There are certain writer's voices I can't resist. And Sigrid Nunez is one of them for me. So although I wasn't more than a few pages into SALVATION CITY before I realized it was about a pandemic, I couldn't give up. And boy dp the pandemic and her observations on it hit close to home.
Really enjoyed the TCM podcast on Desi and Lucy. (The Plot Thickens). The movie, not so much.
I enjoyed GUYS AND DOLLS on NYE.
Also enjoying ANXIOUS PEOPLE on Netflix based on the Frederick Bachman novel. Very amusing.
If you enjoy animation, you might like the delightful BLUEY on Disney.
I am finding I have to watch every episode of STATION ELEVEN twice. My mind drifts.
Well, gang the radiologist said I don't strictly have to have radiation. My age and numbers make it highly unlikely this will come back. But my oncologist might overrule this and go for my having five radiation treatments. I will call early in the week to see what he says. Although I could overrule him myself and opt for not doing it--especially now. Do I diminish my resources for fighting off Covid? So hard to know. Either way I will take an estrogen-blocking drug for five years.
20 comments:
Five radiation treatments? With your already radiant personality? Coals to Newcastle, I say. Although it's better to be safe and listen to what the docs say. We do want you around for a long time.
As 2020 limped its Covid-infested way out, I was limping also, having thrown out my back. Although I have had back problems for 60 years, this time was the worst in recent memory -- to say I resembled the Tim Conway old man character from the Carol Burnett sketches of long ago would be a major understatement. No matter what position I was in the pain was like an icepick and my left leg kept going from under me. I did, however, manage to sleep through New Year's Eve -- a great way to celebrate the annual rollover. Some enighbors were setting off fireworks. The cat was not happy.
After a week of agony, my back was much better on New Year's Day. We went beaching in the morning. It was warm, but it was a red and purple flag day which meant dangerous tides and a surplus of jellyfish; a number of the JF's had been washed to shore so anyone with bare feet had to watch where they were stepping. Suddenly it cooled, the wind picked up and dark clouds appeared (more dark when you wore sunglasses) and the rain came. So we only had about twenty minutes on the beach, but enough time to be mesmerized by the beauty of the Gulf waves.
Watched/tried to watch a lot of television but nothing very interesting. Harlan Coben's latest miniseries STAY CLOSE came closest but it was marred by by-the-book twists and turns, unbelievable characters, motivations, and actions, as well as reveals that were just pulled out of a hat. **sigh** I really miss the late-night comics when their shows go off for the holidays. Kitty is watching a lot of royal family gossip on YouTube -- what people are wearing, with whom they are fighting, why Charles and William are falling out of favor, some people devote their entire channels to tearing down Megan, why Anne would be the best choice for the next queen even though she does not want it, yadda, yadda, yadda. Most of this stuff is presented by people with neither insight nor true knowledge. Ptah!
Reading (and concentration) have been kept to a minumum. No novels and just a few short stories. I wasn't able to get more than a third of the way through the book I had hoped would be my FFB this week. Maybe for this coming Friday... Likewise, there was very little posted on my blog. **sigh**
Tomorrow is my younger brother's birthday. He is younger than me by fourteen months and he keeps getting upset that, although he keeps getting older, he never becomes older than me. (His concepts of time, aging, and reality are a bit skewed, but he's still a pretty good guy.) Happy birthday, Kenny! Jack is celebrating your birthday by returning to school after a long holiday break.
2021 is starting off very well for me and I think it will continue. May it do the same for you, Patti. Stay safe. Stay happy.
Hope you can avoid the radiation treatments.
We woke up to 11 degrees (windchill 2 degrees). Only an inch of new snow fell over night. Tomorrow, the temps head into the 40s so most of this snow ill melt. Then, it's back to yo-yo weather: warm day, freezing day, warm day, etc. Crazy weather.
The Buffalo Bills struggled against the Atlanta Falcons but managed to win the game which clinched a Playoff slot.
Patrick will try to fly from Houston to New York City today. But with so many cancelations and delays, it might be tricky to get back home.
Omicron is filling Western NY hospitals. We're hunkered down until this surge passes. Stay safe!
My back hurts like hell in the morning but usually after I walk around a minute or two, it's all right. My mattress is only 4 years old so I doubt it is that. Also my neck. Getting old is not fun and I am not sure it beats the alternative.
We seem to be getting more snow than you George. We had three snowfalls last week but only one was over 2 inches. I fell down trying to salt my walks so I have to just let other people fall on them, I guess. Being a corner is such a curse.
Patti, my father warned me NEVER to buy a corner house. We have some icy sidewalks, but no one is walking around in 11 degree weather so maybe when the sun comes out later today, it will melt a bit.
I occasionally wake up with aches and pains, too. Yes, aging sucks. Tomorrow I go to Quest Diagnostics for routine blood work. I have my yearly physical next week.
