Message 455

Yesterday I had lunch with Vanessa and the kids at Ikea. In the evening Joshua came over and brought in meals from Boston Market, which is near his house. I had the meatloaf and he had the chicken. We watched the Giants game. He had to leave before the game was over to go pick up his bike at Pat's house, where it had been repaired. After the game I watched a DVD of the movie The Proposition. It was like an Australian Western showing the early days of the interactions with the aborigines and with outlaws. It was pretty bloody. The only member of the cast that I was familiar with was Emily Watson, whom I admire greatly. I give it 3.4 stars.

Message 454

Yesterday I went with Vanessa and the kids to Nealon Park for play and a picnic. After we ate I took the kids to their house to play while Vanessa went to the funeral of Lynn, the long-time friend of Maureen and her family. Maureen gave the eulogy. The kids fell asleep in the car on my drive to San Mateo, so I just parked in front of their house for half an hour or so and listened to NPR while they napped.

In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie The New World. It was the story on the Jamestown settlement filmed near the actual historical site with real Indians. It was hard for me to understand what was happening both because they spoke the old colonial English and all the male characters looked somewhat alike with long hair and beards. I give it 3.5 stars because of its historical interest and because of the attention to detail in making it historically accurate. The unknown actress they found to play Pocahontas was quite good.

Message 453

Yesterday I again participated in the routine that Julian and Vanessa now have of having a family dinner every Sunday afternoon/evening. This time the lasagna and dessert were store-bought instead of prepared from scratch, but they were as delicious as always. When I got back to my condo I watched a DVD of the movie Two Lovers. As I watched it I began to think it looked familiar, but I could not recall seeing it before. By the time it ended I am sure I had seen it before but I had forgotten everything about how it turned out. It had a good cast and was well done, but it was not fun for me to watch because it dealt with marginally functional people struggling with self destructive behavior. However it had a good cast and was well written and well performed, so I give it 3.5 stars. I see now on my movie list that when I watched it before I gave it 5 stars, so I will let that rating stand.

Message 452

I just got back from having coffee with Helen and Jim. Helen has had a cold all week, so they missed there weekend overnight trip, but she was improved enough this morning so we had coffee. I have not seen Joshua for more than a week now. I wonder if he has already flown to Amsterdam for his work which is supposed to happen sometime soon.

Yesterday morning I met Vanessa Julian, Beech, and Annie at Starbucks. Julian and Beech had to leave early for the Kung Fu class, but Vanessa and Annie and I stayed on and met some new people who were there with kids who played with Annie. Last night I was the guest of honor at a pot luck dinner that was held by a book group that Sally founded years ago. The dinner was hosted by the Rohans, but the Solomons, and Arianos were there too. We ate outside and the food was delicious. It started at 5 PM and I was home by 9 PM, but I did not watch a DVD. Instead I finished reading The Economist.

Message 451

Yesterday I read the new Science magazine, and started the new Economist. After the Friday PBS shows were over I watched a DVD of the movie What Doesn't Kill You. It was a very gritty and realistic story of kids in Boston who get started early and grow up to be criminals and go to prison for a few years. One becomes an alcoholic and dope addict and neglects his wife and kids. This is a true story of the life of the writer/director, who eventually goes straight and cleans up while his friend goes to prison for life. I give it three stars.

Message 450

Yesterday was another quiet day at the condo. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Heaven. I had no idea what it was, but it turns out to be a gem. It is an unusual movie that goes in surprising directions. The script was written by the Polish director who did the trilogy Red, White, and Blue, the colors of the French flag. It was the last thing he did before he died at the age of 54 in 1996. The only other name associated with the film that I was familiar with was Kate Blanchett. I have been watching a lot of her movies lately. To summarize, the script, the cast, the photography, and the directing were all very good. It was filmed in Italy and has a lot of Italian cast members, but the primary language is English. The pictures of Tuscany are especially beautiful. I highly recommend it and give it 5 stars.

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.