Odds and Ends

Thanks for all your help with the great shoe hunt.  I ended up ordering this pair from Macy's.  Because I had a 20% off coupon, and because I don't think I can walk without wobbling in 5 1/2 inch heels, even though Jessica Simpson obviously thinks this is something I should be able to do.

Nine West Ambitious pumps $69 at Macy's

Alas, they aren't as cute as the Jimmy Choo's, and they don't have the platform of the Jessica Simpson heels, but they're a cute patent leather pump, and they'll go with anything.  So I'm satisfied.

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Yesterday I saw one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.  It was absolutely heartbreaking, but also fascinating and intriguing and astonishing.  And I learned something about history that I didn't know before.  Also David agreed that it was really good.  It's called Sarah's Key and it stars Kristin Scott Thomas and it is SO worth the price of theater admission to see it.  It's about an American journalist who is living in Paris and she discovers the apartment she's about to move into is connected to a Jewish family who was deported during World War II.  She starts investigating their story.  The plot unfolds through flashbacks and present-day investigations.  I was filled with dread and hope the entire time.

Of course it made me think of the time we were in Paris a couple summers ago, when we tried to visit the memorial museum.  Unfortunately, it happened to be closed for renovations.  But we got to see part of it in the movie.  Such a shameful part of a beautiful city's history.  And so unbelievable that I'm only a couple of generations removed from those events.

Of course, as you can imagine, any story about what happened to a Jewish family during World War II is bound to be a heartbreaker, and this one is no exception.  But that's also precisely why it's worth seeing.  In fact, the film comments directly on why such sad stories need to be told, and need to be remembered.  Still, if you're emotionally fragile, there are parts that will be really difficult to watch (the historical facts make it all the more horrifying).  But I am still thinking about the movie twenty-four hours later, and I'm glad we went to see it.

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Speaking of French stuff, if you want to rent a DVD (or watch a great film on Netflix instant queue), let me recommend the movie Tell No One.  I guess the genre would be suspense.  The story is a mystery--it's about a doctor whose wife was murdered eight years ago, and then he receives an e-mail with a link to a video that seems to show his wife alive and well.  Yes, it's in French, so it's subtitled and you have to pay closer attention than usual (sometimes I like to work on sewing projects or ironing while watching TV but this movie required my full attention since I had to read the dialogue).  I also fell in love with the soundtrack.  A couple of the songs are now on our iPods in our playlists of songs that make us think of Eliza.  So good.

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And speaking of history, also there's a book recommendation I can make, while I'm bossing everyone on the internet around and telling them what movies to see:  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Schaffer.

I feel like people talked a lot about this book a few years ago--it was the sort of thing that books clubs were reading, I think.  I came to it later than that, and I started reading this book having no idea what to expect.  To my surprise (and delight!) I discovered that it's historical fiction in epistolary form.  Meaning that it's set on the island of Guernsey (located in the English channel between England and France) during World War II, and the story is told through a series of letters.  To be honest, it takes a little bit to get into the story, so give yourself a few letters before you make up your mind about it.  Once you become familiar with the characters, you'll get totally absorbed in the story.  At least I did.

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Yesterday we discovered Trader Joe's carries ready to bake brownie mix.  It's actually ready to bake.  As in, you don't have to add eggs or oil or anything.  It just comes in a baggie ready to be poured into a pan.  Could anything be more of a short cut?  I mean seriously.  Who buys that sort of thing?  How lazy can you be?

Let me tell you:  those brownies taste pretty good.   Especially with ice cream.