Friday Food for Thought: March 11, 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) The Good Kingdom:

I’ve just finished watching the 2007-2009 ITV series Kingdom and I wish I had discovered it sooner. Peter Kingdom – as portrayed by the brilliant Stephen Fry – is a solicitor in the fictional English coastal town of Market Shipborough who navigates cases that always have profound implications, no matter how trivial or significant they might seem at first. Surrounded by a delightful supporting cast that includes Celia Imrie, Karl Davies, Hermione Norris, Tony Slattery, and Phyllida Law, Peter Kingdom never loses hope that even the most incorrigible individuals can be reasoned with, and that most legal cases can be solved out of court if both parties really listen to each other. Kingdom might seem naive in our self-serving world, but the show, and the character, provide hope at a time when hope is sorely needed. Kingdom is currently streaming on Tubi and complete episodes can be found on YouTube.

2) Traveling Pages:

I have a stack of travel guide books that has seen very few additions in recent years. That’s not just a result of the pandemic, but of the prevalence of online information that replaces much of the guide books’ function. This Washington Post article, and my own travel plans that I dearly hope won’t get derailed by another Covid-19 wave, have me thinking about the days of “peak guide books” and how travel, somehow, seemed more adventurous in the years when I first acquired those books. Part of me misses the days of printed maps, no Ubers, and a partially curated travel experience on which I could always improvise. Hotel and restaurant operators had some incentive to maintain a certain level of service in order to stay in the good graces of travel guide publishers. Does all that free information result in lower standards? I don’t have the answer, but I’m keeping my travel books.

3) An Album of Our Own:

Some unknown influence has me revisiting Billy Joel‘s 1982 album The Nylon Curtain this week. One of Joel’s most complex and culturally aware albums, Joel himself has listed The Nylon Curtain among his favorites of his own recordings. Reflecting a time of “diminishing horizons” that foreshadows our current age of perpetual crisis, I didn’t fully appreciate the album when it was released, but I’m as mystified by the world today as the character singing to us from “Where’s the Orchestra?” or “Pressure” was back then. You can find live versions of most of the songs – including “Allentown” and “Goodnight Saigon” – on YouTube, but you’ll want the entire album because every track is a keeper.

4) In the Heat of the Night and Day:

Late-season winter weather is approaching this weekend – it may have already arrived in your neighborhood. One last weekend to put my Titan ceramic space heater to use. I was gifted this space heater 20 years ago and it’s still going strong. Given sufficient time, this little heater can warm a surprisingly large room. Temperature controls mean that it’s not only good for heating, but can be used as a fan for white noise that I find very peaceful to sleep to. I don’t generally like to link to retail sites, but I can’t for the life of me find a manufacturer’s web site and the Titan seems to be in high demand. Get one if you can.

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.