Message 505

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa. I overslept this morning, so I did not have time to take Annie to her day care, so Vanessa had to deal with that herself. This morning our usual tables were full so we sat with Henry and Reggie, two of the regulars that are there every week. It was a pleasure to talk to them in greater depth than our usual exchange of Helos. Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Henry and June. It is based on the true life story of Henry Miller and his wife June as derived from the diary of Anais Nin. Because I have been such a Fan of Henry Miller's writing for decades, and because I actually heard Anais Nin speak at one of the lectures arranged by my father at The Library of Congress, I found the story very interesting. However, because the impressions of the writing and the speech are so intense, I found the representation by the movie a little flat and boring. It is probably impossible to achieve this same level of intensity to the medium of film, so I hesitate to lower my rating of the movie because of its shortcomings. Nevertheless, I only give it 3.6 stars.

Message 504

Yesterday we had our big rainstorm. I think we got about two inches, and in the hills they got ten inches. It is the first big rain of the season and at least a month earlier than usual. Maybe this year we will break out of our drought pattern. I watched Annie for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon while Vanessa took Beech to the doctor for his earache. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie The Life of David Gale. It was about opposition to the death penalty in Texas. It had a very good cast and was played as a mystery thriller, but I found the plot absurd and too contrived. I give it 2.3 stars.

Message 503

Yesterday I took Annie to Nealon Park for a couple of hours while Vanessa did her grocery shopping. Annie is a pleasure to be with, and she is learning to do more of the park things each time we go. People still mistake her for a boy though if she does not have a ribbon in her hair. In the evening Joshua brought in burgers and fries from The Dutch Goose and watched the Sharks game with me. It was a 0-0 tie after overtime, so they lost to Phoenix in a shootout. Phoenix has a new style of defense, so the Sharks will have to figure out how to counter it. Charlie Rose had a very good show last night.

Message 502

Yesterday I watched the local NFL teams disgrace themselves on TV. In the morning it was the Raiders. In the afternoon Julian invited me to watch the 49ers with him on his big TV. Vanessa was out with her girlfriends, and Julian was cooking the dinner and watching Beech and Annie. We could not believe that the same team that had come within 2 seconds of beating the Vikings could look as bad as they did against the Falcons. The dinner of pulled pork BBQed in the crock-pot was delicious though. In the evening I finished reading The Economist and watched another Inspector Lewis episode on PBS.

Message 501

Yesterday I watched Stanford lose the football game at Oregon State. Stanford was completely out-played, so the may have to give up their fantasy of winning the PAC-10. In the evening I watched the Sharks game. Again they waited until the second period to come to life, then they took over the game and won easily. I do not understand why they are making a habit of this, but I am pleased to see that they can do it when they get their act together. After the Sharks game, I watched a DVD of the movie The OH in OHio. It is a comedy about the female orgasm. It was mostly an upbeat film, but I had trouble taking the characters seriously. I give it 2.6 stars.

Message 500

Yesterday I had a quiet day at home. I have started taking a Mucinex pill once or twice a day to help me get over my cough. It is good that I have found something I can take to relieve my congestion. Finally the pledge drives are over and the National Park series is over so the usual Friday night programs are available for me to watch. After Washington Week I watched a DVD of the movie. YPF. It is a Canadian file, which I seem to have watched a lot lately. It was a semi-comedy about the trouble people have in their romantic relationships, but I found it a little tedious. I give it 2.9 stars.

I am waiting for Helen and Jim to call to meet them at Starbucks. Liz told me that Sean has gone to Nyack for the Starcraft weekend. I suppose that Jason and Jamie may well have gone too.

Message 499

Yesterday afternoon I picked Beech up at his school and took him to his Kung Fu class. He is used to this routine now, so it is working quite smoothly. In the evening Joshua brought in Mexican food and watched the Sharks game with me. They were behind 1-0 at the end of the first period, but then they came to life and won the game 6-3. The main new guy, Dany Heatley, scored a hat trick in his first home game. I was glad to see this because I was concerned that the Sharks had traded two of my favorite players to get him. I guess the manager knows what he is doing. It was too late to watch a DVD after the game, so I read some more of the NSA history.