Message 1457

Yesterday I finished reading Train Dreams by Denis Johnson. The best thing about it is that it was short. Otherwise it was kind of boring. In the evening Josh came over with pizza to watch the hockey game with me. St. Louis scored in the first period and then scores again in the third period. The Sharks finally scored one too, but again it was too little and too late. The Sharks lost 1-2. The next game is Saturday afternoon in St. Louis. I feel good today.

Message 1456

I did not get up until noon today. I think my catheter change is finally catching up with me. However, it is not as bad as it has been in the past. I finished The Help yesterday. I thought it was very good. I still have not seen the movie though. Yesterday I downloaded a new book called Train Dreams which I heard about on The News Hour as one of the books that was thought not to be good enough to merit the Pulitzer Prize for fiction this year. It is a rather strange book, but I am not far enough into it yet to pass judgment on it. I feel good today.

Message 1455

So far changing my catheter has not been anywhere near as bad as usual. Maybe I am getting adjusted to it. Yesterday I read on my Kindle and watched disk 2 of Canterbury’s Law. I think it was the end. The series must have been cancelled. It was not very good, so good riddance I say. I feel good today.

Message 1454

Yesterday I went to PAMF and had my catheter changed. So far it seems to have gone a little better this time. In the evening Josh came over with fish and chips to watch the hockey game with me. St. Louis scored the first goal and the Sharks trailed 1-4 in the third period. They finally scored a couple of more goals, but it was too late, so they lost 3-4. They play again Thursday night, so we can only hope they get back on track by then. I feel good today.

Message 1453

Yesterday I mostly read on my Kindle. In the evening I watched PBS The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It is the last book that Dickens wrote but died before he finished. An ending was recently added by a woman who guessed what Dickens would have written, but in my opinion she need not have bothered. It is a strange story that is hard to make sense of. The motives of the characters are far fetched and inconsistent. When it was over I watched the news and read some more on my Kindle. I had a good sleep last night. I feel good today.

Message 1452

Yesterday afternoon I watched the hockey game. Josh had gone skiing on Mt. Shasta, so he did not join me, which was just as well because the Sharks lost to St. Louis 0-3. It was not a good game. It even started out with Vlassic putting the puck in his own net. In the evening I watched two movies on PBS, Bullitt and The French Lieutenant’s Woman, both of which I had seen in the theater years ago when they first came out. It had forgotten most of them, but I enjoyed seeing them again. I also read more on my Kindle and had a good night’s sleep. I feel good today.

Message 1451

Yesterday after the Friday PBS shows, I watched disk 2 of Body and Soul, about the nun who leaver her order to help her family cope with their problems. It thought it was pretty good. If it were a movie, I would give it four stars. I feel good today.

Message 1450

Yesterday Josh came over and watched the hockey game with me. The Sharks beat St. Louis in the second overtime period. Because the game was in St. Louis it started at 4:30 PM Pacific Time, so we planned to go out to eat after the game, but we had not planned on overtime. Especially because playoff overtimes are full 20-minute periods (although sudden death), and the second overtime was almost over before the Sharks were able to score a goal and win the game 3-2. We then went to The Dutch Goose and had burgers and fries, but we made it back by 9 PM and so were able to watch the end of the game between Phoenix and Chicago which also went to overtime, but Phoenix won. All three teams from the Sharks Conference won their first game playoff game (San Jose, Phoenix, and San Jose), so it shows that the Sharks had to play in the toughest conference, and it it no wonder they had to struggle to make the playoffs this year. I feel good today.

Message 1449

Yesterday I watched Disk 1 of a Netflix DVD called Body and Soul. It is about a girl who becomes a nun and after sixteen years begins to have second thoughts about her situation. It dose not sound like it would be very good, but I found it to be very well done and interesting to watch. In the evening I read some more on my Kindle (“The Help.”) I feel good today.

Message 1448

It has been a while since I took my blood pressure, so here are today’s readings: 143/80 with a heart rate of 60. These numbers are not too bad. Yesterday I watched Netflix DVDs of a BBC production called Portrait of a Marriage. It was a biopic about a woman named Sackville-West. I had never heard of her, but she was British aristocracy in the first half of the 20th century. She was a writer of some fame, but I never read any of her stuff. Despite all of her advantages and opportunities, her life was troubled and tedious to watch in spite of her open and bi-sexual marriage. If it were a movie, I would give it two stars. I feel good today. This morning I was reminded of something I read years ago that everyday life is putting it all together again from scratch.

