I will be the first to admit Nigel and I watch some really strange tv. We seem to always watch something supernatural, gory, or just plain weird. I’m not sure what that says about us. Well, maybe more about me because, if Nigel had his way, it would be Ancient Aliens, The Curse of Oak Island, etc. He doesn’t even really pay attention to the shows…at least, I hope he doesn’t! I usually scroll through the offerings on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, etc. to see what piques my interest. And, lately, it’s been the weird things!
How do they decide…
I often wonder what in the world compels Gillian Flynn to write such dark books. I mean, Gone Girl was so full of twists and turns and ups and downs. I started to read Dark Places, and I just couldn’t. I honestly wonder what goes on in the minds of people like her. Oh, and let’s not forget Stephen King and Clive Barker! I truly sit and ponder this! What makes these writers (and they’re good-ish) decide to create such characters and story lines?
Let’s not forget actors…
Right now, we are watching The Menu starring Liam Neeson. I like Liam Neeson. I think he first came to my attention with the movie, Taken. And, who wouldn’t want a dad like that, right? But, did you know he also played Jean Valjean in 1998’s Les Miserables? So, he definitely plays good guys. But, boy howdy! This movie, The Menu, is way, way out there. We haven’t finished it yet so I don’t know how it ends. And, at this point, Neeson is definitely a bad guy with a bad start to life (aren’t they all). So, I wonder, once again, what makes an actor take on a role like this?
Follow the money…
I would have to guess the number crunchers in Hollywood know what we like, and that’s why they put up the money to make these movies. The same could probably be said about editors and book companies though the initial output may be less. I’m afraid of what that says about our society. I, obviously, am buying into these movies, television shows, and books. What does that say about me?
Not for me, though…
I don’t enjoy the spooky houses that pop up around Halloween. I hate to have things jump out at me, and I always have. The more real something is the less I like it. Nigel and I saw Halloween shortly after it was released. While I found the movie itself scary, what frightened me even more was the possibility of it truly happening. The last scary movie I saw was Alien. Now, I know you’re sitting there thinking, “How is that going to happen to you, Marsha? Last I knew, you were a blogger not an astronaut.” What really, really bothered me about that movie (aside from the thing bursting out of the guy’s chest) was that split second when said thing attached itself to a person and something snaked itself around his neck. Gahhhhhhh! That haunted me for years. Actually, it still bothers me because I can still see that scene just in writing these words!
The psychology…
If you know me, you know I like to find out the whys and wherefores. It turns out there is actual psychology behind why we like to scare ourselves silly! It’s not the scare we crave. It’s the aftereffects of the scare. During that time, our brain releases dopamine, the neurotransmitter usually associated with pleasure. That seems a bit contradictory, doesn’t it? I guess, after we’re terrified and we don’t die, our brain sends out happy signals. You can read more about that here and here.
Oh, dopamine…
And, of course, there’s dopamine dressing which many of you may be more familiar with. Dopamine dressing is, basically, wearing something that makes you feel good. It doesn’t even have to be shiny or colorful. It just has to make you feel good. I taught with a woman who once confessed to me on a three hour drive (so I guess I was a captive audience) that she loved to wear matching bras and underwear sets. The only reason I was uncomfortable with this disclosure was I truly barely knew the woman! But, I totally get where she was coming from. No one needs to know what it is that is making you feel fabulous as long as you do!
More Kantha Bae love…
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Kantha Bae, it’s a boutique in Nashville with a huge online presence, via its online store, Instagram, and Facebook. Kantha is a type of embroidery. Layers of cloth are embroidered with long stitches to create a new piece of fabric. Sometimes, that cloth is a light cushion. You can see an example of one of my looks from Kantha Bae involving kantha cloth here. Many of the people wearing Kantha Bae clothing love the kantha cloth items. I am not one of those people. I find it too overwhelming for my vertically challenged body! But, I do love their clothing made from silk! The silk is recycled from saris and sewn into garments in India.
