Tender is the Night

Meet my close personal friend, Sophie, who recently joined her jet-set friend on the Cote d'Azur where she is attending and reporting on the Cannes Film Festival.

If you click on her name in the previous paragraph, you'll be directed to her Chicago Sun-Times blog which she keys at the request of noted film critic Roger Ebert [read his own Cannes journal].

Of course, the Riviera is a particularly lovely part of my native France, about which people simply gush, "Location, Location, Location." Human beings are spell bound by the colors, the climate, the beaches, the water, the "picturesque natives," and the glitterati. The Riviera forms the background of many famous films--To Catch a Thief--and novels--Tender is the Night. Even George Simenon could not resist sending his hero, the incomparable Maigret, to noodle out the cause of death of a former French resistance worker in Maigret on the Rivera.

Ah, the Cote d'Azur nights, balmy, gently breezy, the frequent sightings of both the quirkily dramatic and the utterly simple haute couture, dazzling diamonds and moonlight, the food, wine, the tender trembling moments when life seems to hang in balance between the earthly and the sublime-- but perhaps these are subjects for my own future blogs.

Dear friends and fans, I hope you will check Sophie's blog regularly. She is an excellent writer, a keen observer, and a practiced participant at the Cannes film festival with a broad and deep knowledge of films both classic and contemporary. Equally important, she is a young woman for whom I have a deep affection, respect, and admiration. Indeed, I love her very much.

Although she asked me to accompany her on this great adventure, I was unable to comply. For much as I miss my international and Hollywood film friends and know that my presence would be of great service to Sophie, Maman and Papa need me more. Without me, their simple Athens lives would doubtless fall into chaos and that is something that duty no less than affection will not permit. So I must be satisfied with these Chicago Sun-Times images of the Cote d'Azur and my darling Sophie, and the "Sophie Kohn from Cannes blog." Read her first entry, A Market Badge of One's Own [such a clever title], now and return frequently for updates [to her blog & to mine!].

Santa's Visit

Below, find the letter I mailed to Santa on behalf of the Roushanzamir family. It's rather lengthy. Please persevere. The letter is followed by our success rate and analysis.

2006 Letter to Santa [Christmas Gift Request Letter for the Roushanzamir Family]:

Dear, Wonderful Santa,

On behalf of myself and my Papa & Mama here find our lists of What We Want for Christmas. We have all been very well behaved: no pouting, no crying, no shouting, and etc. In other words, we've all been really good indeed. All year long.

[OK: for the sake of honesty we've all been as good as can be expected. And we hope that, with promises for even better behavior next year (2007), you'll feel free to honor our wishes this year (2006).]

In alphabetical order by first name:

Mama:

1 cool African market basket from Earth Fare

1 soft silk and cashmere sweater, long & lean style

Doctor Who - The Key to Time Collection (1975)
Doctor Who - The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1975)

Doctor Who - Earthshock (Episode 122) from
Doctor Who - The Five Doctors (Episode 130)
The Maigret DVD Collection

A special Queen's coronation box

Dickens' leather-bound writing journal

Bezzel-set diamond necklace set in 18-carat gold

Mercury:

No need to include my wishes here. I've emailed my wish list far ahead of time with the caveat that if you don't receive it, I'll resend. So let me know.

Saeidy:

$50 gift certificate from Old Navy
Avenger’s calander
All-England football wind jacket
Western-style belt

Santa, I've spent a great deal of time & care assembling these lists for our family.

One factor stands out: Mama's list is the longest.

Please don't hold this against her or think her greedy. The truth of the matter: Mama is my hero. Although I take her for granted, I know she's the one who stays with me all day long and puts my needs before her own. I do not mean to imply that Papa & I do not equally deserve consideration. Simply put, although the length of Mama's list is greater, her actions should not be considered avaricious nor be counted as Bad Behavior.

Santa, we all love you & think of you throughout each year (not only close to Christmas time). Are you doing well? We hope so. Say hello to Mrs. Santa and all your pals at the North Pole.

Finally, we hope you can slip down our chimney despite the fact that a block was put up on the roof to keep out undesirables; but that does not mean you!

