The Cheese Stands Alone

Su 12/31/17 New Year's Eve Up 610am; The Deep Freeze- temps in the high single digits and dropping all day. About a half inch of powdery snow last night, but today it's bright and sunny. Watched the Netflix disc, MULHOLLAND FALLS. The book based on the screenplay was identical to the film. I read about the screenwriter, Pete Dexter, who had been a crime reporter who suffered a savage beating due to a 1981 article about a drug deal gone bad. The family didn't like one of their own associated with drugs, and when Dexter met the boy's brother who owned a bar in the Devil's Pocket area of Philadelphia, he was attacked and sustained 'dental devastation'. Dexter later returned with a heavy-weight fighter (this man suffered a broken arm which ended his career) and Dexter suffered a broken back, broken ribs, and head wounds which required 90 stitches and caused brain damage. Baseball bats and crow bars were used in the fight and from that point on, he o...

Sa 12/30/17 Up in bed reading 415am, and out around 515am. DEEP FREEZE; temps in the low teens early, but to drop below zero later. Weather Alerts begin to get serious after 6pm tonight. Watching Netflix disc, A GHOST STORY (530AM). Then all the 'bonus features' of this truly 'haunting' movie; I want more by David Lowery! Next, "PRND, Park/ Reverse/ Neutral/ Drive". How odd and what a fantastic Double Feature; it's about a haunted car and explores 'Uber Driver Apprehension'. 1015am to the 'Y'.   The place was packed! It clears out by noon, but I'll have to remember NEVER to arrive on a Saturday morning. 45" Walk. 3.7/0 (When I arrived about 1040am, every treadmill and cross trainer was in use! Five minutes on a stationary bike, and I got the next treadmill). 45" Recumbent Bike (THE SCARECROW and it seems that the wifi has been upgraded. I could use the 'Google Play' and read emails, but the 'Google...

Fr 12/29/17 Up 615am; Overcast and frigid; Snow-showers predicted for late morning- to about 20 later. Finished the last hour of VENGEANCE: A LOVE STORY; a by-the-book film in the mold of a 70's Charles Bronson movie, but no new ground broken, but still somewhat satisfying. And then watched LONDON'S FINEST, (Amazon Prime). Very well-done English Black Comedy/ Corrupt Cop Thriller- and after all the bloodshed, the small-time dealer just keeps on doing his thing; a refreshing lack of moralizing. Them, another CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM (The Shrimp Incident). 1230pm- to Fairhills for the shopping, then on to Planet Fitness. Although snow was in the forecast- No Snow (at least till 7pm) $60 on food and before I hit County Market I went to the Dollar Store and got a five dollar snow brush/ scraper. She said it was nine, but it rang up as five. Sold! Later, at County Market ones nearly as good were four....so sorry! On the machines at Planet Fitness by 130pm. 4...

Th 12/28/17 Reading more of THE SCARECROW and out of bed 6am. More bitterly frigid temps- single digits, below zero wind-chills. Cloudy and high teens later. Wrote up MULHOLLAND FALLS, and watching THE INFILTRATOR on Amazon Prime- 730am. Buffering problems- installed Silverlight- 8am. The Silverlight allows Prime to work perfectly! I should have allowed the program to load weeks ago.  Sent Kevin a note to schedule some work on the Borneo design. After THE INFILTRATOR an eleven minute short called, DEAD WEIGHT. Why was this on Prime? OK, but not really noteworthy. Then two more episodes of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM to clear the palate- "Cobb Salad" &"Thong Therapist". At FitClub 1pm. 45" Walk. 3.7/0. 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Octane (talking to the retired gym teacher. Apparently he taught in the Maine West School District, near Chicago many years ago. It seems that part of his job was checking out high school sports teams/ students...

We 12/27/17 Up 5am (and out of bed and everything!). Temps far below zero and health warnings are out until mid morning. Only to the teens later, but sunny. Wrote up DR. FUTURITY and then watched the Netflix disc that must have arrived after 5pm- had I not noticed the 'new' tracks in the snow, I would have assumed that there was no mail- GOOD TIME is the film (6am). Totally blown away! The guy from TWILIGHT (Robert Pattinson) was like a young Al Pacino in SERPICO or PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK. Two brothers, one mentally challenged (this actor is the co-director and he's superb in the role!), rob a bank, get separated, and the mentally challenged brother lands in Rikers, gets beat-up, and the brother rescues him from the hospital. But, he rescues the wrong guy; Black comedy mash-up with jolts of intense drama. The boroughs of NYC- 'down and dirty'. Then, the first episode of "3%"- A Brazilian  film about a distopian future where the 20 year olds are ...

