We Deserve Nice Things...

A time and tested coping mechanism.

At first I needed techniques. I needed tricks to get through the lockdown day. I wrote about playing Walking on Sunshine loudly as I got my first cup of tea of the morning. I talked about five-minute workouts and exploring new walking routes. These were psychological life-hacks to make my mind feel it was in control and everything was fine. Now, we've moved on to the next level. Acceptance has kicked in. Control has been achieved, or relinquished willingly. Either way, there are less mind games needed to convince myself that I got this. 

When I typed 'Pleasure' into the search
box, this was pretty much the only
non-sexual GIF that came up.
Unless I've completely
misunderstood Belle's situation.

So, what form does Next Level Existence take? What's the defining characteristic of the next stage of events? Why, it's pleasure of course. Good old fashioned pleasure. The thirst for nice things is intense. After thrashing about, treading water, and using every coping mechanism in the book, it's time to reward our new acceptance with a bit of hedonism. And whilst that might usually take the form of putting the world to rights over multiple beers in a pub, or a cinema visit to watch a long-awaited release, it's now the responsibility of our lockdown selves to source invigorating and multi-sensory pursuits as much as we can. Reader, here is my curated list of things that have given me pleasure over the past week. And worry not. It is more than SFW. Not that it matters when you're WFH.

Dhal, based on Mowgli's basic
recipe and then my own
messing around.

Food and Drink
The Mowgli restaurant owner, Nisha Katona, has spent her downtime doing recipe vids. I watched her How To Dhal video multiple times, then made my own version, imbued with the confidence to experiment that she had passed on. If you like cooking and want some simple but interesting recipes, @mowglistfood is your Insta place to be. Or, if you merely want the hint of inspiration without the recipe, try @themagicbayleaf. It's Political Twitter's own @sturdyalex but on Insta. Based on his food photos and brief description, I made biftekia. Have a look if food is your go to pleasure. 

I've got a bunch of them
downloaded and ready to go.

Podcasts
Caitlin Moran tweeted about this, so obvs I checked it out immediately. The Rule of Three podcast involves the comedy writers Joel Morris and Jason Hazeley having a chat with a guest comedian about a film or TV show that makes them laugh. They dissect it in such a way that it not only reminds you how great the film or TV programme was, but also how the writers made it amusing in the first place. One for people that like to get a glimpse of the mechanics behind their funny. Cariad Lloyd talking about Whose Line is it Anyway filled me with unearthed-memory joy. If you want something less writery, though, I can't recommend Shrine of Duty's Quarantelly podcast enough. Instead of being confined to their usual Line of Duty theme, three friends sit and talk about the best TV of the week. They are an engaging bunch. Clearly excellent broadcasters as well as real life mates, their intimate yet coherent nattering is compelling. I've listened to them talk about all sorts of telly I haven't ended up watching. It hasn't mattered. They're great fun. They've also put me on to things I might not have bothered with, without them mentioning it. Speaking of which...

Paul Mescal plays Connell in Normal People.
You can just feel the teenage awkwardness
pour out from the GIF all over you, come on.

Television
...Normal People. Oh my. Twelve half-hour episodes of stunning, lingering, tender, beauty. There is also, just for clarity, quite a lot of sex. I recommended it to my littlest brother before I had realised the extent of it. But hey, it's so beautiful and aching, it's artistic. Like an Irish Call Me By Your Name, it invokes the angst and heartache of being a teenager in lust and love. It made me feel young and old, all at once. I had to ration myself to three episodes a day, just to eke out the gorgeousness of the thing. Alternatively, if that doesn't float your boat (even though it's so lovely it really should), Run on Sky Comedy is something else I'm actively excited about each week. Two thirtysomething ex-lovers meet up on a whim and escape their real lives. We don't know the extent of those real lives at the start, nor do we know why they've chosen to hook up again at this point. It's full of unfolding backstory, whilst being littered with witty dialogue and emotional punches. I'd watched and been hooked in by the first episode before I saw it was created by Fleabag Live director, Vicky Jones. That sealed the deal for me.

No reason. I just wanted 
to cheer myself up.

