Message 938

I forgot to mention a couple of days ago the I watched Disk 1 of Season 2 of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse. Last night I watched Disk 2. I think the Buffy, Angel, and Firefly series are much better. Last night I also watched the Sharks beat Chicago 5-3. For a change they did not fold in the third period.

Message 937

I just got back from Heidi’s Pies. It was just Reggie and me this morning. Last night I watched the Sharks lose to the Wild. They went into the third period leading 3-2 and then lost 5-3. Discouraging to say the least. I also finished reading Science.

Message 936

Yesterday afternoon I went to CVS and bought a new supply of Cetaphil and Cere Ve. I then watched the Vikings beat the Eagles on Monday Night Football that was postponed until Tuesday because of the snow storm. I also read part of the new Science.

Message 935

Yesterday I read some more on my Kindle. In the evening I watched the Sharks lose to the LA Kings. The score was 0-0 going into the third period, but then everything fell apart and the kings won 5-0. You never know how sports are going to turn out.

Message 934

Yesterday Joshua came over and watched the 49ers lose to the Rams and lose all possibility of a place in playoffs. He brought in pizza, and at least that was good. We were also both disappointed that the Raiders lost too. Now there is nothing left but the Sharks, although Josh still follows the Golden State Warriors. Josh said he did not have a wager with Ethan. I must have misunderstood him. In the evening I watched the new Masterpiece production on PBS. I also read more on my Kindle.

Message 933

Yesterday afternoon I had Christmas dinner at Maureen’s house along with along with a dozen or so family members. It was very nice. When I got back I read some more on my kindle. Josh called yesterday and said he will come watch the 49ers game with me this morning. He said he has a wager with Ethan on the game, which is with St. Louis.

Message 932

Merry Christmas all. I just had a long Skype visit with Liz and Bill. Jason invited me to join them for a party with the family in Los Gatos yesterday afternoon, but I was feeling tired and lazy so I declined. I had just seen him and three of his girls and gave him his family envelopes on Tuesday. He told me they had seen Josh and Natalie at Northstar, so Josh may still be up there skiing. Yesterday I finished reading The Girl Who Played with Fire. She was able to rise from the dead at the end. I have now started the third book in the series.

Message 931

I just got back from PAMF and Safeway picking up my medicine and groceries to get me through the next few days. Last night I watched the Sharks beat Phoenix 4-1. It is their fourth win in a row. This time the stars (Marleau, Thornton, and Boyle) scored the goals for a change. I also read a lot more on my Kindle. I am beginning to wonder if I am reading the third book instead of the second in the series, since the main character just got killed near the end of the book.

Message 930

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi’s Pies. Henry and Reggie were both there, along with Henry’s brother-in-law. After breakfast I stopped by Julian and Vanessa’ house. Only the cleaning women were there, the ones who used to work for me. I think Julian and Vanessa and the kids must have gone to the mountains for a few days of skiing. I left off their Xmas envelopes. I know they will be back by Saturday. Last night I watched a DVD of the movie The Nines. It was not much good. I give it 2 stars. I also watched The Nutcracker on PBS. I have seen it many times, but this was a new production by thr San Francisco Ballet Company. The Nutcracker music was the first classical music I tuned into.

Message 929

Yesterday Jason stopped by with Melanie, Carolyn, and Ellie. He helped me get my balcony drain unplugged. Actually it was Val who finally showed us how to do it with a plunger instead of a snake. We then all had lunch at El Cerrito. I gave Jason the Xmas envelops for his family and the will and stuff from the Safe Deposit box for his use as executer. Jason and the girls were headed to Northstar for some skiing. They will be back for Christmas. Amelia could not go because of her flag team practice. In the evening I watched the Sharks beat Edmonton 2-1. It was mostly a defensive game. The score was 0-0 until the middle of the second period. They almost had a shutout, but in the last couple of minutes they let in a goal. Couture again scored the winning goal. I got a lot more read on my Kindle too.

Message 928

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Underworld. It was about a war between Vampires and Werewolves. It had a very good cast but it was most a derivative of the Matrix movies and was nowhere near up the the standards of Buffy. I give it 2 stars.

