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Monday, November 16, 2020

The Structural Dynamics of Flow: A Podcast

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I came to the Amazon series Patriot late but fell hard for the genre-busting series. What I assumed would be an action/spy/thriller ended up being more like an existentialist comedy with genuine warmth and pathos in equal measure. Plus folk songs. It's a doozy.

Although the series stopped at two seasons, rabid fans are always wanting more. So writer/director Steven Conrad has obliged with this podcast disguised as a the audiobook version of The Integral  Principles of the Structural Dynamics of Flow, narrated by Kurtwood Smith, who portrayed the book's author, L.G. Claret, in Patriot.

The character Leslie Claret is, as they say, a piece of work. Smith imbues him with pathos and not charm, exactly, but an enviable passion for pipes and their fittings. The podcast serves as a kind of backstory of the seriously flawed structural engineer, punctuated with music from Conrad's band, The Jones Sisters– also prominently featured in his Epix series Perpetual Grace LTD, which is another must-watch.

This clip of Patriot protagonist John Lakeman, undercover CIA operative undercover who likes to do open mics, pondering L.G. Claret is a micro-overview of this brilliant show.

Listen to the first episode now and subscribe for podcast updates:

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Featuring A Strong Female Lead | The Break With Michelle Wolf Premieres Sunday on Netflix

Looking for something to stream this Memorial Day Weekend? Perhaps something with A Strong Female Lead?


Michelle Wolf's speech at this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner may have been controversial, but it was also hilarious and spot-on. The truth hurts, people!


The Break With Michelle Wolf, a Netflix Original, premieres this Sunday May 27th on the streaming service. The series will feature sketches, live guests, and more in a weekly format. I'm looking forward to watching Wolf breaking the mold of strong female leads.

Monday, November 13, 2017

Holiday Helpers: The Stationery Studio

I am the WORST at holidays. I am not a big fan of festive holiday home decor, at least in our house, and I seldom manage to get holiday cards out on time. This year, though, I've got an ace up my sleeve. The Stationery Studio has a great selection of  christmas-cards that can be personalized to fit any family… even ours! Their designs range from simple and casual to elegant and foil-embellished.


We don't really do the formal family portrait thing (are you really surprised?), so I decided to use one of the first day of school candid shots I took of the kids this year. The design I chose was the Red Pine Trees Holiday Personalized Photo Card, which features a single family photo on one side, with a bold geometric pattern reminiscent of a Christmas tree forest on the reverse.

https://www.thestationerystudio.com/product/red-pine-trees-holiday-photo-cards-p51473.html?pCat=4569

Much to my surprise and delight, the quality card stock and lustrous matte finish of the printing made my iPhone snapshot look almost… professional. Certainly intentional, at the very least! The cards and envelopes arrive in a heavy weight linen-textured keepsake box that makes it easy to keep everything in one place.



It's not even Thanksgiving and I have the holiday cards ready to be stuffed with this year's school portraits. Thanks to The Stationery Studio for kicking our holiday season into high gear.

Disclosure: In accordance to the FTC Guidelines, I am disclosing that I have received product samples to facilitate this review but all opinions here are decidedly my own.