Lots of Love from your good friend ,
Mercury Murphy Roushanzamir

p.s. One more note about Mama's list. Perhaps Saeid will get her the African market basket. Contact him so there's no duplication

************************************************************************

The Results:

Apparently the letter was received; as a group we had an 90% success rate [margin of error +/- 3].

For example, Although I'd asked for 3 rapping plush dog toys, I received only one. It was, however, my first choice. When squeezed, it raps: "D--O--G D--O--G what you gonna do, what you gonna do when they come for you?"

Mama did find all the requested Dr. Who dvd/s except "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." She received the leather-bound Dickens journal. Sadly the Maigret dvd/s were not under the tree [a living Cypress]. Nor was there an African basket. She knew the diamond necklace was a long shot anyway; it may have been her demise [see analysis below].

Saeid's every wish was granted.

Analysis :

Mama, in making her [too] many requests, overstepped the boundaries of good gift requesting taste. Her faux-pas was noted, despite my well-crafted plea.

Mercury: Admittedly many of my requests were for the arcane, the mysterious, the rare. So I don't complain; with the exception of a spa robe [which Mama has agreed to return & exchange], all my presents were toys. No sweaters, pj/s or cute doggie accessories [see the September 7, 2006 entry for the suggestive books regarding smaller dogs' preferences].

As for Saeid, it seems that Santa agrees with the allegation that "Saeid's the nicest guy in Athens." I include the quotation marks for good reason: how many times have I listened to Athenians from the day, townies, and newcomers alike make that remark.

Finally: As you may know, Mama serves as my photographer as well as fulfilling other support functions. But, replete with Christmas food & drink, a recuperation period is in order.

Shots of the best of the best gifts from Santa will appear in due course as will tips for crafting your own letter to Santa in 2007.

Mysterious Mercury and Maigret

Reading is my hobby. Although as a dog I also enjoy chewing furniture, playing fetch-the-ball, gnawing on socks & shoes and other traditional past-times, I found that reading books is on a par with eating books.


And my favorite genre: detective stories, i.e. mysteries.


If I had to recommend a Favorite Author, I'd choose Georges Simenon, a prolific Belgian writer of "demi-novels" which include his world-famous Maigret series.

Above is a picture of Inspector Jules Maigret, that Paris fixture whose wisdom & compassion extends to the criminal class even while he remains committed to the rule of law. The quote below annotates the lot; read much more at this wonderful Maigret website http://www.trussel.com/f_maig.htm

"The Maigret stories are unlike any other detective stories — the crime and the details of unraveling it are often less central to our interest than Maigret's journey through the discovery of the cast of characters... towards an understanding of man. Simenon said he was obsessed with a search for the "naked man" — man without his cultural protective coloration, and he followed his quest as much in the Maigrets as in his "hard" novels."

Paris is Maigret's city. Although his origins were rural (see Maigret Goes Home), he lives and breathes the city, familiar with all the nooks and alley ways, with the crooks, the wealthy & politicos alike. Maigret's First Case [not the first published] recounts the story of a young, new-to-city life and recently married Maigret who unmasks the secrets of a wealthy, powerful family. My personal pick: Maigret and the Tavern by the Seine. The plot concerns a formerly unreported murder which a condemned prisoner boasts of witnessing; Maigret will solve this 4-year old crime. Miagret explores the world of petit-bourgeouis young marrieds, their often numbing work and home lives, their play times (Maigret inadvertantly participates in a mock wedding), their escapes from each other (Maigret befriends James who allows himself 1 hour a day after work to drink Pernod and more Pernod at the Taverne Royale). And perhaps the sweetest Maigret novel: Madame Maigret's Own Case.

In all there are 75 Maigret novels, 28 short stories and each a master piece of elegant simplicity and an intriguing mystery in which the bad guy is caught and the reader participates with Maigret/Simenon in exploring the vaguaries of human nature.

***Mercury Rating: First Rate: all highly recommended***

Remember to check back during the next week as I continue to list and describe other mysteries, current and classic. Each will include the highly prized Mercury Rating evaluation.