The Garden of Last Days: by Andre Dubus III - Different people from diverse cultures and usual and unusual walks of life come into contact with each other throughout this book by Andre Dubus III. He puts the reader in these peoples' thoughts, and we become sympathetic to their concerns and problems. I think that some readers could be very angry while reading this story, but it truly is a tale of life in America. Dubus gets into the heads of his male characters in a way that sometimes bogs me down. I'm not as bogged down by the females, probably because he is a man, and can't go all the way there into the thoughts of a woman the same as he does with men. Hmmm. I recommend this novel to the open minded reader. Are you ready for the thoughts and actions of a muslim hijacker, a woman who dances at a men's club, an angry young father and more? Here you are.

MAD MEN - THOSE MADISON AVENUE AD MEN

I'm hooked. Mad Men is the best! It takes place in 1960s New York and centers around the complicated life of Don Draper. From the smoking and drinking, the muted racism, the psychiatrist who secretly reports the wife's sessions to the husband, extra-marital affairs, office sexism and beatnicks, to the scene where the little girl comes into the room with a cleaners bag over her head and the mom does nothing, this show has it all. It's loaded with awful double standards, yet these people had a lot of personal freedoms. I just watched the first 10 episodes on On Demand, and I have a few more to go before the new season starts next week. I can't wait!

Oh, and what passes for being creative on this show isn't even up to current pre-school creativity standards! Too funny. There is lots and lots to think about here.

http://www.amctv.com/originals/madmen/about/

BEHIND THE SCENES IN RESTAURANT KITCHENS

Kitchen Confidential: by Anthony Bourdain - Chef Tony writes about his "adventures in the culinary underbelly" and leaves nothing unsaid. His autobiographical account of life as a NYC chef is an engrossing and fun read. He's been around a couple of blocks, and tells an unvarnished truth about himself and the business he loves. He has a Travel Channel show called No Reservations, and some of that ironic personality comes through. I enjoyed the show about Saudi Arabia once I got used to his slight monotone. His sarcasm is refreshing, though.

I once spent two weeks as an intern in the busy kitchen of a major hotel in Chicago, so some of his stories come as no surprise. Our head chef was a huge crusty frenchman, feared and revered by everyone in the hotel. At the time I just didn't get it. I thought the sous chefs wielding their chainsaws in the freezer were the heroes. The long hours, low pay, stressful deadlines, and lack of much of a life outside the hotel didn't work out for me; it was a fun year, but I'm still looking for that high paying stress free job where you don't work many hours and have lots of time to do what you enjoy. Hmmm....maybe blogging is the answer.

WATCHING TV

I think it's time for a new category on the blog. I watch a lot of TV. I've loved watching since I can remember. With cable and a dvr and a nice big HD flat panel TV, it's possible to indulge in any TV any time. The quality of the picture is incredible and magnetic. Here's what I'm watching lately:

Flipping Out: This is a reality show about a neurotic rehabber in LA who flips houses. He's OCD, a perfectionist, did I mention neurotic in a lovable way, and really knows his business. He has great friends who love him and tolerate him and support him in spite of his quirks, which makes him just like anyone, which is probably why I find him so likable.

Project Runway: We're into a new season, so I don't know yet know the players, but it's a fun time getting to know everyone. The last two seasons included fabulously talented contestants designing fabulously inspired clothing. On a budget, under crazy deadlines, and surrounded by the competition all the way. I've come to love and respect Tim Gunn. He's one of the great stylemasters of our time.

What's My Line: That's right. I set my DVR to record it on GSN every day, then each night I watch Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf, Dorothy Kilgallon and Charles Daley as the panel moderator guess the "lines" of the guests. Each show features a famous mystery guest. For this segment, the panel covers their eyes and must figure out the identity of said mystery guest. All the stars and personalities of the day appeared. My favorites have been Elizabeth Taylor (when she was married to Michael Wilding I think), and Elenor Roosevelt. The best.

Saving Grace: Just started a new season. Holly Hunter plays a police detective with some issues of her own. And she has this angel who has his hands full with her. I love this show. This is not your parents' detective story. 'nuff said.

Mad Men: It's on On Demand, so I just started watching last season at the recommendation of my neighbor who I think this is the only show she watches. She's really fun and smart and artistic, so I knew it had to be good. The Mad Men are the Ad Men of Madison Avenue circa 1960. Everybody's smoking and drinking and engaging in other non-appropriate politically incorrect and maddening behaviors which were considered normal and cool in those olden days. It's good stuff.

More To Come. (Remember? REMEMBER???)

ESME AND ESME

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox: By Maggie O'Farrell - There is this reshelving cart at the library where the newest books are usually placed in order to tempt library regulars to check them out right away. That's where I saw this intriguing title. Intriguing of course, because of For Esme - With Love and Squalor which I will always love. Anyway, the Esme in this book is as interesting and rich as the original Esme. This story is a double story about two women discovering each other and discovering how their lives are connected.

THE CALDER GAME

The Calder Game: by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist - I've just finished Blue Balliett's latest book for pre-teens. Inspired by the art of Alexander Calder, this mystery takes place in Woodstock, England. It's a great story designed to get a young reader thinking in creative ways about art, travel and problem solving. The author always includes a map/diagram of the setting at the beginning of the book, although this map didn't include the main square where the Calder sculpture was placed and then disappeared. Brett Helquist's illustrations are always nifty, evoking the mood of the scenes and characters. I've never been able to find the hidden letters and codes in the illustrations; they must be very buried, or so much in the open that I completely miss them! Here's a quote from the book by a real person named Banksy: "Nobody ever listened to me until they didn't know who I was."