Loving this kimono…
At the end of the year, Kantha Bae was having a huge blow out of a sale! Forty percent off everything! I may or may not have bought a couple of things! This is a Spellbound kimono (similar). I wore a pair of Tapestry leggings in beetroot from April Cornell. The Spellbound kimono has a couple of unique details. There are two layers at the top. The shorter layer has the ties. The inside layer is full length. You can wear it completely open, allowing the ties to hang loose. Or, you can tie them as I have. I have seen some women who can wrap them completely around and tie them in front. In the future, I will probably wear a cami underneath it as that inner layer doesn’t necessarily stay overlapped! I have a Stevie kimono (post here), a Free to Be button down (post here), and a Joni tunic (post here). Each item is unique so if you see something you like, you need to pounce! I’m hopeful there will be more Stevie kimonos on the horizon!
The Lewk!
I think these are my very first L’Artiste purchase. They are the Georgiana bootie. I get so many compliments on them any time I wear them. The jewelry is all from John Hardy and is part of the Naga Legends collection. Nigel bought me the bracelet first for our anniversary, I think. He then added the necklace the next year followed by the earrings. I always wanted a ring to match, but all of them were just too much dragon (better than too much cowbell)!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
You know, I had no idea how I was going to get from Liam Neeson and Gillian Flynn to my Kantha Bae kimono! But, I did! Now, here’s the thing. You may be the only one who thinks you look pretty doggone stunning in your outfit. And, you are the only one who matters! Sure, it’s nice to have someone tell you what you already know, but that person looking back at you in the mirror is the one with the most important opinion! I really need to practice what I preach, right? So, can we talk? Are you a fan of horror or supernatural movies and books? Do you love that creepy feeling at haunted houses just waiting for something to reach out and scare you? Have you ever experienced the joys of dopamine dressing? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk! I promise to respond as soon as possible. I’m still trying to figure out the comment thing. I may deactivate the plugin for comments and see what happens. But, please know I do respond!
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This was a great post. Love your dress as well. He was great in The Commuter I highly recommend that movie. He is great at playing a tough guy out to save his family and it’s worthy of another thriller mystery. I have watched different things but I always go to those favourite films and shows that just make you feel good inside. Like a great comedy or thriller. Have a great week.
Thanks, Heather! Though, did you realize I totally goofed? The Menu stars Ralph Fiennes not Liam Neeson! I will need to look for that movie!
Have a fabulous week, my friend!
Hi Marsha and it’s amazing that you’re wearing a kimono as I’m going to tell you about a Japanese film that is my favourite and actually is the best film I’ve ever seen – and I’ve seen a few! Yes, I am quite the film fan and watch pretty much every type of genre including scary. Also I have to say we really love sci-fi and we have watched every single Alien film and really liked each one although the second one is best.
But. My favourite and best film ever is both uplifting and so very lovely. And it is Departures, a simply wonderful Japanese film that you might be able to watch on Amazon. Do hope so. Here’s a link to tell you a tiny bit more – but it is just the best film ever. Nothing scary, nothing awful, no jeopardy, no swearing, just so good. We showed it to our local film society years ago and it scored the highest marks for any other film we showed ever – so it’s not just me.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Departures-Masahiro-Motoki/dp/B08HW2LBT3
Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely check out Departures. It sounds wonderful. As for sci-fi, I do like some of it, but I’m telling you that Alien creature gave me nightmares for years! I still shudder thinking about that thing going round the man’s neck!
I absolutely love this, Marsha!! I’m a big fan of weird TV show and movies too…for me, it’s all about the supernatural, paranormal, fantasy, magical realism, etc. I don’t, however, like anything gory. That puts me right off! I haven’t actually watched any of the things you mentioned though lol. Probably because you did say gore lol. Currently, I’m binge watching all the Star Trek series from the early 90s. I’m thoroughly enjoying it, to be honest. When I’m finished with that, I need to watch the new series of Emily in Paris (so not supernatural LOL), before re-watching Wednesday which was totally made me me LOL!!!!!
