TV - Varg Veum: Sleeping Beauty 2008 (Tornerose)

On KCSM, starring Trond Espen Seim. A wealthy couple hires Veum, a PI, to locate and return their runaway daughter, Lisa. He promises to take her to the hospital after a brief stop at her parents, but they prevent her leaving. The neighbors then accost him and beg him to find their son.

Despite his refusal, he ends up looking for the kid, and finds him stabbed to death in a hotel room. Lisa seems to have been the last one to have seen him, and the prime suspect. He seems to have a very soft spot for her, and protects her while trying to find the killer. The cops suspect the obvious - he was in deep debt to the local thug, the Mink. But Veum suspects it's a completely different crime, with a deeper motive.

Veum is a real trip! We both liked him. The man has balls, especially during the confrontation with the Mink. Like similar TV characters, he shares a single-minded borderline-obsessive trait for going after the truth despite the cost. He also brings a charming dry wit. We like the Seim actor, but don't know if he's portrayed like the books - no Swedish readers here.

Looking forward to more!

Major cooldown today - welcome change from 105 yesterday. Too bad I'm sick and can't enjoy.

Funny Pixie Belly Pose

From Kitties

From Kitties

Right Now - V. Sattui Winery

From Wine Country

Cute for tourists and families, it has a large picnic area and deli to buy lunch stuff. But otherwise avoid like the plague. The wine, *shrug*. We've taken visitors there several times now, and it is insanely packed. Only reason we're here right now is 'cause Hubby's assistant asked specifically for something from here.

9/4/09 Adding pics from camera:

From Wine Country

From Wine Country

Mobile - Stag's Leap!

From Wine Country

9/4/09 Adding pics from camera:

From Wine Country

From Wine Country

From Wine Country

From Wine Country

From Wine Country

High Temps Today

Hit the 90s, was so busy I didn't notice until evening! Shoot! Hope the orchids weren't too stressed out.

Movie - Memento Mori 1999

I was disappointed with it. The story itself had so much potential. A schoolgirl at an all-girls school finds a journal chronicling the romantic relationship between two of her fellow schoolmates. The girl becomes fascinated by the journal, and becomes obsessed with the two girls, while their own relationship unfolds in flashbacks through the movie. The girls are all cute, it's a good study of the social dynamics in play, of how these young girls conform to societal mores, and the consequences of nonconformity.

The actual execution of the idea sucked. It was like a bit of everything, but nothing came together. The last half hour was so ludicrous it was painful. I agreed with the opinions here BeyondHollywood.com review. *Sigh* It could have been brilliant.

Need New Mobile

Mobile slowly breaking down.
Left buttons won't work.
Right buttons join the strike.
Overheated battery fritzs display.
Display decides to malfunction independently too.
Then cracked front display,
Contact with hardcover edge not happy meeting.

Decisions to make.
Commit to two years?
So many phones.
So many crappy, shitty phones.
So many bad reviews.
Must decide on phone.
Not best one, but least crappy one.
What a world.
This search is annoying.
This search is really, really annoying.

Ginza Is Cute

But then, he's always cute.

From Kitties

Book - I Feel Bad About My Neck

A change of pace. This was a really quick but fun read. I bought it for 50 cents a while back.

It's a collection of essays, many on aging and its effects, previously published in other magazines. I've not read anything by Nora Ephron before, but I have seen When Harry Met Sally, which was good. There was some stuff I doubt I'll ever get, like life in Manhattan. Key money?!? Damned!

I chuckled a lot at the various witticisms and observations in the book - similar thoughts have flitted through my head on occasion. Everything from little things like purse contents, unrequited love with a building, body breakdown (neck), to bigger issues like parenting and empty nesting (not pertinent to us). I found the section on death really moving. I liked this book.

Book - The Chalk Circle Man

I didn't expect such a fast read. Done in one sitting couple nights ago. And I had to read it in English, since I couldn't get a French copy earlier, and I was very curious.

It was very good. The mystery itself is excellent and engrossing. I was really engaged in unraveling the many threads, and was constantly and pleasantly working out what was going on. There's several weaknesses, like the impossibility that only one woman ever sees the guy drawing that many circles.

