sleep gets in your eyes
August 07, 2005, 11:01 A.M.
Yesterday was surprising--Spouse was off, and instead of coming home and going to bed, he decided we needed to go to McHenry, to the Meijer. So he got himself cleaned up, and we set off to restock the larder. The sales were, as usual, great, and we ended up with groceries enough for the next couple of weeks.
When we got home, We carried it all in and I put it all away, as usual, but he surprised me by deciding to stay up. He wanted to hold off, so he could do all his sleeping in one stretch. So we lounged around the house, he watching TV, and me reading, until almost three. He crashed, and I read some more, then took what I thought was going to be a short nap.
Well, I didn�t wake up till seven. Not that it mattered--he was gone for the duration, and I just ended up sitting around in a half-stupor for the rest of the evening.
I did manage, finally, to watch �Girl With a Pearl Earring�, which wasn�t bad. The cinematography was marvelous, and I assume, successful, since every shot looked much like an old Dutch Master. I quite liked Judy Parfitt and Joanna Scanlan in their respective roles of the Vermeer�s mother-in-law and housekeeper, but of course I always love Judy Parfitt. I�ve been an admirer of hers since back in the eighties, when she played Queen Lillian on �The Charmings�. And of course, you�ll not be hearing me say a word against Colin Firth and Tom Wilkinson--I am an ardent fan of both those sexy bastards. Colin played Vermeer with his usual understatement, telling everything with the look in his eyes, or the way he moved himself through the frame. A good thing, since the dialogue was minimal. And Wilkinson�s Van Ruijven was a brilliant blend of twinkly charm and seething malevolence, of rutting boor, and astute connoisseur of art. Damn, I love him.
Uh, I suppose I need to say something about Scarlett Johansson's performance. But it didn�t do anything for me at all. I had a hard time reading her emotional state in certain key scenes, and since the dialogue was so sparse, this sometimes made her performance difficult to follow. She is, however, quite good in the scenes where she conveys Griet�s growing understanding of painting, composition, color, and light.
One last thought...Cillian Murphy? Rowr!
You know...three o'clock is really only 'morning' in the technical sense. Spouse's job ended up requiring him to be in at five, so he rose at three this morning to get ready for work. Being a dutiful wife, I rose with him, and fixed him up with a lunch to take with him. Then I just kept him company while he dress and had breakfast, and Raji and I loved him out the door around four.
I should have gone right back to bed, but I tend to have a problem with that sort of thing; once I'm up, I'm up. So I did up the dirty dishes, sort the laundry and put a load in, and puttered aimlessly for a while, before I felt like retiring again. I figured I'd be back up around six.Uh...nope. The clock was chiming eight when I woke again. Well, I guess I needed the rest. I brushed my teeth, rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, and threw on some old clothes, so I could walk the dog. After Raji was seen to, I made some coffee and toasted English muffins, advanced the laundry project, and then sat out in the yard for a while reading and smoking, still trying to wake up. Too much sleep is apparently worse than too little, because I feel groggy and stupid this morning.
Since I seem to have managed to get a whole day to myself, I�m planning to run T�s birthday gift over the W&T�s (along with a raspberry pie and some ice cream as a special treat) this afternoon, so I�d best get my butt in gear now and finish the laundry. It is ridiculous, that her birthday gift is over a month late, but I had to work on it in the times when I had both hands working. The coral and freshwater pearl necklace and earrings are for her, at her special request, and I have them completed, wrapped, and ready. I just need to take them over to her.Speaking of both hands working, tomorrow is surgery day again; this time for �Ole Lefty�. Making this my third trip to outpatient surgery in as many months, but at least it is the last.
Anyway; I probably won�t be posting much. But I have a big canvas bag full of books to read, and no reason to do anything but relax, rest, and heal. Since I�m left-handed, I will not be able to accomplish the level of housework I did last time, and I really have no intention of trying. I�m not even planning to read anything edifying--my bag is full of romances, potboilers, mysteries, and riffs on pop culture...I�m going to binge on mental junk food.
Reading: �Rumpole and the Primrose Path�, by John Mortimer.
Listening: CD. Dire Straits, "On Every Street".
Beading: I need to run to the bead store for more supplies--I'm short on firepolish for the peach and crystal bracelet, so I had to put it aside. But not today--Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday.
One Year Ago, I was concerned about Niece.