Tu 12/26/17 Up very early and read from 3am-430am; finished THE ICE STORM. Frigid, cloudy, temps in the single digits early and will only soar to the low teens later; sunny. Wrote up the Rick Moody novel and watching WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN 615am. What an insidious work; elegant and creepy! Tilda Swinton is amazing.  845am- reading DR. FUTURITY on the couch....up way too early! Got out my "winter, winter" coat for the first time this season; It's really that cold! 1145am On the road to FitClub South. I called and the spa/ locker room is back in business. However, when I got there, it was still in pretty rough shape. 45" My Fave Octane (Soundtrack to TRAINSPOTTING). 45" Recumbent Bike (DR. FUTURITY). 45" Cross. 30" Recumbent Bike. 30" Cross- TV area. Steam room down, but I did 10" in the whirlpool/ therapy pool/ and another 3" in the whirlpool. Home to listen to XTC and drink a cup of instant downstairs. 45...

Monday, Xmas Day 2017- Up 645am; Coldest day of the year. Nothing melted, and it's a sheet of ice from just up from my driveway all the way to Fairway. Low teens early, to mid 20's. Watched THE BOATMAN; an odd, mystical film about a 'coyote' on the Mexican/ US border- but, it is really about the river Styx. Then, binge-watched EASTBOUND & DOWN- Last episode of season 1 and the first two of season 2. Janny called mid morning to say that Melissa is still in the hospital with heart-arrhythmia. They are leaving for the hospital at 4pm so I should come a bit early. 130pm should be fine. 1215pm- Reading DR. FUTURITY for a bit and then off to The Brandenburgs at 130pm. When I arrived no other Brandenburgs were there- a bit of a miff at the Jon/ Whitney Faction, but they arrived by 215pm. A pleasant exchange of gifts, and I left about 430pm. Joe and Janny were going to see Melissa at the hospital; maybe it's just stress or maybe something else- but the drs. ar...

Su 12/24/17 Up 615am; A light dusting of snow; most of it is on the streets and sidewalks- odd, but by early afternoon we probably got about two inches. Westview is still very slick, but the secondary streets are OK.   Watched a Youtube film about Scientology (1 hr), then watched the last half hour of CLEAR HISTORY.  945am; to Planet Fitness (they close at 2pm for Xmas Eve). 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (THE ICE STORM- Rick Moody). 45" Cross. 30" Bike (read). 30" Cross. Today was the first time that I wore my winter coat and took the lock with me. When I got home I did the weekly cleaning and called Elsie's House, but got no answer. Reading on the couch until 415pm,  then I shoveled the walk and drive. Absolutely nothing has melted and the temps haven't left the low 20's. Then, an hour soak and had two beers and read more of THE ICE STORM and listened to the soundtrack from THE SOPRANOS. I'm going to begin with a 45...

Sa 12/23/17 Up 720am; 20's early to 30's, clear; the first snow of the season! A light dusting- just barely covers grassy areas. Finishing COLOSSAL; 830am. Very strange, but I'm not that sure what it meant. The faintest tinge of racism? South Koreans just expendable props in an alcoholic woman's immature love-life? Then watched most of TOTAL RECALL on Amazon Prime. Almost as stooopid as BLOODSPORT. I had to skim to the end. Listening to Youtube(WTF)- David Sedaris and then his interview with Craig Ferguson on Late Late Night. About 115pm I went downtown to mail the disc at the Monroe PO, and I was considering going to FitClub South, but drove around the downtown area to see if any Xmas stuff was going on- there was not, just as dead as any other Saturday afternoon. Drove back to West. 145pm on the machines. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Cross. 30" Bike. 30" Cross. Legs/ Biceps. Whirlpool. The very, very large ...

