Message 228

Yesterday I met with a mortgage broker, the same one Julian is using, to get a new loan. After the information is loaded into the computer we should have the approval in a week or so. Not much work gets done this time of year, or it would be sooner. After the approval, we will wait until the rates go down to at least 4.8 percent, then we will lock in the rate and get the appraisal, which has to be paid for. In other words, if I don't get the rate, I don't have to pay. Within a month or so, I should have the money. This guy seems pretty good, so Joshua and Jason may want to use him too.

Last night I watched a DVD of the Movie Lawn Dogs. It had a cast of actors that were completely unknown to me, and the story was not very appealing. The characters were mostly unpleasant and in spite of a somewhat hopeful ending I give it only three stars.

I am not going to stay up late to celebrate the new year tonight. I am going to bed early so I can get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning and join some friends in Palo Alto to go down to Asilomar for the day. Sally and I used to join this group every year for a few days around New Year's eve. The friends I had dinner with at Sundance a few days ago persuaded me to come down for a one day visit.

Message 227

Yesterday I took Beech to lunch. We tried to go to his gymnastics class after lunch, but it was closed for the holiday season.

Last night Joshua, whose work is also closed down for the holiday season, brought Mexican food and we watched the Sharks beat Dallas, and then we watched the Golden State Warriors beat the Toronto Raptors. What an unusual couple of days. All four of our local professional sports teams won their games.

Message 226

Yesterday I watched four football games. It was an unusual weekend. The Raiders and the 49ers both won. Julian came over and brought tacos to eat while we watched the 49er game. We also switched back and forth to the Jet Miami game too.In the evening I watched the San Diego Denver game.

After the football was over I watched PBS and saw a Nature show on the Snow Leopard and then Great Expectations, an old black and white classic directed by David Lean and with John Mills and Alec Guinness as young men. It was quite good. I give it five stars.

Message 225

Last night after I watched the Sharks lose to St. Louis in an overtime shootout, I watched a DVD of the movie Prozac Nation. It was very well done, but I only give it three stars because it is not much fun for me to watch dysfunctional family dynamics and depressed people being their own worst enemies. I appreciate that it is a true story, but having lived through many of the same types of experiences myself, I do not have much sympathy with people who stubbornly refuse to try to help themselves.

Anyway the sun is shining here, and Julian is going to come over today and watch football with me. Maybe Joshua will come too.

Message 224

Beech and I did get our haircuts yesterday, so we should be OK for a couple of more months.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Factory girl. It was very well done, and it was based on a true story, but it was such an unpleasant subject that I only give it three stars. It was about a troubled rich girl who goes to New York and becomes famous as one of Andy Wharhol group. She ODs when she is 28, so it amounted to a short unhappy life.

I am waiting for a call to join Helen and Jim at Starbucks. They are going up to Napa for a couple of days after coffee.

Message 223

I had dinner yesterday at Maureen's. Her whole family were there. Josh was invited too, but he has a bad cold and felt like he had better stay home and rest up.

Last night I watched the commentary on the movie Ray. It was quite interesting. I was very impressed by the movie.

I may try to get a haircut today. I don't know if the barbershop will be open though.

Message 222

Merry Christmas! I am writing this before I go up to have breakfast with Julian and his family. The place we went for breakfast yesterday was not very good, but the movie Australia yesterday was nice. I give it three stars. I was an old-fashioned movie, three hours long, and a grand spectacle. The good people were good and the villains were bad. The scenery was grand. The aboriginal people were all heroic and noble.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Ray. It was excellent. I give it five stars. I never heard of Ray Charles until 1963, and I never owned one of his records, but I was familiar with most of his music that was featured in the film. As a musical biopic, it was very well done.

Message 221

I am going to breakfast and the movie Australia today with Helen and Jim and Joan and Dave Abrams, the people I have coffee with on Saturdays. I will let you know tomorrow what I think of the movie.

