An early glance at the running back class in the 2018 NFL Draft
November 8, 2017Taking a midseason look at the preseason 2017 Browns predictions
November 9, 2017
My friends, winter is coming.
Autumnâs leaves are almost gone and the pumpkins on your front porch are probably starting to get mushy. Temperatures are dropping and, thanks to the end of Daylight Savings Time, itâs basically pitch black outside by 5:15 p.m. Before we know it, weâll be knee-deep in ice and snow, reminiscing about the long-gone days of summer. (Gross.)
While most people fill their summer days with loads of activities, from trips to the beach and ballpark to hikes through National parks and outlet malls, Iâm here with an entirely different idea for winter. Youâve heard of a summer âBucket List,â a list of things youâd like to do, see and experience before the season ends, but letâs talk about a Hibernation List for winter.
Itâs a simple concept, really. Instead of a list of excursions to complete while the weather outside is glorious, a Hibernation List is made up of all the TV shows, movies and books you plan to binge on while hiding from the frigid, blustery hell that is winter.
You know all those shows youâve been promising yourself youâd watch someday? THIS IS THAT DAY, only spread out over the months of December, January and February (and honestly, probably March and some of April). Itâs a time for sweatpants and snacks. Blankets and beers. Potatoes of both the couch and chip variety. Itâs the season of peak laziness, and Iâm here to help you make the most of your downtime.
To get started, just take out a pen and paper and write down the shows youâre really, truly dying to watch. A pro tip from yours truly: Keep that pen and paper handy, as more things will come to mind and your Hibernation List will quickly spiral out of control. Thatâs OKâweâve got awhile. Once your list starts taking shape, you really only need to decide what you want to watch firstâand set your sights on checking that one off the list.
The most important step, of course: Carving out the time to binge. It may feel crazy now, but soon enough winterâs cold and snow will make the idea of staying in all weekend (and every weeknight) sound positively perfect.
A few simple Hibernation List guidelines for my fellow lazybones:
- Always make sure you have plenty of your favorite snacks on hand. This tip is first and foremost for a reason.
- Same goes for your favorite drinks. Stock up on tasty beverages, both alcoholic and not.
- Feel free to share list suggestions with other Hibernators. We’re all in this together! Let’s make it a community and a conversation.
- Work at your own pace. And by âwork,â I, of course, mean âwatchâ or âreadâ or ânap.â Winter is a long season, so take your time.
- Itâs OK to amend your list. Start something and donât love it? Cross it off completely and move on.
- Donât plan too far ahead. What youâre watching now may impact what you feel like watching next, so choose as you go.
- Take a break from binging, when necessary. Rest your eyes, stretch your legs, pet a dog. Just try to avoid going outside as much as possible.
And while we’re at it, thereâs only one rule: No judging the contents of another Hibernatorâs list. It doesnât matter how old or popular a show or movie is. If you havenât seen it, itâs new to you and totally allowed to be on your Hibernation List.
In case you were wondering, hereâs whatâs on my Hibernation List so far:
- The last two episodes of Ozark
- Master of None, Season 2
- Stranger Things, Season 2
- Mindhunter
- Scandal
- Friday Night Lights
- The last couple seasons of The Mindy Project
- Any one of the 17 books around my apartment that Iâve purchased over the last year but havenât read
While itâs not quite winter yet, I did hear thereâs Lake-effect snow in the forecast for tonight (!!!!). So this weekend, I say… screw going places. Put on your favorite sweats, pour some red wine, fire up Netflix and get to checking things off your Hibernation List.
Itâs never too early to get started.
39 Comments
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I didn’t think I’d ever say this but I do miss Winter. Mostly Fall, but Winter…a little.
Lows here are in the 30s. (Sometimes, the 40s) I don’t even have to wear a jacket for that.
There is something to be said about the changing of the seasons.
Here we have Cool, Warm, Hot, and Volcano.
I miss snow, but I don’t miss the lack of pure sunlight for weeks or months at a time. I love the sun.
My wife asks, how could you stand gray and brown for 8 months a year. lol
Overcast makes me nostalgic.
Southerners think they understand the term “football weather”, but they don’t.
“Football weather” in Atlanta just means the roof is closed.
Have people watched mindhunter yet? I hear solid things
Texans here understand they don’t understand football weather and they like it that way.
Love “Ozark,” and surprised more people aren’t talking about it. In my opinion, it’s entrenched after just one season in the second tier of great series in this, television’s greatest era. Put it right up there with House of Cards, Pinky Blinders and the other instant classics with memorable group casts, great writing and the pitch-perfect capturing of idiosyncratic culture that seem to be pouring out.
Even though I’m still here, nostalgic for my rituals in the era when the Browns were competitive in late fall/early winter. Light a fire early Sunday afternoon, and it getting dark before the game was over. Watching the late game while decompressing from a big Browns win with chili, beer, tossing another log on … the Lerner/Haslam era has sorta sucked life rituals from many of us.
I love Stranger Things. I told myself I wouldn’t fly through the second season, so of course I flew through it in a week.
I remember Manziel answering reporters’ cliche questions about playing in NE Ohio winters by saying he already did that in Texas. I thought: there are bitter cold winds there, but he’s in for a rude awakening. Alas, he never made it to a real weather game day.
