Message 346

Yesterday Vanessa made lunch for everyone and I went with her and Annie and their neighbor Daniella(a neighbor who has a weekly play exchange with Annie) to Fremont Park (at the end of Claire Place). Afterward I came home and watched a DVD of The Bride of Frankenstein. It turns out there were only two movies on the Frankenstein disk. I rate both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein as four stars. These movies were made before I was born, but I was familiar with the derivitave movies like Abot and Costello meet Frankenstein which I saw when I was in grade school. I was especially interested to see Elsa Lanchester who I had always heard about.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie For a Few Dollers More. It is the second of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western trio. I give it three stars. I still have not seen the third of the trio.

Message 345

Yesterday I picked Beech up at home and took him to McDonalds for lunch and to his gymnastics class. I usually pick him up at school, but he is showing some signs of psychic trauma since his teeth were pulled, and he had refused to go to school. He just wants to hang around the house with Annie and his mother. I had to drive down to Mountain View and pick up my catheter and related supplies and asked if he would like to come along for the ride with me, but he said he would rather go back home.

Last night I started watching a Netflix disk with all the Frankenstein movies on it. I have not finished it yet, so I will wait until I do before I rate it.

Charlie Rose last night spent the hour talking to Bill Gates and his dad, who has just published a book. It was a good show.

Message 344

Yesterday Vanessa made sandwiches and I went with her and the kids to Nealon Park for lunch. Unfortunately, it was cold and windy, so very few kids were there. Annie loves to swing, so the kids had fun anyway until Beech had an attack of diarrhea. Vanessa had planned to take him to school for the afternoon, as is his usual schedule for Mondays, but she was afraid he might be sick and did not want to expose the other kids.

I finished The Economist in the afternoon. In the evening Joshua brought in Mexican food to eat while we watched the Sharks game. They scored the first goal, but by the end of the second period they were behind 1-3, and they ended up losing 1-4. They were just outplayed, and their goalie was very very good, even though he is a rookie. If they continue to play like this, I expect the Ducks will end up winning the Stanley Cup. It was just the Sharks bad luck that they got their new goalie late in the season and came on strong at the end of the season and barely made the playoffs. Because they were the lowest seed, they were matched against the Sharks in the opening round because the Sharks were the top seed.

I did not watch the third period because 24 started at 9 PM and I switched to that and watched in the bedroom while Josh watched the rest of the game. He was very down after they lost. I taped 24 so he took it home with him to watch it. He called near midnight and said the tape was not playing right, but I told him to keep trying and it should be OK. I never heard whether or not he ever got it to work.

Message 343

In yesterday's message I forgot to mention that I went to Los Gatos at noon and had a nice lunch with Jason and Susan and their four girls at the Live Oak Kitchen. I was finally able to give Caroline her birthday envelope.

Yesterday afternoon I joined Helen and Jim at Joan and Dave's apartment to watch The wrestler on pay TV and eat pizza. The movie is a pretty heavy subject, but it was very well made, so I give it four stars.

Last night I watched the fifth (and last) part of Little Dorrit on PBS.

Message 342

Yesterday I started reading The Economist. In the evening I went to the couples club dinner at the Roland's. Even thought we are not all couples anymore because so many of us have died, I still use that name. I took my regular cherry pie and ice cream, which was one of two desserts. Everyone had some of each. Because the Sharks were playing last night too, I was able to watch the first two periods before we sat down for dinner. The Sharks were ahead 2-0 at the end of the second period, but they blew it in the third and had to win in overtime 3-2. They now go back to Anaheim to play another win or die game. If they win that they will return to San Jose for game 7. Jason and Joshua were at the game. I am sure they enjoyed it.

Message 341

I just got back from having coffee with the gang at Starbucks. Yesterday I stayed home all day and read Science and watched PBS shows on TV. In the evening I watched Slumdog Millionaire. I give it four stars, primarily because It was interesting to see the scenes of life in the Mumbai ghetto.

Message 340

Yesterday I went to help Vanessa and Beech with Beech's oral surgery, for which he had to be totally sedated. This was a rough experience for him, but he got through it. I assume he is fully recovered today and is back in school as usual.

When Vanessa dropped me off at home on her way home with Beech, I watched a DVD of the movie Out of the Past, which is a film noir classic made in the late 1940s staring Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas very early in their careers. I give it four stars. Even though it is limited by the Hollywood code of those years, it is quite well done.

