Finally, the book list.....

These are not particularly in the order read....

John LeCarre,  Running in The Field.  There are some authors you just pick up everything they write.  This was a good one.  Oh, well, all of LeCarre's are good.  This was followed by Absolute Friends, another LeCarre I had not yet read that was lying about the library.  (That was the day I got talking to a man in the library who was grousing about outliving all his favourite authors....)

And there are some books that you pick up because the concept intrigues you. Benet  Bandereth, The Assassin of Verona.  This is, I would have to say, an adventure tale, with Shakespeare and several of his players as the main, well, actors, if you will.  It is full of random quotes from everything from the sonnets to Macbeth to Titus Andronicus (unattributed, of course, part of the fun) as if they were randomly running through Sakespeare's head.  Too much fun.  Apparently, he's written another one (Bandereth, not Shakespeare), which I will have to scout out...

Amanda Quick, Tightrope.  Just trash fiction, but well written, and with a satisfactory ending (so often books that may have been a good read don't have a satisfactory ending..)

Judith Fiorst, Nearing 90.  I am not much of a poetry reader - poems don't much speak to me - but I can understand Fiorst, and her thoughts on aging rang true.

Kate Shakleton, The Body on the Train.  There seems to be a great revival of mystery writers of the 30's and 40's (or who write as if they were), gentle who-done-its that engage without shocking.  Generally speaking, I like them.  Simenon falls in this category.  I read two more of his in this period:  The Lodger, and Maigret and the Burglar's wife, both charming.  And last, but not least in the cloying department, two more by Alexander McColl Smith, whose names escape me at the moment..  The books were from two different of his series, but in both he seems troubled by the emasculation on men in the various forms in which it occurs. 

Lots of non-fiction, of course.  Rachel Maddow's Blowout, an expose of the oil and gas industry, truly shocking (and extremely well written, not always the case in important books).  Passionate Spirit, a biography of Anna Mahler by Cate Haste.  Not so well written (based on Anna Mahler's early diaries, how could it be), but interesting none-the-less.  Robert Reich, The Common Good, about, as implied, America's loss of consensus about what the common good is.  Depressing, I thought, but a must read.  And I've started reading for my upcoming Economic's class, an article by David Autor, called Why are there still so many jobs?.  And have just started a book by Oren Kass called The Once and Future Worker: A vision for the Renewal of Work in America.  (Should be an interesting class; I'll keep you posted. )

One more non-fiction, by William Mann, called The Contender:  A Biography of Marlon Brando.  I have never been much of a Brando fan, but this book may have made me one.  I certainly want to go back and see all of his movies again.  (I think I might have mentioned in an earlier post that I recently saw On the Waterfront in one of my movie classes.  I had forgotten how wonderful a move it was, and how great he was in it.)

We're getting near the end.  Ian Rankin (another favourite), In a House of Lies.  Odd Partners, a book of short stories written by (collected by?) Ann Perry.  This was an interesting concept; they were all stories about very different souls coming together to do what is required.  The stories in these collections are not uniformly good, of course, but enough were to make it worth while.

Katherine Chen, Mary B.  This is one of the many books that seem to be coming out now which are take - offs (or extensions, if you will) of old classics.  This one is Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of Mary Bennett, the ugly sister.  I liked the concept, and I liked the book. 

Ann Cleves: The Long Call.  Another book with a most satisfactory ending, which I won't spoil by revealing it here.

And last but not least, Lucy Ellman, Ducks, Newburyport,  This one won the Mann Booker prize in 2019, but when I first took it from the library, I returned it unread.  It a thousand pages of stream of consciousness (a la James Joyce, except  in Ohio), and I just couldn't get into it.  Well, I came across it again, and on the second try, I wasn't able to put it down.  Go figure!

So you guys can see what I mean when I say I live in my head.  Any number of things can be relied on to make me happy;  good food; good friends; good bridge.  But good books are right up there....

So, that's all my advice for now. 

