A very intriguing novel: "Did You Ever Have a Family?"

A first novel by Bill Clegg, "Did You Ever Have a Family?" is definitely worth finding and reading. Not a happy story,  one of surviving loss and heartbreak, learning to let go and learning to accept kindness. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of about ten characters, some in first person, some in third.  The focal point of the story is a horrific accident that occurs hours before the book begins. Not every narrator knows about the event but each is drawn into it in some way, even unknowingly.

The book starts slowly and at times seems too meandering but that's because we are dealing with many personalities and not all of them are to the point. But as you read and as you learn bits about each narrator and as their pasts come into focus, you sense connections that are strong but not obvious between many of the people.  They might not even know each other but some thread is woven through and around them that ties them to the others.

It's very moving, very absorbing. As soon as I finished it, I went back and read some of the chapters again, still piecing together small clues and little facts about what really happened and who these people really were.  It isn't a long book, you can read it in two days, but take your time and savor it. It says a lot about the fragile connections that hold lives together, and because of that fragility, the book needs to be read gently and with respect.

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A day off and a movie and some other stuff

For the past many, many Fridays I have been driving to Carmichael to see/deal with my Mom. Today I did not drive there.  Today I had a day off. Slept in until 7:45, walked the dog for 45 minutes, made a wicked cup of coffee and read a book for a little while.  Ran some errands, saw a friend, went to a movie and just finished a nice dinner with my BFF, little Cooper.  (To be clear, I finished the dinner, Cooper watched longingly, but did not partake.  He had kibble.)

The movie I saw today was the new Spielberg/Tom Hanks collaboration, "Bridge of Spies."  Now, we can all agree that it's stupid title for a movie of such depth. So we will all agree to leave that argument alone and move on.

Very good movie, I would recommend seeing it. Spielberg wastes no money on the visuals (and why should he, it's his signature after all) and thus it is flawlessly set.  The late 1950's are pictured perfectly, the somber tone of the Cold War is rendered so well.  The classroom scenes of "Duck and Cover" and the kids saying the "Pledge of Allegiance" are very clear and yet done with the right blend of irony and loyalty that can only be realized years later.  

The movie is  based on true events from 1957 to 1961, during the frightening days of the Cold War, when spies and counter-spies were a serious and real thing. You can read a synopsis of the movie online, so I won't go into that detail. The best historical scenes of the movie take place in Berlin, just at the moment the Communists are building the Berlin Wall.  We see it as it happens and I am fairly certain what we see in the movie is what they saw in Berlin.  Having seen the remnants of the Wall myself, and being versed in it's history, I would say that this movie is worth seeing just for those scenes. We all know about it, but to see it as it unfolds is bone chilling and terrifying. 

I have a few negative things to say about this movie but they are quibbles so I will leave those behind.  It is a pleasure to watch Tom Hanks, once again, show us, once again, a character from history made real.  Hanks, from his first 30 seconds on screen, becomes the lawyer Donovan, he embraces the character so clearly that by the end of the movie you believe he is Donovan.  Hanks never leaves that persona. He is the guy.

It's worth seeing this movie for several reasons, and each can be merit alone.  Tom Hanks.  The sets of Brooklyn in 1957.  Berlin in 1961. The history of the Gary Powers issue, what that meant for America and for the Soviet Union. 

But the bottom line is that this is a story of one man's conviction of what was right and what was flawed.  The Standing Man's belief was that every person counts.  As Donovan says "it doesn't matter what people think about you. It matters that you know what you did."

See it.

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It's time for food: ravioli and cannoli

Sometimes the only thing you want is someone to make you dinner. But at that same time, you don't want to go anywhere or be in anyone's house except maybe your son's or your daughter's house, but no where else. And at that same time, on that particular day, that isn't a possibility.

So you find someplace to buy that dinner, or something close to it. In my little neighborhood we have a very small Italian deli that makes food to pick up and heat up and eat.  (Or food to eat there.)  Right now, on the fence next to the deli, there is a very large sign that reads PUMPKIN RAVIOLI.  Who could resist that?  I stopped there on my way home and got the facts.  48 ravioli to a tray, fresh frozen.  Ten bucks. For me that's at least 3 meals. The guys tell me that the filling is pumpkin, sauteed swiss chard, onions, a bit of Parmesan and I am sold. They also said "hey, they're small, really small, so it's enough for two people if you have a side salad."  Well, I cooked about 15 for me tonight and it was plenty.  I did a little brown butter sauce, some salt and pepper and a tiny bit of parm and they were delicious. 

Plus this place makes their own cannoli.  They have the shells pre-baked, of course, but they fill them when you order.  I just ate mine.....  crispy fried outside, soft and luscious inside with ricotta and lemon zest and mini-chocolate chips.  The perfect cannoli. 

That's all you need, now and then:  a dinner from an almost-home kitchen, a tiny bit of prep and a lot of tasty goodness. It's almost like eating in someone's kitchen. 

xo

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What? My ears have failed me? A chicken farm?

