Hurray for Hallmark

We all have our weaknesses.  One of mine reared its lovely head this morning.  As I skimmed the TV listings, I came across this:

Daphne Zuniga stars in "A Family Thanksgiving" (Hallmark at 9) as a single attorney too busy to celebrate the holidays who suddenly wakes up one day as a wife and mother in an alternate universe. 

My heart leapt and a smile stole across my face.  My plans for tonight are set.  This movie looks to have everything:  Daphne Zuniga (Jo from "Melrose Place"!), holidays, family, realizing what's really important in life, alternate lives, and--I'm quite positive--a dashing love interest.  And it co-stars Faye Dunaway.  Really.  I've already alerted the family that I am not to be disturbed from 8:55 pm until 11:00 pm tonight, unless it is to refill my wine glass or bring me tasty hors d'oeuvres.

It also reminds me of another thing I'm thankful for:  The Hallmark Channel, the last refuge for these kinds of movies on television since Lifetime Television for Women abandoned us.  Today's line-up on Lifetime Movie Network is typical (the descriptions are theirs): 

• 4 pm:  "Night of Terror" - Forget about enjoying a relaxing family boat trip: This troubled family must contend with a deadly storm and, to add to their misery, a vicious stalker who's out to get them. 
• 6 pm:  "Mother, May I Sleep with Danger" - A naive college student (Tori Spelling) falls in love with a charming pathological liar, credit card scammer and murderer (Ivan Sergei). When her mother (Lisa Banes) attempts to break off the relationship, the crazed boyfriend abducts her daughter and hides her in his cabin in the woods.
• 8 pm:  "Confined" - Victoria and Michael Peyton move from the big city to the suburbs after Victoria's job loss and possible mental breakdown. When she starts to suspect that her next door neighbor is keeping a young woman locked in his basement, her husband thinks she may be losing touch with reality. But the neighbor's evil starts to become all too real.
• 10 pm:  "Homecoming" - A jilted ex girlfriend has a plan in store for her ex beau who is coming back to their small town with his new love.

Argh.  Seriously?  There are certain times when I must have chick movies:  when I'm sick, the day after major holidays, when I'm home alone, and from Thanksgiving to Christmas (New Year's if it's not pushing my luck).  At these times, I do not want stalkers and murderers, and not just because they don't go with Chardonnay.  If I want the twisted side of life, I'll take "Cold Case Files" and "American Justice" on A&E (I might actually have a crush on Bill Kurtis--so serious, so solemn, so reliable).

So, thank you, Hallmark.  I love your Countdown to Thanksgiving (and the ticker! 18 days until Thanksgiving!), and I will be watching "A Family Thanksgiving" and "An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" (Hallmark calls it "a holiday story of family and forgiveness").  I look forward with great anticipation to the "Countdown to Christmas" and movies like these:

• "The Town Christmas Forgot" - An urban family that can’t seem to get along gets stranded in a remote, impoverished lumber town two days before Christmas. When they become involved in the town’s home-grown Christmas pageant, they not only help solve the town’s problems but learn to connect with each other just in time for the holidays.
• "The Good Witch's Gift" - Cassandra "Cassie" Nightingale always has a few tricks up her sleeve, but is surprised when her handsome sweetheart, Police Chief Jake Russell, proposes. Getting into the spirit of the season, they set their wedding date for Christmas Eve--only six days away! As the two hurry to plan the wedding, trouble clouds their happiness when a mysterious man from Jake's past returns to town. 

Not a brutal crime in sight.  I can feel the holiday spirit already.

NaNo Not

I look forward to November.  I count down the days actually.  All because November is National Novel Writing Month. 

Somehow, and it always seems to happen, November does not behave as it should, and I can't find the time to write.  I have found a way to win two of the last four years, although last year it took 13,000 words in the last weekend to finish, an accomplish I still draw strength from.  It's usually a week or two before I start to think I can't do it, but that moment always comes.  The first win I owe to my sister, another NaNoWriMo-er that year.  She was a huge inspiration--largely in trying to keep up with (beat) her word count.  The second win was fueled by the memory of and determination for the sweet taste of victory again.

After writing zero words on Days 1 or 2 this year, I was still hopeful and optimistic about my chances of success...or near success...or participation even.  This November is a different beast altogether.  I have the exact moment this year when my prospects dimmed:  Wednesday, November 3rd at 1:09pm.  My world has been spinning since then (up is down, left is right, etc.)  I still have a small shred of ambition and a dim glimmer of hope, but I can't start writing until I can see straight, and the outlook for that is not promising.  I know:  poor me.  But it really is a hard, cruel world.