Fr 12/22/17 Awake at 5am and read for about an hour and finished THE LATHE OF HEAVEN. Wrote up TRUE EVIL by Greg Isles and the Ursula K. Le Guin novel for the blog. Watched Netflix disc, UNBREAKABLE; 715am. I was really expecting more from this film, maybe more mind-blowing than THE SIXTH SENSE, and it was not. Possibly it would help if you were a fan on comic books or especially, comic book super-heroes, and I am not. I then watched a Bill Moyers interview with Ursula K. Le Guin (22") that was really good, and I learned that I can see the PBS film adaptation on Youtube. 1045am- reading THE ICE STORM.  Wrapped the Xmas gifts for The Brandenburg Kids; 1pm Dropped the disc at the box at Fairhills, and then did the grocery shopping. $62. On the machines at FitClub- 2pm. 45" Octane (MAGIC AND LOSS). 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Cross. Legs/ Chest. 30" Old Style Cross.  Home to watch Netflix disc, "Colossal".  ...

Th 12/21/17 Up 7am; Overcast-30's, and 40's later.  Watched the rest of IT COMES AT NIGHT. A kind of cautionary tale about human nature; under incredible levels of fear and stress- anything might be possible. Very well-done. Then, the final episode of WORMWOOD- Wow...Whatta Tale! 1145am- beginning THE LATHE OF HEAVEN on the couch. Read a very large chunk of the novel and left for Planet Fitness just before 2pm. Dropped the disc at the Wabash PO (before I left I learned that I could have streamed that film on Amazon Prime. I'll have to make sure that I'm not having discs sent when I can just watch them on Prime). One of the workers at Planet Fitness said that you can no longer hang jackets on the machines. Fucking Hell- Why was this an issue? 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (THE LATHE OF HEAVEN). 45" Cross. 30" Bike. 30" Cross. Legs/ Chest. Home to soak and read more Ursula K. Le Guin; 45". Watched Amazon Prime, ...

We 12/20/17 Contemporary Book Club- meeting tonight 6pm, and Trump's Tax Bill passed- is there a connection? Up 715pm; Sunny; 30's early, to 50. Watching Netflix, AMERICAN VIOLENCE. The film was so bad that I actually wasted far too much time and wrote a review for IMDB. 1115am Skimming THE NEVER-OPEN DESERT DINER in preparation for tonight's meeting. Completed the entire book, and on the machines at FitClub by 145pm. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Octane ('Please Panic'- VULGAR BOATMAN). Talked to the guy that always talks about health clubs, but this time about politics/ taxes/ investments! Very odd. 45" Cross. Whirlpool. Home to have a cup of instant and then to the meeting. Downtown was packed! Each Wednesday in December is a 'Special Xmas Evening' and there was something going on at the Hoagland as well. Traffic backed up from the parking garage almost to Lawrence!  Everyone liked the book and watching Netflix disc, IT COMES AT...

Tu 12/19/17 Didn't hit the sack until 1215am last night; on the couch trying to finish TRUE EVIL- didn't make it. Up 630am; sunny and very warm for deep December- 40 now and temps close to 60 later. 7 discs to Google Play, then the rest of FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS. Then 2 episodes of WORMWOOD. Around 1230pm I was ready to head to the 'Y', but decided instead to hit the couch and finish TRUE EVIL- I did, and left for the FitClub about 140pm. 45" Octane (60's Motown Hits redone for the 90's). 45" Recumbent Bike. 30" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Cross. Chest/ Legs/ Biceps. 30" Old Style Cross. Whirlpool. Home to go over the list of possible choices for the book club in 2018. Started with a little of Netflix, DAVID BOWIE- THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD, I had seen this before, and then switched to Amazon Prime, BREAKING LOS ANGELES, about the problems of breaking into the Music Biz in LA. And finally, another EASTBOUND & ...

Mo 12/18/17 Up 515am; Warmish and overcast; 40's mid early, to high 50's. Couldn't find the smartphone and had to call on the landline to find it- in the gym bag. Watching HANNIBAL, Amazon Prime. Absolutely fascinating, and shocked (but not surprised) to learn that it was Gary Oldman behind the makeup. And, Ray Liotta eating a slice of his own freshly fried brain was one for the books. 930am; reading TRUE EVIL on the couch; up too early...  1230pm I got up to write the Chat Wrap. The computer was in 'sleep', and when it booted up, not all of the screen was visible. I restarted and back to normal. 'Sleep' has never been safe with this machine- why? 130pm Sent the Wrap and heading to Planet Fitness. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (TRUE EVIL). 45" Cross. 30" Bike (JUDGE JUDY/ read). 30" Cross. Home to soak for an hour and listened to Louis Armstrong's band and reading more Greg Isles.  Will start with...

