I started this blog to put my bit of “good stuff” into the World, but that didn’t mean it always had to be super meaningful, mind bending posts about current events or even posts with a whole lot of substance in them. So I decided that today was not going to be a particularly thoughtful or philosophical post. But more one where I just indulge myself. Indulgence is good for the soul in moderation and it’s been a while since I’ve really properly done it. 

  One way I indulge myself at home when I have some free time and am just feeling the urge to cuddle up and not do anything constructive is to watch videos on YouTube. 

    I could do this endlessly & have many different categories of “go-to’s”. I’m not really a classic cat video-type of gal, but like a lot of people I enjoy watching clips from Late Night Shows. 

    The Jimmy’s, James, Colbert, Sam Bee, Seth and John Oliver are some of my faves. How anyone could only watch one Carpool Karaoke is beyond me!! James Cordon really hit it out of the park with that one. https://youtu.be/AFxCO_DyzYM Also, between “The Roots” on “The Tonight Show” & Jon Batiste on “The Late Show”, Late Night music has never been better. 

   Then there are the pop ballad videos. I prefer to watch obscure artists cover ’80’s & ’90’s pop ballads rather than the original artists. Some of my favorites are “Rexford Official’s” cover of Pat Benatar’s “We Belong”. https://youtu.be/c087LvP_fao I also LOVE Whitney Houston’s classic “How Will I Know” covered by “Electric Blonde & Lynzie Kent”. The percussionist who plays with a tub and a beer bottle is unreal!! https://youtu.be/nvvpGS_gr7U

   My next category of indulgent entertainment is ballet videos. This one is a double edge sword. I will watch endless videos of the Bolshoi Ballet dancing Don Quixote or Sleeping Beauty (& have been fortunate enough to see them live as well), but I could relive the wonderment of this art form every day. https://youtu.be/YgRRCgjDLT4 Simply put, no one does ballet quite like the Bolshoi. 

   I also love watching more contemporary dance duets (or sometimes solos) to modern music and just melt when the dancers are really in sync with each other. This clip of dancers DJ Smart and Zola Williams dancing to a cover of Adele’s “All I Ask” is just breathtaking & I love how fluid their movements are. The choreography is by Will B. Bell https://youtu.be/A4kXbBHSA9w Sergei Polunin dancing to Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” is one of the most moving things I’ve seen in a long time. The depths he sinks to and heights he climbs in this piece are beyond chilling. https://youtu.be/c-tW0CkvdDI

    I could go on and on about all the other things that bring me happiness & delight when I just want a distraction for a few hours (like puppies making babies laugh)…my twin neighbors LOVE those videos & sometimes we watch them during lunch if we need motivation to finish getting through the meal. Because let’s face it (NOTHING is funnier than a puppy making a baby laugh). https://youtu.be/ZAmZucyzyZM But I digress. I hope you all have your things that make you feel silly & indulgent. Don’t get me wrong, I also love to read, watch movies, take walks, and am enjoying playing around with photography too, but this is just one of the many things I can add to my list of just plain old “GOOD STUFF”. And that’s what it’s really all about anyway right? Just The Good Stuff.