Message 257

Last night after watching Washington Week I watched a DVD of the movie Blue Velvet. It is an old movie that I thought I had seen before, but I had not. Anyway, I give it four stars. It is a mystery thriller but mostly a psychological thriller. It is a very disturbing movie, but compelling to watch. It has a super cast too. In the interviews with the cast in the Special features on the disk, I was amazed how much Isabella Rossilini looks like and has the mannerisms of her mother Ingrid Bergman.

I just got a call from Jim, so it is time to meet them at Starbucks.

Message 256

Last night Josh brought in fish and chips to eat while we watched the Sharks beat Phoenix 2-0. That is two shutouts in a row for the Sharks goalie. The Sharks have the best record in the whole NHL. I hope they can keep it up through the Stanley Cup.

I have already put the laundry in the washing machine, and after I finish this I am going to take a walk. It is another beautiful day. If we

Message 255

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. As usual I took Annie to story time at the library for story time. Most of the kids will sit still and listen, but Annie insists on walking around and checking things out.

Last night I tried to watch the Warriors game for a while, but they were so bad I gave it up and watched a DVD of the movie Stranger than Paradise. It was a very strange black and white movie, an independent production in English by Hungarians living in the US.. I give it three stars because it was interesting in spite of being weird. In particular, it was a mood movie, the run down views of New York, Cleveland, and Florida and the strange behavior of the characters was interesting.

Tonight Josh will come over to watch the Sharks game with me.

Message 254

Today is Beech's birthday. He is five years old. I will be picking him up at school today to take him to lunch and then to his gymnastics class.

Last night I watched the Sharks beat Colorado 2-0. It was a good start on the second half of their season. Because the game started at 6 PM instead of 7:30 Pm like their home games I had time to watch a movie after it was over. I watched a DVD of The Holiday. I only give it 2 stars. I did not like the writing. It was like watching a Neil Simon movie. It was supposed to be funny, but I thought it was an uncharitable representation of people, especially of women, but also of men.

Message 253

Yesterday I got a call from my mortgage broker to lock in my refinance rate at 4&7/8 percent interest. Within a month or so I should get the money. I am taking a little extra to get me through the next few years until the economy gets better and my income fund recovers its value.

Last night Joshua came over to watch 24 with me. He worked a double shift yesterday, so today he is driving up to the Sierras and back for some skiing. He borrowed my van so he does not have to put too much of a strain on the car he has borrowed from his boss. As soon as his refinancing is completed, he will buy himself a new car.

It is another beautiful day, so I think I will go for a walk again. It looks like we are going to have a week or more of these beautiful days, so it looks pretty likely we are going to be so short of rain this year that we will have to go back to water rationing.

Message 252

Yesterday I spent all day finishing this weeks Economist. I the evening I watched Part 2 of Wuthering Heights on PBS. What a strange story. It was hard to keep track of whose who and whose mad at whom for what reason.

Today is a bright sunshiny day, with crisp cool air. I think I will go out for a walk. Otherwise, not much is going on.

Message 251

Yesterday afternoon I went to an Obama post-inauguration party ay Mary and Eddie Solomon's. I went early and left early because I had to go to the pot-luck dinner group dinner to which I took cherry pie and ice cream. As always, the cherry pie came from Martha's Pastries in Sharon Heights Plaza, by the Starbucks I go to every Saturday morning.

I got home from the pot luck dinner at about 10 Pm, so I read the new Economist for a couple of hours and went to bed. Because I did not have anything scheduled for today I slept in until about 8:30 AM.

Message 250

I am writing this while I wait for the call from Helen and Jim to join them at Starbucks. Yesterday Julian took the day off work and borrowed my van to take Beech's school on a field trip. Julian drove my van and Vanessa drove their van, so only one other parent had to drive. Afterward I went to Jeffrey's (where Ken's Pancake House used to be) for burgers and milk shakes.

Last night after Washington Week on PBS, I watched a DVD of the movie Conan the Barbarian. I had never seen it and was curious about how Arnold got his start in the big time. I give it three stars. It was a great visual spectacle, and was a good rendering of a comic book to the screen, but of course everything else was pretty simplistic, except the fighting was well staged.

Message 249

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie MAMA MIA!. I give it only two stars. I never heard a record by Abba, but I have heard so much about the musical made from their songs that I thought I would give it a try. I was very impressed by Across the Universe, the movie made out of Beatles songs, but MAMA MIA! did not have Beatles songs, it had Abba songs, and they were not in the same league. I feel bad about having to give a low rating to what is supposed to be a feel good movie, but there you have it.

Vanessa is on her way down to borrow my van so she can drive a bunch of kids from Beech's school on a field trip.

Message 248

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. I also took Annie to kiddies story time at the library. Yesterday afternoon I took Beech to lunch at Burger King and to his gymnastics class.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Children of men. I give it three stars. It is a movie about a future when people are no longer able to reproduce, and as a result civilizations go into decay, socially, economically, culturally, and politically. It was mostly a mood movie, where the characters go through actions in the foreground while the real story is reflected in the shabby and depressing backgrounds.