I started watching the continuation of "Longmire", season 4, a series I really like.  Modern day cowboy played by the discreetly sexy Robert Taylor, not just a cowboy but a cop as well in the Big Sky territory of what could be Montana or Wyoming but really, who the fuck cares where it is, just in a sort of still-cowboy territory. Episode 1 of season 4 begins...  some stuff happens, and then there's that part where they sort of roll some credits but it's just the intro music, etc.  And here is what I hear: the whole world's sitting on a chicken farm, the whole world's sitting on a chicken farm (and while I hear this, I am thinking it's a little odd) so keep your calm, carry on, the whole world's sitting on a chicken farm.  The sun may never rise again. The sea will roll, the sky will fall (which sort of goes with the chicken farm theme, I vaguely think, like Chicken Little and the sky is falling but still, sort of a strange theme song) the sun may never rise again.  The cyborg has begun (and I think where the hell did that come from, cyborgs in Montana?) and some more.....  and then the chorus again, the whole world's sitting on a chicken farm.  But then it hits me, much clearer:  the whole world's sitting on a TICKING BOMB!  Not a chicken farm!  Oh what relief!  No chicken farms....  just a stupid ticking bomb!  And all this time I have missed the sexy Robert Taylor, aka Longmire, walking sexily across the plain waving a gun. Thank goodness for rewind, or on Netflix it's not really a rewind, it's just the back arrow.

It just goes to show what you hear is not always what you hear.

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Two movies, neither current: "Chinatown" and "Moonrise Kingdom"

Sometimes you just need to watch something you already know you like. "Chinatown" is a movie I have seen at least ten times.  It took me about six times to get it, to get the duplicitous intrigue of the water scandal, who was betraying whom and how all the pieces and characters fit together.  For a movie that came out more than 40 years ago, it is still 100% worth watching.  Credit for that goes to the writer Robert Towne, the director Roman Polanski and the great cast of Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston. Some movies do not stand the test of time. This one does.  Yes, there are cliche moments and some that are hokey, but 90% of the movie holds up and makes you watch until the very end.  If you haven't seen it in a while, check it out. On Netflix, of course, streaming.

And for simple escape, few are better than Wes Anderson at getting you out of your head and thus out of your pissy mood. "Moonrise Kingdom" has such a great cast that even if it wasn't a charmer, you would love just watching the actors.  Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel..... and so many others. Goofy and poignant and silly and serious.  If you don't like Wes Anderson, too bad for you.  Learn to. He's a master at the subversive almost-comedy. 

What a week, and it's only Wednesday.  As I have said before, by this time of the year I am so, so tired of talking to guests and now I am so, so tired of talking to almost everyone.  Everything seems incredibly trite and pedantic and redundant and all those other words that mean the same thing.  I could write paragraphs of what I never want to hear again ("how does the chef make that crispy poached egg can I have the recipe for that mango limeade what's in the polenta cake who made the biscuits can I visit this winery what kind of trees are those how does this coffee machine work is there more chai tea where should we eat dinner what's your favorite winery can I have oatmeal instead of an egg can I buy that lotion where can we go for a hike are you the owner how long have you worked here?")

Far too long.

xo

"Friday Night Lights" from so long ago.

Sometimes you just need to watch something on TV (aka on Netflix.)  Sometimes you just need to watch something that is more than one episode, so you can get into it and ride it along.  This show had great reviews and was on for at least 6 or 7 seasons, but I never got into it.  Why I picked it today, I am not sure. But it was a good pick.

Solidly built around a small town in Texas whose only claim to fame is their football team, it gives us a look at that kind of maniacal dedication that almost defines Texas. Businesses close down on Friday night game nights. Everyone in the town is obsessed with the team winning. And not simply "obsessed" with the team winning but almost willing to put their lives on the line to make the team win. Yes, there was a small town in Texas (Odessa) with a winning team on which this series is based.  But as the book of the same name discovers, football isn't the only thing happening in the town. Lives are being lived, lies are being told and little happens that isn't changed by this football team.

Well, who am I to say this, I am only on episode 5!  But I understand the need to come out on top, to win, to prove something.  Everyone understands that. The players in the series are well drawn, it is well acted, well written and well made.  I only wish it was stormy and cloudy and cold outside, so I could put on my flannel pajamas and watch it throughout the day and into the night. It is that good. And it's free!  

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The long slide downhill

Now that we have moved Mom into a small board-and-care place, it seems she has left that last plateau for good and is on the long (or hopefully short) slide downhill.  She can't remember anything, doesn't want to try to remember anything.  She doesn't want to try and move around, walk outside, even walk to the next room.  She complains about being bored and having no one to talk to and yet she refuses to talk to anyone at the house. 

It's frustrating for her, of course, and depressing and frightening.  For us kids, it's mostly sad and frustrating.  We bought her a cell phone, one designed specifically for old people (called Jitterbug) and it is incredibly easy to use. No matter how many times we show her how to use it, no matter that she has to push two buttons to make a call, she is incapable of even doing that 50% of the time.

What will happen, we have no idea.  I drive to Sacramento on Fridays, usually, because it's my day off.  Two hours of driving there, two back and Mom is only good for about an hour visit.  After that she spaces out or says she is too tired.  It's exhausting for everyone.

Hope I die before I get that old.  That's all I have to say on that.