Message 757

I just got back from dropping Ellie off in Los Gatos. Yesterday Beech and Ellie had a sleep-over at my place. Vanessa dropped Beech off here about 4 PM yesterday, and I drove him down to Los Gatos. They and the other kids swam in the pool there, and then I took them all out to dinner at Live Oak Kitchen, and then to the Sweet Retreat Ice Cream shop a couple of doors away. Beech had packed a package of microwave popcorn and some cotton candy, along with the cartoon movie Open Season to watch while they ate the treats. I finally got them to sleep about 10 PM, after which I watched news and Charlie Rose. This morning Beech woke at the crack of dawn, about 5:30 AM. He then woke Ellie, and they both woke me. They were making so much noise that I took them to McDonalds with the playground in Redwood City. We then went to Starbucks at about 8 Am where we were scheduled to meet Helen and Jim. but they did not arrive until after 9:30 AM, so the kids rode the two scooters that Beech had also brought. Julian came about 9:15 AM to take Beech to his Kung Fu class, so only Ellie and I met Helen and Jim when they arrived. Jim returned the book The Blind Side that I had given him, so now I can pass it on to Julian.

Message 756

Yesterday I had breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Reggie and Henry. Vanessa called early and told me she would not be able to make it. She needs to catch up with her MAD Stitches work. Later I met another nice woman from POF. I expect we will meet again. In the evening I started reading the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn. It is a very good non-fiction account of the horrific oppression of women in the world.

Message 755

I had another quiet day at home yesterday. In the afternoon Olga from Fremont came over after contacting me on POF. We had a very nice visit for a couple of hours, and I think we may well meet again. In the evening I watched a DVD of the classic Japanese movie Hara-kiri. Even though it was a classic and had an anti-samurai message I found it boring and give it only two stars.

Message 754

I had a quiet day at home yesterday. In the evening I went to San Mateo to play bridge with Patricia Dorr. We had dinner at a nearby Country Club, and when we finished It was still an hour before the game was scheduled to start. She asked about where Vanessa lived, so we stopped in for a surprise visit. The bridge was fun, but I was home by 10 PM.

Message 753

Yesterday Susan had to take the girls to Larry Morrill to check their braces, and afterward we had coffee and pastries at Starbucks. I then took Ellie and Caroline home with me while Susan took the twins shopping. Vanessa brought Beech by and I took him and Ellie and Caroline to Chuckee Cheese. The all had a ball playing the games and winning bunches of tickets which they traded in for prizes. I was the only one who ate much pizza, but Caroline ate a bunch of Buffalo wings, and somewhat reluctantly shared some with Beech and Ellie. I drove the kids to Los Gatos after lunch, and they had fun playing while I read the newspaper. Afterward I drove Beech to San Mateo

In the evening I watched Vol. 1 of The Buccaneers, which was in black and white and made in Britain for TV in 1956. It was funny, like watching the three stooges playing pirates. I got it on Netflix by accident, so I cancelled the rest of the series. I give it 2.5 stars.

Mesage 752

I hosted a fathers' day lunch yesterday at the Mexican restaurant Celia's, where Fontana's used to be, for the three Js plus Vanessa and the kids, and Amelia and Evelyn. It was going to be at Ten Fu, but when I got there it was not open for lunch, so we had to switch to Celia's. Jamie was planning to join us, but the kids were fussy and he had to put them down for a nap. After lunch Jason, Amelia and I took Evelyn to Stanford to start her summer program. She is going to study Philosophy.

In the afternoon I finished reading The Economist and also Science. In the evening I watched Miss Marple on PBS.

Message 751

I had a quiet day at home yesterday. I read some more of The Economist, and went in the hot tub. I was unusually cool yesterday, so it felt good to warm up. In the evening I watched a DVD of the Japanese movie When a Woman Ascends the Stairs. It was made in 1960 and is considered a classic, although I had never heard of it. I was impressed by how good it was. It was made in black and white and it was a philosophical statement by the director of how mostly bad things happen to people in life and there is nothing to do but accept what comes and go on living. It was beautifully acted and the subtitles were not distracting. I give it four stars.