Netflix Escape

(Our hostesses for this week's Fun Monday are Jennifer and Emily over at Mothers of Brothers . They want to know about the word or words that mean a great deal to us. After all, they say, words can be our building blocks to communication and understanding, our stepping stones, even our salvation. For this time in my life, I'm going with "Netflix". Here's why.)

For last week's Fun Monday I shared some of the challenges I'm currently working though with my older sister's medical issues and loss of her home through a fire in her apartment building. Over the past month I've moved her over 300 miles from her lifetime home to live in my city so I can provide the care and support she needs. She'll live with me for several months, at least, until we can find her a suitable new apartment. I'm so grateful to all of you who shared your insights and experiences in dealing with this all too common dilemma last week. You did indeed provide some pearls of wisdom.

Last week I spoke of living on the fringes of my home and the challenges of nose to nose living 24:7 for someone who's accustomed to privacy and the company of only Willie the pit bull. Willie doesn't demand conversation, need my bed, forget to clean up after himself. Nor does he watch game shows or the home shopping network nonstop. Why he hardly ever demands control of the remote except for Dog Whisperer episodes (he thinks Daddy puts on airs)or Houston Animal Policeon the Animal Planet(he gets misty over a good pit bull rescue story).

Here's where my favorite word,"Netflix", as in Netflix Escape comes in. A couple of months ago I signed up for movie delivery at home service thinking it would get me through the summer dry spell of TV reruns and bummer pilot shows. Even before all the Sis drama came up, I was loving the opportunity to have four great movies lined up at once to watch at my leisure (which is most of the time since I'm retired). Over the past couple of months I've watched over 30 memorable movies--British dramas, all the Jane Austen productions, obscure independent films that deserved more attention, and blockbusters that I missed when they were playing locally.

What you see here is my Netflix Escape spot. When every nerve screams for privacy, I retreat to this corner of my home, and go to another place in the world--maybe even another century by popping a DVD in my computer. If you look closely at these photos you'll see why this place is such an escape. First, Willie always sleeps on his yoga mat under the desk--he'll stay up as late at night as necessary. If I look over my desk, I can see the huge map of the world with places I've been and other places I'm going soon. When I look over to the left, there's some of my watercolors and pen and ink drawings done in a calmer, more creative time.

Stacked on the desk are books that I'm currently reading and favorite DVDs that I watch over and over. There's also photos of some much loved dogs and my current actor hotties--Colin Firth posing as "adorable casual" and Richard Armitage as John Thornton in
North and South who's almost replacing Mr. Darcy in my affections. Yes, this raises some questions about the maturity of this 60+ year old, but I did say it's an escape, right? And, I do assure you that I didn't have to hide fan pics of the Jonas Brothers before taking this photo!

See the big blue pilates stability ball under the desk? It makes an excellent foot prop for leaning back and watching movies for hours on end. And, do you see the two small purple pilates balls to the left? Their names are Paris and Lindsay and are highly recommended to sit on for long drive times--takes the pressure off your "brain", if you're still with me? I traveled over 2,000 miles in a couple of weeks in July and they were lifesavers.

Now here's my five favorite Netflix Escapes from this past month:

1. North and South--an adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel off the clash of north and south in the midst of England's Industrial Revolution. Northern mill owner, John Thornton, and southern parson's daughter, Margaret Hale, wage a major class battle until they come to an understanding, as you can tell from this scene. Do you even need to ask why this one is #1?

2.Veronica Guerin--Irish newspaper reporter fights drug dealers and crime bosses through her investigative stories when no one else dared take them on.

3. Darjeeling Limited--three grown American brothers travel across India to find their mother. They regularly do each other in, but come through in the end to act like brothers. Very, very funny.

4. The Songcatcher--an uptight music professor travels to the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1900s and discovers the purest of English ballads and friendship from the people who shared their music.

5. What a Girl Wants--delicious fluff! 17 year old American girl ,Daphne, heads off to England to connect with her father, the uptight Lord Henry Dashwood (Colin Firth). The chemistry is great between the two and music just makes you happy.

So, for this month my magic word is Netflix as in a handy way to escape from my day to day concerns and let someone else do the plotting, planning and worrying for a couple of hours. Hope your magic word does the same for you. And don't forget to check out the other Fun Monday wise words.

(Hint: if you're like me and are always interested in other people's book piles--or if you need to see the lovely John Thornton up close and without his cravat--just click on the photos to embiggen.)