Message 440

I just got back from having breakfast with Vanessa and Annie. Afterward I took Annie to the park in San Mateo and have just dropped Annie with Maureen to watch for a while during her nap.

Last nigh I watched a DVD of the movie Imaginary Heroes. It was a movie about teenage suicide, which I found very unattractive. It had a good cast and was well performed, but I think it was poorly written. I give it 2.4 stars.

Message 439

I just got back from Nealon Park.. Susan and Ellie came to visit me this morning while Caroline and her friend Amanda went for a horse back ride at Webb Ranch, so Susan and Ellie came to the park with Annie and me while Vanessa took Beech to his therapist. Maureen's friend Lynn is dying, so Vanessa dropped Beech off at the park with us and when to visit her and say goodbye. We are in the middle of a heat wave now, so I am going to have to shut my computer down after I send this message (and read the New York Times.

I had a prime rib dinner with Julian and Vanessa and the kids last night. Sunday dinner there is now going to be a regular thing. I did not watch a DVD last night. Instead I finished The Economist and Science.

Message 438

I just got back from Walking to Starbucks to have coffee with Helen and Jim. It is the first time we have met for the last three weeks. We will have to skip next weekend too, because they will be volunteering at a campout in the East Bay next weekend. Tomorrow Helen will be flying to Seattle for a few days to get her granddaughter fix.

Yesterday I had lunch with Julian, Vanessa and the kids at Una Mas. Afterward Julian and I took the kids to Nealon Park while Vanessa had her hair done.

Last night, after the Friday PBS shows, I watched a DVD of the movie The Chumscrubber. Incidentally, I notice that I did not complete the name of the movie in yestersday's message. It was Thumbsucker, not Thumb. Anyway, The Chumscrubber (which is also the name of a video game that is played by the kids in the movie), is a very strange movie with a first class cast that is an allegory about suburban life where both adults and kids are on drugs, and nobody is willing to engage honestly with anyone else. It tries to deal with serious subjects, but to me it did not come across as a successful effort. If the cast and their performances had not been so good, I would not even given it serious consideration. However, I give it three stars.

Message 437

Yesterday I had a quiet day around the condo. I did laundry and read some of the Barbara Kingsolver book that was given to me by Liz's friend Andrea. I also started reading The Economist that came in the mail yesterday. I am not meeting Helen and Jim at Starbucks until tomorrow, so I took my Boniva today instead of tomorrow as I had originally scheduled. I am now waiting the hour required before I can eat.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Thumb. It is about family dynamics and teenage angst. It tries hard to deal with important questions, like separation/individuation, for which I give it a lot of credit, but I think it is only partially successful. I give it three stars.

Message 436

I felt so good yesterday that I not only did my exercises, but I walked twice around the condo loop. In the afternoon I picked Beech up at school and took him to his Kung Fu class. Afterward we had pizza and he played on the game machines at Round Table Pizza.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Winter Passing. The only cast members I was familiar with were Ed Harris and Will Farrell, the later playing an unusual role for him. The movie was about a family and friends who are very eccentric and borderline dysfunctional who struggle to carry on with living. At first I thought I do not need to see all this self destructive behavior, but in the end I came to admire the life affirming image of people managing to keep going as best they can in spite of everyone's strange circumstances and troubles. I give it four stars.

Message 435

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie Sylvia. It is about the life of Sylvia Plath, the great American writer who committed suicide and left her two toddlers behind. Gwyneth Paltrow did a super job playing Sylvia. The movie was disturbing to watch for me because it had so many elements that reminded me of my relationship with Betsy. Even though I did not really enjoy watching it I have to give it four stars for the power of its portrayal.

Message 434

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Annie. I have dropped Annie off at Maureen's so she can have a nap before Vanessa takes her and Beech to their dentist appointment this afternoon. At 12:30 PM I have to go with Josh to give him a ride back to work while he has routine pre-paid maintenance done on his new car. He plans to drive two thousand miles over the next few days when he joins eight friends going to three Phish concerts here, and in Oregon and Washington.

Last night I watched a DVD of the movie The Weight of Water. It was a Sean Penn movie that was so/so. I give it three stars.