LOVE:

Ingobernable:

I know that I mentioned this televisa last week, but it wasn’t the main topic of conversation, so I don’t think I did it justice. I had just started the program and I was still processing it. I’ve watched about a third of the episodes now in season one and I find it one of the most riveting things I have ever watched. I don’t normally watch serious shows, because they don’t make me laugh. Everything is so serious all the time, so I only watch comedy. And if I watch the news, I watch Rachel Maddow because she can be a hoot. I was cackling with her last night over the absurd Russian inquest. Anyway, after watching the El Chapo documentary on Netflix, I’ve become kind of obsessed with the actress Kate del Castillo. She was truly the subject of the documentary, and I am fascinated by her. In that program they said that she was one of the most popular actresses in Mexico, so I had to watch something she was in. Ingobernable was available for streaming and I was hooked from the opening. It begins in Mexico City, so I was swooning at all the scenes. I miss that city so damn much, so it was such fun to go back there. I’ve always said that one of the most beautiful things in the world is Paris in the rain, but I’m going to have to say that Mexico City in the rain is also beautiful — especially when the cinematography is so good. I’m rambling, I know, but it’s hard for me to tell you much about this program because I don’t want to give any of it away. Kate plays the First Lady of Mexico who wants to get a divorce. In the first episode the President dies as the result of a murder. All the signs point to his wife, so she flees, knowing that the government is corrupt and will use her as a scapegoat. The beginning episodes follow her flight to safety. Or what she presumes is safety. It’s so good. I literally sit in bed, binge watching it, with a forgotten fistful of popcorn half raised to my mouth. Do give this show a try. It’s what I never knew I was needing.

Will & Grace on Hulu:

I am almost certain that I wrote about this before, but I love it so much that I’m going to write about it again. For years, I have lamented not having Will & Grace available for streaming. I’ve owned the entire series on DVD since I was in high school, of course, but who uses DVDs anymore? They’ve become archaic. It’s so much more convenient to tell your television to put on a show and let it do all the work for you. The future really is a pretty remarkable place to be, you know? I was fairly ecstatic when it was announced that all eight seasons of my all-time favorite show was going to be on Hulu. I rarely use the app, but now all the years I have paid for it have been worth it! There is really nothing more relaxing than laying in bed and streaming a few episodes before falling asleep. Or when you’re cooking dinner. Or when you’re eating. Or when you’re cleaning. Or when you’re procrastinating. There’s never a wrong time to watch Will & Grace. It has really just been so relaxing being able to revisit Karen’s absurd exploits and Jack’s failing careers. The show has aged a bit, some of the jokes fall flat, and sometimes they say things that would never be acceptable on today’s network television, but that, in great part, is what makes the show such fun. It was provocative and hilarious and the characters were so perfectly formed. I had forgotten how much I loved it! This show was such an important part of what made me into who I am today. It certainly did a lot for my sense of humor. It is one of the foundations of who I’ve become. That sounds absurd, and I know it, but I think I am a glorious amalgam of the quartet. I have Jack’s unwarranted belief in himself, Grace’s eye for design, Will’s uptight mannerisms, and Karen’s joie de vivre. I am most Karen, though I do manage to drink water once in awhile. I love Will & Grace. I’m so very happy that I can watch it at anytime and anywhere.

Saul the Mouse:

Look at Saul eat cheese! SO STEREOTYPICAL!

