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.