The narrative itself is a slow, leisurely stroll among a lot of colorful characters, with lots of tangential witticisms and general observations on life and the human condition. Since I was in the mood, they were fun, but I could see it getting irritating.

Adamsberg is really interesting. He doesn't do conventional detective work, but instead figures things out through osmosis. He seems really vague and unfocused, both in his methods and as a character. Not sure yet if I like this or not. But I definitely want to continue reading the series.

Kayla's Very Tired Of Computer Games

Taking a break to play some Diner Dash, and Kayla is tuckered out just watching me play the game!

From Kitties

From Kitties

Vent - Indian-Based Blog Comment Spammers

Well, this is a departure from the usual tone here, but it's my blog, I'm in a pissy mood, and 'Nicolette' caught me at a really wrong time.

I've been getting (more frequently now) comments on how cute my cats are, nice patio furniture, nice buys, etc. Included are links referencing the item in your post, like 'Home Depot', BUT are really links to cheesy 'coupon-saving' or 'money-making' sites. I clicked on 2 of these a year ago - god I hope I didn't get any malware. They've ALL originated from Indian IP addresses searching blogs for things like Home Depot - the last search was Petco, and a comment from 'Nicolette', which prompted this pissiness. I didn't even bother clicking the 'Petco' link to see where it went, but I'm sure it didn't go to Petco.

On one hand, I guess it's a good (?!) thing - the reptiles' attention coming my way is because my blog is getting more traffic. I've even gotten a couple linking to porn sites.

On the other hand, it's annoying to get spammers. I'm not current on terminology - what's this shit even called now? Anyway. It's a fact of internet life. Back to the regular program already in progress. OMG. In a few more years, like 'dialing the number', kids won't even know what that means!

Wow. Am I in a mood today.

Movie - Election (Hak se wui) 2005

Really good. The movie really caught us, and there's so many unfinished storylines there could be another movie - wait! There is! Can't wait to see Election 2. Again too lazy to describe; besides, better summary here at LoveHKFilm.com.

Movie - Divergence (Saam cha hau) 2005

Really liked this movie, despite its glaring weaknesses. Too lazy to review it, and there's already a pretty good one here at LoveHKFilm.com, where I also ripped off the pic of Daniel Wu below. Hopefully the attribution makes up for that. This is one cute kid, and he does a really good job in the movie. Cantonese with mostly decent English subtitles. Hubby said things made more sense when I re-translated a few lines for him.

Book - Sidetracked

This was so unbearably sad I almost choked a couple times, even more than VV's Woman with Birthmark. Both stories are similar both in plot and narrative. Told from both Wallander's and the murderer's points of view, it really does add the criminal character development lacking in his previous book. Branagh's Wallander version is different from the book.

Wallander gets a call to a farmer's field for a suspicious-acting person. After he arrives, observes, then tries to talk to the girl, she sets herself on fire. While he's reeling from the shock and searching for a reason, a particularly violent murder occurs. A prominent former politician gets whacked and scalped. Then another. And another.

The team races to find the connection between all the murders, while Wallander insists on continuing the ID for the girl in the field. The deaths all end up intersecting in a horrific way.

Book - The Man Who Smiled

Loved it! I was so frustrated and just knew that this guy was going to get away with it. I kept waiting anxiously as each layer of the onion was slowly peeled back, and it seemed like there'd be no end to it. The ending was somewhat contrived and improbable, but I can live with it.

Wallander's in fine form in this book, and I just love how he thinks. He's so contradictory and human: smart but does idiotic things, capable team leader yet runs off half-cocked by himself often, strong yet weak and doubtful of his personal strength.

There were the usual weaknesses as in previous Wallanders: I wish there had been better character development of the bad guy - I couldn't get a handle on him at all - did he become that cold over time, or was he always like that? I had a hard time believing that a low-ranked guy like Wallander was able to get access to such a prominent person.

After his last case, Wallander's been on leave for over a year, on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Out of the blue, an old lawyer friend desperately seeks him out at the edge of the world he's been hiding out in, and insists that his father's death was not an accident. Soon after, Wallander decides to quit the force, only to find out when he returns home that his friend's also been killed, which propels him back to work after all. His investigation leads to one of the richest, most powerful guys in Sweden whose ruthlessness has no bounds.

