What I Watched -- Meru

On our flight to Phoenix, we watched Meru.  It's a documentary about a group of high alpine climbers who set out to climb the Shark's Fin on Mount Meru, in India.

The climbers are Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk.  Conrad and Jimmy were long-time climbing partners, but needed a third to undertake the Shark's Fin.  As you would probably expect, things don't go as expected; I won't say more than that.

For the most part, the film is well made.  I could have done with a little more documentary footage and a little less talking in front of a front backdrop, but that's a minor complaint.  And mostly I make it because so much of the outdoor footage was either (1) stunningly beautiful, or (2) nuts.

Bottom line: check it out.

What I'm Reading Now -- The Stranger in the Woods

Imagine disappearing into the Maine woods and living there for 27 years, nearly undetected.  Such is the odd story of Christopher Knight, as recorded in The Stranger in the Woods.

Known in nearby towns as "the Hermit," Knight lived for nearly three decades, through the winters, by stealing what he needed from summer cottages and a nearby camp.  The book opens with him being arrested during one of his break-ins, and now seems to be backtracking to explore his reclusive life.

Fascinating and entertaining so far!

Goals 2018 -- April Edition

It's supposed to be spring, but it's snowing today.  Not an auspicious beginning to the month.

I have, though, had a couple of lovely weekends at home recently, which have allowed me to do a fair amount of cooking.  Just yesterday, I roasted Brussels sprouts, seared duck breasts with a port-cherry sauce, baked bread, slow-cooked a batch of French onion soup, made spaghetti from scratch, and tried out a new cocktail called the Breakfast of Champions (needed less milk and more bourbon, but those are fixable).

So, how does all this cooking relate to my April goal?  It doesn't.  I was just proud of all the things I made and wanted to tell you about them.

My April goals:
  - Do my mending;
  - Tidy up my craft area;
  - Use the newly-cleaned space to make patterns for the curtains we will need in our camper;
  - Compile a materials list for said curtains.

Yesterday, while I was doing all the aforementioned cooking, S was out in the camper installing the bike tray and the sound deadening panels.  It's nice to see some things happening, and it's time for me to do my part!

Goals 2018 -- March Recap

My March goal was two pronged: (a) ride bike, or (b) read books.  I'm disappointed to let you know that it basically has not stopped raining for the last three weeks of March.  So that's a bummer.

However, S and I managed to get in some good bike rides (and other fitness) anyway!  Our most epic was a 17.6-mile mountain bike ride covering about 2/3 of the Berryman Loop, part of the Ozark Trail.  That was also our first night sleeping in our new camper (which really isn't a camper yet -- but that meant I also got to test out my new sleeping bag!).  It was a cold night, and other than my feet being a little chilly and some ice falling on my face (the product of my exhaled breath condensing on the outside of my sleeping bag and freezing, then falling back down onto me when I moved), it was quite toasty.

We also did the Matson Hill Loop on a lovely, sunny Saturday.  The trailhead for the Matson Hill Loop is at the top of Matson Hill, which means that the first half of the ride is a fun downhill bash over rocks and roots, but the return trip leaves a little something to be desired.

Then we went to Phoenix to visit E/A and L/T.  We did some recreational riding with E/A to and from yoga, which totaled about 16 miles, and we rented mountain bikes and did 8.7 miles in the FINS at the Estrella Mountains.

On top of that, to blow off some steam after a particularly lengthy and frustrating series of admin-BS telephone calls, I went for a 7.8-mile run.  And I am not a runner!  But after nearly 4 miles (when I was finally no longer angry), I then had to turn around and get home again.  So there's that.

In addition to all the great fitness activities, I also met my reading goal!  I finished both The Secret Battle and The Sense of an Ending.  I made some progress on Truman as well, but then the library took it back so I am waiting for my turn again.  I do have the paper book, but since it's not mine, I don't want to carry it around with me and beat it up too badly.  Finally, I am also most of the way through another book I haven't even posted about yet, called The Unspeakable.  More on that to come.

