Message 197

I just got back from having coffee with Helen and Jin and Helen's daughter. Jodi and her husband are driving back to Seattle today. They were here for Thanksgiving. Jodi is expecting a baby in June, which will be Helen's first grandchild.

Last night I went to the Couple Club dinner. I took slices sourdough baguettes as my contribution.

Today Joshua said he would come over to watch football and we could go to The Dutch Goose for hamburgers.

Message 196

Yesterday afternoon Jason came up with Carolyn and Melanie and picked up Ellie and Amelia. It was great to see all the girls.

Last night Joshua brought in pizza and we watched the Sharks beat Dallas 6-2. Afterward I watched a DVD of Thelma and Louise. I give it four stars. Even though it is an old classic, directed by Ridley Scott and is Brad Pitt's first role, for some reason I never saw it when it was in the theaters. Maybe I was in Rome at the time and not going to movies.

Today I have already done a load of laundry, including changing the sheets on my bed. My washing machine is so small, I have to wash the two big sheets in separate loads. I washed the fitted one today, so I will wash the top sheet tomorrow. I will remake my bed with another set today.

Message 195

We all (including Jamie and Chelsea and the twins) had a good turkey dinner at Umbach's yesterday. Afterward Amelia and Ellie came with me to spend the night. Ellie and I watched Spirit before she went to bed. Amelia and I then watched the next to last disk of season 3 of Buffy.

We just got back from having breakfast at El Cerrito. Amelia had the American Burrito, Ellie had pancakes and sausage, and I had my usual bacon and eggs and sourdough toast. They are now watching cartoons while I write this message.

Message 194

Last night Joshua came over to watch the Sharks beat Chicago in overtime. I had already eaten, so he cooked one of my chicken pot pies for himself.

I told him he could come to the Thanksgiving dinner at Linda and Walt's if he wanted, but I will be surprised if he makes it. I am taking cherry pie and ice cream for dessert and four bottles of sparkling cider for all to drink.

Message 193

Tonight I watched a Russian movie called Dersu Uzala by the famous Japanese director Kurosawa. It was set in Siberia in the early 20th century. I give it 3 stars, although it was well done with a noble theme and realistic scenes. It reminded me of my life in Alaska.

I am sending this message before I go to bed because I am going to have breakfast with Vanessa and Annie at Heidi's pies in the morning. We are doing it on Wednesday this week because Vanessa and Julian and the kids are driving up to Maureen's place in the mountains for the Thanksgiving weekend.

Tomorrow I have to go to PAMF to refill my prescription again. I have to do it every two weeks. After that I have to go to Martha's Pastries in the Sharon Heights Shopping Center to pick up the cherry pie I ordered for Thanksgiving dinner with the family at Linda and Walt's.

Message 192

Yesterday was a quiet and routine day. I did laundry, walked to the post office, and went in the hot tub. I received a nice Thanksgiving card for grandpa from Alex, with two nice pictures.

Last night I watched a DVD of Lars and the Real Girl. I give it three stars, but it was different and interesting.

Message 191

Yesterday I watched the 49ers lose to Dallas. They played well at times, but did not have what it took when it counted. I also watched the Raiders beat Denver. The finally got their act together and played a good game. I am sure Al Davis must be proud. Later I watched most of the game between San Diego and the Colts. I was for San Diego, but the Colts were better. I changed the channel to Fox at 8 PM when the new mini-part of 24 came on. Joshua came over and watched it with me. It was good to see Jack Bauer back in action.

This morning I am going to walk to the post office, across from the Dutch Goose, and get a receipt for returning the Turbo Tax that came in the mail in spite of my canceling the automatic renewal months ago. I called my credit card company and told them to cancel the payment. They advised me to get the receipt from the post office when I returned it.

Message 190

Yesterday I watched Cal beat Stanford in what around here is called The Big Game. In the evening I watched the Sharks beat the Capitols 7-2. Also, I read all of Friday's The Economist.

