Cookies and Books

I am going to Marilyn's this evening for an Elf Party. I don't know what that means. But she did ask that we bring cookies. I've never known how to whip up just one batch. So me and Martha shared recipes (not from this book) and I made 4 batches. A cranberry coconut one, an orange poppy seed one, chocolate crackle cookies and cream cheese walnut cookies. The last ones were supposed to be frozen as a log then sliced. Mine looked like a log that had partly decayed in the forest, so I needed to do something to perk them up. I melted bittersweet chocolate, added ground espresso and splattered that all over the cookies. They look so much better with that. I had fun but bought so much cookie prep stuff that Adrian said I can bake for all his game parties. Pshew. Sure I'll come off as an overzealous mother, but I will have the fun of trying new recipes and someone else can get fat eating them.
The Big Burn should be me at the gym after all that baking. But no, it's a good book about Teddy Roosevelt, Gifford Pinchot and the beginning of the National Parks system. And conservancy. And greedy business men. Honestly, the more things stay the same, the more depressed I get. Gee, it would be great if we would evolve into more thoughtful people. One fat cat senator actually said that all the countries resources should go to the wealthy because after they have scraped off all the cream, the skim milk will run down to the poor people. He didn't put it quite like that. And that skim milk was darn near water when it got to the rest of the people.

The story involves a huge forest fire at the border of Idaho and Montana at the turn of the century. Many people died. Many people lost all their possessions. The folks who underfunded the forestry service were not part of either group. To top it off, they wouldn't help the people who had done the most to save lives and property. On government land. Outrageous. See, some things just don't change. One of those things is my admiration for Teddy, the best damned Republican to ever win the presidency. Oh, maybe that Lincoln guy, but you know what I mean.

Things that don't change includes Ken Follett's writing style. I used to really like his books. Please remind me to stop buying them. It isn't just his huge books about medieval England (Pillars of the Earth, etc.) It's his little thrillers that have many cringe-worthy moments of deep emotion. Code to Zero is about the first rocket the US fired successfully back in the late 50's. It had a promising Bourne like premise of a man who had lost his memory. But most of the writing was gack-worthy. I don't know whether to say "Ken, Ken, Ken, how could you write so poorly." Or "Peg, Peg, Peg, how could you have ever liked this drivel?" Maybe a little of each.

Reading and Visiting

So many books to read. So many friends to visit. Unfortunately, not everyone. I had lunch with my friend Rachelle on Monday. The company was great, the food, not so much. I'm happy to learn that she and her husband Jack are well and happy. What more could you want for your friends? I missed seeing her the last time I was home, so it's been about a year. I like friendships that resume where you left them, even after long absences.

I'm still a bit sad about not seeing my family at Thanksgiving. This was my decision, so I have nobody to fault but myself. Basically, I am happy to not be on the road during this most traveled time. And I will be happy to see everyone when people aren't being pulled to visit other family members. And Adrian and I are very thankful to be here is our little apartment, eating our hearts out. I have finally finished Out of Mao's Shadow. The author writes/wrote for the Washington Post as their China correspondent. Lots of stories about how autocratic the Chinese are with their new capitalistic economy. Sadly, it's hard to get all up in arms about their actions when we do many of the same things. Some wealthy people are getting preferential treatment while increasing their wealth and devastating the peasants. This is hard reading. He writes well, that's not the issue. What is the issue is that some people are never going to get a fair shake. Sad. But as I was explaining to Adrian about the Chinese government taking peoples property in Beijing, he reminded me that the same thing happened in Connecticut. Well, it wasn't exactly the same, but the similarities are there. And Pan explains very clearly what Mao did with his Cultural Revolution and other programs which undermined the intellectuals and business people. Silly, sad man. Poor country.

That was interespersed with two entertaining mysteries, Rough Country and Through a Glass Darkly. Rough Country is about murders in Minnesota. Cute male detective. Lots of lesbians. I guess there is something for everyone. Cute detective is standard for Sanford as is Minnesota. Lesbians are not. It wasn't bad. Made me consider wearing lipstick more often, though.

Through a Glass Darkly is about poisoning the canals of Venice with the leftovers from blowing glass. I'm sensing a theme with Ms. Leon. She is very ecologically minded. Yokay. As long as we know what we are getting into when we pick up a book. I like her detective and his family. They are very loving, intelligent and care a lot about each other and the earth. Not bad.

It's OK

Most of my friends don't read my blog. Most of my relatives don't read my blog (one son, two brothers, two sisters-in-law, etc.). Most of the people on the face of this earth don't read my blog. Do they all know that is okay with me?

I started the blog to tell about my trip to India. It was very useful for letting people at the tribune companies know what was happening with their helpdesks. And then I was home and the blog became a diary. I am always surprised when people read the blog now. For me, it is a diary of what I've been reading and doing. I tend to forget which books I've read. Once reminded I can sometimes remember my favorite parts of them. Sometimes. Any memory jogger is a good thing for me these days.

The only person required to read this blog is my sister. We chat every day. It is so much easier not to have to repeat myself. Poor Sisty Ugler. But she is a good sport. As for the rest of you in this world, don't feel guilty when you tell me you haven't read my blog in years. It's all right. But thanks for stopping by when you do. It's nice to know that some of my nie-phews drop by as do friends from The Times and India. Thank you.

Just remember, though, this isn't mandatory for being my friend.

BTW, I got my first SS check on 11/13. Wow. Great to have money in the bank. As we say around here - LIG.

And if you are wondering, I've just had two friends explain why they don't read the blog. I'm assuming that they have full lives without this added bonus. :)

Fork in the Road

Old joke: What do you do when you come to a fork in the road? Take it. It seems that a local Pasadena artist took that to heart and shook it up. He didn't find a fork in the road, so for a friend's birthday gift, he added one. I love this. The road divides at this point and the huge fork has been placed in the median between the diverging paths.

As I am at sort of a fork in the road of my life, I'd like to take this as my symbol. Should I return to work? How should I use my time? How can I give back? What a fun place to be. Sort of like the median in the middle of Pasadena Av.

And here is another thing perfect for where I am in my life. Great Expectations. As I've been saying, that guy Dickens could sure write. He wrote two chapter segments for a periodical each week or month. People must have sucked up that magazine when it hit the stands, because I was always wanting to know what happens next in this book. Young Master Pip was given great expectations by a secret benefactor. How all of this ends up is just like life. How we get there is just not like anyone's life I've ever known.

People will be reading this and other Dickens books into the next century. I wonder which current authors will still be read in future decades, much less centuries? John Irving? JK Rowling? Dan Brown? What makes a book be a classic? I'd say - good plot, fluid writing, and interesting characters.

Another thing always sticks out for me in a book that might not make it a classic is an original way of saying something. Sometimes a sentence will strike me and I will want to write it down and memorize it. I never do, but I'd like to. That doesn't happen as much when I listen. Sometimes the writing just makes me gasp. Maybe I'll try writing those sentences here so I can find out if they make other people gasp.