Moulin Rouge

Saturday, July 12, Frank and I went to see the musical Moulin Rouge at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. The first half was very colorful and lively but I was so glad we had researched it beforehand to know what was going on. 

We are season ticket holders, but had a new experience this time. Frank was feeling a bit ill, so we did not return to the theatre after intermission. Instead we watched the show from a big screen in the lobby. This set up is for people who are not allowed to return to their seats if they are late and also for ushers to watch and get their cues for actions they must take. True, the situation was not as good as being in the live theater, but it did have several perks. We had more room, comfortable soft seats, and we could eat while watching. Also, it was interesting to observe the behind-the-scenes responsibilities of the ushers. As the saying goes, "If life give you lemons, make lemonade." 

Attending these events has become routine for us. We have this parking spot pre-purchase-on-your-cell phone system in place now, so the stress has gone from the "Where do we leave the car?" scenario. FYI, Frank recovered sufficiently that the drive home was uneventful. 

Ponder: Great Big Beautiful Life

Great Big Beautiful Life ©2025 is by Emily Henry, a New York Times best selling author. The novel was also a recommended selection from Reese's Book Club, which usually aligns with my reading tastes. Amazon readers rated this book 4.3 out of 5 stars. I read this book while on a trip and it was engaging enough to keep me drawn in, despite travel distractions. The overview presented on the front flap of the book cover is:

Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century. 

Despite all the preceding accolades, I rate this book only three stars. Following are my misgivings about this novel that led to my somewhat average rating.

The interactions between Alice and Hayden are first amusing and later unbelievable. Initially jealously eying each other as competition for a juicy job, they grow to admire and appreciate each other's skills. Then they appreciate each other sexually - sort of - but not really - but, then again maybe - but perhaps, maybe not - really? - is that it?...

The early background of both Alice and Hayden is alluded to but never explained fully. Alice has/had an ill younger sister but the medical cause is never fully revealed. It is hinted that Hayden has a mother who possibly suffered from depression but hid it well. Perhaps these aspects of each of their lives were presented to give causality for each's actions and hesitancies. Yet I felt they were loose ends the novel never fully addressed.
 
The family background of Margaret Ives is convoluted, complicated, and hard to follow. Alice herself admits in Chapter 15.

"Right." It's going to be tricky keeping all of this straight. The book will need a family tree up front, with dates, for easy reference. "So, Frederick is1904, Francine is 1905, and then  Ruth Allen is born in secret in..." I check my notes. "Nineteen twenty-eight or twenty-nine?"

But once I could beat down my obsessive compulsive side that needs to understand all, I could let go and enjoy the story without absorbing the familial details. Future readers, your grasp of the family history is not critical for reading enjoyment. Learn to let go earlier on than I did.

The big reveal was a so-what for me. Not to reveal any spoilers here, but the climax was just a hillock in the foothills and not a mountain peak that had been summited. I was disappointed with the ending.

I will admit, that despite the challenging environment traveling often presents for reading, I was eager to soldier on and finish the book. Nevertheless, I rate Great Big Beautiful Life three stars.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: Just for the Summer

The premise of Just for the Summer ©2024 by Abby Jimenez follows the philosophy of opening a jar of pickles. The first person ties with all his strength, unsuccessfully, to open the jar. The next person who tries, twists if off easily. So it seems to be with Justin and Emma. Every person each of them dates, once they breakup, finds his/her true love with the next relationship. So here is a thought... What if Emma and Justin date each other? Then each is sure to find true love with the next person after they break up with each other.

Emma is a traveling nurse, staying only for short periods at each assignment. This arrangement suits her fine. As a child, she had a mother who would periodically abandon her for long periods of time and consequently she had learned to not count on people. Justin is a techy type guy and wants to recapture the conditions that have prevailed when each of them broke up with a former boyfriend/girlfriend. His spreadsheets of data to replicate situations — how many dates, type of kissing, favored activities, meal preferences — are amusing. The trouble is, he starts to fall for Emma and does not want to conclude the dating plan because it might end in them splitting up. Justin has commitments to his younger siblings that do not leave him unfettered to follow Emma in her shifting job locations. She can't stay; he can't go; hence the dilemma.

