Blue Murder (2003-2009)

When it comes to the murder mystery genre, I really like a series that balances some of the out-of-office lives with the actual workings of the investigation team. 'Blue Murder' has a satisfying balance of that. The series focuses on a team of crack detectives, all hard-working, each with a different skill set, and the ability to work together without too much ego getting in the way.
The team is headed up by Detective Chief Inspector Janine Lewis is a great character, excellently portrayed by Caroline Quentin. She’s a great balance between a strong-willed woman who runs her family with the same professionalism as she does her team, but is also warm and emotionally available, endearing her to both her kids at home, and the ones at work. There are some good undercurrents of humor in the stories, and while the plots themselves are not as deeply “mysterious”, nor particularly complicated, they are written well. As the episodes progress the various relationships build on each other, but each episode is self-contained enough to make them stand up on their own. I watched them out of order and it was completely fine. Sadly, this was cancelled, so I have seen the last of them. But I highly recommend them.

The Slap by Chris Tsiolkas

Tsiolkas uses an event to illustrate the workings of a neighborhood and the relationships within. There is a picnic at a neighbors house, there is a child, Hugo, who has no boundaries and a profound lack of discipline at home. At the picnic he has a temper tantrum related to another child and kicks an adult, who promptly slaps him. It is an act that divides the neighborhood along a number of lines.
Hugos' parents have no idea what they are doing when it comes to parenting--Hugo is in charge. he is still breast feeding at four, and he does so literally on demand. Hugo's father at one point openly competes with Hugo, sucking on the other breast, and saying they are his. There is a lot of pathology in suburban Melbourne, it turns out.
Through the viewppoints of eight different neighbors who winessed the slap, we learn a lot about love, sex, marriage, and the fury and intensity that lurks just below the surface in every community. Fabulous.

Diabetic Dog

I have had 1-4 dogs my whole adult life. It all started when I was 20 years old and I inherited a wonderful dog. He came with my room in college. His owner had moved out of a cooperative house that I moved into, and left his dog behind. Somewhere in the middle of the year the past owner came by to thank me for taking him on, but by then I was more grateful to him than angry that he had abandoned such a wonderful guy.
I had never had a dog growing up, and would probably not have gotten one my sophomore year of college if it hadn't literally dropped in my lap. I loved that dog so much, and it was an era where you could bring your dog to class or to your friends' house, so I spent more time with him than I have with any pet since. Once I had him, I was hooked. Since then I have always leaned towards a rescued animal rather than actually picking out a breed and such. My second dog was abandoned at a party at my house. And so on it went.
I am not sure how many dog years of experience I have (years I have had each dog added up altogether--for instance, my current dogs are 17, 10, and 9 years old, so that would be 36 years of dog experience), but I would guess it is over a 100 years. I have not had to make a decision about chronic health care to date. My second dog had a bone infection that would not clear with antibiotics and had to have a toe amputated--which neither he nor anyone else noticed was gone after about three weeks--he had very big feet, and the amputation made that foot look more appropriate, if anything. When my now 17 year old dog developed an abnormally slow heart beat, we refused the cardiac work-up and elected to give him an aspirin when we thought of it, and he is 5 years out from that, living a reasonably comfortable life as a very geriatric dog.
All that changed this month. My 10 year old dog developed weight loss and excessive urination, and my at-home diagnosis of diabetes was upheld by the vet, so he started on insulin a week ago. Voila, his weight is stable, he sleeps through the night, and while he never seemed sick, the twice daily shots are easy for both of us.
Along with my first ongoing dog illness I discovered a whole other world at the pharmacy--I could go to my local drug store and get insulin and syringes. Over-the-counter like. They created a medication profile for him, even calling out his name when his insulin was ready for pick up. They did inform me that it would be a charge--I know, he doesn't have health insurance, of course there will be a charge! I am still firmly in the camp of no heroic measures for a pet, but this seems manageable (thank goodness) and the dog remains 9as always) un-phased.