Happy Halloween and Braised Short Ribs

I'm not good at Halloween. I like it, theoretically and in moderation. In contrast, I LOVE Christmas. I know what to do for Christmas--tree, garlands, wreaths, presents, parties, etc. But Halloween? I'm burdened of memories of Halloweens past. There was the year that my mother pinned a few leaves to my multi-colored coat, told me to hold my arms out because I was now a tree, and marched me down main street in the community Halloween parade that way. That was one of the better years. I'm not good at costumes, either. Is it because of nature or nurture? I'm not sure. We are invited to an annual Halloween bash hostessed by friends who love Halloween. I'm always happy when we get the invitation, and then I stress for the next two weeks over what to wear. My ideas this year: Dora the Explorer (where do you find orange shorts in late October on the East Coast?), an American tourist (I hate to disrespect my fellow countrymen/ women), Amy Winehouse (or is it Cher? Snooki?).  Despite my extending worrying, I was still costume-less the afternoon before the party.  I found my inspiration this year in a satin dress I bought on clearance for $5:

I saw it as Audrey Hepburn-ish.  The scarf on my head was practical, too, because we were outside all night and it helped to keep the heat in.  (Apparently, scientists are hard at work debunking the myth that we lose so much heat that way.  Go Science!)

Sunday, of course, was the actual holiday, except where my parents live.  Their township had trick-or-treating on the 30th.  ????  Who does that?  Is this common in small towns?  Any why would you do that?  Is it only Halloween that gets this special rescheduling? Why again?

Anyway, the Steelers were playing at 8:15 so we had that to consider as well.  I needed something for dinner that I could put on early and didn't require much attention, what with all the trips to answer the door, but was hearty enough for a cold, football night.  We decided on Braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes.  I love this recipe.  (I was so hungry I forgot to take a picture of how good it looked.  Sorry.)  You braise the short ribs, carmelize carrots/onions/celery/garlic/thyme, deglaze with broth, and then roast in the oven for 2.5 hours.  The recipe calls for 1.5 hours, but that's not long enough for the meat to get tender enough (this I have learned from experience).  You will have to skim the fat off of the surface before serving.  I have skimped on skimming in the past and sorely regretted it.  The ribs and gravy are fantastic over mashed potatoes.  I started with a salad (green! raw! fresh!) to balance the heavy meatiness and served it with some rolls to sop up the gravy (mmmmm).  We went with a Rhone (sigh):  Domaine Grand Veneur 2007 Clos de Sixte Lirac, a Robert Parker 93.  I did remember to take a picture of the wine (okay, the empty bottle):

So delicious.  It was good with dinner, but just as good on its own.  We bought three bottles but might go back for a case.

Time Slayer

I'm often amazed at my ability to wile away the time.  Here's how yesterday progressed.  This may be typical.

7:30 am - Take son to school.  Yell at him the whole way for missing his carpool this morning, insisting on better time management.

8:00 am - Realize sore ankles are probably from run yesterday.  Read paper.  Have breakfast.  Think about work and looming deadlines, blogging, and sore ankles.

9:00 am - Google local running store:  Metro Run & Walk.  If going to continue running without serious injury, need right shoes.  Today.  Store not too far from home.  Appreciate good luck in finding store in such close proximity.  Peruse entire website to get true sense of who they are and what they do, including who and what they link to.  Discover they hold running clinics.  Think about signing up.  Put off decision until tomorrow.

9:45 am - Justify reasoning for pending shoe purchase to husband.

10:00 am - Think about work deadlines for a few minutes.  Shower.  Watch end of Rick Steves' travel to Italy's hill country (Orvieto!  Assisi!)

10:25 am - 25 minutes late for work.  Get back to home office.  Check mail and blogs for ten minutes.  Put nose to grindstone.

11:05-11:40 am - Phone meeting.

11:40 am - Leave for Metro Run and Walk.  Schedule is free until 12:30 so have plenty of time.  Drive 20 minutes to store (oops, wrong turn).

12:05-12:40 pm - No other customers so get personalized and prolonged attention.  Understand that shoe shopping should not be rushed.  Find right shoes.  Sign up for loyalty program.  Discover $10 reward off next purchase!  Browse apparel in store for ideas on next purchase.  Wear new shoes home.

12:55 pm - Hungry.  Make lunch.  Call Mom and Dad.  Read article in magazine.

1:45 pm - Notice time!  Put nose back to grindstone.

3:00 pm - Get reprieve from car pool duty.  Be thankful for extra hour to work.  Try to stop mind from wandering to new sports bra I'll need since I'm going to be running more.

3:15 pm - Search web for best sports bras and sales.

3:30 pm - Upbraid myself for lack of attention to work.  Get back to work.

4:25-5:15 pm - Drive to Kohl's to see what sports bras they have in stock.  Buy dress shirts for son.  Realize what time it is and leave without buying sports bra.

5:30 pm - Catch up on news of the day.  E-mail.  Facebook.

6:00 pm - Decide to walk the dog.  Realize much better idea is to go for run to try out new shoes.  Change clothes.  Stretch.  Short run (don't want to press it until shoes are broken in a little more).  Stretch.  Shoes are great.

6:45 pm - Catch up on news.

7:10 pm - Only worked 3 hours today?  How can that be?  Get back to work.  Dinner?  Too committed to job to be distracted by mere bodily needs.

7:20 pm - Reply to e-mail from friend.  Listen to stomach rumble.

7:45 pm - Back to work, slacker!

7:55 pm - Too hungry.  Congratulate myself on working late.  Resolve to work more tomorrow.

