Showtime’s Episodes Starring Matt LeBlanc

My happy place! See all of those books I didn’t read?

 

Did you know about this show? It’s in its fifth season and I only just discovered it two weeks ago. I love when I find a show that speaks to my silly television sensibilities, but also has enough depth to keep me interested.

Episodes Starring Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc!

I stumbled upon Episodes when I was in desperate need for some TV time and realized that my usual go-to channels had nothing, I mean NOTHING, worth watching. My problem is I haven’t evolved past my young years when I only had the major networks from which to choose.

Today, I have equipped myself with a plethora of channels, yet I have no idea what my options are. I consistently click on the same old stations – 4, 5 and 7 plus a dash of Bravo. I’m so conditioned to my old-school clicker habits, I don’t even bother to find the HD stations.

This summer, however, I branched out. You may recall that I failed miserably at summer reading, so I was in search of something good to watch. And no, I cannot stomach Game of Thrones!

Enter Episodes starring Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc. Since my discovery, I’ve been happily binge watching right through to this Sunday when I caught up with the show in its current season airing Sunday nights at 10pm.

The Premise

The show is light-hearted, mildly inappropriate and clever. It focuses on two British writers, a married couple, who are brought to Los Angeles by an obnoxious Hollywood television producer. They’re hired to recreate their hit British show for an American audience. Their British accents endeared me as did their dry wit and very believable marital connection. Kudos to Stephen Mangan (Sean) and Tamsin Greig (Beverly) for playing their parts so well. The contrast of these talented and proper British types against the fake and foul L.A. divas and darlings is pure comedy. When the couple learns they must cast Matt LeBlanc as their lead, a contentious yet charming relationship between the three takes center stage for each 30 minute episode.

I also enjoy seeing the show’s interpretation of what goes on behind the scenes with writers, actors and executives. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

A Nod to Friends

If you are looking for something light, comedic and entertaining, with just the right touch of Joey from “Friends,” give Episodes starring Matt LeBlanc a look. Friends references are plentiful and, so far, there’s been one guest appearance by David Schwimmer.

What are you watching?

 

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Showtime’s Episodes Starring Matt LeBlanc

My happy place! See all of those books I didn’t read?

 

Did you know about this show? It’s in its fifth season and I only just discovered it two weeks ago. I love when I find a show that speaks to my silly television sensibilities, but also has enough depth to keep me interested.

Episodes Starring Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc!

I stumbled upon Episodes when I was in desperate need for some TV time and realized that my usual go-to channels had nothing, I mean NOTHING, worth watching. My problem is I haven’t evolved past my young years when I only had the major networks from which to choose.

Today, I have equipped myself with a plethora of channels, yet I have no idea what my options are. I consistently click on the same old stations – 4, 5 and 7 plus a dash of Bravo. I’m so conditioned to my old-school clicker habits, I don’t even bother to find the HD stations.

This summer, however, I branched out. You may recall that I failed miserably at summer reading, so I was in search of something good to watch. And no, I cannot stomach Game of Thrones!

Enter Episodes starring Matt LeBlanc as Matt LeBlanc. Since my discovery, I’ve been happily binge watching right through to this Sunday when I caught up with the show in its current season airing Sunday nights at 10pm.

The Premise

The show is light-hearted, mildly inappropriate and clever. It focuses on two British writers, a married couple, who are brought to Los Angeles by an obnoxious Hollywood television producer. They’re hired to recreate their hit British show for an American audience. Their British accents endeared me as did their dry wit and very believable marital connection. Kudos to Stephen Mangan (Sean) and Tamsin Greig (Beverly) for playing their parts so well. The contrast of these talented and proper British types against the fake and foul L.A. divas and darlings is pure comedy. When the couple learns they must cast Matt LeBlanc as their lead, a contentious yet charming relationship between the three takes center stage for each 30 minute episode.

I also enjoy seeing the show’s interpretation of what goes on behind the scenes with writers, actors and executives. I’m not sure how accurate it is, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

A Nod to Friends

If you are looking for something light, comedic and entertaining, with just the right touch of Joey from “Friends,” give Episodes starring Matt LeBlanc a look. Friends references are plentiful and, so far, there’s been one guest appearance by David Schwimmer.

What are you watching?

 

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What I Learned from My Fitbit

My Fitbit

 

Let me begin by saying, this really isn’t my Fitbit. It’s my fourteen-year old daughter’s. She requested it for Christmas. Against my better judgement, I got it for her. I should’ve known it would sit in a pile on her bureau. My Ally likes to collect things more than put them to good use. Regardless, the investment has not been wasted and I am now the happy owner of my very own Fitbit.

My Fitbit

Ally was kind enough to set me up with my own account and connected my Fitbit to my phone. Right away I was impressed that my “watch” was magically communicating with my iPhone. Oh how technology baffles me!

Like most fitness crazes I go through, this latest obsession was driven by pure necessity. I had, yet again, slipped into a bad pattern of too much eating and too little exercise. With Fitbit came knowledge and what I learned is – I’m not nearly as active as I thought. While it feels like I’m never standing still, my Fitbit tells me I don’t go very far. Well, not far enough to burn the calories necessary to offset my happy eating and drinking lifestyle.

10,000 Steps

According to my Fitbit, I should be taking 10,000 steps a day – that’s easier said than done. However, with the motivating messages that pop up on my Fitbit screen every hour or so, I’m reminded to get up and get moving. My Fitbit asks me to take it for a walk, it reminds me that it’s “step o’clock” and just now it told me it’s time to get rolling. Cute, clever, annoying – whatever you want to call it, the Fitbit is getting me going.

