Message 672

Yesterday Beech and Annie came over for a couple of hours while Vanessa had a hair appointment. They had a great time, but I have decided I cannot deal with them both at the same time anymore. We do great when I am one on one with either one of them, but with both together they are more than I can manage. In the evening I watched disk 2 of My So-Called Life. It is very good. I think Melanie and Amelia and Evelyn would enjoy watching it.

Message 671

Yesterday morning Vanessa took Annie to an audition, so I took Beech to PAMF to get a prescription for his cough and to check his ear that was leaking fluid. We then went to McDonalds for lunch and then to my condo where we downloaded Easter coloring pages which he did a very careful job of coloring with my limited supply of highlighter pens. Maybe I will buy some better coloring implements. He then requested that we watch Shane again. He knew just where to find it on my shelf. About half way through I went into the other room to watch The News Hour, and he gave up on the movie and played solitaire while I watched the news. He is getting pretty good at all of these things, including reading.

In the evening Joshua came over and watched 24 with me. I think maybe next week will be a double episode that will be the end of the series. Josh thinks Jack will die at the end and I think he will go happily off into the sunset with the FBI woman.

Message 670

Yesterday I read some more of The Economist, and in the evening I went to San Mateo for our usual Sunday family dinner. Julian and Beech returned from their ski trip in time for Julian to grill the steak. Before and during dinner I watched the Sharks beat Colorado 5-3. Beech would relay the score to me at the table during the third period. In the evening I watched Sharp's Challenge on Masterpiece Theater.

Message 669

Yesterday afternoon I took Annie to Nealon Park to eat lunch and play for a few hours. Beech and Julian were up skiing for the weekend. In the evening I went to the couples club dinner group. There were only eight of us there, which is fewer than usual, but the food was very good, and everyone enjoyed the cherry pie and ice cream that I took. I was home before 10 PM so I read The Economist for a while, but I was tired, so I went to bed at midnight.

Message 668

I just got back from meeting Helen and Jim at Starbucks. Last night after the Friday PBS programs I watched Disk 1 of My So-Called Life, with the first three episodes of the series. It was the first role for Claire Danes when she was 13 years old and played a 15-year old high school girl. It is full of teenage angst, but is well done. So far I give it 3.8 stars. I may upgrade the rating after I watch the other four disks.

Message 667

Yesterday I discovered that my new TV was defective, so I had to take it back and exchange it for a new one. I took Beech with me for the exchange after his Kung Fu class. After we got the new TV, we went back to the pizza place so he could play his game and eat pizza. He won a new stuffed rabbit to give to Annie.

Last night I watched the Sharks shut out Dallas 3-0. It is nice to have the Sharks back playing like they should. Joshua had something else on his schedule, so he did not watch the game with me. The picture on my new TV looks great. After the game I checked to see how it works with my DVD player, but I am not getting a good picture. I am concerned that the TV only works with a Blue-ray player, but more likely I do not have the cables plugged in to the right places. I will work more on it today.

Message 666

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi's Pies. I had a cleaning crew in yesterday at noon, and when I got back from having lunch at El Cerrito my living room TV would not work. At first I thought the cleaning crew had messed with it, but after a lot of fiddling I realized that it had gone bad the same way my computer monitor went bad a few months ago. In other, the LCD display would work fine for about a second and then it would turn itself off. After leaving Heidi's Pies, I took my TV to the recycling center and went to Best Buy to get a new one. I had intended to buy a CRT-TV, but I discovered they are not made anymore. I decided up having to buy a 26-inch LCD-TV because that was the biggest that would fit into my cabinet. I bought the 4-year service plan this time too, although the old TV lasted for six years before it quit.

Last night I drove Larry and Judi to SFO where they are going for a week-long vacation in New York where they are meeting Larry's sister. It was raining hard on my way to the airport, but the sun is shining now.