Reading List - L'homme à l'envers

Book came in the mail today! Tip from Euro Crime. Can't wait to read it after L'homme aux cercles bleus.

From Daily Meanderings

Random Pics Outside SFMOMA

From Daily Meanderings

From Daily Meanderings

SFMOMA - What Caught My Fancy Today

Well, yesterday, really. More of my favorites from the permanent collection.

Victor Brauner, (Romanian, 1903-1966), Fascination, 1939, oil on canvas. I've passed this one many times, but today, it really struck a nerve. I like it. It's just freaky scary. Amazing content and savagery in this work.

From Daily Meanderings

Kees van Dongen, La chemise noire, 1905-1906, oil on canvas with wood.

From Daily Meanderings

Henri Matisse, Femme au chapeau, 1905, oil on canvas. Besides Matta, this painting always thrills me. That expression is priceless.

From Daily Meanderings

Henri Matisse, La fille aux yeux verts, 1908, oil on canvas.

From Daily Meanderings

Art Book - Half-Life of A Dream: Contemporary Chinese Art

Remembered to pick it up yesterday when we visited again. It's a companion catalogue to last year's exhibition at the SFMOMA. Haven't had a chance to read through it yet, but the few paragraphs I did glance at really ticked me off - somewhat pretentious and patronizing. Will reserve final judgment for later. I bought it mainly to get pictures of the works I really liked. Don't like that so many of the pics are so tiny, and that many descriptions are lined vertically. Trying so hard to be different or contemporary. Oh puul-eeeaze.

Cover - nice hard-bound padded.

From Daily Meanderings

From Daily Meanderings

Yang Shaobin's Untitled 1999, oil on linen

From Daily Meanderings

Liu Wei's Two Drunk Painters, 1990, oil on canvas

From Daily Meanderings

Zeng Fanzhi, Mask Series No. 10, 1998, oil on canvas.

From Daily Meanderings

Yan Lei, Super Lights-Dog Year New York, 2006, oil on canvas. Still can't figure out if I like this or not, but it really disturbs me, so it's notable.

From Daily Meanderings

Right Now - Market St

TV - Wallander: Mastermind

Starring Krister Henriksson. This one was the best to date! Both Hubby and I were guessing the guy's next move, each more sneaky and calculated and freaky. The man was a consummate chess player, 10 moves ahead. It was really cool when the villain was revealed as being a character from a previous case in one of the books, rewarding followers with a tidy bit of insider knowledge.

A series of strange but seemingly insignificant incidents start happening: a call-out for what seems to be a human head but is instead a mannequin's, Wallander's gas tank is drained, Martinsson's tires get slashed. But the last incident - a callout by a neighbor for a domestic disturbance that turns into a discovery of a dead body - announces a deadly game by someone out for revenge. But against whom? And why? The team races to identify the killer before he strikes again, this time too close to home.

Weather Update - Beautiful

Gorgeous yesterday and today. No fog, cool in the morning, 80s afternoon, very cool nights. Humidity ok. Not lower than 33%. Perfect for the orchids.

Weather Report - Hot Again

Up into the 90s again, so I left them in the shade while I was out, then let them get some sun around 4pm. Misting a couple times. The neo and the sarc looking a bit pissed - as in drying too much. Must rectify situation tomorrow.

Should have turned off the Wonderlite when I left - reminder for the next time. Too hot with no circulation, since I had to close the door while gone. Must give everything a bath tomorrow.

Art Book - Paintings of The Prado, Bulfinch Press, 1994

Another review I kept meaning to publish. I'd scoured this book and had made a list for when I made my visit to the Prado. I was ecstatic when I finally got to stand in front of one of my favorite works of all time, Las Meninas, by Diego Velázquez. To sustain the memories, I studied this book some more when I returned, remembering works that I'd originally skipped over in the book but bowled me over in person. Very cool.

