Friday Food for Thought: March 4, 2022

Hello Friends, welcome to Friday Food for Thought. Every Friday I’ll help start your weekend by sharing four people, thoughts, or things that are on my mind this week. These may be books or movies, podcast suggestions, interesting people I follow on Twitter, music, products, or, well, anything. You may find interesting creativity boosts here, some conversation starters, or just a small dose of entertainment. Click here for last week’s post. Feel free to share this with friends, offer suggestions via the comments, or connect with me on Twitter @bradbravard. Let’s begin!

1) Judicial Insomnia:

For some reason, I remember Night Court as a 1990s TV series, although it premiered in January, 1984 and ended in May, 1992. I’m old enough to have seen the show when it originally aired, but I’m re-watching the series and it’s better than I remembered. Maybe I’m nostalgic for years that seemed, at the time, more innocent and hopeful. Maybe I’m more conscious of the passing of time and how many Night Court regulars have passed away, including series creator Reinhold Weege. Either way, it’s a gem of a series. The entire series is available on DVD and is currently free to stream on IMDb TV.

2) Soothing Sounds:

I like quiet, but we live in a noisy world. To help muffle the unpredictable noises from outside, I sometimes sleep with the White Noise Lite app. This is one of the best apps I’ve ever used. The free version does have ads, but in the current version they are unobtrusive. The app not only contains a variety of “white noise” sounds, you can mix-and-match to create your own custom sound. My current favorite is Frogs + Stream. I understand you can purchase an ad-free version, but the free version is working great for me.

3) Listen Long and Prosper:

Star Trek has had so many diverse iterations over the years, it seems likely that nearly everyone can find something to appreciate in one version or another. I’ve browsed a number of review sites/channels/podcasts – some in connection with Boldly Rewatching the Voyages, my own series of essays on Star Trek‘s original series – but my favorite is the Mission Log Podcast. Every week John Champion and Norman C. Lao (previously Ken Ray) analyze a Star Trek episode or movie. They began with The Original Series (1966-1969) and currently plan (according to their web site) to continue up through Enterprise (2001-2005). I’ve listened to all of their TOS episodes and am currently listening to their discussions of Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). Mission Log doesn’t just summarize the plot or discuss production details, but digs into the deeper themes of the franchise and how it remains relevant today.

4) Stormy Seas:

Speaking of Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy was the son of Ukrainian immigrants. So was Jack Palance. Many of us are thinking about the people of Ukraine this week. One of the best ways to understand a place and its people is to listen to their stories, and Ukrainians have a rich, diverse history of art and literature. Consider the paintings of suprematism founder Kazimir Malevich, the classical compositions of Valentin Silvestrov, or the novels of Oksana Zabuzhko. If history is incomplete until every story is told, perhaps one of the best ways we can demonstrate allegiance with Ukraine is by listening to her people. Per an inscription on the wall of Lviv’s Łącki Street prison, built to confine Ukrainian nationalist political prisoners: “To know what’s happened to us…wait for us.”

That’s all for this week. Have a good weekend!

This post contains NO affiliate links. All suggestions are based on my own personal experience, your experience may vary. Nothing herein is intended to serve as medical, legal, financial, or any other advice for which you should consult professionals and not some random guy on the Internet.