Message 744

Yesterday I had coffee at Starbucks with Helen and Jim, Joan and David (he is up and about again), and Jody, Aaron, and Emily (Helen's granddaughter). Afterwards I picked Larry and Judi and their son David up at SFO after they returned from two weeks in Japan visiting relatives and sightseeing. In the evening they picked me up for a dinner at the Ariagnos with George and Laureen, who a here from France, and Ron's friend Norman who is passing through from Melbourne, Australia, on his way to a meeting in Las Vegas. I took cherry pie and ice cream as my contribution to the dinner. They were a big hit.

Message 743

Yesterday I drove to Berkeley to have lunch with a woman who contacted me on plentyoffish.com (POF). Even though it was the middle of the day it took me over two hours to get there because of traffic and getting lost. I did not feel that we were compatible, so I do not expect anything to come of it. By the time I got home I was so tired I turned in early after the Friday PBS shows. I even skipped Charlie Rose because I saw that he was interviewing some chef.

Message 742

Yesterday I had breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Vanessa and Patricia Dorr. Reggie is in Florida getting his daughter moved into her condo to start medical school. I am not sure why Henry was not there. Last week Vanessa persuaded me to sign up on this free online dating site called plentyoffish.com. Patricia was the first one I have met in person. She is very nice, and we may play bridge next week.

In the evening I watched a DVD of an Israeli movie called Nina's Tragedies made in 2005. It was interesting to see something of life in Israel, and the story was unusual but basically feel-good in spite of being about a woman whose husband is killed in an attack by terrorists. A lot of Jewish customs are incomprehensible to me, but it was interesting to see them. I give it three stars.

Message 741

Yesterday I took Annie to the Redwood City McDonalds with a playground for lunch while Vanessa took Beech to Packard for an appointment. He needs to have new tubes put in his ears. The old ones have come out. The procedure is not scheduled until August. I watched part of the overtime game where Chicago beat Philadelphia in overtime for The Stanley Cup. I did not watch a DVD.

Message 740

Yesterday I finished reading Science and took a nap. In the evening I watched a DVD of the Canadian movie Bliss. It was about the troubled marriage of a woman who was abused by her father as a child. It was a bit heavy for my taste but I appreciated its effort. I give it three stars.

Message 738

Yesterday I Finished reading The Economist during the day, and ate a roast pork dinner with Julian, Vanessa, and the kids. This coming Friday is Beech's last day of kindergarten. Annie is already finished with her school. In the evening I watched a DVD of the French movie Diva. It is sort of a gangster thriller, but it is weighted so heavily with symbolism that it is oscillates between ambiguity and incomprehensibility. I give it 2.7 stars.

Message 737

Yesterday I had coffee with Helen and Jim at Starbucks and did my Safeway shopping. In the evening I had a blind date with Lucila Echeverria, a long-time friend and colleague of Vanessa when she worked for the county. Lucia is originally from Peru, but she has also lived in Argentina and Spain before moving to the United States about fifteen years ago, where she is now a citizen. She is very nice and friendly and I enjoyed getting to know her. We had dinner at Sultana and then watched a DVD of the movie Shanghai Triad, which is one of my all-time five-star favorites.