Friday, July 31, 2009

Message 429

Yesterday afternoon I took Beech to his Kung Fu class. He has been going for the last few weeks with Vanessa, but it was the first time I had been there. It was also the first time I had seen how Kung Fu is taught. It was very interesting to see a dozen or so five and six year old kids, mostly boys, going through this military-type training. I hope they can stick with it. I think it can do them a lot of good. When the class was over we walked to the Round Table Pizza place a couple of storefronts up from the Kung Fu place to have some pizza and take the remainder home for Julian, Vanessa, and Annie's dinner. Beech also played a couple of dollars worth of video games.

Joshua was not able to make it to my place for dinner, so in the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Along Came Polly. I do not care very much for Ben Stiller comedies, and in spite of the supporting work of Jennifer Aniston and Philip Seymour Hoffman, I can give it only 2 stars. The story was just too uncharitable and unbelievable.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Message 328

Yesterday I watched Beech and Annie at their house. I was planning to take them to the park, but Beech insisted that we go to his house. He had something he wanted to show me. It turned out that he has a new kid-sized drum kit. Apparently Pippenfinch inspired them so much, Vanessa has retained a teacher to come to their house every Sunday to give Beech, Vanessa, and Julian music lessons in the way that Clifton has been teaching the Craigens for years.

Yesterday I had dinner with Larry and Judi at Gombei. It had been several weeks since I last saw them, so we had a lot to catch up on. I also gave Larry the book, Legacy of Ashes, A History of the CIA. I do not keep my books anymore, and I know he loves that kind of book about history and politics.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Goodnight, Mister Tom. It is a Masterpiece Theater production that somehow I never saw on PBS. It was about a kid who is relocated from London to the country for safety during World War 2. I give it 3.5 stars.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Message 427

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie A Face in the Crowd. It was an old black and white movie made in 1957. It was written by Budd Schulberg and directed by Elia Kazan. It starred Andy Griffiths and Patricia Neal. It is a movie of mostly historical interest, especially because it foreshadowed how things eventually went in the elections of Reagan and Bush 43. I give it 3.6 stars.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Message 426

I had breakfast at Heidi's Pies this morning and helped Vanessa take the kids to PAMF for Beech's appointment with his cardiologist. This was caused by Beech saying he could not breathe last night and then passing out for about a minute. The doctor thinks he may just have been holding his breath, but he should be monitored because he definitely has trouble with his heart.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Little Voice. It was a somewhat strange and bizarre British movie with a good cast, but I only give it three stars because it was too silly and boring at times.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Message 425

Yesterday Julian and Vanessa left the kids with a sitter and stopped by to copy some of my computer files for the DVD she is making about caring for cleft babies. In addition to doing laundry and catching up with chores around the condo, I read all of The Economist from the Friday I left for Sandbridge and most of the one that arrived on the day I got home. I still have two issues of Science to catch up on.

Last night I watched PBS. I think I had seen the Miss Marple episode before, but I am not sure. I can never quite understand them completely.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Message 424

We had a long trip home. A rainstorm delayed our takeoff from Dulles for about half an hour while we sat on the runway, but the flight went well after that. Just before we landed Beech said his butt was sore, and I said that was what happened when you took long trips. It was about 12:30 AM PDT (3:30 AM EDT) when I finally got in bed. There is nothing as comfortable as your own bed, and I was delighted to get a good night's seep. It was another successful reunion, and I want to thank all of you for all the things you did to make it so wonderful.

I found an Email message from Netflix asking for my review of the Americanization of Emily. As near as I can tell I neglected to mention that I had watched this movie. It is an old black and white World War 2 movie starring James Garner and Julie Andrews. It is pleasant and different from the usual, so I give it three stars.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Message 423

This will be me last message until I get back from Sandbridge where I will see all of you anyway. I did not watch a movie last night. Joshua and I went out to dinner at El Cerrito, and when I got back I got hooked on watching a couple of PBS shows.

