With the advent of cable and increasingly sophisticated content, television is no longer just for "boobs." In fact, new shows featuring great female characters mean that boobs are now making headway in front of the camera. In general, these boobs are clothed, though on HBO's Girls, writer/director/star Lena Dunham frequently strips down, both figuratively and literally. You've probably heard plenty of rants and raves about this show already (including from me at the tail end of this post) but let me just reiterate that you don't have to be 25 years old or even female to enjoy it. It's illuminating, poignant, disturbing and hilarious. Whether or not Dunham is the voice of her generation, she's an original and one to watch.
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Breaking Bad is back with a vengeance, and we're still making our way through the original Swedish Wallander, but we also stumbled across Inside Men, a new BBC One series that I submit for your viewing pleasure. It's really quite gripping. It's about a brutal armed robbery that takes place at a secure money counting house, the events that lead up to it and the aftermath. I especially love the performance of Steven Mackintosh as the milquetoast manager who finds his inner bad-ass. I confess that after these grueling days spent sweltering at my desk, in the garden and in the kitchen, I like nothing better than stretching out on my Society linen sheets, popping open a bottled Americano and being amused. No more reading, no more surfing, no more writing, no more cooking—but certainly not mindless entertainment, no chick flicks or idle fluff for me. I like something truly engaging, full of believable characters and smart dialogue. Don't you? Here are some more worthy distractions for you...
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Hello, my name is Laura and I'm an addict. Hello, Laura. It's been 30 seconds since I last Googled. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to get off the stuff, but I just keep going back. It gives me everything I need and I can't live without it. I don't even remember a time before it—what was that like?! How did we know anything? Go anywhere? Where did our answers come from? I'm safe with Google. It's the past and the future. It's knowledge. It's the modern oracle. It's everything to me. And it's good news for you, too. Just take a look at what I've found for you this week.
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Yes, yes, the hair is mostly grey now. People congratulate me on having a "good" color of grey. But what if it weren't "good"? What if I had a weird, ashy, muddy color? Would I be forced to keep coloring it in order to look "good"? There is often some level of discomfort when I get into these conversations, because inevitably people (read: women) start to question their own commitment to artificial color. I do not judge. I religiously colored my hair for 15 years and, if the inconvenience of spending precious city time in the salon chair were not a factor, I might still be doing it. But the move upstate and all it has engendered do seem to have connected me to a more authentic expression of myself I find gratifying. That said, this post is about a different sort of grey altogether. Read on to find out more, and to check out my latest list of inspiring links.
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You've earned it. The right to put your feet up. To zone out. To nap. To sit in front of the fire reading that book that's been tempting you for months. To try a new recipe, listen to music, have a long, meandering chat with a loved one. To trawl the interwebs for loot. To watch silly YouTube videos, favorite movies and fabulous TV shows. To stuff your face. To get drunk or high, or both. To go for a run, a ride, a hike. To pray, to celebrate, to review the past year and meditate on the future. To be grateful for what and whom you have. Remember, even though the kids are melting down and your mother-in-law is irritating and your sister is crying and your husband is gone: This is your time. Carve out some space for yourself and do exactly as you please.Here are some links I've been compiling for you. May they bring you pleasure, inspiration, knowledge and fun, as you sip some delicious wine (or sparkling cider) and dream of what's to come.
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This weekend, we're heading north to visit friends who have a farm near the Vermont border. They've just bought a load of Angus cows and are going to start producing grass-fed beef. The weather is meant to be clear and crisp and I'm so looking forward to being outdoors and exploring the area a bit. Last time we were there it was springtime and I bought the most gorgeous bag of emerald-green fiddleheads. I'm sure good things are in store, and I'll definitely write about them next week. In the meantime, I leave you with some entertainment recommendations, a list of resources that will have you surfing the far corners of the web,  and a gentle reminder that the holidays are right around the corner. Let's all get a jump on things, shall we?
