...and with nothing else to divert my attention, the addiction was out in full force. I played bridge five times last week! I remember reading - maybe in college? - that the way to train people - or at least mice - was not to be consistent, but, rather, variable in response. That is, don't reward every time the mouse pushes the lever, but only enough to keep her interested. So it is with bridge. I go from first place to last with the flip of a calendar page, and I keep coming back for more!
Had friends Chaya, John and Jim for dinner...
.....and bridge, believe it or not. However, it was not serious bridge, and it was a chance to get to know one another away from the hustle and bustle of the bridge club. Everyone apparently had a good time, even though the meal itself was not an unqualified success. (Chaya is a vegetarian, and I tried some new things. The vegetable lasagna got a thumbs up, the scalloped potatoes, not so much.)
The only other social outing for me this week - except for bridge, of course, which is, surprisingly, very social in its desert incarnation - was breakfast this morning with bridge partner Alex and his wife Vicki. They wanted to introduce my to a Coachella Valley tradition, Keady's, a diner, really, but hugely popular since the 50's. When they found out I had never been, they insisted. I love diners, the atmosphere, the loud but friendly waitresses and staff, the retro food. It was great!
Not much else, really, Finished The Storm Before the Storm, about the beginning of the end of the Roman republic. What is astounding is the similarities between then and now. Huge disparity between rich and poor. Great migration; fear of the dilution of the vote by allowing others to become citizens with the ability to vote; the rallies leading to violence, even the big lie: "...this was an age when a lie was not a lie if a man had the audacity to keep asserting the lie was true....." (sound familiar?)
Who said history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce?
I can't really recommend the book as a read - too many "sentences" without a verb (I'm sorry, that kind of thing bothers me - it distracts me from the message), and too many names. Colleen McCullough's series of about 20 years ago was a better read, but I found the reminder about history was actually comforting. We've lived through this before, and all of that.....
Next book up is called Improvement, by Joan Silber. She has apparently been around for a while - 7 books to her credit, including some New York Times best sellers, but I had never heard of her before. (Aren't libraries wonderful?) I love finding "new" (to me) authors. The plot (such as it is) is not that unusual. One action by one person, and its ramifications affecting many others in unanticipated ways. This is very well written, though, and I can't put it down......
Except for the New York Times today....
A few items up for next week, although not much. I am starting to put things in order for my departure for Vancouver on April 28. (I even brought a suitcase for Alex and Vicki to take back to Vancouver in their car...) Sigh.
More anon.
Had friends Chaya, John and Jim for dinner...
.....and bridge, believe it or not. However, it was not serious bridge, and it was a chance to get to know one another away from the hustle and bustle of the bridge club. Everyone apparently had a good time, even though the meal itself was not an unqualified success. (Chaya is a vegetarian, and I tried some new things. The vegetable lasagna got a thumbs up, the scalloped potatoes, not so much.)
The only other social outing for me this week - except for bridge, of course, which is, surprisingly, very social in its desert incarnation - was breakfast this morning with bridge partner Alex and his wife Vicki. They wanted to introduce my to a Coachella Valley tradition, Keady's, a diner, really, but hugely popular since the 50's. When they found out I had never been, they insisted. I love diners, the atmosphere, the loud but friendly waitresses and staff, the retro food. It was great!
Not much else, really, Finished The Storm Before the Storm, about the beginning of the end of the Roman republic. What is astounding is the similarities between then and now. Huge disparity between rich and poor. Great migration; fear of the dilution of the vote by allowing others to become citizens with the ability to vote; the rallies leading to violence, even the big lie: "...this was an age when a lie was not a lie if a man had the audacity to keep asserting the lie was true....." (sound familiar?)
Who said history repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce?
I can't really recommend the book as a read - too many "sentences" without a verb (I'm sorry, that kind of thing bothers me - it distracts me from the message), and too many names. Colleen McCullough's series of about 20 years ago was a better read, but I found the reminder about history was actually comforting. We've lived through this before, and all of that.....
Next book up is called Improvement, by Joan Silber. She has apparently been around for a while - 7 books to her credit, including some New York Times best sellers, but I had never heard of her before. (Aren't libraries wonderful?) I love finding "new" (to me) authors. The plot (such as it is) is not that unusual. One action by one person, and its ramifications affecting many others in unanticipated ways. This is very well written, though, and I can't put it down......
Except for the New York Times today....
A few items up for next week, although not much. I am starting to put things in order for my departure for Vancouver on April 28. (I even brought a suitcase for Alex and Vicki to take back to Vancouver in their car...) Sigh.
More anon.
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