I got calls this morning that Vanessa is sick and throwing up. I hope she is recovered enough to be able to travel with the rest of us tomorrow as planned. If not I do not know what we will all do. It will all work out somehow though, I am sure.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Message 422

Yesterday I did laundry and played with Beech for a few hours. He did not feel like going to school or going to gymnastics. Also the heat wave is continuing so it was nice to be in my air-conditioned car.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie All Passion Spent. It was a three episode Masterpiece Theater treatment of a novel about rich English elderly people staring Wendy Hiller. It was the second movie in a row about the same general subject with her in it. I give it five stars because it was so well done.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Message 421

We are in a heat wave now. It started yesterday and should be over in a couple of more days. Last night I watched a DVD of the movie The Kingfisher. It is a bit of fluff with Rex Harrison about romance between rich old British people, but I give it three stars.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Message 420

Yesterday Chris and Marilyn took me to breakfast at El Cerrito and to dinner at El Cerrito. In the evening we watched a DVD of the movie Angels and Insects. It is in my collection and most of you have probably heard me recommend it before. It is still excellent. I give it five stars.

This morning I took Chris and Marilyn to Starbucks and then to the Menlo Park train station to catch their train to San Jose. From there they will catch a bus to Monterey. It has been great to see them again.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Message 419

Chris and Marilyn and I are about to walk up to El Cerrito for breakfast. This morning I got up at 4 AM and drove Jamie, Chelsea, Audrey, and Jack to the San Jose airport to start their journey to Sandbridge. I was back at home by 6 AM and so was able to go back to bed for a couple of hours before Chris and Marilyn woke up.

Yesterday afternoon we had dinner at Julian and Vanessa's with the kids. As usual They fixed a feast that included ribs and steak on the grill. The kids were great and Chris and Marilyn were happy to see Beech again and Annie for the first time. When we got back to my condo we watched a DVD of the movie Four Days in September. It was one they picked out of my collection. It is a Brazilian movie that is based on a true story about a group of students who join a terrorist band to oppose the military coup that took over their government in 1969. It had been a few years since I first saw it and I liked it even better this time. I had forgotten a lot of it and it was more interesting this time in the light of the behavior of the Bush administration after 9/11. I give it four stars.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Message 418

Yesterday I watched Beech's first basketball game. It seems absurd to me that 5-year olds would play organized basketball, but the kids were all very enthusiastic about it. Some players on each team were occasionally even able to shoot the ball into the basket, but not Beech, who could not even throw the ball high enough to reach the basket, which was at normal height. After the game we took Beech and one of his teammates to a hamburger place for dinner with Annie, Vanessa, and me.

In the evening I met Chris Coleman and his wife Marilyn at the train station. They had just returned from a day long tour of Yosemite. They are spending a couple of days with me before returning to Monterey where the are spending a couple of months. We walked this morning to join Helen and Jim for coffee at Starbucks They have now walked to Stanford Plaza which gives me time to send this message.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Message 417

Last night I watched a DVD of another French movie called (in translation) I've Loved You So Long. It was a very powerful but slow moving story about a woman doctor who gets out of prison for murder after 15 years and is reunited with her sister. She is very reluctant to talk about herself and has trouble integrating back into normal life. It is not until the end of the movie that it is revealed that she killed her six year old son to relieve him from his suffering from an incurable disease. I probably should not reveal the plot this way, but I doubt any of you will see this movie anyway, so it will do no harm. In the middle of the movie I was thinking I would give it three stars, but by the end I decided to give it four stars.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Message 416

Last night Joshua brought in Chinese food for dinner. I asked him if he would be able to pick up Jamie and his family at SFO when they return from Sandbridge, but he said he was going to be up at Lake Tahoe. I am taking them to the San Jose airport tomorrow at dawn, but they arrive at SFO hours ahead of us.

After Josh left I watched a DVD of the movie Revolutionary Road. I had read the book years ago, and they followed to book pretty closely. It is a painful movie for me to watch because it depicts the mind sets of the 1950s so well. It is well done, but I only give it three stars because it is such a downer. I am getting my condo ready for Orlindo's Janitorial crew to come in at 10 AM, so I still have things I need to do.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Messgae 415

Last night I watched a DVD of another French movie entitled (in translation) Water Lilies. It is about teenaged girls doing water ballet. It was interesting, but strange. I could not understand what was going on some of the time. I guess too much gets lost in translation.

