Mr. Waffle

I am reading “The Pope’s children” about how Ireland has changed in the last 10 years. The author classifies people in groups. I asked my loving husband “are we Kells angels?” “No” he said, he’s read it all the way to the end, “we’re Hicos.”

“Sorry?”

“Hibernian cosmopolitans: we’ve lived abroad for a bit and we have seen what works elsewhere”.

“Yes, I was just thinking that when I was watching the Princess’s show at the end of her course – child care is so well managed here. I just wish she hadn’t flapped her arms, jumped and stuck out her tongue while the other four year old children stood in line singing to variations on ‘Water Music’ (I love the middle classes). I suppose I wasn’t as embarrassed as the father who’s son spent the performance with his hand down the front of his trousers clutching his penis”.

“Anyway, we’re always going on about it and annoying everyone”.

“Ah yes”

“And we’re vaguely worried about the direction the country is going”.

“Yes!”

“And we would pay more taxes for better healthcare.”

“Yes!!”

We’re off to Ireland for a fortnight’s holiday tomorrow. Let’s hope we don’t manage to irritate too large a proportion of our long suffering friends and families.

Me: Fancy going to a flick tonight.

Him: OK

Me: There’s the film festival at Flagey; how about “Reprise”?

Him: What’s it about?

Me: “Since their childhood, Eric and Phillip wanted to become writers. Their ambition grew through their adoration of the remarkable Norwegian writer Sten Egil Dahl. And one day, each one of them decides to send a story to an editor. Only Phillip’s story is accepted and published. But the sudden media attention he gets and his psychotic obsession of his girlfriend Kari push him beyond the bearable limits.  He ends up in a psychiatric clinic”

Him: Very Nordic.

Me:  Mmm.  There’s more – “The narrative style of Joachim Trier .. reminds one of Christoffer Boe (Reconstruction), without the science fiction. It gives a vibrant atmosphere to the movie, with flashbacks succeeding one another really quickly. You won’t end up on the wrong trail, because the clear emotional story, the catchy soundtrack, the adequate graphics and the intelligent montage, make Reprise one of the most remarkable first long feature of last year”.

Him: Adequate graphics eh?

Me: Silence

Him: You know it has to be in by Tuesday?

Me: Yes, absolutely but let’s go to this European Open Doors thingy this morning.

We live in the capital of Europe, it is a thrill for us to enter its institutions. We went to the Committee of the Regions (don’t ask, you don’t need to know) where the Princess sampled sweets from 41 European regions and the boys were wafted to the ceiling by armfuls of helium balloons. We all came home with a lot of pins. We had intended to go to the Berlaymont and inspect the farm animals, face painters and Beatles tribute bands imported to make the head office of the European Commission seem open and approachable but our children were too light headed from their Committee of the Regions treat to face it. A friend told us that though enjoyable, it was an excellent introduction to bureaucracy as children wanting to participate in the fun had to colour their badge, laminate it and then tick a form before they could fish for treasure.
Him: You know it has to be in by Tuesday?

Me: Yes, absolutely, but it’s F’s birthday party this afternoon.

Him: You know it has to be in by Tuesday?

Me: Yes, absolutely, but we have a babysitter coming. Let’s go to the cinema. Spiderman 3 or La Vie des Autres? A high budget Hollywood blockbuster, predictable fare yet strangely enjoyable or a film about the Stasi in East Germany in 1984, in German (obviously) with French and Dutch subtitles by the outrageously named Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck?

So, we went to see The lives of Others and it was absolutely brilliant and I see it has won all sorts of awards so you’ve probably all seen it already but, just in case not, well worth seeing. Truly, despite the obvious handicaps of subject matter.

Him: You know it has to be in by Tuesday?

Me: Yes, absolutely but I’m going to the toy museum this morning.

Him: You know it has to be in by Tuesday?

Me: Yes, absolutely but the barbecue this afternoon?

Him: You know it has to be in by Tuesday?

Me: Yes, absolutely but I’m exhausted after the weekend’s activities.  And there’s the laundry.  No, no, I’ll do it. I  WANT to do it.
Him: You’re going to end up doing it tomorrow night after your work dinner, aren’t you?

Me: Yes.