Weekend Coffee Share

wordswag_15073188796611453091488Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some time catching up with friends (old and new)!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I was delighted that Victoria is back on Masterpiece Theater as of Sunday and that I’m just as delighted that I got the DVDs for the gritty police drama Spiral. I’ll write about both later in the week.

For my weekly classic film, I saw another Japanese one, The Living Magoroku. It wasn’t great, but there are plenty that are better. The pacing was slow and some actors were stiff.

I’d mention that I had a phone interview for another part time library job. This one pays better and should use more of the skills and knowledge I acquired in library school. Tomorrow I have a face to face interview. I’ve done some prep work already. The two jobs’ schedules go together well, except for one overlap.

I was happy to see snow falling on Saturday. We haven’t had any since November and if it’s going to be cold, I’d like to see some snow. It is winter after all. Plus since there’s less people working or going to school on a Saturday, it’s a great time for snow.

I had lunch with my cousin Janice and it was a wonderful time to catch up.

I discovered another YouTube gem in the vein of “Kids Say the Darnedest Things.” It’s Kids Try where kids are given unfamiliar foods and they react to them. The creators picked just the right personalities for this series.

It’s been a rather quiet week, but with work it is harder to find time to write. I did get started on revising my play.

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Weekend Coffee Share

wordswag_15073188796611453091488Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some time catching up with friends (old and new)!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I can’t believe New Years was last Tuesday. It seems like more time than that has passed.

I made a point of seeing another opulent church before the decorations would come down and went to Holy Trinity Polish Mission. Since I was downtown, I also stopped in the Art Institute of Chicago which has a Neapolitan Crèche. Though they acquired this exhibit with over 200 figures in 2013, I hadn’t seen it. I was blown away.

I’ve been working regularly and particularly enjoy helping in the Makerspace. So many patrons come in with creative ideas and leave with great gifts. They feed off each other. Friday was jam-packed as the regulars start their Christmas gifts now and finish by say March. Now I’ve got several ideas buzzing in my head.

I’m learning all about the history of candy by reading Sweet Tooth, a micro-history on sweets. I’ve learned that candy made from sugar was first developed by Saudi’s who used it as medicine. More on this book later.

So 2019 has started off well. It’s been warm here, well over freezing and I’m enjoying meeting new colleagues and learning new skills. It’s melancholy to put away Christmas decorations because I feel that now I have the time to savor them, whereas leading up to Christmas there’s so much frenzy that I don’t. I think I prefer the post Christmas days to early December.

 

Weekend Coffee Share

wordswag_15073188796611453091488Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some time catching up with friends (old and new)!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I had a good Christmas. My sister and her two kids came for about a week. After mass at my niece’s high school on Christmas Eve we went downtown for dinner with my dad’s side of the family. Christmas itself started with a special breakfast, opening presents and later finished with a great dinner.

I worked on Wednesday to Friday and am getting a lay of the land. Wednesday I worked at the other branch. It has a completely different vibe. Both are pleasant, but it’s interesting how though they’re so close to each other, there’s a discernible difference. I had more time in the makerspace and I’m finding it quite fun to learn what can be done with the various machines.

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A must-see

I lucked out and got to go to The Woman in Black at the Royal George Theater on Saturday. I got to watch a Humphrey Bogart movie, All Through the Night and Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress I recommend all of these.

Also on Sunday I explored a church from a list of the Must-See Chicago churches. St. Hedwig’s was stunning. It’s wonderful to see that the community supports this treasure.

I’m savoring the hygge and slower pace of the post-Christmas season.

Weekend Coffee Share

wordswag_15073188796611453091488Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some time catching up with friends (old and new)!

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that I started a new part time job at a local library. They’ve got a nifty brand new check out system, where you can lay up to 8 books on scanner and all will be checked out to your account.  They’ve got a good makerspace where I worked on Friday. Lots of people making their Christmas presents. I like the people I’ve met there.

I saw Jackie Gleason in a poignant film called Gigot. His acting impressed me. The film’s emotion has stuck with me.

My sister came in town this past weekend. She moved to Utah in July and regaled us with stories of how cows broke through her back yard fence and trampled all over the new sod in her yard and her neighbors’.

Saturday my cousin had a Christmas party. Her brother and his wife, who live in Utah, were in town. I don’t really know my cousin’s wife. Since the party was big with 60-some guests, I didn’t get much of a chance to chat with her.

