Recommended diversions
Most Secret
I was given this book over Christmas and finally got around to reading it. It’s a fascinating tale about World War II from British writer Nevil Shute. Shute was born before World War I and was an engineer who had a passion for all things mechanical, whether they were boats, airplanes, cars and the weaponry of the time. Most fascinating are his descriptions of the skirmishes in the Brittany area of France during the war. The Germans controlled the mainland of France, but the Brits did all they could with a kind of guerilla warfare to give the French hope. Shute wrote about two dozen books, and he spins a great yarn that, 60 years after its initial publication in 1945, also provides great historical insights.
24
Wow. This is the fifth season, but I just got hooked a month ago. Never seen anything quite like it on television, with its mesmerizing story lines, jumpy cameras, relentlessly close profile shots of the lead actors, and, of course, the political intrigue. Agent Jack Bauer (played by Keifer Sutherland) is unbelievably intense, as is the entire cast. Our habit throughout our marriage has been to allow ourselves to get sucked into just one show. With the demise of West Wing, this one rose to the top pretty quickly. In comparison, West Wing seems awful slow, tepid and, dare I say it, boring.
Celebrating a late Christmas
We go to visit my family this weekend and celebrate Christmas. I love the real holidays, but this ain’t all bad: leisurely time to shop, no hustle and bustle, and the pleasure of family, presents and good food all over again.
Snow – real snow
What’s up this winter? It’s the first of February, and this year I was ready — new, nicely treaded tires on both cars, plenty of firewood, a variety of sleds to handle any kind of conditions, a few gallons of water stowed in the pantry, even chains in their own neat little box in the back of my Subaru wagon. I love snow, look forward to the adrenalin rush of trying to drive up and down my neighborhood’s suicidal roads, relish the sound of plastic sleds scraping against grass and rock. But it hasn’t. Nothing to speak of. A few flurries, but mostly just a broken string of promises from TV and radio weather sharps. Maybe it will happen, but I’m thinking this is the winter that wasn’t. Maybe it’s time to move on: Florida, spring break, a chair in the sand, books and cold beverage of choice.
— By Scott McLeod
