8 Netflix Suggestions for Laura (plus 2 guilty pleasures)

1. The Dark Matter of Love - a poignant and psychologically informative doc about the difficult process of integrating children from a Russian orphanage into an America family. The adopting family is over-the-top upbeat (they have Disney nicknames for one another) but even they feel the strain of these managing these underloved children.





2. Divorce Corp - A must-see sobering documentary about the vast money-making machine that is today's divorce court. (Seriously, everyone should watch this one. You'll either never get married or never divorced.)





3. Happy Valley - Powerful doc about Penn State's Sandusky scandal and football as a religion. You definitely don't have to be a football fan because this is about so much more.





4. Casting By.  "The surprising, never-before-told tale of the indispensable yet unsung role of casting Director."





5. Locked Up Abroad: from Hollywood to Hell - Locked Up Abroad always makes me feel grateful that I'm currently not locked up abroad because it seems like it sucks in a major way. This episode in particular is pretty amazing.

"On a trip to Pakistan, LA actor Erik Aude’s life completely changes after authorities find opium hidden in the lining of his suitcase." (The hulky actor ends up being quite a real-life badass.)





6. Parenthood. Most have probably seen this popular and highly relatable family series but if you haven't, it's smart, sweet, super watchable and the all of the leads are pretty amazing.





7. The Politician's Husband. Sort of a Star is Born for British politics where the wife is on the professional rise while the husband spirals downward. It's only a decent miniseries but David Tennant is so captivating, it's worth looking past the flaws. Man, he's good.




8. Being Human (UK).  "Deciding to turn over a new leaf, a group of friends who also happen to be vampires and werewolves move into a house together, only to find that it is haunted by ghosts of people who have been killed under mysterious circumstances."

This series just keeps growing on me. Even though it's a little overacted and kinda just plain silly at times, Being Human is also inventive, human and fun to watch, with just the right amount of darkness. Kinda the antithesis of Twilight.

 

EXTRA

GUILTY PLEASURES...WATCH AT OWN RISK!

Army Wives. A Lifetime (usually yech) series explores "the impact of military life on family life by focusing on the spouses of soldiers stationed at a South Carolina Army base." (It's not as soap-opery as it seems.)

Witches of East End. "Set in a seaside town of East End, free-spirited artist Joanna Beauchamp is the mother of wild-child bartender Freya and shy librarian Ingrid, who are both gifted -- and cursed -- with a magic birthright."

Sure, Charmed-like corny but a lot of serious magic going on, spells in Latin and all.

15 Magical Words to Brighten your Spirit

[A piece I wrote for Direct Self, a self-help magazine.]

What is a chant? It’s simply a repetition of powerful words used to gain a desired result. Prayers fall in that category as well. In short, words equal power.

Speak the following words aloud. Notice how they make you feel. Allow the power of the word to transform you. Simply speaking a word can stimulate an emotion and have a ripple effect in your life.

Clarity – A crisp, clean word that means brilliance, splendor and clearness of thought, action and atmosphere.

Forever – Can any word capture time rolling forward eternally? Forever and ever tries.

Epiphany – A brilliant thought that hits you suddenly, as if by magic. A lightning bolt of an idea.

Exuberant – Pleasantly excited. Brimming over with stimulation and delight. Exuberance glows.

Luxurious – Think chocolate mouse or a hot bath. Luxurious is rich, warm, enveloping and inviting.

Fragile – Delicate, beautifully raw. Being fragile is not a bad thing but a sweet and vulnerable state where your true soul can be seen.

Mellifluous – Sweet-sounding ear candy that transports you to another place and time. Think of a Mozart symphony or the distant sounds of a waterfall.

Felicitous – This pretty word can mean a smart fit (“her nickname was particularly felicitous) or pleasing, blessed and fortunate.

Jejune – This word means dull and childish but if you want to tell an annoying person that they’re acting so jejune, it will make you feel really good.

Rhapsody – This intoxicating and magical word has several definitions but for our purposes, it means “rapturous delight or ecstasy.”

Redolent – An intoxicating scent, one that lifts you off your feet and carries you away. Think of a roast cooking in the oven or a freshly-baked apple pie.

Diaphanous – Gossamer-thin, fine and delicate. An angel’s wing is diaphanous.

Elixir – A powerful potion that can heal and transport you, a good one is rumored to prolong life indefinitely.

Cathartic – A profound purging from your system, complete repelling and expelling. A genuine catharsis can transform you permanently.

Dulcet – Sweet to the taste or pleasing to the ear, dulcet is honey-like and pleasing. The dulcet tones of a lover’s voice in your ear.

7 Things that I'm Surprised I Like

1. Southern Rock

Musically, I never saw this one coming. Born and raised on 70's pop, I should dislike this kind of macho heavy-handed, long-jam rock whose lyrics can lean toward bigotry and closed-mindedness. But play a little Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band or ZZ Top and out of me flies a whiskey drinking cowgirl, ready to throw punches.





2. Car Repair

Weird. I mean, changing a light bulbs gives me pause, so its not like I'm handy. I just love hearing about car repair. Sit me next to an auto mechanic and I'll converse for hours. Perhaps I just like the tidiness of problem solving or bad-ass engines that go vroom, vroom.




3. Chicken Livers

Wild about them. And they're gross. They're gross to look at, grosser to touch. I don't even eat that much meat. But ever since I was a small child, I loved chicken livers. My mother would fry them up in a pan and toss pieces to the pets and me and we'd gobble them down together.



4. Barry Manilow

Okay, I actually have a reason for this one. And it involves LSD.

I dropped some acid with my late, great friend Vicki when we in our teens. We were losing our shit, crawling on train tracks, freaked out by trees, collapsing in maniacal fits of laughter...you know the deal.

When we finally made it back to Vicki's house, we turned on her bedroom radio and the station was playing all Barry Manilow for some Satanic reason. I sang every word as if I'd known his music my entire life. I was channeling Barry. Vicki watched me, jaw-dropped (and drooling, maybe).

Ever since that acid trip, Barry Manilow has meant a lot to me. (How many people get to write that line?) And I still know practically every lyric of every song. I've even seen him in concert and booed when he did a medley that included Could it be Magic (my favorite tune) instead of the whole song.

I even like the Take That version...who am I?


5. GYN appointments

Big fan of the gynecologist. They keep my sex life happy and healthy. And I've been blessed by nothing but amazing ones. The first one was from Australia, looking like he walked out of a GQ ad. It added a whole other dimension to the gynecological experience, let me tell you what sisters and brothers.

And then there was Dr. Brandberg, the hippest cat ever. He told me it was alright to smoke cigarettes occasionally. He missed being broke like me, he revealed once, as we sat in his office and shared a smoke, post-exam. His life was less complicated. I told him to give me his money then. He laughed and pulled out his checkbook.

"You have a fine vagina," he would say, mid-exam. "A fine vagina." Yeah, some would be freaked out by this kind of remark, but you had to know him. It was just small talk for him. One of a kind, that crazy doctor.

My latest gynecological wonder? Dr. Trim (his name, I kid you not). Warmest hands ever. And he gives me hugs.



6. Martha Stewart

Life is too complicated not to be orderly. ~ Martha Stewart

God, I loathe this woman. And yet...I love her. She's cold, cold as ice. But she's shrewd and ruthless and knows crazy shit about all things domestic. She influences every day of my life: the way I prepare food, make my bed. She even shamed me into washing my sheets more frequently. (She was shocked that some people wait as long as 3 weeks to wash their sheets. I was one of those people. Until Martha.) Her business acumen is over-the-top. She's done time. And she makes souffles.

7. Anal