Taking up knitting

I've realized in the past year that I spent most of my life ashamed of my hobbies. Isn't that weird and sad? I think I can blame it on Gen X, a generation so obsessed with coolness that we judged ourselves into a black hole of boredom. There were a limited number of pursuits acceptable to Gen Xers; everything else you had to do in secret.

I've been doing crossword puzzles since my early 20s, but didn't actually own up to it till late last year (as if it's something to "own up" to.) I remember someone at work starting a video game Slack channel a few years back and thinking, "Wait, people admit they play video games?" During the pandemic, of course, hobbies stopped being hobbies and became full-time pursuits. We are a society that now gleefully embraces making, creating, puttering, and dawdling. Not only do we embrace it, but many of us broadcast it on social channels. I'm still in awe that a sizable amount of people used to tune in to watch a friend put together tiny models of rooms and furniture.

Now that my youngest has a car, I'm finding myself with mountains of free time. So I'm in the market for my next hobby. I'm not interested in any kind of needlework. Paint-by-numbers is apparently an elevated thing now. Maybe I'll start studying art and go to more museums. Suggestions welcome!

📺 Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
It's the number one show globally on Netflix for a reason. But it is more intense than you think it will be! I watched 3 episodes yesterday and needed a break—and had the thought that I felt like I'd watched so many more. The true story of a Scottish comedian and his female stalker, it's kind of hard to believe one human went through all this.

📺 Fallout (Prime)
Another entrant in the I-can't-believe-this-is-based-on-a-video-game category, Fallout is a wholly original take on the genre. It's funny, in a very goofy, tongue-in-cheek way. It also imagines a post-apocalyptic landscape with mid-century-modern styling, and who saw that coming? Extra bonus points for Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones) getting such a meaty role to dig into (pardon the pun). It's kind of gross, but you'll be having too much fun to care.

🖥️ Who Ate Where: A Social History of NYC Restaurants (Grub Street)
Open this up in a browser tab and come back to it when you want a break in the middle of the workday, because there's a lot here. The pictures are fantastic and there's no rhyme or reason to the order, so you bounce from 1950s Brooklyn to 1980s Wall Street and the West Village in the 60s. Just delightful.

Last but not least, a friend sent this wonderful clip of Lucille Ball to me, and I've watched it multiple times. Damn, what a bad-ass.