Message 927

I just got home from downtown where I got a haircut and closed out my safe deposit box at the bank. Yesterday the Raiders were blacked out, so I watched three other NFL games, and then saw the highlights of the Raider game after it was over. For some reason the water was turned off in the whole Menlo Commons complex about 2 PM yesterday and it did not come back on until about 9:30 Pm last night. It eventually became a problem for me to flush the toilet, so I had to improvise. The drain on my bedroom balcony got plugged up so the balcony started filling up with the heavy rain we had yesterday, so I started scooping it into a wastebasket and pouring it into the toilet to flush like I used to have to do in Alaska. I got the double benefit of flushing the toilets and lowering the wter level on the balcony so it did not flow into the bedroom and wet the carpet. I also got a lot read on my Kindle yesterday.

Message 926

I just got back from having coffee at Starbucks. Next Saturday is Xmas, so we will not do Starbucks, but Helen said they may call me during the week. Yesterday I finished reading The Economist. I also watched the Sharks beat the St. Louis Blues. The Blues play a rough aggressive game, but the Sharks were able to win, thanks in part to two more goals by their rookie Logan Couture. We had a heave rain last night and my bedroom balcony is not draining. I went out and stuck a screwdriver down it but could not find the blockage. So far the water in not high enough to wet the floor of my bedroom.

Message 925

I just got back from doing my Safeway shopping and picking up prescriptions at CVS. Jim called last night and changed our Starbucks meeting to Sunday (tomorrow). We are having a lot of rain, but it does not make any difference to me. Last night I watched a DVD of the Chinese movie. Infernal Affairs. It is a cops vs gang movie with each side having a mole in the other organization. It is a resonably well done thriller, but a little hard to follow on occasion. There is always a question of who is good and who is bad. The Chinese seem to like subtlety and ambiguity. I give it 2.9 stars.

Message 924

Yesterday I read a lot on my Kindle. In the evening Joshua brought in fish and chips from Cook’s and watched the 49ers and Sharks games with me. The 49er were humiliated by San Diego, but amazingly, they still have a chance of making the playoffs. The Sharks blew their lead in the third quarter and had to win 4-3 in overtime on a goal by the rookie Logan Couture.

Message 923

I just got back from Heidi’s Pies. Henry was back and brought his brother-in-law too. Also, Reggie was there. Vanessa could not make it this week because she was involved in something for Beech’s school. Yesterday I read on my Kindle and turned in early.

Message 922

Yesterday Mimi moved back to San Jose. The commute had become too hard and too expensive. At the beginning of December I told her we would have to come to a new agreement. I told her we could continue as we were until the end of December, but she got her stuff moved out and left yesterday. We are still on good terms and may see each other again, but it now seems her mother will live years longer than we originally thought. Yesterday I read on my Kindle and watched the local PBS shows on Saving the Bay. I was surprised and sorry that Richard Holbrooke died. I liked him a lot and saw him often on Charlie Rose. He died young, at only 69.

Message 921

Yesterday I finished reading Science. In the afternoon I drove Vanessa and the kids to Los Gatos to play in the afternoon and when Jason came home about 5 PM we went to Live Oak Kitchen for dinner. As usual afterward we went next door for ice cream. We all had a great time, the kids especially. Jason the went to San Jose to meet Josh at the Sharks game. Ehen I got home I watched the Sharks play Dallas on TV and was sorry to see the Sharks lose in a shootout 2-3.

Message 920

Beech and Josh came over to watch football with me yesterday. Josh brought in lunch from Taco Bell. It was tough to see the Raiders lose to Jacksonville on the last play of the game, but it was great to watch the 49ers beat Seattle so decisively. As amazing as it seems, neither the Raiders or the 49ers have been eliminated from the playoffs yet. Mimi and I went to San Mateo for the family dinner. Vanessa did the cooking this time since Julian is in Japan. In the evening we watched a DVD of the movie Dr. Bell and Mr. Doyle: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes. It was well done, but convoluted. I give it three stars.

Message 919

Yesterday I finished reading The Economist. In the afternoon, Beech came over and played chess with me. He was ahead when we quit the game and watched the DVD he brought of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He was a pleasure to be with the whole time. In the evening Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie Iron Jawed Angels. It was about the final eight years of the women’s suffrage movement in our country. I was mostly ignorant about the subject and was unaware of what a villain President Wilson was until near the end. I give it 4.5 stars. After the movie, I watched the Sharks game against the Chicago Blackhawks. They were tied 1-1 in the middle of the second period. They won 2-1 in overtime with Ryan Clowe scoring both goals. It was great to watch.

Message 918

Mimi and I met Helen and Jim at Starbucks this morning. Yesterday I read about half od The Economist. I was a little bit sick Thursday night, and I still feel a little bit weak, but I am not sick any more.