Last night Joshua came over and brought in burgers from Dutch Goose to eat while we watched the Sharks game. The beat Vancouver 5-0. They scored five goals within 2 minutes of the start of the second period, and then coasted for the rest of the game.

Message 220

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and both kids. Beech does not have his regular school because of the holidays, so he got to come with us for a change. We usually go on Thursday, but not this week because of Xmas.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Donnie Darko. I give it 4 stars, because it was so innovative, and dealt with serious subjects. However it was a little too gloomy for my taste.

Tonight Joshua is coming over to watch the Sharks game. His car is not drivable anymore, so he is borrowing a car from his boss to tide him

Message 219

My cold is not getting much better. Yesterday I called and begged off of attending the Xmas party at the Rohans because I did not want to infect the other people there. I figure I have another week or ten days before it runs its course. I am debating whether to take Zithromax, but it does not seem that bad yet. In other words, I do not have a fever, so I do not think a secondary infection has set in yet.

Yesterday I watched three football games. The 49ers and Raiders both won for a change. The Raiders were blacked out because the game was not sold out, so I watched Seattle beat the Jets. In the evening I watched the Giants barely beat Carolina.

Later in the evening I watched the San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker on PBS.

Message 218

Last night I was watching the Sharks play the NY Rangers when Judi called and asked if I would like to go to a movie with them. I said sure, so they picked me up at 9 PM. The sharks were ahead 3-2 in the middle of the second period, and I still do not know won. Maybe later I will log on to their web site to find out.

The movie we saw was Seven Pounds with Will Smith. He is a good actor, but I thought the premise of the movie was so absurd that I only give it 2 stars.

I am supposed to go to a party at Dennis and Therese Rohan's this afternoon, but I have come down with a cold so I may decide not to go so I don't spread my germs. The party starts at 4 PM, so I will call about 3 PM with my regrets if I decide not to go.

Vanessa said she was going to bring me chicken soup. I don't really feel like eating, but I suppose chicken would be good for me, so maybe today I will watch football and read the Economist and dose in my easy chair.

Message 217

Last night I went to the dinner group at Morrills. The eight of us who went to Ireland a couple of years ago were able to get together because the Willetts were visiting from their new home in France. They come back twice a year to visit their daughter and her husband and son. He is their only grandchild, and is now eight months old. After we finished eating the men did the dishes while the women sat around and talked in the living room, which is the tradition. I started this tradition several years ago because before whoever was the host couple had to do it all after everyone went home, and it was more fun to do the dishes as a group. Also, the women did all the cooking for the potluck dinner, and I thought it would be better for the men to share some of the responsibility. This dinner has been going continuously since 1975, so it has lasted 33 years now.

I am waiting for Helen and Jim to call to meet at Starbucks, which is another routine that has been going on for at least twenty five years now also.

Message 216

Yesterday afternoon I babysat Beech and Annie while Vanessa had an appointment at PAMF. We had a lot of fun. When Vanessa came back we all shared chicken pot pie for dinner.

I also watched the Sharks lose to Detroit yesterday. The Sharks were shut out and looked bad. Maybe they are not ready to play at the Stanley Cup level yet.

Last night I watched a DVD of Blade Runner, The Final Cut. It is the third version of Blade Runner I have seen. It gets better with each viewing. I give it 5 stars. I have not returned it to Netflix yet because I still want to watch the commentaries.

Message 215

Last night I had dinner with two friends I have not seen in about five years, Ed Van Deman and Nancie Fimbel. Sally and Nancie were both in the Mt. Holyoke club, and I worked with Ed for a few months after I retired helping him write user manuals for his company's Financial Navigator software. We went to Sundance Mining Company and had a nice prime rib Sundown Special.

This morning I went to Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie, and afterward I took Annie to the San Mateo Library for story time.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Deja Vu. It was a science fiction-terrorist-mystery-thriller with Denzel Washington. I give it three stars. I could not manage to suspend disbelief in the time travel concept.

