Final Season of “Younger” Does Not Disappoint

Above: Liza Miller (Sutton Foster) and Kelsey Peters (Hilary Duff) on “Younger” this season. Image from THE CINEMAHOLIC.COM.

I love this show (based on a novel by a long-time Montclair writer, redheaded Pamela R. S., who recently moved to the West Coast).

The premise: A divorced mother from the suburbs who is about 40 pretends to be 26 so she can re-enter the workforce in NYC...with a job in the publishing world. Everything about it is delicious, from the characters to the clothing. Hilary Duff, as Liza’s fellow editor, is excellent.

Sad that this (seventh) season is the last.... we haven’t seen Liza, Charles, Josh and crew since 2019. I’ve missed them. The pandemic put a lot of joys on hold.

The first four episodes were released to watch free--if you have Hulu or Paramount. Free, okay, but a ton of short commercial breaks, for everything from Chambord Raspberry Liqueur (to mix with Prosecco for a cocktail) to vaccine promotions, Google ads and repeated plugs for Stanley Steemer home cleaning service.

Here’s what I loved:

• Hilary Duff’s look! She is quite short next to tall Liza (Sutton Foster) but the styling! Long white overcoats, heels, a creamy sweater with cutout neckline, long skirts, short dresses, rich blouses, great lipstick, pretty ponytails. It’s a big part of the show, the style watching. I’m not sure when this season was filmed, but maybe Duff, 33 in real life, is in so many great coats to hide her pregnancy?--she just delivered her third child in March.
• Ditto on dressing the star of the show (Foster). Kelly green sweater, long hemlines, black wetsuit for surfing scenes in Montauk. (We do not see her actually surf.)
• The leading men. Very handsome, very good sideways and subtle glances. Charles has impeccably cut suits and shirts--and hair.
• The scriptwriting. Fast-paced, witty, trendy NYC.
• Best city in the world. Rooftop parties, the Rainbow Room, Williamsburg, press/book launches, coffee with oat milk--not to mention the aerial view of Montauk and the lighthouse there.

Since Dan has written several books, I do find some of the inner workings of the book publishing world to be a bit unreal/inaccurate. Dan is not a celebrity author, but he has gotten some nice $$ advances/contracts. He works very hard crafting/researching detailed pitches and his very good/high-profile agent shops them around to multiple publishers. But on the show, the authors come in and pitch their books to the team....it’s very entertaining, just don’t know if it is real.

Moreover, I guess we really don’t know if the world will be back in offices full-time again...so that is another question. No one working remotely.

We had some choppy waters again today (Dan has a tick bite but got to doctor, Sis had to take Buttercup to vet for a reason, Skippy was here briefly with Mimi and we had bumps), but catching this on my laptop was pure fun. Watched all four already. Escapism at its best.

Good night.

The Doris Day Show

The next step on my baby-food, old TV show kick: “The Doris Day Show.” It aired on CBS from 1968 to 1973. Photo link from here. I have to say there’s something about this photo that bugs me, because Doris had such a wholesome image. But I went with it because it shows the hair bow, color-coordinated outfit, etc.

I have a very clear memory of being with my mother as a girl and listening to Doris Day sing “Que Será, Será” on the kitchen radio. Dan remembers the song from his childhood, too.

I don’t recall seeing Doris Day movies until I was on my own/married (“Pillow Talk”)  but I must have seen one, or read a story about her in a magazine--because I immediately spotted a Doris doppelgänger in the college dining hall in freshman year.

I think the young woman was a friend of Jackie, my friend from my hometown--her name was Maura, or Moira, I believe.

She had blonde hair and a pretty headband that matched her outfit--all fresh-squeezed colors--and I think her skin was tan. I think she wore lipstick, and nail polish, to accentuate the outfit.

You remind me of Doris Day, I said. 

And I think/hope I smiled and added And I mean that as a compliment, because I did.

I was fascinated by the young woman’s panache--right down to the shoes--and the confidence to carry it off. Most of us wore jeans, sweaters and if we were up to it, lip gloss. (Though another friend, Megan, also wore headbands and had cute sweaters, preppy turtlenecks and penny loafers.)

I just happened upon this show and started watching a week or two ago......I LOVE seeing the outfits Doris wears, the hairdos, the hats, the hair bows, the colors, oh the colors! Lavender, orange, perfect mauve, blue plaid, lemon yellow, black. Pretty pink or coral pink lipstick, frosted blue eye shadow, a fringe of dark lashes. Tunics, cardigans, ponchos, pantsuits. Statement necklaces, chunky rings. She is so pretty. And a big part of this is that we didn’t have color TV in this time period, so it’s a treat to look back and see it now, a slice of the time when I was a girl. I don’t think I knew women in 1968 to 1973 (when I was 7 to 12) who dressed this fashionably.

See what I mean? A scarf, a ponytail. I’m drawn to that hairstyle but usually can’t pull it off unless I get my curly hair dried smooth at the salon. Image from here.

As a long-time writer on staff in the magazine world, I love that she works at Today’s World, a (made-up) family magazine based in San Francisco. I’ve been thinking of friends Kim and Liz, who also lived in San Francisco, and of my niece, Anna, a talented, Maine-born artist who has an apartment  there.

The TV story line starts with Doris, whose husband died, leaving NY and moving back in with her Dad at a ranch north of San Francisco. She has two young sons to raise. 

Above: Wholesome image from here.

But by season five, the family/mom/sons part is written out of the script and Doris is dating handsome men and living in her own swinging apartment with spiral staircase.

It’s just such a time capsule--women’s roles at work, fascinating. Men’s style, too--the turtlenecks, the hair. 

