Making Life A Little Less Dark

Hi, friends. I'm not going to subject you to a diatribe about my social distancing routine and how the loss of my internship, driving lessons, social interactions, and theatre tickets makes me feel because honestly, I'm super privileged. Complaining when others have it so much rougher seems wrong, and to be frank, the fluctuation of my emotions would probably happen even if this bizarre event hadn't occurred. Depression and anxiety were a part of my life before this situation, so they're a part of it now--that's just reality. So here's a list of things that are making life a little less dark for me lately. I hope some of them can help you too. If not, please feel free to comment here or message me on another social media platform, and I will try and help you any way that I can. Love you.

WHAT I'M PLAYING
(Not related to Animal Crossing, lol. Y'all already know how much I love Sporcle quizzes, but I also have found joy in a multitude of silly or, as some would say, weird games.)

- MASH
Yes. The middle school staple. Say what you will but my sister and I literally spent an hour and a half playing MASH one of these days. All it takes is a pen, paper, and ability to count.

- "My [sister/friend/mom/roommate] Can Name"

If you've ever watched the talk show Ellen, she sometimes plays a game with her guest where one person bets that their friend/spouse/whoever can name a certain number of examples of something in under 30 seconds, such as "I bet my friend can name 7 boy bands in 30 seconds." Of course, on the show there are more dire consequences if the person cannot name that many under the time limit. While stuck at home, anyone can play play for bragging rights or candy or toilet paper squares or whatever you want.


BINGEABLES


- REPRESENT: A Webseries on Youtube

This webseries is carefully written, beautifully acted, and extremely relatable. Each of the 12 episodes ranges from ~ 6 minutes to 15 1/2 minutes, so the show is easily bingeable in a short period of time. The conversations about feminism in the acting industry are nuanced without feeling like an after-show special.

The show describes itself as "a feminist web series about two fed-up actresses who decide to take the sexism of the film industry into their own hands. Ellie and Tess are young, struggling actresses and feminists who regularly face challenges as women in the film industry. After a day of particularly trying auditions, Ellie and Tess decide to write and produce their own film: a multi-genre movie that takes the stereotypes that face each gender in the industry, and flips them around. REPRESENT follows Ellie and Tess as they recruit a cast and crew on a shoestring budget, juggle their day jobs, face resistance, overcome limitations, try to get the male actors to understand the finer points of the feminist content, and do their best to make a difference, no matter how small." 

- Signal (Korean Version) on Netflix 

Full disclosure: I don't speak or read Korean, so I relied on subtitles to watch this series. When it comes to Asian dramas in general, my tastes tend to skew towards romantic comedies moreso than dramas--however, I find true crime fascinating, so I took a chance on this crime procedural without knowing there was also a science fiction twist. If you watch this series, I recommend doing so with as few spoilers as possible, so all I can tell you is that this is one of the most interesting and well-acted dramas I have ever watched. Additionally, it is one of the few crime dramas that kept me guessing while watching it. Please be aware that while there is no nudity or sex scenes, some of the crimes investigated are pretty gruesome. There are descriptions of violence/sexual assault, as well as images of gore/corpses and self-inflicted wounds that some may find triggering. Please don't watch if that kind of content bothers you!!!)

THEATRE THINGS

- Red by John Logan (read) 

This play about artist/abstract expressionist Mark Rothko is brilliant and makes me wish I could go to a museum and look at painting for a while. It's emotionally charged while also maintaining a strange stillness (does that make any sense? Maybe not huh?). I hope someday I get to see it performed. 

- Much Ado About Nothing (Abridged) by UMW Theatre via Zoom

What can I say? Not everyone can pull off a Shakespeare comedy in such a creative, honest, and enjoyable fashion. The diction, emotional levels, and chemistry of the cast overall was superb. I loved it. Can't wait for the next teleplay. 

RANDOM FAVORITE THINGS

• Hot showers
• Hanging out with Alex
• Chocolate
• Phone calls with Megan K 
• Egg salad sandwiches
• The Tangled Adventures soundtrack
• Fuzzy socks
• Friends (shoutouts to Aripra, Lily, Michayla, Angel, Jess E, Kate B, Megan D, Aaron, Lydia, and Cristy, who have gone to the trouble of checking in and showing me love during this hard time)