Saturday, August 29, 2009

The End of Summer - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly



Dear Readers,

So nice to see you again.

I've been very busy with work...

and now...

not so much.

So I thought perhaps an update was over due.

I got a hold of Stieg Larsson's

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

Loved it!

Could not put it down.

Consumed it quickly with gusto.

Loved characters Blomkvist and his side kick Salander.

Loved the setting, story and pace.

Immediately ordered

the 2nd offering in this Millennium Trilogy,

The Girl Who Played With Fire.

I cannot wait to treat myself to it

and I highly recommend these books to you.

They've already been produced on Swedish TV and there is interest from Hollywood.

I would love to see these films as well.

A couple films I was not thrilled with...



Thought I'd treat myself to a guilty pleasure.

Picked up a copy of Duplicity to watch at home.

Began watching this stunning couple,

Julia Roberts and Clive Owen,

and was really not too moved.

As much as I like them and the exotic locals etc...

I did not feel impelled to concern myself with plot twist after plot twist.

I watched the first hour, turned it off with the intention of watching the rest later.

Then didn't.


Another movie that did nothing for me...

the highly acclaimed blockbuster

District 9.

Went to see it a week ago and after around an hour of it just had to leave.

Again, I really didn't care enough about the characters, or the message,

to withstand all the slurping sounds.



Speaking of slurping sounds...

I did have a nice meal, with a beautiful woman,

at

Vermilion

in Alexandria, VA

a couple days ago.


Virginia Soft Shell Crab
with black chickpea puree, fresh beans, shaved celery & saffron vinaigrette

"brandade" Crusted Halibut
with smashed fingerling potatoes (ouch!), cipollini onions
tender greens & red wine butter

Corn Meal Crisp
with local peaches and blackberries,
and sweet corn ice cream

The room, the meal, the service all good.

The company very nice.



As always,

I've been listening to many recordings

and looking forward to the release of others.

I can't wait to get my hands on upcoming

ECM releases:

Manfred Schoof - Resonance

Stefano Bollani - Stone in the Water

Jan Garbarek Group - Dresden - In Concert


Another fine ECM recording,

The Julia Hulsmann Trio's The End of Summer, is appropriate to mention now.

You'll find really nice Evans-esque trio playing.

They even do a beautiful rendition of Seal's

Kiss From A Rose.

Something I'm rather fond of.

6 comments:

  1. I wondered what you'd been up to, David. :^)

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  2. Hi Willow,

    Work was keeping me very busy. Now... not so much, so I put together some of my recent observations etc... Really loved The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Surely you've read it? Always wishing you the best.

    David

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  3. To the reader who just left 2 comments, I checked them off and hit publish, and they vanished into thin air. How odd. Perhaps you could re post them if you have a moment.

    Best,

    David

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  4. Nice stuff David - you sound like a great "date"

    My husband and my 15-year-old went to see District 9. My son came back all excited and wild eyed. My husband, head-shakingly depressed at the whole experience.

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  5. Have you got a copy of Byatt's new book yet. The Children's Book.

    I just got it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello Clever Pup,

    Thanks for the nice comment. I agree with your husband. District 9 made me shake my head. As to Byatt... I have not gotten The Children's Book yet. My copy of The Girl Who Played With Fire just arrived!

    Best,

    David

    ReplyDelete