Life, On the Line by Grant Achatz

This is an interesting story, and while it is not told in a way that would be most satisfying to me, I am glad that I read it. Achatz opens the book letting us know two things--one is that he has emerged from treatment for squamous cell cancer of his tongue with many things in question--his ability to taste, eat, and talk amongst them, and that he was awarded the James beard 'Chef of the Year' whilst recovering from the oredeal.
I liked the details of his progression from working in his parent's diner, to being a student at a culinary institute, to finding a home to grow at "The French Laundry' in the days when it was up and coming. He characterizes the things that were luck along side the talents he had and the places he wanted to grow very nicely. It is a good story, not too much emotion or depth of thought, but enough details to be satisfying. I would have enjoyed more descriptions of the cooking techniques and the food, but that's me.
He then goes on to branch out on his own, eventually opening his restaurant, "Alinea"--this part of the story is told from two points of view, and are essentially a 'how to' on designing and opening a restaurant. Which is not within my zone of interest, but is very detailed, from cruising neighborhoods looking for a the right building, to getting the architecture and design just right, to the dishes and the table configurations.
The book characterizes the rise of the prominence of Alinea, and then the chef's diagnosis and treatment for his cancer--there is little in the way of emotion throughout the book (the chef's passion for food seems complicated with his drive to be different and innovative and recognized for that), which disappointed me, but did not stop me from enjoying the story that he does tell.

The Fighter (2010)

A boxing movie has some fairly consistent elements--underdog fighter who works hard, has heart, and usually great coaching, personal discipline, and a bit of luck--then wins the big fight. That is a mold that this movie doesn't break. But it is so much more than that. It is the story of the positives and negatives of family relationships and obligations. It is the story of siblings, one who had glory, but now is a crack addict, and the little brother who looked up to him, but wants a chance at glory himself. It is the story of breaking away from your family of origin and having a family of your own. And it is also the story of blue collar American towns, like Lowell, Massachusetts. It mixes this all up in a seamless way, so as to not come off as too much of a boxing movie. The two Best Supporting Actor awards that this film garnered are well deserved, and of the movies nominated for Best Picture for 2010 that I have seen (admittedly I have missed 'The King's Speech', the actual winner), this is the best.
Mr. Bale’s performance is astonishing, in part because he so completely conquers a daunting set of physical and psychological challenges. Dicky Ecklund is not only an addict but also an athlete in his own right, a former boxer who clings to, and endlessly relives, a single moment of glory. He tells everyone who will listen that he once knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard, and while the facts of the episode are in dispute, his pugilistic skill and intelligence are never in doubt. he is also charming, funny, exciting to be with, despite the slightly over-amped crack personality.
His brother, Micky Ward, the fighter who has a chance at greatness but is hampered by his brother's irregularity in the gym as his trainer and his mother as his manager. They both get a cut of everything he makes, and it doesn't do Micky as much good as you might hope--everyone is living off him, but not really thinking of him. the banter between he and his brother and family is pitch perfect, and very sad to watch, yet engaging in the way that reality TV can suck you in.
It is this rhythm — the light, syncopated footwork of comedy setting up stinging jabs of pathos — that makes “The Fighter” so lively, so surprising and so moving. Unexpectedly wonderful.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Tina Fey is a wonder. Women in comedy are still a rarity. She says it best when she states that comedy is the only place a white suburban girl could ever be considered as 'diversity'. This book is not so much a memoir as a statement about what the experience of being a woman in comedy is like.
She does touch on motherhood--and menstruation--some on her family of origin, and not so much on her marriage (that would have been in my contract, that is for sure--yes, you can write about your life, but keep your hands off my life. If I want to write about me, I will do so--okay, I am just projecting here, but Jeff does not appear more than a handful of times and it is not at all enlightening about how it would be to have a spouse who works such crazy hours). But is is mostly a reflection on her professional experiences. It is hilarious and in some ways enlightening. It is not a deep read, nor is it long, but it is thoughtful underneath the comic banter, and it makes you think in a pleasant way.

