Message 722

Yesterday I worked some more on my memoirs. At 5 PM Josh came over and watched the Sharks game with me. They lost to Chicago 2-3 in overtime this time, but it was another downer for us. They are playing very well, but Chicago is playing a little better, and they are getting more breaks. The next game is at noon on Sunday, and if the Sharks lose that one too, I will start having a lot more time to do other things like watch DVDs.

After the game, I watched a DVD of the movie Hanna Takes the Stairs. It is an independent film written by the actors and is mostly a boring improvisation. I watched it mostly to check out Greta Gerwig, who has been getting so much coverage in the NY Times for the last month or so. If it weren't for the nude scenes, I would give it a one, but instead I give it a two, not really worth watching.

Message 721

I had breakfast yesterday at Heidi's Pies with Reggie and Henry. Henry is back from tending to family business near Washington, D.C., and he will be here for three weeks before he has to go back again. Vanessa could not join us because she had to go to a doctor for x-rays and medication. Because it took so long for her to have so many tests, I picked Beech up at school at noon and then Annie at her day care and took them to McDonalds. We went to one with a playground, which Annie enjoyed immensely, but Beech feels like he has outgrown. He was very good about helping Annie learn how to climb and slide and run and jump and such though. Afterward we stopped at Yumy Yogurt and they each had a shaved ice with Cherry, Grape, and Strawberry syrup. Beech finished every bit of his, but Annie managed to finish only about a third of hers. By the time we got home, she was ready for her nap. In the evening I watched Disk 3 of The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, along with all of the special features. This is the end of the series. I confess that I was very ignorant about Zimbabwe before watching it. I enjoyed it very much. If it were a movie I would give it five stars.

Message 720

Yesterday I stayed home all day and worked on my memoirs. In the evening I watched three documentaries about warfare on PBS. Before Charlie Rose I read some more of Sleeping Where I Fall. I am half way through it now.

Message 719

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school and took him to McDonalds for lunch. Afterward we worked on his homework for a while and played some Wii games. We also talked about The Karate Kid which I gave him on Sunday. I gave him the three-DVD set because he is spending so much time and effort on his Kung Fu classes. In the evening Joshua came over and watched the Sharks game with me. They lost 2-4. If they do not start getting some breaks, or if Chicago does not stop playing over their heads, we may not make it to the Stanley Cup finals. I am heartened though by the fact that Philadelphia trailed Boston 0-3 games and were behind by three goals in the fourth game before they came back and won the series. Friday afternoon's game will be in Chicago, so it will not be long before we see how it is going to go from here.

Message 718

I went to PAMF in the morning yesterday to have blood drawn for an annual PSA test and to refill my prescription for my antibiotic for injecting. During the day I read the new Science, and in the evening Joshua came over to watch 24 with me. Next Monday will be the two-hour series finale. After Joshua left I read some more of Sleeping Where I Fall, and then watched Charlie Rose.

Message 717

Yesterday in the early afternoon I watched the Sharks lose 1-2 to Chicago in the first game of the Western Conference championship series. It was a very fast and rough game, and it could have gone either way, but Chicago came out on top. Joshua and Jason were at the game, and I am sure they were as disappointed as I was. The next game is Tuesday night. In the late afternoon Julian brought my Sienna back after Vanessa's trip to the mountains, and took me with him and the kids to Una Mas for dinner. In the evening I watched the last episode of Foyle's war on PBS. I also finished reading The Economist.

Message 716

Yesterday morning Julian came down and traded cars with me so Vanessa could drive the Sienna to the mountains with a bunch of her friends from the mothers group. One of the members has to move with her family to Texas because her husband was transferred to Dallas. After that I met Helen and Jim and Joan at Starbucks. Dave is still too sick to get out of bed, but Joan says he is somewhat better now that he is on a new medication. During the day I read some of The Economist and in the evening I watched a DVD called Alone in the Wilderness. It is a documentary about a guy who builds a cabin by a lake in Alaska and filmed himself doing the work with a camera on a tripod. He lived there by himself for thirty years until he was eighty years old and moved back to the lower forty-eight. This documentary was recommended by Joshua's friend Jim at Genencor when he heard I had built my house in Alaska. My house was much bigger than the one in the documentary, but I had a lot of help and used more store-bought materials. If it was a movie I would give it three stars.