‘Tis the Ides of March, which calls to mind HBO’s “ROME” on DVD~

‘Tis the Ides of March, which calls to mind HBO’s “ROME” on DVD~

On this the 2057^th anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar, I feel compelled to write about the magnificence of the HBO series “Rome” which debuted in 2006 and provided exquisite entertainment for 3 years.

The complete series can be purchased on Amazon.com. During its tenure on the network, Rome was must see TV in our house. This series brought to life ancient Rome in all of its glory, filth, violence, sex, depredation, political intrigue, familial dysfunction, plotting, slavery, brutality, grandeur, and assassinations.

The series follows the rise of Julius Caesar from the period when he returns following an 8-year absence wile he conquered Gaul through the triumph of Augustus following his success against Marc Antony and Cleopatra as he conquered Egypt.

This Rome shows the viewer not just the patrician class and the wealth and debauchery of the elite. We also see the plebes, the underclass, the solder, the citizen and slaves. The series is visually stunning and transports the viewer into the past better than any series I’ve seen.  Sumptuous is the word that best describes the experience.

The acting is superb with Ciaran Hinds portraying the calculating Julius Caesar; James Purefoy as Marc Antony; and the incomparable Polly Walker as Atia, the scheming and villainous niece of Caesar and mother of Octavian and Octavia.

This series is not for the faint of heart or those offended by a bit of nudity sex, violence and the invoking pagan gods and goddesses. But for anyone with a love of only slightly fractured history replete with top quality attention to detail and lush cinematography, I highly recommend a few weekends sequestered with these DVDs.

 http://www.amazon.com/Rome-Complete-Series-Kevin-McKidd/dp/B0028RXXE8

BOOK REVIEW: A Nearly Perfect Copy, A Novel By Allison Amend

BOOK REVIEW:  A Nearly Perfect Copy, A Novel

By Allison Amend

“A Nearly Perfect Copy” kept me interested from the first page. I read it in two days and felt a bit of loss when I finished. That is the sign of a very readable book.

 This novel involves two overlapping stories. One revolves around the torment of a New York City art expert, Elm Howells, from the lesser branch of the founders of the auction house that employs her. Elm is still reeling from the tragic loss of her young son. Her inconsolable grief has caused estrangement in her marriage, a loss of passion in her work and a complete inability to move forward. When she learns some acquaintances of her husband have decided to clone their beloved dog, Elm is at first horrified and then fascinated. What if….?

Meanwhile, across the pond in Paris, unsuccessful artist Gabriel Connois struggles with his inability to make a splash within the Parisian art scene. He is the descendent of a pseudo famous Spanish artist and developed an uncanny ability to replicate his more illustrious ancestor’s work.  He has his own vision; however, after meeting a woman of more extravagant tastes than his bank account can handle, he is offered an opportunity to earn some money – the old fashioned way – forgery.

I appreciated this book as a study of the human condition, of moral ambivalence, of seeking justification for our actions, and then trying to live with the decisions made.  This is in part a tragedy involving regret, self-flagellation, insecurity, fear, and loss of self. It is in part a morality play.  While I can’t say I liked any of the main characters, I did feel empathy.  I could understand the temptations.

While I found the book at times over-plotted, I liked the book. And when I’m reading fiction and it transports me to another place, it is okay if I’m asked to suspend believe with regard to coincidences. That being said, I work in a field where I often see that truth is stranger than fiction. So, who know

A Nearly Perfect Copy  

will be released and available on Amazon.com - April 9, 2013;

Publisher: Nan A. Talese (April 9, 2013)

My Antipathy Towards White Shoes

My Antipathy Towards White Shoes

I grew up during the era when it was a cardinal sin to wear white shoes before Memorial Day or after Labor Day.  My sister and I once went to the then fashionable Glendale Mall in Indianapolis in April and watched the women who were violating one of the most sacred fashion rule by wearing white shoes at Easter.

We knew we were in the know and the unfortunate fashion victims were clueless. We felt pity for them .

On the B side, I once found myself the day after Labor Day in a post graduate class wearing classic spectator pumps and realizing that I’d committed a major faux pas which resulted in trying to hide the focus of my discomfort under my desk.

But as I evolved in my appreciation of footwear, I came to the conclusion that nobody should wear white shoes. They make even a delicate individual with a size 5-foot look as if they are sporting clodhoppers.  White shoes are unflattering. In my mind, white shoes should be limited to the waitress of the ‘80s wearing a polyester uniform, a nurse wearing the now historical classic uniform with cap, or a bride.  And really, metallic would work better for a bride.

White shoes are ugly, in my humble opinion. I haven’t worn white shoes since my first wedding in 1985. By eschewing white footwear in any circumstance, one completely eliminates the conundrum of when it is appropriate to wear them.  Even athletic footwear has evolved so that glow -in -the -dark sneakers are the exception rather than the rule. 

