A Trove of Books
Found, at Value Village, a small trove of books to read. Penguin editions, possibly a classics major or some such cleaning up his shelf.
Titles include: Orkneyinga Saga, The Mabinogion, NJal's Saga, The History of Alexander, Two Years Before the Mast, and the Communist Manifesto.
...From which you should gather a fair idea of my reading tastes. Well prepared for a long winter without reliable internet (or even necessary, as it wastes more time that it answers questions, for sure, for sure...). Not that I needed more books, I've easily a hundred to read, but I couldn't leave these, with luck by spring I'll have read them all...
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- Category: Found
Operation Avalanche
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This looks good. Intriguing...food for thought.
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- Category: Film
10 Cloverfield Lane
Not bad, for a big-budget Hollywood take on something that could have been low budget genius, not bad... Strength of writing and script. And while the surprise ending is no surprise, the movie has it's moments, Emmet, baiting the conspiracy-addled host (how can you not? I've been there, I know), John Goodman's ever-patient demeanor, his lifetime of ridicule, his generosity abused, the passing of time with Cards-Against-Humanity, a sort of crazy Santa-Clause, it's not bad, good for Hollywood, no spoilers here, but I would rather have found something at CIFF. Mainstream US cinema, it's gone the same way as their politics, rarely will you find anything that worthwhile, look elsewhere and you might be pleasantly surprised...
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- Category: Film
The Seventh Wave
A ridiculously busy night. Almost a full turn, once we had the staff, now, not so much. And once we had the competence, of F***** and G***, now, not so much. It's a shitshow.
We've begun pandering to the worst of clienteles. Split bills? No Problem...Order off the menu? OF course...Bring in your own birthday cake, wine? Why not?
Back in the day that never would have happened. 5 large parties, not one chose a set menu. The kitchen, they're crushed, the separate cheques, it ties you up an easy 30 minutes after the meal, our computer is old, it's not set up for that at all. And we have to take them, business is slow, madness this 0 to 100 miles per hour overnight, we're turning people away, try to guess a reason? Concert? Recent Press? No reason, it's just the seventh wave, we've let in the wrong people, wouldn't have needed any of the parties if we'd have taken the smaller tables, would have done better even, the tipping would have been better, everyone would have been better served, the kitchen, it's a killing field, the owner, can't turn away business but he's gotten used to it being slow, the early departures, he's no more ready for this than we are...Pasta Fiesta, no two meals the same, 20 people, 20 pans, 1 Chef, it's too much, small fuck ups - an Asian lady ordering the Scallopine when she meant to say Scallops, he's through the roof, redirecting his wrath at the nephew, anyone handy, he wants me to have a happy ending as well...
The new salad girl (we have 3 since the old one left), she's asking about getting a job as a server...she has no experience, but she wants out of the kitchen, I don't blame her, I'm leaving, why not, but I warn her to lobby slow - start as a busgirl or expediter - this job, it isn't brain surgery, but see how many people do it badly and you appreciate there must be some sort of skill to it...
Sunday, a full day to recover from the Madness of Saturday night, exhausted, spiritually and otherwise, I'm hanging in by a thread...
Time passes. 3 Weeks to go. I'm counting them...
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- Category: Miscellany
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