Stress Tip of the Day

So I am still doing these, Stress Tips of the Day. Today’s?

Hobbies. Have to distract yourself with activities (this is a big chapter in my book). Nowadays I keep busy with writing, memory loss, name-dropping and being judgmental. I’ll focus on the last with three brief reviews:

I was never a big Fran Lebowitz fan. Sure, I enjoyed her appearances on late night TV, read her books, and know everything about her, but I know others who adore her. So I was reluctant to try her new 8 (?) part show on Netflix, Pretend It’s a City. I realize now how dead on the SNL skit was with Martin Scorsese just laughing. I also realize now why I never was a huge Lebowitz fan—she’s me, a disgruntled New Yorker who really doesn’t want to do anything but read and complain. The only difference between us, the only one, is I don’t smoke. And her Andy Warhol was my Michael Musto. If this paragraph is annoying to you, you will love this show. I’m going to watch it again. The last episode about books and bookstores I didn’t want to end. There is no bigger Fran Lebowitz fan in the world now than me. If there was a way, I’d send her all my books. In the meanwhile I’ll have to pretend she already has them.

2) The Repair Shop. I love this show. I love watching others fix things and do work I’m supposed to be doing. This is essentially the Great British Bake Off but with solder and a glue gun. Same awful music, same awful narration and in this show everything is about family memories and love of heirlooms, both which I have little interest in. But I love the fact that if I don’t watch it, I don’t feel like I’m missing anything.

Last, the Smartless podcast. Never a big fan of Will & Grace, although I watched every episode and saw the return. I was particularly interested in seeing all the great work each had done—none of them looked a day older, although 11 years had passed. Jack was such a broad stereotype that it undid the good work it did and one day we will see Will & Grace as Amos & Andy but Sean Hayes went on to produce The History of Comedy and now hosts my favorite podcast (not counting mine). Here’s a couple of cells from their animated commercial.

Okay, I’m done.