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.