Friday, October 8, 2021

Entertainment Comfort Zone: Secret Subject Swap


Black Cherry Pie. This no-bake refrigerator pie is studded with sweet dark cherries. Easy to assemble, it’s perfect for any holiday celebration. | recipe developed by | #recipe #dessert





My subject is: Do you like rereading books or watching shows/films over and over or are you usually a one and done kind of person? Why or why not?
It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.

I'm mostly a one and done kind of girl. Both because of my genre of choice, and because of my motivation. Books, movies, and TV shows are all lumped under one umbrella, entertainment. And I take that title very seriously, I want to be entertained. I want light, don't really want to be provoked, don't want emotional turmoil. It's an escape for me and I want to enjoy, be amused.   
I've talked many times about loving mysteries (including my recent post, It's a Mystery). It's fun to try to figure out whodunit. And I don't read any of those supernatural mysteries, having an invisible all-knowing partner giving the protagonist answers is nothing short of cheating in my book (pun intended). So I watch and read a lot of mysteries and true crime shows, which don't really lend themselves to a second look. After all, if the fun is in figuring out the ending, knowing how it ends sort of takes away all the mystery (this pun also intended), n'est-ce pas?

My other love is, and always has been, dance, specifically ballet, but that doesn't really lend itself to reading . . .
In keeping with my goal of escapism, comedy is something else I'm drawn to. Comedic mysteries (Janet Evanovich, Carl Hiaasen) are among my favorites, they're light and fun and funny and I still get to guess the ending. Although I'll watch and read other genres, mystery is overwhelmingly my go-to.

Entertainment Comfort Zone | graphic designed by, featured on, and property of | #MyGraphics

I think because of my aversion to movies requiring emotional investment, I limit myself, and I miss out. There are movies I know I should open myself up to, ones everyone's seen and thinks are among the best, but I just can't because of the subject matter. If I have a pit of the stomach reaction to the topic, I just can't force myself to engage. The Shawshank Redemption, Schindler's List, never saw them. And there are also movies that I don't have that harsh reaction to, but that just don't particularly appeal to me. Many of these my older son has repeatedly encouraged me to watch and when I do, I've really enjoyed them (and my conversations with him afterwards). Wouldn't see them again, but am glad that I saw them once.

But not Saw. My older son has very esoteric tastes in both movies and books (and especially music, it's he who, years ago, turned me on to A Tribe Called Quest). He's open to anything and everything, which I respect immensely. His current favorite author is Phillip K. Dick, who wrote science fiction. His current favorite movie is Tumbbad, an Indian film. And a movie series he loves is Saw. I did make him a Billy the Puppet cake one Halloween, but I will not watch that movie. Although he continues to insist that I will watch it one day.

Billy the Puppet Cake | Recipe developed by | #recipe #Halloween

Just like with movies I am persuaded to see, I have the same experience when I step out of my book comfort zone. I read Philippa Gregory's British historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl and loved it, even read more of her books. 
I also fully admit, when discussing re-reading, that there are books that benefit from reading more than once, especially some of the classics. These are the peel-back-the-onion books that reveal more to you, both about the book and about yourself, when you read them at different times in your life. 

But, in general, nothing much changes in terms of my choices when I pick up my Kindle or turn on the TV, I'm usually looking for something new to get lost in.

That said, you know how, when you have a piece of Black Cherry Pie, and when you're done you know that it the spot? 
Black Cherry Pie 
(no bake)

For me, there are movies like that too. Ones that I've seen before that are like old friends, hit something inside me that is satisfying.

There's a social media game that goes around on a regular basis, it asks people to name their 10 all-time favorite movies that they watch over and over again. 

Here are mine (yes, I know how to count and yes, there are 11). Given all I've said, I bet some will surprise you, there are a few on here that require emotional investment, but I love them all the same. There are some I'd watch any time they're on, but others (I bet you can guess which ones) I admit I have to be in the mood for:

Dirty Dancing
Coyote Ugly 
Black Swan
The Sound of Music
Mary Poppins
The Wizard of Oz
Fried Green Tomatoes
Steel Magnolias
The Shining

What are yours?