Su 12/17/17 Up 6am; 40's to low 50's, overcast- Gray all day, and rain in the forecast, but just a trace. Wrote up THE DEATH OF SWEET MISTER and a little about THE MAID'S VERSION.  Set up the blogger for the journal, and I think that I've got it right. Still have no clue as to how to put the bulk of the journal together. I've got to get the scanner/ printer going, but I don't know what kind of a writing platform that I'll use.  Watched the first three episodes of the Errol Morris documentary on Netflix called, WORMWOOD. Wow!!!...it's that good. In the middle of all this- I washed the sheets/ blanket/ jeans; tagged the humidifier and water heater; and finalized the log-in to social security. 1140am reading TRUE EVIL on the couch. 130pm to FitClub. 45" Octane (really hit it! GOO GOO DOLLS). 45" Recumbent Bike. 30" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Cross. 30" Old Style Cross. Legs/ Biceps/ Chest. Whirlpool. Called Elsie...

Sa 12/16/17 Up 550am; Clear, breezy, and slightly warmer- 30's and to high 50's by late afternoon. Watched the last two chapters of BILLIONS. During the middle of this I got caught up in a snag transferring the journal (Sept. thru Dec.) to the memory stick. I think that I have it...(1020am) I finally got it right! Don't know why this kind of stuff is always such a head snarl. Finished BILLIONS 1015AM, and I'm sad to learn that this was the last episode of season #2....That's it for a while. 1045am- raking the gum balls. Took just about an hour and the guy across the street and next door were out doing the 'Fall Clean Up' with there motorized blowers and suckers. Came in and started a new novel on the couch- TRUE EVIL by Greg Iles. A terrific read; I got this one at the library book sale and it's as infectious as GONE GIRL. 115pm On the machines at Planet Fitness. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike (TRUE EVIL). 45" Cross. 30...

Fr 12/15/17 Up 4am and read till 530am- finished THE NEVER-OPEN DESERT DINER. Up 540am. I put the 'New' journal on to Dropbox; in three sections beginning from when I switched from typewriter to computer; the middle of September to last night. It was surprisingly easy! I'll put what I have so far on the memory stick, erase, and then begin again. Wrote up the James Anerson novel. 7am- GHOST IN THE SHELL; Liked it more than I thought I would. 945am- Trying to Update living room PC. Maybe if I download the one that has been waiting (for a year?), it will take off. It wouldn't get out of the 'searching for updates' mode, so I just nixed the whole idea. I might call the computer store and see what they might recommend, or I will just do nothing.  On the couch reading, THE DEATH OF SWEET MISTER- Daniel Woodrell that I began today. About noon I went to County Market- Fairhills for the grocery shopping and I mailed the disc at the box on the lot...

Th 12/14/17 Set living room PC to 'sleep' and schedule an update for late this afternoon to catch up on the ones that are not on the computer. I've decided to ignore this. I'm not alone and most users of Windows 7 have the same problem getting Windows to update. However, I'm getting updated on Windows Security Essentials and I think I'll just leave it at that. I wonder how long Windows 7 will be around? But, last night I let the downstairs computer Update..... Up 710am- just catching up on the sleep that I missed yesterday morning. 20's, but clear and calm; to about freezing later. THE CONSTANT GARDENER (Netflix Disc). John le Carre novels have been made into films numerous times, but none have been this well realized. Because of the author's complex plotting and story lines, the films usually get confused or muddled in the presentation. Yet in this film everything is crystal clear and coherent without sacrificing the complex storyline. ...

We 12/13/17 Up 515am; Reading from 4am, THE NEVER OPEN DESERT DINER. 20's early, and to 40's later with windy conditions.  Writing up, A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT, Michael Connelly that I finished yesterday evening. 630am- SICARIO (Amazon Prime) Absolutely mesmerizing! A departure from the standard "Good Guys vs. Bad Guys" in America's War on Drugs. "Who do you think we learned it from"?.... "You're asking me how a watch works. Let's just concern ourselves with what time it is"; from the Canadian director of THE ARRIVAL.  Then, one episode of an Amazon Prime series, RENAISSANCE UNCHAINED- 'Hell, Snakes, and Giants'-(59"). Makes the case that this period was not a time of order and structure, but an artistic period where the macabre and fantastic were visited. "Mannerism"- 15th and 16th century style in which reality was depicted in a heightened or even psychedelic manner. Spanish artist El Greco em...