Nothing much going on since I spoke to you last - the usual round of the gym, zumba, and, of course, bridge.  I did notice a flyer for a "salon" on David Hockney, a painter of whom I am quite fond.  It was being put on by Butch Epps, the instructor in many of my movie classes at Osher Life Long Learning Institute (most recently in the course on the Wannsee conference previously mentioned), and was put on at the Mizell Center.  Friend Sue joined me; we dashed from bridge to the Monsoon, a nearby Indian restaurant to Mizell, and it was an interesting evening.  Butch gave a little preliminary talk, and then we saw a documentary film on the painter's return to his Yorkshire roots, and a new style of painting.

There is so much to do here....

Ta ta for now.  I'll try again, with pictures, next time. 

Get a Grip

So, I was sitting around this weekend moaning and groaning about how I was too stupid to play bridge yadda yadda yadda.  And meanwhile.....

....come to find out that Jerry, a bridge colleague, 79 years old, known as the Cookie Man because he always brings home-made cookies to bridge, had a head on collision with a drunk driver, resulting in a broken back, a broken clavicle, and 4 cracked ribs.  After a five hour surgery, he lived, but he may wish he hadn't...

...and Russell, a friend from the gym, is in the hospital with Stage IV blood cancer, and, oh, by the way, when testing his blood they discovered he was HIV positive, and none of the medications are working, and when another friend and I visited him in hospital yesterday, we thought we had been sent to the wrong room, he was that aged and wasted and incoherent to boot.....

.....and friend Elaine has shattered her ankle, and is immobile for god knows how long, and is stuck in Alberta in the snow of all places....

.....and friend Philip (who I have known since law school some 45 years ago), who has for 40 years been devoted to his wife, called me the other day at his wits' end because what with her drinking and smoking and drug taking, has gone ga-ga (the details are horrifying, and not to be repeated even in a sanitized blog), and all of the money in the world (of which he has more than his fair share) can't help, and neither can I.....

......and (dead) friend Alison's son Jon reached out to me  to tell me that, at 48, he has had a massive heart attack, and that caring for his (crazy) mother for the last 10 months of her life have not only cost him his health and his long-term relationship but also left him financially destitute, and once again, there is nothing I can do....

.....and Carol, a friend both here in the Desert and in Vancouver is in the final stages of an inoperable brain tumor...

....and another friend is planning her assisted suicide....

....and, altogether, the world is going to hell in a handbasket..

And I, who have beautiful places to live in two beautiful parts of the world, and enough money to get by if not lots and good friends and good health, have nothing to worry about but the qualiyy of my bridge playing?

GET A GRIP, NORA!!!

Back, so soon.....

Well, it remains to be seen for how long.  I'm not in a very good head space.  For one thing, the internet is not working in the house, but seems to work outside.  The problem with that is glare.  You would think that they would have figured out how to eliminate glare from the screen....  On top of that, I haven't yet worked out editing my pictures, and I don't want to bore you all out of your wits with pages and pages of unadulterated text.  And, finally, I am just feeling totally incompetent.  At everything.  At bridge.  At Scrabble.  At Word Blitz (yet another addiction).  At my computer.  At friendship.  For that matter, relationships of any kind.  You get the drift....

Well, so far, so good.  Managed to upload an image from my phone.  I'll try some more from the computer, and fill in the text...

....friend John and his new partner Tom, dinner at John Henry's...

....and Tom and I having breakfast at Don and Sweet Sue's, an old favourite...

.....okay, the picture thing isn't working for me.  Not only can I not edit on my new computer yet, but the glare is such out here that I can't see.  (I am aware that those of you mired in rain and/or snow do not feel in the least sorry for me, so I will just go on.)

I think I had gotten us up to 2020, and I was going to talk about friendships and deaths...Fist, let's do the day to day.  In terms of musical outings, not so many  - just Wozzeck, from the Met.  What a strange opera, and I spent a lot of time trying to make sense of the staging.  In the end, though, I was sucked in by both the staging and Berg's music.  (The singing was glorious!)