9:45 pm - Take off new shoes.  Compare to old shoes.  Congratulate myself on smart purchase.

11:00 pm - Have hard time falling asleep, thinking of looming deadlines.

Quick Italian Dinner Fare

 


Insalata di Puntarelle is apparently some kind of Italian chicory salad. This recipe is not made with chicory but with Belgian endive and celery cut into thin strips. The dressing is garlic, anchovies (I used anchovy paste because I had it on hand), extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and Kosher salt. Super easy to make. Seriously, the prep time was all of 10 minutes. The trick, and do not skip this step, is to place the sliced endive and celery into a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator for an hour. You drain it then and toss with the dressing. Fantastic! It's fresh and crisp and has a nice little bite. I also refrigerated my salad plates, too, to prolong the chill of the salad.

 

 I found this salad recipe when I was searching for a pasta dish for dinner.  I found a Capellini with Shrimp and Tomato Cream Sauce that sounded interesting, and easy.  The good folks at Epicurious had made that recipe part of its Quick Italian Dinner Fare menu, which the salad as a first course and Apricots with Amaretto Syrup for dessert.  All the recipes were easy.  The Capellini was good but a little bland.  Next time I'll try some more red pepper to spice it up.  The Apricots were good, too.  They weren't what I had been expecting, but that was probably because I used canned apricots (sorry, it was what I had on hand).  It was also very sweet.  I think next time I'll cut down on the sugar (and use fresh apricots) and see if that helps.

All in all, it was an enjoyable meal.  Easy to prepare (hurray!) and tasty.  I should have probably started this post with the main course, but it's the Insalata di Puntarelle that I've been craving and has become a staple in my kitchen.







Excellent Women, Barbara Pym

I discovered Barbara Pym’s name on a list of authors you should read if you love Jane Austen. I love Jane Austen, so I made a beeline for my local library to find some Pym and Elizabeth Gaskell, another author mentioned in the list (I loved the TV productions of Gaskell’s North and South and Cranford). I’ll get to Gaskell in another post.

In Excellent Women, Mildred meets her neighbors who have some marital strife, her minister becomes engaged, and Mildred listens sympathetically, shares her observations with the reader, and makes tea. That's pretty much it.  Mildred is the same person at the end of the novel as she is at the start. There is never a point in the story where she has to make a serious decision or face more than a minor upset of her routine. Rather than a story arc, it is a story (straight) line. I looked in vain for that moment when Mildred’s story reveals something about the human condition or opens a new way of looking at a subject or…something. Mildred likes the life she has chosen. Good for her, but why should I care?

Excellent Women in written in first person narration.  It's Mildred's observations that we're meant to care about, but they did not seem especially keen or insightful.  Perhaps if the story were told in third person narration, the focus could have been pulled back and Mildred’s world expanded.  The reader would then be privy to the motivations and desires of some of the other characters and the story might have been richer. As it is, three-quarters of the way through I was ready to give up. The only thing that kept me going was the (futile) hope that Mildred would finally have some kind of revelation. Sadly, no.

Excellent Women is reputed to be wickedly funny. I don’t think so. I'll stay with Jane Austen. This book is also a reputed classic, and there was a time when I would have found a way to like it for that reason.  Happily, that day has passed.  I did not wholly feel that I had wasted my time with Barbara Pym and Excellent Women, but I am sure there are other authors whose work I will appreciate and enjoy more. I am also quite sure that I will not be reaching for anymore of Pym’s work.

Moscow, Belgium, Directed by Christophe Van Rompaey

From the opening scenes of Moscow, Belgium, the audience can clearly see - and almost feel - Matty's fatigue.  She's not the woman she used to be, and her appearance shows she believes it.  The 41-year old mother of three, separated from her cheating husband, has a fender bender on her way out of the grocery store, backing into a truck driven by Johnny, younger than Matty and, we learn, known by name to the police.  Johnny offers to fix Matty's car, and she invites him to stay for dinner.  There's a romantic spark, and Barbara Sarafian as Mattie is great at conveying the struggle Matty has with herself about whether to pursue a relationship with Johnny.  Easygoing, fun-loving Johnny seems to be just the tonic Matty needs.  Slowly, her transformation begins as she remembers the person she used to be and realizes that not only does she want to be that person again but that it's possible, thanks to Johnny.  It's not syrupy or false, though.  It's a hard process for her, and we sympathize and root for her at the same time.

There's a heaviness and pallor that hangs over the characters, their lives, and even the food in Moscow, Belgium, but Johnny is the ray of light shining through the clouds for Matty.  Or is he?  Are Johnny's issues evidence of human weakness or something deeper (not crazy deep but maybe unstable deep?).  In the end, Matty has a choice to make.  My main problem with the film is that I cannot convince myself that the Matty I had come to know would make the choices she did, and this left me feeling unsettled and almost angry.  My reaction may be atypical, though.  Moscow, Belgium isn't your typical romantic comedy, but it's authentic in its depiction of one woman's halting steps to making her own decisions and doing what's right for herself.