Message 247

I thought Obama's speech yesterday was very good. The only thing that surprised me was that he never used the word sacrifice. Of course he used the word responsibility instead, and that served pretty much the same purpose.

Joshua brought in pizza last night while we watched the Sharks beat Vancouver 2-1 in overtime. The Sharks never came to life until the last minute of regulation play when they finally scored and tied the game. Then they kept it up in overtime until they scored again on a power play.

Message 246

I am watching Obama's inauguration as I write this. The musical quartet is playing now. It will be quite a while before I hear the inaugural address I suppose. What a gratifying, inspiring, and humbling occasion.

Last night Josh came over and watched 24 with me. Before the show started we went to The Dutch Goose for Cheeseburgers. We have been watching 24 together for several years now.

Yesterday I went to the park with Julian and his kids, then we all had fish and chips for lunch at Cook's Seafood. So yesterday I ate like a king.

Obama is now speaking, so I will sign off.

Message 245

Yesterday I watched the two NFL conference championship games. I was glad to see Arizona win for the sake of all of Sally's family in Arizona. I also liked seeing Kurt Warner show that is still is something special who knows how to get the job done when it is on the line. I didn't really care who won the other game. I figured it would probably be Baltimore, but Pittsburg rose to the occasion.

Last night I watched Part i of Wurthering heights on PBS. I also saw the Nature program on Arctic bears on PBS. I had seen it before but enjoyed seeing it again.

Today being MLK's birthday holiday, Julian has the kids, so he will bring them down here. We will take them to the park for an hour or so and then take them out to lunch.

Message 244

Last night Joshua brought in food from Chili's, and watched the Sharks beat the Detroit Red Wings 6-5. It was an exceptionally good game against last year's champions. It was hard fought and fast paced throughout and could have gone either way. I am sure we will meet them again in the playoffs.

Yesterday I had coffee at Starbucks in my usual Saturday routine. I also read half of The Economist. Today I will read the other half and watch the NFL playoff games. Joshua may join me.

Message 243

Last night I went to dinner and a movie with the Morrills and the Ariagnos. We saw Frost Nixon. I give it three stars. I remember the actual TV shows as pretty boring and not at all satisfying, but putting it in a movie form with lots of background made a more dramatic.

Julian is bringing Beech down while he gets a haircut, and I will take Beech with me to Starbucks with Helen and Jim.

Vanessa called this morning and passed on the news that Joan Von Gehr died a few days ago. She and Sally were good friends and both got breast cancer about the same time. I last talked to Joan on the phone about a month or six weeks ago. I knew she was getting near the end, but it has been bad for so long that I had no idea it was this close.

Message 242

I just got back from PAMF where I had to pick up my new antibiotic saline solution. I was surprised to learn that my new Medicare drug plan will not cover it. They only cover oral medications, not injectable ones. Oh well, it only will amount to about $1200 per year. So far, it seems they will cover my other medications, so I will still come out ahead.

Last night Joshua brought in Mexican food, and we watched the Sharks lose to Calgary 3-2. It was a good game, and their first home loss in regulation time. I am sure they will meet in the playoffs.

Message 241

I just got home from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. Annie was all dressed up in a new outfit and matching shoes and hair bow that made her look real cute, so everyone in there made a lot of her. All of the people who work there know us, and many of the customers also know us. Vanessa goes around and says hello to all our friends , kisses them, and talks to them, so it is quite an occasion each week. Afterward I took Annie to the library for our weekly story time for kids, which she enjoyed today as usual.

Last night I watched a DVD of V for Vendetta, which is another Wachowski brothers movie, the same who made the Matrix trilogy. I debated about giving it 4 stars, or maybe dropping to 3 and a half stars, but I finally settled on 4 stars. My debate was because a lot of things were obscure or ambiguous, but I realized finally that those qualities were intentional, so the audience could decide for themselves. It was a movie set in the future when the United Kingdom is a totalitarian state. It was kind of Orwellian and dealt with questions of truth and freedom, etc.

Message 240

Last night Joshua brought over pizza and we watched the Sharks beat Tampa Bay 7-1. It is nice to see the Sharks get a good start on the second half of their season.

After the game I finished reading The Polish Officer by Alan Furst. It was a good novel about espionage in World War 2. It is the only book of his that I have read, but he has written several others in the same genre. The style was quite good and the flavor was authentic.

Message 239

We are having a heat wave here. Yesterday a lot of records were set, and today is even warmer. We need rain in the worst way, but no rain is in sight for the next ten days.

Last night Joshua came over and watched 24 with me. Jack Bauer is still going strong in his usual manner. I am reading a book that I started on my trip east last weekend, and I am about three quarters through it now.

I just called Guy Pluming to replace a washer in my dripping faucet and the works inside my two toilets, which are so old they are disintegrating. In my youth I would have done all this work myself, but now I have more important and fun things to do.

Message 238

Yesterday was my Boniva day, but I was not home , so I had to take it today. Thus, I am writing this message while I wait an hour before I ca eat or drink anything. Jason and I got home last night about 9:15 PM for me, and probably 10 PM for him, and Amelia who was staying with Linda and Walt for the weekend. We came back from Oakland across the Dumbarton bridge, and picked Amelia up as we came up Willow Avenue.