Image above from here.

I watch these old shows on Amazon Prime on the living room TV.  Dan is skeptical at first, and then he watches a little bit, too, in spite of himself.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Went in person to Palm Sunday Mass. Quiet prayer. And my friend Jean Rose was there--we talked after. 
2. Talked to Figgy. Broached some tough topics.
3. Dan and I had long phone call with Mimi and Poppy to lay out some Skippy groundwork/ground rules.
4. Planted pink tulips in my indoor pot.
5. Fresh berries and fresh figs.
6. Talked to Sis and to my friend Candy.
7. Lit a white taper candle--comfort on the mantel.

Sofa Cinema: Beatles Movie Tonight

Click here.

Oh, this empty nest feeling is so very, very different and peaceful, even if it might be/could be/likely will be? temporary.

Instead of wrangling someone to put down her cell phone and get into bed, we can do whatever we want.

It got to the point here where everything was a battle. 

Tonight, my choice: A Beatles movie. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one.

Possible picks:

• A Hard Day’s Night, 1964.
• Help!, 1965.
• Magical Mystery Tour, 1967.
• Yellow Submarine, 1968.

Today I wrote hard; attended a NextTribe (for women 45 and over) Zoom event with Cathie Black and other power authors about gendered ageism/power moms/re-entering the workforce; enjoyed Chinese dinner delivery with Dan; watched some episodes of "The Doris Day Show" on TV 1968 to 1973.

Good night.

Tonight’s the Night---This Is Us Final Season Starts

Time to stop writing (I’ve been crafting an essay since afternoon) and get cozy with my yogurt bowl.

Good night.

TCOY

1. Noticed vibrant sunrise when Sug woke me to go out at 5:30 a.m.
2. Went to doctor checkup. Overall, pretty good. Some follow-up.
3. Healthful foods today--Ezekiel English muffin, homemade meatloaf (moderate slice), roasted vegs, spinach, baby potatoes, 0% Fage Greek yogurt soon. Good coffee.
4. Wore a pretty new dress I bought last week at Anthropologie, with black tights.
5. Writing a style essay--hoping to sell it.
6. Earrings, eye shadow, eye cream.

Time to Catch up on “This Is Us"

It’s been a long break since I’ve seen Jack, Rebecca and the (now #40 yo) triplets....

#thankgoodnessforgoodTV #andmovies #NBC #peacock

Spoiler alert: I could’ve sworn I'd seen TV promos saying the new, final season would start March 9 but now OnDemand says March 16. Boo.

TCOY

1. Healthy eating feels good. Salad, chicken sausage, almond butter, yogurt with apple and walnuts...not in that order. So does coffee in a cup & saucer from my parents’ 1951 wedding china set. Brings “Mad Men” to mind--coffee cups were so much smaller back in the day.
2. Walked Sug around the block.
3. Talked to Sis.
4. Raked and gardened, first two big brown bags of the season. Ready to dig into more.
5. Reviewed work invoices. Last year was a hell year in many ways and I hadn’t sent an invoice for articles I submitted in November. So now I did.
6. Starting to mentally gather items for Goodwill drop-off. Feels good. (The Ann Patchett essay in The New Yorker about decluttering was inspiring. I love Ann Patchett’s writing style.)
7. Short chat with neighbors outside, good to catch up.
8. Attended a virtual Diptyque Paris fragrance event on Zoom with Sis and a few dozen other scent lovers. It was fun. (Sniffapalooza).

Halloween Netflix--a Chill Runs up Your Spine

 Why I Love Creepy "Ratched"

Magical Mystery Tour?

On Saturday night at 10:26 p.m., I wrote here: feel upset because the delicate gold necklace I never take off broke...but at least it’s not lost... I will get it mended...talk tomorrow.

I've worn that gossamer-thin chain for years, even in the Cape Cod ponds and ocean.

Resigned, but glad I hadn't lost the necklace forever to the sea, I put jewelry repair down on my list of things to pay for when my next magazine-writing check comes--along with bills including heating oil, dentist and groceries. Even the most minimal jewelry fixes have spiked in cost, along with the price of gold over the years.

Then I published a letter to Dad last night, and mentioned how he fixed my necklace chains.

Then I realized this morning that while I could have sworn the chain was broken, when I decided to take a second look, I saw that the tiny clasp had unhooked from the tiny loop--and I could refasten it.  I was so tired Saturday night that I didn't notice...

Or did I? And this is a moment of magic, a message from above--Dad fixed my chain?

(BTW, Dan also fixes my jewelry for me when possible.)

LINK to my letter to Dad:

https://medium.com/@alicegarbarinihurley/al-to-dad-al-to-dad-calling-dad-come-in-dad-169aaf735dd7

Good night.

TCOY

1. Healthful foods: Ezekiel English muffin; vegan chicken patty; roasted broccoli; lean pork chop; sauerkraut; applesauce; Bosc pear slices with walnuts and small wedge blue cheese to conclude dinner.
2. Short walk at night. Saw moon and stars.
3. Private Benjamin session with Punch's therapist. It was a rough night last night, a rough day today. But that gifted therapist brought calm and light and helped steer the ship.
4. Started watching "Emily in Paris" on Netflix. What a delightful gift! Such escapism after a hard day. My friend Anne, my Sis and my brother-in-law Mike had all praised it. I love it. So much. Pure entertainment, plus Paris! Perfume, food, art, marketing, fashion, a beautiful boss you love to hate.....youth and bravery all in one. I think I'm almost finished with the season, though. 📺 👗👠

Above: Lily Collins plays a lovable American in Paris.