Winter, that is. Early Spring was a week late, but it arrived after a very cold and snowy February There were 19 days where the temperature did not rise above 32 F. That is a very unusual statistic for the Homestead and vicinity for such a short month. But our snow vanished almost overnight as very mild temps and a lot of rain arrived suddenly.
Board gaming continues, mostly Sunday afternoons. We bought a new expansion (#8) for Carcassonne and just learned how to use it this week. It's called "Bridges, Castles, and Bazaars." It was worth getting, and adds some new and fun elements to the game without over-complicating it.
I've also added a new dimension to my weekly skating time. Another old timer who skates there usually brings his hockey stick and a puck, and last week he brought me a hockey stick, too. So for the first time in many decades, yours truly was passing the puck and shooting on goal. As a result I skated faster and burned a few more calories, and have a sore shoulder from using the stick. Deb walks at the indoor track at the same time, while the central area of her track is being used by model airplane pilots. This past week she helped untangle a few crashes on her journey.
In piano news, the recital program is shaping up. It should be ready in about three weeks to begin playing for friends. Some more work on the Haydn sonata and on the Glass Etude is still needed, but it's nearly there. I go tomorrow morning for my 2nd lesson with Philip A.
Today was election day in Ontario, a province of Canada with 16 million people. The ruling Conservative party is supposed to win a majority. We voted this morning. With 8 names on the ballot splitting the vote, there doesn't seem to be any way of defeating the ruling party. Last time only 22% of voters turned out, but I think that should be significantly higher this time. Polls are open till 9 pm, so results won't likely be final until tomorrow.
In film news there are three to report. Most recently we watched Kenneth Branagh's production of Much Ado About Nothing, from 1993. The film mostly works, though it's very unconvincing at the end when the young woman who was wrongly accused of sleeping around forgives her intended and all is well. More likely there would be a lawsuit and the two would never have married. The acting and locations are great, and there are some very funny moments dealing with Benedick (Branagh) and Beatrice (Emma Thompson) becoming a couple. There is palpable energy from the cast, and the movie can easily be recommended.
Before that came Topaz, a Hitchcock spy thriller from 1969. A cold war story set in the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a French diplomat is entrusted with the job of going to Cuba and finding evidence of what the Russians were up to. With the usual plot twists and turns, this turned into a pretty good film. With real Cuban locations and a cast of minor but very good actors. Watch for the director playing a man in a wheelchair, then getting up and walking out of the frame. Recommended.
Before that came The Consequences of Love, a 2004 film directed by Paolo Sorrentino and starring Toni Servillo. He plays a very unlikable character, a man who has been forced into a position of helping the Mafia launder money into Swiss bank accounts. He is very private and unpersonable, seldom taking note of others around him. He uses heroin one time each week, on Wednesdays at 10 am. He used to be an investor, and was trusted with Mafia millions. When his advice lost them most of their money, he then appeared on their payroll. He lives in a hotel near the Alps, in Lugano. He manages to fall for a young barmaid at the hotel (played by the very fetching Olivia Magnani, granddaughter of the great Anna), but doesn't really know how to woo. When she fails to show up for a promised rendezvous on his birthday, he decides to pack it in. He refuses to deliver the money that week (millions in cash in a suitcase), and does not tell where the money is. He is given several chances to tell, but instead ends it all. The final scene might answer a lot of Jimmy Hoffa questions, as he is put to death by the Mafia in a traditional manner. It is a somewhat troubling film, though bold enough in tackling the issues it deals with. However, I did enjoy it, especially as his story comes out piece by piece, and we realize the position he is in. Stuck, in other words. Recommended, though far beneath the director's masterpiece film, The Great Beauty.
Coming very soon: the February reading summary!
Mapman Mike
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