What a scene it is to watch hundreds of flatbed trucks removing thousands of antique cars from the streets along this 30 mile stretch. It's like watching the young push wheelchairs with the old strapped in. Many of them have come from half a country away. I saw a row of Avantis (Studebaker) outside my building.
Never heard of them before. I am hoping the noise is over until next Spring, but I doubt it.
We saw three okay but not great plays in Stratford: RENT, RICHARD II and KING LEAR. We hit tremendous rainstorms coming and going. And Canada seems to not believe in either rest stops or shoulder to pull off on to.
Reading TOM LAKE by Ann Patchett, which is set in Michigan.
Watching CITY PRIMEVAL, MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, RESERVATION DOGS, and SLOW HORSES.
Happy Birthday, Megan.
What about you?
14 comments:
Those cars must have been something else to see, Patti! Wow! And I'm glad you got the chance to go to the theatre, even if the plays weren't the best you've seen.
Happy birthday to Megan.
There are so many factors that can turn great plays into good plays, or mediocre plays, or just plain stinkers. Some day I'll tell you about our adventures with WAITING FOR GADUSH.
It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegone (because of the Canadian wildfires) and on the Florida Panhandle (because of the excessive heat). Even Governopr Bozo, whose political capital is fading fast, has not been able to destroy democracy at his previous rate. Christina, Erin, and Trey made it home from Scotland and Ireland with minimal delays. despite flying on Delta, after having a fantastic vay-cay. The following, Duncan the dog quietly celebrated his ninth hirthday, and on the day after that, Jolly the puppy was spayed. Wild times, indeed!
Jack managed to make it a full week into the sixth grade before getting an in-house detention. It may be a rocky year.
Went beaching with Christina, Erin, Jack, Jessie, and Amy early on Sunday. Christina saw a dolphin. I didn't. Every one saw a rather large sand crab. I didn't. I did see some birds, though. A warm (but not opressive) sun, a gentle breeze, and calming waves.
My VERA marathon was interrupted by Jack coming into my room to watch a COBRA KAi marathon (Seasons 1 through -- I think -- 6, although it felt like 30 or 40 seasons). Absolutely mind-mumbing. **sigh**
So what to do? Read, of course. A lot. Beginning with DIE,LOVER, DIE!, a collaborative round-robin story from Top Suspense Group (twelve great suspense writers including Ed Gorman, Bill Crider, Max Allan Collins, Lee Goldberg, and others, each trying to outdo the others with outrageous plot twists and turns). I continued with Max Allan Collins's THE MANY LIVES OF JIMMY LEIGHTON (with the equally talented Dave Thomas), a parallel worlds romp. Then I moved on to three Ed Gorman collaborations -- CAST IN DARK WATERS (a Spanish /main pirate/monster tale written with Tom Piccirilli), BLOOD BROTHERS ( agritty furue cop tale written with Richjard Chizmar), and THE GIRL IN THE ATTIC (with Patricia Lee Macober; a rewrite of Gorman's horror novel NIGHT CALLER, which originally appeared under his "Daniel Ransom" pseudonym). I also read two of Basil Copper's Solar Pons collections: THE DOSSIER OF SOLAR PONS and THE SECRET FILES OF SOLAR PONS. (Pons had originally been created by August Derleth in homage to Sherlock Holmes.) DEFINITELY NOT KANSAS is the first volume in a YA trilogy by Tom Monteleone and F. Paul Wilson about a world governed by monsters. Lawrence Block's latest (and perhaps last) Matt Scudder book THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MATTHER SCUDDER is just what the title suggests -- Scudder's life story told in his own words; a fascinating glimpse into a flawed but decent man who has become one of the greatest characters in the modern mystery genre. Avram Davidson's recently discovered novel BEER! BEER! BEER! is a fantastic non-fantasy, quasi-historical novel about the Depession and Prohibition. It was my FFB this week and is highly recommended. Also highly recommended is the expandeD second edition of Nat Segaloff's A LIT FUSE: THE PROVICATIVE LIFE OF HARLAN ELLISON, a compulsively readable look at one of the most influential authors of our time. I capped the week off with Justin Richards' DOCTOR WHO graphic novel, THE ONLY GOOD DALEK. Currently reading Mark Rich's C.M. KORNBLUTH: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF A SCIENCE FICTION VISIONARY, as well as an old "Ellery Queen" paperback original (ghosted by Fletcher Flora), THE DEVIL'S COOK.