Today I will watch football and work on writing my memoirs. I am now on page 14 and am starting the Third Grade in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Message 189

Last night I watched the movie Mongol, the first part of a trilogy about the life of Genghis Kahn. I only give it three stars because it is hard reading the subtitles, and the culture portrayed is so strange that many things are incomprehensible. However, it is a grand spectacle and an adventure of epic proportions. Also, because it is based on a true historical series of events, I give it a lot of respect. I find it extraordinary that one out of every 400 people on earth alive today is descended from Genghis Kahn.

This morning I will meet Helen and Jim for coffee and do my grocery shopping. Joshua said he would come over tonight to watch the Sharks game.

Message 188

After Beech's echocardiogram yester day, Vanessa, Beech, Annie, and I went to Tokyo Subway for dinner. We got there about 5 PM, so we had the place to ourselves. The doctor at Packard said Beech should wait until next fall for surgery to replace his valve.

Last night I did not watch a DVD. I just finished reading my Science magazine.

Message 187

It is almost noon, and I just got back from having breakfast with Vanessa and Annie. There was an accident or something that had closed Sand Hill Road going toward my condo, so I eventually had to turn around and get back on I280 to Woodside Road and take Alameda de Las Pulgas home. At least it gave me a lot of time to listen to NPR.

Last night I watched the last episode of The Wire. There are still a couple of Special Features about the show that I will try to watch today, then I will be finished with it. It is quite a good series, and I still give it five stars.

Vanessa has to take Beech to Packard for another echocardiogram this afternoon. Afterward she may come by with the kids so we can go out for burgers.

Message 186

Last night I watched disk 4 of season 5 of The Wire. Only one more disk to go, and it will all be over.Today I will finish last Friday's edition of The Economist, and tonight I will probably watch the last disk of The Wire. In other words, not much is happening here.

Message 185

Yesterday I took Beech to lunch and his gymnastics class. He had a little bit of a cold, so he did not go to school. They have a rule about not coming to school sick. In the evening Joshua brought in food from Chili's, and we watched the Sharks game. They beat Nashville 4-1.

Vanessa just called and said Beech was not well enough to go to school, so she is bringing him and Annie down to pick me up and go to Starbucks for coffee.

Message 184

Last night Joshua brought pizza and we watched the Sharks beat Chicago. Tonight he said he would come over and watch them play Nashville. Yesterday I watched the Raiders lose to Miami and the 49ers beat St. Louis. So the home teams won two out of three, which is better than has been usual of late.

After Josh left I watched PBS and saw a Nature program on the bald eagle and Masterpiece Contempory.

I even turned in early, before midnight, last night.

Today I am picking up Beech to take him to lunch and to gymnastics.

Message 183

Yesterday Jason and Ellie came by and we went to lunch at El Cerrito. Jason and I each had a chimichanga, mine pork and his chicken. Ellie had the toasted cheese sandwich and a bowl of fruit, but she got upset about something and did not eat a bite, so Jason took hers home in a box.

Last night I watched disk 2 of season 5 of The Wire. Then I read some more of Friday's edition of The Economist. I turned in early (for me) at about 12:30 AM.

Today I will watch the Raiders at 10 AM, and the 49ers at 1 PM. Joshua is coming over at 4 PM so we can watch the Sharks game. During all these games I will continue to read The Economist.

As you can see. Nothing much is happening. The weather is beautiful again. At night it is about 50 degrees and during the day it will be near 80 in Menlo Park.

Message 182

I am waiting for Helen and Jim to call to meet for coffee. We are having something of a heat wave. It is supposed to go over 80 again today. Last night I watched part of disk 2 of season 5 of The Wire.

Julian is going to bring his AAA card today and have AAA come and bring him a new battery. I will walk up to coffee and then drive up later this afternoon to do my grocery shopping.

Message 181

Yesterday after breakfast at Heidi's Pies, Vanessa, Beech, Annie, and I went to Ellie's birthday party, five candles. It was a very nice party. Chelsea was there with the twins, plus a couple of Susan's friends were there with there kids. Vanessa took her bouncy house and set it up in the front yard.

