Are we all hitting a roadblock in binge-worthy content? I’ve got to say that Netflix’s “Top Ten in the U.S. Today” feature certainly helps me understand conversation trends on my social media timelines (I saw a conversation about John Oliver that was almost certainly prompted by the fact that Community was added to Netflix recently) but that doesn’t mean it’s content I’m necessarily interested in.
Between the binge streaming fatigue, I’ve spent more time over the last two weeks cleaning and redecorating my apartment, so I haven’t been consuming as much media.
Hopefully something I’ve been getting into helps you discover a new way to pass the time. As always, suggestions are welcome in the comments.
Stay safe and stay entertained.
Katamari Damacy Reroll
I caved and I finally bought a Nintendo Switch Lite. And yes, I have finally acquired Animal Crossing, and yes, I love my island (it is named Wife City), but what has actually turned out to be a massive distraction is one of my favorite games being available on a new console.
There is something so insanely comforting about a game that only requires you to roll around, creating a giant ball of garbage that will be turned into stardust. The challenges being timed is both a blessing and a curse. It’s so easy to get sucked in and lose track of three or four (or five) hours at a time.
Brooklyn 99: The Podcast
I watched the most recent episode of Brooklyn 99 and it made me laugh so hard I hurt my ribcage. After a few moments of really sitting in the fact that the show has gone on this long and continues to only put out bangers, I started to feel withdrawal creeping in and decided to give the podcast a whirl.
If you love the show, the podcast is a fantastic supplement. I’ve seen enough of the casts’ personalities on Twitter and interviews, but hearing how Brooklyn 99 fits in with the rest of the industry and the behind-the-scenes about the growth of the show and its cancellation is all really cool. Marc Evan Jackson is a phenomenal host.
There’s a part where someone tells a story about the time a fan asked Andy Samberg to look at her like he looks at Amy when he’s in character and I was losing my mind. Worth it just to learn about that story, actually.
You’re Dead To Me
Something that happened recently is that Google Podcasts ruined my life with a terrible update that made the app both hideous and unusable. I was so upset that I left the app a one-star review (I never do these things) and then manually re-subscribed to the very literal hundreds of podcasts that I subscribe to on Pocket Casts. I ended up paying for a subscription within a few days for extra features because I love it so much. Google Podcasts was a mistake.
That did eventually lead me to looking for some new shows to work through and this history podcast had a decent backlog of episodes that I could get through relatively quickly while the show is on hiatus. It’s a comedy podcast that brings together a comedian and a historian to discuss historical events or figures that describes itself as a “history podcast for people who don’t like history or forgot to learn any at school.” I really enjoyed the Harriet Tubman and Blackbeard episodes so far.
Percy Jackson: The Graphic Novels
Okay, so I haven’t actually started reading them again yet, but I did just find out that they actually finished this graphic novel series (The Kane Chronicles also finished, but The Heroes of Olympus is taking forever, it’s fine, I’m totally a patient person). I ordered the couple that I was missing and finally completed the collection on Friday. I need to do a re-read, but am debating if I should just re-read the books too.
Might as well, right? What else am I doing.
Community
Okay, yeah, it’s on Netflix and it’s fine enough background television. The first three seasons are good and me from 2011 still enjoys looking at Joel McHale’s smarmy face. That’s not a crime.