The psychology behind the Fitbit and why so many people use them is certainly not lost on me. When I see these encouraging messages, I can’t help but experience a wave of guilt. Not only do the messages make me painfully aware that I haven’t gotten off my butt in far too long, but I weirdly don’t want to disappoint my Fitbit. If, by the end of the day, I’m way off my goal, I drag myself out the door and go for a walk. This is unprecedented – I’m really not a night person.

The ultimate motivator comes when I’ve reached my goal and my wrist starts buzzing like a beehive. I look down to flashes of little fireworks and a message announcing that I’ve “crushed it.” Ten thousand steps and a total sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Thank you very much Fitbit!

Honestly, I’m not much for gadgets or tracking things, but having a better sense of my activity level throughout the day has been valuable. I’ve grown to like my Fitbit so much I might upgrade to another version with more features and a fun color.

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I’m Obsessed with Gilmore Girls

gilmoregirls

I set out to do a bunch of things over February break, but it turns out the thing I did the most was binge watch Gilmore Girls.

Back in the day, 2000-2007, I was not much of a Gilmore Girls fan. It leaned a little goodie-goodie for my taste. And back then, I was in the throes of raising two little girls of my own so somehow this beloved, mother/daughter drama slipped by me.

Until November 2016 when a four-episode revival on Netflix debuted. Suddenly, being a Gilmore Girls fan was a thing all over again. My interest was piqued.

Gilmore Girls – The Original

Back in December, my girls and I made it our mission to watch all seven seasons. This took longer than expected as each season contained 22, hour-long episodes. Do they even make shows with that many episodes in a season anymore?

Anyway, we’re finally through it and I can officially say, I’m now a Gilmore Girls fan. Not just because I discovered that Milo Ventimiglia, my new favorite actor from the best show on television, This Is Us, played a pivotal role in the series (boy, does he look different now). But because it was hysterical to go back in time. Honestly, when I think about the early 2000s, it doesn’t seem like that long ago, but this show was so dated. Flip phones, bad fashion and every antiquated notion of small town living you could imagine – all of it had me hooked.

I also liked the show’s mom/daughter premise for obvious reasons. While I did my best to pay attention to the quirky plot, I found myself spending more time fixating on weird and random things. For example, the main character, Rory’s, never aging voice. She sounded like she was twelve for the entire seven seasons. Other things like actors sipping on empty coffee cups and objects moving from one scene to the next were fun to catch. Production was not at its finest in this series.

Regardless, it was fun to get caught up on this popular series and I loved that funny girl, Melissa McCarthy, played a major role and was more sweet than silly. I love seeing where major celebs got their start.

Gilmore Girls – The Revival

Up next, the revival and I can’t wait.  I just need to pin down a chunk of time to blast through four episodes.

Were you a Gilmore Girls Fan?

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Selfie Light Phone Case – Product Review

Selfie light phone case by Waterluu

 

I’m a product girl from way back.  In fact, I’m an advertiser’s dream.  If I see something advertised that looks cool, I obsess about it until I can run out and buy it for myself.  One thing I never imagined I would have in my arsenal of items is a selfie light phone case.

When Julia bought me one for Christmas she said, “I thought you might like this since you spend so much time on your phone now.” I thought, OK not sure how to take that, but I love stuff so thanks;  I’ll give it a whirl.

Julia knows that I am really not one for selfies, but I have tried to get in on the selfie game just a bit as I attempt to be more active on social media.

I most like the idea of selfies when I can take one with a friend or group. And in my lifetime of celebrity stalking, I imagine one day I’ll have the opportunity to take a selfie with a celeb. Therefore, I’d better brush up on my skills or risk missing my chance.

The problem is, I am so incredibly bad at taking selfies; I never do it. The awkward fiddling and fumbling of my phone as I try to figure out a decent angle is actually embarrassing. I have dropped my phone more than a few times attempting to snap a family selfie.  My girls just roll their eyes and laugh. Is there some kind of trick to this? I was recently shown the self-timer option on my phone camera which has come in handy. Those much needed extra seconds, to set up the shot, have proven to be quite helpful. Thank you Tallie Abernathy!

My Selfie Light Phone Case

So now I have this selfie light phone case and maybe, just maybe, I’ll put it to use.

I will admit that a few test shots with the light activated actually made a difference.  I took some shots with the selfie light phone case on and compared to shots taken with no light. Much to my surprise, I wasn’t horrified by my own image in the shot with the light on.

Judge for yourself.  The shot on the left – without light vs. the shot on the right – with light. Truthfully, I don’t like either, but if I had to choose I would pick the shot on the right. While the color is more yellow than I would like, I do think the selfie light added a more flattering glow to my appearance overall.

 

Waterluu selfie light phone case before and after

 

Listen, I’ll take all the help I can get!

I am sure a selfie light phone case is not for everyone, but it might make a nice gift for a teen, millennial or an old dog, like me, who is having a little fun exploring the new age world of social media.

My selfie light phone case is by Waterluu and comes in a pretty shade of rose gold.

 

Waterluu Selfie light phone case in rose gold

 

It has two levels of brightness and, if I must take a selfie, I’m glad I have this product in my back pocket. Check out Amazon for a wide selection of phone cases with light options.

Happy Monday and Go Patriots!

 

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