All in all, a successful month!

Happy Birthday, G!

What I Read -- The Sense of an Ending

I really liked The Sense of an Ending. As one might guess from the title, it is a melancholy tale.

It is a story told by a man looking back on certain aspects of his life, and realizing that he wasn't quite the person he thought he was when he was younger, and in the middle of the experiences he is now recounting.  He talks at some length about remorse:

"And no, it wasn't shame I now felt, or guilt, but something rarer in my life and stronger than both: remorse.  A feeling which is more complicated, curdled and primeval.  Whose chief characteristic is that nothing can be done about it: too much time has passed, too much damage has been done, for amends to be made."

And then later:

"I was saying, confidently, how the chief characteristic of remorse is that nothing can be done about it: that the time has passed for apology or amends.  But what if I'm wrong?  What if by some means remorse can be made to flow backwards, can be transmuted into simple guilt, then apologised for, and then forgiven?"

As you can see from this pair of quotes, this book has one of my favorite things in it: an uncertain or unreliable narrator.  Despite that, his insights into his own character, and all of ours more generally, are spot on and well said.  I wonder whether this concept would have turned into quite such a wonderful book in the hands of a younger author.  Julian Barnes was 65 when this was released, which puts him at about the age of the main character.  Would a 30-year-old been able to get quite as good a grip on the retrospective?  I'm not sure.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

What I'm Watching -- Traffik

My friend L (the same one who turned me on to Prime Suspect, which I've now seen two seasons of, and have 3 and 4 waiting in the wings) has also loaned me Traffik.  It's a 1989 British miniseries (quick, act surprised!) on which the 2000 Steven Soderbergh movie Traffic was based.

The original version has the same general plot, but instead of being a Cartel-based drug war, it's story is of the European nations trying to stop the growth of opium poppies in Pakistan, and the consequent inflow of heroin into their countries.

I wasn't sold on it at first.  I was ready to turn it off after about an episode and a half, but the end of the second episode got me, and now I think I'll finish it.  It's a slow burn, so to speak.

Tenacious Eats -- Opera Tastings

S got us tickets to a really cool Tenacious Eats event last week -- Opera Tastings.  It was a series of (very) small plates inspired by arias, which were performed throughout the evening by members of OTSL  The selections were as follows:

Introduction:
"Votre Toast" from Carmen

Course 1
"Seguidilla" from Carmen, accompany by spiny minos, a chorizo and fig meatball.
"Ach, so fromm" from Martha, accompanied by pecorino shards in a rich Italian balsamic vinegar.
"Voglio dire" from Elixir of Love, accompanied by sparkling sangria.

Course 2
"Serenade" from Student Prince, accompanied by a poached egg yolk voul-au-vent.
"Catalogue Aria" from Don Giovanni, accompanied by a wood-fired oyster.
"The Flower Duet" from Madame Butterfly, accompanied by two pieces of sashimi on jasmine rice.
"The Best Thing of All" from Regina, accompanied by an Alabama Sazerac.

Course 3
"Lullaby" from An American Soldier, accompanied by a Chinese mooncake.
"Quando me'n vo" from La Boheme, accompanied by a Mayan Xocolati cake.
"A Drinking Song" from La Traviata, accompanied by a French 75.

The food was delicious and the opera was wonderful, which were both expected.  The service left a little something to be desired (they seemed to struggle to get everything plated and served in a timely fashion).  I really loved seeing the opera singers up close, getting to really witness them playing the part.  The real winner of the evening, though, was the emcee, who was also our baritone for the evening: Robert Mellon.  Listening to him describe the food and the music together was a real treat!

Other performers included soprano Mary-Hollis Hundley, mezzo-soprano Melody Wilson, and tenor Joshua Blue.

Quote of the Day

There are only two ways to live your life: as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle.
  -- Albert Einstein