MMM...good

Maggie reports:
Here's the 1-2-3 of what I've been up to, my crazy Nyquil-infused dreams notwithstanding.

Reading
I'm finally nearing the end of King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa. I've been reading the history of the Congo backwards, so it's interesting (and blood-chilling) for me to trace the pathways of this country from now back to then. Sometimes I think we see history more clearly when we understand it backwards. It's taken me much longer than it should have to finish this book, but I can't blame that on Adam Hochschild's excellent writing, rather on my own difficulty getting through the bloodiest chapters. It turns out I can zip through the tales of investigative turn-of-the-century reporting and the interplay of missionaries v. mercenaries much better than I can details of indescribable torture, murder, and despair among natives. Hochschild is at his best getting to the inner motivations of the players, from Henry Morton Stanley to E. D. Morel to Roger Casement to William Sheppard to Joseph Conrad to King Leopold himself. He's also impressive at seeing outside of his story to ask deeper questions ("Was the Congo really any worse than what the French or Germans were doing?" "Had [the organizers] understood what kind of revolution they were really calling for, would they have censored themselves?" "If not the Belgians, would the atrocities in the Congo just have been committed by someone else?"). This book is a really fascinating, and often emotionally difficult, read, but one that I recommend wholeheartedly, especially for those interested in colonialism and power.

Watching
As a huge Wes Anderson fan, I was eager to see The Darjeeling Limited (paired with a short, The Hotel Chevalier). This movie is great fun, and everything you expect from an Anderson film. Was there more than expected? I can't really say, but for those who'll take Wes Anderson as is, it was perfect. I didn't need more than his classic touch on family, camaraderie, and adventure. Netflix has given me the oldie-but-goodie Sports Nights series (intriguing viewing for Aaron Sorkin fans, and must-watch stuff for Peter Krause fans), Borat (I think Sacha Baron Cohen is brilliant), Elizabeth (to remind myself of how amazing it is as prep for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which I'm hoping to catch soon although I've heard mixed reviews), An Inconvenient Truth (way more compelling than I'd anticipated, surprisingly), and Knocked Up (with a cast charming enough to help us overlook the plot holes). I found Grey Gardens to be more annoying than it was worth, and couldn't stomach all the bickering and nagging of Short Cuts, despite the stellar cast and how much everyone else seems to adore that movie. Oh well.

Doing
I continue to really love the Dallas Farmers Market, which isn't as huge or all-encompassing as the NC farmers market, but is leaps and bounds better than the ABQ farmers market. It really is a first-rate urban farmers market that I'm so happy to be a regular at now. I showed up late on Sunday not sure if anyone would still be around, and was pleased to discover that it was still bustling enough to fill up my big vegetable bag and then some. Next time I'll take my camera and elaborate, but I get giddy thinking about how much could change if we all committed to going to a farmers market (or participating in a CSA, a better alternative in ABQ) once a week. World-changing, I tell you! Coming down off the Sox win and spending two days in a Nyquil fog doesn't give me much more to talk about in the way of extracurriculars, unless we can count cyber- and tv-stalking the Red Sox victory parade through the streets of Boston while I was home sick, wishing there was a way to transport my[healthy]self into raucous Beantown. Maybe next year, right?

PS: "MMM...good" is a new m-pyre series. Stay tuned for more!