Message 214

We are having something of a cold snap here, so last night I closed the door to my bedroom balcony, which I usually keep open to keep my bedroom cool. The sun is now shining brightly, so I imagine it will warm up during the day today.

Last night I watched a DVD of a movie called Layer Cake, or L4yer Cake as it is written on the Disk. I have no idea what the 4 means, maybe the movie has four levels on which it can be interpreted. Anyway I give it three stars. I might have given it more if I had been able to understand it. It was a complex plot about drug dealers in Brittan, and the speech was so heavily accented that I could not understand a lot of it.

Message 213

We are finally getting a little rain here. We need it too. Last night I watched a DVD of a movie called Bound. I give it 4 stars. It is a lesbian love story set at the center of a gangster movie. After it started I realized I had seen it before, but I only remembered fragments of it.

Message 212

Yesterday I watched three football games. The 49ers spotted Miami 14 points the spent the rest of the game trying to catch up. The were able to score a lot of field goals, but when the chips were down they could never score a touchdown. Even though they are getting better, they are clearly not yet ready to play with the good teams. The Raiders lost too, and so did the Giants who lost to the Cowboys.

When football was over I watched a DVD of Croupier. It was a good movie, but I only give it three stars. It was a movie about writing a novel and gambling, with a lot of psychology and Freudian issues.

Message 211

Vanessa and the kids just left to go home and see Julian who is due back in about four hours. It was great fun to have them here for the last couple of days. I am now watching the 49ers lose to Miami while I write this.

Las night I watched the sharks come from behind to beat the St. Louis Blues.

For the rest of the day I will watch more football while I put the condo back to its usual condition.

Message 210

Vanessa and the kids stayed with me last night while Julian was out of town. I am waiting for Helen and Jim to call so we can all meet them at Starbucks.

Last night after the others went to be I read the Economist until it was time to watch Charlie Rose.

Message 209

I just got back from PAMF where I refilled my prescription for my injectable antibiotic solution. I have done a load of laundry too, and hung it on my balcony to dry.

Last night Joshua brought in Mexican food to eat while we watched the Sharks shutout the ducks 2-0.

Message 208

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. Afterward I took Annie to the San Mateo Library for Kiddy Story Time. She loved it.

Last night I watched the DVD of an Argentinean movie called Nine Queens. It is a con game movie with everybody playing a game against everyone else, so with the difficulty of reading the subtitles and not knowing any of the actors, it was hard to fully understand all of the complexities of the plot. Thus, I give it only three stars, although the critics think more highly of it.

Tonight Josh is coming over to watch the Sharks game with me.

Message 207

Last night I watched a DVD. The movie was called Touchez pas au Grisbi. I don't know what Grisbi means, but I guess from the subject of the movie that the title means Do not touch the Gold. Anyway it was a French gangster movie with Jean Gabon and other famous cast members. I give it three stars although it is something of a classic in the mind of critics. It was too hard to figure out what was going on and who the characters were.

Yesterday I got a check in the mail from Medicare for about $43. It is for the catheters I bought some time ago. I think I will walk up to Sharon Heights Plaza and deposit it. It is a nice day, and I figure I can use the exercise.

Message 206

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school and took him to gymnastics. Afterward we went to McDonalds for a Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal. They have a new series of toys that he is now collecting.

Last night I watched a DVD of Le Samourai. It is a French movie, with subtitles that is pretty artsy. It is a French gangster movie with very little dialogue, but it is incomprehensible and unbelievable in some ways. I only give it three stars, although I appreciate and admire its artistic effort. It ends with a ritual suicide that is incomprehensible until you consider the Japanese tradition that it is honoring.

Message 205

Yesterday I read The Economist and watched football. It was nice to see the 49ers beat the Jets. Mike Singleterry is looking like the coach they have needed.

Last night Josh brought in pizza and watched the Sunday night football game with me. For the life of me I can't even remember who played. The Sharks don't play again until Thursday night.

