Thursday again?

Thursday night, Todd is in bed, I'm at the 'puter. I'm watching/listening to a Reno 911 episode on a free video site, which is a pretty lousy site, but which I'm linking because you can also watch all the British episodes of The Office there. If you've never seen it, it's definitely worth checking out. But not with kids in the room--the Brits are a leetle more lax with their TV standards than we are over here.

I hadn't seen the British version in a few years, since we rented it. Then the American version came out and I was quite disdainful of it after watching the pilot, because it seemed like--and actually, was at that point--a poorly warmed-over version of the British pilot. But then the Americans found their own creative groove, and now the American Office is one of the best things on TV--in my humble opinion.

The British version really struck me, on my recent re-viewing, as even darker and harsher than I remembered, after the sunnier American version. But it really has some incredible moments, so check it out if you never have!

I wanted to mention a recent read...the majority of my reading is non-fiction, but I made a foray over into fiction and it came out pretty well. The book was March, by Geraldine Brooks, which has been on my "to read" list, for oh--two years or so!

The book is written in the voices of the parents from Little Women, which was a huge childhood favorite of mine. This book explores Father March's experiences in the Civil War, and the toll it took on his relationship with Marmee, his wife. There are also flashbacks that fill in some of the backstory of Little Women--how Father and Marmee met, the source of Aunt March's difficult relationship with the family, how the Marches lost their money, etc.

I loved the way the author filled in the blanks of this very familiar story. While Little Women focuses almost exclusively on the March sisters, and sees the world through their eyes, this book gives you the grown-up story, and really explores the harshness of the war, the slave experience, and the terrible hardships that befall Father March. Both Father and Marmee have to look at themselves and rethink every ideal they held dear before the war.

It's beautifully written and haunting...not bad at all. I recommend it, especially if you loved Little Women. And it won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction last year.

Finally, I've been surfing around and have come across a few British craft or home decor or lifestyle blogs, several of which mention an event called the Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair. I would give just about anything to attend the Shepton Mallet Antiques Fair, just based on the name alone. Sounds like the kind of place where you'd find Paddington the Bear strolling arm-in-arm with Miss Jane Marple.

This has been a total February week--cold and kind of listless. I've been favoring my neck and arm this week, but it's all feeling better now, and so am I. Tomorrow: laundry. (AAAAAH!)