The Cheese Stands Alone

Th 11/30/17 Too much food and drink last night; reading THE WOODEN SEA on the couch at 1230am... Up 7am; Bright, to low 50's. Watched the rest of THE HEAT, and there was 'chemistry/heat' between Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock- for a 'female/cop/comedy/buddy flic', you couldn't ask for more. 1010am- 2nd episode of Amazon Prime- BOSCH. Then, #6 CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, an #1, EASTBOUND & DOWN- I watched #1 of Season 3 last night. No wonder it lacked continuity. Set up leaf rake for Saturday, 9am- mention the gutters. 115pm- To Planet Fitness/ Wabash PO. 45" Walk. 3.5/0 (ankle seems to have fully recovered; I guess I can't jog and walk in the same day without some pain). 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Cross. 30" Bike. 30" Cross. Drove up the hill to Ace to try to get a replacement bulb for the vanity in the bathroom. One out of three is out, but they didn't have one. It's a weird shape and size and I'm hoping they...

We 11/29/17 Up 7am; Cloudy and cooler; to upper 40's. Watched FARGO- An absolute delight! This is a film that will be dropped at Amazon Prime tomorrow. I think I've seen all the 'important' ones that are leaving 11/30. I wonder what was added to balance out the loss? "A To Zeppelin: The Story of Led Zeppelin" (Amazon Prime); no music by Zeppelin, and a pretty lackluster history of the band by numerous talking heads (57"). Noon run outside: Parkview/Oak/Lynn/Fair- 33". To FitClub West. 45" Canon (Problems with wifi or Google Play; finally got 'Crosstalk'- Moby Grape to play). 45" Recumbent Bike (track). 30" Walk. 3.5/0. (I think that I did too much- ankle is a factor). 45" Cross. Legs/Chest. 30" Old Style Cross. Whirlpool. Listened to 'Inspiral Carpets'- LIFE, and read THE WOODEN SEA; 45". Will begin the Netflix disc, THE HEAT with Sandra Bullock. 27" of 'THE HEAT', and 2 epis...

Tu 11/28/17 Up 620am; Bright and sunny, but windy- gusts to 30mph; high 60's later. Dumped several cds on to Google Play, and then watched the rest of BLACK HAWK DOWN; 8am. An exhausting film and although it's based on a real incident, it felt like a very well-done video game (Bang! Bang!). I think many reviews confused 'realism' with 'heroics'; just a little too fake heroic to be considered a realistic portrayal of men in combat, although it was still an immensely watchable experience! Then, two episodes of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. 1pm; driving to the 'Y'. I should have ran outside on such a nice day, but lost my enthusiasm. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Cross. 30" Bike. 30" Cross. 10" Steam Room (and, of course the old guy who can't stand the steam was in the steam room- why the fuck does he bother!).  When I got home I cleaned the headlights on the Accord before I pulled into the garage. D...

Mo 11/27/17 Up 615am. Bright and sunny; temps to low 60's later.  Wrote a long 'Chat Wrap' to Janny, then opened Amazon Prime Video- 830am; THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD. Finished 1130am- A total mind-blower, and very surprised to learn that it's based on a novel by Ron Hansen! Then, the next CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM; L.D. and his wife get lost going to a 'porn king's' dinner party in the sticks. "Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty.....good". I decided to hit Planet Fitness, but before I left, I washed (and shined) the front windows. Amazingly simple! Tied an old sweat shirt to the mop to get up high. Looks great and only took a few minutes. 145pm on the machines. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (THE WOODEN SEA). 45" Cross. 30" Bike (Judge Judy). 30" Cross (More Fuckin' Judy). Home to soak and read; 55"- listend to 'The Auteurs'. Will begin BLACK HAWK DOWN...

Su 11/26/17 Up 630am; read THE WOODEN SEA, 2am-3am. Cold and sunny early- to upper 50's. Tried to mess with plug-ins on living room PC, but nada. How could Amazon hope to make a dent in the 'movie for play' market if the films won't work on Google Chrome? Seems impossible. I loaded a program to fix and update the drivers, but it required ten bucks. Deleted! Later, I just re-downloaded Chrome- maybe a fix? Redownload of Chrome seems to have helped the Google Map Problem-' Black Screen', but the simplest solution for Amazon Prime is to watch via Internet Explorer. I did this and it played perfectly without a single hiccup.   8am- watching MY COUSIN RACHEL, Netflix disc, the I u sed Internet Explorer to access Amazon Prime and watched the first episode of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. It works flawlessly!! Hard to curtail my enthusiasm. 145pm on the machines at FitClub; 45" Canon (forgot book and smart phone; mp3 James McMurtry Heartless Bastards Liv...

