A monthly reflection of all the things!
‘Tis the Season, friends! It’s about that time… that I share with you what I’ve been up to the last month!
For anyone new here: the point of this is to dive into things you’re currently into. It’s kind of a fun thing to do and document so you can look back (at any increment of time) and see what was going on at that time in your life. This is fun because most people can relate AND if it is interactive, we might even gain a few things to watch or listen to or read because of someone else’s recommendation! Feel free to join in and share your own “Currently” in the comments below! I’d love to see what you’re up to this month!!
Let’s do this!!
Watching:
You. Guys. If you haven’t listened to this podcast, you NEED to. You need to listen to it before watching the show because it makes watching the show so crazy. Even though I knew what was going to happen, I still had my mind BLOWN. For those of you who don’t know: this series focuses on Debra Newell, a successful interior design businesswoman who has been married a few times, and she meets a new guy, John. The story involves her daughter’s extreme distaste of her new beau and pretty much the deterioration of not only her relationship with her daughters but also with John – but not before you get to see what a shady MF this dude is. If you’ll recall, I’m obsessed with true crime, and this story has literally the best of everything you could want. The whole time I listened to this and watched it, I could not get over how insane this is that it’s real. I truly hate to say it, but I couldn’t stop saying (OUTLOUD TO MYSELF, mind you) Debra, you are so f***ing stupid. But, seriously, I couldn’t recommend this enough; it’s a train wreck you can’t help but slow down and stare at, and you just have to keep watching despite your utter confusion that this could possibly be a true story, just to see what happens. Guys, it’s cray. You’ll love it. I just know it!
So, we finished watching Game of Thrones and it became time for my turn to pick a show that Jeff and I would watch together. On my turn, I chose to watch Season 2 of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime. I think I enjoyed this season more than Season 1, but both seasons made me an anxious hot mess. Again with the violence! Political thrillers are really interesting to me, but it also makes me really sad to think that our world has such a disturbing underbelly, and although I know these types of shows are works of fiction, it’s not as far from the truth as I’d like to hope. If you haven’t heard of it or seen it, I do recommend it. It’s John Krazinski- and he’s like this hot, action figure as opposed to a lovable nerd as we are so familiar with from The Office. If I’m being honest, that’s the main reason I watched this show but then I stayed (and came back for more) because of the plot.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be watching The Walking Dead for the rest of my life. This show has, like, a million seasons. This show was Jeff’s pick for us to watch. I was hesitant at first because I’d heard that it was gory, and after watching GOT, I wasn’t sure if I was in for gratuitous gore and violence. The difference is, though, that I actually like the characters in TWD, so I don’t feel so frustrated watching the show like I did with GOT. I have a tendency to get sucked in deep to those post-apocalyptic stories or something supernatural (let’s recall my deep commitment to The Vampire Diaries, shall we?), so it makes sense that I would enjoy this show. Oh, and the fact that it had huge mass appeal and went on for, like, almost ten years. If you’ve seen it, tell me what your favorite season is! (Also, I tend to read ahead, and I don’t really get mad about spoilers because I am bad at living in suspense, so tell me anything & everything and don’t worry that I’ll hate you for ruining anything!)
Reading:
Honestly, nothing new this month. Womp Womp.
Listening:
I waited a while to listen to this one so that I could binge watch it and just listen all the way through. When I finally did listen to this, I (again) found myself talking out loud to myself out of sheer disbelief that stuff like this is real. This is the story of a man who starts seeing a therapist, who, in turn, basically manipulates this man into isolating himself from friends and family and essentially allowing the therapist to control every aspect of his life. It. Was. Insane. Objectively bonkers, if you will. I was talking to a girlfriend about this podcast and she made the best comparison: it reminded us of S-Town. The story lines are completely and totally different, but the story is so odd and so compelling, but you can’t help but listen because you have to see where it takes you. It was one that took a little bit to get into but then I just had to know. I wanted more resolution at the end, however, so there’s that.
Oh lawd. I must have been living under a rock because I didn’t know anything about Jeffrey Epstein, not really until I listened to these podcasts. I remember hearing his name uttered around names like Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, and I remember when it was a big deal when he was arrested, and I remember hearing that he died and that was problematic, but I didn’t know anything about it. I don’t know where I was when all of this went down, but O.M.F.G. What the Actual F? If you don’t know anything about this topic/scandal, listening to these will give you a pretty good picture and inform you enough to form an opinion and be disgusted like the rest of us. To be honest, listening to these podcasts really bummed me out, and I just wish this wasn’t real.