Message 1447

Yesterday I watched a Netflix DVD of a BBC production called Fingersmith. It was about a gang of pickpockets and con-artists who went to great lengths to get money from people. It was interesting, but hard to follow the complex plot. I also read more on my Kindle. I feel good today. It takes me a while every day to work out what day it is. Fortunately I can check my computer and use its calendar to settle the matter.

Message 1446

Yesterday afternoon Vanessa and Julian brought Annie over to see me withy a plate of food. I will eat it for lunch today. They had been away for a week at Disneyland and up in the mountains while their new house (next door) is being worked on. Later in the afternoon I drove to Umbach’s for Easter dinner. I was shocked to realize that Jack and Audrey, Jamie and Chelsea’s twins are nearly four years old now. They had a great time sitting at the kid’s table with Ellie and Caroline and constantly giggling. Jason was good enough to fix me a plate of food so I did not have to get up. The food was good and the company was great. Walt is suffering now from an infected big toe by bacteria that is hard to kill. He has already lost the toenail, He has to go to urgent care every day for more treatments. In the evening I watched the last installment of Great Expectations, followed by a documentary about Dickens’ secret lover in the last few years of his life. I had an unusually good sleep last night. I feel good today.

Message 1445

Last night Josh came over and brought food from Boston Market and watched the hockey game with me. The Sharks beat the LA Kings in overtime, so The Sharks took seventh place in the playoff standings and LA took eighth place. LA will thus have to play Vancouver in the first round of the playoffs while the Sharks will have to play St. Louis. In previous games this season the Sharks found St. Louis to be unbeatable, but when St. Louis lost to Phoenix recently it looked like they may have lost their magic, so maybe the Sharks will have a chance. This morning I took a shower, so I will be clean to join a dozen others, including the Davidsons and their twins and Jason and Susan and their girls, for Easter dinner at Umbach’s. I am bringing four bottles of sparkling cider, so even the kids will have plenty to drink. I have also done a load of wash. I feel good today.

Messge 1444

Last night Joshua called me and told me the hockey game between St. Louis and Phoenix was on TV, so T watched the third period. I was surprised to see St Louis lose to Phoenix. I thought St Louis was practically unbeatable. Phoenix has now taken first place in our conference. Depending on how tonight’s games turn out the Sharks may have either third place or last place in the playoffs-standings. At least they are in the playoffs, and if they can not beat all the teams, they won’t make it to the Stanley cup finals anyway, so I suppose it does not really matter in what order the play the other teams. I started reading The Help on my Kindle yesterday. I have not seen the movie, but I have seen a lot of discussion of it on TV. I feel good today.

Message 1443

Last night Josh brought in burgers and fries from In and Out Burger and watched the hockey game with me. The Sharks beat LA 6-5 in an overtime shootout. They now are assured a place in the playoffs. If they win their next game, they may even win their Division. I feel good today.

Message 1442

Yesterday I finished reading Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell on my Kindle. I thought it was very good. I also watched Disk two of Bleak House. I feel good today.

Message 1441

Yesterday I read some more on my Kindle and watched Disk One of Bleak House. I had seen Bleak House before, but I had forgotten most of it. I have watched so many movies now that I recognize the performers from other movies. Bleak House is full of famous British actors and actresses, but when I first saw it on PBS years ago I did not know who they were. Now they are all like old friends. I feel good today.

Message 1440

Yesterday I read some more on my Kindle and watched Disk One of Bleak House. I had seen Bleak House before, but I had forgotten most of it. I have watched so many movies now that I recognize the performers from other movies. Bleak House is full of famous British actors and actresses, but when I first saw it on PBS years ago I did not know who they were. Now they are all like old friends. I feel good today.

1439

Yesterday I read more on my Kindle and finished The Economist. In the evening I watched the new Masterpiece Theater production of Great Expectations. This morning I took a shower and started a load of laundry. I feel good today.

Message 1438

Yesterday, In addition to changing my sheets and doing laundry, I read quite a bit more on my Kindle. My new book is Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell. It is the true story of a platoon leader’s experiences in Afghanistan. I saw him interviewed on the Tavis Smiley show a short while back, and he sounded interesting. Last night I watched the hockey game. Josh did not join me because he went to Jason’s birthday party in Los Gatos. The Sharks beat Dallas 3-0 and moved back into last place in the playoff race. They play Dallas in San Jose again on Tuesday, after which they play LA again home and away on Thursday and Saturday to end their regular season. I feel good today.