by John Nacchio
Staring at the four walls and locked down in social isolation…yipes it’s insane! At home with the wife, the kids or just home alone can really get on your nerves. More so the anxiety of 24 hours of updates scaring the bejesus out of you as the numbers climb -is too intense.
Yes, cooking all the fine recipes found in RowHome Magazine brings me comfort, so do the ones that Mom or Grandma made. But social interaction is a big part of eating- and feeds us to enjoying the zest of life. At restaurants, it’s the server’s friendly smile and the happenstance meeting of people you know. That is why I especially have always loved a diner- the Penrose, the Oregon, the Philly Diner. Or corner deli store counters like Pastificio, Tony Luke’s, P&S and others for that reason- the mix of food and the people. And uniquely, it’s that special feeling of pleasure dining at many restaurants on Passyunk Ave. or the other choices of places large and small around our town.
The still air of isolation churns and our family turned to the an endless stream on the television instead.
We consume marathons of episodes of The Office.
Hour after hour, it’s the hilarious human interaction of real life situations in the office of Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company. Improv actor Steve Carell is Michael Scott, the manager of this Scranton, PA office. The show is based on a two-season British series of the same name, written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The US version was adapted by Greg Daniels, an experienced writer for SNL and The Simpsons. The show is unusual in casting a group of actors known for their improv skills along with several members of the writing staff.
If you have ever worked in a business office the subjects will hit home and ring true – with a ‘yeah, that happens’. Okay, the show is a comedy sitcom but it is also a learning experience about the physiology, sociology and business academics that provides us with educational value that can be applied to working in an office.
I’ll leave it there as now it’s gonna be 30 days of isolation! I have seen many episodes twice and I will not stop consuming the 201 episodes until I am delirious. So…delirious to hilarious it’s a marathon!
What shows have you been binge watching? Or what shows can you watch over and over again? Tell us in the comments!
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