Category: Weekly Updates

I heard a term that some teenagers used when they decided to give up their electronic devices for a month – “Offline October”.  That’s what I’ve decided to call my time off before I start work again in just over a week.

Another new term I’m using is “Movie Matinee Monday”, since I’ve gone to see a movie the last two Mondays, while D’s working during the day.  What shall I see tomorrow?  Last Monday was “Bad Times at the El Royale”, starring Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo (in an amazing performance) and Jon Hamm.  The movie is set at a hotel called the El Royale that straddles the Nevada/California border.  The story is definitely on the darker side of film noir and that is nicely offset by some great singing by Cynthia.

Diana flew to Boston on Monday and was able to have dinner at Bricco in the North End.  This was where we had planned to eat on Saturday before all the flight challenges.  She returned to Dallas on Wednesday afternoon and sent me a text saying “gong to be a bit delayed”, along with this video.  A car caught on fire right where she was trying to collect hers.  After about an hour, she was able to retrieve the Passat and head on home.

Tim was in town for work on Thursday and we met him for dinner at a relatively new restaurant in Legacy West called Haywire.  This is a Texas themed restaurant with 3 floors providing different options.  The 3rd floor open air bar is described as having a Marfa theme.  Marfa is a town in south Texas, close to Big Bend National Park, with a unique and eclectic artist community.  The most interesting part of the bar is a full size airstream trailer with tables and chairs inside.

We enjoyed our dinner on the second floor and it was nice to catch up with Tim.

Alicia arrived home on Friday afternoon for the first time since leaving for college in June.  The Ogans arrived for the weekend on Friday evening and Tim came over to hang out with everyone.  We went from just the two of us in the big house to nine overnight on Friday.  We had a very enjoyable night just hanging out and chatting.

For Saturday lunch we tried the Food Hall at Legacy West (right next to Haywire restaurant).  The hall has about 20 very varied food vendors and lots of outdoor seating options to let us enjoy the first sunny, dry day in weeks.  I really enjoyed my chicken tikka masala naan wrap and some samosas.

We thought the ladies were off for some shopping after lunch, until we received this picture.  They decided that a nice bottle of half price rose champagne and steak tartare from Toulouse restaurant was a much better value than the workout attire they were looking at.

A quick respite at home and then it was time to head to Oak Cliff for dinner and a concert.

We ate at Nova, our new favourite pre-concert dinner stop.  Everyone enjoyed their dinner and Anne commented that one could make a great meal out of a couple of side dishes – the broccoli, cauliflower, and mac n’ cheese are all great.  I tried the chicken fried pork loin that is one of the signature dishes and was not disappointed.  I have a decent sized portion of left overs waiting on me for dinner.

The concert at the Kessler was excellent.  Big Sam’s Funky Nation opened with a high energy, crowd pleasing set.  The ladies were all dancing in front of the stage and Sam invited them up to dance on the stage with him for the finale.  Diana was singled out first and was a good sport, although the look on her face said she was quite nervous about what was in store.  Here’s a short video with Diana, Anne, Kaitlin, and Alicia (left to right).

Here’s another video of Sam’s trombone on the Beatles “Come Together”.

It took a few songs for the Rebirth Brass Band to get warmed up and into their groove.  They were in good form for several songs before we left for the long ride home.  The Rebirth is perhaps the best known New Orleans brass band.  I took Diana to see them at the Maple Leaf on our first night in New Orleans and was pleased to see that she enjoyed them so much.

Our friend Jens was having a 60th birthday party on Saturday evening and we were able to stop in for a bit on our way home from the concert.  It was nice to see his son again – probably close to 20 years since I last saw him in San Jose.  Glenda did a lovely job organizing food and decorating for the party.

Sunday began with a brunch that Alicia had organized for some of her friends.  The Ogans participated for a short time and then had to head off to the airport.

I’m watching the Cowboys lose to the Redskins while writing this post – there’s still a lot of time for them to come back but they are not looking like the same team that had a big win over the Jaguars last week.

I finished a couple of books this week – a feature of my time off that I’m really enjoying.  The first, “Less”, by Andrew Sean Greer, I found to be a very entertaining read.  I liked these two descriptions of the Pulitzer prize winning book.

A scintillating satire of the American abroad, a rumination on time and the human heart, a bittersweet romance of chances lost, by an author The New York Times has hailed as “inspired, lyrical,” “elegiac,” “ingenious,” as well as “too sappy by half,” Less shows a writer at the peak of his talents raising the curtain on our shared human comedy.