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR

Nineteen Eighty-Four: By George Orwell. For a few days now, I've been blue and blah and in a general funk of a mood. I'd been racking my brain to figure out why, and trying to be outwardly nice as much as possible. This morning, I figured out what it was. As I finished this book, I felt a weight lift off of me. I felt the air clearing, and the fog was gone. This is one depressing story! A HUGE downer of a book. There are great big doses of torture, betrayal, brainwashing. In spite of myself, I wonder if a movie was made....Wickipedia is happy to oblige... Apparently there are 1956 and 1984 film versions of the book. Looks like I'm not done with this story, yet! So, did Orwell predict what might come to pass? He writes about something called Doublethink:
"...the essential act of the Party is to use conscious deception while retaining the firmness of purpose that goes with complete honesty. To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just so long as it is needed..."
This is what President Bush and our government have done with regard to the war in Iraq.

I cannot wait to get into a good book with a good warm story that resolves into a happy (or at least hopeful) ending.

FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS

I love fireworks. Growing up in Detroit, we rarely saw fireworks. Sometimes we'd see them from our driveway over the trees on the outskirts of our neighborhood. They were miles away, visible yet unreachable. Small and mysterious, they seemed to be otherworldly temporary heavenly bodies flashing in the sky.

Then I moved to Chicago! During my first summer in Chicago, I was driving to Evanston from a visit home to Detroit. I had friends with me...Brenda,Libbo (pronounced LeBeau) and Mike. I think we were in two cars. Anyway, we were on Lake Shore Drive just coming into Downtown at dusk. It was July 3rd, and all of a sudden, the traffic came to a complete standstill. All the cars on LSD just stopped. We got out of the car, and looked out over the lake to see that the annual fireworks show had started! We sat on the hoods of our cars and watched the whole show from ringside seats with excellent parking. When the show was over, we got into the car, the traffic started, and we were on our way.

The next night, we went to a baseball game at Comisky Park. The Detroit Tigers were in town to play the Chicago White Sox. I don't remember who won, but I can tell you that the Fireworks Display that night was incredible. I still remember the colorful, vivid, sparkly, unique fireworks of that night. I think the fireworks were sponsored that night by the Jovan fragrance company.

Since then, there have been many many fireworks in my life. (Take that any way you want). The best ones have usually been on July 3 or 4, though, and they took place in the sky, and in the Chicago area, although I seem to remember that there were some beautiful ones on vacation somewhere one year. There was a July 3 when we went out into the lake on a friend's boat, and the fireworks were literally falling on us. One year we watched from our boat in the harbor, and I got some fantastic photos. Another year, they were beautiful from the Glencoe beach. We watched them from a park or field in Glenview with my in-laws for a few years, but there is something about fireworks over the lake that takes my prize for best fireworks venue.

Last night, I made a plan with my friend Michelle to walk over to the beach for the fireworks. It was a great little beach walk. We saw this fabulous sand castle installation. As we walked along, the dusk was changing into night, and the horizon over the lake was beautiful.
I thought we'd sit on a certain section of the beach, but Michelle said that if we went to another part of the beach, the view would be better, and we'd also hear them. So we got there and the fireworks began just as we sat down. Unbelievable!
They were RIGHT THERE in front of us! It was a beautiful show, and I've got a new favorite place from which to watch our fireworks from now on.
Here is a little look at last night's fabulous finale:


Tonight, on July 4th, we went out on our boat to see the fireworks in Evanston. There were 14 of us aboard, and the weather was cool and the lake was calm. We pulled up to our ringside seat, and saw another wonderful show. This one included a number of mini-finales with groups of fireworks. Just beautiful. Photos and Video will be here tomorrow!

Books & Movies

BOOKS
Those Who Save Us: By Jenna Blum Fiction. Yes, yes! Here's one! My favorite book in a long long time. It's unforgettable, especially if you are avid about WWII and holocaust stories. Fiction is my favorite genre, and there is nothing in the world like a book that becomes a part of you.

A Paper Life: If you like a good Hollywood story, this autobiography/memoir by Tatum O'Neal will do the trick. Tatum is a true survivor and I've no doubt about the veracity of every word she writes. Through a rough life, her prevailing attitude is one of innocence and optimism. Her father and her ex-husband could not bring her down. I'm so happy to have read her inspiring story.

Look Me In The Eye - My Life With Asperger's: Non Fiction. Many of us know a serious someone who isn't always easy to talk to or get along with. Often we'll say that the person is shy or awkward if we are nice, or we'll say worse if we are not so nice. Read this book by a brilliant abrupt mechanical guy with an interesting life; his story might help you to be more generous in your thoughts about people. Understanding is enlightenment. Enlightenment leads to a higher civilization. You can quote me on that!

Her Last Death: by Susanna Sonnenburg - Another memoir about a truly disfunctional childhood. Susanna came through it though. There is a certain theme to some of my reading choices!

MOVIES

I'm Not There: I enjoyed this movie. A long time ago, I read a biography of Bob Dylan, and this movie, for me, was the 25 year later continuation of that story. The movie chronicles his life in a roundabout way. Here is a person who has refused to be categorized as a person, artist, musician. He will not be labeled, to the great consternation of the media. He wants to be himself and to express himself, and to let it stand at that. In the film, he is played by no less than six actors, and they are seemingly playing six different people. It's good stuff if you like to think.

Savages: Starring Laura Linney and Phillip Seymore Hoffman, this is a story of the Savage family at a time when the estranged father is widowed and basically unable to care for himself. His unmarried adult children must make arrangements for his care. It's real and tells a story that many many Americans are living through these days.

Dan In Real Life: I love Steve Carrell in The Office, so I try to see all of his movies. This is a particularly sweet one. About a multi-generational family and love.