Lots of bridge classes, on things like Smollen and Lebensohl and defense.  It does not seem to be helping me much - I don't seem to be getting any better.  I spent the better part of the day (when I wasn't trying to figure out how the computer works) contemplating quitting bridge altogether.  I'm so tired of feeling stupid...) 

On the brighter side, winter classes are starting, with two one-off classes this week, the first on Fairy Tales (new instructor, yet another fabulous one - he had a room full of adults mesmerized as he read and explained fairy tales - the Grimm version, not the sanitized one), and one on the Wannse conference.  As most of you know, I'm sure, this was the conference in 1941 with Eichmann and crew, eating and drinking and planning the elimination of the Jews from the European continent.  Talk about the banality of evil!  We had a discussion, then saw a film which had been made for HBO a number of years ago, with Kenneth Branaugh and Stanley Tucci, called The Conference.  It was a fabulous - and chilling -  film.  One of the revelations of the afternoon was, however, more personal.  The instructor, Butch Epps, has taught many of the film courses I have taken.  I've mentioned that he always has a spiritual bent to his take on films, and had always indicated that he was Catholic.  Turns out, he has recently found out that the name was shortened to Epps from Eppstein, and that a grandfather (or great grandfather) was Jewish - enough to have sent him to the camps had he not escaped!!!  I may have given up my Jewish card, but nonetheless...

Friendships first, and then deaths.  There have been renewals of several (but not all).  Judi and I met at the gym many years ago, but our attempts at maintaining the friendship, in spite of vigorous protests that we would do so, have been spotty.  No particular reason - we always seem to enjoy our time together - it's just that life gets in the way.  She called - the first time this season - and we did our usual Starbucks thing.  We talked and talked, and - once again - vowed to keep in better touch.  

Friend Sue arrived from her home in Michigan.  She is here for the season now, and will join me for a number of upcoming classes - as she did for the two noted above - as well as bridge and other outings.  And I reconnected too with friend Chaya, who was seriously injured in a fall, and although help was offered, was loathe to take it, so I hadn't seen her in probably three months.  She is still frail, but on her feet, and I was thrilled to see her.  And, finally, a new addition, Deanne.  I met her at bridge, but we discovered a common interest in theater and opera (it was she who urged me to join the opera guild), and we decided to deepen the friendship with a dinner.  We went to Bernie's - at my suggestion, I am sorry to say - and had what may have been the worst meal I have had in the Desert.  However, the conversation was great, and we are doing dinner and the theater in a few weeks.  I'm pleased as punch.

All right, the sun is going down - let's try again with the pictures...

 .......this was our aforementioned outing at Woodie's

......and an outing I forgot to mention, our neighborhood get together for the holidays

....and our zumba group...

...Peter and I at Miro's, another old favourite (this one did not disappoint...)

......... and the other zumba class....

.....alright, enough of that, until I can get the editing sorted....

And how about the deaths, you ask?  On December 30, Michael, who I had known for 45 years, made the decision to die (as we can do in British Columbia now).  He had been suffering from pancreatic cancer, and was in considerable pain.  As some of you know, Michael and I had been estranged for a number of years.  He was brilliant, but arrogant with it, and had beaten up on my poor husband until he vowed never to enter Michael and Barbara's house again.  I had recently seen Barbara at her studio (recently being October, just before I left Vancouver), and at least she had I had reconciled, and she had told me that Michael was dying.  I didn't see him; nonetheless, I wouldn't wish that death on my worst enemy, and it is hard to imagine a world without him in it.  Michael was a big part of my world, and larger than life.  

A number of bridge acquaintances died over the summer.  And, finally, Kathleen, Ted's wife.  She died in November, but friend Bill (who went to school with Ted and Kathleen didn't find out until recently, and forwarded the obituary.  Ted went to school with Hank (also now dead), and I met Ted when Hank and I visited Egypt a number of years ago.  Ted and Kathleen also joined us on a subsequent trip to Rome.  Kathleen was another of the many people I know who were larger than life.......

Well, enough for now.  We are almost up to date - only the long list of books read to add, but many were so interesting that I want to spend more energy talking about them than I have left tonight.  So, I will leave that - and the rest of the pictures - for another day, shall I?

