Good evening. It is I Gigi the parti poodle and Demeter the Persian cat is still missing. The Dachshund twins agreed to host our meeting. Ruffles the bulldog was there, Madeline the white and black cat that lives next door, Charlotte the Chow, Edison the Manx and of course Artemis, Demeter’s sister who is still in shambles. Bernard D. Bunny accompanied me and the group of us discussed what may have caused her disappearance. Madeline said she thought she saw her heading down the hill that night towards the park. Artemis said it is possible as her sister loves to take night strolls by the park. The park is small. A swing set, a climbing apparatus, some trees in the back. It is usually a safe place at night, but I pointed out my novelist saw a raccoon the other day. We all shuddered at this. Sometimes there have even been coyote sightings but not recently. Edison said it might be a good idea if we were to still consider she could have been kidnapped. And the park at night would be an excellent place to disappear. Especially since there is a trail that leads through the woods which is short and comes out in a bright area with houses. We all nodded in agreement. But what to do next? We are thinking of going as a group to the park tomorrow to try and see if there are any clues Demeter may have left behind if she was there. I will keep you informed on the matter. Until next week, I bid you adieu.

MY BOOKS

You can check out my books Chicane and all five installments of the Musicology book series Musicology: Volume One, Baby!, Musicology: Volume Two, Kid!, Musicology: Volume Three, Twist!, Musicology: Volume Four, Sweetie! and Musicology: The Epiquad on Amazon in Kindle and Paperback editions. You can also check out Musicology’s web site at www.musicologyrocks.com and vote for who you think will win Musicology!

STREAM OF THE WEEK: THE PENGUIN LESSONS (2024)-NETFLIX

Here’s a heartwarming and poignant comedy-drama told with surprising depth. The movie was directed by Peter Cataneo and written by Jeff Pope and Tom Michell based on Michell’s true-life book about the time he spent as an English teacher in 1976 Argentina. The film varies from the book somewhat as Michell was twenty-three at the time the story takes place, and the arc of the penguin is a little different.

Tom (well played by Steve Coogan) is a risk adverse misanthrope who bounces around teaching at different schools until 1976 when he ends up at exclusive boy’s school St. George’s College in Buenos Aries. The academy is a haven of sorts from the political conflict happening in Argentina. When the school is forced to close for a week due to safety, Tom and his friend, Tapio (Björn Gustafsson) a science teacher at the school, take a trip to Uruguay to pick up women in bars. Tom meets a lady named Carina (Micaela Breque) at a dance club. They spend the night and early morning dancing, talking and walking on the beach. They happen to come across a large group of penguins lying on the sand covered in oil. They appear to be dead, but one starts moving. Carina encourages Tom to save the bird, take it back to his hotel room and wash it. They do and the bird survives. Carina tells Tom she cannot stay because she is married and leaves him with the penguin. Tom then must smuggle the creature through customs and brings it back to the school where Headmaster Timothy Buckle (Jonathan Price) has specifically said the teachers cannot keep pets. Tom hides him on his balcony and day by day the penguin begins to change his outlook on life.  

Rounding out the cast are Vivian El Jaber as Maria, Alfonsina Carrocio as Sofia, and David Herrero as Diego.