In the evening, Joshua brought in fish and chips and watched the hockey game with me. The Sharks disgraced themselves losing to the Ducks 0-4. They are now behind in the series 1-3. Jason and Joshua have tickets for the game here Saturday night. If they lose again

Message 339

Yesterday I had breakfast at Heidi's Pies with just Vanessa. Beech was at school and Annie was at a neighbor's house. We changed our Thursday routine to Wednesday because this morning Beech has to have the extra teeth removed from his palette so it will develop properly. I am going with him and Vanessa to the hospital to help reassure him. Presumably everything will go well and he can come home later today.

Last night I watched an old movie made in 1945 with Edward G. Robinson as a sucker who kills a girl who is exploiting him. It is named Scarlet Street and is supposed to be a classic, but I only give it three stars. It is amazing how corny and naive movies were in those days.

Message 338

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school and took him to Burger King for lunch. He said he was too tired for gymnastics, so I took him home and played with him and his toys.

Last night Joshua brought in pizzas and watched the Sharks game with me. This time they beat the Ducks 4-3, so they now trail 1-2 in the playoff series. It was a very tense game, but it was more like the Sharks we know and love.

Message 337

Yesterday I had lunch in Nealon Park with Vanessa and the kids. It was so hot I had to find a place in the shade. The heat wave set records yesterday, and is supposed to continue today, but then move away and let us return to normal. In the afternoon I finished reading The Economist. Larry Morrill picked me up at 6 PM and drove to Gombei for dinner. Judi is still in New Orleans at a meeting.

Last night Joshua, Pat, and Natalie came over and watched 24 with me. We must be getting near the end of this season, but I can't remember what time it started, so I do not know when it will end.

Message 336

Yesterday I started reading The Economist. In the late afternoon I went to San Mateo and ate a BBQ pork dinner that Vanessa cooked in the crock-pot. I got home by 7 PM so I could watch the Sharks game. Unfortunately, the lost again to the Ducks 2-3. It was a very close game, and the Sharks played well, but the Ducks had that little bit extra. Jason and Joshua were at the game. Clowe and Cheechoo scored for the Sharks, but it was not enough. If the Ducks continue to play at this level, they may win the Stanley Cup again like they did a couple of years. It is too bad the Sharks did not get to play St. Louis in the first round. However, it is not over yet. All the Sharks have to do is win four out of the next five games, something they did easily many times in the regular season.

After the hockey game, I watched Part 4 of Little Dorrit on PBS.

Message 335

Yesterday I got a haircut and started reading The Economist. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Kagemusha, which is a three hour epic Japanese film directed by Kurosawa. It was beautifully staged and filmed with incredible colors and scenery, but the subtitles are distracting, and the motivations of the characters are hard to comprehend, because of my lack of understanding of Japanese culture and history no doubt, so I give it only three stars.

Message 334

Yesterday Beech, Vanessa, and I had lunch again at Una Mas. Afterward I had Beech stay at my place for a while so Vanessa could run some errands. He was real good at my place. He watched a monster DVD that he had brought with him while I watched BBC World news and The News Hour on PBS.

Last night I had dinner with Ron and Marci and Larry at Sundance Mining Company. Judi is in New Orleans at a meeting. Afterward we went to the movie State of Play with Russell Crowe. It was very good. I give it four stars.

Message 333

Last night I watched the Sharks lose the first game of their first round playoff series with the Anaheim Ducks. It was a good game, well played by both teams. No goals were scored by either team until the middle of the third period, but the Sharks ended up losing 0-2. The Ducks are a good team that has come on strong at the end of the season. They are a serious threat. The Sharks are going to have to up their play if they are to survive this series.

After the game, I finished reading The Terror by Dan Simmons. Marty recommended it to me. The Terror is the name of one of the ships that was lost on the Franklin to find the Northwest Passage in 1845. It is an imaginary account of what happened to the expedition that takes all the known facts into account, but it makes an exciting and intriguing story out of it for nearly a thousand pages.

Message 332

Yesterday I had lunch at Una Mas with Vanessa and the kids. Afterward we went to Nealon Park for a while until we had to leave for Vanessa to take the kids to PAMF for Beech's appointment with his pediatrician.

In the evening my friends Joan and Dave picked me up to go to Stanford to see an interview with Kenneth Arrow, one of their professors of Economics who won the Nobel prize in 1972. It was a Charlie Rose type interview and was a very interesting program. I had never heard of him before, but he is a very interesting guy who is still working and is sharp as a tack.

Message 331

We had a lot of strong winds yesterday, and last night a tree fell in San Mateo so the power was out all night , starting about 4 PM, at Julian and Vanessa's house. Thus, they all four stayed here last night. Julian left early today to get to work and found the power had been restored, so Vanessa and the kids are gone now. They will be back down here later for Beech's appointment with his pediatrician.