A fun twist to the plot is that Emma is staying on an island during this present assignment; access to and from it is limited to transport by a rickety pontoon boat. Each date is carefully planned and timed — and often thwarted. As the final date nears completion, Justin stalls and does not want to fulfill the agreed-upon-terms to end their relationship. This book. although enjoyable, did not appeal to me as much as a previous book I read by this author, Say You'll Remember Me, reviewed in my blog post for 7/14/25. Just for the Summer had more comedic situations that made me smile, but it dragged a bit for me in the middle. I cared about Emma and Justin. I just wanted them to get on with it already!

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: Say You'll Remember Me

Say You'll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez ©2025 is a romantic comedy but it is not frivolous. I rate it four stars. The tension does not come from the guy being a chauvinistic pig nor from the woman being a belligerent women's libber.  The conflict arises from other stresses that accompany more serious issues. The author Abby Jimenez alerts the reader to this situation with an Author's Note at the beginning of the book.

Xavier is a vet who is working hard to establish his own private vet practice, with its associated long working hours and the financial debts inherent with a startup. He is self-made, having come from an abusive childhood. He lives and works in Minnesota. Samantha, as a social media manager, is a whiz at internet advertising slogans and campaigns. (Her clever ads for Murkle's Mustard kept me chuckling.) She has a mother in California who is suffering from late stage dementia. The family has promised her that she will live out her days at home. Samantha intends to relocate out of state, rearranging her life to assist her family in her mother's care.

Xavier and Samantha swiftly develop deep feelings for each other after just one, looong, date that both of them are reluctant to see come to an end. They are kept apart, not by foolishness, but rather by a sense of loyalty, unselfishness, and duty. The logistics to stay together are mind-bogglingly difficult to negotiate. At their parting for Samantha to move to California, she begs Xavier to forget her since long distance relationships rarely work out. But, alas, these two soul mates are relentlessly drawn to each other.

This was an engaging read for me which I thoroughly enjoyed and read over two days. (I started it late one evening otherwise I think I would have read it all in one sitting.) Romance novels are meant to be light reading; they are great to intersperse with more literary rated genres which can be harder reads. Indeed, some of the background topics of this book were serious but they did not drag down the overall tone. The back stories were as interesting as the romantic relationship. Say You'll Remember Me had enough angst to keep me reading but also had an abundance of magnetic motives that were refreshing above and beyond being merely sexual. Here is a review of this book from bookishelf which pretty much echoes my opinion but with more detail.  Can the title Say You'll Remember Me possible tie back to the dementia undercurrent? Ah... another small detail that made me like this book!

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

39th and 72nd Birthdays

Monday, May 26th, the day of Alex's and my shared birthday, Frank, Alex, and I visited the Discovery Museum in San Jose, the purple building with the huge yellow duck on the roof. The last time we'd been there was August of 2022. There are many more extensive photos in that blog post even though it had been during times of COVID and a modified visit. This post just hits some highlights. To commemorate this birthday occasion, Alex and I posed for a selfie inside a full size Wells Fargo Stage Coach.

Having been to the museum several times before, we knew what Alex's favorite spots were and were sure to visit those. Shortly after entering there is an air-powered air maze which when loaded with fluffy pompoms whizzes them all around before spitting them out to do a repeat. Alex loved loading the yarn balls and laughing when they shoot out in a random location on the floor or when they actually clobber him upon ejection.

I think Alex's most favorite spot of all is the water play area. He tossed balls into the vortex and watched them spiral down, then shoot out to do again.

There are several activities he likes to do with Frank. Building with huge foam blocks is one. Walking across a bumpy moving bridge is another. Alex will go back and enjoy jumping solo on the bridge, as well.

Upstairs there are stacking and building manipulative activities in which Alex can become very engrossed. The tower stacking station has a button to press to shake, simulating an earthquake and knocking down the newly built creations. Alex liked that part, also.

Wheels vs. no wheels? Frank and Alex race in the friction test by pulling on a rope to drag a sled weighed down with a cinder block. Frank let Alex have the sled with wheels but Alex did not always win. He was too distracted gleefully pointing out to Frank what a good job he was doing pulling the rope.

The pin sensory board was also a big hit.

Outdoors, the occasional big bubble, in the rare instance when I could succeed in forming one, was good for a laugh and a pop. The notable point of this photo is that Frank took it with his new iPhone 16 Pro Max. My birthday present was that Frank finally — yes, finally — gave in, and we got the same iPhones, so doing and learning actions on the phone would be the same for both of us.