Message 917

I worked some more on my memoirs yesterday. In the evening Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie Temple Grandin. It starred Claire Danes and was the true life story about a girl who was autistic but was able to overcome her handicap and eventually get her Masters and PhD and now is on the faculty at a university in Colorado. I found it very interesting and give it five stars.

Message 916

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi’s Pies with Mimi, Reggie, Vanessa, and Annie. In the afternoon I got a call from Josh that the Sharks game was on Versus. They were ahead of Philadelphia 1-0 in the first period, but they were behind 1-4 by the middle of the third period. They then caught fire and tied it up. Philadelphia almost scored when time ran out, but the replay showed the puck was only half way across the goal line when the clock showed 0.00 seconds remaining. The Sharks then won the shootout. I got some more read on my Kindle on The Girl Who Played with Fire yesterday. Last night Mimi and I watched the Whole Wide World. I still think it is worth 5 stars.

Message 915

Yesterday I had lunch in Nealon Park with Vanessa and Annie. In the evening Mimi and I ate dinner at Sizzler. I ate too much and was uncomfortable all night. I am going to have to cut back. Mimi and I then watched Taxi Driver. I had seen it in the theater about 35 years ago, but I had forgotten almost everything about it. One scene I did have a vivid memory of was not on the DVD. Memory is a strange thing. I do not know now whether I imagined the scene or whether this is a different cut of the movie. The cast was great and unbelievably young. Jodie Foster was only twelve years old.It was not Robert DeNiro’s or Harvey Keitel’s first film, but it was near the beginning for both of them. Because insanity is not much fun to watch, I give it only for stars.

Message 914

Yesterday I helped Vanessa with the booklet she is working on for the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Cranio-Facial Anomalies Clinic. In the afternoon I watched the Sharks beat Detroit 5-3 in Detroit. It was a complete reversal of the game a few days ago when the Redwings beat the Sharks in San Jose. That’s sports for you. In the evening Mimi and I watched the Thai movie Ghost of Mae Nak. I give it two stars. It was not as bad as most ghost movies. I have almost finished my Kindle book.

Message 913

I was very disappointed yesterday at how bad the 49ers looked against Green Bay, but I was surprised and glad to see the Raiders do so well against San Diego. Mimi and I had dinner with Julian Vanessa and the kids. In the evening we watched Legally Blonde. I had seen it before, but had mostly forgotten it. I was surprised at how good it was. I give it 3.7 stars.

Message 912

Yesterday I finished reading The Economist and read a little more on my Kindle. Last night Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie Romance and Cigarettes. It is not up to the usual Coen brothers standards, perhaps because this on was written by John Turturro instead of by the Coens. This one had a lot of singing by the cast, and it was mostly a big joke except that it tried to deal with a serious subject. I give it 2 stars.

Message 911

I just got back from doing the Safeway shopping. No Starbucks today because Helen and Jim were busy with something else. I stsrted reading the Economist yesterday and worked on my memoirs. Last night Mimi and I watched Water. I had seen it before and I still think it rates 5 stars.

Message 910

Yesterday I worked on my memoirs and read on my Kindle. In the evening Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie September Dawn. It was based on the true story of how on 11 September 1857 the Mormons killed 127 men women and children in a wagon train that was passing through Utah on its way to California. The U.S. Army later executed the leader of the Mormon group of killers, but they allowed the others, including Brigham Young, to get off unpunished. Because of it 9/11 date, the story particularly resonates today as an example of the terrible things people can do in the name of their religion. I give it three stars.

Message 909

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi’s Pies with Reggie. Mimi could not go today because she got a call that her mother had fallen out of bed and needed her attention. Vanessa could not make it either, but I stopped by to see her afterward and to play with Annie while Vanessa went out for an appointment. Yesterday I worked some more on my memoirs and read some more on my Kindle. In the evening Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie Slipstream. It was written and directed by Anthony Hopkins, who also played the main role. It was a strange and disjointed movie about how movies are written and produced with a lot of inside film jokes. It is hard to make sense of until you figure it out. I give it three stars.

Message 908

Yesterday I read Science and worked a little bit on my memoirs. Mimi and I went to Harry’s Hoffbrau for dinner. It has more choices than Sizzler, and it is a shorter drive. In the evening we watched a DVD of the Chinese martial arts movie Fearless starring Jet Li, who I had not heard of. It was based on a true story from about a hundred years ago. I give it three stars.