I cannot lie.  I have let myself down.  I set a goal to write one blog post a week.  It was going great and then it was not.  I may have run out of things to say.  I may have doubted my ability to write and to engage.  I may have just gotten lazy.  All of those are correct.  But the true core of the problem is Netflix!!!!  I discovered Netflix and I have become a junky!

Hi.  My name is Micki.  I am a Netflix binger.

Just for clarification, I do not watch all day.  But at night, when I would normally sit and write, I am watching 2-3 episodes of my “series of the week”!  I am so enthralled at the high quality of storytelling.  It takes everything I have to control myself to no more than three episode per night.  That is too much.

But there is a bright side!  My addiction is a good topic for a blog post.  I am going to list my favorite series.  Most are on Netflix, but some are on Amazon Prime.  They are pearls!

1. The Crown – super interesting, historic, excellent acting
2. The Wire – so enlightening, sobering, symbolism abounds
3. House of Cards – the first few seasons will chill you, then it fizzles
4. Breaking Bad – if you haven’t seen it yet, you are nerdier than me
5. Better Call Saul – prequel to Breaking Bad, the character development is awesome
6. Ozark – grabs you in the first episode, teaches a lesson
7. Peaky Blinders – guilty pleasure, history we did not learn in school
8. Queer Eye – many episodes made me tear up – I love those men
9. Grace and Frankie – a look into my future
10. Sherlock – BBC drama series was my first binge, so so good
11. Downton Abby – had to watch it and so glad I did
12. Happy Valley – starting to love BBC series more than anything, female hero
13. Californication – guilty pleasure, kinda ashamed I wasted so much time
14. Orange is the New Black – scares me straight
15. Mindhunter – facinating series on the history of serial killer profiling
16. Jane the Virgin – never knew telenovela could be so fun
17. Dexter – first four seasons are totally worth watching, weirdly good
18. Parenthood – I missed it on TV and loved the short episodes
19. Call the Midwife – uplifting histortic series that made me feel good
20. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – 1950’s New York female comedian, love the fashion
21. Six Feet Under – the whole funeral home thing fascinated me – I’m getting cremated
22. Billions – inside look into the hedgefund life and the power of revenge
23. Suits – call me a sucker for good looking men in suits, storyline very interesting
24. The Tudors – eh, this is when it dawned on me that I may have a problem
25. The Keepers – made me so sad and angry that I had to keep watching
26. The Great British Baking Show – my current binge, I am a sucker for competitions

I cannot believe I have watched all these over the last year or so.  I am kinda sad, weirdly proud, and aware I have to make a change.  When writing got difficult, I escaped to the television.  But when I look at my year in review, I am disappointed in myself and the choices I have made.

Netflix is a pearl you should use with care because it can get out of control.  I am going to re-establish my once-a-week blog goal and watch television sparingly – perhaps one episode a day.  That being said, any Netflix recommendations?