The interviews between the two main characters and the prison inmates are epic. They are obviously morbid and graphic, but in an odd way, they’re quite hilarious.
Ozark is great. It’s Breaking Bad meets Winter’s Bone. Jason Bateman did a fantatic job (and I believe produced and directed all).
House of Cards this past year has decidedly dropped off. Fortunately there will be no more reasons (for very unfortunate reasons that Spacey has the heart of an Underwood).
I’m definitely looking to burn through the next good thing
Eh, hard to say that KC game wasn’t a real weather game day.
Really enjoyed Ozark as well. It took me a minute to adjust to Bateman being in a serious role, but it was well worth it.
Dreamland is one of my favorite sit-coms on Netflix. It’s an Australian show based around a government agency in charge of Australian infrastructure projects.
If you have ever worked in a corporate or government setting where the leaders value things like ceremonial project launches rather than actually completing a project… HR buzzwords… corporate safety initiatives… then Dreamland is an A+
Stomping off the snow, and pulling off your stocking hat, and coat, while piling into a crowded warm bar is an underrated experience.
Everyone misses the snow when fall rolls around, and the holiday spirit starts creeping up on you. Wait until February and March when the high is still 3 degrees, and all the snow is brown, and they’re scraping the ice off their cars that they had to start 10 minutes early so it’s warm enough to drive 15 minutes to work. All the while, we’re suffering through mid-40s with a handful of 80-90 degree weeks mixed đ
Winter’s Bone – memorable. I agree House of Cards already dropped off. These series have a limited shelf life, and a claustrophobic vibe and narrow subject matters shorten it further. Really impressed that Ozark had its voice and hit its stride immediately, when it’s usually closer to the end of the first season or in the second that the creators understand what’s working best.
I really need to see both season’s of Stranger Things. May as well add Master of None in there. Should probably finish/catch-up on House of Cards as well.
Book wise, I hope to finish BAOT soon. Would love to tear through Lloyd’s “Blueprint” as well.
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The wife and I are halfway through S4 of Shameless, so plenty of eps left to catch up there
Would like to go Stranger Things after, but that might take some convincing
I need to finish S2 of Master of None, but the wife isn’t a fan of Aziz, and I rarely get solo TV time
Kinda interested in Future Man and Marvel’s Runaways, but I have a feeling I’ll never get around to them
Movies I missed in theaters: John Wick 2, GotG2, Rogue One (I know, I know), Baby Driver, The Big Sick, Dave Made A Maze, Never Go Back (I love the Reacher books)
Speaking of books, I go back and forth between the Reacher and Dresden series, with plenty to go in each
My hibernation list:
1 Sopranos – I haven’t watched it since it aired
2 Mindhunter – Have heard a lot of great things
3 Comic Books – My mother in law just gave me a Kindle Fire and I have already read through the First Volume of Darth Vader,
Guardians of the Galaxy, and Old Man Logan. Thinking about more of the Star Wars series, Civil War, Sandman, reread of
Preacher
4 Another play-through of Red Dead Redemption or GTA V unless I breakdown on Black Friday and get a PS4
I don’t know Pinky’s Blinders. It’s incredibly open ended I know…but any other recs are welcome.
hi DOMINIC … break down & get the PS4 … you earned it , right ? and besides , life is short … live !!
I’m an American Horror Story guy … and this season is quite disturbing … it is based on the most recent Presidential election & preying on people’s fears.
Thanks!
I am struggling to exercise Stranger Things 2 portion control.
Bingewatch-wise: I have been pretty consistent all year. I actually don’t have much new to watch, besides Mindhunter.
Book-wise: I am about halfway through the Dark Tower series.
I’m dealing with some plantar fasciitis, so I’ll have plenty of couch time upcoming. (Seriously, I will never tease any athlete about this injury again. It’s so painful and takes way too long to recover from).
hi BEN … good luck with your injury. make sure you have a little bell to summon MRS. BEN when your pillow needs fluffing.
Haha Thanks!- she would murder me đ
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Fargo is quirky but well done. Of course, I can’t resist Better Call Saul. As far as winter weather, now that all of our boys are out of the house – February in Florida is a perfect antidote.
My 5 year old complains now that he has to wear a long sleeved shirt with his shorts to school during the cold SoCal winter. I’m a really, really good dad for stifling my urge to tell him about my childhood climate.
So, you respect Ryan Zimmerman, NL Comeback Player of the Year (due to overcoming plantar fascitis):
http://thenatsblog.com/2017/06/ryan-zimmermans-speed-indicates-health/
Sure! I don’t know much about him, but the injury is freaking annoying man.
Are you reading Gillen’s Darth Vader series? That’s a fantastic series, I hope Disney makes a TV series based on it.
Thatâs the one! Is a TV series a possibility? That would be awesome! If you have any other recommendations I would love to hear them.
I don’t know if there’ll be a Darth Vader series, only hopeful. Also don’t know whether you’re into fantasy but Marvel’s Savage Sword of Conan volumes are cheap and excellent. They’re essentially graphical novels (and extensions) of Arthur Conan Doyle’s great stories.