“Less is the funniest, smartest and most humane novel I’ve read since Tom Rachman’s 2010 debut, The Imperfectionists….Greer writes sentences of arresting lyricism and beauty. His metaphors come at you like fireflies….Like Arthur, Andrew Sean Greer’s Less is excellent company. It’s no less than bedazzling, bewitching and be-wonderful.”
―New York Times Book Review

Here’s a typically entertaining passage as Less begins his adventures in Morocco:

“What does a camel love?  I would guess nothing in the world.  Not the sand that scours her, or the sun that bakes her, or the water she drinks like a teetotaler.  Not sitting down, blinking her lashes like a starlet.  not standing up, moaning in indignant fury as she manages her adolescent limbs.  Not her fellow camels, to whom she shows the disdain of an heiress forced to fly coach.  Not the humans who have enslaved her.  Not the oceanic monotony of the dunes.  Not the flavorless grass she chews, then chews again.  Not the sun or the moon or the stars.  And surely not the heavy American, a few pounds overweight, but not bad for his age, taller than most and top heavy, tipping from side to side as she carried this human, the Arthur Less, pointlessly across the Sahara.”

The second book, “The Reminders”, by Val Emmich, was an equally enjoyable read.  I wasn’t sure about the story premise – thinking it might be a bit of a stretch and not something I would typically enjoy, but the folks at Interabang books were so positive about it that I decided to give it a try.  I’m glad I did.  Here’s a synopsis of the story from an online review:

“Grief-stricken , then again,over his partner Sydney’s death, Gavin sets fire to every reminder in the couple’s home before fleeing Los Angeles for New Jersey, where he hopes to find peace with the family of an old friend. Instead, he finds Joan.

Joan, the family’s ten-year-old daughter, was born Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, or HSAM: the rare ability to recall every day of her life in cinematic detail. Joan has never met Gavin until now, but she did know his partner, and waiting inside her uncanny mind are startlingly vivid memories to prove it.

Gavin strikes a deal with Joan: in return for sharing her memories of Sydney, Gavin will help her win a songwriting contest she’s convinced will make her unforgettable. The unlikely duo set off on their quest until Joan reveals unexpected details about Sydney’s final months, forcing Gavin to question not only the purity of his past with Sydney but the course of his own immediate future.

Told in the alternating voices of these two irresistible characters, The Reminders is a hilarious and tender exploration of loss, memory, friendship, and renewal.”

I had planned a few activities on Wednesday, but couldn’t put this book down until it was finished.  That rarely happens with me.  The combination of the way the HSAM condition in the young character is described, and her desire to write a song for a competition in her father’s basement studio, kept me thoroughly engaged.  There are only 30 people in the world that have been diagnosed with HSAM, and I remember watching a TV show where Marilu Henner demonstrated her ability to recall everything about every day in her life as if watching it on video.

I chuckled when reading this passage:

“In the kitchen, I fix myself a cocktail.  Gin, Campari, sweet red vermouth: a Negroni, Syd’s drink of the moment.  The fridge is empty, so I do without the orange rind.”  Negroni is the cocktail that’s currently aging in my barrel and I typically serve it for McD with an orange twist.

Let’s finish out with a final taste of brass band music from the Lil’ Rascals Brass Band:

This just in – the Cowboys have tied the score with the Redskins at half time.

Lots of work activity this week and so the weekend was more precious than normal.  Our main activity was the much anticipated, at least by me,  Nick Lowe concert at the Kessler.

Dinner before the concert was at Nova, the excellent restaurant that Brent found, and a short walk from the theater.  We both commented on the different feel we experience in restaurants like this than our local places – so much more friendly and relaxed.

Have you heard of Nick Lowe?  Do you know the songs “Cruel to be Kind”, “What’s so Funny About Peace Love and Understanding”, “Allison” or “I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock N’ Roll”?  You may not have heard of Mr. Lowe, but I bet you’ve heard at least two of his songs and know them well.  Here’s a video of “Cruel to be Kind” to get you started:

In addition to his songwriting, Lowe produced the best known Elvis Costello albums from 1975 through 1981, Graham Parker, and the Pretenders, among many others.

We both loved this concert and rate it as one of the most exceptional concerts that we’ve seen at the Kessler – right up there with the Marc Cohn show that led us to pick “True Companion” as our wedding song.  Here’s “Peace Love and Understanding”:

The backup band was “Los Straightjackets’, a surf rock band who wear crazy Luche Libre wrestling masks while performing.  They played a few or their songs in the middle of the set, including this version of “Batman” complete with Gogo dancers recruited from the audience:

Here’s one last song from the show, “Allison”, the final encore to an amazing show:

Please go and see the 69 year old Lowe if you ever get the chance – a great gentleman, songwriter and performer.

