Saturday Morning Musings

Desks, clutter, film, TV, music, books

My Albert

It’s 9:47 a.m. and I am watching a movie called Hope Gap, a title worthy of the Hallmark Channel. But it has Annette Benning and Bill Nighy which is why I chose it and why I’m still watching, even though I realize I’ve watched before. In one scene, Bill is sitting at his desk, a huge, beautiful, simple wood desk in front of a huge window. The English landscape displayed through the window like a piece of art. Suddenly, I have desk envy. This is not like me at all because I simply don’t allow envy into my life but also because desks don’t normally attract me. My experience with desks have always been school or work. School is fine - I actually liked school. But work? Not so much. Desks remind me of years spent inside shuffling papers or entering data on a computer that, at the time, was important in it’s own way but now feels like stolen time spent on minutia. Most often when I write, like now, I’m sitting on my couch with a cup of coffee or tea on the side table next to me, my laptop on my lap, and Albert my cat, next to me snoozing. It’s comfortable and encourages mulling and writing. Plus, I can’t collect clutter like you can on a desk. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less about things and more about simplicity. Little tchotchkes sitting on tables, or desks in this case, are dust collectors and I don’t like dust or dusting dust. Aesthetically, I prefer clean surfaces with maybe one object that is meaningful to me or a vase of flowers or a couple of books. I’m not saying my house is actually at that point but I’m working on it; after all I’ve lived here 40+ years and that adds up to a lot of stuff. Actually, the family room area, where I spend most of my time, is quite simple and organized how I want it. Lots of stuff around me is a background stress that I want gone.

I don’t know how I got onto this subject except to say this is really a stream of consciousness post. A blog post, really. I have no writing wisdom to impart except write where you feel inspired, comfortable, or creative. For me, it’s not at a desk unless it’s Bill Nighy’s desk. Then, maybe.

I was reviewing my journal entries for February to see what I watched, read, did during the month. Here are a few things I recommend:

TV:

True Detective Season 4 - Althogh I think it flagged a bit in the middle, this series held my attention with its wonderful acting and interesting visuals. The story has a supernatural element that kept me intrigued even though a couple of scenes were a bit too woo-woo. I’m a Jodie Foster fan so I’ll watch anything she’s in. (Sidebar: she’s amazing in Nyad as is Annette Benning who I also fangirl.) See it on Max or HBO.

White Lotus Season 2 - What a wild ride this was! I enjoyed the interplay between characters and the serious-funny scenarios. Even my husband liked it and he is a hard shell to crack for TV. It introduced me to English actor Leo Woodall who has a small but very interesting part. Serendipitously, he was in the next series I watched, One Day. White Lotus is currently on Max.

One Day - I could not get enough of this series, starring Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod, and watched several episodes for several days in a row. That is unusual for me as I like to spread out my viewing. Again, really great writing, acting, and visuals. It’s a story of a relationship set in one day, the same date, every year from 1988-2003. I don’t want to say a lot about it because I want you to watch it! Here is a good article about it but DON’T READ until you finish the series because it’s full of spoilers. I think One Day will be in the top 5 shows I watch in 2024, if not #1. It’s streaming on Netflix.

Jane Mansfield’s Car - I think more people need to see this film from 2012. It’s a quirky, southern gothic-style movie starring, written, and directed by Billy Bob Thornton. The cast includes wonderful English actor John Hurt, Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon , and Tippi Hedren. It has plenty of wonderfully memorable lines and dark comedic moments within a somewhat heavy base premise. There is one scene that still makes me chuckle out loud when I think of it. My husband and I both howled at the time. Guess I should say I am also a Billy Bob Thornton fan. I think in real life he is truly himself and ignores the Hollywood hooha, takes no prisoners, and I find that attractive in a celebrity. I loved this film. It’s currently playing on Freevee via Prime Video.

Books:

Maverick Gardeners by Felder Rushing - Felder is a professional gardener in Mississippi who had a long-running show on Mississippi Public Radio. In this book he talks about out-of-the-ordinary gardeners that walk to a different drummer. No rules, no expectations, just gardening their way. I love the creativity and rebelliousness of these gardeners. Down with square, green, boring lawns!

The Man Who Could Move Clouds by Ingrid Rojas Contreras - A Pulitzer and National Book Award Finalist - I want to write a post about this incredible book but I honestly don’t know how to begin. Right now I’ll say it is a book that is fascinating and educational in a creative, unorthodox way. There’s so much magic in this book. I’ve never read a memoir like this one.

Music:

What can I say about music? Except I never thought I’d be ignorant of popular music but here I am. LOL. Yes, I appear to be stuck in the 70s, 80s, 90s eras and I am surprisingly ok with it. Pandora and Sirius XM are my friends and I love that I can play them on my TV, hooked up to a sound bar that sounds so freaking good. No huge speakers or clunky stereo components to clutter my world. It’s nice.

The morning is getting away from me now so I’m off to feed the cats and finish the movie. Here’s a loved song from the 80s - a recent recording, actually, and don’t they still sound great?! Enjoy!