May the Source be With You: May Edition

Hello, delightful Source readers and welcome to your monthly installment of May the Source Be With You. I’m still only heading into town once every two weeks or so for groceries, but since I’ve been intermittent fasting, I don’t go through them as quickly as I once did.

I’m down 30 pounds and looking to drop another 70 or so before all is said and done. I miss movie theaters and coffee shops and hugs, but if the virus has taught me anything, it’s that repetition breeds normalcy.

Hey, remember when science used to be popular?! Credit: courtesy of CBS

How about you? What are you getting used to that you never thought you would?

Last time I was at the store, there was an entire row of toilet paper and it hit me that I had completely gotten used to that aisle being empty. As one of the completely inessential, I still have quite a bit of time for podcasts and binge watching, so let’s look at some of the interesting stuff bombarding us this month.

In Pod We Trust:

If you’re like me and have a surplus of righteous anger for the people using the virus as a way to rip people off, look no further than “Behind the Bastards,” a podcast which normally investigates the worst of us during normal times. One of the newer episodes focuses on slime like Jim Bakker and Alex Jones, snake oil salesmen at the best of times that are now trying to offload silver infused products to cure COVID-19. Jones has some silver-infused toothpaste for those looking to stock up their bomb shelters. Damn, there’s that anger again.

As a die-hard fan of “Welcome to Night Vale,” I’m obviously obsessed with the new podcast from Night Vale Presents distressingly titles “Our Plague Year.” Honestly, it’s the most comforting podcast I’ve listened to since all this began as it focuses on human connection through short stories and monologues. Even on days where I don’t see or speak to another person, “Our Plague Year” makes me feel seen and counted.

Before quarantine and my self-imposed intermittent fasting, I ate out like 75% of the time and filled the other 25% with frozen pizzas and microwaved quesadillas. Point being, I don’t know how to make anything, so the podcast “Home Cooking” has been my go-to lately. The chef Samin Nostrat from “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” and Hrishikesh Hirway teach you how to make actually delicious food with random crap you find in your cupboards.

I’m not saying I’m a good cook now, but I just learned how to make a latke, so I think I’ll be OK.

Now Streaming

I’ve noticed on social media lately the big trend for binge watching right now is either re-watching a massive series with tons of seasons or watching all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies in chronological order. Since I did the MCU in January, I’ve been jumping on the bandwagon of watching tons of random procedurals that have 100+ episodes under their belt.

On Hulu, I’ve discovered the joys of “CSI” (the original, not Miami. David Caruso is ridiculous). I’m deep into the Laurence Fishburne era of the show and still kinda love it. It’s gruesome, almost ghoulishly so, but I like remembering a time when science was actually important to everyone.

On Amazon, I’ve been spending way too much time watching “The Mentalist.” It’s nice to see someone that’s super-smug bust bad guys because his smirk just makes them even angrier. Can a show be super dumb and kinda smart at the same time? If it can I would like to vote for “The Mentalist” as being the dumbest smartness I’ve ever seen.

Netflix has given me the gift of “Criminal Minds,” which feels like it was designed just for me. I am a true crime junkie and am (some might say) unhealthily obsessed with serial killers, so a show that introduces a new one EVERY EPISODE is like junk food for my deeply corroded heart. I’m only on season three and I already miss Mandy Patinkin. He looked so tortured while hunting evil while Joe Mantegna just kinda looks bored.

Eventually, when those run out, I think I’ll drop down the rabbit holes of “Charmed,” “Gilmore Girls” and “Deep Space Nine,” but hopefully I will have found better uses for my time before then.

What are you watching or looking forward to seeing, aside from the sun and some friends? Let us know and we can be excited for it together.

This article appears in Mar 25 – May 20, 2020.