Last night Vanessa and I watched a DVD of the movie Head in the Clouds. It was a well-done epic about life in England and France before and during WW 2. I give it three stars. It was worth watching, but nothing special.

Today is Nicole's birthday. She is no longer a teenager. Happy birthday!

Message 330

Yesterday afternoon I went with Vanessa and the kids to the park at the end of Claire Place where we used to live. Both kids loved it. There were lots of kids there to play with, and the weather was beautiful. Beech's school is closed this week for their spring holiday.

Last night Joshua came over to watch 24 with me. Pat and Natalie came too. Pat is living at Josh's house now while he is having some kind of feud with his family. Josh and Pat both have sunburned faces from three days of skiing last weekend.

I read a lot more in my book last night too. I am getting near the end and am having a hard time putting it down. Charlie Rose had a good discussion of the rescue of the ship captain from the pirates last night, and also a good interview with Michael Caine.

Message 329

I had a nice brunch yesterday at Julian and Vanessa's house. The food was great and it was nice to see all the people. In the evening I watched part 3 of Little Dorrit on PBS. I also read quite a bit more of The Terror.

I have discovered that the Sharks first opponent in the Stanley Cup playoffs is the Anaheim Ducks, not the St. Louis Blues. I was misinformed by a TV sports caster, so I will not have any conflicting feelings about which team to rout for. I hope the Blues win their first round series.

Message 328

Yesterday afternoon I watched the Sharks lose to Los Angeles 3-4. It was a pretty discouraging performance considering they have the best record in the NHL. Fortunately Boston also lost, so the still win the President's trophy for having the best record. They also have the home ice advantage all the way through the playoffs, or at least as far as they can go. Unfortunately they have to play St. Louis in the opening playoff series, so Ethan and his family will be routing for the Blues while us California fans will be for our Sharks. No hard feelings though. May the best team win.

Yesterday I read all of the new Economist, and more of my book. I am half way through the book now, which is a lot considering that it is about a thousand pages long. Last night I watched Run Silent Run Deep, a great WW2 submarine movie on PBS. I give it 4 stars.

Happy Easter. I am going up to have breakfast with Julian and Vanessa and their family.

Message 327

Julian took the day off from work yesterday so he could spend a day with the kids. After he took them to the museum in Palo Alto, he came by to pick me up and we had lunch with the kids at Una Mas. After I watched my usual Friday shows on PBS, I watched a DVD of High School Musical 2, which is a continuation of the story in the previous movie. This one was no better, so I give it 2 stars. Maybe it is OK for twelve year olds, but I read my book while it was playing.

I am leaving now to join Helen and Jim at Starbucks.

Message 326

Last night Joshua brought in fish and chips and watched the Sharks game with me. Considering that the Sharks have the best record in the NHL, they played a pathetic game and lost to Phoenix 1-4. Tomorrow is the last game of the regular season. Joshua has taken a day of vacation and gone skiing, so he probably will not be back to watch the last regular Sharks game with me.

I am still reading The Terror, the book Marty recommended to me. It is quite good, especially for an old Artic hand like me.

Message 325

I just got back from my usual Thursday routine at Heidi's Pies and the library. Last night I watched High School Musical 2. I do not know why the 2 is part of the title, because it was not listed that way on the film. Anyway, I watched it because it has gotten a lot of publicity, and I though I should find out what all the to do was about. Unfortunately is was a lot of hype about typical Disney junk. It reminds me of my reaction to Mama Mia. In spite of all the hype I found the music to be nothing special and the story to be trivial. I am sure it may be OK for teenage girls, but not for adults. Thus, I give it only 2 stars.

Message 324

Yesterday I kept my usual Tuesday routine with Beech and McDonalds (he quit on Burger King again) and gymnastics. In the evening Joshua came over and watched the Sharks game with me. It was a terrible game. The Sharks never came to life. They finally won the game 1-0 when Joe Pavelski made his goal in the shootout. After the game I finished The Economist and started reading Terror, a book Marty recommended which is a historical novel about the ill-fated Franklin expedition in the Arctic.

Message 323

Yesterday was Caroline's birthday, and I was planning to drive down and take her the envelope I have had ready for her for the past week, but when I called Jason was home taking care of Susan who was sick, and Caroline was home from school with head lice. Jason persuaded me I should wait for a better day. I had lunch at Starbucks with Vanessa, Maureen, and the kids. Beech did not want to go to school yesterday because his main friend there for the afternoon session was out sick, so I took him to the McDonalds in Redwood City with the playground. He did not want to go in the playground, nor did he want to eat his meal, but he was glad to get the toy that came with The Happy Meal. I took the meal home with him so he and Annie could eat it for dinner. He fell asleep on the drive home, so I drove slowly so Vanessa would have a little more respite before he arrived.

