Email Inbox: 9 (I’m pretty impressed with this!)

What I’m watching: The Diplomat, on Netflix. Three seasons so far, I’m halfway through the first, having come across the title via my love of the West Wing, when I learned that both Allison Janney (CJ Cregg) and Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman) appear in later seasons.

Keri Russell in THE DIPLOMAT, courtesy Netflix

The series stars Keri Russell (Felicity) as Katherine Wyler, a veteran U.S. diplomat who gets thrust into a messy global conflict involving major powers, when she gets appointed U.S. ambassador to the U.K., when the latter has one of its warships attacked in open seas.

A pretty solid political thriller, it reminded me of the nitty gritty intrigue of Tom Clancy novels, with a respectable cast of interesting characters.

I’m also getting back to writing as often as I can over on Instagram, as I revive my @popculturein60seconds entertainment blog. I still have countless contacts in the industry, and through some diplomatic negotiating, I can usually get invites to screenings, or get screeners to recent titles to review at home. I enjoy it, and hope to keep it up as a means to keep myself sane and busy.

What I’m Reading: I’m trying to get back into the habit of getting a chapter of a good book a day, as I’ve been working so many hours a week at my day job, that I rarely find the time to do so;

1. Reading Stephen King’s Bag of Bones, a thriller about an author suffering from writer’s block, after the death of his wife. Of course, with Uncle Stevie at the helm, it’s not that black and white, so I’m hoping for some neat twists. I’d been amassing the rest of King’s collection, as I’d been reading him constantly for a long while, until life got in the way.
2. Reading several graphic novels, as it’s my favorite, easily digestible form of reading, which also allows me to discover great artists who reinterpret popular characters in the most creative ways. Amongst my many titles currently on the go:
   • Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery, a very surreal piece by insanely talented Scottish writer Grant Morrison. Released in 1996 as a mini-series, this title follows a muscular strongman whose powers extend past his bulky physique, as he investigates mysteries with his reality-bending muscle flexing. His character even joined the Doom Patrol, and appeared on the TV show version of the same.
   • I’m making my way through some DC back catalogue, namely the DC Rebirth line. Thanks to some very detailed reading order lists online, I’m able to get the majority of these titles in trade paperback form at the Toronto Public Library. I encourage you to do the same!
   • Civil War: A Visual History, as I’m a huge fan of well-researched, encyclopedic tomes. It’s a soothing balm compared to the unverified morass that is social media these days. I’m a history buff, and this kind of title makes me a happy reader!

What I’m Cooking: I’m keeping to my promise of trying new recipes and pushing myself past my comfort zone, so this week I’m hoping to learn new types of pasta sauce recipes. I have about four or five solid types in my repertoire already (namely, spaghetti with meat sauce, cacio e pepe, lemon garlic seafood pasta, and pesto pasta), I’m looking to add to the list, while feeding my sweetheart, who usually cooks in the house, depending on our schedule.

That’s it for now, what are you up to?