#4: The Saturday 411
A brief January recap, a thriller about work-life balance, a drama about an incredible woman, a podcast, and a book
Happy Saturday, everyone! We made it through January! I don’t know about you, but it feels like the month was long and packed full of big events!
In Lynchburg, we had our first (and so far only) snowstorm. One week later, we had highs in the 70’s.
My husband turned 30 on January 18, and we threw him a big party a week later. 30 is a big deal!! I hope Ben also doesn’t mind me saying that in January, he also had his first paid on-camera acting gig. I can’t really say anything else, but I’ll definitely share the project once it’s out in the world!
And for myself — I was a wee bit too ambitious about how much I work I can complete in an hour, day, week (no surprise there) so February I’m scaling back and aiming to find the sweet spot between planned work and margin, between work and play! The time feels short and precious, and I feel passionate about investing in the things that are most meaningful to me.
One of those meaningful things is CrossFit, and one of my favorite things I did this past month was record a podcast about my fitness journey with my brother and his friend Adam, on their show When the Going Gets Tough. A fun tidbit about me is I had never touched a barbell until I was 29 years old and now I love performing heavy powerlifts and decently heavy olympic lifts! If you need inspiration for your own health pursuits, look no further!
Another meaningful thing for me, as you know, is consciously consuming media and art! So here’s what was in the rotation this past week:
Severance
We did it! We picked it back up! Last summer, we watched the first episode with our friends one night, but the show was so wintry, we decided to wait until… well, wintertime!
We rewatched the first episode on Sunday afternoon, and squeezed the second episode in the following night. Each one is almost an hour, so it’s a little bit more of a time commitment (especially when you go to bed at 9pm most nights).
But we are hooked and can’t wait to keep watching more! What a drastically different Adam Scott we’re getting as Mark compared to Adam Scott as Ben in Parks and Rec! And Patricia Arquette plays a chilling boss/neighbor, and our current theory is that she isn’t severed and is totally spying on Mark.
The Crown
How do you tell the life story of the longest reigning queen in history, and one of the most beloved figures in history? I’m telling you, Peter Morgan has done it in what I believe is one of the best television series of all time.
While Ben was at book club one night, I finished the final episode of the final season of The Crown. Did I cry, you ask? Of course, I cried! Peter Morgan, creator of The Crown and writer of the series finale, really brought it all home. I thought the ending was perfect.
While the show only covered up to the year 2005, the foreshadowing of Queen Elizabeth’s remaining 17 years was perfect. She died on September 8, 2022. Her rule spanned 70 years, and only fell 2 years short of the all-time longest reigning monarch, King Louis XIV.
In the final episode, Elizabeth wonders if she should step down and allow her son, Charles, to begin ruling. As she considers it, she looks back on her life and we, as viewers, look back on The Crown’s six seasons.
We, as viewers, also know that she did not step down in 2005. But the story Peter Morgan tells at the very end, of how and why she almost did, reminds us of the truly singular person Elizabeth Regina was, how much she sacrificed after becoming queen at age 25, and how, even though she wasn’t supposed to become queen by birth, she was born to be the Crown.
In this closing story, besides watching the Queen look back on her reign, we also watch a woman look back on her life, and contemplate her ultimate death. The episode is an instance of memento mori. At first, Elizabeth doesn’t want to make decisions on her funeral, which her husband is urging her to do, because she is 80 years old. Still, her resistance gives way and by remembering that she will eventually die, she is able to fully embrace all that her life has been and all that is still to come. We are reminded that we must do the same.
To bring it full circle, I watched the very first two episodes with my sister-in-law several nights later. That’s right, I’m jumping right back into it. I love it that much.
Claire Foy plays young Elizabeth, and the first season was released in 2016. Though I had seen those episodes more than once, it has been years since I watched them. They are heartbreakingly beautiful. They cover Elizabeth’s marriage to Philip, and her father’s untimely death, leading to her inheriting the throne far sooner than anyone expected.
I’m really happy that Zoe, my SIL, found it to be very compelling. It can be a real bummer when you share something you love with someone who finds it mediocre or less than! I’m looking forward to experiencing The Crown again with someone who has never seen it before.
A podcast and a book
Well, that’s it! That is all I watched this week. Two episodes of Severance, and two episodes of The Crown.
If you don’t mind, I’ll share a couple more things that captured my attention this week.
First, I discovered a BBC podcast called 28ish Days Later. It’s a daily walk through the female reproductive cycle. Each episode is between 10 and 15 minutes. And there are 28 episodes. The journalist India Rakusen explores the phases of the female menstrual cycle, both the issues that it can present as well as the power it can lend women. She tells stories from real-life women, talks to doctors and experts, and share her own cycle experience.
I’m obsessed. I’ve been doing more and more research into this biological reality that affects me every day. So I’m not too surprised so far, about eight episodes in. But each short installment is concise, compelling, and well-produced. I am certain I will keep learning more as I go.
If you’re a woman, I recommend you check it out. My favorite episodes so far have been 4 and 7.
And, lastly, I started a book, written by a woman, called Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock. It’s part history, part philosophy, and part self-help. Remember how I mentioned earlier that I can be far too ambitious? Well, I feel a shift occurring, and I have a feeling this book is going to be a major part of that. Stay tuned.
Speaking of doing less, liberating myself from the tyranny of the hour and minute hand, etc., I’m still fine-tuning what works for me here on Leading Ladies. I want to be bring you consistent, high-quality content, and I want (need) to live my life!
With that in mind, I’m shifting to write the Saturday 411 every other week. On the opposite weeks, I’ll publish a podcast episode, review, listicle, or longer think piece!
If you like Leading Ladies, and want to continue receiving consistent, high-quality content, consider becoming a paid subscriber. There are some fun perks, and it costs the equivalent — honestly less than — one coffee per month.
Thanks for reading! Like, comment, share, and have a great weekend creating and consuming!