The celebration of Georges life went very well. It was held at the country club and was attended not only by family, but by friends from Williamsburg and friends from Cincinnati. I would guess there were more than a hundred there. Even though Jason, and Jeanne, and I did not get any sleep the night before, we had a wonderful time seeing everybody. Also I got to know Andrew and Amy's youngest daughter, Amanda, who is a couple of months younger than Annie, but is twice her size. I think they will enjoy playing with each other at Sandbridge next summer. At the country club, Andrew spoke about his father and I gave a rambling summary of my long association with him starting with my being an usher at his wedding, when Mary was only 18 and I was 15.

When I got home last night it was too late to watch the new 24 to see what Jack Bauer will be up to this year, so I watched the end of Tess .... on PBS, which did not end until 11 PM. I do not care much for Thomas Hardy, even though this production was well done, and I am sure it gave a good picture of what life was like in those times.

Message 237

Julian called this morning and said he is too sick to fly today, so it will just be Jason and me going to the funeral. He said Annie was throwing up all night too, so I hope I don't catch what she has.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Transformers. I give it three stars. I thought it was bizarre and funny but worth watching.

I will see a lot of you in Williamsburg. I will skip sending this message for the next couple of days while I am in Virginia, but I will be back on line on Monday.

Message 236

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. After breakfast I took Annie to the Library for kiddies story time. This afternoon Vanessa will bring Beech and Annie over for me to watch while she goes to the doctor.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Sicko by Michael Moore. I give it four stars. I always like Michael Moore movies, even if he does give something of an unbalanced view

Message 235

Joshua came over last night and brought fish and chips to eat while we watched the Sharks lose to the Calgary Flames 5-2. It was an away game, and that seems to make a big difference.

When josh heard that Julian was going with Jason and me to George's life celebration, he was concerned that he was going to be the only one missing, but I told him that I did not think he should go, that our family had enough representation attending.

Message 234

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school and took him to gymnastics. Afterward he chose to go to Burger King instead of our usual McDonalds to get a burger kids meal. He said the Burger King gives away toys more to his liking than McDonalds.

Last night I finished reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, who also wrote Into the Wild. It was quite a good book, especially interesting to me because of my having lived in Alaska.

Today Orlindo's crew is coming at 12:30 PM to clean my condo, so I will leave for a couple of hours while they work. Maybe I will have lunch at El Cerritos, and then pick up my prescriptions at Longs Drug Store.

Message 233

Yesterday Julian, Jason, and Joshua came over to watch the NFL playoff games. Julian brought in tacos from Taco Bell for everyone for lunch. Jason took Ellie and Caroline to play with Beech and Annie and a bunch of other kids at home with Vanessa. Jason, Caroline, Ellie, Joshua, and I later had dinner at Ten Fu.

Jason and I made reservations to take the redeye to arrive at Dulles Saturday morning. We rented a car, will stay at the Quality Inn in Williamsburg, and will fly back to Oakland on Sunday. I will see some of you there.

Last night I watched Masterpiece Classics on PBS. It was part one of Thomas Hardy's Tess of D....

Message 232

My sister Mary just called and told me that her husband George died yesterday. She will call me later to let me know when the celebration will be held, like the one we had for Sally. It will probably be next weekend. I will need to make airline reservations.

Yesterday I watched the two NFL playoff games. They were both good games, and both teams that I was for won. Also I watched the Sharks beat the NY Islanders, so it was a good weekend for sports.

After the Sharks game I read half of the book Into the Wild. It is very good.

Message 231

Last night after watching Washington Week on PBS, I started to watch a DVD called UFC 84: Ill Will. I don't know how I picked this from Netflix. I must have clicked the wrong button by accident. Anyway it turned out to be a collection of extreme fighting bouts. I watched the first two out of curiosity, then gave up and wrote some more of my life in Arkansas.

Yesterday I phoned in two prescriptions under my new Medicare drug plan. I will pick them up at Longs today.

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

Message 230

My trip to Asilomar yesterday was very pleasant. I drove to Bill and Marilyn Bauriedel's house in Palo at 7 AM. Bill then drove us to Pacific Grove in his Camry. We were able to chat and catch up on what has been happening for the nearly five years since we last saw each other. We go to Asilomar in plenty of time before the first discussion session (on the book The Omnivores Dilemma) at 10 AM. Out of about 40 people who attended this year I only knew eight from previous years when sally and I used to go together. Somehow the discussions did not seem to be at as high an intellectual level as I remember them in the past. We left right after dinner (roast pork), so I was back in my condo by 10 PM, so I was able to catch up on the day's news and watch Charlie Rose before I went to bed. I skipped my usual

Message 229

Yesterday I had lunch at Ikea with Vanessa and the kids. Julian was at work.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie All About EVE. It is strange that I had never seen that old black and white classic from 1950, but I was still in high school. Anyway I give it 5 stars.

I am leaving soon to drive to the Bauriedel's in Palo Alto. I will ride to Pacific Grove with Bill and Marilyn, or they will ride with me. Whatever is OK with me. We will be back this evening.