Recent Projector Picks
Sleepytime tea, sick-day shows, and other snippets.
Published June 17, 2025


Let me tell y'all: tracking down sources for expert picks is my least favorite part of my journalism career, and doing so in an urgent care clinic is, quite possibly, one of the worst places to do so. Still, I emerged victorious this afternoon with an antibiotic for a cursed hybrid of bronchitis, sinus infection, etc.
Considering that I've been relishing having such an active cadence recently, I'm not thrilled about having a genuinely sick week—as in, totally flattened, unable to do anything, out-for-the-count span. That, and I was already running behind for the stack of household and career to-dos that piled up for post-[redacted] that I wanted to have done by now.
Still, as a personality, I tend to be the "do everything at a sprint and eventually collapse for a few days and then resent myself for stopping" type. Full-on stereotype. Perhaps that output is unsustainable, but also, it's what lets me do what I do at the standard that I do it—so!
For now, being strenuous with my time management works for the most part, until I'm playing catch up. I would love to feel by July like I've maybe gotten a hold on all the adulthood and career-related tasks I let slide by the wayside during [redacted], but I'm also aware that nobody ever really feels like they're caught up ever anyway. Moral of the story: it was hard to write a book and then edit it eight times. One day at a time. Most days, I just hope I'm not forgetting anything important.
The price I pay for trying to juggle: the occasional June evening spent cursing my trashed lungs, tucked in with some strawberry-ish tea, cotton-headed, catching up on SEAL Team so I can talk about Clay Spenser's latest escapades with my mother. I have had so much tea.
Anyway, I'm rarely a movies or TV person nowadays—perhaps I do have the attention span of a goldfish á la modernity—but being flat-on-my-back sick is a good excuse. So I wanted to drop some love letters and some shows, etc. (In case you're new here, I often write product reviews for work.)
I can tell I actually do use my brain when reading because I cannot read well whatsoever when I'm sick, and that's one of the few times I won't touch a book. It just won't break through the fog. So: a good indicator that I'm not reading flatly, I suppose?
RELATED: The Plague by Albert Camus (Highlights)


As established, I have a tough time getting myself to rest without feeling lazy or bad about it, so I do appreciate the external push of having a fitness tracker that will give me tangible evidence to back up the need to. I wrote more about my recent fascination with the Oura Ring in a recent newsletter.
None of the following descriptions are all that good, but I'm going to blame the fever on that one.
Toptro Mini Projector
TECH


I've been rocking the same mini projector for going on three years now. At the time I bought mine, the price was maybe double what it is now (so it's a bargain at the moment), but I've toted it in several suitcases across several moves. I'm all about bang-for-your-buck, daily use, "small space hacks," etc., and love the luxury and functionality of a projector.
Basically: throw a TV stick in the HDMI port and you're golden in terms of having all your streaming services cast up against a beautifully blank wall. It feels pretty indulgent too: cinematic and cozy. Personally, the pro and con of having a projector is that you can't have it on during the day unless you have all the shades down, but I actually love that I generally only watch anything at night. The colors and quality seem crispy and the sound's great; I've never had a problem.
Right now, it's hitting the spot.
What I've Been Watching
Quick note: if you're an author, I talk a lot about how the business and the art sides intersect when writing or paying yourself in time to write, and here's a tip when you're structuring write-offs, etc.
Streaming services count under the industry education category of your tax deductions, especially if you're going for eventual film or TV adaptation. Of course, it's all tricky so definitely bug your accountant or ask relevant questions. You spend the money in the first place, of course, but the deduction helps!
Étoile


Last time I was under the weather, I devoured the latest Amy Sherman Palladino show. I have no attachment to Gilmore Girls or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and have only seen bits and pieces of both. But I absolutely loved Etoilé—a dramatic comedy about a swap of dancers between NYC and Paris-based companies in an attempt to drum up publicity.
Of course, I'm a ballet girl. I relish shows and movies that deal with the dance world—see Tiny Pretty Things or Dance Life—especially if they capture that effervescent need that people have for the arts, dancing, etc. And Etoilé did a stunning job!
I loved the cinematography, the dancing, the way they all talked about the dancing. The politics, the snappiness, Cheyenne. The French moments are all drenched in this rich exaggeration, and the NYC flair makes me crave the city again—hard to do, but delicious when you can pull it off. So the "sense of place" is fabulous. The production quality is just top-notch.
I loved everything about it, and am so upset it's not renewed for a second season. I'll probably rewatch it again immediately. Also, it's rare that I laugh out loud at a show but there were so many moments that caught me by surprise. Cheyenne's adoration for The Nutcracker was sheer gold.
It's such a good time, and while I definitely approach it with the bias of devouring anything having to do with dance, I can think of a lot of people who would absolutely adore it.
SEAL Team


There's all this data right now supporting how watchers are going back to older shows and procedurals with more seasons and longer runs. All in all: people want more volume. While I love the pacing of a limited series, I completely understand the craving.
For the last six months or so, my mom and I have been working our way through SEAL Team, which scratches that itch. Six seasons, twenty-something episodes, a new situation each episode but with through-threads of characters you grow to care about? Oooh.
My mom is about four or five seasons in, whereas I've been working through season two for approximately three months (because it's been my deep cleaning show—on in the background, which means it's maybe only on once a week.)


SEAL Team has a lot that I love. Obviously, I cannot speak to accuracy whatsoever, but the show seems to do a considerate job balancing the internal and external forces of its storylines, highlighting intensity in thrilling ways while never losing sight of the severity of some issues it grapples with.
Proportionally, it has my ideal mix of action, conversation, global settings, angst (respectfully), twists, people falling into their same traps or clawing themselves out, etc. When the show chooses to make a point or spotlight an emotion, it's chill-worthy. When laden down in bureaucracy or headaches, it conveys that beautifully too.
Plus, we love Cerberus.
The Vampire Diaries


The Vampire Diaries is unabashedly my favorite, and has been for years. No twists surprise me like these twists. And sure, a few seasons in, it starts getting convoluted, but the first few seasons are addictive. (And the later ones are fun if you take them in stride with friends.) This small town nearly always has an elaborately themed event, never questions the amount of murders or disappearances, they all knock back bourbon in front of roaring fireplaces, and who doesn't love a 20's throwback episode complete with glittery flappers and serial killers? The plotting is so clever, masterful, and tight through about season four, and so the story bible for this one must be meticulous.
The moody lighting, the leather jackets, the warring brothers—I wish I could erase this from my brain and watch it again for the first time, but it's a precise combination of everything I love in entertainment. I am very sad to be missing my standing watch date with friends this week.
There's no aesthetic like The Vampire Diaries aesthetic. End of story.


Inevitably, I also only ever think of the best sources to reach out to after the deadline.
It's now the next day, because I gave up on this.
It's how I got into journalism; I was recruited to write product reviews because of this good ol' book blog, and it turns out that reviewing anything whatsoever—and knowing how to structure or pace your insights—is a transferable skill. So product reviews are gimmicky, but pay the bills and they're fun!