For those of you who still think that sporting white footwear means spring has arrived, go for it. I, on the other hand, prefer to indulge in metallic, taupe, bone, or other neutral colors as an alternative. And while I’ve evolved to the point I no longer hang out at shopping centers looking for violators or the white shoe rules, I still believe there are other, better options. I’ve never seen Stacy and Clinton recommend a makeover buy a white shoe. Just sayin…..

Washington, DC Exurbanites and Sundays at Wegman’s

Washington, DC Exurbanites and Sundays at Wegman’s

My husband and I motored into Arlington, Virginia this afternoon to meet some friends for a late lunch at Fireworks, our favorite purveyor of wood-fired pizza that also has a revolving selection of fabulous craft beers on tap. While we both commute into Washington for work, we rarely venture into the city on weekends.  But we looked forward to meeting our friends and  today was one of those gorgeous March days filled with sun and balmy weather that gave us a glimpse of the spring to come. 

As we headed back to Winchester, we decided to stop at Wegman’s, in Sterling, which is for us a destination – not just a supermarket.  Just the thought of the Mediterranean bar filled with an array of olives, hummus, tapenade and bruschetta is enough to make my heart sing.  The prepared food selection for one or two people is amazing. And the prices are more than competitive, even economical compared to the local supermarket chains that offer far less quality and nominal selections of items comparatively. Really, if Wegman’s moved to Winchester my life would be complete!

Apparently we are not the only exurbanites of our nation’s capitol that believe an outing to Wegman’s on a Sunday afternoon to be far more appealing than a visit to the Smithsonian. This evening at about 5:00pm the Sterling Wegman’s  was more crowded than  a super Walmart on the day the social security checks are delivered! The store was nearly out of bananas!

But we found our nirvana. We loaded our cart with pecan crusted tilapia, crab stuffed mushrooms, wine, dried cranberries from the “mix your own trail mix bar”, chocolate covered chocolate chip brownies in the bakery, bourbon smoked ham at the deli, gorgonzola, blue cheese, and herbs mixed with feta, olive tapenade (which becomes a part of every sandwich), wine, organic espresso beans, savory olive bread, and the perfect peanut butter chocolate chip cookies than remain soft and melt on your mouth. It was like going to the fair. Joyous! Crowded. An exhibition of humanity.  

My Obsession With Plants – This Spring Its Wisteria

My Obsession With Plants – This Spring Its Wisteria

It is approaching mid-March and the plant catalogs have been arriving en masse. So rather than work on the project my husband had planned for me today, I plopped myself down in a chair with my garden catalogs and laptop and began investigating the best source for non-invasive wisteria that are likely to bloom before the end of this decade.

When we first moved to our little piece of heaven seven years ago, we had fantasies that we would tame our wild environment replete with faux soil that is a mix of clay and shale and requires a pick to plant a small perennial and a backhoe to plant a tree. We imagined that within five years we would have created our own Garden of Eden.  Part of the vision included our front porch dripping with the sweet scent and pendulous lavender blooms of old fashioned wisteria. 

So, were did a neophyte gardener turn for plants? Why, eBay, of course. I ordered 3 twigs of Chinese wisteria, planted, fertilized, and watched with wonder as it grew faster and higher than Jack’s beanstalk. Then we waited and waited and waited …and no blooms. I searched online for tips on forcing wisteria to bloom. For three summers and winters I pruned and hacked and tried to shock the roots- only to see the vines grow higher and faster and larger while pulling the porch railing apart.

At Thanksgiving this year, my mother-in-law and father decided the invasive monster had to go. So, the entire family sawed, dug, cut, untwined, and disconnected the wisteria from the house. When my husband emerged from the basement, he was most distressed. Surely, in only a few more years it would have burst into bloom.

I was more sanguine. I had done my research.  I knew I had erred in buying the unpredictable Chinese wisteria on eBay. Since then I’d found davesgarden.com, the Holy Grail of garden websites. I knew I needed a different cultivar of wisteria and where I could find it. The “watchdog” page shares the 30 highest rated mail order sites complete with user reviews. The database includes at least 4181 companies with more than 70,000 reviews by customers. You can also search for a particular plant and find the companies that have them for sale complete with a link to the website. I try to stick with The Watchdog 30, which do change as the reviews change.

My wonderful parental units with their ever- clever wits gifted us at Christmas with a check specifically targeted for new wisteria. The time had come.  Today was the day. So this is what I’ve ordered – 3 different cultivars from Sooner Plant Farm – a Dave’s Garden favorite.  They will be shipped at the appropriate time for our planting zone. And I know, in no time at all, we’ll have our classic southern front porch dripping with those glorious lavender blooms.

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/#b

 http://www.soonerplantfarm.com/