Who Dunnit? Who Didn’t?

I’m obsessed with BAD SISTERS. OBSESSED! Created by Sharon Horgan, Brett Baer and Dave Finkel, it’s the freshest series I’ve seen in a while. On Twitter Co-Star Horgan admits to being a “bit of a weird voyeur.” All I can say is “weird voyeurism makes for great TV” — especially if you’re a weird observer of easy-to-hate villains, complicated family dynamics and reluctant flirtations.

I couldn’t stop watching this twisty black-comedy thriller for Apple TV+ but secretly hoped it would never end. It shocks with “I can’t believe they just did that” scenes while taking us on turns we don’t see coming.

The family that murders together (Well, maybe…)

This 10 episode series follows the Garvey sisters: Eva/Horgan, Ursula/Eva Birthistle, Bibi/Sarah Green, Becka/Eve Hewson and Grace/Anne-Marie Duff, the long-suffering wife of John Paul/Claus Bang.  Bound together by the death of their parents and a promise to always protect each other, they take their bond to a whole new level.

Wittily written, awesomely acted with surprising setbacks and hilarious advances — the worst thing possible is constantly happening thanks to villain John Paul. Grace’s horrendous husband is the guy we all want to do in.

Sometimes it’s good to be BAD…

Think BIG LITTLE LIES set in Ireland as the sisters stand up for one another and contemplate new methods of murder. The romantic in me loves the forbidden affair between Becka (the role I’d love to play) and Matt (Daryl McCormack) the brother of Insurance Guy, Tom/Brian Gleeson who’s determined to prove JP’s death is not accidental. There’s nothing accidental about this series… it’s brilliantly cast, written and acted… and executed with great care.

As the series rolled out and I was forced to wait for each new episode, I watched  CATASTROPHE to feed my addiction to Horgan’s humor. It helped.

But now that I’ve seen the Season Finale (which was soooooooo satisfying btw) I really miss all of the characters…

xo/evie

But how do I know if we’re both wearing masks?

The vibe’s different now. Covid’s basically under control and the staff isn’t freaking out about Monkey Pox, but MASKS are still required.

I miss SMILES… connecting with SMILES… getting feedback from SMILES… I especially miss  smiling with Dr. Privacy and seeing HIS smile. I hadn’t realized how important smiles were to my ER life because I took them for granted.

Sadly this is so not happening!

Mira says I’m totally overthinking this. She insists that he can see my eyes smile, but Mira’s like the ideal volunteer who always says and thinks the perfect thing — she’s like Mother Theresa’s daughter. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see smiling eyes. No, I see a fugly mask that goes yuckily with my fugly hospital smock. Guess I should be happy none of my fans can recognize me. WAIT! Do I even still have them?

Conundrum: How can I #BeAuthentic if I’m masked?

FACIAL FEEDBACK shows friendliness (or not) —

Facial expressions help us read and understand each other. If I can’t see someone’s face and vice versa, I go into a funk. It’s kinda like going to an audition where the CD has a blank face. If I can’t see someone’s facial expression it’s hard to get a sense if I’m nailing it or failing it.

I feel like masks zap the warmth from everyday life at the hospital. It’s impossible to look cute with a mask.

I guess I can try to be the reason someone smiles today… even if I can’t see it. But it’ll be a challenge, trust me.

I know — I’ll study up on body language before my next shift. I’ll make eye contact and mirror Dr. Privacy. Maybe that’ll  bring back the spark we felt before Covid — or was it just me? Maybe I’ll start with the patients — they’ll be more receptive.

Aha! I just sneaked one in. Removing my mask is the NEW NAUGHTY!

Now that I’m back to volunteering in the ER (we still have to wear masks, ugh) I’m in extra-awe of the brave staff that sticks it out to fight super-contagious diseases from Covid to Monkey Pox… HEROES who show up consistently, day-in-day-out, and at their own risk.

We hear about HERO/COWARD contrasts daily, like…

— The Ukrainian civilians who stay and fight in face to face combat for their home and country in contrast to the dastardly Russian Soldiers who bomb schools and shopping centers randomly from far away.

— Or the heroic 25-year-old pizza delivery guy who runs into a burning house and saves five children’s lives contrasted with the spineless 149 Border Patrol, 91 State Police, 25 Uvalde Police Officers and 16 Sheriff’s deputies who do NOTHING while an AR-armed gunman assassinates 19 children and 2 adults.

— And the courageous truth-to-power Republicans like Cheney, Kinzinger, Cassidy Hutchinson, Sarah Matthews unafraid of bullies compared to the silent Republicans like the three “M”s: McConnell, McCarthy and Meadows (and so many there’s not enough room to list them) who are more concerned with holding on to power than DEMOCRACY.

I don’t know why some of us have the real stuff and others are sadly lacking. But let’s show our appreciation and support for the HEROES because they make our world safer for all of us.

Worth reading all the way through, Taylor Swift’s Commencement Speech at NYU was filled with life’s wisdom.

Here are my 5 favorite quotes:

1. Life can be heavy, especially if you try to carry it all at once.
2. Decide what is yours to hold and let the rest go.
3. Never be ashamed of trying. Effortlessness is a myth.
4. My experience has been that my mistakes led to the best things in my life.
5. And being embarrassed when you mess up is part of the human experience.

As someone who has made my share of mistakes (and keep trying-trying to bounce back) so much of what she said rings true to me. See if it does for you.

embrace it!

