Best TV show I saw: “Gardeners World.” Thanks to BritBox, I’ve fallen hard for this BBC2 show about gardening. Hosted by the knowledgeable Monty Don, the program shares tips on starting a garden, maintaining a garden, designing a garden and prepping a garden for each new season.
As a very amateur gardener — one with a black thumb, no less — I have found this show to be invaluable while I attempt my first container garden (see picture above). Even if gardening isn’t your thing, “Gardeners World” is a lovely way to relax after a long week and remember the beauty of nature.
I also enjoyed: Dreaming about the future while watching “Escape to the Country” and enjoying the Devil’s antics during a rewatch of “Lucifer.”
Best movie I saw: M and I took in a second viewing of “Avengers: Endgame” before he flew to Texas for his summer roadtrip. As a huge Marvel fan (yes, I’ve seen all the movies multiple times), I found “Endgame” to be a solid conclusion to a long and exciting series of films.
I also watched: “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” which was better than Chapter 2, but still not the gut-punch that Chapter 1 was. That said, this fast-paced ultra-violent action film will satisfy anyone who enjoys a well-choreographed fight scene.
Best thing I heard: The “Tetris and the Seed Potatoes of Leningrad” episode of “The Anthropocene Reviewed” podcast. I learned a lot about both topics, the former more lighthearted than the latter, and continued to think about them in the weeks following the listening session. I give this episode five stars.
I also listened to: A bunch of classic tunes that I added to my “workout” playlist. Then I took said playlist to the gym. Haven’t been back there in months. Still hate absolutely everything about working out, but the tunes were good. New additions include “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio, “3 am” by Matchbox Twenty” “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette and a great cover of “White Rabbit” by Haley Reinhart (perfect for cooldown).
Best thing I read: “The Dreamers” by Karen Thompson Walker (no relation). A mysterious illness that triggers perpetual sleep hits a small college town in California and chaos ensues. I’m with Josh Lyman on this one; the apocalypse won’t involve zombies or nuclear weapons. It’ll be some pandemic of a disease we thought was cured a long time ago. However, if the end of civilization involves a sleeping sickness, I’m fine with that. Sure beats bleeding from the eyeballs or setting yourself on fire (I’m looking at you, “The Hot Zone” and “The Fireman.”).
I’m also reading: “The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book’s Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey” by Margaret Leslie Davis. There are fewer than 50 original copies of the Gutenberg Bible in existence and only one (#45) has ever been owned by a woman. Davis tracks the entire life cycle of that copy, from its creation by Johannes Gutenberg to the obsessed collector who spent decades trying to add it to her private library. A fascinating tale for bibliophiles.
My current desktop picture:
