March
Things I've been doing...
Reading
Returning to my much neglected stack of hockey non-fiction reading this month, I’ve been delving into Doug Gilmour’s autobiography. Which means I keep repeating ‘You should start with Dougie Gilmour’ out loud every time I see it (iykyk, etc.). But it is a really lively, personable look at the world of hockey as it was in the golden years of the Toronto Maple Leafs in particular (anyone remember that? No, not really…)
I also read Leading Man by Justin Myers, which was a great, witty look at life in the mid-30s. Following a teacher who has always been a wallflower, I personally love a story that leaves certain threads unresolved, while also leaving you cheering on your protagonists. And this did both.
In addition, I continue to make my way through the Game Changers series, and while yes, as I keep saying, that needs its own post, my love for book series I’ve had since I was a kid- where different stories overlap, and you can stay in that world- is what I love most about these books. I love the overlapping timelines and the way you can see a moment from one couple’s story alongside another. What I also love in reading the whole series is seeing everyone’s favourite chaos bisexual Ilya become the Pied Piper of queer NHLers, if there’s a queer boy in a locker room, he’s there…and adorably helping them out. Also, the immortal exchange ‘how was your first time in a gay bar’ ‘it had more NHL players than I thought’. Never was my love of a book series more cemented than the inclusion of a puppy, and a stropy Russian’s love for said puppy. Am I ready to leave this horny-hockey universe? Probably not, but we’ll always have the cottage.
Watching
Unfortunately for me, I do still worship at the altar of MAFS and the return of the very best of the genre: MAFS Australia has me in a chokehold once again. I like to think of it as a nature documentary for observing straight people. The wild notion that if they don’t immediately want to rip off the clothes of the other person at first sight, it means the relationship is doomed is a wild, fascinating take, and the audacity of men remains unmatched. Same old MAFS then.
In the midst of that, the loss of the wonderful Mel Shilling, midway through this season airing, is a true loss- in an obviously batshit show, a kind, caring human who was no age to be gone.
Elsewhere, the return of Paradise, which was my top show last year, did not disappoint (I say optimistically with one episode to go). One of the best thrillers on TV in recent years, though not perhaps the best choice to watch while certain world leaders decided to push us ever closer to similar world events. However, Sterling K Brown is compelling and, as ever, playing the biggest nerd who is needlessly jacked.
Like almost everyone else (or at least a certain brand of Millennial TV nerd), I am also jumping into The Pitt now that we finally have it in the UK. I watched the first two episodes on a plane last year, which got a bit too stressful for in-flight viewing, so I’m looking forward to diving back in.
I cannot let a couple of milestones pass without mentioning Grey’s Anatomy. The show has been on for 21 years now, and I have watched this show in real time since the first episode. I have given exactly half of my life to this show. With largely no regrets. These stupid Doctors have kept me company through a whole lifetime of my own chaos while delivering chaos squared themselves. When I started it, James Pickins jnr was the ‘bad guy’ Agent Kersh from The X-Files, and I was never going to like this guy…now he’s my longest serving TV dad. He’s also been trying to escape that hospital for two decades. For me, Grey's Anatomy is everything that I want in long-running TV, predictability and unpredictability combined. It has a rhythm, a predictable structure, every episode adheres to the formula of proceedureal drama soaps…and yet it still makes me gasp/yell out loud. It still makes me cry regularly; it makes me cheer for the characters I adore and have sat with for years. They are, at this point, real to many of us. No show has emotionally damaged us like Greys. None of us will forget 007, McSteamy, or Eric, who we also lost this month.
But you know what, Grey’s fans won’t do? Forgive Owen Fucking Hunt. Who is FINALLY leaving. The man is a life-ruiner; he ruins lives (mainly those of women in his vicinity). And he’s finally leaving. With all love to Kevin McKidd, who is an exceptional actor, not least for making me hate this man with every fibre of my being….but Greys, I need to see a body. Otherwise, I won’t believe the women of Seattle are free of having their lives ruined, please and thank you.
Listening
I finally listened to Harry Styles' new album, and while it has provided some background noise for the gym, Harry, this time it’s not the one (for me, anyway). So there’s something positive in now having the willpower to go into battle on Ticketmaster- I’m probably not going to be that sad about missing his concerts (and let’s be honest, schlepping to Wembley is never something I want to do willingly).
Meanwhile, I’ve had Dean Lewis’s ‘Empire’ on repeat all month, in one of those ‘this is what I listen to while I work now’. And a bit of anger at the world led me back to Self Esteem’s album for some angry stomping walks. I’d love to see her on stage, but my aversion to David Hare plays prevents that particular adventure.
Finally, I was putting together some teaching on Sondheim, which led me down a series of YouTube rabbit holes, and all I can say is that early 2000’s Sondheim productions did a number on me. I present to the jury my holy trinity.
Sweeney Todd, 2005 John Doyle Production. Starring Michael Cerverais and Patti LuPone.
Company, 2005, John Doyle Production, Raul Esparza and Patti LuPone (one of the only men I will accept as Bobby now).
And the GOAT: 2006 Chocolate Factory Production, Starring Daniel Evans and Anna Jane Casey/Jenna Russell.
The latter may just be my villain origin story.
Revisiting them, and frankly, all the Raul Esparza that YouTube had to offer, was a joyous trip down memory lane. And while I still struggle with my relationship with theatre- I’m not as in it as I used to be, and that has me doubting my love of it, these productions remind me that the things I do love are imprinted on me forever.
Bonus, I’ve been listening to this on repeat since I found it…
Doing (Fun)
It’s still hockey season (the last full month, I can say that). But this month saw a hockey-bucket-list moment ticked off: going to Belfast for the Double Header (sounds filthy). Every year, the team goes to Belfast to play back-to-back games over a weekend. Originally a logistical choice, it’s become a big fan weekend, with yes, a lot of drinking (for other people, I didn’t drink at all the whole weekend). We went for Mum’s 80th Birthday, which had been the month before, her choice- she was offered alternatives and chose Belfast and hockey. Big fan of the Big Fish situation though.
What I learned is I am not and never will be a Titanic girlie (or was the ‘experience’ museum just not great?), but that Ulster museum was great, the city is a great one to explore, and if you go in with hockey expectations on the floor, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Other than that, I feel like while I am slowly coming back to life, March was spent very much recovering from the December-Febuary book sprint and generally the depths of winter, so not much else other than hockey was done.
Doing (Work)
In a weird lull for March, where the big chunk of writing work was done, and the promo for Rainbow Wales hasn’t kicked in yet. That said, to link back to two weeks ago and my post about what it takes to put a book out there, the work starts kicking in again with a book coming out. While I’m lucky to have really supportive publishers who help with promotion, to really give you and the book the best chance, there’s so much pitching, searching for potential events, and figuring out how to balance it all.
It’s also been a time of job hunting again, now there’s space to pause between book chaos, and figure out (maybe) what the next phase looks like…which is frankly depressing right now. Being ghosted after an interview, I feel, is the lowest point of job hunting, and that happened last week. Not just the lowest, but the rudest: if I (or any candidate) take time out from their existing work, spend time driving to, preparing for, and just meeting you in person, the least we can expect in return is an email letting us know the outcome. Sadly, the bar is so low that places don’t even see fit to do that anymore.
That rant over for now, here’s (So far) some of the book-related events I’ll be doing…