We drove to Los Gatos in my van, and when we got back we discovered that Vanessa's van had a dead battery. It was late afternoon, and the kids were tired, so I had her drive home in my van. She will come down this morning and get a new battery.

Last night I watched the Sharks beat Calgary 6-1. It was one of those games where everything goes well.

Charlie Rose had a good show last night, so I think I will watch it again at noon today. It dealt with what the world has to do to control it financial system

Message 178

Last night I picked up Jason at SFO on his return from the Starcraft weekend at Nyack. Jamie did not make it this year, but all the other regulars did, including Sean.

When I got home, the 49ers game on Monday Night Football was over, so I read more of The Economist. Apparently the 49ers played well, but the still lost to Arizona, so they are not yet ready for prime time.

Tonight the Sharks play Nashville, so I will watch them.

Message 179

This morning I am sending this message early before I leave to have breakfast with Vanessa and Annie at Heidi's pies. Afterward we will pick Beech up at school and go to Los Gatos for Ellie's birthday party.

Last night I watched disk 1 of season 5 of The Wire. This season has the newspaper business as part of the story, like season had education.

Message 178

Last night I watched the Sharks game. Even though they led most of the game, they ended up losing to Nashville in overtime.

After the game I read some more of The Economist. As usual, I watched Charlie Rose at midnight and turned in at 1 AM.

Today I will walk up to Sharon Heights and pick up my Boniva and Flonase prescriptions.

Message 177 (yesterdays 177 should have been 176)

I just got back from PAMF where I had to pick up a refill of my prescription for my bladder antibiotic solution. I was not sure they would be open today because so many places are closed for the holiday, but fortunately for me, they were.

It was wonderful yesterday to have Caroline, Ellie, and Beech with me after their overnight. I took them to the Redwood City McDonalds with the play area for breakfast. They had a good time bur did not eat much of their pancake breakfasts. They all did drink two containers of chocolate milk though. Julian brought over a bunch of tacos at noon. Susan brought the twins and their friend Iris over on their way to PAMF for their flu shots, so they too enjoyed the tacos before they left.

Even though I loved having the kids stay with me, it was nice when they went home, so I was able to relax. I still have not finished putting the condo back in order, but I am doing a little here and there every day, so it will soon be back to normal.

Today I take Beech to his gymnastics class. He does not have school today, because they are closed for the holiday. Because we shall have extra time, I will give him a choice of whether he wants to have lunch at Heidi's Pie or at our usual McDonalds. I assume he will choose McDonalds because he mostly wants the toy that comes with the happy meal.

Last night I watched Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS, and went to bed early, about midnight instead of my usual 1 AM.

Message 177

Yesterday I took Beech and Annie to Los Gatos to go out to lunch with Susan and the girls. Afterward we came back to play for a couple of hours . Annie loved playing in Ellie's room with all of her girly toys. She would pick up a doll and give it a hug and say baby.

When it was time to leave Caroline asked if she could spend the night a my house. Then Ellie said she wanted to stay too. Then Beech said he wanted to stay with the girls at my house instead of staying at Maureen's with Annie, so that the way it turned out to be.

In spite of the kids staying up and playing pretty roughly, I was able to watch the Sharks game. They beat Dallas 2-1, scoring the winning goal with 28 seconds to go in the 3rd period. The sharks still have more points than any other team in the NHL.

The kids are still asleep. Today is my Boniva day, so I can't eat for anoter hour.

Message 175

Last night I watched a DVD of Snow Angels. I give it only two stars in spite of the fact that it was very well made. The problem is that it is such a downer. It depicts the life of ordinary people in a small town somewhere in the northern United States during winter with snow and ice contributing to an overall bleak atmosphere. Virtually everyone has meaningless, empty, banal, and hopeless lives. Divorce and infidelity are common and evangelical religion is well entrenched. An innocent child dies of neglect, and the movie ends with murder and suicide. The only attractive characters are a high school couple who seen still to have a chance of making it in the world. Even though these are all valid components of real live, it is not entertaining to be reminded of it.

