Sex, nudity, violence, and gore are listed as severe. Profanity, frightening, and intense scenes? Moderate. Which can only mean one thing: I’m back to watching Mindhunter.
The Netflix series pulled me in for the first seven episodes, but I took a break back in April. Tonight, though, I’ve got a rare moment to myself—Dave and his brother are deep into a board game, Evelyn and Emma are lost in the dollhouse—so I’m here, in my jeans and floral shirt, under my comforter, watching two FBI agents dive into the deviant minds of serial killers.
This is the closest thing to bingeing I do: an episode before heading to a bbq family dinner, and another after. It feels luxurious. Especially since I can still write progress notes and work on this blog post in the fluffier scenes. When the intense moments hit, I’m fully tuned in—but I love that I can float in and out and still get things done.
Paranoia crept in as we pulled into the driveway. We’ve been scrutinizing that tall oak tree, wondering if it’s leaning more than before. Once you zoom in on something like that, your mind starts bending reality—tightening the walls, closing in.
“Do you really think it’s tilting?” Dave asked, and I heard my own worry mirrored in his voice. I looked again, then told him, “No, it was like that.” And I truly believe it was.
Theories about the tree are flying. Kendall thinks the weight of the concrete over the roots is the culprit. Dan blames the hydraulic fluid spill from months ago. I’m just hoping it’s a random fungus and not oak wilt—because that could wipe out the whole grove.
Whatever it is, we’ll wait until spring to see if it comes back. And if not? I’ll call a good tree removal service, enjoy watching tree climbers do their thing, and be lowkey grateful for a million fewer acorns stabbing the bottoms of my feet in the grass.
Earlier, Barnes & Noble was a blast. Tim, Maria, and Annaleigh picked us up, and we arrived right at opening. I disappeared into the kids’ section with my library app open and put about twenty playful books on hold. I also found an overpriced Spanish workbook—which I then bought used from AbeBooks, in good condition, coming soon from a Goodwill somewhere in the Midwest.
Evelyn picked out a pop-up book, which Dave and I agreed was a small price to pay for an hour and a half of entertainment. He also got some board game inspiration.
Now the first episode of Season 2 is kicking off. If you’ve seen True Detective, this reminds me a bit of that—less gritty, more focused on interviews—but still with that same heavy detective vibe. That psychological gray zone where you step into someone’s twisted logic to pull the truth out.
And I love it.
I hope your weekend was wonderful. See you tomorrow.
Love,
Jaclynn
Going On 40 