Message 588

I just got back from PAMF where I had to have blood drawn for tests related to my upcoming doctor's appointment. I went there yesterday morning too thinking I that I would get two birds with one stone, but I had forgotten that I had to be fasting for 12 hours, so I only refilled my antibiotic prescription. Last night I watched a DVD of the Danish movie After The Wedding. It was a nuisance to have to read the subtitles, but I thought it was very well done. The cast were all unknown to me, but they were beautiful people and played their parts well. It was partly shot in India, but mostly it was in Denmark. It deals with relationships and death and generally big subjects. I give it five stars.

Message 587

Last night Josh was stuck at work , so I watched the Sharks game by myself. It is just as well that he missed seeing it. LA beat them 2-6. It was just one of those games where nothing goes right. After the game I watched a DVD of the movie Lilya 4-Ever. It is a Swedish movie about children in Russia and their grim lives. It is about as dark as you can get with no hopeful elements. I give it 2.9 stars.

Message 586

Yesterday I watched three NFL games. Beech came over and watched the end of the 49ers game and most of the Denver Kansas City game with me. The 49ers won, which gives some hope for next year. In the evening I took Beech home and joined in the regular Sunday family dinner. While there I watched the Jets beat the Bengals. Julian has a great HD TV which is perfect for football games. After dinner I came home and watched a Masterpiece Theater production about a British family on a Greek island before World War 2. It was either a remake or a re-run of an old show, because I had seen parts of it before, but it was pleasant viewing anyway.

I read some of The Economist before turning in. Vanessa called this morning and had to cancel our picnic with Annie in the park today because Annie has the flu an is vomiting. I hope I don't get it.

Message 585

It did not rain yesterday, so I was able to enjoy a nice soak in the hot tub.In the evening Joshua brought over burgers and fries from The Dutch Goose and watched the hockey game with me. The Sharks beat Edmonton 4-1, as they should have considering that Edmonton is having a bad year and their two best players are out injured. After the game I watched a DVD of the French movie Nathalie. French people are beautiful and stylish, but they have strange ideas and attitudes sometimes. There is not much action, and there are a lot of subtitles to read, but I give the movie three stars.

Message 584

I discovered that yesterday's message was miss-numbered as 582 instead of 583 after I corrected the blog posting but I could not correct the email that had already gone. Oh well. It is just another small trivial matter of the type that fills these messages every day. Also I forgot to mention in yesterday's message that I watched Stanford blow their half-time lead and lose to Oklahoma in their bowl game. Without their star quarterback who was out with a broken finger, they are not good enough to beat a team ranked number 7.

I did not go to Starbucks this morning because Helen is down with a cold. Jim said maybe tomorrow if she improves enough. Once I heard this news, I went back to bed and had an early nap. Maybe now I will not need a late nap which I often enjoy while I am watching TV. Last night I watched a DVD of the movie sherrybaby, which is Maggie Gyllenhaal's other starring role. She gives a brilliant performance, but it is a pretty gritty story and it makes no attempt to sugar coat the realism of drug addicts out on parole. I give the movie four stars.

Message 583

Happy New Year! I have retired last years calendars, and I now must remember to write the date as 2010 when I write checks. Yesterday I read this week's Science, and in the late afternoon I watched the Sharks beat Phoenix 3-2 in another shootout. Three out of the four games they have played have now ended in shootouts, two of which the sharks have won. They are a good team this year. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Away We Go. Again, I watched this movie because Maggie Gyllenhaal had a supporting role. The movie itself was nothing special, but I give it three stars. Last night Gore Vidal was one of the guests on Charlie Rose. I saw him give a lecture at The Library of Congress over forty years ago, and I was shocked at how much he has deteriorated. He is 84 years old now, so old age eventually has its way with everyone.

Message 582

Yesterday I went wild and bought myself three jackets. I felt I needed more choices in my life and could not resist the sale prices. In the evening Joshua brought in fish and chips and watched the hockey game with me. It was a great game between two of the best teams in the league. The Sharks beat Washington 5-3. They took a 4-0 lead and then let up but held on to win. Joshua is going skiing today, so he will not be able to watch today's game with me. After the game I read some more of my NSA book until it was time for Charlie Rose.