I continued reading The Economist and I watched The News Hour etc. on PBS. In the evening, Joshua came over and watched 24 with me. He brought Pat and Natalie with him too, because Pat has been staying with him while he sorts out a squabble he is having with his sister and her husband who are also staying with his mother. I was glad to finally meet Natalie.

Message 322

Yesterday morning I went to an early movie with Helen and Jim. They had free tickets, and asked if I would like to go too. We saw Sunshine Cleaning. Aside from Alan Arkin, I was not familiar with any of the actors, but they were very good. I give it four stars. It dealt with a bizarre subject, but was done very well. I was especially impressed by the actress Amy Adams.

In the late afternoon Joshua brought in takeout from Boston Market and watched the Sharks game with me. They beat the Ducks on their home ice, the same team that had beat them the night before in the Shark Tank. Again I was glad to see Cheechoo score the winning goal.

I the evening I watched part 2 of Little Dorrit on PBS.

Message 321

Yesterday afternoon I started reading The Economist, and in the evening I watched the Sharks lose to the Anaheim Ducks 2-5. The Sharks were not on their game, and the Ducks were. This game was one of only four all season that the Sharks have lost in regulation time. They play again today, so maybe the Sharks will do better this time.

After the game, I read some more of The Economist, and watched the news. I was tired, so I went to bed at midnight, which is early for me.

Message 320

Yesterday after watching the Friday night PBS shows, I watched a DVD of the movie The Enemy Below. It is an old movie about anti submarine warfare in World War 2 that I have not seen for a long time. It is a classic with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens. I give it 5 stars.

This morning instead of going to Starbucks, I am meeting Joan and Dave at Helen and Jim's place for breakfast and to show them my DVD of My Life in 35mm slides. The wanted to see pictures of Alaska, and Helen and Jim have a new 52-inch TV that will make for better viewing than my small TVs. I will only show my first couple of parts that have Greenland and Alaska.

Message 319

Tomorrow is Vanessa's birthday, so we had an adult breakfast at Heidi's Pies. Beech was in school and Annie was at daycare, which is her usual Friday routine. It was nice to have a leisurely meal, and for a change Vanessa actually ate hers.

Last night I watched the Sharks beat Edmonton 2-1. It looks now like they will have the most points of any team in the NHL, and so will have the home ice advantage all the way through the Stanley Cup playoffs, if they make it that far.

After the hockey game I watched a DVD of the movie An American Crime. It was a very disturbing movie based on the trial transcript of an actual crime in Indiana in the late sixties. It was about degenerate Christian white trash neglecting, torturing, and eventually killing, a young girl. Ellen Page plays the victim. Maybe it was her first movie, because she must have been only about thirteen years old. I only give it three stars in spite of the fact that it was very powerful and realistic so I don't really recommend that you watch it..

Message 318

I just got back from my usual Thursday routine of Heidi's Pies and the library story time with Annie. Julian will not be home until Saturday afternoon, so I went early to help Vanessa get the kids ready to go out. They were both real good this morning, so everything went well.

Yesterday Comcast finally helped me get my converter boxes working for my two TVs. They shipped them to me a couple of weeks ago, and I did everything the directions said, but they would not work properly. Finally they got their act together, and although I did everything the same as before, with their representative observing I got them to work just fine. It is a relief to have that over with.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie W., an Oliver Stone movie that is one of his best. I give it 5 stars. It has a terrific cast that do fantastic jobs playing the real characters in Bush's inner circle. It is all based on available public information, and I expect that republicans will have a hard time objecting to it, even though I expect they will not like it. It was a downer for me to watch the mistakes that our country tolerated to allow this shameful period to transpire. I thought it was great to have Bob Dylan's "With God on Our Side" play during the end credits.

Message 317

Yesterday I picked Beech up at School for lunch and his gymnastics class. He has now switched back to Burger King. When we got back to his house, Vanessa and Annie were not back yet, so he showed me his collection of fifteen Battle Balls, including three that he had conned me into buying for him at Target a week or so ago, when he and Ellie had an overnight with me.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Trade, about the white slave, sex slave, business in which girls are kidnapped and sold. I give it 3 stars. It was a very disturbing movie, more gritty and realistic than Taken, which dealt with the same subject, but not as well produced and paced.