Category: Nonfiction

Tidy Tidbits: Staying Home

JWF Leave a comment

COVID-19 & STAYING HOME

Other than one trip to the supermarket, we have not left our island neighborhood for the past week.  We are fortunate to be having gorgeous weather (sunny and warm) and have walked our boulevard each morning and then gone to the pool in the late afternoon—always mindful of keeping an appropriate distance from each other.  In between, cooking or baking, reading, and viewing have been the main activities.  Plus, a lot of shopping online.

With restaurants only allowed to offer curbside pick-up or delivery, we will be experimenting with that in the next few days.  For my local friends, both Alice’s Ristorante Italiano (formerly A Casa Tua) and Bonefish Grill either are already or will be offering revised menus.  

SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE!

Like restaurants, independent bookstores face the challenge of staying in business since they can no longer invite customers into their physical spaces.  If you value your own local bookstore, order books from them online.  You can probably pick them up curbside or have them mailed to your home.  Yes, it will cost you more than going the Amazon route, but thinking ahead, don’t you want them to still be here when the pandemic subsides?  Here’s an article about this topic.  And here’s a link to my favorite Sarasota bookstore where I just ordered several titles to be mailed.  

IMMERSED IN A BOOK

Say Nothing:  A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe

Jean McConville (thetimes.co.uk)

When there are no lectures, plays or concerts to go to, it’s possible to spend more time reading.  I mentioned this book about the Troubles in my last blog and this week, I devoted myself to completing it.  Once I got fully into it (it took me a chapter or two as there are a lot of factions with different names and acronyms to keep straight!), I got caught up in the lives of the principals:  Dolours and Marian Price, Brendan Hughes, and Gerry Adams (all IRA members who participated in deadly violence), and in the impact on the McConville children whose 38-year old mother, Jean, was dragged from their home one evening in 1972 and never returned.  She was one of the aptly called “disappeared.”  For decades her children sought to locate her body.  

This is a tale of religious conflict, hatred of the British, bombings, imprisonment, hunger strikes, and double agents.  For thirty years, Northern Ireland, especially Belfast, was not a safe nor a pretty place to be.  Even after the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, lingering resentment and outrage were the order of the day for some. 

 I found Keefe’s narrative nonfiction both compelling and chilling.   He explores the actions and interactions of the infamous Price sisters over several decades along with the transformation of Gerry Adams from revolutionary commander to savvy politician to elder statesman, Adams all the while denying he was ever a member of the IRA.  Also fascinating for me, a former librarian, was learning about the secret archival interview project housed at Boston College.  The interview with Dolours Price, for example, was intended to be unavailable until after her death.  What protections were not put in place and what the college didn’t know later resulted in subpoenas and lawsuits.  A long read, but absorbing and rewarding. (~JWFarrington)

CURRENT VIEWING

With movie theaters closed, it’s now possible to rent and watch first run movies from several different streaming sources.  The Chief Penguin found Vudu.com (I had suggested Hulu, but somehow, he ended up here), and together we created a list of films to view.  First up last evening was Emma, which is also available through Apple TV.

Emma

(dailymail.co.uk)

I’ve seen several versions of Jane Austen’s Emma over the years, some I liked and some I didn’t (Clueless).  This Emma is Jane Austen on a romp.  For a story that is about emotions, meddling, and misunderstandings, there is a lot of physicality that makes it visually exciting.  The repeating line of schoolgirls in their long red capes, the twisting, twirling patterns of the ballroom dancing, the running or flinging onto grassy slopes (witness both Emma and Knightley). Add to this scenes of Knightley or Emma in various stages of dressing or undressing.  Coupled with this is a soundtrack of rousing folk melodies, almost hymns, providing transition between scenes.  

Against this visual and aural background, you have an Emma who is always perfectly coiffed and stylishly put together, arrogant, convinced of her rightness, and rude.  You don’t dislike her totally; you see her gradually become aware of the error of her ways, thanks in part to Mr. Knightley.  And, as is the norm for Austen, all comes right in the end!  I found the film a perfect entertainment.  (~JWFarrington)

Tidy Tidbits: Food for Mind & Body

JWF 1 Comment

RECENT READING

Gripping Nonfiction

American Fire:  Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is a forgotten land of lost hopes and limited opportunity.  The small towns in Accomack County are off the beaten path and poverty and struggle are the norm for many.  What brings people together and is the center for socializing is the firehouse.  Dedicated volunteers leap to answer the call and in the long months from late 2013 into 2014, the calls to fires were numerous and almost always to abandoned buildings.  Over about five months, more than 86 fires were started in and around Accomack and required volunteer firefighters from all the departments in the region.  

