Well, dear readers, I had the best home-cooked meal in ages last night, courtesy of muse Margaret and her ever-lovin’ Richard. I so rarely eat home-cooked meals anymore I sometimes forget just how comfy and cozy they are. During dinner, we were halfway joking that Margaret should open a restaurant called Margaret’s. If I knew how to make that happen, I would. The meal began with a spinach salad with dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and candied walnuts – most yummilicious. Then we had our main course – chicken cordon bleu or, as I like to think of it, chicken cord on blue. I think the chicken cord on blue had no cord and no blue or even bleu, but it did have cheese and prosciutto inside and it was covered in really tasty breadcrumbs. Just a wonderful dish. With it, some rice and fresh asparagus brushed with butter. For dessert, it was Margaret’s amazing brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and strawberries. After dinner, Margaret brought out a game called Guess Who? Not sure when this game was invented but it’s for young kids so naturally we enjoyed playing it. Given the names of the people in the game, I’d say it had to have been invented in either Denmark or Sweden. It was simply a perfect little evening.
I did manage to get exactly eight hours of sleep, then I moseyed on over to Aroma Café for my morning meeting. I never go there anymore, due to horrific lines from morning until about three in the afternoon, so imagine my surprise to find no line whatsoever. Go know. The meeting was fun and good, then I came back home and got to work on the show order for the next Kritzerland show. The first two-thirds came fairly easily with just some switching around. But the final third was really hard, just because you have five singers and songs that need to make sense structurally but that keep the singers from singing two things too closely together. After about forty minutes I finally had it right. So, that’s done and I can now begin writing the contextual commentary. Then I picked up some packages, did some errands and whatnot, picked up the framed line-art original of the caricature for the new book, then sat on the couch like so much fish.
Between the mid-afternoon and then after dinner I managed to watch five count them five episodes of Forbrydelsen aka The Killing. Somewhere around episode thirteen the mechanics of the show become somewhat apparent in that someone looks like the strong suspect, is accused, is keeping secrets that would clear them, and then are cleared. One catches on finally that there are twenty episodes and the killer is not caught until the final one, so you pretty much know that even in episode fifteen, I believe, when it looks like the true killer has been caught, something isn’t what it seems and there’s more to come. But it never seems blatant in this show in the way I’m sure it will in the American version, which I’ll probably watch some of over the weekend for comparison. The acting is just so good, and the show is really atmospheric that you forgive it its few trespasses into cliché or silliness. The political subplot, while key to the mystery, does suffer from a case of sameness from episode to episode, in that the plotting of those scenes just becomes the same beats over and over again. But it’s the main mystery that counts, and that plays out very well. Yes, occasionally a character may behave stupidly just because the writers need the character to do so, but again it never seems egregious because of the acting and direction. The show remains, for me, compulsively addictive and I’ll probably finish it by this evening – five episodes to go.
The only other thing I really did was print out orders, which was a good thing. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall write a contextual commentary (the main order of business), write my opening remarks for the memorial on Saturday, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, eat something very light but amusing, and then tape two radio shows with Mr. Donald Feltham at seven. Somewhere in all that, I will find the time to finish The Killing.
Tomorrow, I have a lunch, then I’m seeing a local production of Spring Awakening, Friday is the Callways show, Saturday is the memorial, and Sunday is the paperback book fair – I’m still debating on what to actually bring there to sign, as I won’t have books till late next week. I may have two hardcovers of the new book and two softcovers and if those are here in time I’ll bring them.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, do errands and whatnot, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, and tape two radio shows. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, sated with yummilicious chicken cord on blue.