I love that kimono, it’s stunning on you!
Huge hugs
Suzy xx
Thanks, Suzy! I really like this kimono. I had to finagle a lot to keep it closed so I’m going to have to figure that out!
As for movies…oh, we love Star Trek…Jean Luc Picard…yummy! When you were in the states, did you go to Seattle to the MoPop? They have an amazing collection of Star Trek treasures…the real stuff…even a bin full of Tribbles! I think we’ve watched every iteration of Star Trek through the years. It’s funny now to watch the original series and see how much of the technology has come to pass. But, gosh, wouldn’t it be nice to have a transporter…I’d just need a Scotty to beam me up!
We just started Emily in Paris…I want to go to Paris so badly. I’m beginning to doubt that will ever happen as someone is getting grumpy in his older age! We will have to have another video chat some day just to talk telly, right?
well, for old movies, I love Bette Davis, Now, Voyager, worth watching just for her transformation at the beginning, and The Letter. More recent movies, Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley, and Notting Hill with Julie Roberts and Hugh Grant. For Books, I love Susan Hill and Robert Galbraith. And TV/cable series: Ozark, which made me jump out of my seat at times, and Succession, and also the second season of The White Lotus. Another older movies, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and Chinatown. both classics. and Gone with The Wind, how can I forget that one!
Oh, Bette Davis!!! I love her in everything I’ve ever seen! Baby Jane…oh, my goodness! I will have to look for the other two! Would you believe I’ve never seen Notting Hill. I need to change that. Is Robert Galbraith JK Rowling’s pseudonym? I think I’ve look for books by him/her. We really liked the first season of White Lotus, but we struggled with the second. Everyone is telling me it’s the best. Maybe, we’ll have to try again! I remember seeing Butch Cassidy in the theatres when Nigel and I were dating! We also saw Gone with the Wind at a grand old theater…it cost $1!
Thanks, Linda, for coming by!
Thanks so much, Linda for commenting!
well, you got me started. Difficult to shut me up when you mention movies and books. I read entirely mysteries. My husband says somebody has to die to make me happy! lol. My favorite mystery writers: Michael Connelly, C. J. Box, Peter Lovesey, Ian Rankin, Susan Hill, Peter Robinson, Elly Griffiths. Cable series: Endeavor, Vera, Bosch, Broadchurch, not mystery, but I loved Downton Abbey. Anything british!
Oh, we loved Broadchurch…the British version as well as Downton Abbey. I haven’t heard of the other series. I’ll note them down. I’m going to also write down the authors…always looking for a good book to read! Your husband sounds like a hoot!
Oh that kimono!! Gorgeous on you, Marsha!
I love all the dark thrillers but I do not enjoy things jumping out at me. I like actual scary movies, not necessarily gore but I love a good haunt. And I love reading psychological thrillers. I do wonder what makes these writers tick to come up with these story lines, maybe it is creative genius or something else…
xo,
Kellyann
Thanks, Kellyann! I really do like the dark thrillers, but I just wonder what makes a writer come up with those plot lines and characters. Now, actual scary movies? Nope! I don’t like them if they’re realistic. The old, old black and white horror movies…I love those! And, even vampires and werewolves are ok. It’s just when they could really happen that bothers me…well, that and the jumping out and scaring me!
The print of this kimono is so beautiful Marsha! What a wonderful pick up. I do not like being scared and don’t understand why people are drawn to movies and shows that do that. Lol! My hubby loves all types of scary movies which makes it hard sometimes when we are trying to watch something together.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thanks so much, Kathrine! It was a little less yellow in the pictures, but I still really like it! I can’t wait to style it differently when the weather is a bit warmer! I really, really don’t like to be scared. I don’t understand it, either! My husband likes action movies which I can tolerate!
