I…. got….. nothin!
I’m scheduled for surgery in a couple of days (nothing dire, don’t worry) and I’ll be off work and home, bored out of my mind I’m sure. In the meantime, though, I’m frantically running around wrapping up work projects.
So please give me your recommendations for …. anything, really. What makes bedrest nicer? Do I need one of those buckwheat hull (?) thingies you warm up in the microwave? Do I need any healing balms, snacks, funny books, fuzzy socks? What should I be reading online? Great books, websites, shows to watch? I feel like I haven’t had time to plan any of this out the way I normally would. This will be my opportunity to read, relax, listen to music, whatever. Recommendations please!
Thinking of you and hoping you recover quickly! For enjoyable escapism, I like Thomas Perry’s Jane Whitefield series, with a very cool heroine who rescues and relocates people caught in very bad places. And enjoy lots of your favorite teas! Hugs to you, dear!
Sending hugs and good wishes. Two tv shows I have found surprisingly enjoyable lately are Manifest and God Friended Me. Both are thoughtful enough for an intelligent woman but not so serious that you can’t doze a bit. When laid up, I prefer magazines to books until the pain meds taper off, as my attention span is unreliable then. Stock up on magazines! And yes, fuzzy socks too. Also, a good time to get Christmas cards ready, if you still do such things.
Be well, and gentle hugs! Recently, I’ve enjoyed the nonfiction I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, the research/true crime book that pretty much led to the Golden State Killer, and a short (4 episode) Netflix series Fat Salt Acid Heat — cooking shows usually have men exploring exotic locales and “discovering” food while women cook for others in domestic settings. This is an Iranian-American woman traveling and enjoying food with gusto, and it’s also really interesting.
Quick healing March.
Portia x
I would put together a small bin of various crafting or sewing repair projects, the kinds of things we toss to the side because we normally don’t have the time. Or maybe writing out and addressing Christmas cards? Hope your downtime and pain are minimal!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! Podcasts if you’re into them. Homecoming is the one that Julia Roberts is doing for prime. Echoing Mrs Maisel. Also Bosch, Mozart in the Jungle and Sneaky Pete which I love! Lots of great original content on Amazon Prime.
Have you read Ann Cleeves? She’s one of my favorite police-procedural writers and has two series, one set in northern England featuring Vera Stanhope and the other set in the Shetland Islands featuring Jimmy Perez. Both have been made into TV shows as well, so you can enjoy in whatever format you have the energy for. I also recommend the podcast “You Must Remember This” about old Hollywood. Best wishes for your recovery!
DH and I binge-watched “Jack Ryan” on Amazon Prime with John Krasinski recently, and it was excellent. I also really liked Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” about a young Jewish woman in the late 40s, early 50s who decides to try stand-up. This one is a dramedy, warning for bad language. For your after-surgery care, I’d make sure to have some ginger ale in the house in case I felt queasy. Best wishes that all goes very well for you!
Podcasts! There are so many great ones. Listening to The Dream right now, about women and multi-level marketing. Love so many different times. Plus, shameless self-promotion – ours is pretty good. On the Dead Ladies Show Podcast we tell stories from women from history, live on stage. Let’s see – what else is good. The Guilty Feminist podcast – so funny and great! BBC’s Kitchen Cabinet – a funny food panel show of charming Brits. And many more…
I don’t know what your surgery limitations will be but if you can’t shower for a couple days, my practical recs are: Batiiste dry shampoo (they have an assortment of pleasant scents that don’t last too long and they don’t turn your hair weird colors); some extra large size body wipes for a sponge bath (geriatric section of Walgreens); hand cream, nail file, a good lip balm (pain meds are drying); some of your most favorite juices to drink (hot tea is nice but if you’ve been under anesthesia your throat might be tender, and cold drinks taste good.) Best wishes!
Good wishes for the surgery. If you have the energy to read, I recommend Joe Ide’s books, IQ, Righteous, Wrecked. If you don’t have the oomph for that, what about some travel audiobooks, which at least will be distracting (ie, take me to a desert island type stuff).
My last surgery was an eye surgery so I couldn’t read nor watch tv. I’ve downloaded audio books and it was great! If you haven’t tried it until now, do it. It is such a great experience because you are isolated from sounds around you and you can really concentrate on the story. Get yourself a bed tray table. It’s very practical.
I wish you a quick recovery.
I like Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project podcasts and the Tiny Desk concerts on You Tube. There are lots of both of them.
Or binge watch series that you can get from the library … Insecure is awesome but there are tons of series that are great, these days
I have a small collection of movies that I always watch when sick .. Just whatever you like really, things you’ve seen so you don’t miss anything my favs are bridget Jones ‘ diary (the first ), any Jason borne movies, oceans 11-12, or any Melissa Mccarthy movie actually. Lots of magazines, books , and tea. Good luck recuperating!
When I’m stuck in bed recovering, I enjoy docos because I can fade in and out and not feel like I’ve missed anything essential – Planet Earth on Netflix is great.
What do you like to read? What genre?
Police procedurals (particularly in foreign places) and fiction, preferably not with terrible things happening to children.