Enjoy the week, Patti, and have a big slice of cake in honor of Megan's B-Day. Stay safe.
No matter how careflly I scan my post for typos, I still fall way short. **sigh**
Alas, Megan lives far away. Her birthdays used to be fun because we were always in Ocean City, NJ on vacation and we would pick out her presents from boardwalk paraphernalia. Perhaps we overdid it because now she just sends links to things like sheets. I wish Ed was still around.
Happy Birthday to Megan!
Canadian smoke is back and our air quality declines. So we're staying inside more. We're enjoying ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING with guest stars Paul Redd and Meryl Streep. Diane and I also enjoyed Gal Gadot in HEART OF STONE on Netflix.
Diane is already getting us packed for BOUCHERCON in San Diego. Of course, we're happy it's 10 days from now so California might be recovered from Hurricane Hilary. We'll go to Megan's panel on Friday. Diane can't wait to hear Jackie Winspeare's panel on Thursday. And...free books!
Patrick and Katie will be in Vegas next week for the Beyonce concert. Then, they're going to join us in San Diego. Fun, fun, fun!
What a nice two weeks coming up for you, George.
Welcome back. Sorry the trips and the plays weren't great.
We got a notice yesterday that the first two (so far?) of four Jackson Browne concerts this week (including ours) have been postponed to next week, for unexplained reasons. Covid? It's no biggie for us - this Wednesday, next Tuesday, what's the difference? - but they are offering refunds for those who can't make it.
Our weather was better this week - four days in the 70s - but today is supposed to be one last (I hope) day of 90 before it cools down again tomorrow.
Mostly reading, streaming, and eating. Nearing the end of TREME season 3 (of 4), Candice Renoir series 4, etc. We quit two shows: The Punjabi KHORRA. As mentioned, the cops are all brutal and stupid, there are no sympathetic characters, and frankly, we didn't care who killed the victims. The other was ONE-LANE BRIDGE, the New Zealand show. We made it to series 3 before giving up. The lead character, Sgt. Ariki Davis, is another stupid, unsympathetic cop. There is a huge "woo woo" factor - he sees dead people - but even given that... He keeps saying "no more, I'm done" as if that will stop his visions, but then he wakes up again next to a dead body on the bridge. It's just annoying. Nice New Zealand scenery, but otherwise skip it.
I know the Israeli-Palestinian set (but American made) MESSIAH got mixed reviews, but so far it's pretty good. It stars Tomer (BALTHAZAR, VORTEX) Sisley, this time not French but Israeli (which he is), a Shin Bet (counter intelligence) agent, along with Michelle Monaghan as a CIA agent, investigating a man who seems to be Jesus come back to life, in the Middle East.
Drops in eyes from doctor visit. Will return when they clear up. Hoping TracyK is doing okay in CA.
I just made the quickest bat catch in my time here at the library. Of course the bat then escaped. But, I caught him quick again. And he escaped. The third time I used my gloved hands to hold him and let him go in the park across the street.
Listened to Max Allan Collins's second Eliot Ness biography that foucsed on Ness's time in Cleveland and his life afterwards until his death. Interesting, but I hoped for more of a true crime tale of Cleveland's Torso Killer.
Started listening to Ruth Downie's fourth novel in her MEDICUS series. I really enjoyed the first three books. This one has not clicked with me. Possibly because I took a three day weekend to take the children to my mother's place to assist in cleaning out her garage. The job was a big first step in getting things cleaned up and squared away. I think of that positive rather than my frustration in the whole process and work.
My mother's cousin from England arrives this week with her adult grandchildren. The grandchildren will travel a bit and my mother and her cousin will visit us in WI. Of interest is that the grandchildren will fly to Philadelphia to see the steps from ROCKY.
Finished The Devil's Playground by Craig Russell. Now starting Sleepless City by Reed Farrel Coleman.
Watching The Lincoln Lawyer and Justified. Watched an interesting movie called Beau is afraid starring Joaquin Phoenix.
My youngest daughter spent a few days in the hospital when her sugar spiked over 600. Turns out her insulin pump got a kink in it and blocked the flow of insulin. She's home and okay now.