I have been fairly devastated since Cosmo, my mysterious yellow mouse passed away. He was an enigma, reader. He would randomly appear on the various levels of my home and just live his best life. I don’t know where he lived or what he ate, but he was huge and adorable. My two cats enjoyed him as their own pet, I think. They would all play together. It was bizarre. Honestly, it felt like I was living in a children’s picture book. Someday I should write about the peculiar relationship my home had with Cosmo. I’d read that to a child… Anyway, ever since Cosmo was interred with full military honors, I have missed him appearing out of the corner of my eye. It was always a rare treat to have him join you, like when somebody thinks they’ve spotted Nessie the Loch Ness Monster. Cosmo’s unannounced arrivals were an honor. Imagine my thrill, reader, the other night when I was putting away dishes and I saw something scurry out of the corner of my eye. What could this be, I wondered, slowly turning to face the apparition without scaring it off. It was a tiny grey field mouse looking at me with loving eyes. I squealed at once. And I was unable to contain myself. I shrieked, “OH MY GOD WELCOME TO MY HOME! HELP YOURSELF TO ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING AND EVERY SINGLE THING YOU NEED. I LOVE YOU.” The mouse wasn’t sure what to do with this information, so he or she or it or whatever gender identity this mouse has, darted behind a cabinet in alarm. I didn’t see him the next day, but I knew that this mouse, who I christened Saul for reasons I don’t begin to know, was going to have the time of his life. Blissfully, our paths crossed again. Whilst going downstairs to do laundry, I saw his perfect little body sitting on the ledge at the bottom of the stairs. I immediately made sure to tell him that he was special and important and deserving of all the finest things in the world. And then I gave him a big block of cheese, and I truly think that he was thriving. Saul didn’t run from me. He looked a bit nervous, but he was brave enough to accept the food I gave him. I could have cried when I watched his little hands hold the cheese. It was like another chapter in that children’s book I mentioned. I love Little Saul. I hope he stays with me forever. You should all have a mouse in your house.

WHAT?:

Michael Jackson’s Halloween Special:

On Instagram the other day, I saw the strangest ad for a Halloween special. It was an animated television spectacle set to the music of Michael Jackson. The premise didn’t make much sense, but I have enjoyed Michael’s work all of my life, so I was sure to tune in. For a number of reasons, I wasn’t able to when it was broadcast live, so the other night I streamed it online with my mouth agape. It did not make a bit of sense, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I will venture to explain what I witnessed with my own eyes. Now, I have some reason to believe that I have hallucinated things in the past, but I’m sure that I truly saw a pumpkin-headed scarecrow moonwalking to the song “Dangerous” and I am quite convinced that I truly did see an army of spiders moonwalking in a dance battle. I don’t believe the plot was anything that the creators were going for in this special, so it’s hard for me to explain. There were two teenagers who were being forced to follow typical life paths. The girl was an intern and the boy was supposed to be inheriting the family grocery store. She wanted to dance and he wanted to DJ, but their families found this abhorrent. Somehow, Michael Jackson went into the middle of a forest and created a magical castle that these two ended up at. Bubbles, the infamous chimpanzee companion of Mr. Jackson, was the operator of the hotel and he set the two teenagers off on an adventure to an unnamed world controlled by a supreme dictator named…wait for it…Conformity. Yes, Conformity was opposed to dancing and singing and fun of all kinds. Never explained why, so who knows. The two confused kids were running for their lives and somehow inspiring a rebellion of song and dance. Don’t ask to understand. I didn’t. I was just flabbergasted that the entire thing was actually unfolding in front of my eyes. There were so many excellent songs, though, that I wasn’t really bothered. It was like being on drugs. I’ll surely never watch it again, but the release coincided with a new complication album of all of Michaels’ spooky songs! That’s genius. Get that. Here’s a link.

HATE:

Being Cold:

This is really more of a loathing than a hate. I cannot stand being cold. To me, it is the worst thing in the world. I mean, yes war and poverty and all that is awful, but for me, there is nothing quite so debilitating as being cold. I hate losing feeling in my fingers and toes. I hate an icy breeze whipping through my clothes. I hate waiting for my car to warm up in the morning. I hate waking up in darkness. I hate autumn. I hate winter. I hate the beginning of spring. I hate running into the house to avoid a chill. I hate staying inside all afternoon. I hate the weak light. I hate snow and I loathe ice. I hate holding hot drinks to stay warm. I hate wearing coats. I hate having to put my heated blanket on the bed. I hate getting fatter because I’m starving and like a bear, I’m putting on my winter fat. I hate losing my tan. I hate doing anything. I hate being cold. Now that it’s November, every day is absolutely frigid. Everybody else is giggling over how delighted they are by autumn and sweater weather and pumpkin spiced shit, but I don’t want to have anything to do with it. I need to move. And I will. Life is much too short to be freezing to death half of the year.