“All About the Kitchen”
Monday in New Orleans began with a bunch of hammering and banging outside the cottage. Denny is having the back patio and fence area redone, and the workers were taking off the forms for the cement base of the fence. The design for a cantilevered pergola covering the back patio is very different and cool. We’re having a competition to see if our kitchen remodel or the patio re-do is finished first. My money is on the kitchen given the speed at which projects progress in New Orleans.
Our flight and travel back home on Monday afternoon were all smooth and hassle free.
Tuesday was a busy catch up day at work with nothing else exciting happening.
We watched a really interesting documentary on Wednesday evening. “The Year the Earth Changed” is about the climate changes that have happened during our year of lockdown, and the impact these have had on nature. Sir David Attenborough narrates, taking me back to all those nature shows of my youth.
The scene were folks in Northern India go up to their rooftops to view the majestic Himalayas for the first time in their lives is quite poignant. Whales using entirely new communication systems now that they can hear above ship noise was amazing. And then there’s the scene where a leopard becomes the king of a safari compound, becoming almost human in personality. Well worth a watch. See the good things that have occurred as a result of the pandemic.
On Thursday I watched the Oscar nominated film “Nomadland”, starring Frances McDormand. I really enjoyed this quiet and thoughtful movie.
The movie is ostensibly about folks who live in vans and move nomadically around the country to find work depending on the season. McDormand’s character works in Amazon fulfillment centers and various other low paying jobs as she moves from Arizona to California, North Dakota and other western states. I think the deeper message is about loss of a spouse and rejection of the “normal” way of life, where we live in one place. My favourite scene occurs when McDormand’s character is visiting a friend she met on the road and observes him playing a piano tune with his son. Nothing is said but the sense of loss on her face says it all perfectly. She quickly packs up and hits the solo road again. I’m expecting some kind of award for this film on Sunday night at the Oscars.
The New York Times crossword on Thursday made me think of David, with the 007 theme. Very cleverly executed. A lot of comments in the blogs about omitting Roger Moore from the puzzle, while including Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. Particularly when you consider the “00” in his last name. Such a travesty.
The kitchen packing began in earnest on Thursday afternoon and I gingerly transported glasses and bottles from the butler pantry to their temporary homes. Diana’s activity really hit a peak on Friday as she was determined to make a big dent in emptying things out. She created a small kitchen/pantry area in the master bedroom and has taken to calling it our “studio apartment.” I moved the microwave out next to the outside grill and we have a temporary cooking area all ready to go there.
We had a nice walk through the neighborhoods on Saturday morning and then drove to downtown Dallas for lunch with John – in town for a conference at the Anatole hotel. We took him over to Standard Pour on McKinney Avenue and enjoyed a delicious brunch and catch up chat. A highlight was the musician/DJ’s performance of “Nessun dorma” – certainly got Diana’s attention as she headed into the main dining room to listen.
Sunday started with another stroll around the streets of McKinney. We drove down into Dallas again on Sunday evening to sample an event my boss was hosting at his home. It’s a competition that lasts all day between about 40 guys – some of whom he’s known since elementary school. They had foosball, shuffleboard, ping-pong, basketball, putting, pool boat races, hockey shot and several other events set up around the yard, a taco truck in the alley, and a great musician playing a wide variety of music. All very well organized and setup but not a huge amount of fun if you weren’t engaged in the competition. We stayed an hour or so and enjoyed the tacos and a drink. Maybe I’ll compete next year.
In Bend, Oregon, Finn was getting some great use out of his new hiking boots. He was out at an area called Smith Rock and decided it was a good idea to hike something called “Misery Ridge”, despite all the warning signs about it being a black diamond/expert route. It sounds like he got quite an awakening up on the top of the ridge, but completed the challenge successfully. Here are some really lovely pictures that he took along the way. It’s such a good time to be outdoors there.
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We watched some of the Oscar awards ceremony on Sunday night – and what do you know? – Nomadland won a number of the big awards. If we’d filled out a ballot I would have picked Frances McDormand for best actress and the film for best picture. Easy for me to claim after the fact.
I enjoyed my first real library book in years this week. “A Hologram for the King” is a quick and light read on the surface, while carrying some deeper messages about our place in an aging, global workforce.
I didn’t realize this was also a movie starring Tom Hanks. I watched it over the weekend and found it very faithful to the book, with most of the dialogue word for word. It definitely worked better as a book than a film.
Here’s a summary review : “A Hologram for the King takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economy’s gale-force winds. In a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter’s college tuition, and finally do something great. This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel is a powerful evocation of our contemporary moment — and a moving story of how we got here.”
I enjoyed relaying the jokes that Alan, the main character, tells to Diana. They were of the ilk that really tickles my funny bone and makes McD groan.
The latest Tipitina’s record club release was waiting for me when we returned from New Orleans – how fitting given that it’s a live recording of The Radiators at Tipitina’s in 1997. We’ve enjoyed so many memorable concerts at this venerable New Orleans music club. I don’t love the music on this album, but the live sound and musicianship are very good, and we’re supporting the venue by belonging to the club. Here’s a song by The Radiators that I do enjoy:
We watched the Curtis Stigers livestream on Wednesday night and he played a cover by Jeffrey Martin that was excellent. I hadn’t heard of this outstanding singer songwriter and have been enjoying exploring his catalog of work.
While participating in “Jazzfesting in Place” on the back patio, I heard this great cover of one of my top three favourite songs. What a treat. Also inspired me to download the sheet music and learn the song on the piano.
Stay patient, calm, and kind to everyone out there!