Once back home at St Denis, Alex blew out some candles on his doughnut and opened a few gifts. He is holding two more Squishy Dogs like those we got him and that had been such a hit when we went to the Stunt Dog Show two weeks earlier.

Alex did enjoy his birthday. Sometimes repeating an activity known to be a sure winner is the way to go.

Ponder: Migrations

Last month I went to my third meeting of a book club I recently joined.  The assigned book for discussion was Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy ©2020. Migrations is about Franny, a woman who sets out to follow the migratory path of the Arctic Tern from the north pole to the south pole. My initial reaction was, "Really? This sounds like a dull book with loads of scenery ad nauseam and very little plot. And, come on, how much character development can birds have?" But, I was determined to give this every-other-month book club a fair chance, and so I soldiered on. 

An additional impetus to not give up on this novel was a convincing action initiated by the group leader, Carol. She emailed out a list of 19 discussion questions a week before the meeting. I scurried to finished the book, re-inspired by my curiosity. Here are two of the questions.

Question #2: Discuss the novel’s first lines: "The animals are dying. Soon we will be alone here." How does the disappearance of wildlife in mass extinctions shape the characters and plot? What are the similarities and differences between Franny’s world and our own? Would you describe this novel as dystopian? Why or why not?

Question #6: Franny says: "It isn’t fair to be the kind of creature who is able to love but unable to stay." Why does she have so much trouble staying, even with the people she most loves? Did you find that aspect of her character sympathetic? Right before their car accident, Niall tells Franny, "There’s a difference between wandering and leaving. In truth, you’ve never once left me." Do you agree?

What? All the animals are gone? Why can't Franny stay with someone she loves? What car accident? Who is Niall? (I later learned that Niall is a Scottish name that stands for champion and does fit this character). How do wander and leave compare? There must be something more to this book than ice and snow vistas as far as the eye can see. Besides, I might learn something about this Arctic Tern, which I did.

Per a Wikipedia article on the Artic Tern: 

The Arctic tern is famous for its migration; it flies from its Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic and back again each year. The shortest distance between these areas is 19,000 km (12,000 mi). The long journey ensures that this bird sees two summers per year and more daylight than any other creature on the planet. ... It migrates along a convoluted route from its northern breeding grounds to the Antarctic coast for the southern summer and back again about six months later. The birds follow a somewhat convoluted course in order to take advantage of prevailing winds.... The average Arctic tern lives about 30 years and will ... travel some 2.4 million km (1.5 million mi) during its lifetime, the equivalent of a roundtrip from Earth to the Moon more than three times.

As well as interesting things about the bird, I learned interesting things about myself reading this book and participating in a book club. When a book is selected, the library does not normally have enough hard copies to supply all the members. Some members have Kindles and others listen to the book on tape, borrowing an audio version from the library. I downloaded the app Libby and tried listening to the story. I was too distracted. My mind would wander and I would suddenly realize I had missed a large portion of what had been said. I am very much a visual, not audio learner. I bought the book from Amazon, used and inexpensive. It came without a dust cover, just a solid navy blue front and back cover. Oddly enough, I needed that visual enticement, encouraging me to read the book. I found find an image of the cover on my computer, printed it, and wrapped it around the book making it much more appealing and palatable to read. Weird, huh?

Migrations is not a book I would have chosen to read on my own but I am pleased that this book club selection pushed me beyond my comfort zone. The story does go beyond my stereotyping image of a nerdy birdwatcher sitting for hours quietly out in nature in hopes of catching a glimpse of some rare feathery creature. Fanny, in order to follow the migratory path of the tern needs to become a crew member on a fishing vessel.  Some of the experiences and dangers she faces reminded me of the reality TV shoe Deadliest Catch. Per the Wikipedia post on Deadliest Catch:

The show emphasizes the dangers on deck to the fishermen and camera crews as they duck heavy crab pots swinging into position, maneuver hundreds of pounds of crab across a deck strewn with hazards, and lean over the rails to position pots for launch or retrieval, while gale-force winds and high waves lash the deck constantly.

