1
Reading the Oscar nominations, I realised that our household’s film-watching has been very off-pace in recent months. So, in quick succession, evenings this week have been spent watching Anatomy of a Fall, The Holdovers and The Zone of Interest. It’s the latter, Jonathan Glazer’s film about the Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss and his family, who live next to the concentration camp, that settles on you. It leaves you wondering how up close any of us could be to evil and still try to carry on as normal.
2
I left my phone at home by mistake this week and it was OK. The other half was working from home so, every hour or two, I would phone him from my desk to have my text and WhatsApp messages read aloud. He makes for a pretty good PA but he could, perhaps, be a bit chirpier when I interrupt his day for the 10th time.
3
The main problem with my enforced digital detox was when I had to dash to an appointment at the dental hygienist in the rain. The practice has just moved to a new clinic and, though I checked Google Maps before I departed, I realised on arrival (on my bicycle, in the rain) that I couldn’t remember where the surgery was situated precisely. It was only when I saw someone dressed in a dentist-y outfit that I was able to ascertain the exact location of my destination (thankfully she wasn’t just someone en route to an afternoon fancy-dress party). Mental mapping needs attention. I’ll get my new PA on that straight away.
4
After watching The Zone of Interest, I spent the next few hours reading about Höss, his capture and trial, and his wife Hedwig, played by Sandra Hüller. In real life, she remarried after the execution of her husband, who she ultimately betrayed, and moved to the US, where she lived out the rest of her years. How did people slip back into the shadows as if nothing had happened?
5
I am a good flosser (as in dental, not the dance move) but as dentists chip away bits of plaque, the sensation makes you feel as though an entire archaeological dig is occurring in your mouth. I was very disappointed when the hygienist failed to find a Roman coin or two by the end of the proceedings.
6
Macy the fox terrier has spent a few days in the office with me this week. Many years ago, when she first started coming to work, she would follow me all day, making sure that I wasn’t going to leave her behind. But, over time, her confidence has grown and she has found her preferred spot, far away from me, on a sofa in the editorial meeting room. Now I often find myself asking colleagues whether they know her whereabouts, only to be told that she’s joined a budget meeting or is attending someone’s job interview. Confidence born of repetition.
7
And if all else fails this week, there’s always The Holdovers. It might be a preppy-boy angst spectacular, a new Dead Poets Society, but that’s often just fine. And it’s got the moving performance of Da’Vine Joy Randolph to top things off.