Oh, To Be a Fisherman

On a lovely (if uncharacteristically cool) weekend a ways back, I borrowed G's Jeep and headed down to spend a bit of time with P at his cabin.  I arrived round about cocktail hour, and we started things off right with a vodka tonic for each of us.  What could possibly go wrong on a weekend that starts that way?

We had a low-key evening: P cooked up a delicious dinner and we took our time eating on the porch and enjoying the cool weather.  And I finally finished my book!

Saturday morning we got an early start so we could enjoy a peaceful canoe trip before the indestructible-no-matter-how-drunk-you-are rubber rafts got on the river.  It was so cool we both wore extra layers for much of the trip down river!

The afternoon's activity was a Magical Mystery Tour of the finest sights in and around the area.  I didn't really know what to expect when we started out, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself at the family-style resort in Dirty Dancing (almost) when we visited Wildwood Springs Lodge.  Apparently better known for their concert series than their dirty dancing, the Lodge pulls in some impressive names, and I'll have to remember to keep an eye on their concert calendar!

Dining Hall

Lounging Porch

Our next stop was the Wagon Wheel Motel, an idyllic little collection of chalets on historic Route 66.  We didn't have the opportunity to peek inside any of the guest rooms, but they sure are cute from the outside, and I bet they get a lot of overflow business from Wildwood's big concerts.

The final stop on our tour is really the cherry on the sundae.  It needs no more explanation than this simple photograph:

I'm not sure how P is going to top that the next time I visit.  Seriously though, it was a great (if short) jaunt out of the city, and there will be a next time, so stay tuned for the other treasures the area has to offer!

Winter's Tale -- Take 2

I started reading Winter's Tale almost two years ago! Remember way back when E was working in NYC and I went to stay with her?  (In case you've forgotten, you can re-read my series of posts, because I know you want to: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.)

Anyway, I have been SO SLOW finishing this book.  I mean, two years!  It's a long book, but really?  I would pick it up and read 15 pages, then put it down for a month or so.  And when your book is 800 pages, you can imagine that it takes a long time to get through it at that pace!  I finally decided to put the nail in the coffin when I had some free time to read down at Uncle P's place.

Early on in my reading of this book, I recall thinking that it seemed almost like a very long collection of short stories, each set in a different in New York.  I was talking to Dad about this book, and he commented that he thought some sections of this book may have been published as short stories before the whole book came out as one.  Perhaps in the New Yorker?  I don't know, but Helprin and the New Yorker go back a long way, so that's a good bet.

I loved this book.  It falls squarely into that category of rangy fictional history that are just a teeny bit fantastic and that are set in New York which I love so much.  There are about 9 books that fit into this category. Mark Helprin has a special way with words, and he weaves a tale that travels through time with great ease, and with just enough flourish in the description:

"Many skills and arts had atrophied, the public was not what it had once been, and most of the population sat immobile for a third or more of its waking hours, absorbing without reaction or resistance whatever they saw on their televisions.  Morals and mores had become so rational and progressive that criminals and prostitutes resurrected from another age would have faced neither barriers nor censure.  In fact, a criminal such as Peter Lake would have been greatly offended by the dishonesty and corruption of the norm, and disoriented by the general refusal to distinguish between right and wrong.  The city had rotted, until the anarchy was such that islands of reconstitution were allowed to thrive within it.  These islands steadily grew.  Amid waters that were anything but pure, they were like a rising reef, and though they were rising slowly, when the force that carried them finally broke the surface, it would break all at once."

The story follows Peter Lake, our immortal hero, as he ventures about the city from gang-ridden, horse-trodden streets, to the busy buzz of modern times.  He loves, loses, gets lost, forgets himself, finds himself again.  And along the way, New York becomes New York, and the short stories become a novel.

Quote of the Day

"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster.  And when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you."
  -- Friedrich Nietzsche, "Beyond Good and Evil"

Goal #30

Goal #30: drink tea.

A couple months back, I had food poisoning.  Boy, was that unfortunate.  As an unintended consequence of that (because I felt so sick for a couple days), I quit drinking coffee.

Two weeks ago, I was in court every morning but one.  That meant I got ready at home, made myself coffee, and headed off to work.  Then last week when I went a couple of days without coffee, that killer headache came back.

I will allow myself a maximum of one cup per day (preferably made at home, because it's way more worth the potential headache than the stuff at work), and otherwise, tea.

Recap of goal #29:
Monday: close (6:50)
Tuesday: closer (6:45)
Wednesday: not even close (8:15 - but I was ready to leave around 7:30 and ended up staying to talk to one of the other attorneys for 45 minutes)
Thursday: on the money (6:30)
Friday: happy hour with the attorneys! (5:15)

So . . . fifty-fifty?