Finally, I am getting to my review of the book. Migrations is slow to start but picks up speed and had me very engaged. It gave me great pause for thought about a wanderlust. Franny wanders from her mom and from Niall but this does not mean she does not love them. I thought of a particular parallel to this as a woman who loves her husband and children dearly but still desires the draw of a career thats take her away from them. The suffering and drama in this book is real and well conveyed. There is a whole cast of characters, a subset of which is on the fishing boat, that are intriguing with hints of an undiscovered depth. There was a human and animal pathos throughout the novel that pierced my heart. Although Migrations is not a selection I would have chose for myself, reading it enabled me to fully experience one of the strengths of participating in a book club, both for the choice of book and discussions about it. I rate this book four stars based on its thoughtful theme, wide range of fascinating characters, and unique topic. I found the plot only weakly relatable to me personally, but do acknowledge that I did not need to be an animal enthusiast to gain enjoyment and growth from this book.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Carbonaro: Lies on Stage

Friday night, May 16th Frank and I attended a magic show at our local Bankhead Theatre titled Carbonaro: Lies On Stage. Per Bankhead Theatre publicity

America’s favorite trickster, Michael Carbanaro, is coming to The Bankhead ready to thrill audiences and conjure up concoctions of unbelievable magic. Best known as the star of “The Carbonaro Effect” on truTV, he has been a magician since youth, he studied experimental theater at NYU and conjured fame with his hidden-camera magic on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”, and appeared on shows like “30 Rock,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “CSI Miami.”

We had seats up close to the stage, D1 and D3, as shown by the dots on the seating chart. Surely with seats this near we would be able to spot some of the secrets behind the "tricks". Nope. Not so. Our great view yielded us no insights or advantages enabling us to figure "How did he do that?".

The show was absorbing, about 90 minutes with no intermissions, but atypical of what I would expect of a magician. He did not pull any rabbits out of a hat. He did not saw anyone in half. He did rejoin ropes cut in a multitude of pieces and a perform a few pick your card type illusions. Much of the enjoyment came from his ability to engage the audience with his non-stop narration and endearing antics. At times, it seemed the time to set up a trick was a bit too long, but his banter was fun to watch and hear. There was a great deal of audience participation, so the show time passed quickly. Frank and I both grinned and scratched our heads at some of the "lies" like mind reading, invisibility, helium filled balloons that go up and down, and repeatedly appearing and re-appearing gnomes.

It was a fun, low-effort excursion on our part and I am glad we went for the evening. To get a feel for the type of "lies" and "bulls**t"" he is know for, check this YouTube link for a few examples of the Carbonaro Effect. The video is a mash up of severals pranks from his television show and worth watching for a few giggles. It is just possible that after the first set-up, you will go down the rabbit hole and laugh your way through at least some of the clips. The expressions on the face of each of his marks are priceless.

Ponder: By the Book

Jasmine Guillory is an author whose romance books I read when I want something light and frivolous. By the Book is the eighth book I've read by her. Her first three books I gave three stars each, her next three books also three stars, her seventh book only two stars, but her ninth book, Flirting Lessons, I abandoned after one and a half chapters and so zero stars for it. But with this, her eighth book, I became re-enamored with the author and I give By the Book four stars.

The plot in By the Book is that Isabelle, a young professional, currently working as an editorial assistant at a high profile New York publishing firm, aspires to become a book editor, or perhaps even an author in her own rite. Eager to get ahead, she volunteers to personally contact a famous celebrity, one of the firm's problem clients, and facilitate his submittal of behind schedule drafts of his memoir. Beau lives in a mansion in Santa Barbara. The man may be jaded and disagreeable, but the silver lining in that cloud is that a few days in California would be luscious reprieve for Isabelle from the cold, slushy, bitter winter in New York City.

What are the demons in Beau's life that make writing his memoir so difficult? In addition to the subject matter, what are the writing skills he struggles with that are contributing to his writer's block? Isabelle is precisely the feisty, yet patient and understanding, person Beau needs to help him out of his slump, personal and literary. The writing tips and motivational approaches are a bonus to the text of this novel.  The romantic entanglement is predictable, but the process in getting to the inevitable outcome is oh so enjoyable. 

I'd read those first seven books of Jasmine Guillory within August, September and October of 2022. Here are excerpts from those three blog posts.