We spent the night downtown at the classic art deco hotel, the Belmont, and talked about how concerned we are that this classic destination is going to be caught up in the gentrification of the neighborhood and ruined.  There was an amazing view of downtown Dallas at night from our room.

On Sunday morning we explored the newly gentrified area across the street from the Belmont and were happy to find a great coffee shop, the “Houndstooth Coffee” in the Sylvan 30 development.  Next door was a Taco Deli and so we were able to get a “quick bite to hold us over until lunch”.

We had brunch at “Boulevardier” restaurant in Oak Cliff and it was one of our most surprisingly great meals in a while.  I had the “Legs and Eggs” – duck confit with sunny side up eggs served over stone cut grit cakes – yummy!  Diana might have had an even better brunch – lox benedict over an amazingly light brioche.  The hollandaise sauce and the brioche were the best I’ve tasted.

After lunch, we drove home to watch the Cowboys play the Detroit Lions.  After a couple of anemic performances, I wasn’t excited about the game.  However, it turned out to be a great game with a good performance by all aspects of the Cowboys team.  They won by 1 point in the last few seconds – with the rookie kicker winning the game.   Here’s the amazing pass to Elliott from Prescott that almost sealed the game.

An exceptional concert, tasty brunch, and Cowboys win – what a pleasant weekend!

I enjoyed the book “Summer Hours at the Robbers Library” this week.  It was well reviewed and started out feeling very fluffy and inconsequential, but the characters and interesting plot twists sucked me in around the half way point.  The book features varied characters that meet at a library, including a Wall St executive who looses his job in the 2008 financial crisis, a home schooled “alternative lifestyle” girl, and a divorcee trying to escape her prior life.  They all come together to help solve each others’ problems in creative ways.  This is what I would describe as a great vacation or beach read.

I read an interesting post about the album “Solid Air” by John Martyn this week.   Martyn, who died in 2009, was described by the London Times as “an electrifying guitarist and singer whose music blurred the boundaries between folk, jazz, rock and blues”.  I remember a friend in University being a huge fan of Martyn and, as much as I tried, I couldn’t get into the music.  It’s amazing what 3o plus years can do to your musical taste – I’ve been  really enjoying the record this week.  Here’s “May You Never”:

And to finish out the post this week, here’s a picture of my oldest child resplendent in the kilt and accessories he purchased on his trip to Scotland last week.  Apparently this was the outfit he planned to wear to see “The Phantom of the Opera” in San Francisco this weekend.

A similar routine again this week to the last couple – Diana working in St. Petersburg, Florida Wednesday through Friday and me working at home.  There were a couple of differences – Diana got stuck in Tampa due to a thunder storm around the time she was due to take off on Friday afternoon, and I had to drive to the Fort Worth office every day for all day meetings.

On the bright side, Diana was able to connect with Merry Lee and Jeff, have dinner at their country club, and then spend the night at their lovely new home in Tampa.  She put a lot of work into making sure that her client presentation on Friday morning was successful and so it was good that she was able to relax with friends.  She learned earlier on Friday afternoon that her Mum had been taken to the hospital by paramedics and was very concerned about being so far away from her – Jeff and Merry Lee were a welcome distraction.  We just learned that her Mum could be discharged from hospital this afternoon and Diana will be in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon to make sure she settles in well back at home.

Meanwhile, I took advantage of being in Fort Worth all week to meet up with a colleague for dinner at the Capital Grille downtown.  We walked from dinner to a jazz club called the Scat Lounge.  On the way we passed by Sundance Square and downtown’s most iconic public art, the Chisholm Trail Mural which serves as a reminder of Fort Worth’s rich cultural roots. The three-story Richard Haas trompe l’oeil mural spans the 1908 Jett Building’s southern facade and was completed in 1988 to commemorate the Fort Worth segment of The Chisholm Trail cattle drives of 1867-1875.

I had been reading about the Scat Lounge for the last couple of years and was looking forward to trying it out.  As luck would have it, a band named “A Taste of New Orleans” was playing on Wednesday night, and they were a real treat.  Here are a couple of their performances.

The Scat Lounge is an excellent venue – just the right size and very reminiscent of a New York basement jazz club.

We met Patty and Brent for dinner and a movie on Saturday night.    The movie was quite unique and different than you might expect – a true one of a kind dedicated “To Patty”.  It featured Chad and his exploits over a 24 hour period.  The version we saw was just the initial “rough cut” but a truly hilarious and very clever production.