Message 204

Today is my Boniva day, so I am writing this while I wait for the rest of an hour to pass before I can eat breakfast. I have already done half of my exercises, the half that I do standing up, because you can not lie down for an hour after taking Boniva. I have already gotten a load of laundry started, and it is too early still for the football games to start.

Last night I watched the Sharks lose to Edmonton in overtime 3-2. Since the Sharks have the best record in the NHL, every team they play do their best to beat them. It is good experience for the Sharks because it gets them used to playing with the intensity that is required in the playoffs, which is what mostly counts.

Joshua is coming over today to watch football with me. He borrowed my car last night to go to his company's Xmas party. His car failed the smog test, and it would cast $1400 to fix it so he has decided to buy another car. In the meantime he is driving without renewing his registration. It is not a big deal. He has done it in the past, and he may get a ticket if he is stopped by a cop.

Message 203

Last night I went to dinner and a movie with the Ariagnos and Morrills. We ate at the Sundance Mining Company, and most of us had the Early Bird Prime Rib. The movie was Milk, and I give it 5 stars. I am kind of partial to movies that are based on real events. As usual Sean Penn was excellent in his role as Harvey Milk. It was opening night and the theater was sold out. It was at the Palo Alto Square, so we stopped by before dinner to get our tickets to make sure we got a seat.

I am waiting for a call from Helen and Jim to meet them at Starbucks.

Message 202

Last night I watched the Sharks beat Columbus 3-2 in a hard fought game. Joshua went to a concert with his friends, so he did not make it to watch the game with me.

We have another beautiful day here. We need rain in the worst way. The state is going to be in even bigger trouble if this drought continues. We are already in big trouble with the economy, in large part because Arnold cancelled the car tax law when he first replaced Grey Davis.

Message 201

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa, Annie, and today Maureen joined us. After breakfast Vanessa had a doctors appointment, so I too Annie to the library for story time. She loved it and saw a lot of her friends there.

Last night I watched a DVD of A Touch of Evil. It is a famous movie directed by Orson Wells, but I only give it three stars. It has a lot of famous actors and actresses in it, including Orson Wells, Janet Leigh, Ben Hur (whose actor name escapes me for the moment, Marlene Dietrich, Za Za Gabor, etc. It verged to close to being a farce for my taste. Orson Wells is too artsy for my taste.

Message 199

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school and took him to gymnastics. He was not hungry and so agreed to skip our visit to McDonalds afterwards. He said he would get the Hippo toy next time. He is collecting the toys that come with the Happy Meals.

Last night I watched a DVD of The Namesake. It is about the experience of immigrants from India to America. I give it four stars. I had seen an interview with the author on Charlie Rose, and the woman who directed it also directed Water which I thought was really good too. The only actor I recognized was the one who played Kumar in the famous White Castle movie.

Message 200

Yesterday I signed up for a Medicare Drug plan. I figure it will save me a couple of thousand dollars a year. It has gotten to be that I take a lot of expensive pills, especially FLOMAX, Detral LA, FLONASE, and Boniva. The plan should become effective on January first.

Last night Joshua came over and brought burgers from The Dutch Goose. We watched the Sharks beat Toronto 6-2. They were ahead 4-0 after the first period and just coasted from there. They have tied the NHL record for the best start after 25 games. Their new coach has made a big difference in the way the team plays.

Message 198

I watched two and a half football games yesterday. I watched the 49ers beat Buffalo and I watched the Raiders disgrace themselves in losing to Kansas City. I also watched the first half of the Bears losing to the Vikings.

Joshua did not make it over, so we did not make it to The Dutch Goose.

Last night I watched a DVD of The Visitor. I picked it because it was recommended by Netflix. I had never heard of anyone in the cast or of the writer or director, but I give it five stars. I was amazed that it held my attention. It reminded me in some ways of the movie The Girl