Black Swan (2010)

This very dark, slightly psychotic rendition of the inside world of professional ballet is part art, part thriller.
Natalie Portman plays Nina, a ballerina with an unnamed New York City ballet company striving to become a soloist. She is fragile beyond belief and entirely believable in the role. Nina is handicapped in her efforts to grow up on so many levels. She lives with her mother (played pitch perfect by Barbara Hershey)--who is not just a stage mother, but also a former ballerina herself. She colludes with Nina in the whole anorexia nervosa, occasional self-induced vomiting, calorie obsession issues common to all of dance, but she also infantalizes and encourages Nina to remain child-like. She winds up her music box ballerina to play 'Swan Lake' each night.
The artistic director of a fictional New York ballet company, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), is another piece of work. There are moments where it appears you have to sleep with him to get the starring role, and others where he just seems like a cross between sexual harrassment and scary stalker material. His intensity winds up Nina's already problematic anxiety, and doesn't wind down her perfectionism.
As Nina strives to get in tough with her bad girl side in order to play the darker side of the 'Swan Lake' twin roles, she loses more of a grasp on herself, spiraling into self-mutilation and psychosis. Yes, she nails the black swan role, but no one feels good about it in the end.
I have seen 8 of the 10 films that were nominated for Best Picture in 2010, and this is definitely in the bottom half. Portman is amazing, but that is where it begins and ends.

Galileo by J. L. Heilbron

Galileo was not a shy retiring type. he was not one to sit modestly in the corner and let his work speak for itself. He was someone who was proud of his accomplishments and loud about letting others know about them. His pride was not unwarrented. This biography focuses primarily on his work as a mathematician, complete with exhaustive (for me) recaps of what was known mathematically at his time, and what advances he was successful at accomplishing (this is 1/4 math review, 3/4 biography). The author then goes on the explain why this was controversial for the Catholic church in general, and the Inquisition specifically, and how Galileo's personality ramped everyone up and led to the punishments that he received. Galileo could not believe that they would shut him up--he was quite well known in his own time--and the Inquisition effectively did just that. They separated him from other mathmaticians and did not allow him to publish at the end of his life.
The book does not much cover his personal life--some spots of comments on his relationships with his children, but not much else. It is a great review of just how much the world knew about itself so long ago. I know there are numerous biographies of Galileo to read, and even another one that came out this year, but this is a very good one.

La Niña

La Niña reigns. It has been a devestating spring in the southeastern United States. Some people feel like they haven't been out of their storm cellars longer than they have been in them. Worse yet, some people do not have storm cellars, and tornadoes have buzzed down whole towns--not just neighborhoods, but whole communities. There have been days where there were more than 100 tornadoes sighted and touched down. Hundreds are dead and thousands are homelees.
This is not comparable to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, either in terms of magnitude of the disaster nor in the human and economic loss. But it is a significant reminder that while there are many things about our lives that we can and do control, and there are many advances we have made in the past century, we still do not have a way to combat the climate. As the world's oceans warm up, unpredictable but constant climactic change will be the standard fare. This year it is a protracted La Niña, next year it will be something else.

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin

There are two stories in this book--the first is the life, career, and values of a young woman, Lacey Yeager. When the book opens she is working at Sotheby's in an entry level position, learning the ropes of the art auction world in new York City. She is a modern woman, more attached to her vanity and her ambition than she is able to form intimate relationships, and therefore is not altogether interesting to me. The author has a penchant for female characters of this sort--it is unclear to me if he finds them attractive or repugnant, or this is just women as he sees them, but these are not people I want to know. Even at a casual party, I would go out of my way to walk away from someone like Lacey. We share no values. What makes her interesting to others is of no interest to me.

The art world is the second story, and that one holds more interest for me. Not that I am the least bit interested in the collection of art, nor in the people who do so at the level depicted in this book, but it is an intersting world, and there are paintings of real beauty amidst all the hub bub of new artists and the chase to be selling and buying the hottest new artist. there are twenty two paintings reproduced within the book--they are gorgeous, and there is a back story to each and every one of them, so for someone with limited knowledge (such as myself) one can learn from this. The other book I read this year that was not a graphic novel per se, but had integral illustrations was 'A Visit from the Goon Squad', which I was not as fond of as the critics, but I do like the trend of adding some graphics to a classically told story.