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Call me an April fool, but I see snow out my window. Big, wet flakes coming down, forcing me to dismantle my weekend plans of frolicking amongst the daffodils. If, like me, you intend instead to light a fire and put your slippered feet up, I have a couple of suggestions for hours of decadent viewing pleasure. First, in case you haven't found out, I need to tell you that Netflix now has streaming movies you can download instantly to your TV or laptop. Now this is some technology I can get behind. Already a big fan of iTunes instant downloads, I may never need to leave the house again. (Joking.) At any rate, between these two applications, you now have instant access to some fantastic international productions you may have missed in the theatre and which won't likely make it to TV. The two I'm recommending are Carlos, a 5 1/2-hour mini series co-written and directed by Olivier Assayas, and Mesrine (Killer Instinct & Public Enemy #1), directed by Jean-François Richet in 2 parts totaling almost 5 hours.
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Television: opiate of the masses or educational medium? Depends on how you use it, I guess. We prefer our entertainment commercial-free, so that means Netflix or downloading content from iTunes. (Although I was riveted by an episode of American Idol the other night when we were staying at a hotel in the city. JLo looked like an extra from Scorcese's Casino...) There have been some incredible shows on in the past few years, thanks in no small part to HBO. If you didn't catch The Sopranos, you missed out on a culturally defining moment. It's not too late to start from the beginning; you can buy the complete series here. If you missed The Wire, you may want to consider treating yourself to some of the greatest television ever made. It's where I first became aware of the up-&-comer Pablo Schreiber, brother of Liev and an acting force in his own right. He's now part of a powerhouse ensemble on FX's Lights Out, a fantastic new show that I await eagerly every week. I don't understand why there isn't more buzz about it.
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In the movie of my life, I'm sitting on the couch in front of the fire watching a movie. I have done this, plus or minus the fireplace—and assorted family members—ever since I can remember. I definitely associate holiday time with watching movies and eating See's. So I thought I might take this opportunity to create a list for you of movies that would make great viewing during all the downtime you'll hopefully be having in the next few weeks. Of course I'm assuming you'll also be doing the requisite skiing and snowshoeing to offset all that lounging and the inevitable onslaught of calories. We've got a light snow cover here and I'm praying for more. I may even learn to ice skate this year! (I am a horrible, knock-kneed skater but G has promised to school me.) Perhaps you feel I've been shirking my duties and not posting enough holiday-relevant recipes. You're not wrong. Blogging has taken a bit of a back seat to the insanity of shopping and wrapping and schlepping. But it's not that we haven't been eating well. Last night there was a delicious salad of fresh Tuscan kale with roasted delicata squash, pecorino and fresh pomegranate.
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Thought you might be looking for a snack worthy of the Oscars. Might I suggest my recipe for the super-addictive Jimmy "Crack" Corn? It's quick and easy to make and really quite delicious. Hopefully you'll have lots of friends to share it with; if not, you're in danger of eating the whole batch. I don't dare make it at home. G and I have a history of addiction to kettle corn. It got pretty ugly. In case you're up for something a bit more ambitious and on the savory side, here's a recipe for stuffed and fried olives that recently took home the prize for "Your Best Movie Snack" on Food52. And last but not least, how about a delicious frozen treat from one of the many I've posted? Choose from cardamom ice cream; citrus sorbet; burnt-orange ice cream; grapefruit-ginger sorbet; or coconut-lime sorbet. You'll need something to keep you going—can you believe they've increased the number of nominations for Best Picture? Sacrilege! (Or pathetic desperation?) We'll be up all night. And god knows we need our energy for the intensive critiquing of the gowns, the hairdos, the facelifts, and the artificially plumped-up boobs, lip and cheeks. I'm raring to go!! Let's pray that Tilda Swinton makes her annual appearance as The Only Actress With Real Personal Style and a Sense of Fashion. If Meryl wins for her portrayal of Julia I'll have to fight back the gag reflex (just like I did while watching that parodic performance in that overrated film). Anyway, as I keep saying on Food52, it's an honor just to be nominated.
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