Haha! Nope, nope, nope, I am a big chicken and hate scary movies, haunted houses, etc. I’ve gotten better as I got older but I used to be truly terrified (like crying until I was hyperventilating kind of scared and I had nightmares all the time as a kid) because the littlest things would stick with me — like the witch from the Wizard of Oz. I still remember my best friend’s mom planning a haunted house in their own home and she had to take me around by the hand and show me that the “eyeballs” were really peeled grapes and explain how everything worked and wasn’t really scary at all… and that was the only way I would participate and I still thought it was plenty scaring even knowing what was going to happen. I don’t mind reading scary stories nearly as much now that I’m an adult but I still tend to stick mostly to psychological thrillers not necessarily horror or anything gory. The psychologist in me loves to pick apart the characters in psychological thrillers– only problem is I can usually spot exactly where the story is going to go and guess most plot twists long before they happen.
I am totally with you, Joanne! I hate scary movies! We don’t really watch those. We do watch more of the psychological thrillers. Nigel hates it when I blurt out who the killer is and why!
It’s funny, but the wicked witch never did bother me. It was the flying monkeys! They scared me like nobody’s business. And, now, Wicked is my all-time favorite musical! Go figure!
Thanks for coming by!
I can’t watch any scary movies anymore! I get too freaked out because my hubby travels too often. It was worse when we lived i a home that backed up to a preserve and I’d hear coyotes at night. Ha! I used to watch Oak Island but they never found anything so we stopped. Love your gorgeous kimono. The print is just stunning!
Oh, Laura, I hear you! When we saw the original Halloween movie, my husband worked nights. I would just lie in that bed every night convinced Michael Myers (I went to school with a guy with that name) was going to break in! Oh, but I love the sound of coyotes howling. We don’t hear them here at the new house. I always thought if those guys on Oak Island would have saved the money they spent trying to find something, they’d have more treasure that way!
Thanks, Laura!
Dopamine dressing!! I think I feel all the good feels every time I put on anything other than activewear. Which is my uniform 7 days a week when I am not subbing or leaving house. I love putting on real clothes and taking time to find the right accessories and shoes to go with the outfit.
Beautiful, feminine kimono. I guess all kimonos are pretty darn feminine just by their nature. But the print and movement of this one makes it especially so. There was a shoe box-type box from PC under the tree for me this Christmas and I was secretly hoping for another pair of L’Artiste shoes. It was a University of Tennessee sweatshirt (I requested) in a shoe box. Wasn’t disappointed but can one ever have too many L’Artiste shoes??
Thanks, Leslie! I love this style of kimono…I’m just trying to decide if it looks too much like a dressing gown! I wore it to the mall the other day and thought people probably thought I was out in my pajamas!! As for dopamine dressing, I need to do more of it. I seem to wear jeans and a sweatshirt most days! I’m such a faux fashion blogger!
My kiddos bought me a pair of sneakers (way, way too much money). They were the wrong size anyway. I talked them into a new pair of L’Artiste boots that will soon be on the blog!
What a pretty kimono! I’ve gone to Kantha Bae several times with the intention of using your discount, and then I just get overwhelmed by how many pretty things there are. I need to buckle down!
As to horror movies, when I was a kid / teenager / young adult I used to like them. I think it was a cheap thrill because I knew the monsters weren’t real. (I hated watching crime dramas though because people, on the other hand, can be real monsters.) Somewhere along the line, I lost my love for horror movies and books. Yes, I used to love Stephen King, but in his case, I love the characters he creates and if I were into fiction (I seem to be in a nonfiction phase now), I might still read him.
Michelle
https://funkyfashionstyle.com
Thanks, Michelle! The Kantha Bae site can be a bit overwhelming, right?
I like the old time monster movies and find crime dramas infuriating. But, I do like to read Stephen King because he does do a wonderful job with characters. It’s just trying to figure out the plotlines if I’m not paying enough attention!