Lovely pictures of Megan.
I hope you get some relief from the constant stream of antique cars for a while, Patti. Does it start in spring and last until August?
We experienced no real problems from Hurricane / Tropical Storm Hilary. We were hoping for a good bit of rain but that also might have come along with worse things, so we were happy with some rain yesterday and this morning. Not a lot, but enough to make me and my plants happy for a few days. Sunday evening, we also had an earthquake nearby in Ventura County, close to Ojai. Only 5.1 magnitude and not much damage there, but enough for us to feel the shaking.
We have been watching our standard shows plus THE AFTERPARTY, season 2 and ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, season 3. It took us several days to get access to ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING, there was some problem between the ROKU settings and some HULU shows, but Glen found out how to fix it. Also GOOD OMENS, season 2.
READING: I finished THE LAST COLONY by John Scalzi. That was the 3rd in the series and the author's comments at the end indicate that there will be no further books. But I know that there were more books, so I will have to see what's up with that. Now I am reading THE DOOMSDAY CARRIER by Victor Canning, another spy fiction book, sort of. A short book and I am over half done. I continue to read OPERATION MINCEMEAT by Ben MacIntyre between fiction books.
Glen is reading AGENTS OF INFLUENCE: A British Plot, a Canadian Spy, and the Secret Effort to Bring America into World War II. From what he tells me about it, I would enjoy it too.
Nothing else going on. Soon I will have another blood test to check my sodium level and make sure it is still normal.
Tracy, John Scalzi, like many another rather popular writer, can be enticed by big sequel advances, I'm sure. Glad the tropical storm didn't get at you, Tracy...I for some reason had the sense you were farther north than that. And good luck with the Na levels!
Happy natal to Megan, indeed...as I noted on her Fb "wall" earlier. Ed is definitely among those I miss, as well...Jerry, was the rewrite an improvement on the "Ransom" version? Further condolence on an less than overwhelming vacation, Patti...but, and I'm sorry I missed this in previous updates, but the cars hauled away...were part of sports-car races that were such a consistent noise-pollution source this past year? And what led to the hauling? Avantis are definitely a model I've heard of, but rarely seen...my folks' mid-'60s sports-car racing days had long shadows into my youth. Hope the (alas, remote) birthday and the eyes' recovery go well...welcome home.
Yikes, Steve...better luck indefinitely for your daughter. I'll take any actual cures for diabetes we as a species will come up with, selfishly, but those who need insulin pumps can use them that much more immediately.
Gerard, I'm rather fond of bats, but haven't ever needed to catch one. Your cousins however removed should be informed that the steps lead up to a rather good art museum, albeit all the Smithsonians collectively and their being free of admission charges did set a high bar for my enjoyment of museums since. For said cousins and yourself, if deeply or casually invested in Balboa and his steps-training: https://whyy.org/programs/the-statue/
George--may you all enjoy San Diego and perhaps all the newly-hatched mosquitos won't be too bothersome! Gerard's bats can be sic'd upon them.
Jerry--it should be particularly amusing watching De Meatball dance as clumsily as he will to defend yet damn Trumple in the Wednesday debate-esque affair. I really don't see the GOP managing to beat Biden, even with the unresolved inflation (since we haven't actually seen most prices for everyday necessities go down), but a No Labels stunt candidacy probably won't help matters. "We must find a Centrist Course between the two degrees left of the Biden Admin and the thousand degrees right of the current GOP! Joe Mansion, Our Cornpone Rockefelleresque Savior, a mere several hundred degrees right and degrees Fahrenheit added to the ambient temperature!"
Jeff--thanks for the tip on MESSIAH, which has completely passed me by thus far. If it's reasonably clever, I will enjoy seeing Monaghan in it, certainly.
And for my part, still juggling cats (och, time to medicate Whiskers again!), rearranging and cleaning and fixing things in my easily-exhausted way, and as of this week, Jury Duty.
The one time we had a bat, Phil squashed it by mistake.
Wow, some scary moments, Steve. I always worry about mine, which borders on pre-diabetic. Try to stay away from the carbs but it's hard.
Glad the storm calmed down, Tracy. THought about you all day yesterday and today.
My eyes are still not normal so I will respond to anyone else tomorrow.
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