Message 449

I had to look at the calendar on my computer to tell whether today is Wednesday or Thursday. It turns out it is the latter, but one day is so much like another for me that it is hard for me to keep track. I have done my exercises today and have clipped my fingernails. Even these little matters of personal grooming loom large in my mind. Yesterday I finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It is a non-fiction account of a year of her life eating only locally grown food. Normally I would not expect to be interested in this subject, but she is such a good writer that I quite enjoyed it. It was one of the books given to me by Liz's friend Andrea.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Notes on a Scandal. It had a first-rate cast and was quite well done, but the subject matter was rather dark. It was unusual to see Judy Dench play the heavy. I give it 3.5 stars.

Message 448

This morning I picked up a new injection prescription at PAMF and mailed a package for Vanessa's business to South Carolina. Last night I watched disk 2 of Elizabeth One. I thought Helen Mirren did such a good job, I have upgraded it to four stars.

Message 447

Yesterday I watched Annie while Vanessa took Beech to his regular Monday appointment with his therapist. I took Annie with me to recycle Julian's big TV that quit working and was the reason he had to buy a new, but smaller one on Sunday. Afterward I took her to Nealon Park for a while and then to Una Mas where we met Vanessa and Beech for lunch. Julian is in New York this week, so Vanessa has gone to Blue Lake Springs with Maureen and the kids until Friday.

In the evening I watched Disk One of Elizabeth I with Helen Mirren. I have been getting a full treatment of the story of the first Queen Elizabeth. I give it three stars.

Message 446

Last night I joined Maureen at Vanessa and Julian's regular family dinner. They had BBQ ribs, corn on the cob, and salad. They had bought a fresh peach pie at Heidi's Pies at our breakfast in the morning, so we ate that for desert. It was all delicious.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Elizabeth, with Kate Blanchett. Without realizing it beforehand, I watched part two before I watched this first one, but I think it did not really make much difference. I give this one the same three stars I gave the other one.

Message 446

Julian, Vanessa, and the kids to me to Heidi's Pies this morning for breakfast to celebrate my birthday. After wards I went with Julian and Beech to Best Buy where Julian bought a 40-inch LCD HD TV to replace one of his that has broken after only four years. It is cheaper to buy a new one that is better than the old one for about the money it would cost to fix the old one. I helped him mount it on the wall when we got home, so now I am back at my condo and can send out this message.

Last night I babysat with Ellie and Caroline while Jason and Susan went out to dinner with some friends. We watched Ghostbusters 2 together. I had not seen it before, although I did see the original Ghostbusters when it was first in the theaters years ago. I give this one three stars, which I think is how I would rate the original one too.

Message 444

Yesterday I met Helen and Jim at Starbucks. Helen had just returned from visiting her daughter and granddaughter in Seattle. I am leaving in a few minutes to meet them again this morning. They had misread their calendar, so it will be next weekend that we will miss our regular coffee.

Last night after the Friday PBS shows, I watched a DVD of the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I had missed seeing the original, so now I will probably want to add it to my Netflix queue also. I give it three stars.

Message 443

Yesterday I took Beech to his Kung Fu class and to Round Table Pizza afterward. I also read about half of the new Science. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Defiance. It is based on the true story of Jews in Belarus who survived by fleeing into the forest and fighting the Germans in World War 2. It was quite well-done and is a real epic story. I give it four stars.