'Difficult People' and Delightful Wallpaper Chez Moi, from J. R. Burrows

A month ago I finally decided to watch "Difficult People" on Netflix. About a quarter of the way through the first episode, Julie, Billy, and Arthur go to an Oscar-watching party at the home of Arthur's NPR boss, Gaby.

I was ready for the NPR employees to be gently--OK: pointedly--mocked at the party, but I was not ready to see my own beloved "Priory Garden" wallpaper covering Gaby's apartment from head to toe. So while Julie and Billy were eviscerating public radio (in a loving way?), I was marveling at seeing my William Morris-inspired wallpaper shown to full advantage in a New York apartment with gorgeous creamy molding.

My wallpaper, on the other hand, is in my work office, and I used it strategically in just one spot--it covers a foundational pillar in the old building this professor calls home. I did not use paste, hence the seam and any visible wrinkles. But I love it.

Still, I felt a bit exposed when NPR Gaby in her sensible earthtones (which were clearly a source of judgy merriment for Julie and Billy) shared my wallpaper aesthetic. Was my beautiful wallpaper from J. R. Burrows a joke to cynical New Yorkers?

Bah--who cares? Beauty is beauty and I love not only NPR but also Andrea Martin's character (Julie's self-absorbed psychiatrist mother). And I mute the commercials during TV shows too.