Message 909

I just got back from having breakfast at Heidi’s Pies with Reggie. Mimi could not go today because she got a call that her mother had fallen out of bed and needed her attention. Vanessa could not make it either, but I stopped by to see her afterward and to play with Annie while Vanessa went out for an appointment. Yesterday I worked some more on my memoirs and read some more on my Kindle. In the evening Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie Slipstream. It was written and directed by Anthony Hopkins, who also played the main role. It was a strange and disjointed movie about how movies are written and produced with a lot of inside film jokes. It is hard to make sense of until you figure it out. I give it three stars.

Message 908

Yesterday I read Science and worked a little bit on my memoirs. Mimi and I went to Harry’s Hoffbrau for dinner. It has more choices than Sizzler, and it is a shorter drive. In the evening we watched a DVD of the Chinese martial arts movie Fearless starring Jet Li, who I had not heard of. It was based on a true story from about a hundred years ago. I give it three stars.

Message 907

I just got back from PAMF where I refilled my prescription for the antibiotic saline solution. Yesterday I watched the 49ers beat Phoenix on Monday Night Football. The Niners won, but Frank Gore got hurt and may be out for the season. After the game, Mimi and I watched a DVD of the French movie The Lover. I had seen it before, but on second viewing, it was even better. It is about a poor fifteen year old French girl living in Vietnam about a hundred years ago who has a 32 year old rich Chinese man as a lover. It is very well done. I give it five stars.

Message 906

Yesterday I finished The Economist. I tried to watch the Raiders, but they were blacked out. I saw on the news that they lost anyway, so it was just as well. In the late afternoon Mimi and I had dinner with Julian and Vanessa and the kids. They had all come back from the mountains late the previous night to avoid the holiday traffic and the new snowstorm. Julian fixed spaghetti for dinner, which is one of my favorites. In the evening PBS was having a fundraiser, so we watched a DVD of the movie Across the Universe. I first saw it in Houston with Liz and Sean. I picked up several new things this time, especially when I watched it again with the writer’s commentary turned on. I did not realize that Bono played the Ken Kesey character, nor did I realize that Joe Cocker sang one of the songs in three different makeups. I give the movie 4.6 stars. I was surprised at how moved I was again.

Message 905

Yesterday I watched Cal lose to Washington on the last play of the game. I also watched Stanford obliterate Oregon State. I then watched the first period of the Sharks vs. Edmonton. I later saw on the news that the Sharks won. In the evening Mimi and I watched a DVD of the movie Ghost Writer. It was directed and partly written by Roman Polanski. Like all of his movies, it was quite good. It was a thriller set in modern times, in which the former British Prim Minister is accused of war crimes. I give it 4.2 stars.

Message 904

Mimi and I met Helen and Jim at Starbucks this morning. Helen’s daughter Jodi and her husband Aaron, and their baby Emily (18 months old) were in town from Seattle, so they joined us too. Yesterday Jason brought Melanie and Caroline down to visit. He fixed the problem I have been having with my scanner and he fixed the problem we had getting Mimi’s laptop to connect to our home network. Afterward we all went to Ten Fu for dinner. After Washington Week was over, Mimi and I watched a DVD of the Chinese movie Ghosts. It was terrible. I could never make sense of what was going on. I give it 0.5 stars.

Message 903

Yesterday Mimi and I went out for Thanksgiving dinner. She left San Jose early so we could get to Harry’s Hoffbrau in Redwood City. When we got there about 4:30 PM, the parking lot was full and a line of people were standing in the cold to get in. We decided to try somewhere else, so we ended up at Scotts in Town and Country Village where they were also serving the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. It was very good. When we got home it was early, so we watched two movies on DVDs. The first was Uncovered, made in 1994. It was a thriller/mystery. Kate Beckinsale played a restorer of old paintings who is working on a picture of a chess game. It must have been her first movie. It was very good. I give it 4 stars. The second movie was Two Moon Junction. It was much better than I expected. It was about a rich southern belle who skips out on her wedding to run off with a carnival worker. I give it 3.6 stars.