I listened to them back-to-back because once I started The Mysterious Mr. Epstein, I just felt myself spiraling into that phase of slight obsession where I get a complete craving for knowledge that I need to consume all the media about a certain topic. (See below for my new current obsession.) I felt like The Mysterious Mr. Epstein was a little bit more professional, more credible, and better produced. I probably should have just stopped after one because the whole scenario just really, really upsets me, but I do feel more informed now of “current events” and “hot topics”, so I guess that’s a good thing. Either way, thank goodness for the brave women of this world who speak up despite the fear and the shame that comes with all of it, and we as a people really just need to do more to believe women when they share their truth.
I legit consumed this podcast series in less than a week. I was completely captivated, and I found the story-telling pretty compelling. I had to keep listening, and I had to know what happened. The story is that a man was convicted of murdering a child, and yet, somehow, managed to score an opportunity of a lifetime and basically get a free Get Out of Jail (for a day) Pass and then vanished into thin air. The US Marshalls contribute to the podcast and have publicized this case to help assist in a possible capture of Lester Eubanks, despite his having evaded capture since 1973. I did want more of a resolution than it provided, but that’s the thing about true crime, you know? It doesn’t always have a happy ending or a nicely packaged ending with all the loose ties all tied up.
Fraaaaaaaaands, this is my latest obsession. I originally subscribed to this podcast because I leaned in hard to the Watergate scandal a while ago (every time I watch The Post with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, I get a hankering to consume all things Nixon-related). Season 1 focuses on all of that, and I listened to a couple of episodes, but I had to get to the thing that is really occupying the major part of my fascination, so I skipped to Season 2. Y’all, the Clinton/Monica Lewinsky Scandal. I was too little (elementary school!) to understand the details of all of this hot mess when it was going down, but now that I’m a grown-up and love when tea is spilled, This. Is. Amazing. I’m not finished listening to Season 2 yet, so I can’t give a full review, but so far, I am living my best life listening to this, and I am looking v. forward to the day that FX releases the third anthology/season of American Crime Story because this scandal is the topic! I can hardly wait. This sh** is bananas, yes, b-a-n-a-n-a-s, and even though I know I’ve overstayed my welcome with Jeff in our daily conversation dedicated to discussing this topic, I just keep going with it because it’s bananas, and I can’t stop thinking about what a train wreck it was. And how the Clintons are pretty shady MFs. But like 🤷🏻♀️🙈😬🤭
Making:
I feel like freakin’ Santa Claus with all of the christmas lists I’ve been making. I have an electronic list and a paper one because I’m anxious about making sure I have all the right gifts for all the right people. I keep making a list, checking it twice, and then hating my life for waiting til the last second to finish all of my shopping.
I’m also hosting a Christmas gathering for the first time this year, so I’ve been making a shopping list for food and menu planning and trying to budget my time for getting everything done and the house ready and, well, you know how it is.
Feeling:
I don’t know what’s going on with me, but my back has been killing me. I haven’t gone running in well over a week because of the pain. It hurts even when I’m doing nothing. It’s my lower back, pretty much in the center, and there’s a pain that feels like something is poking me (only sometimes) underneath or behind my right shoulder blade. I live and die by my heating pad. I need a massage, yo.
A tiny bit guilty because I have eaten like a complete fool this month. Since Thanksgiving, I’ve struggled to stay on the WW train. I get back on every morning, but it feels like just about every other day I fall right back off again. I guess the important thing is that I keep getting on, and even when I fall off, I’m still tracking and accounting for the naughty behavior, so that’s a plus, but I’m still a little disappointed in myself that I’ve been struggling so much to remain so disciplined. Plus, even when I am eating like a jerk, it tastes good during, but I usually do feel like total trash – and not just emotionally. I’m looking forward to January when all the New Year Resolutioners are eating healthy and cookies aren’t everywhere and there isn’t a party every three days. In the meantime, I’m giving myself grace and taking the gains with the losses.
Planning:
Family Christmas at our house! This is the first year I’m hosting a Christmas gathering, and I am so excited, guys! I’ve already planned my menu and tablescape and I’m so excited about being a real adult. I feel like I’ve finally grown up, now that I’m officially hosting a family Christmas.
Loving:
It was this time last year that I was hanging on by a thread with our brand-new baby and trying so hard to be so over the moon and happy and excited, but really, I was dying inside and completely miserable. This year, I’m a totally different person, I feel totally evolved and loving who I am – and I am over the moon about that, y’all.
Additionally: Not an entirely comprehensive list and in no particular order:
- Everything decorated for Christmas
- The new carpet in our house
- The pizza I ate this week because I’m a naughty
- Buffalo plaid (still)
- Furry vests
- How big of a chatterbox Sam is
Did you come up with your own version of this month’s Currently…?
If so, comment below or tag me @glimpseofgrace on social media!
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