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Black Cherry Pie (no bake)        

Printable Recipe

5 oz frozen pitted dark sweet cherries
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 TBSP brown sugar
4 TBSP butter, melted
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1 box (.3 oz) black cherry gelatin
6 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

*Defrost the cherries and gently pat dry. Cut 6 of them in half and set aside for garnish. Coarsely chop the rest for the filling.
*Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter. Grease a 9 inch pie plate and press the crumbs into the bottom and partially up the sides. Refrigerate.
*In a pan or in the microwave, heat the cranberry juice until it just starts to boil. Whisk in the jello mix and set aside.
*Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks hold.
*In a separate bowl, beat jello with the cream cheese until smooth. Mix in one cup of the cherries. refrigerate the rest for garnish.
*Remove about 1/3 cup of the whipped cream and refrigerate in a piping bag or plastic bag for garnish. Fold the rest of the whipped cream into the cream cheese and spread evenly into the prepared crust. Refrigerate for one hour, then garnish with the reserved whipped cream and cherries.
*Store, covered, in the refrigerator.


  1. We are SO alike! Please entertain me without requiring too much emotional connection...
    Several of my top ten are in your list!
    I, too have a difficult time watching movies that require an emotional investment. There is too much 'emotion' going on in real life for me to add a whole other layer. So I like themes I know can never possibly happen! I stay away from anything that includes a psychotic or otherwise mentally unstable character. Those are within the realm of scary possibility.
    Or war. I really have a hard time with all things war.

    1. I also have a really hard time with all things war, but the absolute worst for me is anything involving the Holocaust.

  2. West Wing so many times I know the lines
    Madam Secretary
    CSI all of them
    Grays Anatomy
    Engine 19
    I Sleepless in Seattle
    You’ve Got Mail
    Sweet Home Alabama
    Pride and Prejudice

    1. Great choices! I loved West Wing too. Madam Secretary I started out loving, but then after a while the formula of a crisis that only she could solve got old.

    2. Yes, she was a one man band.

  3. I love black cherry anything. When I was younger I did a lot of rereading, but not recently. Wait, except for one book and I'm not even sure why I read it, except a co worker (pre-COVID) discarded a paperwork in an office pile we used to have for giveaway books and I needed something to read that day. It was "The Sands of Time" by Sidney Sheldon. I loved it! My genres, I guess, don't encourage too much rereading. Movies? Believe it or not, I rarely watch them, although the new James Bond movie is calling to me. If I dare to go into a movie theatre in these times, I guess. Alana

    1. I feel the same way about the new James Bond, I'd like to see it (and probably will eventually) but won't be going to the movies any time soon.

  4. Nice post, we have quite some overlap, the most significant being I couldn't bring myself to watch Schindler's List. I just spent the last half hour combing through my old posts. I can't believe I don't have one listing "my top ten favorite movies". What a neglect. I have, however, one about favorite movie QUOTES, here goes:

    Happy Friday and enjoy your cherry pie, it looks delcious!

    1. Pie and a stress free movie, should turn out to be a very happy Friday!

  5. I used to read a lot of books. Now I tend to go short-form; the daily newspaper and all the blogs that show up in my reader. I would prefer to turn on the radio and surf the web then commit to a movie.

    1. I still love a fun read on my kindle, but honestly most (new release) movies just don't interest me.

  6. Most TV and movies don't interest me much, unless i'm going to learn something from them. Reading is my favorite thing, and most of the time i am reading to learn, so i often go back and reread.

    The Princess Bride is one of the few "over and over" movies i really like.

    1. The Princess Bride is one of those movies that many people have on their top ten list.

  7. I'm so sorry to be late! I got home last night and published this morning. It never fails when I'm not at home something screws up! All fixed now and catching up. So sorry again!

  8. Answering your question, I don't like to re-read or re-watch shows unless the main character is Meg Ryan and/or the plot of the film was something nostalgic. Like I've been watching Home Alone more recently.

    1. Yes, we all have our favorites, a lot of the Meg Ryan movies are fun.

  9. I asked because I read the entire 41 book discworld series last year and then immediately restarted it because I just wasn't ready to say goodbye. with books I'm usually one and done, but I'm a chronic rewatcher of familiar movies and tv shows. I'd rather watch something familiar that I won't have anxiety over what comes next than a new show. I tried Midnight Mass, made it 4 episodes, and it made me so mad I know I will never finish it. haha. also don't watch saw. I give a lot of genres of movies a try, but I walked out on Saw after paying money to see it, and I haven't watched a single one of the others. I love a good spooky horror or a slasher film that is meant to be campy, but Saw doesn't do any of that. it's just torture and gore and very little else. what's the fun in that?

    but philip k. dick was pretty great and if you can handle it, you should try Man in the High Castle, but it may be similar to Schindler's List because of what it's about. it definitely comes with a lot of content warnings.

    1. Now I do want to try Man in the High Castle, because you recommended it and I trust you, but I don't want to try it because of your warning about the subject matter. I'll have to cheat and read about it and see what I think.
      And yeah, I'm still a "no" to Saw.