Sa 11/25/17 Up 5am and read THE WOODEN SEA- Jonathan Carroll in bed until 6am. After finishing that awful novel, CROSS JUSTICE, it is a fantastic change of pace.  Bright, clear, and sunny; to mid 50's later. Watched the rest of RIDE WITH THE DEVIL. I really liked this film! The nineteenth century Bushwhackers mindset seems eerily close to that of present day followers of Isis- without political authority or military order, Terror is just a shot away. Based on Daniel Woodrell's novel, WOE TO LIVE ON, and this is available at Hoopla and I plan to get it on the smartphone very soon. Ordered the Xmas gifts for the Brandenburg kids plus the February selection for the Book Club and the novel by the local writer for Janny. A little over eighty bucks, and I had to pay shipping for the books but not the toys. Why??? Tried to watch MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE on Amazon Prime, but the picture was too choppy. A possible fix is to watch via Internet Explorer and use a Silverligh...

Fr 11/24/2017 Up 725am; Last night I watched one hundred minutes of the George Harrison bio pic and had too many beers and too much cabbage/oat/onion, but the gastro track is running fine! First episode of a Netflix,'Limited Series' (what does that mean?)- GODLESS. This didn't get very good reviews, but I like it. Slow to unfold and quirky enough to pass as a foreign film. Episode #1 of Spike Lee's, SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT. 1015AM Prepare for the trip to the vet. When I got the cage from the corner of the basement I knocked down a red plastic case full of change and it went all over the floor! I got Buddy into the car without incident, yet he howled the entire drive to the pet hospital. However, when he got inside, he seemed to calm down. And, when the nurse tried to get his vitals, he was purring so loud that she couldn't hear his heart and lungs. One shot- $79, but it's good for three years. And, I located the missing credit cards!!!! They were clamp...

Get Old Navy Numbers- last 3, total card number THANKSGIVING 11/23/17 Up 715am; Bright: Sunny: Forties. Noticed an email from Chase Freedom Card of a charge to 'Kingdom Tire- $20' made early this morning. An hour and a half later, I have dropped the card tied to Netflix and tied it to my Old Navy Card. This Old Navy Card will remain in the glove box. And, they will send a new Chase Freedom Card (3212). I cancelled the Sears Card I cancelled Citi Preferred (5781) I got $125 in gift cards at Best Buy for bonus points on (5781) 945am began Netflix disc, VERY BAD THINGS. I guess you could say "a reasonably good movie about some very morally bad people". The best part was Cameron Diaz's freakout at the end of he film. 1pm- LAST CHANCE U 230pm- On The Run; Lyn/Oak/Park/Green- 33". Soaked in the tub and read CROSS JUSTICE and drank 2 beers. 505pm at The Brandenburgs; Jamie's family was there and Jonathan's arrived in about 20". They ha...

We 11/22/17 Read CROSS JUSTICE 5am-6am. Coldest day of the year, mid 20's at dawn.Sunny and calm, but will barely crack 40 later. Wrote up DROWNING RUTH for the blog. I can appreciate that it was well written, but it wasn't  an enjoyable read, and the only thing I could like was the craftsmanship of how the author told the tale.   7am- began THE DINNER. Great film;  THE THEME- "Liberal Guilt curdled into Conservative Vexation"- We pay our tax dollars to provide prisons and homeless shelters to deal with those individuals who choose not to work and be productive members of society. Our sons were blameless, and they deserve to continue the lives that we have made for them.  Kevin called and the appointment is for We 12/6/17 11am till 2pm. Bring $200 and a bunch of tens. 1030am- An episode of SHOT IN THE DARK, then reading Patterson. 115pm Drove to FitClub South. 45" Best Octane! (Johnny Winter). 45" Recumbent Bike (CROSS JUST...

Tu 11/21/17 Up 545am; Cloudy, breezy, 50's. Watched, ALLIED. Is she a spy, or isn't she a spy? Well-done! More than a little like Hitchcock, 945am- reading on the couch, DROWNING RUTH. 1030-11am on the phone with ATT to get the speed upped. Went from 6 Mbps to 12 Mbps (download). From $42 to $57. Actually the price is the same for 10 Mbps as 12 Mbps, but according to Speed Test I'm about in the middle of that range. The clerk said that it wouldn't take effect until 2pm, but when I went into the study and used the Chromebook I was already up to speed. Love it! I called Black Moon and left word that I wanted to start work on the Borneo tattoo; no return call. And, I called ATT (different department) and had  them send out a hard copy of the changes in my new insurance for 2018. More reading then to Planet Fitness by 145pm. 30" Walk. 3.5/0. Eased back since I did 45" yesterday, and I'm going to be running outside on Thanksgiving. Planet Fitne...

