Mostly fair to middling

The Sunday Salon, What I'm Reading, What I'm watching

As I mentioned in my last post, my wife and I had (have) COVID-19. I won’t reiterate everything I said there since you already read, or can go read, it. As for how we’re doing now, I’m still not feeling great, but Kim is feeling better and already is back to work (a 911 dispatcher). This morning, I’m just trying to decide what I might read and/or watch today.

With both my reading and TV watching, I feel like I’ve just been going through the motions. This past week I finished Castle Skull by John Dickson Carr, the first book I’ve finished this month. It wasn’t great, it was okay. That’s also how my TV watching mostly has been going: fair to middling. I watched Season 1 of Wayne on Amazon Prime, which I realized about Episode 6 that I wasn’t feeling, but since the season only had 10 episodes, and I couldn’t focus on making a decision on what I wanted to watch, I finished it. I liked the lead characters of Wayne and Del, and their chemistry, but I felt the plot petered out toward the end. I then watched Series 1 of an Icelandic crime drama The Cliff. It only had four episodes and I realized in about the second one, it wasn’t going anywhere but I continued to watch it too. Out of the two, I’d recommend Wayne more, if you don’t mind language and violence.

I started one other series this week, Before We Die, a Swedish crime drama, on PBS Masterpiece and this one is better than fair to middling. I’m only three episodes in into the eight-episode first season, but this one, I actually want to see more of. I’ll probably watch this some this afternoon while my wife is asleep (she works a 12-hour shift starting tonight at 8 p.m.).

Otherwise, I might try to read a little from a collection of the first three Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths that I picked up on my Kindle earlier this year. I dipped into it once before but it didn’t grab me, but based on lavish praise from Amanda of the blog The Zen Leaf I’m giving it another try.

In honor of my and my wife’s 24th wedding anniversary coming up on Monday, Nov. 23, I’ll leave you with this Cat Power version of an Otis Redding classic that I just heard on Sleepy Hollow on XPN:

Published by Bryan G. Robinson

Blogger formerly known as Unfinished Person. Still an unfinished person...

Published

20 thoughts on “Mostly fair to middling”

  1. Glad to hear you and Kim are feeling better! It seems in the past few weeks the virus has really exploded. 😦

    I don’t have any recs for tv shows to watch, sadly. I did binge watch Emily in Paris a few weeks ago but that’s about it. Do you have Hulu? There are some good movies on there.

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      1. A Simple Favor is pretty good, a touch Hitchcockian. If you’re looking for something really weird and different there’s Sorry to Bother You. There’s also an awesome documentary on RBG and a docuseries about Hilary Clinton that isn’t too bad, although they do glass over some stuff.

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  3. Waiting for you to feel better and I already gave you all my TV recommendations on my blog 😉

    I’ll recommend more as we find more. Definitely think Kim will like The Trouble with Magie Cole, by the way. It’s way different than what I expected and I can see her getting caught up in it like I did. A tip….make sure you watch the intro each week. It is part of the mystery. That’s all I will say. There are only six episodes up this season. About 45 minutes each.

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  4. Glad to hear that your wife has recovered and that you are almost there. I hope for a speedy recovery for you and hope that you’ll be yourself again soon. (Hopefully by Monday!)

    Happy Wedding Anniversary! Hope you have some wonderful plans for the day.

    I feel like I’ve just been going through the motions for much of 2020. It feels hard to think of this year in terms of any kind of journey. It’s been hard!

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    1. Today I am feeling a little better. Head isn’t as stuffed. Still a slight headache, but I didn’t need to take any cold medicine yesterday. We’re planning a day full of what we call “nibbles,” just little appetizer foods, since we’ll have a full Thanksgiving meal later in the week, and wine.

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  5. I’m sorry to learn that you and your wife have contracted Covid, but glad to hear you are both recovering.
    While I’m not a mood reader, and I don’t reread books, I do comfort watch tv series, there are several I turn to when I’m stressed and binge watch. Perhaps you may find something more familiar to you appealing.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  6. I haven’t read Ruth Galloway yet. Still on my reading list though.
    Take care of yourself. Read and watch a few fun and uplifting stuff. Laughter truly still remains the best medicine.
    Here’s my The Sunday Post #19

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  7. I wonder how much how you feel in general affects how you feel about what you’re watching? I often wonder this about myself and my viewing/reading. I remember being pretty down once and Psych made me laugh–in spite of myself. That’s how I knew it was a keeper.

    I’m glad you and your wife are on the mend. I hope you both have a full recovery soon.

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  8. Bill’s dad always used the phrase “fair to middling” so I had to smile when reading the title of your post. I’m glad Kim is feeling well enough to go back to work and that you continue to recover. All good wishes in advance for a happy anniversary.

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  9. I’m glad to see you are recovering, Bryan, and that your wife feels well enough to return to work. We were blindsided to hear that our daughter-in-law’s parents and grandmother (96!) in Chicago got covid while we were in Arizona, but they all, despite their health risks, have recovered well.

    I am relying on virtual yoga at the Y and my meditation practice to keep me going. I’m reading what are obviously very good books but nothing is really resonating with me. TV is much the same. It may be time for me to bring out the big guns; I’ve had How Lovely the Ruins sitting on my shelf since the beginning of the pandemic.

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  10. Hey, it may just not be the series for you, you know? (Ruth Galloway, I mean.) But I appreciate you giving it a second try anyway. Heh. I really do love it. I’m currently reading another series by her, and don’t like it as much. It’s written in a more straight mystery style and less that crime procedural mixed with literary mystery.

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