Monday, November 01, 2021

Monday, Monday

 

There is no way Paul Newman had the build this poster represents. Men just didn't work on their bodies that way in 1958. But I enjoyed this movie in spite of that. And he still is about the best looking man I have ever seen. Although Orson Welles, in some very strange makeup stole the show. 


(THE BIG CHILL) This is a movie I rewatch often because the music is so wonderful and also the cast. Jeff Goldblum always is the coolest guy in the room, isn't he?

Also went to see DUNE, which I liked but didn't love. Not my favorite genre but they did a good job with it.

Watching THE ALIENIST, which I didn't catch a few years ago. 


Reading LIGHTNING STRIKES by W.KK., which is terrific so far. Why am I drawn to stories about boys of the last century growing up in small towns with Indians among them? If I had a fault to notice, it is that WKK's kids are just too darn polite. I was a kid then and only Eddie Haskell was that polite to adults. Other than that, I love it.

Got to have a few meals out with friends and went to breakfast with my family so despite my health issues it was a good week. 

What about you?


30 comments:

Steve A Oerkfitz said...

I saw both Dune and Last Night in Soho. Both of which I liked. Dune is probably the loudest movie I have ever been to. Finished the 4th season of Goliath which was better than the third. J. K. Simmons and Bruce Dern were both very good in it. Simmons ever had a song and dance number which was fun. Enjoying Curb Your Enthusiasm and dipping back into some of the early ones. Tried Baptiste on PBS. Pretty dull.
Read and liked Clark and Division by Naomi Hirahara. Now reading A Line to Kill by Anthony Horowitz and Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli which is about the making of the Godfather.
Been listening a lot to Scott Walker whose music is a bit out in left field. Has a great baritone voice. His stuff is heavily influenced by Jacques Brel. He was a big influence on David Bowie. Also listening to the great new cd by My Morning Jacket.
Got my booster shot on Wednesday.

Steve A Oerkfitz said...

Also:
My mother loved Paul Newman. Everyone used to say my dad resembled him.
Going to my first concert since the pandemic. Elvis Costello Tuesday night in Ann Arbor. Looks to be sold out. It wil be about the 20th time I have seen him. Always a great show.
0-8 Go Lions. Maybe they will be the first team to ever go 0-17.

Roger Allen said...

Is there any film he was in that Orson Welles didn't steal his scenes?
I've always been sorry he was never in a film with Ralph Richardson or Alan Rickman, his two main rivals, just to watch them vying with each other.

Jerry House said...

Happy November!

The saga of Jerry's mouth continues. They smoothed out the bone in my upper jaw last Tuesday. Rather than put me under they decided just to use novocaine -- more than twenty shots worth. It was the six shots to the roof of my mouth that had me screaming. Turns out there were five or six places where the bone was sticking out. They used some sort of saw for that, then the sanded the bone for smoothness with a mini electric sander. A bunch of stiches (which are supposed to dissolve but haven't) and I was good to go. As with the first procedure the entire trauma left me exhausted and I have been sleeping quite a lot. Unlike the first procedure I did not have to take pain pills; there's rawness and discomfort but no real pain. Next up, a sedated biopsy on Friday. It's rough getting old but it sure beats the alternative.

I turned 75 this week. The kids had planned all sorts of things to celebrate but couldn't because of my jaw. We did a zoom meeting with a lot of the family though -- my brother and his wife in Massachusetts, a niece also in Massachusetts, a niece in Arizona, and another niece in Indiana. The Indiana niece (a social worker) told us about her zoom sessions with client groups and the rules she had to impose -- no being naked during the zoom call; also no cleaning guns. We decided to follow both rules for our zoom call.

No trick-or-treaters last night, the same as the previous few years.

Watched the new season of LOCKE & KEY. Pretty good. Am halfway through the new season of Riverdale, which jumps shortly after the first few episodes seven years to 2021. It's refreshing to see those actors no longer playing high school kids, but there seems to be more and more emphasis on sex and violence -- a far cry from the Archie comics I used to read.

Read TOWER by Ken Bruen and Reed Farrel Coleman, a powerful choice for my FFB. Also read Grady Hendrix's THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES, which has won all sorts of awards and honors. The horror is visceral and the humor is well-placed. Not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but a damned fine read. Still going through short stories. I seem to concentrate better with those now. Finished POLITICAL SCIENCE FICTION: AN INTRODUCTORY READER edited by Martin Harry Greenberg and Patricia S. Warrick, twenty-seven good stories, many familiar. Also finished Donald A. Wollheim's THE 1988 ANNUAL WORLD'S BEST SF, a very reliable collection with good (not best) stories.

This coming Sunday we fall back an hour. Looking forward to getting an extra hour's sleep. I hope you're looking forward to a great week ahead, Patti. Stay safe.

Margot Kinberg said...

