Monday Miscellany

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Fun weekend. On Saturday we celebrated Eve's birthday with (1) some play time with the kids, (2) a long, lingering afternoon of chatting at Sherwood Gardens, soaking in the sunlight and beauty, and (3) dinner at Petit Louis, which fell short for me this time.

On Sunday we had book club, discussing 1984. One thing that impressed me, rereading the novel after all these years, was that Orwell created an enduring imaginative world. If you say Big Brother or Doublespeak, it conjures an immediate image---not just a political situation but a visual world of windowless monolithic buildings, ubiquitous two-way television screens, dull flats, unappealing food.

After book club I met Julie at Ed and Tim's house, where Ed made a wonderful risotto primavera before we headed out for the Chris Cornell concert. Great concert---high energy, fantastic musicianship, and, needless to say, amazing performance by Chris. It is amazing that he can have screamed those high notes for the last twenty years and still have an incredibly beautiful and strong voice. He seemed totally immersed in the music and very connected to the audience, which in turn was very connected to him.

I got back from DC a few hours ago, took Rocky for a walk, then had a long soak in the bath. Pret-ty nice weekend.