The Four-Day Memorial Day Weekend Post

So instead of doing several posts today, tomorrow, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, I’m incorporating all into one post. It will be kind of like a readathon post, with updates throughout the weekend. I will start with the plans, and then update with the reality.

Friday night

The plan is burgers and binge-watching the last four episodes of Riverdale with Kim.

Update: Burgers, eaten; two episodes of Riverdale down.

Saturday

My wife works midnight shift so I want to read in the morning and early afternoon while she’s asleep, mow the lawn in the late afternoon (I don’t really “want to” do that, but I have to), and then start a Bloodline binge-watch in the evening with Kim.

Update Saturday night: Tried reading, abandoned two books, finally settled on a third: Blood on Snow by Jo Nesbø, which hopefully will stick, did mow the lawn, now watching Bloodline.

Sunday

The plan once again is reading in the morning and early afternoon, and then binge-watching more Bloodline with Kim in the late afternoon. In the evening, I might watch some of the Coca-Cola 600 with our neighbor Mike. However, I might only be able to see the beginning with him since he goes to bed early. I plan on drafting a post for Library Checkout, a monthly meme the last Monday of each month where we talk about what we have checked out from the library, and then publishing it on Monday.

Update: Read a little, finished Blood on Snow, watched Coca-Cola 600 until rain delay, binge-watched more Bloodline with Kim, drafted post which as of now Monday is live.

Monday

Reading is again on the agenda as well as binge-watching with Kim, maybe the last few episodes of Bosch, Season 3. Also we have been invited to a picnic at our neighbor Mike and Kathy’s: steak and hot dogs, in the afternoon.

Tuesday

Reading, yep, most likely, but other than that, I’m wide open for anything, but Kim also is off from work.

So I’ll keep you posted throughout the weekend.

How about you? Do you have any time off this weekend? What are you planning to do this weekend?

My favorite Amazon shows

Every Wednesday this month, my wife Kim and I are doing a series on our favorite Netflix and Amazon Prime TV shows. The first week I picked my favorite Netflix shows; two weeks ago, Kim, her favorite Netflix shows; last week, our favorite Netflix shows, the ones we watch together. Today and next week, we finish with our favorite Amazon Prime shows: first mine today, then hers next Wednesday.

I’ll be honest that I haven’t watched a lot on Amazon Prime, but two shows in particular do stand out:

Bosch
Mozart in the Jungle

Bosch

Ever since I had heard about this one, I wanted to see it, but we didn’t have Amazon Prime. (I’m not going to lie it was one of the deciding factors in getting Prime.) The Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly is one of my favorite series ever. Connelly is directly involved with the production of the TV show and it shows, and Titus Welliver is outstanding as Bosch.

Mozart in the Jungle

Unlike Bosch, I hadn’t heard of this one, but it also is based on a book, Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music by Blair Tindall, an oboist who played with the New York Philharmonic. The story centers ostensibly around Hailey Rutledge, an oboist trying to get into the New York Symphony as the series begins, but branches out to include the conductor, Rodrigo de Souza played to perfection by Gael García Bernal, and many others in the symphony, including but not limited to Bernadette Peters as Gloria Windsor, the president of the symphony, and Malcolm McDowell as Thomas Pembridge, the conductor emeritus of the symphony. All are brilliant in their roles, including newcomer Lola Kirke as Hailey (or “High-lie” as Rodrigo calls her), but most especially García Bernal, who already has won numerous deserved awards for his portrayal of the flamboyant conductor Rodrigo. Come to this one for the music, stay for García Bernal.

So have you seen either of these? What did you think? Tell us some of your favorite TV shows wherever you watch them, whether Amazon, Netflix, or other sources? What are some of your favorites?

Still trying to find my groove here

Yep, I’m still trying to find my groove here on this new blog, just started last month. However, this coming week and next month, I have a few things scheduled that ought to help me (and you) find a groove with which we both can work.

At the end of each month, I will write a Movie of the Month, Album of the Month, and Book of the Month post. For this month, the schedule will be Wednesday, April 26, for the movie post; Friday, April 28, the album post; and Sunday, April 30, the book post.
In May, my wife Kim and I will be doing a series on our favorite Netflix and Amazon Prime TV shows every Wednesday, alternating among mine, hers, and ours.

I’m thinking that should help, at least to start. From there, I might add other features, but the basic schedule will be this: What I’m Reading posts on Sunday with The Sunday Salon posts; What We’reWatching posts, Wednesdays; and What I’m Listening To posts, Fridays.

Since this past week, I didn’t write a post on Wednesday or Friday, I’ll just let you know what we’ve been watching and what I’ve been listening to here along with what I’ve been reading.

Reading: I picked up a copy of Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction by Eric Foner from Overdrive at the Free Library of Philadelphia. I’ve had an interest in that time period ever since having a class in college about the Civil War, in which we used another book by Foner. It always has stuck in my mind and so I thought why not revisit Reconstruction with Foner, one of its most prominent historians. I’m also waiting to see a few other ebooks from FLP to become available, and when they do, I’ll decide which one I’ll choose for my next fiction read.

Watching: Kim and I are just getting to Season 13 of NCIS on Netflix, but not trying to gobble it up too quickly before Season 14 comes out on Netflix, hopefully later this summer, along with the latest season of Criminal Minds that I’m eagerly anticipating. We also did start Season 3 of Bosch, but unlike the first two seasons, this one isn’t grabbing me as quickly. We will continue to watch, but we’re not in a rush.

Listening to: Wolfgang Voigt’s latest GAS album, Narkopop

So what are you reading, watching, or listening to this past week that my readers and I should take note of?