• 8/30/22 (three-romance-novels) Was it rocket science? Hardly, especially not with a book published about every ten months. But I still gained some insight into other life experiences. I rate each of them three stars.
• 9/12/22 (three-more-romance-novels) There were intimations about other peripheral characters that make me wonder if perhaps more books are coming. I rate each of the above books three stars. They were a fictional romp that were worth the enjoyable time investment.
• 10/26/22 (ponder-drunk-on-love) There is no association with characters from the first six books and I found that absence a bit disappointing. ... [two stars] I think I will hold off on Jasmine Guillory's future books for a while. I may be saturated or she may be morphing her style to something less attractive to me.

I am glad I did not hold off on Jasmine Guillory's books since I chilled with relaxed reading time and  gained a few writing tips while enjoying this romance novel. I give By the Book four stars. My rating seems in keeping with the 3,500Amazon readers who rated By the Book an average of 4.2 stars. Perhaps they represent the limited audience to whom I refer in my rating.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Stunt Dogs with Alex

On Sunday, May 11th Frank, Alex, and I went to see Chris Perondi's Stunt Dog Experience at our local Livermore Bankhead Theatre.  I have taken Alex to this show before and it was every bit as good as I remembered it. 

While we were waiting for the show to start we heard the barking of a dog from backstage. At the sound Alex laughed and started clapping. He clapped though the entire show. We had excellent seats with an unobstructed view of the stage — F /116, F/117, F/118 — as shown by the yellow X's in the seating chart.

  

The stunts of the dog were fast and amazing; all were reliably and gleefully performed. There was frisbee tossing of course, rapid fire and with an exceptional catch rate.  There was a competition like agility trials racing through tunnels, negotiating a slalom run, and leaping over hurdles. There was high jumping, somersaulting, and balancing acts. All the time it was obvious the dogs loved it! Diggy Dog was a comical canine-clothed human who desperately wanted to be included in the performance. Some kids from the audience were invited to the stage also.

After the show there was a meet and greet session in the lobby. Alex got up close and personal to pet and receive a kiss from each of three stars of the show. All were friendly and gentle with Alex.

 

Every show has souvenirs. In the lobby these lightweight "Squishy Dogs" were for sale. The 4.5'' dogs are designed for stress relief and sensory play. Alex loved the feel of a sample and would not put it down. We got him a second "Squishy Dog" so he would have one for each hand. He clung on to them, squeezing away and laughing.

After revisiting the first dog who gave him a kiss, Alex said his good-byes. He did not, even once, put down his "Squishy Dogs" all the way home.

BiIl and Mary Visit

Thursday, May 8th and Friday, May 9th we were excited to have a visit from Bill and Mary Berner. Bill is a college friend of Frank's from their undergraduate days at Saint Joseph University in Philadelphia. They'd driven across the country from Philadelphia as a road trip. We have not seen Bill and Mary in over a decade, maybe longer, so it was fun to catch up. They have been married over 50 years, a mark we hit this September. The four of us sat around and enjoyed the conversation about the past and the present. Past... both Bill and Mary were heavily into the field of education: Bill as a teacher and as a set-up tech for college physics classroom demonstrations, and Mary as a teacher and private Catholic girl school principal. Bill is a devout collector of antique and unique scientific equipment. Present... they were out here in northern California to take their nephew to a wedding and to pick up antique museum quality computers. 

Beside academics, St. Joe's is famous for its basketball team and in particular its team mascot The Hawk. Bill Berner has the prestige of having been selected as The Hawk for 2 seasons in 1969-70. 

The Hawk is the mascot of Saint Joseph's University. The Hawk is known for continually flapping its wings, even during halftime, throughout every basketball game. It is estimated the Hawk flaps about 3,500 times per game. This act is often associated with the University's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die", which supposedly was first shouted by fans during a game with Villanova. The Hawk, who debuted in 1955, is one of the most decorated mascots in college sports. It has been named the best college mascot by ESPN College Basketball Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and The Sporting News.

Then Frank showed off his trains to Bill. Afterward, the two of them programmed and installed seven smoke detectors that have been awaiting deployment.

 

Mary and I found we both enjoy jigsaw puzzles so we did a 300 piece apple one and a 500 piece scenic one. While the boys played, we kept busy and chatted.

We went out for dinner both evenings: Thursday at the local corner Italian restaurant Strizzi's and Friday night at the local corner Chinese restaurant the Yin Yin.

It was great to see old friends. We are so glad they visited. "The Hawk will never die!"