Another month in the books and another round up of my favourite things!
August 2023 had some very fun and unexpected treats.
A show I watched - Deadloch, on Prime
If I'm being completely honest, I was not sure about this show at first. My husband and I sat down to watch the first episode and, with some of the humour, I was like "I don't know about this;" meanwhile, he was guffawing next to me on the couch. He loved it from the first moments! So we stuck with it and I am SO glad we did. Once I started seeing the humour through the lens of satire - poking fun at some very overwrought pop-culture tropes - I appreciated it a lot more. And this was hands down (!) one of the best murder-investigation shows I've watched in a long time. We only watched one or two episodes a night, but I found myself thinking about it between episodes. New evidence would emerge and we'd feel compelled to pause the show to talk about what it meant for the case and the story. I don't think that a show has had me that invested since Scandal! I sincerely hope that they make a season two. This show was a lot of fun.
A place I ate - The Old Red Barn, Leduc, AB
I've been wanting to experience one of The Old Red Barn's farm-to-table dinners for years. They are a working farm, on a scenic spot of land, with a beautifully crafted Old Red Barn for special events (see a photo I took below for an idea of how picturesque this spot is). Every year they host a series of farm-to-table dinners. These curated experiences feature a different chef, fresh ingredients from local farms and culinary artisans, and a multi-course menu. The experience is enhanced by the venue, where everyone sits together at one long table in the eponymous barn.
We attended the dinner on August 10th, which was a special-edition farm-to-flame dinner where every course featured ingredients prepared over an open fire. It was wonderful! Great food and drink, friendly hosts, good company, the opportunity to hear directly from the producers who grew/raised the food and the chefs to used the inspiration to create a delicious meal. We will certainly be returning again next year!
A book I read - Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
While this is a very different story than Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, I suspect that fans of that book will enjoy this one as well. It's a story of two friends, and a third who they meet in college, and the progression of their friendship over time. It's a realistic portrayal of how complicated friendships, and friendship dynamics in a social group, can be. The backdrop is that the friends love games and gaming, grow up to become game designers and start a company together - and I think it's that context that will appeal to RPO fans. But that's really just the backdrop to a beautiful story about love, relationships, and how they evolve over time. It explores the different kinds of love that we experience and the different kinds of loss that we feel too. I laughed, I cried, and weeks later I'm still thinking about those characters and wondering how their lives continued after the story ended. This was a really beautiful book.
What are some of the things that you've been enjoying this month?
What have you found yourself grateful for?
Please share your moments of wonder in the comments!
May you find joy in unexpected places,
Petrina
If you are looking for a mental health therapist in Alberta, Canada, and you'd like to work with me, I offer in-person sessions in Edmonton and virtual sessions province-wide. You can book an appointment, or a free 15-minute consultation call, on my website: Calder Mental Health Services
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