First Friday Five {October}

A while back, I was publishing posts on Fridays listing five of something. (You can read some of those here, if you’re interested.)

I miss that, a little bit, so I’m bringing it back. Sort of. I can’t commit to it weekly, so let’s try it monthly. On the first Friday of every month (okay, most months), I’ll list five things I’m loving at the moment. It might be books or music or TV or food or I don’t know. At the very least, you’ll get to know all my quirks!

Here we go, then.

1. Jane the Virgin. Right away, I’ll just let you see my guilty pleasure Netflix show. It’s based on a telenovela, and it is hilarious. I’m almost embarrassed by how much I love this show (and even more embarrassed to tell you how quickly I watched season 2 once the kids went back to school.) Jane, the lead character, is a writer, and the show is one of the best examples of cliffhangers from one episode to the next that I’ve seen. I’m debating whether to watch season 3 in real time.
2. The Enneagram. The what? I know. Say it with me: Any-a-gram. It’s a personality inventory, I guess is the best way to describe it. Like the Myers-Briggs only not at all. The Enneagram evaluates personalities on a number system, 1-9, but it’s so much more than that. I read a book about it earlier this year and kind of forgot about it, then one of my favorite authors co-wrote a book about it and launched a podcast, and now I can’t stop talking about it. Knowing my number and how I act or react in certain situations, as well as how I am at my worst and best, has been freeing. Any other Enneagram fans out there?
3. Related, podcasts. I had no interest in podcasts until recently. I’m more of a visual, hands-on learner than an auditory learner, so I resist things like audio books and podcasts. But I’ve found that podcasts are basically like listening to talk radio on specific subjects, and I am now a changed woman. I have several favorites: The Road Back to You, Revisionist History and The Liturgists top my list. Two new discoveries: The New Activist and Scribble & Jam.
4. Roasting food. The worst part about summer is not being able to use my oven when it’s so dang hot outside. (No central air in our house.) Roasting vegetables is the easiest way to get so much flavor out of all that garden goodness. And I practically swoon with giddiness when I take the opportunity to roast a whole chicken. It’s proof of my ability to behave domestically. Potatoes, vegetables, meat. Almost nothing is safe from the roasting.
5. Older comedic actors. Ted Danson in The Good Place and Lily Tomlin in Grace and Frankie are reminding me of the comedy gold standard they have achieved in their careers. I don’t mind today’s crowd of comedic geniuses but these gray-haired actors I’ve been watching for what seems like my whole life are gems not to be forgotten.