Politics
If you're finding the daily Government briefings a valuable use of your time, then fair play to you. Crack on and all the best. But, if you want something with a bit more balance, The Bunker podcast is doing some decent bite-sized angles of COVID, looking at wider issues affected by the lockdown. Episodes so far have included Science Vs Politics, Can Aviation Survive Isolation, and What Are We Going To Do About Tax? It drops first thing, every weekday morning, and gives an informed but entertaining start to the day. Or, if Friday evening is when you prefer your political entertainment, Have I Got News For You is back. I'll admit, I was unsure about this at first. Lockdown broadcasts can be hit and miss, and without the usual laughter of the studio audience, I wasn't sure it would be funny. Yet on reflection, I've found I enjoy it more. There's something about the panelists not needing to play to an audience. Ian Hislop can't have a mini rant and then look up and wait for the laugh. Paul can't deadpan quite so much. Instead, the five faces onscreen have the air of a bunch of misfit colleagues that have gone for a pint and are trying to keep the conversation going. There are some real laughs and some random bits. But I like it. It feels real. Besides, if you don't think it's working, you still get the thrill of looking at the background of the guest and wondering why they chose that specific wall. 

Normal People
soundtrack.
It'll chill you out.

Music
Last week, my brother-in-law did a music quiz that he shared on the family WhatsApp group. (Things we do now.) One of the songs was Space's Neighbourhood. And I suddenly remembered. Space! They were a cracking band. Nineties scouse at its best. I spent the rest of the day reliving their greatest hits, and singing along as I cracked on with my life. If you want something a little more mellow, I've had the soundtrack to Normal People playing for the past few evenings when I've been sitting outside with wine. And when I need background music for my jigsawing (still ongoing from Christmas!) my go to is the soundtrack from Eddie the Eagle. There are two. One contains all the pop songs that Gary Barlow organised, or then there's the music from the film that's mostly instrumental. That's the one I go for. Soaring, anthemic, and with no pesky lyrics to put me off when I'm sorting jigsaw pieces.

Bloody love Christopher Plummer.
Knives Out is a treat.

Films 
The 2020 Oscar contenders are about to start being available. We've already had best original screenplay nominee, Knives Out released to buy in March. Last week, Jojo Rabbit - winner of best adapted screenplay - was available. I'm counting down the days until Bombshell, Little Women, and A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood are released. All great films that are coming soon. Alternatively, I've been revisiting some classics. The other night I had a dream about The Odessa File. No, I've no idea why either, but it meant I had to watch it again, and marvel at a boyish Derek Jacobi in one of his earlier film roles. I've also found comfort in watching Rear Window - empathising a whole lot more with the housebound Jimmy Stewart character. And then I watched the 1992 version of Howards End because Emma Thompson makes everything feel better. Still on my To Watch list over the coming weeks are A Room With a View, Maurice, and Gosford Park. I am clearly finding pleasure in historical settings and period costumes.

This was brill.
I devoured it whole.

Books
Finally books. I'm reading less than I thought I would, but still dipping into things here and there. John Niven's The F*ck It List was the exception. I read it in one go, over three hours, sat in the garden. It was funny, subversive, and a great release for the pent up frustration I feel about being powerless in the current political climate. I'm still not entirely sure how John Niven got it past the lawyers. He makes it quite clear which real US president he is referring to, and there are no punches pulled in the feelings of the main character towards the recent direction of US politics. But if you want something completely different, I'm going to give Sally Rooney a whirl. She wrote the book, Normal People - yes, I'm going on about that again - and rather than read the book of the TV show I have just devoured, I'm going to start another of her novels. Conversations With Friends was out in 2017 and it's my absolutely-definitely next read, for sure.

Wine slush. If it isn't already
 a thing, I'm claiming the rights.

So, those are the main things I've been finding pleasurable recently. There are other tiny niche things too. I've started freezing white wine so I can drink semi-defrosted slush and feel like a boozy kid. Or I've been growing my leg hair so that every few weeks I can shave it and have the smoothest legs in all of Christendom. For a day before the prickles grow back, at least. Or the other day I shopped in a different branch of my usual supermarket, to feel the thrill of novelty as I walked down new aisles. Small pleasures. Just as valid. Just as thrilling when they crop up. Whatever happens, however bad things can feel, we always, ALWAYS deserve nice things. We ALWAYS deserve pleasure. That's just a fact.

Have a lovely week, folks.