The Big Chill is one of my all-time top films! My husband and I saw it first back in '83 when it first came out, and we've watched it dozens and dozens of times since then.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Glad you had a good week. I haven't seen it in years, but I've always liked THE LONG, HOT SUMMER. Look at that cast, for one thing. An aside on Newman: my cousin Nancy had an obsession with him for years. They lived not that far apart in Connecticut, and she was known to haunt events where she could stalk him (charity things, etc.). She was afraid to fly for years, but got on a plane to California when the opportunity came up to actually meet him.

We've tried several times (THE KNICK, etc.) but neither of us can enjoy these dark, late 19th Century series like THE ALIENIST.

We did finally get to see MINARI. Boy, is South Korean pop culture hot now or what? We're up to the last two episodes of SQUID GAME. Probably this week. We are up to date with MIDSOMER MURDERS and McDONALD AND DODDS. A new watch (there have been two series so far) that seems right up George's alley is the Norwegian RAGNAROK. A woman moves back to her home town with her high school age sons. Turns out the older of the two is a reincarnation (or something) of Thor, and discovers he has all these powers, which he is going to need in a battle between the Gods and the Giants running this town.

A cool week with several days of rain, so we only ate out once. I did have more time to read - 6 books in all, 14 for the month. If I could average that many I'd be happy.

I've always liked November, what with my birthday and Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday) close together (a day apart this year). I don't like the colder weather and shorter days, but each one is a day closer to Spring.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Re Steve's comment, Jackie is watching GOLIASTH too. She caught up on series three and is now on series four. She called me in to watch Simmons's incredible song & dance. Yikes!

In a similar vein - Big Pharma - we are watching the infuriating DOPESICK on Hulu.

Jerry, your mouth stories read like some of my worst nightmares! The "needles in the roof of the mouth" thing reminds me of when I had my tonsils out at 17 and the sadist doing it insisted I have a local. He stuck the back of my throat with a foot-long needle, twice, then told me, "Don't move or you'll bleed to death."

pattinase (abbott) said...

My childhood dentist would only give novacaine if you really needed it. HA. He gave me a lifetime fear of dentistry. And those shot on the roof of your mouth are horrible. I think you needed a surgeon, Jerry.
I don't usually like the nineteenth century series either but I was desperate. And it is pretty good.
In the thirties here now.
Of course, I think Orson only took his own projects seriously. His performance is both wonderful and throws the whole movie out of whack a bit. Woodward is terrific.
Every woman loves Paul Newman. God never did it better.

George said...

Snow is in the forecast for Western NY this week. Katie and a friend flew to Atlanta for a Harry Styles concert. Fortunately, they flew back to Boston before all the cancelled flights caused travel havoc.

I read and enjoyed FIVE DECEMBERS, a WWII mystery. James Kestrel (aka, Jonathan Moore) delivers a twisty story that changes directions when you least expect it.

Today, Diane and I are driving a friend to Roswell Park Cancer Institute for her chemo-therapy session.

We booked flights to and from New York City for Thanksgiving. Patrick signed a lease for an apartment. We hope to see the Meyersons, see some Broadway shows, and enjoy one of our favorite cities. We just got our Moderna Booster Shot so we're prepared to travel. Stay safe!

Jeff Meyerson said...

Oops. Miscount. It was 16 books this month Not quite on George's level, but good.

Yes, we're fans of THE BIG CHILL too.

I'm reading a bizarre - to say the least - collection by Patricia Highsmith, THE ANIMAL-LOVER'S BOOK OF BEASTLY MURDER. The title is not metaphoric, each story is told from the point of view of a different animal! The first is an elephant, the next is a camel, the third a dog. Looks like others feature a cat, a cockroach (!), a rat, a monkey, a ferret, a hamster, a horse, a goat, and, yes, killer chickens! I don't know what she was thinking, but it is just too odd. I hate to quit reading a book I've started, so I guess I will finish it, but I wonder what her publisher thought in 2975 when she turned it in.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Sorry, 1975.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Have a great time in NY, George. I find it hard to go there alone (staying in hotels) so I may not get there again.
I have never run across that collection, Jeff. Although she has animal stories scattered around but not that odd.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I got THE SELECTED STORIES OF PATRICIA HIGHSMITH from the library, a trade paperback. It has that one, LITTLE TALES OF MISOGYNY (which I read several years ago), SLOWLY, SLOWLY IN THE WIND, THE BLACK HOUSE, and MERMAIDS ON THE GOLF COURSE.It is 725 pages long.

George said...

Jeff, I can only take Patricia Highsmith in small doses. She brilliant, but reading her work takes a lot out of me.

Patti, if you want to, you could go to NYC and hang out with us.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Thanks, George. But I am looking at surgery on November 18th and then on to radiation. Hoping I will be able to go to CA in January. Maybe I can take you up on that on your next visit. It would be fun to be there with other people.