Tu 12/12/17 Up 630am; Crystal clear and cold; later to just about freezing with 25 mph winds. Watched the rest of THE WIZARD OF LIES; Well told and a very powerful story- like something out of Shakespeare.  1030am- On the couch reading Connelly, A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT. 1130AM to FitClub; dropped the disc in the box near Fairway. 45" Octane (PINUPS- Bowie). 45" Recumbent Bike (Connelly). 45" Cross. 30" Bike. Legs/ Chest/ Biceps. 30" Old Style Cross. 10" Whirlpool. Home to finish,  A DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT while listening to Tony Williams/ Thelonious Monk (1'15"). GIMME DANGER- Jim Jarmusch on The Stooges (Amazon Prime).  If you appreciate the Stooges, this film couldn't get any better. An excellent documentary produced by Amazon. 

Mo 12/11/17 Up 615am; Overcast and mid 30's; to 50 later, but very windy. Watched THE NOVELIST, Amazon Prime. A flat, deadpan tale of a failed writer in suburban Australia. He doesn't want to work and his girlfriend is leaving- so what? Wrote The Chat Wrap and then finished the Netflix film from last night, THE VOYEUR. The actual motel was located at the corner of Colfax and Scranton in Aurora, CO., and I liked it a lot more than I did last night. Foos and Talese are both narcissistic megalomaniacs- so obvious. Spent far too long screwing around and wasting time, but I did establish a new pin # for the card that's in my wallet. And finally got all the necessary details for the new credit cards in the 'EZ Recipe' file. I hope it's the last time for that heartache.  130pm- I put up the decoration on the front porch railing and it's truly 'trailer-chic'. Then hit the 'Y' to try out the new roundabout. NEIGHBORS is blowing up wit...

Su 12/10/17 Up 7am; Cold and partly sunny; 20's to mid 30's, breezy. Watched a 55" Australian pilot called, SCOUT. I wouldn't have bothered had I known that this was the only one. A complicated and detailed police thriller. I wonder what happened? Then the last three episodes of the Woody Allen series, CRISIS IN SIX SCENES. Some funny lines, and an unusual subject...."I've got a strange ringing sound in my knee and I'm keeping my eye on it". Ran the sweeper and dusted upstairs and downstairs (I did the laundry and the cat box last night), and then read to the end of "My Grandmother....". I called Elsie's House before I left for the workout, and I was on the machines at Planet Fitness at 2pm. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45"Recumbent Bike (DARKNESS MORE THAN NIGHT). 45" Cross. 30" Bike. 30" Cross. Legs/ Chest. Home for a soak and more reading 45" (listening to a freebie from Spin Magazine from 20 yrs...

Sa 12/9/17 Up 645am; more cold and blustery weather; 30's. Watched the Netflix disc, COMPUTER CHESS- Absurdist mockumentary about a computer conference set in a 1980's budget hotel featuring battling computer chess programs. About the only thing worth mentioning is that this was one of the last films that was reviewed by Roger Ebert. 1045am- reading MY GRANDMOTHER ASKED... Read and napped till around 1pm, then drove to the Monroe PO to drop off the disc, then stopped at the County Market at Fairhills; $56. Stopped at the Dollar Store and got a wreath for the front door and a couple of kitchen sink strainers. Wreath looks great! So Xmasy!!! On the machines at FitClub West 2pm. 45" Walk. 3.5/0. 45" Recumbent Bike. 45" Cross. Chest/ Legs/ Biceps. 45" Old Style Cross (spent the afternoon watching COPS and REAL COPS IN ACTION- channel 6). Whirlpool, and home to unpack the groceries and hang the wreath. Amazon Prime for tonight; LED ZEPPELIN- ...

Fr 12/8/17 Up 6am; Very cold, bright, and blustery- to mid 30's later. Watched the Netflix disc, GIFTED. Better than average tale of a young man who is raising his 8 year old niece and is in a custody battle with his mother over the kid- and the little girl is a math prodigy; set in Savannah, GA. Then, another episode of THE WIRE. Called 'Your Spending Account' and made sure that I'm filling out the correct form-  I am. And, set up My Social Security online account. I want to find out what or if I am paying for my Plan B Medicare. I can be reimbursed for this because it might change for 2018. I called Dax's office to arrange for the Brandenburgs to pick up a pecan pie when they get theirs.  115pm Going to Memorial Medical to pay my end of the CAT scan (that scan cost $2,400 retail!!). Then to the Monroe PO to send in the reimbursement form. I'll get $90 back on the scan, a couple of office visits, and more for a couple of prescriptions; Approx. $160...