Quote of the Day

This one is for Dad:

"All I wanted to do was get back to Africa.  We had not left it, yet, but when I would wake in the night I would lie, listening, homesick for it already."
  -- Ernest Hemingway, The Green Hills of Africa

What I Watched -- Ironman 2

One day a while back, T and I were each trying to get some paperwork done, and decided we might be more productive if we had a movie on.  That seems counter-intuitive, but it was at least a way to keep each of us sitting in our chairs rather than wandering off and doing other things.  We picked Ironman 2.

We were at least smart enough to pick a movie that didn't require a lot of brain power, and we succeeded at that!

I could probably just link to my review of Ironman 3 rather than write something new, because they are pretty much the same movie, just with a different bad guy.

You may have noticed that I've been watching these Ironman movies backwards.  There is no particular reason for that, but it really doesn't spoil the plot of the second movie to know that Ironman survives to fight in the third, especially since there isn't much plot to spoil.

Bottom line: fun, easy, brainless.

What I'm Reading Now -- Franny and Zooey

I was over at C's house for the party I mentioned a while back, perusing his bookshelves.  He was appalled that I had not read Franny and Zooey, or any Salinger, for that matter.  So he sent me on my way with his old copy of this classic, and I am finally getting to it.

Can you believe I've made it this far into my life without reading a single work of his?  I can't.

Marbles -- Take 2

The more I read graphic novels, the more I like them.  They aren't greater or lesser than prose works, they're just different.  Could this story have been told in words?  Yes.  Could it have been just as revealing about life with bipolar disorder?  I think so.  But would it have been the same experience to read the written words?  I think not.

Marbles as written benefited from the author's use of the graphic platform. During her manic periods, the images are packed with action and words, often apparently unconnected to one another.  During her depressed phases, the images are plain, simple, stark, sometimes a single drawing per page.

It's an excellent use of this medium to illustrate the contents of the author's brain, not to mention an illuminating look into the life of someone who's been diagnosed and is learning to live with bipolar disorder.

And a special bonus of graphic novels: it's nice to feel like you accomplished something by reading this big book in an hour or two!

Tabloid City -- Take 2

It's been a while since I finished listening to Tabloid City.  It's style and tone reminded me a lot of Lush Life, which I read some time ago.

The problem with Tabloid City is that my listening experience was messed up.  Why is it that when publishers put out a book on CD, they can't title all the tracks on all the discs the same way?  The first few CDs were rolling along fine, and then somewhere around the middle of the book, the track names had changed on the CDs, so they were playing out of order on my iPod playback.  Fail, Little, Brown & Co.

I feel like I can't really give this book a fair review because of that.  I can say that, despite the middle couple of discs' worth of tracks being out of order, the story moved.  It's a detective story, an homage to the old days of crime and news, a tale in the classic style.

The story takes place over 24 hours -- much like the TV show I think, though I've never seen more than about 15 minutes of any given episode -- and follows a dozen or so characters around New York as the truth of the murder gets closer and closer to the surface.  As the book goes on, the perspective changes with more frequency, driving the plot.  On audio, it could be a little bit hard to listen to, because if you spaced out even for a second and missed the name of the next narrator, you were lost for a while trying to figure out what was happening.

I wasn't into it enough to listen to it again and make sure everything is in the right order.  But even despite the hangups, I enjoyed the tale, and the oddly nostalgic look at some of the nastier parts of Mr. Hamill's city.

Goal #29

Goal #29: 6:30 closing time.

I have been working a lot of hours lately.  It's exhausting.  Though I have only limited control over my work load, I will endeavor to leave work by 6:30 every day this week.  Productive days, free evenings!

Recap of goal #28: I wasn't home much this week, but I sure did enjoy every minute of it.  Thanks to M who came over and chilled with me on Monday night, which allowed me to unpack from last weekend's trip, regroup, make the bread (finally), eat some delicious Peruvian takeout from Mango, and get collected for the rest of the week.

Which was good, because the rest of the week, I was home not at all.

A Very Fine Hat

Dialogues of the Carmelites

My third opera, but the last to be written about, was Dialogues of the Carmelites.  It is the mostly true story of a group of nuns living in their convent during the Reign of Terror in France.  The music and libretto were written by Francis Poulenc -- only his second opera!  It was originally written in three acts, but was performed in two at OTSL.

The first act of the show lays the groundwork, including how our heroine came to be at the convent in the first place.  Though the Mother Superior had a stunning voice, it took her an awful long time to get along with the dying that she did at the end of the act. 

And the second act is where things get really heavy.  The nuns are captured and refuse to relinquish their vows.  They are condemned to death, and one by one, climb the scaffold to have their heads summarily separated from their shoulders.

As you may have guessed, it's a pretty dark show.  Sad, depressing, moving, but not something I want to see again soon.

Saucy Soiree

On E's last evening in town (well, what was supposed to be her last evening in town), we treated ourselves to culinary delights at a very Saucy Soiree!

