We went to watch a few horse races on Saturday. This was an absolutely gorgeous Fall day. The air was chilly, the clouds were drifty. I packed cheese, crackers, fruit and wine. Eric bought some new fun folding chairs. Do you see the foot rests attached to the chairs? Very cute, but very hard for me to climb over. Most of the horses did better than that on the jumps.

The clouds were as much fun to watch as the horses. This was a steeplechase. The horses ran right in front of our picnic spot. They even started there for a couple of races. It was really a great day for cloud, horse and people-watching.

Connelly

Don't tell anyone that today is so quiet at Booz Allen that I can write about the book I finished on the way to work this morning. I just love Michael Connelly. He was once a reporter at The Times and I can still picture him sitting at his desk in the Valley news room. Little did we know that he was just there to gather plots for his crime novels. He was a good reporter and an even better author. I have seen him every year at the Festival of Books and Karen and I got to watch him chat with Joseph Wambaugh about their new books.

This is the new book. Connelly has a much loved series about Harry Bosch, snarly police detective. He had also written a book called The Lincoln Lawyer about a lawyer who does all his work out of a fleet of Lincoln cars. These two meet in The Brass Verdict. Does it matter what the plot is? Let's just say that it holds together nicely. More to the point, it's fun to read about all the locations this book takes place in and around. He even writes about the new police center across the street from The Times, the one I loved to watch being built.

So, once again Connelly's plotting is good, accuracy is good, objectivity is good (how scummy does one feel, being a defense lawyer?) and character develop is good. All that work as a crime reporter seems to have paid off.

Eric and I had an interesting discussion about how we see these characters. He thinks Bosch looks like Belker from Hill Street Blues. I see him as being taller and less wiry. I don't know if that's because Len Cariou reads those books for Audible and that's how he looks. Eric thinks Mickey Haller - the Lincoln lawyer - looks like Tom Selleck. I'm thinking smaller, but not too smaller. Maybe Jon Hamm from Mad Men. He looks conflicted enough to be Haller. And he could certainly be a defense lawyer doubting his chosen profession. What do you think?

$2.60; 55; $158.50

Gasoline prices are sinking faster than my spirits. Can you believe $2.60 a gallon? I remember being thrilled with $3.80 is Wyoming in June. That's a savings of $15.00 when I fill my tank. My current question is, how many times to I have to fill my tank to save the money I spent paying for my speeding ticket.

Yes, a speeding ticket. One of the reasons we got good gas mileage on our trip across country was that we kept our speed down. That is just one of the many lessons I forgot after the trip. I was taking Natalie to Dulles Airport and was pulled over for speeding, going 74 instead of 55. This is me, looking devastated. But you will notice that the driver's side window is down.

This was just the last hit ($158.50) on my pocket book after getting the window fixed, two new tires and the thermostat fixed. Oh, and the new Ipod after my old one starting playing the wrong songs. I decided, none-the-less, to drive up to Vermont for the week. But as my luck would have it, I got lost. I will remember to take two maps next time. Karen tried to teach me that, but I failed to learn that lesson. I had a nice drive and ate some crabs in Baltimore. The good part is, I saved money on my motel rooms. I am going to have to work a lot of days to make up for this very expensive month. Or buy a lot of gas.

A New Hamlet

I just had to read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. After all, Oprah recommended it. I didn't know that when I bought it, but she was right for a change. It wasn't at all cloying. It is a retelling of Hamlet. So you know the whole thing, right? Ghost of the father, mother marries brother-in-law who killed the father, Hamlet kills father of his best friend, he is sent away to be killed, and everyone dies in the end. All those things don't happen, but a lot of them do. When the ghost of his father appeared, I almost stopped reading. I didn't know about the Hamlet angle. I'd been enjoying the story on its own until that moment. Edgar is a beautiful young man who can't speak. He and his family adapt. They raise dogs for a living. Edgar has a special affinity for the dogs. I loved reading about how he works with and trains the dogs. I also liked his relationship with his mother and father.

Oh, should I mention the play? That part is too cool. After all, the play is the thing, where we capture the conscience of the king. And how it is done in this book is clever. I don't think there is a Player King. Some other parts are either missing or too obscure for me to catch. My favs, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern, may be a couple of puppies, but I don't see it. It really doesn't matter. You may enjoy the story without knowing Hamlet, but I think it adds a layer of interest that I would miss.



I've also re-read the Ramayana. This is a story about the Hindu God, Rama. I read it in college and wanted to read it again after my time in India. Now I need to find my old college book to help me interpret the book. The Demon King takes Rama's wife, Sita, to Lanka. It is so clearly Sri Lanka in my mind, but I can't be sure. I know there is much more to the story than the version I listened to, but it was good to revisit the tale. Remember this, my friends in India, you are never far from my mind.