After the movie, we enjoyed dinner at The Grape on Greenville Avenue (McD’s favourite Dallas restaurant).  I enjoyed the Moroccan Rabbit “Tagine”, Brent the Crispy Pork Collar, and the ladies both had the Steak Frites.  After dinner margaritas at the Blue Goose across the street put the ladies right off to sleep.  What a lovely evening with great friends that we’re going to miss very much.

I finished a couple of very different books this week.  The first, “The Sportswriter” by Richard Ford, is part of a trilogy that tracks the life of Frank Bascombe, a New Jersey based writer for a sports magazine.  The book tracks his experiences over a long Easter weekend when he is 38 years old, having recently lost a child and been divorced.

I’ve heard Ford described as the poor man’s John Updike and particularly this trilogy compared unfavorably to Updike’s “Rabbit” trilogy.  I found the writing styles quite different and, with several decades between the settings, the situation and scenarios quite different as well.  I’m not ready to run out and read the rest of the trilogy but do look forward to catching up to them sometime soon.  “Independence Day” from the trilogy won the Pulitzer prize for fiction in 1996.

The second book, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh, was completely different than anything I typically read, and it’s probably good to try new things from time to time.  I had read a positive review in the New Yorker magazine and it was the book club pick at the Wild Detectives book store that I love in South Dallas.

The narrator is a young woman, living in New York in the year 2000, and determined to withdraw from life for a year in order to escape from or cope with her traumas.  The book is incredibly dark but the writing is very good.  I would not recommend this book to the faint of heart.

Here’s a song I heard for the first time this week from the Chris Duarte Group.  It reminds me a lot of “Tin Pan Alley” by Stevie Ray Vaughan and has equally good sound and production.

My boss just sent this picture from the Toronto air show this weekend.  What amazing precision and a great picture that he took.

This week was very much a repeat of last week.  A quiet week of work for me at home while Diana traveled to St. Petersburg again for work Wednesday through Friday.  She had a successful but tiring trip and week.

I met Diana’s stepson, John, at the airport on Friday afternoon and took him to Perry’s steakhouse for a drink and a happy hour snack.  He had an 8 hour layover in Dallas between returning from a business trip to Nashville and starting a business trip to Santiago, Chile (which sounds very exciting).  Then Diana met up with both of us at the airport for a little while when she landed and I followed her home.

Diana treated me to dinner at Gregory’s on Saturday night and Brent joined.  What a delicious feast!  I had the weekly special – scallops with crawfish etouffee, goat cheese, and crumbled hatch chile cornbread.  Diana had read about it and knew I would love it.  We started with a gorgeous duck confit – apparently slow cooked for 36 hours – that just fell off the bone.  Diana and Brent both had scallops “sea bass style” – over the lobster risotto that typically comes with my go-to Gregory’s choice, the sea bass.  It’s so nice to have such amazing food available in walking distance from our home.

I finished the Paul Simon biography, “The Life”, this week.  The book is almost 400 pages long and I still felt that some important areas were too short.  I would have liked to have learned more about the recording processes and musicians involved in some of his great albums.  That being said, there were many details on the inspirations behind the songs, and the challenges of getting just the right set of musicians and sounds in the studio.  The section on the making of the Graceland (one of the original world music records) album in 1986 was very interesting as it described Simon traveling to South Africa, assembling the musicians, and trying to get the right sound.

One of my favorite passages covered the 2003 Simon and Garfunkel reunion tour (that I saw in San Jose) that included special guests the Everly Brothers.  I remember the Everly Brothers being invited on stage midway through the show as Paul Simon told of them being one of the original inspirations for their music, and particularly remember a fantastic rendition of “Bye Bye Love” where Simon and Garfunkel sang with the Everly Brothers.

Another memorable passage talks about Simon performing at the 2006 New Orleans jazzfest, the first after Hurricane Katrina.  Quint Davis, the organizer of jazzfest, is quoted as saying: “Paul and the music meant so much to everyone that there were a hundred thousand hands in the air and a hundred thousand eyes crying.  The highlight was when he brought out Allen Toussaint and Irma Thomas to join him on “Bridge Over Troubled Water”.  It was the most emotional moment that we’ve ever had at the festival.  He wasn’t a musician.  He was a hero.”

Here’s a song that I “Shazamed” from a movie that was playing in the background while I was reading – “Holes” by Mercury Rev from their 1998 album “Deserters Songs”.  I hadn’t heard the band before and some quick research told me that this was their big break through album and included appearances by Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band – no wonder it caught my attention as those are two of my favourite musicians.