The event was held in the main hall at Union Station, with live music provided by Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers.  It was a slightly classier and more upscale version of the RFT's Iron Fork tasting adventure (although our ticket only got us one drink at this event, rather than the three I got at Iron Fork).  There were loads of great St. Louis restaurants there with tastes of all sorts of goodies.  We were there about an hour and a half and left stuffed to the gills!

Goal #28

Goal #28: enjoy home.

I was gone this weekend at a wedding.  I had a great time (more to follow, probably), but I have so much to do at home, and feel like I haven't spent any time here in forever.  So, I will do my best to enjoy the little time that I do have, while still making it productive.  May even get some bread made -- who knows.

Recap of goal #27: nope.

Tim McGraw

Just moments after K left town, T ferried E and I out to Maryland Heights for the Tim McGraw concert!  We were joined by T's friend C, and the four of us rocked the night away.  It was a great show!

We missed most of the first opener, but saw Kip Moore's whole set.  I don't know much of his stuff since I very rarely listen to the radio anymore, but did enjoy "Beer Money" and "Somethin' 'bout a Truck."

Kip singing "Hey Pretty Girl" (courtesy E)

Then came Timmy, with a great set (set list).  He played a few pretty personal songs, including a tribute to his daughters, and backed "Better Than I Used to Be" with a photo essay of the history of his career.  So much fun!

E and me, T and C

 The tale end of "Highway Don't Care"

Timmy

What I'm Reading Now -- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

It isn't very often that I re-read a book. There are so many great books out there which I still need to read for the first time!

When I was in high school, many years after the movie came out, I read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. It is one of those books that is a great yarn, and - just like everyone in the story - it is impossible not to love Idgie Threadgoode!

So when I found myself with a copy of the audiobook, I decided it was good enough for a second round.

Twenty-Seven

One of the many adventures I had with K and E was the final opera of the OTSL season, Twenty-Seven.  (Yes, I know I have only written about two of the operas so far.  There is still another to come.)

The name of the show comes from 27 rue de Fleurus, the address Gertrude Stein shared with her lover in Paris.  In historical terms, it was an interesting show.  Though this American-artists-in-Paris phenomenon, and the ideas and works that came out of it, is fascinating in its own way, it's something I know know much about.  But it was also sort of a feminist story, and sort of a love story, and that all confused me.

I would have to call it a success as an opera, though it was my least favorite of the season.  The vocal performances were phenomenal.  It was a small cast, and there wasn't one voice that wasn't well-cast.  The set design was clever.  I just didn't take as well to the story as I did to the others.

Dinner with E

I did a lot of eating when my visitors were here.  One night when E and I were left to our own devices, we decided to try out a fairly new vegetarian place on South Grand called Tree House.

We decided to go tapas style and share everything: the johnny cake, fried beets, and the chorizo tamale.  I was shocked by how much I liked the fried beets.  Proof that frying really does make everything delicious!

Dinner with K and A

Imagine my surprise when, out of the blue on the first night K was in town, I got a call from one of our high school coaches saying he was in town and asking me if I was free for dinner.  "Yes I am," I said enthusiastically, "and so is K!"  We ate at Roxane's, which has one of my all-time favorite salads, the grilled veggie salad.  So delicious.  I also got leftovers from both K (shrimp and grits) and A (chicken and waffles), because -- lucky for me -- I'm the only one who lives in town!

And of course, we all had to save room for a trip to Ted Drewes, because A doesn't get back to St. Louis all that often.

Much custard later, we bid adieu to A.  It was a lovely night and K and I had a couple of hours to kill before it was time to fetch E from the airport.  Where to go?  Bar Les Freres, that's where!  There was an empty table on the patio, and it was perfect for sitting and having a couple of cocktails and talking over the events of our lives.

Goal #27

Goal #27: bread.

There was a time when I made bread with some regularity.  That has not happened lately, and I feel as though this is a wrong that needs to be righted.

Recap of goal #26: I have not cleared out a single box of stuff.  But I did get a table set up (compliments of T) on which I will work on four (four!) boxes.  Boxes have been relocated to my new project area, so I'm happy with the progress.

Happy 4th!

I hope everyone gets to enjoy some festivities and fireworks!

Urban Wanderers

For just another week or so, the "Urban Wanderers" exhibit at the Saint Louis University Museum of Art pays tribute to (and hopes to raise money to help) the stray dogs (and a few cats) in St. Louis.  E, T, and I stopped by to check it out on a very busy Saturday, and had just enough time to squeeze a tour of the galleries in before the museum closed for the day.  (Actually, we got locked in, but security was kind enough to let us out again.)

Each work of art - drawings, paintings, and photos - included a brief story about the animal depicted.  The exhibit was both heartwarming (some dogs had found their "forever homes") and heartbreaking (some were captured in photos and then never seen again).  But either way, it was worthwhile.