SIX SEASONS OF HANDMAIDENS

 

I’ve been streaming for less than a year with only a few paid sites to save money, all with (ugh) commercials. However now I’m able to watch series that were once unavailable to me. One that has been on my wish list for years is THE HANDMAID’S TALE. I recently binge watched this and I must say it didn’t disappoint!

My hat is off to Margaret Atwood author of the novel this series is based upon. She has truly created something extraordinary that will be remembered forever.

I watched this over so many evenings it began to feel like a dystopian soap opera. However, soap operas have their appeal and are addictive. Plus, this one was particularly gripping, not to mention scary, since I can see something similar happening now due to our current political climate. Twenty years ago, I never imagined it possible that the United States could ever be taken over by a cult.

The only issue I had was with the casting. I find it unbelievable Commander Waterford who had an accomplished wife as beautiful as a supermodel, would cheat behind her back with the bovine Offhead/June.

On the other hand, it reminded me of the true story about the poor lobster fisherman’s son whose mom sent him off to school every day with a lobster sandwich because that’s all they could afford. He envied his classmates, drooling over their peanut butter sandwiches.

I love chocolate truffles, but if I had them every day, they would cease to be special.

After completing Season 5, and half-way thru Season 6 the final one, I found myself suddenly locked out of HULU for which I was paying! I was informed that now I required a Disney account to access it which would add to my ongoing bill!

Geez, I’m an adult! I didn’t want the damn Disney! I have no interest in seeing people frolicking and singing with woodland creatures. I’d sooner see them fornicating with forest animals!

I was forced to call my $150 per hour tech guy. The one who set me up streaming. I resented having to do this! However, he solved the problem.

Thankfully I was able to finish watching this series that I enjoyed. It’s also a cautionary tale that shouldn’t be ignored.

APPLIANCE RELIANCE

 

Refrigerators & freezers like their owners grow old and die in similar ways. First come the popping cracking noises followed by moaning and growing in misery and eventually incontinence. When you find a puddle by your fridge you can blot it up with a Depend's diaper, but its life is near the end.

Maybe it's because I'm alone but I get attached to my appliances. A friend reminded me they can't love you back. But I don't need them to! I'm not that emotionally needy.

My oldest appliances feel like family. Others are like employees whom I've worked with; some are better at their job than others.

I still miss my first microwave oven. Never once did I need to move food around during mid cycle to ensure it cooked thoroughly. Ditto for my previous toaster oven! It was larger & simpler to operate. My current one required reading a manual to operate.

Back in the day before DVRs I went thru a slew of VCRs. One, a cheap off brand, (I swear to God) could miraculously record programs even during a power outage! Sadly, it broke after only two years and the brand was discontinued.

In the old days appliances were made to last! The space heater I brought to Vero Beach had to be at least 50 when it died. I was age 55 at the time and I remember it being used to heat our home when I was an infant. My parents brought it down from Michigan in 1952.

My current refrigerator is the best one I've ever owned! It's a gorgeous gigantic silver & black one. I purchased the spring of 2004 before the back-to-back hurricanes hit in the fall. This was two years before I lost a staggering amount of money in what my (then) financial advisor assured me was a safe investment. It’s still running fine as of this writing.

However, I’ve had 3 garage freezers since 2005! The last one (I just replaced) was purchased in 2017. I remember well the day it arrived; I’d had cataract surgery that morning and it was delivered that afternoon. The thing didn’t even last 10 years!

I was recently told by a salesman in the appliance dept that newer models are deliberately designed by the manufacturers to last only between 5 to 7 years forcing customers to replace them sooner.

This sucks, they should be ashamed!