After an initial article about the fires, Washington Post feature writer Monica Hesse went to Accomack to research and write about why and how the fires occurred and who was responsible.  It’s a fact that arsonists are often volunteer firefighters, but this perpetrator, Charlie Smith, went undiscovered for a long time.  And what was surprising was that he had an accomplice, a female.  The resulting book is a captivating and vivid suspense story.  You know who dun it early on but exploring how all the experts got there is fascinating.  (~JWFarrington) 

ON THE SMALL SCREEN

Inspector Vivaldi Mysteries (Amazon Prime)

(from MHzChoice)

Just when I was wondering what to watch next, my friend Patricia came to the rescue with a great recommendation.  This Italian series from 2005 is marvelous.  It’s set in Trieste and Frederico Vivaldi is a police detective whose son Stefano is also a policeman.  When a young woman is found dead after a lively beach party, Vivaldi has his son re-assigned to the team working to solve the mystery.  Vivaldi is estranged from his wife, Laura, and is unaware that his son is gay.  How he learns about his son becomes tangled up with the murder case.  Although the production quality is grainy by today’s standards, the characters are engaging and complex and, so far, the series is as much about their relationships as it is about the police work.    

BREAKFAST OUT

Mocha Joe’s Cafe

If you’re looking for a casual place for breakfast in Bradenton, Mocha Joe’s could be your answer.  A small café on Cortez Road West, Mocha Joe’s is popular, for sure with the breakfast crowd, and maybe later also.  We met friends there and were pleased with the wide selection of eggs, pancakes, and omelets.  Several of us ordered lightly, but one person sampled eggs and toast with sides and was most pleased.  It’s tucked in a shopping mall, but definitely worth a try for either meal as the lunch menu of burgers and sandwiches also looks tempting.

Note: Header image of fire in eastern Virginia by Jay Diem, AP.

Manhattan: Stage, Screen & Page

JWF Leave a comment

STAGE:  OKLAHOMA

Through the years, I’ve seen several productions of the American musical, Oklahoma.  This new production directed by Daniel Fish, is a dark one.  The staging is amazing—open and creative.  It’s theater in the round, really more of a horseshoe, with theatergoers seated on one side of some of the tables used by the actors.  At intermission, the red pots on the tables reveal chili, and cups of chili and cornbread are served to anyone who wants to line up. 

The cast is stripped down, the music is backed by a small combo, not an orchestra, and Curly strums his guitar for the opening, “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’.”  All the songs are here, but overall the play is edgy.  The taunting conversation between Curly and Jud about Jud becoming more loved in death is played out in a darkened theater using video projections on a far wall.  Go expecting the unexpected along with a revised ending.  This is an Oklahoma for our time. 

SCREEN:  Official Secrets

I would wager that most Americans have never heard of Katharine Gun, but she was a courageous, albeit naïve, whistleblower, working in British intelligence in 2003.  When Katharine reads a secret memo that the United States is pressuring allies, including Britain, to support a war against Iraq, she is disturbed enough to want to share it.  How her actions play out, what impact they have on her Kurdish Turkish husband, and what the British government does to make an example of her make for a fascinating film for political junkies.  

It is not fast paced, nor full of tension, but it does shine a light on how and when governments deceive the people they represent.  There’s an all star cast with Keira Knightley as Gun and recognizable favorites from Downton Abbey and The Crown such as Matthew Goode and Matt Smith along with Ralph Fiennes as a shrewd defense lawyer.  The Chief Penguin especially loved it! (~JWFarrington)

Seasonal display in Rockefeller Plaza, real style!

PAGE:  STYLE ICON

Bunny Mellon:  The Life of an American Style Legend by Meryl Gordon

Bunny Melon was a product of wealth who married wealth and lived a life of style and glamour. Shy by nature, she mostly avoided the spotlight, but sought and gained recognition for her gardens and her personal taste in décor and decoration.  She married one wealthy man, Stacy Lloyd, then divorced him after WWII to marry the even richer Paul Mellon.   

A man of his time and class, Mellon had affairs and mistresses, something Bunny knew and was unhappy about, but became resigned to.  When he wanted a divorce, she refused, preferring to remain Mrs. Paul Mellon despite everything.  She, in turn, had warm friendships with a number of dashing younger men, florists, hair stylists, and others, mostly gay.  As a close personal friend of Jackie Kennedy, she had a front row seat at some of the most dramatic and tragic moments in the 20th century. 

