Message 388

I just got back from Heidi's Pies. Beech went with us today because his school is over for the summer. Afterward Beech and Annie came home with me to play for a while. Vanessa picked them up after lunch. They both like chicken pot pie.

Yesterday Melanie and Amelia graduated from eighth grade. Vanessa, Beech, Annie, and I went down for the ceremony, which was a big and long deal. There were 290 graduates, and there were lots of speeches and awards, and of course every name had to be read out loud as they received their diplomas, The weather was beautiful, but I got there too late to get a seat. I got tired so Beech, Ellie, Caroline (part way), and I left early and walked home. Caroline wanted to go a different way, so her mom and dad and Linda and Walt were upset when she ended up walking home the few blocks by herself. All of us plus a dozen or so friends came for a BBQ and swim party around Jason and Susan's pool in the evening. The food was good and everyone had a lot of fun, especially the kids. At the end there were at least a dozen kids in the hot tub together.

When I got home it was nearly 9:30 PM, so I read some more of my book about the CIA before I watched Charlie Rose.

Message 387

Yesterday I took Beech to lunch at Burger King and then to his gymnastics class. His usual teacher Phil was out sick, so he had teacher Nick as a substitute.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Gran Torino. It is nice to see Clint Eastwood making good movies. I give it three stars.

Message 386

Yesterday Vanessa and I went to Nealon Park with the kids. Beech's school is out for the summer, so we went a little later and stayed a little longer than in the past because Beech did not have to go to school in the afternoon which had been his previous schedule. Annie has the slap-cheek virus now so her face looks like she has a sunburn. Beech had it a couple of weeks ago, and now it is her turn. It does not make people very sick, and once the face turn red it is no longer contagious, so it is not an especially big deal. As usual Vanessa made a delicious lunch and I was the one who did most of the eating. Vanessa and Beech played soccer on the grass. There were some eleven year old boys playing there too, and one of them was nice enough to play with Beech for a while. Vanessa got pretty winded after a while and I tried to play with Beech some too. I said lets just practice kicking it to each other while we stand about ten yards apart. He refused and said no he wanted us to run and kick like he had been doing, so I said no I could not run. He then went back and dragged his mom out for another workout.

In the evening I did not have a new netflix, so I started reading a new book, Legacy of Ashes, which Chris had recommended to me. It is a history of the CIA and a National Book Award winner. It is quite compelling and told me a lot I did not know, even though I consider myself pretty informed on the CIA.

Message 385

Yesterday I finished reading the book The Tiger and the Hare. It is fiction set in Vietnam during 1962 and 1963, which are the years of the Tiger and the Hare according to the Vietnamese calendar. It ends after Diem and Kennedy are assassinated, after which things went downhill fast. The author is a woman who lives at Menlo Commons.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Kiss the Bride. It is a comedy about a gay man getting married to a woman. I do not usually like movies about gays, but this one had a light touch that made it passable. It give it three stars.

Message 384

Yesterday I finished reading The Economist. For lunch I had an open face tuna sandwich, which I do once or twice a month. I might do it more often if it were not for the mercury in tuna.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie In the Valley of Elah. It is based on a true story about soldiers coming back from Iraq with PTSD. It is also a murder mystery with a good cast including Tommy Lee Jones, Charlene Thereze (SP?), and Susan Sarandon. I give it three stars.

Message 383

I just got back from meeting Joan and Dave at Starbucks. Helen and Jim are still in Seattle. Afterward I did my weekly grocery shopping. Yesterday I had dinner at Julian and Vanessa's. Afterward I continued to read my book about Vietnam instead of watching a DVD. I expect today will be a quiet day at home.

Message 382

Yesterday I read more of my new book and in the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Requiem for a dream, which is a very disturbing movie that I am somewhat conflicted about rating. It has a good cast, although the only ones I was familiar with are Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly. In many ways it is boring because it depicts the ordinary events in the lives of people who are flawed and dysfunctional, but who also share the characteristics of all of us. They all get caught up in drug use, some legal and some illegal. As a result they all come to bad ends. I give it three stars because of it honesty and realism, but it can not be considered entertaining.