Mo 11/20/17 Up 6am and slept all night. Watched all of CHASING TRANE and was surprised at how little I really knew about his life. I had thought that he was a lifelong junkie, but he was actually clean since the late 50's. And I had no idea that he only lived to forty. Started the Korean film, BLUEBEARD, and around 730am I went outside to rake the front lawn- within five minutes I had lost all incentive. I'll call the guys and have it done for $75 when the rest of the leaves fall. BLUEBEARD is one hell of a wild ride! Recently divorced colonoscopy doctor lives above a butcher shop, and he suspects that this shop is tied to serial killings that go back for fifteen years, but the last forty-five minutes of the film make the case that the doc is the killer. The last scene of the film switches suspicion again and we learn that the old man from the butcher shop was responsible for at least one of the murders.  Drove to the 'Y' 1215pm. The Round-About is stil...

Su 11/19/17 Up 730am; Diarrhea 3am, and read DROWNING RUTH till 5am. Bright, cold, and windy- 30's. Loaded several more cds to Google Play.  Watching Netflix drama, MUDBOUND. A terrific drama and one of the finest films of the year! Then two episodes of LADY DYNAMITE- 'loaf coach' and 'Touch A Child'. Weekly Cleaning; 1pm. About 2pm I drove to FitClub. I just wore a sweatsuit because I was going to take a long bath and read in the tub. It worked out great. 45" Cross. 45" Recumbent Bike. 30" Octane (GUNG HO). 45" Old Style Cross. Called Elsie's house when I got home and learned that Janny had already called. She said that Janny and Joe were at the circus. I thought they told me that they had gone earlier in the month? I distinctly remember it was held at the convention center because I don't think that I've ever been in that building and I wanted to ask them about it. Read DROWNING RUTH for an hour in the tub and I...

Sa 11/18/17 Up 8am; Reeling and bleary, but "I Will Survive". Periods of heavy rain and wind, 50's and temps dropping.  9am; First episode of GAME OF THRONES; really got into it and watched both one hour segments. 1 pm to FitClub. Dropped the disc at the box near Fairway; missed the last pickup at noon. Wet snowflakes mixed with rain. First trace of the season. Temps dropping all day and very windy. Not to get out of the upper 30's on Sunday. 45" Cross. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent (upstairs). 30" Cross. Had an attack of diarrhea. Legs/Chest. 30" Old Style Cross. Whirlpool. Went to Walmart to do the weekly grocery shopping and to pickup the supply of Tamsulosin. $68 (got a big bag of dry cat food; Iams/ $15 for prescription). Will stream a new Netflix series called, SHOT IN THE DARK. Then watched some of THEY CALL US MONSTERS- under aged offenders in the prison system.

Fr 11/17/2017- Brandenburgs At Five Up 7am; an extra couple of brews last night because the film was so bad. Added The Walkmen, Alice In Chains, and one disc of a Marshall Crenshaw compilation to Google Play.  Streamed, DARKNESS RISING; Bad Juju  in da house that somehow links to a 1930's father and daughter, but mostly a mishmash. Three young people visit a house that's to be demolished in the morning. One of the woman's mother went crazy here and killed her sister??? Visually well-done, but storyline completely uncompelling and incoherent. Then, an episode of WHITE GOLD; Vincent's tricked into believing that he's been voted, 'TOP BUSINESSMAN OF ESSEX', then his wife leaves him for having sex with his son's teacher. Great soundtrack. Noon to FitClub, parking lot loaded with gray-head vehicles; 'stretch class for the dinosaurs'. 45" Octane 45" Recumbent Bike upstairs 30" Walk. 3/5.0. 45" Cross. Legs/Chest. 3...

Th 11/16/17 Up 4am-5am reading DOG EAT DOG. Up 6am; Bright, upper 20's, mid 40's late. Ordered the next John McEvoy novel, THE SCARECROW from Amazon, then Netflix disc, A UNITED KINGDOM. Interesting look at the biracial couple that headed the nation of Botswana; he the king, she the queen. I'd never heard of this true incident. Watched episode #5 (next to the last of Season #1) of WANTED. Love that Chrysler 300! Noon, reading on couch. DOG EAT DOG is dramatically different from the film. I wonder why they just didn't stick to the book- it's better! 215pm Planet Fitness and dropped off the disc. 40" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (DOG EAT DOG). 45" Cross. 30" Recumbent Bike (read/ JUDGE JUDY). 30" Cross. Machines. Home to read and listen to 45" of LIVE DOORS/ 1968 and read HITLER'S NIECE. Netflix disc, SLEEPLESS for tonight. A crooked Buddy Cop film set in Las Vegas with Jamie Foxx, and a real dud..."as if toddlers we...