I'll just close by saying that. all in all  (in spite of my previous grousing), my mood is good.  My life is on an even keel, and very, very full.  I am happy to be among the land of the living, still, and to be back with you, my faithful friends... 

She's Alive, She's Alive!!!

Yes, it has been six weeks.  I do have an excuse, though.  My computer died.  It was close to 10 years old, and didn't owe  me anything.  However, for me, buying a computer (or a phone, for that matter) is just as bad as buying a car.  What kind? (anything but Apple) How big?  (laptop or tablet?)  How much memory?  Touch screen or keyboard? Normally, I would ask Zach, my computer guru (yes I have one) to help me, but I he is going through some personal issues, and wasn't available. Ultimately, I ended up waiting for another computer friend to visit, so that I could get some expert advice.  but I'm getting  ahead of myself.  Suffice it to say I have a new computer, and will try to bring you up do date (posting pictures may have to wait for another day...)

Where were we when we last spoke - the end of November, it seems to me.  American Thanksgiving, which I spent at home in my pajamas.  I had an invitation - Barbara, my zumba instructor and possible new friend - but it was raining buckets (yes, in the  Desert - it does that every once in a while, and when it does, any number of roads are impassible), and I couldn't risk getting stranded.  So alone with lamb chops and pasta it was.  I did remember to be thankful, however, for good friends and good health, and an altogether good life!

December was a whirl of bridge and entertaining.  Our regional bridge tournament is in early December.  I had a good time, but wasn't very successful in advancing toward Life Master status.  (Indeed, it was a total bust for me!)  However, friend Tom, in town for the tournament, stayed with me for a few days, and it was a lovely visit.  We cooked up a storm, and talked and talked....

Lots of entertaining, as always in December, both at home and out.  I made dinner at home for Lou and Caroline, followed by Scrabble.  Sue and I tried a new (for us, that is) Mexican restaurant called Salsa.  It came recommended by friend John, but we didn't care for it much.  Two memorial dinners -  December 9,   I had dinner with husband David on his birthday, as I have done every year since his death.  Some of you will remember that it is always the same - prime rib and bourbon - David's two favourite food groups - and it gives me a special time to remember how lucky I was to have had him.

The second memorial dinner was later that week, in honour of friend Jim, who died last year.  His partner John arranged a dinner at John Henry's, Jim's favourite restaurant, and we lifted a glass to him.

Finally, our gym group had a holiday outing at Woodie's, a Palm Springs institution, great jazz and great hamburgers.  There were about twenty of us, and a good time was had by all.

Several musical events of interest.  The Opera Guild put on auditions for beginning singers who were vying for stipends, two sopranos, one mezzo, two tenors and two baritones.  There were judges, of course, but one stipend was awarded to the "people's choice".  I am a sucker for a baritone - and my choice won the People's Choice award.  Yeah! 

My Lifelong Learning Institute put together an outing to LA to hear the LA Phil.  Interesting program:  Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Copeland.  I took a lovely picture of Disney Hall, but pictures will have to wait until I can get instructions for editing them on this computer.  Finally, a reprise of the Met's English language version of The Magic Flute.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was actually lovely.  Well, Mozart is always lovely, but this production - Julie Taymore of Lion King fame was the producer and director - was particularly spectacular.  (The singers were great too!)

Friend Peter visited for Christmas, as he does every year.  Another great visit - we did next to nothing, except cook and eat and sit in the sunshine (oh, I guess we went to the art museum....) and plan for our upcoming opera travels (Chicago in April for the Ring and Bayreuth in August - for - wait for it - the Ring.)

New year's eve was quiet - I haven't gone out on the town in decades - and for those of you who I haven't spoken to, I wish you all a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year. 

Well, as noted, I will post the pictures next time.  And although I promised a complete catch up, I don't have the patience for more computer travails right now.  Next time, and I promise it won't be quite so long.  I'll have some thoughts too on friendship, deaths (there have been some), and, of course, lots of books.  Til then....