Good Things

Adrian has been cooking the most interesting things. First is our weekly foccacia that tastes much better than it looks. And then there is this chocolate raspberry torte. I did not get a piece, although I caused a little accident which resulted in a the little piece of cake that stuck to the wire cooling rack. It was nummy. He shares all this stuff with his friends. He too practices the sport of bake and release. When the chunky peanut butter cookies were released into the wild, I wept. But it was for our own good.

While Adrian has been baking, I've been going to PALAC (Pasadena Area Liberal Arts Cword) group meetings. I've met a bunch of retired Pasadena Liberals. Do you think they took that Liberal part of Liberal Arts wrong? I've now attend one each of the three groups I'm involved in. Here's the report:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird group discussion. I learned not to read ahead. Bad form. I also learned that I really love this book. I knew I did, but it's been a long time. I also got to visit the home of a former Pasadena mayor. These are a lot of nice retirees who have lived in Pasadena for eons.
2. Figuring out what Conservatives are thinking by reading editorial pieces from the Wall Street Journal. All new group of people. One more conservative guy, which makes him middle-of-the-road, I think. The rest of us got to the Lean to the left part of the old cheer and never got the other two parts. Oh, maybe we did the fight, fight, fight part; but we never leaned to the right. My old boss leads this group. He's doing a good job. But I do hate hate, hate reading stuff by Peggy Noonan and Karl Rove. Yucky.
3. The Help group discussion. I'm getting good at this. I listened to this book some time ago. However, the guy leading the group is also the guy who said we shouldn't read ahead. Well, that ship has sailed, so I just didn't say anything when he was throwing out all these leading questions about what a certain passage could possibly mean. I knew. I knew to the point of wanting to bounce from cheek to cheek. But I sat quietly and looked appropriately blank. It was fun. I've already met four of these people. I will soon have a coffee date with the dimmest bulb in the group. It's a beginning.

Whoa, I took this picture last week. I am waaaay beyond this, but I've not taken a picture lately. Soon. Why such leaps of needling during my busy PALAC schedule??? I've been reading an absolutely fabulous book. Listening, that is. Room. OMG. Room, I did love to listen to you. And now you're done. I even listened to parts of it a couple of times. This is about a woman who was kidnapped and raped by a yucky man (of course) and kept locked up for 7 years. She has a 5 year old son by him. This book is told from the point of view of the son, Jack, who has a fabulous vocabulary and you would know why if you read this book. But you should really listen to it. It is read by a few people. I don't know who does Jack's voice. She is fantastic.

Speaking of listening. Since I listened to The Help and loved the voices of these women, I'm looking forward to reading it It's been a while since I heard the voices of these women. Will it be as good with my own voice? Would Room be as good? I'm doubtful.