Message 179

This morning I am sending this message early before I leave to have breakfast with Vanessa and Annie at Heidi's pies. Afterward we will pick Beech up at school and go to Los Gatos for Ellie's birthday party.

Last night I watched disk 1 of season 5 of The Wire. This season has the newspaper business as part of the story, like season had education.

Message 178

Last night I watched the Sharks game. Even though they led most of the game, they ended up losing to Nashville in overtime.

After the game I read some more of The Economist. As usual, I watched Charlie Rose at midnight and turned in at 1 AM.

Today I will walk up to Sharon Heights and pick up my Boniva and Flonase prescriptions.

Message 177 (yesterdays 177 should have been 176)

I just got back from PAMF where I had to pick up a refill of my prescription for my bladder antibiotic solution. I was not sure they would be open today because so many places are closed for the holiday, but fortunately for me, they were.

It was wonderful yesterday to have Caroline, Ellie, and Beech with me after their overnight. I took them to the Redwood City McDonalds with the play area for breakfast. They had a good time bur did not eat much of their pancake breakfasts. They all did drink two containers of chocolate milk though. Julian brought over a bunch of tacos at noon. Susan brought the twins and their friend Iris over on their way to PAMF for their flu shots, so they too enjoyed the tacos before they left.

Even though I loved having the kids stay with me, it was nice when they went home, so I was able to relax. I still have not finished putting the condo back in order, but I am doing a little here and there every day, so it will soon be back to normal.

Today I take Beech to his gymnastics class. He does not have school today, because they are closed for the holiday. Because we shall have extra time, I will give him a choice of whether he wants to have lunch at Heidi's Pie or at our usual McDonalds. I assume he will choose McDonalds because he mostly wants the toy that comes with the happy meal.

Last night I watched Masterpiece Contemporary on PBS, and went to bed early, about midnight instead of my usual 1 AM.

Message 177

Yesterday I took Beech and Annie to Los Gatos to go out to lunch with Susan and the girls. Afterward we came back to play for a couple of hours . Annie loved playing in Ellie's room with all of her girly toys. She would pick up a doll and give it a hug and say baby.

When it was time to leave Caroline asked if she could spend the night a my house. Then Ellie said she wanted to stay too. Then Beech said he wanted to stay with the girls at my house instead of staying at Maureen's with Annie, so that the way it turned out to be.

In spite of the kids staying up and playing pretty roughly, I was able to watch the Sharks game. They beat Dallas 2-1, scoring the winning goal with 28 seconds to go in the 3rd period. The sharks still have more points than any other team in the NHL.

The kids are still asleep. Today is my Boniva day, so I can't eat for anoter hour.

Message 175

Last night I watched a DVD of Snow Angels. I give it only two stars in spite of the fact that it was very well made. The problem is that it is such a downer. It depicts the life of ordinary people in a small town somewhere in the northern United States during winter with snow and ice contributing to an overall bleak atmosphere. Virtually everyone has meaningless, empty, banal, and hopeless lives. Divorce and infidelity are common and evangelical religion is well entrenched. An innocent child dies of neglect, and the movie ends with murder and suicide. The only attractive characters are a high school couple who seen still to have a chance of making it in the world. Even though these are all valid components of real live, it is not entertaining to be reminded of it.

This morning I am meeting Helen and Jim for coffee, and this afternoon I am taking Beech and Annie to play with Susan's girls while Julian and Vanessa go to a wedding in Napa. Jason is in Nyack this weekend. The kids are going to stay overnight at Maureen's.

Message 174

I have finished my exercises, breakfast, and two laps around the condo loop. I have a load of laundry in the washing machine. Vanessa and the kids are going to stop by this afternoon. She has to take Beech to the doctor to ask what can be done about his migraines. He had his first migraine night before last, vomiting and all. By the next morning he was OK. So it seems that Liz, Julian, and now Beech have inherited the migraine gene from my father's mother.

Last night I watched the Sharks beat St. Louis in an overtime shootout. I am sure Ethan, Julie, and Alex would have preferred the opposite outcome, but I root for the Blues except when they play the Sharks.

Message 173

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. We were a little later than usual this morning because we drove up to San Francisco so Vanessa could deliver a wedding present to her friend Dana, who is getting married on Saturday. I am going to watch Beech and Annie while Julian and Vanessa go to the wedding. I will take them down to Susan's so they can play with their cousins. Jason is in Nyack or the Starcraft weekend.

Last night I watched the DVD of a movie called reprise. I only give it one star. It was clearly a mistake to get it. It must have been recommended by a critic. It is a Norwegian film, and very artsy and psychological. The subtitles were a nuisance to read and the characters were struggling with youthful angst and clinical depression. It was a downer and a total failure in my opinion.

What a relief it is that Obama won the election. He has a lot of work ahead of him, but I feel confident that he is smart enough to know how to do the best things, so there is no point in my thinking about what he should do. I am happy to leave it all in his hands.