That "wait...what" moment

So yesterday I was checking my calendar to make sure I was keep track of things and had a "wait...what?" moment when I realized that I fly off to the east coast for a couple weeks...um...next Monday. And that means I"m popping down to Monterey for a family ting on Saturday. And that means...

So I spent a large chunk of yesterday evening drawing up my compulsively -detailed itinerary/schedule and making some additional reservations. I got the plane tickets months ago, but my plans also include some Amtrak travel, a rental car, and a motel room. I didn't want to leave any of that to chance (despite it being off season) but I hadn't previously nailed down exactly when I was doing the non-NYC parts of the trip.

The conjunction that inspired this trip is a friends large-number birthday (hi Lauri!), the Emma Stebbins exhibit at the Heckscher Museum (which I did a podcast interview for), it having been too long since I've seen my brother and family in Maine, and the chance to meet my grand-niece (also in Maine). Alas, the grand-niece contingent had since decided to do the snowbird thing for several months and won't be in scope on this trip.

So I'll be in NYC for 7 days (including two planned-but-not-yet-calendared events) then Augusta ME for 4 days. Currently it's looking like no blizzard, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed as that would make the driving parts annoying.

Unlike most NYC trips, I have plenty of unscheduled time this trip, and I'd love to meet up with folks if it works out.

TV review: The Closer

Periodically I pick a series on Netflix to...not exactly "binge" which implies large volumes in a short period, but to use as my default background while doing evening things. Murder mystery series tend to be my preference. (Other types of series I tend to play more attention to.)

So currently I'm watching The Closer, a police procedural centering around an eccentric deputy chief of a murder investigations unit, starring Kyra Sedgwick.

Now, to be sure, this show is copaganda because you're invited to see the cops as the heroes (by virtue of being the central characters). But it undermines the copaganda angle on a regular basis, by highlighting the unbelievable volume of lies and intimidation used by the police. (The central character is even overtly depicted as a compulsive liar who misdirects even her family and love interest in order to avoid confrontation and dodge responsibility.) But there are occasional episodes where the show solidly critiques when cops go "beyond the line," while still allowing their tactics to be effective.

Kyra Sedgwick's character is also clearly depicted as having ADHD, which interacts toxically with her workaholism. She's scattered, clumsy, and highly distractable. She also has severe problems with authority and regularly dismisses safety regulations, both in her own job and when interacting in other contexts. (The event that inspired me to finally post this review was when she was told not to use a cell phone in a hospital cardiac unit and she pooh-poohed the request as unimportant. And then there was the episode where she re-entered an apartment that had been evacuated due to a bomb threat to try to retrieve evidence in the face of direct orders to the contrary.)

So...I'm not sure whether she's supposed to be a sympathetic character or not. I'm just glad I don't work with her. And I'd hate to be involved in any incident, whether as victim or perpetrator, that she was investigating. But I keep watching with train-wreck fascination.