Message 528

I am late again today getting this message out. I met Helen and Jim at Starbucks. Vanessa and Annie found me in Safeway afterward. Helen and Jim left early so they missed seeing Vanessa and Annie. Vanessa and Annie came to my condo while I put away the groceries and put my laundry on the balcony to dry. Afterward we went to Nealon Park. Vanessa is working on toilet training Annie, so we kept pretty busy.

Last night I watched a DVD of the French movie Au Revois Les Enfantes written and directed by Louis Malle. The title means goodbye Children which is what the head priest said when the Gestapo took him away with the jewish boys for the concentration camp near the end of the movie. The movie is about boys in a Catholic school during World War 2, and is based on the writer's experiences during the war. I give it 3.6 stars.

Message 527

I forgot to mention in yesterday's message that I had an appointment with my dermatologist Wednesday afternoon. She froze a few spots for me and wrote a prescription for Efudex for my forearms. She also said I should start taking 1000 IUs of vitamin-D every day, instead of four days a week as I have been doing for the past few months. Yesterday afternoon I picked Beech up at school and took him to his Kung Fu class as usual. Afterward we went next door to the pizza place. In the evening I watched a DVD of the French movie The Story of Adele H. It was made in 1975 and directed by Truffaut, the same who directed last night's movie. This movie would have been pretty boring except that it is a true story based on the diary of Victor Hugo's daughter, the youngest of his four children. She was a troubled, almost psychotic woman, but very dogged in her dedication to her fantasies. I give it three stars.

This morning a crew is due to show up and install my new awning on my balcony.

Message 526

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa. Last night I watched a DVD of the French movie Mississippi Mermaid (La Sirene du Mississippi). It came out in 1969 and stars Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Belmondo, and it was directed by Truffaut. With these famous people, I figured it should be good, but I give it only three stars. It realistically shows what happens when marginally functional people fall in love and become obsessed with each other to the point of self destructive behavior. Even though it has many of the same elements as Heaven, a movie I thought very good, I somehow found it something of a turn-off instead of an inspiration. I suppose my reaction is because the characters remind me to much of my life with Betsy, Liz and Ethan's mother.

Message 525

Yesterday was another quiet day working on my memoirs. In the evening I watched three programs on PBS instead of a DVD. I watched the Nova show on human evolution, Warplane, and Frontline about medicating children for ADHD, etc. All of the shows were very good.

Message 524

Yesterday I had another quiet day at home working on my memoirs. In the evening I watched a DVD of the French movie for which the English translation is And God Created Woman. It came out in 1956 and was Bridget Bardot's first movie. I had heard of it but I had never seen it. I am amazed that it is so bad. The plot is absurd and the acting is awkward. I give it two stars.

Message 523

Yesterday Julian and Beech came up and brought lunch and watched the 49ers game with me. Our team did well against the Colts, one of the best teams, but they lost anyway. Later I watched the Raiders for a while, but they were so bad I switched to watch Brett Favre beat Green Bay. Afterward I went to the Sunday family dinner in San Mateo. Julian grilled steak and Vanessa made rattatooie(SP?) and rice. Beech and Annie had lots of candy from their Trick or Treat outing the night before. In the evening I watched the PBS shows, one a derivative thing about Jane Austen and the other was Part 1 of a mystery.

Message 522

Yesterday I started reading The Economist. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie The Piano Teacher. Is a French movie with subtitles. It has a good cast and is elaborately produced. Its best feature is that it has music as an important element of the story. However, it is about pathologically warped people who have very painful lives. Even though it is based on a book by a Nobel-prize-winning author, it has too degenerate and pessimistic a picture of humanity to make it worth watching. Even though it is realistic and depicts human characteristics that do exist, it is hardly worth the three stars it give it.