dual personalities

I had a pleasant, quiet week, and we even made a little progress in the kitchen. The stove is now in the right place and we can use the dishwasher! Counters are finally on (re)order and should be here in a couple of weeks. My do-it-yourself job was to paint the breadbox that son #2 made for me some years ago. Voilà!

As you can see, I painted it to match the sideboard and all the blue and white china.

Now I’ve put my paint brushes away for the time-being and plan to concentrate on getting the house back in order. I can’t tell you what a pleasure it is to be at home without workmen or the prospect of their imminent arrival.  I am fortunate indeed.

Aside from puttering around, I finished reading the second book in a series by former MI5 director Stella Rimington. They’re quite enjoyable books that seem very plausible, have good characters, and neither whitewash nor demonize our enemies. While certainly not deep, these books are refreshingly candid. Best of all, the heroine is intelligent and likeable without being unrealistically superhuman. Though she’s now 82, Dame Rimington is still writing.

Clearly, her brain remains as agile as ever. I wish I could say the same about my own!

Yesterday I was sad to see that Albert Finney passed away.

He sure was cute and full of life when he started out. Booze and hard living eventually stole his looks but he was always a great actor.  Let’s consider watching Tom Jones tonight.  Without doubt it is his very best movie.

If you’re in the mood for something contemporary, try The Big Sick (2017), a story about an aspiring Pakistani comedian, his developing relationship with a white graduate student, and their families.

Basically, it’s a sweet, funny story about two people falling in love and dealing with a clash of cultures. It has a good script and relatable characters and it doesn’t rely on vulgarity for its laughs. How refreshing.

Here’s to octogenarian writers, the dearly departed, and winging it for another week!

*The Big Sick