Message 762

Yesterday I returned to writing my memoirs for the first time in a couple of weeks. I was able to get quite a bit done. In the evening I watched the first two episodes of True Blood Season 2 on Disk 1. It is quite good and keeps up the standard set in Season 1. I think I may eventually watch Season 1 again sometime, because I had forgotten a lot of it. I also started reading the new Science.

Message 761

Yesterday I read some more of the book Half the Sky. It is very good. The DOW is now down below 10,000, about where it was when, several years ago, I shifted everything I had in the market to the TIAA fund. Although I have been drawing the required minimum distribution ever since, it has not lost any significant value, so I am living on the interest.

Message 760

Yesterday I finished reading The Economist and read some more of the book Half the Sky. In the evening I watched a DVD of the movie Fling. It had a good (but unknown to me) cast, but the story concept was so absurd that I give it only 2.4 stars.

Message 759

Yesterday I read some more of The Economist and took it easy. It was a very hot day, so I had to turn off my computer to keep it from burning out the processor. At 4:30 PM I drove to San Mateo to keep cool in the air-conditioned car. Julian cooked spaghetti and bread and salad and peach pie which I had requested for my father's day dinner, but we had it a week late because we had all gone out to lunch the previous Sunday to celebrate Father's Day. In the evening I watched Miss Marple and read some more of The Economist. Because Charlie Rose is not on Sundays, I again turned in early.

Message 758

I took a long nap yesterday afternoon, and in the evening I went to the couples club dinner party. I took an appetizer, three different cheeses and two different crackers. The main course featured Cornish game hens. I got home a little after 10 PM and read The Economist and watched local news until nearly midnight when I turned in early.

Message 757

I just got back from dropping Ellie off in Los Gatos. Yesterday Beech and Ellie had a sleep-over at my place. Vanessa dropped Beech off here about 4 PM yesterday, and I drove him down to Los Gatos. They and the other kids swam in the pool there, and then I took them all out to dinner at Live Oak Kitchen, and then to the Sweet Retreat Ice Cream shop a couple of doors away. Beech had packed a package of microwave popcorn and some cotton candy, along with the cartoon movie Open Season to watch while they ate the treats. I finally got them to sleep about 10 PM, after which I watched news and Charlie Rose. This morning Beech woke at the crack of dawn, about 5:30 AM. He then woke Ellie, and they both woke me. They were making so much noise that I took them to McDonalds with the playground in Redwood City. We then went to Starbucks at about 8 Am where we were scheduled to meet Helen and Jim. but they did not arrive until after 9:30 AM, so the kids rode the two scooters that Beech had also brought. Julian came about 9:15 AM to take Beech to his Kung Fu class, so only Ellie and I met Helen and Jim when they arrived. Jim returned the book The Blind Side that I had given him, so now I can pass it on to Julian.

Message 756

Yesterday I had breakfast at Heidi's Pies with Reggie and Henry. Vanessa called early and told me she would not be able to make it. She needs to catch up with her MAD Stitches work. Later I met another nice woman from POF. I expect we will meet again. In the evening I started reading the book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and his wife Sheryl WuDunn. It is a very good non-fiction account of the horrific oppression of women in the world.