Deer Valley 2019

We are creatures of habit, even if we prefer to call them traditions. Tradition dictates that during Presidents’ Day weekend, we join our ski-loving friends in Deer Valley for a weekend of skiing.
To be sure, our family can best be described as 2 non-skiers, 1 reluctant skier, and 1 enthusiastic skier. The enthusiastic skier (the 17 year old boy) has now skied a total of 1 weekend a year for the past 5 years and tackled his first black diamond slope on Sunday with control and skill. See below:

Despite the 1 in 4 skiing enthusiast ratio in our family, we thoroughly enjoy the weekend. Deer Valley is the Nordstrom of ski resorts, with excellent customer service and friendly staff (not to mention good skiing). Park City has a cute and fun downtown to walk around (we are particularly partial to the Park City Jewelers.) 🙂 Our contribution is to cook dinner (this year it was cioppino one night and make-your-own-pizza one night). Most importantly, we love spending time with our friends. We have known them for over 25 years, and we appreciate the relatively quiet time over the holiday weekend to re-connect and form new memories together.

Deer Valley

Movie review: Green Book

I seldom see serious movies in the theatre, mostly because if I am going to go to the bother of showing up at an appointed time and putting up with sticky floors and talkative movie goers, I had better enjoy the movie. (Which is why I generally stick with Disney/Pixar/Marvel movies in the theatre.) But this movie had come highly recommended, so off we went.
And it is fabulous! Viggo Mortensen plays an Italian-American bouncer who gets hired to drive Mahershala Ali, an African-American musician through the South on a performance tour. (“Green Book” refers to a travel guide for African-Americans designating safe places to stay throughout the South.) The movie traces both the journey and the various indignities piled upon Mahershala Ali’s character as well as the evolving relationship between the two men, who, on the surface, have nothing in common.
The plot, based loosely upon a real story, is perhaps fairly predictable. What puts this movie above many similar ones is the quality of the script and the quality of the acting. The movie doesn’t try and make any sweeping generalizations or moral statements, it sticks to the story of the two men, and the intimate nature of the movie does its work for it. Both Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali are excellent in portraying nuance and complexity in two characters that could easily have fallen into easily defined stereotypes. Viggo’s character is overtly racist, and he only reluctantly takes the job because he needs the money, but as the movie goes on, he proves to have a kind and tolerant heart. Mahershala’s character is cultured and well-educated, but that isn’t enough to prevent him from suffering discrimination. He thinks he’s superior to Viggo’s character, but he learns to appreciate the strengths of Viggo’s character while trying to improve him at the same time.
One of the most touching points of the movie comes when Mahershala’s character suffers an identity crisis. He has jumped through all the hoops of education and accomplishment and yet, he is still treated in accordance with the color of his skin. And the final indignity is at his final stop where he’s expected to play in front of an audience at a club, but the club won’t let him eat there because he’s black. The emotional crux of the movie is at this point, when the bond developing between the two men is tested in how they react in that moment.
The emotional shading and the growth of the characters is what makes this movie special. Four thumbs up for this movie. Go and see it!

Honolulu January 2019

I expect that everyone is tired of hearing of our trips to Honolulu and how glorious of a paradise it is. If so, then this is an easy blog post to skip. I just wanted to commemorate our annual 2019 trip-without-the-kids (to Honolulu, of course).
And also to point out without (much) gloating, of course, that Hawaii is truly a beautiful place.

The weather wasn’t ideal this trip with some rain and (relative) cool temperatures, but when Washington, DC suffers from a little bit of snow and a lot of cold (temperatures hit 4 degrees overnight once), a little bit of rain and mid-70s is to be appreciated.
We had our routine of walking around Diamondhead early every morning (about 7 miles) and going to the Bishop and Honolulu Art Museums. We also ate gloriously at some of our favorite restaurants, including Town, Chef Mavro (twice!), The Pig and the Lady, and Nobu, as well as at some more hole-in-the-wall restaurants like Doraku, Goma Tei, and Steak Shack.
But, most importantly, we spent time together (and it’s the only place where I am a morning person). We become empty nesters in about a year and a half, and it will be interesting to see how the adjustment goes. It seems like a good idea to us to periodically remind ourselves who the other person is across the breakfast table before that’s the only other person in the house. Just sayin…

sunrise over waikiki

Book review: Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

Footsteps in the Dark

Footsteps in the Dark by Georgette Heyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


3.5 stars actual rating

I adore Georgette Heyer Regency romances, and I am very fond of her mysteries as well. This particular one is completely representative of Heyer mysteries. There is a large quantity of witty dialogue, acute and funny commentary on British societal biases, a somewhat cursory but adorable romance, and oh, yes, a mystery to solve. (I suspect the priorities of the author were in that exact order.) This book isn’t going to stretch your brain cells or make you think about it much afterwards, but it is an extremely pleasant way to spend a few hours. The book delivers precisely what it promises, which is a frothy and delightful set of characters who happen to stumble upon a mystery to solve and a romance to conduct. For those of you who like light-hearted British cozy-type mysteries, this book is perfect for you.



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