I’m a huge fan of Jason Katims. HUGE. His shows have so much heart they always stay with me after. He was a big part of making two of my all-time faves, the faves of so many… Friday Night Lights and Parenthood.

AS WE SEE IT:  a Comedy? Drama? Dramcomedy? Comdrama?

AS WE SEE IT  on Amazon Prime has the heart and soul of Katim’s trademark, but with lots of twists and turns. I’ve never seen a show quite like it. And you don’t have to take just my word for it, it has an audience score of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s about three Autistic Twentysomethings trying to figure out how to fit in. And it’s actually played by three amazingly-talented actors who are on the spectrum themselves. I know it sounds serious, but it’s not. It’s funny and charming and very real and relatable… we all want to fit in, right?

AS WE SEE IT’s Harrison, Violet and Jack

Wants and Needs —

• Harrison (Albert Rutecki) wants to stop being afraid to leave house.
• Violet (Sue Ann Pien) wants a boyfriend
• Jack (Rick Glassman) wants to take care of his father who is taking care of him.
  (And I want it to already be the second season, so there’s more to watch, haha.)

Mandy (Sosie Bacon) plays the Den Mother/Aid with never-ending compassion who’s running away from her own life — or at least trying to figure it out. I first noticed Bacon in MARE OF EASTTOWN. With talent-genes from her parents Kyra Sedgwick & Kevin Bacon, Sosie shows all of the layers of Mandy in AS WE SEE IT.

Adapted from the Israeli comedy series “On the Spectrum,” AS WE SEE IT is lightness and laughter as Harrison, Violet and Jack face their fears —  frequently with catastrophic results (something else I totally relate to).

As I see it, everyone should give AS WE SEE IT a look… It’s that good!

I barely feel like an Actress or an ER Volunteer…

Remember how they said ER Volunteers could come back to my hospital last month? Well, we’re still not back.

Waiting for my COMEBACK!

Charlayne, my supervisor, had us take a brush-up written test. Did that. Aced it. Then a health check-up. Did that. Then we had to get a flu shot. Did that.

Then she sent an email about a mandatory Booster. Have that.

Then she added a Zoom meeting to go over all over the new Covid rules. Sat in on that.

We learned how we must now enter the hospital through a tent, then wait in line for a temp check, then pick-up two hospital masks (to be worn at the same time) and then get a daily badge to wear in addition to our regular badge. Haven’t done any of that yet, because Charlayne’s now supposed to tell us one-by-one when we can go back.

This is starting to feel like waiting for a callback…

To make things worse… haven’t heard from Dr. A in forever...

Or my Agent!

I’m SO OVER IT!

Oh, and I can’t take my homemade goodies to the doctors and nurses anymore because now the staff isn’t allowed to eat in the hospital!) But, it seems like the hospital isn’t the only organization that keeps changing its mind because the CDC is continually Covid-confused too.

On the good side…

Since I’m not doing anything I haven’t made any MISTAKES lately. haha.

And since I’m on auto-Purelling as a way of life after working in the ER for so long, I haven’t gotten Delta, Omacron or any kind of Covid yet. Fingers crossed.

Oh, and I’ve been going on okay-during-Covid-WALKS with a really cute boy in my neighborhood whose name I’m keeping private at the moment;) Not exactly romantic, but at least we don’t have to wear masks and he can see my smile:)

Hang in there Evie, haha …

Yes it’s last-minute — Christmas is almost here…  but no, it’s not too late. Here are some great gift subscriptions guaranteed to bring smiles, month after month … just a click away.

Something Special for Someone Special…

FLOWERS-BY-THE-MONTH from Bloomsybox  ($45-55 per as many months as you decide)

Unexpected flowers brighten a gloomy day, spiff up any room, and add a little fancy to everyday life.

SOCKS-WITH-A-CAUSE BY-THE-MONTH from Society Socks($20.00 per month)

Haven’t tried this one, but it looks wonderful and they donate to different charities so it’s a gift for many.

MASTERCLASS-BY-THE-MONTH from Masterclass ($15 per month)

Business, Home & Lifestyle, Music, Design, Science & Tech, Wellness and Style Inspiration from the experts in every field. An awesome gift to give or receive.

CHOCOLATE BY-THE-MONTH from Compartes  @$50 per month

Each month is different: January delivers exotic tastes of gourmet chocolate bars with flavors from all over the world. February brings Valentine sweetness, March bring Easter goodies. Compartes is yummy and addictive for all chocoholics. Don’t say you weren’t warned, ahaha.

FACIAL MASKS BY-BY-THE-MONTH from Facetory in Japan @$19.90 a month

Always different, always fabulous, and it’s so much fun to try all of the different beauty masks. This is an awesome gift for women of all ages — an easy, quick beauty routine that never gets boring. (My friend Rachel is really into skincare — she’ll love this.)

BOOZE-BY-THE-MONTH from Mash & Grape ($69.00 – $79.00) 

I gave a 3-month Bourbon subscription to Niles last year and he totally luvvved it — and it’s not-so-secretly on his Wishlist for this year;) The quality of Bourbon, Whisky and Scotch are the highest and the bottles are beautiful. You must be 21 to order. Hint… be sure you navigate the website carefully because it takes awhile to get customer service on the case.

There are so many more I’d love to to write about, but we are running out of time, so I’d better get this posted.

Happy, Safe, Merry EVERYTHING xx/evie