Gordon’s biography is engaging, breezy, accessible, and, at times, a catalog of celebrities, events and stuff: glittering galas, stunning jewelry, haute couture, and houses upon houses from Manhattan to Virginia horse country to Antigua and Paris.  Bunny Melon was the designer of the White House Rose Garden and of a second garden there named for Jackie Kennedy.  She could be warm and whimsical or brusque and fickle; but, throughout her long life (103 years), she always had Style!  (~JWFarrington) 

Whimsical “Hare on Bell” by Barry Flanagan, 1983

Note: All photos by JWFarrington. Header photo is the Oklahoma set at Circle in the Square Theatre.

Maine Time: Mostly Granddaughters

JWF Leave a comment

GRANDDAUGHTER TIME 

Even since she could say, ‘”grandma,” our younger granddaughter F, now almost two and a half, has called both me and the Chief Penguin that name.  This visit, she finally got it right and for a few days, he was “GrandPA” and then became just Grandpa.  We are now differentiated and she always wants to know “Where’s Grandpa?” if he isn’t right there with us.  F’s language continued to explode over the five days here with more sentences, more new words, questions like what’s that, and statements such as “I’m hungry” or “water dancing” in reference to the slightly shifting water in the cove. She likes books and being read to, can happily play by herself with her baby doll—changing her and carrying on a steady conversation or singing to her—and is a great builder with blocks, magnetic tiles and even small Legos.  She almost always has a ready smile, is fearless and physically bold (too much so) but being two, also a bit stubborn and wanting to do things herself.

Her older sister, E, is six and excited about starting first grade. She is reading a lot, both simple books and shorter chapter books.  A current favorite is the Ivy and Bean series.  E is very creative and likes art projects that involve drawing and cutting out objects and paper dolls.  She and I made a paper doll family, mother, father, big sister and little sister, and then drew and cut out suitcases, beach towels, and food items for them to take on vacation.  Earlier we did all the trappings of a birthday party—birthday cake, cups of lemonade, and goodie bags as well as pizza, cupcakes and doughnuts for refreshments–using just paper, crayons, and tape.  I’m the least artistic of my sisters, and both of them who are more so, would enjoy these draw, cut and color exercises!

When not engaged in art or books, we all visited the local alpaca farm (a hit), spent several hours at the botanical garden in their children’s area (fabulous!), shopped at the bookstore, walked the footbridge and ate ice cream in town, collected rocks and shells on the rocky shore, and watched while the girls and their dad braved Maine’s cold waters in a small cove and then romped in a nearby swimming pool. 

Meals were mostly at home and planned (not seriously planned) to be rustled together quickly.  E. was a good helper at mealtime and loved what she called, “make your own lunch,” basically a buffet of choices on the kitchen island. It also re-appeared as make your own breakfast and even make your own dinner.  One can perform culinary “miracles” with frozen meatballs and jarred tomato basil sauce with some cheese ravioli on the side!

Grandchildren wake up early; fortunately, the C. P. and I are early to rise also.  The little feet came pattering downstairs by 6:00 am, if not before, and I could guarantee that there would be voices greeting me as soon as I emerged to see about breakfast.  Lively, fun, and a real treat to have them here!  I think we stored up lots of good memories.

 

READING UPDATE

#19 Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

Smart and blond with big blue eyes and a manufactured husky voice, Elizabeth Holmes’ idea for a finger stick blood testing device intrigued her Stanford professor mentor.  Dropping out of college at 19, she founded her own company, modeled herself on Steve Jobs, and wielding charm and charisma, convinced a number of wealthy, older prominent men to invest in Theranos and join its board.  None of these board members (all seemed to be male) had any medical or scientific background and hence didn’t possess the knowledge to evaluate her product. A detailed account of how Holmes cajoled, lied and hoodwinked investors and company staff, it is unputdownable and reads like a novel!

Elizabeth and her number two, Sunny, who was also her boyfriend, ruled with an iron hand creating a very toxic work environment.   She frequently fired individuals who raised doubts or asked questions; he bullied and harassed the staff and was often the one carrying out the dismissals.  Security was extreme, there was no cross communication between departments, and Elizabeth was routinely misleading in presentations to possible vendors such as Walgreens and Safeway.  Not only was she marketing a device that gave false and misleading results to patients, she also deceived her board.

A sad case is that of George Schultz and his grandson Tyler.  Tyler briefly worked for Theranos and had issues about the device and the company which he shared with his grandfather.  His grandfather sided with Elizabeth and became estranged from Tyler. It took a long time, but ultimately, thanks to this author, a Wall Street Journal  reporter, who gained access to a number of brave individuals and then wrote the first articles for his newspaper, the truth was revealed.

 

Note:  All photos ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)