Message 659

Liz and Bill and I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies. The kids did not want to get up this morning, so they did not join us as I had planned. We did not get home from the Gomez concert last night until after 1 AM, so they were pretty tired. There was an extra ticket, so I went to the concert too. It was the third Gomez concert I have been to, and it was very enjoyable as always. Charlie Rose was over by the time we got home, so I will have to watch it today at noon today. Jamie and Chelsea and the kids plus Vanessa and her kids and Joshua and Jason had dinner at Ten Fu last night before eight of us went to the city for the concert. It was great for everybody to get together.

Message 658

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school for our usual Tuesday lunch and homework session. He has now reverted to Happy Meals, and to my amazement he ate nine chicken McNuggets. He started off with the usual 6-piece meal, then asked for more so I bought him an additional six McNuggets, but he only managed to eat half before he gave up, so I took the remaining three and a package of Ranch dressing home to put in his refrigerator. After doing three pages of homework he was playing in the backyard running naked through a stream of water from the hose when his neighbor Daniela from the corner came by with her babysitter and asked if she could play. Beech then got dressed and they bounced on the trampoline for a while and then moved into the house for some games. Daniela mostly played with Annie's kitchen stuff making pepperoni cupcakes for me to eat while Beech set up his Twister game. When Vanessa came home with Annie, I bailed out. Joshua came over at 5:30 PM and watched the Sharks game with me, but they lost to Dallas 2-8 in a shameful letdown from their usual level of play.

About 10 PM Liz and her family arrived. They had stopped off to eat on the way from San Jose before they came to my place. They helped me finish making up the air-mattress beds and then all turned in, since they were all still on Houston time. I watched Charlie Rose who had a terrific hour with Michael Lewis about his just published book named The Big Fall. Bill and I are the only ones up this morning so far. He has already made a pot of coffee, but I am going to wait until we walk up to El Cerrito for breakfast before I drink any coffee today.

Message 658

Yesterday I picked Beech up at school for our usual Tuesday lunch and homework session. He has now reverted to Happy Meals, and to my amazement he ate nine chicken McNuggets. He started off with the usual 6-piece meal, then asked for more so I bought him an additional six McNuggets, but he only managed to eat half before he gave up, so I took the remaining three and a package of Ranch dressing home to put in his refrigerator. After doing three pages of homework he was playing in the backyard running naked through a stream of water from the hose when his neighbor Daniela from the corner came by with her babysitter and asked if she could play. Beech then got dressed and they bounced on the trampoline for a while and then moved into the house for some games. Daniela mostly played with Annie's kitchen stuff making pepperoni cupcakes for me to eat while Beech set up his Twister game. When Vanessa came home with Annie, I bailed out. Joshua came over at 5:30 PM and watched the Sharks game with me, but they lost to Dallas 2-8 in a shameful letdown from their usual level of play.

About 10 PM Liz and her family arrived. They had stopped off to eat on the way from San Jose before they came to my place. They helped me finish making up the air-mattress beds and then all turned in, since they were all still on Houston time. I watched Charlie Rose who had a terrific hour with Michael Lewis about his just published book named The Big Fall. Bill and I are the only ones up this morning so far. He has already made a pot of coffee, but I am going to wait until we walk up to El Cerrito for breakfast before I drink any coffee today.

Message 657

Yesterday I started getting ready for the arrival this evening for Liz and her family. I blew up one of the air mattresses and got the other one out and ready to be blown up tonight. In the evening Joshua came over and watched 24 with me. Later I read some more of Hyperion.

Message 656

Yesterday I finished reading The Economist. Joshua brought in Mexican food in the evening and watched the Sharks game with me. They lost to Anaheim 2-4. That is two loses in a row. I guess that helps even things out since they won the other five games against Anaheim this season.

Message 655

Yesterday Joshua came over in the afternoon and watched the Sharks game with me. They went ahead of the Florida Panthers 2-0 in the first period and then they lost in overtime 2-3. At least they got one point out of it. That is professional sports for you. No team can win every game. During the rest of the day I read half of The Economist.

Message 654

Early yesterday afternoon I picked Joshua up at SFO when he arrived on the KLM flight from Amsterdam after a two-week stay. He said it was a successful trip. In the evening I went out to dinner and a movie with Larry and Judi and Ron and Marci. We saw Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It was about criminally insanity in 1954, and I did not find it very enjoyable, so I give it only 2.9 stars.

I just got back from Starbucks with Helen and Jim and Joan. I invited them to join Liz and me and her family at the Stanford golf course for breakfast next Saturday in place of our regular Starbucks meeting.. I went to CVS after coffee this morning, and they are still waiting for my doctor to respond to their FAX asking his approval to refill my Flomax prescription, so the pharmacist gave me three pills to tide me over the weekend.