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Rick Robinson said...

We watched some baseball, raked leaves (it’s been very windy), I read THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT and THE DAUGHTER OF TIME. I had a birthday - see my post - and got some books. I’m going to try reading short stories in November, I have many here, but of course readers like me can never read dozens of books in a month the way some people do.

Fall color about gone because of all the wind, and it’ll be rainy on and off this week. I’m amazed people are traveling, I think it’s too dangerous. I sent all the library books here back, and paused the rest. Barbara is reading WINTER COUNTS now, after finishing a Camilleri and a Patterson. I’ve been having nightmares ever since my last medical evaluation, and am not sleeping well, thus I’m tired most of the time.

Hope you have a good week.

Happy Birthday, Jerry.

Kent Morgan said...

I also read the Krueger book recently, but never thought about the young boys being so
polite. William Kent has been one of my favourites since his first book, Iron Lake. C.J Box rates right with him although I prefer the Joe Pickett series to his standalones. Another author I like is Paul Doiron, whose main character is a Maine game warden. See a connection here.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I read Doiron's first, award-winning book and have the second one in transit to the library.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Oh, that's a new author to me. Will look him up. Hey, Kent, how have you been?

TracyK said...

I would like to see The Big Chill again. I do like Jeff Goldblum. He was good in a couple of seasons of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

Steve, Glad to hear you liked Clark and Division. I want to read that soon, and continue on her Mas Arai series.

Jerry, your continuing problems with your mouth sound excruciating but I am glad you approach it all optimistically. I don't know if I could watch Archie in Riverdale with sex and violence. Especially the violence.

Rick, sorry about your sleeping. Mine has been up and down lately, and when I am not sleeping well I don't get much done.

I turn 73 on Friday. A lot of us are having birthdays around this time.

I am reading novellas this month, I have more of them around than I knew. And short stories in between. Right now I am reading CARTE BLANCHE by Carlo Lucarelli, the first in a trilogy.

The driveway construction is still going on, although they are getting close to the end, I hope. Started on Sept 20th, and was supposed to take no longer than 4 weeks.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Happy Birthday in advance, Tracy. You are 19 days older than me!

TracyK said...

Thanks, Jeff. And you can still read so many more books than I can each week. And watch so much streaming. Do you ever sleep?

Jeff Meyerson said...

From 11 PM to 6AM, more or less.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I am turning 74 on January 1. Kevin will be 15 on November 30th. I feel very guilty about the world we have given our children.
Happy Birthday to all the Novembers here.

Dana King said...

Maybe they juiced Newman up a little, but I don't see a lot of difference between that poster and this GIF. https://mattsko.com/2017/02/06/paul-newman-in-i-think-long-hot-summer/paul-newman-long-hot-summer-gif-500/

pattinase (abbott) said...

The main thing I noticed in the movie was how skinny he was. I guess practically everyone was skinnier in 1958. Pre-junk food era.

Todd Mason said...

They drank a lot more in the 1950s, but perhaps because they also smoked a lot more, that might've contributed to less common obesity. Fewer chips, if about as many donuts and other pastry, and candy, about, I gather.

A bunch of Spring conceptions, here, clearly...better years to come, Jerry, Rick, Tracy, Jeff and Patti. And us all. I was conceived around the time JFK and Connally were shot, not sure if there was any relevance there.

Relatively few trick or treaters up our street--it occurred to me again that our particular block is slim pickings, between the elementary school across the street and all but one of the houses other than ours completely fenced in or set back a considerable distance from the street. One girl, I'd guess about 9yo, looked particularly sad, and I had to wonder what might've led to that, but circumstances didn't seem appropriate for query. Perhaps trick or treating under the current circumstances after two years of not so much. As with Stephen Colbert's reported experience, no actual calls of "trick or treat"--enough tricks played already on the kids...among others.

Relatively uncharged elections today...the Democrats will win every contest locally, even in the unopposed three candidates for the three slots on the school board, and for the incumbent sheriff. The latter's balloted nickname, "Whip", never instills confidence. Our millionaire governor, pretty good for a millionaire Dem, is the closest to facing a real challenge, and he not so close. Simpering latter-day Trumpista is losing in the surveys, at least.

Vote as cheerfully as you can...and how are you finding THE ALIENIST, Patti?

T. Kent Morgan said...

In response to your question, I am fine up here in Winnipeg although like most people sticking pretty close to home. Still writing my bi-weekly sports history column and doing lots of reading including more UK crime novelists such as Adrian McKinty, James Oswald, Peter James, Ann Cleeves and Alex Grey. Also catching up Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series. The best book I have read this year is The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher Beha.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I no longer get notified when people comment on here so it is weeks later that I notice this. Be glad, very glad, you are in Canada.