This morning I am meeting Helen and Jim for coffee, and this afternoon I am taking Beech and Annie to play with Susan's girls while Julian and Vanessa go to a wedding in Napa. Jason is in Nyack this weekend. The kids are going to stay overnight at Maureen's.

Message 174

I have finished my exercises, breakfast, and two laps around the condo loop. I have a load of laundry in the washing machine. Vanessa and the kids are going to stop by this afternoon. She has to take Beech to the doctor to ask what can be done about his migraines. He had his first migraine night before last, vomiting and all. By the next morning he was OK. So it seems that Liz, Julian, and now Beech have inherited the migraine gene from my father's mother.

Last night I watched the Sharks beat St. Louis in an overtime shootout. I am sure Ethan, Julie, and Alex would have preferred the opposite outcome, but I root for the Blues except when they play the Sharks.

Message 173

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. We were a little later than usual this morning because we drove up to San Francisco so Vanessa could deliver a wedding present to her friend Dana, who is getting married on Saturday. I am going to watch Beech and Annie while Julian and Vanessa go to the wedding. I will take them down to Susan's so they can play with their cousins. Jason is in Nyack or the Starcraft weekend.

Last night I watched the DVD of a movie called reprise. I only give it one star. It was clearly a mistake to get it. It must have been recommended by a critic. It is a Norwegian film, and very artsy and psychological. The subtitles were a nuisance to read and the characters were struggling with youthful angst and clinical depression. It was a downer and a total failure in my opinion.

What a relief it is that Obama won the election. He has a lot of work ahead of him, but I feel confident that he is smart enough to know how to do the best things, so there is no point in my thinking about what he should do. I am happy to leave it all in his hands.

Message 172

Yesterday I watched Annie for a couple of hours around lunch time. She is walking and climbing all over the place now. She is a delight to be with.

Last night Joshua brought over fish and chips to eat while we watched the Sharks game and the election results. What a great evening! The Sharks beat Minnesota to maintain their status as the best team in the NHL, and of course Obama won by a landslide, which is awe inspiring. I was thrilled to hear him use the word sacrifice in his victory speech.

Message 171

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school and took him to McDonalds and to his gymnastics.

Last night I watched the DVD of Recount. I give it five stars. That is two movies in a row that I have rated five stars, and they both were based on real events. I had seen a Charlie Rose show about Rerun. It was done very fairly and based on actual TV coverage or books by the participants. Needless to say, it made me nervous about how things are going to turn out today. Surely Obama will have a landslide victory.

You all may have noticed that these messages are now duplicated on my blog. Please let me know if you want me to keep up with the email as well as the blog or if I should shift to blog only. Which is more convenient for you?

Message 170

Yesterday I watched football and read The Economist. The Raiders disgraced themselves again. Julian and Beech came over and watched the Raiders game with me in the afternoon.

Joshua brought pizza over in the evening and watched the Sharks game. They beat Denver and have the best record in the NHL, so at least we have one team to feel good about.

Helen has taken the day off, so we are meeting at Le Boulanger for coffee in downtown Menlo Park. While still on Claire Place, Sally and I used to always meet them there, so this will be like old times.

Message 169

The rain has stopped and it is sunny, so I walked a couple of laps around the condo loop.

Yesterday I watched the end of season 4 of The Wire. Otherwise I just read the Economist.

Vanessa has helped me set up a blog, so you may get this same message on my blog.

Saturday 1 November 2008

This being Saturday, I just got back from having coffee with Helen and Jim, and form doing my weekly grocery shopping.

Last night I went to a movie with Larry and Judi. We saw Changeling, the new movie by Clint Eastwood. It was based on a true story, with Angelina Jolie, showing the corruption of the LA police Department in 1928. It was quite powerful. I give it four stars. I got home just in time to watch Charlie Rose, who had a good program, as usual.