Beautiful, typical Bulfinch hardcover art book. Some of the works span two-page or four-page fold-outs. Translated from the original Spanish, and organized by the various schools - Spanish first, then Italian, Flemish and Dutch, etc. Each section has an overview of the salient characteristics of the schools and periods, then each work has a short but interesting description, oftentimes with historical tidbits thrown in. Crappier shots than usual, but then I'm not shooting professionally, you get the picture, LOL.

The cover. Of course we saw both of them, clothed and nude.

From Daily Meanderings

Las Meninas, Diego Velázquez. The sheer size of this painting was impressive. It's one thing to imagine how huge it is, but quite another to stand in front of it. I'd also done a huge paper on this, all complete bullshit, of course.

From Daily Meanderings

Witches Sabbath, or The Great Goat, Francisco de Goya y Lucientes. This collection really made an impression on Hubby. He really loved this room. Besides the four-page spread, there's also several details on following pages. The ruler is 18" long.

From Daily Meanderings

The Triumph of Death, Pieter Bruegel The Elder. No-one who sees this painting can be unmoved. It still holds such unimaginable horror even in this day and age.

From Daily Meanderings

Art Book - Egyptian Wall Painting, Francesco Tiradritti

Bought this back in February, and kept meaning to review it. Haven't submitted one to Amazon yet, but I can blurb about it here.

Physical attributes: This is a beautiful, oversized book. There's tons of excellent color plates, many fully double-paged. The full paged works are printed on a rough matte surface that is as pleasurable to feel as it is to look.

The contents: First off, this wasn't my area of study. I'm a dilettante on the subject. That disclaimer in place, it seemed to be comprehensive coverage on Egyptian Wall Painting, well organized and explained. The author's authority on the subject is unquestionable. There's a very professorial lecture-ish tone to the writing, which I enjoyed, but I can see could bore the average person.

It's encased in a hard slipcase.

From Daily Meanderings

Beautiful cover (left), and the slipcover (right).

From Daily Meanderings

Pages 214-15, Women's banquest, painted plaster, Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, tomb of Rekhmira (TT 100), north wall of the longitudinal hall, second half 15th century BC. (The ruler is 18" long).

From Daily Meanderings

Pages 222-23, Decorative panel with marsh landscape, painted plaster, height 39 3/4 in. (101 cm), width 63 in (160 cm). Tell el-Amarna, Maruaten, "Aquatic Courtyard" floor, 1350-1333 BC, Cairo, Egyptian Museum.

From Daily Meanderings

Page 224, Banquet (detail): pair of banqueters, limestone bas-relief, Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, tomb of Ramose (TT 55), hypostyle hall, east wall, 1350-1333 BC. It was so perfectly shot I could see every single edge in the relief, and I kept touching it because I forgot it was only paper.

From Daily Meanderings

Plain Brown Tabby Treats Are Here!

Ahhh, the kitties were all over this one! Especially as she was so kind as to stick in a freebie of kitty drug stash which they ALL went gaga over, even Kayla, who doesn't usually care for it. Barely got a shot of the goods, they were clambering all over the box. Then they had a serious case of the munchies. The kitties even wanted to eat the biodegradable styrofoam!!!! I'm so impressed I have to put in an order now. LMAO, is that like a drug dealer?! First hit free to get you hooked.

Ordering was easy as pie, total $ made free shipping, items came quickly via FedEx, well packaged, and exactly as advertised. As usual. I'm so happy when my kitties are happy.

From Kitties

Today's Weather

Actually not as bad as yesterday. 92° highest in the shade, 26% lowest humidity. Of course I kept the orchids in the shade. Whew, doesn't look like there was any sun directly hitting the area I was worried about yesterday.

Inside orchids holding steady around 50% humidity and 80°. Hope none of the phals blast - several of the flowers already wilting.

Now Blooming - Phals!

Dtps Taisuco Luxury x Dpts Taisuco Treasure just opened the first bud yesterday. Second bud just opening today. Rebloom from original spike.

From Everything Orchids!

Dtps Chiada Carmela's Jewel x Dtps Taisuco Verve coming along nicely. Rebloom from the original spike too.

From Everything Orchids!

Lip antennae peeking out of one of the buds. Think I've seen this happen on my phals only once before.

From Everything Orchids!