We 11/15/17 Contemporary Book Club; 6pm Up 530am and skimmed through THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE for 30". Rain and drizzle; upper 40's; by afternoon sunny and breezy- 50. Began THE KILLER, 745AM. Called Dick Van Dyke at 920am to find out my 'window of opportunity'. I found out that a service call lasts for thirty days, so it would be better if I waited until the fridge broke down. Then the tech would know for certain what was wrong, and if I had them come today, he'd just make an educated guess.  1030am- finished the Brazilian cowboy film, THE KILLER. The plot was a little difficult to follow. A rich Frenchman hires a hit man to kill people who own property that he desires. The hit man's son becomes a killer and tries to find out what happened to his father, and continues to kill, and, kill, and kill.... Obviously owes a big debt to the Spaghetti Westerns of the 70's.  1045am- Mark Erin Rust: Inside The Mind Of A Serial Killer. 1230pm to ...

Tu 11/14/17 Up 6am; Mostly cloudy, 40's. Read THE POET for about an hour, then watched the rest of HELI- only did the first twenty minutes of this film last night, then more Youtube about Putin and Russia.  HELI is stark and deadpan in a faux-documentary style; slow and plodding, then brutally violent. Drug trafficking has truly destroyed and corrupted almost all aspects of rural life in this remote area of Mexico. The force of law and order is powerless in the face of rampant illegality and violence- and extreme poverty further exacerbates the pervasive social conditions- a fantastically bleak, yet realistic film. Watched the Bonus Feature (Making Of...) and some YouTube videos about the film and the director. Reviewed for Netflix- "The film is stark and deadpan in a faux-documentary style; slow and plodding, then brutally violent. Drug trafficking has truly destroyed and corrupted almost all aspects of rural life in this remote area of Mexico. The f...

Mo 11/13/17 Up 715am; Two extra beers last night allowed for a couple extra hours of rest. Partly cloudy and 40ish. Wrote a long email to Janny with an invitation for her and Joe to a 'pizza meet' sometime later in the week. Hopefully this will not interfere with the visit from the guys a Dick Van Dyke. Finished MICHAEL CLAYTON; I had completely forgotten the power of this elegant legal thriller; George Clooney, Tilda Swindon, Tom Wilkinson, and Sydney Pollack were superb. Then, another WANTED; 1230pm headed to the 'Y'. 35" Walk. 3.5/0 (went a little longer and no adverse affects on the ankle). 45" Recumbent Bike (THE POET). 45" Cross. 30" Recumbent Bike (read). 40" Cross; 3hr. 25"- total. 10" Steam Room. Home to read for 45" (KING OF AMERICA/ SINGLES). Started the Mexican film, HELI. Then, more YouTube about Putin and Russia.

Su 11/12/17 Reading THE POET, 4am-5am; up 6am; drizzle, mist, and 40's. Ripped SONGS OF THE FREE and PRESERVATION ACT- 1 to Google Play. Wrote up THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE for the blog.  Watched the last half hour of KILLING GROUND. Baby Ollie and Banjo the Dog bonded for life? And continuing the Australian theme, I watched two episodes of WANTED; Lola and Chelsea on the run in the outback. 10am- Reading THE POET on the couch. Read for several hours and really lovin' the book! 130pm drove to Planet Fitness. Upped the temperature on the water heater one notch before I left. Later I found that this is great for winter baths, and I'll knock it back in the Spring. 30" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (THE POET). 45" Cross. 30" Bike (read). 30" Cross. No machines.  Home around 445pm and I called twice to Elsie's, but got no answer. I started the cleaning and kept it up when I finally got through at 515pm. I told him about the ...

Sa 11/11/17 Vet's Day Up 630am; Partly cloudy and breezy, 40's. Watched the last two episodes of BILLIONS on the disc. At the stroke of nine am I got a call from Dick Van Dykes. The earliest appointment is on Wednesday (Book Club Day, of fucking course!). I'm down for the whole day, but they call early on the day of the appointment to give you 'a window'.  A couple of hours later I noticed that the fridge was now running without problems. I called them back to find out if the tech could make some kind of diagnosis even if the fridge was working. She thought I was trying to dodge the fee, but finally she understood. Either the fucker works, or it's history! Watched some YouTube videos of Putin and Russia (Russia Today). Then read for a couple of hours on the couch- THE POET. 145pm- Drove to Walgreen's and got a fifteen dollar shoe insert. Not exactly what I wanted, but I'm not sure that any of the claims can be trusted. See how it goe...