Since my sister won’t be here for Christmas, she hosted a brunch here for my siblings and nieces and nephews who’re local. So the weekend was hectic. I did get a bit more online shopping done so I’m just about ready for Christmas.

Weekend Coffee Share

wordswag_15073188796611453091488Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some time catching up with friends (old and new)!
Grab a cup of coffee and share with us! What’s been going on in your life? What are your weekend plans? Is there a topic you’ve just been ruminating on that you want to talk about?

If we were having coffee, I’d first say that since Starbucks is raising its prices, I’m going to lessen the number of times I go there. I’m branching out to Dunkin Donuts to economize. I realize prices go up but Starbucks doesn’t offer as nice a service in the US as you get overseas so I already felt that I was paying the same, but getting less than when I went to their outlets in Asia.

I’d mention that we had a big storm last night and when I woke up we had no electricity. So much depends on electricity. It was too gray to read. There was no cooking, internet, or laundry.  What was I going to do with my day? Luckily power was restored.

I’d also say I’m delighted with my new job. I’m working at a library and have only done orientation tasks, but it was a positive week. One highlight was a tour of the community. It’s a diverse village with a nice sculpture park, a new technology center for start ups, several synagogues, churches and mosques. There are a few Jewish schools and an Islamic school. Lots of business and industry add to the generous funding to this library. New week I’ll roll up my sleeves and begin to develop an online learning course.

I’m reading too many books, and need to finish a few. I am reading a biography of François Truffaut. It’s heartbreaking how tough his childhood was. His mother didn’t want him and did the minimum for him. It’s amazing how he was able to contribute so much to the world of film. I’m also chugging through Henry James’ The Wings of the Dove, which I’m going to discuss online with a friend who lives in Washington. We read and discuss novels online and are proceeding chronologically. It’s slow going and partly because James has a reputation, well-earned I’d say, for dense prose. I’m also reading a graphic memoir of a trip to North Korea and the novel Radium Girls. More on those another time.

 

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Weekend Coffee Share

wordswag_15073188796611453091488Weekend Coffee Share is a time for us to take a break out of our lives and enjoy some time catching up with friends (old and new)!
Grab a cup of coffee and share with us! What’s been going on in your life? What are your weekend plans? Is there a topic you’ve just been ruminating on that you want to talk about?

It’s a bit late for coffee, but I got mine because on this gray day, I’m feeling drowsy though I want to perk up and do some reading. I’ve just started The Wings of the Dove and it’s making me doze off. My friend Bill, who lives in Washington state, and I have been reading classic novels and discussing them online. Bill’s insights any book I read and I hope mine are at least half as good as his. We choose books more or less chronologically. Last time we read Germinal, which was my choice and now it’s his. I have heard that Henry James is rather dense and that reputation makes it harder to get into the story. By next week I do hope I report that I’ve gotten to say page 60.

Tuesday I found time for lunch with a friend from high school that I don’t get to see as often as I’d like. She discovered she had breast cancer in September and I’m in awe of her strength and commitment to stay positive. She’s now almost done with all the treatments. So happy that she’s out of the woods.

On Wednesday I was stunned to learn that WordPress was suddenly quitting their popular Daily Post prompts. I would think they’d at least keep the Weekly Photo Challenge going, but despite the community’s sadness, they’ve dropped it.

I spent much of the week writing. Last week I mentioned that a theater agreed to read my play. I thought I could quickly polish a couple scenes and send it off, but one thing led to another between new ideas and more in depth editing. Anyhow, it was submitted on Tuesday. Then yesterday right before midnight was the deadline for the Disney/ABC Writing Fellowship program. I had one pilot done and polished (though it’s envisioned as a two hour special so that may not be taken well) and then I had to finish two act of a spec script. (A spec script is when you write an episode of an existing TV show as an example of your ability.) I chose to write a Madam Secretary as if there’s nothing good on PBS (like Poldark or Victoria) then I’ll watch that. I have quite a bit of experience working overseas and try to keep up on world events that aren’t widely reported. I did get my entry submitted in time. Hooray! However, I realize this is a super-competitive. I think only 8 or 10 writers are chosen.

I’m also glad to report that my mom’s back home after two weeks in rehab after knee replacement surgery. She’s still got a ways to go to be as good as new, but I’m thankful for the good care she received.

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