My nervous system is plenty revved up so I don’t seek out scary movies/TV/books. But I do enjoy all kinds of speculative fiction!
I was glad that one of the links discussed “misattribution of arousal,” which I’ve always found amusing. A go-to strategy for getting two rabbits to bond is a variant on the Tunnel of Love: put them in the backseat of a car and drive them around until they are snuggled against each other. It’s called “stress bonding.” (Leave it to me to introduce rabbits to this conversation, right?)
The fabric of this kimono is beautiful!
Hahaha!!! Sally, I love that you introduced rabbits into the conversation! I really want to know how you know these things! Do you have bunnies now, or did you raise them when you were younger?
Yep, I don’t like scary movies or tv shows, but I don’t mind psychological thrillers. I like trying to figure them out!
Thanks, Sally, for coming by!
First, the kimono is something else. Absolutely a show-stopper and I can’t wait to see it worn other ways!!
As for movies and such. We do seem to watch many as opposed to tv shows, but never, ever the scary ones.
XOXO
jodie
Thanks, Jodie! I can’t wait for it to get a wee bit warmer to wear it again. I may have just gotten a second one that is even better!
We seem to watch more tv shows than movies because they’re shorter, I guess. I don’t really watch as much as listen because I’m usually knitting or crocheting. I don’t mind the psychological thrillers, and I don’t even mind the gory ones. It’s when they’re something that could honestly really happen that freak me out!
This post was awesome. I love Gillian Flynn but oo yeah Dark Places was super dark and scary! I would also be uncomfortable with someone telling me about their underwear preferences if I barely knew them. LOL.
I looked Kantha Bae up the other day and loved their rompery/overall things.
It was so weird when she told me that because she was an older lady, too. But, she was so proud of herself! Anyway…I honestly could not finish Dark Places. It was just too dark, and I didn’t want to go there! Gone Girl was bad enough (but it was so good at the same time).
Oh, I can totally see you in their rompers! You would be perfect!
I often question the crazy shows me and my husband watch too. Murder, scary and strange is our favorites. My favorite show I ever watched on Netflix was Dexter. So Ya I do not know what that says about me. The main character is a serial killer who hacks people bad people up. Does that make him good? Then there is the softer side of me, which loves a good baking challenge show or Grays Anatomy too. Love some drama. I did a lot of acting and writing short stories from elementary school all the way up through college.
Great post! Loving this silk Kimono on you! Very pretty. Have a good week.
Thanks, Meagan! I really do love this kimono! Oh, I remember Dexter! I loved it, but it was a little creepy, too. I couldn’t decide if he was a good guy or not. But, the show was sooo good! I do love baking shows but never got into Grays Anatomy which is weird because I used to really love hospital shows. Do you still write? I hope so!
I hope you have a fabulous week!
Such a pretty dress Marsha, well kimono. It’s so pretty and I love the soft pink with gold flowers. Thanks for adding to my link up. You’re favourite blogger for my linkup tomorrow my friend. Jacqui x
Oh, I am thrilled to see that, Jacqui! Wow!! This was one of those things I just kept going back to look at. I kept telling myself, “If it hasn’t sold by this time, buy it.” I kept waiting, and then they had a huge sale! Thanks, again!
Another fabulous Kantha Bae piece! I wanna come shop your closet! Actually, I think I need to make my way to Nashville on my road trip next month. I want some Kantha Bae! Also I do not like horror anything and I hate being scared for fun. Well, I hate being scared at all. I don’t even like action or suspense movies because I get so anxious. Why would I do that for fun? That’s not fun. Hahaha.
Shelbee
Thanks, Shelbee! Oh, I think you will love the store in Nashville…I think you have to make an appointment to shop as they are open limited hours, but that may have just been during covid.
I agree with you! I don’t like to be scared especially when things jump out at you!!