This afternoon I have an appointment with my dermatologist to freeze of this thing just below my lower lip that turned out not to be cancerous.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Message 414

I just got back from what has become my usual Tuesday routine. Annie and I took Beech to school and then met Vanessa at Heidi's Pies for breakfast. Afterwards I took Annie to the park in San Mateo where she has a great time swinging and playing with other kids. I picked up Beech at school at 12:40 PM and took him to Burger King for lunch. After lunch he said he did not want to go to gymnastics, so I took him home.

Yesterday I went with Vanessa and the kids to Fremont Park where Jason, Julian, and Joshua all practiced soccer when I was coaching. Beech had his friend Justin with him, and Justin forgot his sweatshirt at the park. I just stopped by the park on my way home and found his shirt and a container of sunscreen. I will pass them on to Vanessa the next time I see them.

Last night I watched a DVD of the French movie Secret Things. I give it three stars. I liked the nudity, but the motivations of the characters were incomprehensible to me.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Message 413

Yesterday I worked for a few hours on my memoirs. It has been quite a while since I have done anything with it. I did a lot of review of the early chapters, and the I finally got started on the seventh grade and my life in Springfield, Illinois.

In the evening I watched Miss Marple on Masterpiece Mystery on PBS. After the news I turned in early at midnight, which is early for me

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Message 412

Yesterday was another quiet day at home. I almost finished reading The Economist. In the evening I watched the 4th of July celebration on PBS. The movie How I won the War was then shown on PBS. It is a British anti-war satire and is of no consequence except that is stars a young John Lennon in a supporting role.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Message 411

Happy 4th of July. I just got back from my usual Saturday morning coffee at Starbucks. In two weeks I and a Happy 4th of July. I just got back from my usual Saturday morning coffee at Starbucks. In two weeks I and all of you will be in Sandbridge for our reunion. I can hardly wait. Yesterday was another quiet day at home. In the evening after watching my PBS shows I started reading The Economist. For a change I did not watch a DVD.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Message 410

Yesterday was another quiet day at home. I got an interesting letter in the mail from Marrietta Matthews, who turns out to be a relative in South Carolina. She was interested in learning about our mutual genealogies, so I scanned the stuff Chris did years ago on the Anderson side of our family. If any of you are interested in this stuff I will send you copies of all of this.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Little Children. It turns out I had seen it before, but had forgotten about it. I have been watching a lot of Jennifer Connolly movies lately, which must be why I ordered it from Netflix. She plays a supporting role in this movie, and I was not familiar with her when I saw it before. Little Children is about people who are in various stages of arrested development, and thus are little children in adult bodies. It is not a pleasant movie to watch, but I give it four stars anyway. It is very well done, and Kate Windslet is especially good. I liked the movie better the second time I watched it, but I do not accept the thesis that everybody has a messed up life. It is made clear in the movie that Kate Windsletts character is like Madam Bovary, but it is not clear that she will ever manage to salvage much of anything from her life.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Message 409

I had a quiet day at home yesterday. In the evening Joshua came over and we went to El Cerrito for dinner. Later I watched a DVD of the movie Blood Diamond. It was an action adventure that was well done with a good cast. After I started watching it I had the feeling I had seen it before, but I was not sure. By the end I was sure I had seen it before, but I could not remember when or where or with whom. I checked on my blog and it was not listed, so it must have been at least a couple of years ago. Anyway I give it three stars.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Message 408

Yesterday we began our new routine of going to Heidi's Pies on Tuesday instead of Thursday at least for the summer. Instead of taking Annie to the library after breakfast, I took her to the park on El Camino in San Mateo. It worked out very well. There were lots of kids there and she played with them as well as swinging and sliding.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Les Miserables. I guess I am a sucker for classic material, but I give it five stars. I am a big fan of Liam Neeson, who plays Jean Valjean. I have seen other movies made from the same Victor Hugo story, but none as good as this one Even though the material is somewhat sappy by modern standards, it is still very moving. I can still remember reading the Classic Comic version of Les Miserables when I was a kid. I even read part of it when I took French courses in college.