I’ve been dying to meat you, Jeff.

Tara and I recently watched the Dahmer special on Netflix. Jeffrey being from Milwaukee and all, we thought it would be a nice introduction to Wisconsin.

Gulp. I don’t have the heart to say this, but maybe we bit off more than we could chew. No bones about it, the man was evil personified.

And actually, there weren’t any real surprises — other than the fact that his stepmom was played by Molly Ringwald. We didn’t learn this until a week after finishing up the series. Yes, the same Molly Ringwald who pined after Jake Ryan in Sixteen Candles and made out with John Bender in The Breakfast Club and was pretty in pink in some other ’80s teen comedy whose name escapes me at the moment.

I don’t know which was the bigger shock: learning this was Molly Ringwald, or that the Boston spaceship is an inverted guitar.

Twice this year I’ve had my mind blown courtesy of pop culture.

Anyway, I thought Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story was exceptionally well done. The casting was spot-on, the acting superb, and it did a great job of telling the victims’ stories. This is what all true crime series should aspire to.

Currently, we’re watching Ozark. Or should I say, re-watching Ozark. We’ve seen the first three seasons, but hadn’t yet gotten around to the fourth and — since so much time has elapsed — figured it would be smart to watch the whole series through from the beginning rather than trying to remember intricate plot details like how Marty and Wendy first got involved with the Snells … or, for that matter, what brought them to the Ozarks in the first place. I mean, I knew the main reason (FLEEING FROM BAD GUYS), but a refresher was nice.

Remind me again how we ever survived before binging was a thing?

Speaking of surviving, I’m doing just that with this whole Covid thing. I’m actually fine now; my symptoms have all but disappeared, and were never that bad to begin with. But even though my CDC-mandated five days of isolation expired on Sunday, because they recommend masking up for another five days in public after your symptoms have cleared up, I’ve been working from home this week because I can.

I’m starting to go stir-crazy, though. Staying home also means avoiding contact with everybody except Tara (who is 100% fine). There’s a fine line between being an introvert and a hermit, and I’m straddling it pretty closely.

I have gotten outside, though. Saturday, Tara and I explored Dorothy Carnes County Park with a lovely three-mile hike through rolling hills, woods, and wetlands.

It was an absolute stunner of a day…sunny, yet cool and crisp. The Great Outdoors have never been so welcome.

I also like The Great Indoors, at least those places where cocktails are served, so I’m looking forward to going back out in public the end of this week.

47 thoughts on “I’ve been dying to meat you, Jeff.”

  1. Maybe Jeffrey started in Milwaukee but he ended in Bath, Ohio, the town next to mine growing up. We went to the same high school. The FBI came and confiscated all his records. Someone found his name in a checked-out library book. (I forget the name of the book, sadly.) His house was roped off with yellow tape and bodies were dug up in the backyard. If I ever met PJ, I would tell them this connection I have with the person they call “Dirty Frank” in their song. That might earn me a backstage pass or something. 😉

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    1. Actually, he started in Bath. Or at least that’s where he first began disemboweling roadkill (not to mention his first victim…shudder). What a trip that would be to find his name in a library book!

      I had no idea Pearl Jam sang about Dahmer. I guess that’s THREE times my mind has been blown now!

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  2. Wow – that blue sky is stunning! Glad you got out – seems like a perfect choice for a Covid activity. Glad you are feeling better and hope the end of isolation goes quickly.

    And the Dahmer puns — killer!

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  3. I so wanted to watch Dahmer- mostly because of Evan Peters who is one of my favs on Am. Horror Story. However, I was so creeped out so quickly on the first episode I gave up. Now you tell me Molly Ringwald is in it. I may have to try again and attempt to forget just how real this story is. Glad to know you’ve put Covid behind you Mark!

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    1. I’d never heard of Evan Peters before, but he does SUCH a good job in that role. Couldn’t have been easy, either…the series is pretty graphic and definitely doesn’t shy away from any of Dahmer’s eccentricities!

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  4. I don’t think I could get through it. I’m squeamish even thinking about it. Glad you’re better and ready to get out and about. The scenery and bright blue sky are stunning!

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    1. Pretty stunning, huh? I may actually make that the background on my phone. In another month, when the leaves are gone and the snow is flying, I’ll want to remember how beautiful it looked.

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  9. Beautiful images, almost kind of makes you forget the mention of the Monster. I remember the news etc during that whole thing. Evil is almost to kind a word for what he was. My nephew keeps trying to get me to watch Dahmer. Um, no…think I will have to pass…

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  10. Oh good grief, that special gets a hard pass from me. I also grew up in his vicinity and know some people who went to HS with him (he was a few years older than me). At the time this all blew up, my next door neighbor had been in his graduating class. She was completely freaked, though she said she didn’t really know him.

    I don’t know if you remember a post I did years ago after my son-in-law told us that Dahmer’s father used to substitute teach at his high school for CHEMISTRY. How effing inappropriate was that??? I ended up deleting the post because I received a few comments that completely disagreed with my stance.

    Glad you’re on the mend!

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    1. No, I don’t recall that post; it’s too bad you deleted it – I’d have loved to have read it! People are stupid. You’re entitled to your opinion and they have every right to theirs. Can’t we all just get along?

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  11. Another Ohioan here who knew of Dahmer’s connection with this state– and shivers ever time I’m reminded of it. I don’t know if I’ll watch the show, but I am curious. Glad that you’re feeling better. From your photos I can see that October in WI is every bit as lovely as I imagined it’d be.

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    1. When I lived in the Portland area, I used to joke that all the serial killers came from the PNW. Turns out there are quite a few from the Midwest, too. I guess evil knows no boundaries.

      I’d assumed WI was beautiful in October, but had never actually been out here before in the fall. Glad to see firsthand I was right.

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  13. Glad to hear you’re on the mend. I don’t think that’s something I’d watch, although I’m certain there’s much psychological stuff to glean. I know my limit with things like that as they tend to give me nightmares (both waking and sleeping).

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  14. Beautiful day for a hike in a gorgeous area. Glad you are feeling better. Molly Ringwald plays Archie’s mom on the CW’s Riverdale, which doesn’t get quite as dark as a story on Dahmer. I don’t know if any story could be darker than that. I’m not a true crime aficionado, but I’ve heard good things about that new series. The public awaits your return – get out to the great indoors!

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      1. First time I saw her on Riverdale, I didn’t recognize her either at first because I hadn’t seen her since a Psych episode from back in 2011. And prior to that, not since the 90’s. Haven’t seen her in much either.

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  16. I forgot about Dahmer! I got into a discussion about true crime shows with a group of servers at a Waffle House and they highly recommended it. (My husband just shook his head during the conversation, LOL. He doesn’t understand my love of Forensic Files, etc.)

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  17. Interestingly, my then-boyfriend and I were passing through Milwaukee from Door County on the day Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested in 1991. My husband and I tried watching that show, but I couldn’t get past the first episode, but you mentioned that it did an excellent job telling the victims’ stories, so we might give it another try. The other night, we finished watching John Gacey’s documentary on Netflix. Two serial killers within an hour’s drive of each other. Egads.

    We watched Molly Ringwald in an episode of The Bear on Hulu and didn’t recognize her. 

    I’m glad you’re doing better and that Tara didn’t catch it.

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      1. Yes! She was the moderator at the AA meeting. I’m not sure which episode… I think one or two.

        I’m sure it’s not. No more than Illinois is. That probably didn’t make you feel any better. 😂

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