well hello, stranger!

welcome to Highly Recommend! it's where i share lists of what doesn't suck in a time when things most certainly suck...and it could even be worse but i wouldn't know, i'm not here for the news this year, shhhh, thanks.

you are so welcome here, safe space!

i recommend things a lot, mostly streaming movies,  tv shows, podcasts, books i'm listening to, crochet patterns or food i think about a lot (looking at you, cheese), fun facts about sharks or cephalopods, and people seem to either love them or be incredibly confused by them, which opens the door to fascinating conversations and research, which opens all of the doors and...honestly, the sky's the limit. learning's fun, so what?

i like so many things the way keanu loves so many puppies.

what i don't like, i'm finding, is unrelenting sunshine and temperatures above 70f. total news to me, but the rainy season is coming up, so all hope is not yet lost.

but i digress, which, to be fair, will happen more often than not in the forthcoming posts, just to be transparent. 

what you'll be lucky enough to read here are lists of things i really enjoyed that week, be it a podcast, book, youtuber, even a meditation i practiced that week, my thoughts on why they were so amazing and where you can find them. though the best experiences are not ones that can be found in a store or online, but in your heart and soul, lolol. but yeah, things that make me feel good about existing in this reality. and like, i am that hippie that does think that the more experiences you have outside in nature with your toes in the dirt and your arms around a tree trunk, the better life is, but i'm also a huge hermit right now, so i am about all things cozy these days. and absolutely, these listicles could be anywhere from three to ten items, but don't forget about my epic off-course rants. ;) 

the streaming services i use most are:

• prime video
• netflix
• paramount+
• plex (a few servers there, really, brag)
• pluto (free to all!)
• tubi (free to all!)
• peacock (i get this free for a year with this internet provider deal, brag)
• roku live tv (free to all with rokus!)
• spotify
• youtube

i'll tell you in the posts where to watch/read/listen. i will always highly recommend going to your local library and getting a card, then downloading their audio partners like Libby or Hoopla, etc. it's just the best thing, and then you can just go your library and never buy another book again unless you really really really really want it!

this year has been the longest of my life, and i've needed a lot of different things to keep me going because of *sweeping gesture to everything* things, and i'm happy to pass along what's stuck for you to enjoy, or not, i'm not your real mom. but these are the kinds of lists you'll find in future posts:

• murder mysteries (movies/shows/books, past and present)
• comedies/action comedies (it's time for a Peacemaker rewatch!)
• horror books (mostly teen horror, i am an enormous baby)
• nonfiction/biographies/memoirs/essays/etc. etc.
• art (drawing's been big for me the past year and painting is creeping 'round the corner...oil or acrylic??)
• birds (yeah, the middle-ages got to me in this way and i am loving it)
• all kinds of music (just like gordon gano sings on "American Music"! seriously tho, i like a lot genres and a lot of different countries, music is fun - but not atmospheric metal or country-pop, no thanks)
• podcasts like How Did This Get Made, Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week, Radiolab, etc.
• crocheted things (mostly blankets, slippers, hats)
• super cool trivia about marine life and probably pirates
• random rants
• indoor plant things
• ...

let's do this.

would i love to be able to tell you that this will be a daily thing? that i would have the energy to be able to - y'know, i might actually be able to swing that... i could, we'll see, but knowing me, it'll be more of a weekly posting, bi-weekly maaaybe. let's find out together, yeah? 

leave comments, don't leave comments, i'm not your real mom, but the stuff i'm laying out for you here at Highly Recommend really IS for your own good. 

you're welcome ;)