I love finding shows to stream that nobody is talking about. The Vertical Line, The Last Word, Wisting, and now Trapped. They are Italian, German, Swedish, and Icelandic respectively. The last two are crime dramas, which I’m not a huge fan of, but they each include interesting personal stories. Trapped takes place in a small town in winter where it always seems to be snowing. In one episode there’s an avalanche. It’s a great show to make one appreciate Florida.
The rash of celebrity deaths recently has overshadowed that of Dwayne Hickman, aka Dobie Gillis. I watched the show as a pre-teen and it gave me an idea of what lay ahead.
We often watch cerebral mysteries and after about the first 20 minutes I am usually clueless. And I think of all the editors over the years who have made me add explanations to my stories for all the potentially uncomprehending readers.
I'm picking up our neighbors' mail while they're away, and yesterday it included the January issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Anyone hoping to find the first issue of the new year full of fascinating stories about the world will be greatly disappointed. The issue is thin with generic articles about oft-covered places: Egypt, Napa. It's as though even the editors have lost interest.
Yesterday marked the 86th straight week that I've posted a cartoon on social media. My goal is to make it to 100 (having passed my original goal of making it to 52). Some of course are better than others; I'm particularly attached to next week's offering, which I think might be worthy of The New Yorker. But I never submit cartoons to the magazine; it's enough that they reject my writing.