Only read one book last week. Far From the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson. A SF mystery which was good but a bit too long. Reading Butcher's Moon by Richard Stark.
On Netflix-The Silent Sea a Korean SF which was watchable mainly for the lead actress. The science unfortunately made little sense. Also watched first season of the Kingdom. Korean with same actress as Silent Sea. She was also in Cloud Atlas about a decade ago. The Kingdom is historical with a cross between vampires/zombies. High production values make this watchable. Can't get into Station 19 although I liked the book. Best performance is by the little girl.
Getting a echocardiogram this afternoon. They check on me because of a heart murmur but it always comes up benign.
SALVATION CITY does sound like a book I might like.
Right now I am reading THE DINING CAR by Eric Peterson, which I doubt that anyone has heard of. Not a mystery, and I can't remember why I was interested in it, other than it is set on a train, and about a man travelling around in a vintage private railroad car. I am enjoying it and am close to the end.
We watch something every night, but mostly it has been the same old stuff recently. We did watch DIE HARD 2 because we had watched DIE HARD recently. We will probably continue on through DIE HARD 3 and 4 soon.
I agree that getting old sucks but I am still in the "it beats the alternative" camp.
Only if you can bear the uncanny similarities to what we are living through.
That sounds like a book my book group might like.
Our son came for the holidays, stayed when his job removed the office requirement and is working remotely from our upstairs bedroom. It is is terrific to have another voice in the house.
We have been watching Hawkeye and Joe Pickett with him, Silent Sea without my wife and Seashore Hotel by my wife and I without our son.
Reading Mobbed Up by James Ness, a true crime book about Jackie Presser, a Cleveland mob tied Teamster Leader who was also an FBI informant.
You might like the book a student of my husband's wrote on Detroit crime.
Early Organized Crime in Detroit: Vice, Corruption and the Rise of the Mafia, James Buccellato. I watched the first two Hawkeyes and I liked it when they stopped fighting. Some good writing there.
Jerry, I have a younger brother virtually the same amount younger than me as yours is to you, and his name...you guessed it.
Greetings from the road (Lumberton, NC to be specific). This has been an insane two days. We left fairly early yesterday and it was milder than normal and more so as we drove south, like about 65 by the time we got to Fredericksburg. Great, right?
Not so fast. We got up at 6:30 this morning and found several inches of SNOW with more coming down and a possible 10 inches expected. If we chose to stay an extra day in Fredericksburg, we might be caught for two days, with nothing to eat. We decided you only live once so went for it. Fun, it wasn't. Getting out of the hotel and to I-95 was almost a deal breaker but I persisted, and finally as we approached Richmond it changed over to rain. It did take three often harrowing hours to get 120 miles but we made it. We still plan to be in Palm Beach County on Wednesday.
The Frank Rich book is one I should check out, I guess, though I have always had ambivalent feelings about him. The Nunez book sounds interesting too.
I ended up with 920 short stories read and 68 collections out of 151 books read.
We finished series 1 of The Team and Hunters, and we've watched more than half of Only Murders in the Building. We watched (as we always do) Two For the Road and When Harry Met Sally... on New Year's Eve. Audrey Hepburn was gorgeous.
I'm curious about your take (and George's) on The Lost Daughter, which we watched on Netflix the night before we left. I am a big fan of Olivia Colman but I don't think I was the target audience.
Haven’t watched it yet. Be safe out there!
We watched the first episode of Anxious People tonight. Loved the goofy vibe of it.
Thanks for the nudge about Sigrid Nunez; must try her work. And it was nice to see you mention Guys and Dolls; that's a great show.
I finished it, Jeff. It was delightful.
Funny I never saw the movie version until now although Megan insists I watched it with her as a teenager.
Guys and Dolls is Jackie's favorite musical. We've seen it several times on Broadway and in London. Surprisingly, my favorite Miss Adelaide was Imelda Staunton, who was very touching in the role.
I would recommended doing the radiation. I heard far too many stories when we were in infusion to rely on what the radiation folks say.
Scott was supposed to see his neurologist this Friday. Neither one of us has been fleeing well--not sure exactly what is going on though we do no think it is Covid--and rescheduled things till March as that was the next available appointment. The doc is fine, but his four person staff either wears no mask or wears them like chin diapers so we really do not want to walk in to the building. Zoom is not an option as they do not do that. So, we wait till March. Okay with that as the case counts are soaring here.
Stay safe, folks.
“I got your horse right here,
His name is Paul Revere,
…
So much good music in Guys and Doll.
I would get a new doctor, Kevin. Cannot imagine doctors here not wearing masks.
Glad you have been encouraged to consider the no-radiation option, even if you do choose radiation eventually...a less virulent case is always to be wished for.
I should look up the name of the actor for whom such songs as "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" were written for, tailored to his limited singing range. As Rick might note, Can do.
Are you a fan of Runyon's fiction? Imagine Megan would find his work irresistible even if she didn't want to.
Post a Comment