Fr 11/10/17 Up 5am; coldest day of the season by- only 22 degrees. I don't think that it's just my imagination, but I it's warmer in the house after the addition of the new thermostat and humidifier.Outside it's in the twenties and I'm in a tee. Located the links to the Vanity Fair article that I was reading in Dr. Stephen's waiting room and began GOODFELLAS at 6am. Finished the film shortly after 7am, then on to, 'GABO: THE CREATION OF GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ'. Finished the film about 930am and made me remember Jonathan Carroll's flirt with Magical Realism in AFTER SILENCE, and I'll be on the lookout for my copy of, '100 YEARS OF SOLITUDE'. On the couch reading THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE. 130pm Drove to Monroe PO to mail GOODFELLAS and then to Planet Fitness. 30" Walk. 3.5/0. (Ankle feels almost normal. I guess the shot worked.) 45" Recumbent Bike (read THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF LOVE). 45" Cross. 30" Recumbent Bike...

Th 11/9/17- Dr. Stephens- Springfield Clinic, 9am Up 5am; watched the last two episodes of THE UNITED STATES OF TARA, then almost a half hour of GOODFELLAS.  805am; To Springfield Clinic. Drove right to the place and parked in the lot. Got right into the examination room, but I waited there for over thirty minutes. Read an excellent article in Vanity Fair about 'Russian Fake News and Donald Trump'. Putin's Russia is very much like what Trump would like for the US. Located the pain immediately and he suggested a shot of cortisone. He said that the reason most people did not take this right off the bat is that they don't like the pain of needles. It was just a pinch, and nothing like the sessions at Black Moon. He wrote a prescription for medication to stop the inflammation of the tendon. I learned that CAT is for broken bones and MRI is for tendons/muscles. Stopped at the Monroe PO (used the parking lot for the first time), and bought a stamp to mail the...

We 11/8/17- Water Heater Day Last night I had a couple of extra beers due to the expressos and the swelling. And, the swelling has gone down considerably this morning and the elbow is nearly back to normal size.  Up 6am and wrote up ROGUE LAWYER for the blog while listening to John P. Hammond Live on YouTube. Then watched MALL. 945am- paused the film with about a half hour to go, and went to work on the lawn. I thought that I would have to get gas for the mower, but I had more than enough. In fact, I ended up mowing most of the lawn twice to try to run out the gas tank (this will be the last mowing till Spring). And, the far back part of the lawn with the pine needles looks great with he 'double mow'. Once would require raking, but twice- the needles apparently turned to mulch.  1115am; I had just walked into the house and I got the call from Tom's Plumbing saying that they could start early and could be at 940 within the half hour. The appointment was for ...

Tu 11/7/17 Last night's film,'1945- THE SAVAGE PEACE' ("Enjoy the war for the peace will be savage") was an interesting footnote to WWII Atrocities not involving the holocaust; Czech extermination/ethnic cleansing of Sudeten Germans. This is the reason that there should be some kind of united effort by all major religions to END WAR. The very nature of war makes people act and react like savages and this is anathema to ALL ethical philosophies and religions. Seems like humans could find some obvious common ground.     4am-5am Reading ROGUE LAWYER. Up 5am, raw, windy,  mostly sunny- to high 40's. 620AM-9am; ZEBRAHEAD (dir. Oliver Stone). This film really showcases the acting talent of Michael Rappaport, but the film is not nearly as good as Spike Lee's, DO THE RIGHT THING. But, ya gotta admit- it's a very difficult subject,  and arealistic portrayal of race in America is practically taboo. 930am; LONG SHOT (40"). Cut it off ten m...

Mo 11/6/17 Element Services Up 5am; wanted to make sure that I would be ready for the new humidifier and thermostat at 830am. I Watched the last half of JAVA HEAT. A 'shoot-em' up' political thriller set in Indonesia. This is the kind of thing that Steven Seagal excelled? at in the 80's, but this one had a more modern 'brain-dead beefcake' and the saving grace was Mickey Rourke (but not by much). At 8am I got a call from Element asking me if my address was "9 Westview Dr."; the tech was at the door in five minutes. He doesn't see a problem, and he says that it should go in without a hitch (9am). Watched an episode of FOOD, BOOZE, & TATTOOS. Then, reading ROGUE LAWYER, 1015am. I read in the living room chair until he left at 115pm. I couldn't be more pleased with the new thermostat, but I should have asked him how do I know that the humidifier is working? It makes no sound...it doesn't seem to have a motor...if the drain...