What I Do When I Should Be Working by Cheryl Harper

When I have a lot to do (for months on end now)...
I lose the will to do it.
Then I turn on the television.


Do you need a new show to watch in one weekend? I made a serious miscalculation and restarted my Netflix account and spent last weekend on Prince Edward Island. Someday, I'll cross PEI off my travel bucket list. Until then, there's Anne with an E.

I remember glomming the Megan Follows version of Anne of Green Gables with my mother. She was a reader, too, and in the world of book adaptations, that version makes my list of top 5. So, when I saw this new version of Anne, I was skeptical. But the parts I loved of the original remain. Anne's flights of fancy, her slow conversion of both Matthew and Marilla, and above all, Gilbert Blythe...they remain. This version is darker, considers things I'd never thought of, and I can't wait to see the next season.

What about you? What shows or movies are your perfect escape? Here are some of my recent favorites:

(Yes, I took the time to hunt up a picture of Selasi)




Comments

  1. Another Kimmy Schmidt fan! Her relentless optimism is so restorative. Cheryl, I read the 'Anne' series when I was 11, hardcover rejects from the library, no less, again and again. A turning point in my reading life. BTW, it's weird being the first one to comment...Kate?...are you okay?

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    1. Yes, I love Kimmy! And the Gilbert and Anne story is one of my favorites.

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  2. Cheryl, thanks for the Anne recommendation. I don't watch a lot of TV. I know it's good story practice for writers so I've recently started watching while I'm on the treadmill. Thanks to friends like you sharing their picks, my recent favorites are Stranger Things and Sneaky Pete. I'm currently enmeshed in season 2 of Orphan Black, which is also really good so far.

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    1. Orphan Black is one I've heard so many good things about but I haven't started yet.

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    2. Oh, I forgot Stranger Things. My son and I watched all the episodes. It's on again in November, right?

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  3. Thanks for the reminder about "Anne." As if Netflix isn't bad enough to distract, there's amazon and Hulu. too. The Zelda series on Amazon was excellent, and now they just released The Last Tycoon. I'll check out the Kimmy Schmidt series. I've heard so much about it, but never knew anyone who'd watched it. For me, the various series have in large part replaced movies in my go-to visual entertainment. Such good storytelling these days. I did see Lion last night and thought it was superbly done. Thanks.

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    1. Someone else recommended Lion to me. I'll have to check it out. Kimmy should not be as funny and uplifting as she is, considering her storyline, but I enjoy it.

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  4. I KNOW I should be watching more quality TV and just maybe this will jumpstart me. I even have the first season of Broadchurch sitting by my TV because one of my writing coaches recommended it, just haven't had time to watch it.

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    1. I should definitely be watching less. So so so much less.

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  5. Oh, I love Anne of Green Gables. I was a ferocious reader and somehow missed the series when I was young. So, I read them in college. Right in a row and felt I'd been given a gift. It was like reading Laura Wilder again. And, the Megan Follows adaptions were awesome. I have the VHS (which I can't watch - really need to give them away)
    I don't get to watch television much, thanks to two men (one big and one little). But, I love The Good Witch and am also watch Crossroads, Texas.

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  6. Oh, man. I need to steal this idea! My Netflix binge right now is Madame Secretary.

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    1. I started watching that and stopped for some reason. I need to go back. I really like all the actors on that one.

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  7. I'll have to check that one out. I lost control of the remote many years ago, but I may have to wrestle it back just to watch Anne with an E.

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  8. My favorite Netflix binge is The Ranch. Sam Elliot. Ashton Kutcher. Debra Winger. Sam Elliot. Did I mention Sam Elliot was in it?
    I also love the new TNT series Will and just discovered I can stream all the episodes on my computer. Somebody stop me.

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  9. I don't watch much, but The West Wing is sitting there. Waiting.

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  10. Like Liz, I don't watch a lot of TV, but lately I've been hooked on Forensic Files.

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  11. Soooooo many!! Can't even name them all but I did just subscribe to Acorn TV because I love British TV shows. Currently binge watching Loch Ness (which, oddly enough, wasn't anything like this when I visited ).

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  12. I don't watch a lot of the series shows. I like the contests for talent and the dancing. I watch far too many news channels.

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  13. I try to limit myself to only watching tv while I'm working out, so I get through a series very slowly since I only watch one episode a day. My daughter has binge watched so many things this summer from Glee to The Office. I enjoyed Riverdale this summer. I guess I needed a little suspense to keep me going. The only shows I watch in real time are Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead - love them both!

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  14. Binge watching is my downfall too. Just finished orphan black, empire and Nashville. It's like an addiction. Thanks for the reminder about Anne--loved the books as a child.

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  15. How did I miss that there's a new Netflix version of Anne of Green Gables????? OMG. I was so hooked on the TV series from 1985 with Megan Follows. I've seen it many times. One of my favorites ever. I don't get to watch as much TV anymore (kids, deadlines etc...) but I'll need to see this newer series on Netflix. Maybe that can be my reward incentive for getting this full done!

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  16. Love Anne of Green Gables. I just started watching Anne With an E and it pulled me right in. I've only watched the first episode, but I think they did a good job with the cast, especially the Marilla character. I've watched the Megan Follows version numerous times.

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