Entertain me

I’m perhaps one of 100 odd adults in the world that hasn’t watched a single episode of Game Of Thrones. I haven’t read or watched a Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings book or movie. Trust me, I’m not smug about it. I honestly never felt the urge to pick up the book or watch the film. And I doubt if I ever will. It’s so far removed from the kind of entertainment I prefer and to an extent, I have serious commitment issues with these franchises that seem to go on and on with no end in sight.

It’s one of the reasons why I simply can’t watch a TV series , for instance, that runs to ten seasons. It’s anxiety-inducing and once I start, I fear that I’ll never be able to follow it through to its logical end. It is a big commitment and I’m so not ready to take it on. On the other hand, I like sitcoms because you can pick any random episode, have a good laugh and move on. Case in point: The Office. It’s not all-consuming. It makes no lofty demands. Each episode is a stand-alone situation with its own mini plot so there’s no compulsion to watch all seasons and no nervous anticipation or twists. It’s absolutely liberating. The only TV show I binge watched was How I Met Your Mother; I was going through a rough patch in my personal life and sought solace in this mindless show, which I now realise is full of misogyny and rife with objectification of women.

That said, I do enjoy a few shows that I recently watched on Netflix and Amazon Prime. The Marvellous Mrs Maisel is the best show I’ve ever watched in my 33 years of existence. That’s a tall claim and I stand by it. The first two seasons were released in instalments on Amazon and I devoured them; can’t wait for season 3. I like that there’s a waiting time, and that the seasons are not thrust on your face all at once. That would be too overwhelming. The other series I really enjoyed was The Kominsky Method on Netflix. Such impeccable writing. I watched this one in batches too, and I’m through with season 1. I’m hoping the show puts out more seasons. And oh, I remember now that I did binge watch another show – Master Of None by Aziz Ansari. I was plonked on the couch all afternoon watching all episodes of the season back to back, and I’d watch it again. I love that show.

I find it easier to watch movies on online streaming platforms rather than committing to a series. That way, I spend less time on my device – of course, I don’t ever get to watch a movie in its entirety. I catch an hour of it when D sleeps, and then continue watching it the next day around her nap time. So it typically takes me a couple of days or more to complete the movie.

Watching shows and movies on my phone is strictly a nap time activity. I only do this when D is sleeping and it’s only during her day nap. I either read a book or if I’m done with the book and I find something I want to watch online, I stream a show or movie. The rest of the time I’m either working or playing with D, taking care of her or pottering about at home. At night I turn off wifi around D’s bed time and once I get through the Herculean task of putting her to sleep, I retire to bed too.

I’m trying not to use gadgets and screens when I’m with D during the time she’s awake. My mom has already been handing over her phone to D around meal time, much to my chagrin. Besides, my parents spend more time staring, swiping their screens and watching videos on Whatsapp than I’ve ever done! I do not want D to be exposed to all of this and I’m making an effort to stay away from my phone and be present in the moment. In fact, being present in the moment is my goal, and in the coming days, I’m going to take baby steps towards attaining it.