withdrawal after the finale, pick up some Downton-like reading: my mom recommends The American Heiress as a similar kind of story, and The House at Tyneford and The House at Riverton are also similar. (None are amazing literature or anything, but they're enjoyable reads and get the job done if you need a fix.)

These are all enjoyable - trust me.

currently: watching

Fall shows are all new, and some of these evenings the DVR is positively on overload with all my current favorites. (It's a good thing I also read 5 books last month... because otherwise I might need a talking to about all this television I'm watching.)

tv show posters via

Currently watching:

• Glee - I'm a little meh on the storylines these days, but I still love watching to see which songs they're doing
• Project Runway - always my favorite of the competition reality shows, especially because Tim Gunn is involved; this season I like Christopher and Sanjia
• Modern Family - sooo funny and one of our favorites; this one I have to save on DVR until Peter can watch with me
• 30 Rock - ditto
• Major Crimes - really liking this spinoff of The Closer; stlil has most of the characters I love but the storylines feel fresh again and it's pretty clever
• The Good Wife - really good political and lawyer drama all in one and Julianna Margulies is great in it
• Plus we always DVR The Daily Show and The Colbert Report to watch over dinner; sometimes that dose of comedy that comes with the news is a must for handling the stories...

Also contemplating:

• The Office - I kind of dropped off for a while last season, but now that it's the last season I think I may have to watch again
• Elementary - new modern-day Sherlock Holmes show on CBS; I'm a sucker for these so we'll see how it is - I could find myself getting into this...

What are you watching lately?