sign of the times

While the Patient is swooning over the latest wiffel ball interview by Sean Hannity with Sarah Palin (on Fox, his fav), I thought it was time to get caught up on the blog. I am so in love with the idea of my Smartie car that I haven't wanted to move on. In fact, I have seen one here in town (a white convertible) and saw another yesterday in the CostCo lot (black). But it's time.

Last Saturday I went with Babz and Ali to see Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen's latest. Sort of a "grown-ups grow up" kind of story. Barcelona looks as beautiful as I remember it. Woody Allen is as neurotic as I remember him. Film is very talky, characters obsessive. Patricia Clarkson is marvelous, as usual. And it's refreshing to see Javier Bardem in a role where he doesn't kill anyone. After the film we three adjourned to Ali's house for a wonderful dinner of ingredients that had all come from her garden ~ except, of course, the wine. We had agreed at the time of meeting that we would NOT talk about politics. However, as the fruit of the vine flowed a bit, we ventured into those murky waters. A thorough airing of points of view was good for the soul.

On Tuesday I enjoyed the luxury of a massage. It got me all ready to make a trip into San Francisco on Wednesday to visit the Asian Art Museum to view the astonishing display of the Ming Collection. It was cool and foggy to start, warm and bright by the time I started for home. The Ming show included objects on loan from various museums in China. But most were gifts to the museum from Avery Brundage, a misogynist of the first water but a man with a brilliant eye for Asian art. This was my first trip to the museum which used to be the old San Francisco Public Library. It was closed down and remodeled into this gorgeous museum by the Italian architect Gae Aulenti. She also did the remarkable remodel of the Museé d'Orsay in Paris. From a shabby, unused, dilapidated train station it was transformed into a stunning, light-filled space in which the créme-de-la-créme of French Impressionist art has found a congenial home. In the Asian, she kept the beautiful ceilings intact, has again brought light flooding into the building. It was a real pleasure to wander through the various exhibitions. The Ming collection on display is not large but it is exquisite.

Caitlin arrived for a few days' visit on Thursday. She is here to be in a wedding in Sacramento tonight. She'll be here until Monday. Also in Thursday I paid my annual visit to my Ob/Gyn. All is as it should be. Good for another year.

During the past few days I have watched the 4-disc set of Anthony Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time." This 4-volume novel is one to be savored; it's to be strolled through, not raced. I thought the BBC did its usual excellent job of translating a novel onto the screen. The drawback is that much of "Dance" is the hero's interior monologue and that is almost impossible to reproduce. But it was very enjoyable; good casting and great art direction.

That brings us to Saturday. Tomorrow begins Autumn, according to the calendar, but the weather here in the valley remains warm and lovely. Cait and I had a long walk this morning and I would have sworn it was mid-summer. Yes, the nights are cooler as are the early mornings, but it warms up nicely by 10 AM.

Time flies.