The Cheese Stands Alone

Tu 6/30/2020 Up 640am: Overcast and threatening. Rain began about 720am and rain predicted all day with strong storms beginning about 11am- to low 80's. The rain was not as big a factor as predicted.  Watched 'GUNS AKIMBO' (Amazon Prime). A video game designer is forced to become part of a 'Fight To The Death' online video stream. Two automatic handguns are bolted to his hands. A dizzying array of gun fights and car chases, but the film doesn't take itself too seriously. "Never bring a spork to a gun fight". ; with Samara Weaving (Hugo Weaving is her uncle) and Daniel Radcliffe. Shot in Auckland, New Zealand and Munich, Germany. Then I re-watched episode 1 of Season 6 'BOSCH', then episode 2. 130pm: Uncertain if I will check out Planet Fitness or not... NOT... Managed a dry walk.  ***Left 940 at 210pm. Parkview, Wash. Pk. Southside. Around the panhandle to Walnut. Back Northside, up Parkview to Lynn haven, Kenyon, down Fairway up to 940. Just a...

Mo 5/29/20 Up 730am: Muggy and hot- to low 90's. Watched, 'THE HELP' (Netflix). A profile of Jim Crow in Mississippi, 1963 that's equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking; with Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Cicely Tyson, Sissy Spacek, and Allison Janney. Had a fleeting thought of mowing the lawn, but came to my senses. Too hot and it's supposed to rain hard tonight and tomorrow, but the next several days will be blistering. I'm already dreading the possibility of water downstairs because flood watches have been issued.  ***Noticed that Amazon Prime has introduced 'WATCH PARTY' for PC users only. Watched 'ZAMA' (Amazon Prime). I watched the entire film in a sleepy daze. A cinematic collection of arresting images and unworldly locations, but lacked a compelling story-line...But I might have missed something.  245pm: Tired, but will hit the streets to avoid pop-up showers.  310pm. Lawrence to Edwards east to Spring. Sout...

Su 6/28/20 Up 7am: Cloudy, muggy with temps to 90. Shut the windows and AC is 'On'. Watched a documentary from Hoopla, 'SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME'. From the book's page at Amazon: "A Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the “Age of Neoslavery,” the American period following the Emancipation Proclamation in which convicts, mostly black men, were “leased” through forced labor camps operated by state and federal governments. In this groundbreaking historical expose, Douglas A. Blackmon brings to light one of the most shameful chapters in American history—an “Age of Neoslavery” that thrived from the aftermath of the Civil War through the dawn of World War II. Using a vast record of original documents and personal narratives, Douglas A. Blackmon unearths the lost stories of slaves and their descendants who journeyed into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation and then back into the shadow of involuntary servitude shortly thereafter. By turns moving, sobering, and sh...

Sa 6/27/20 Up 7am: Overcast and humid with showers beginning by mid morning and rain possible all day- low 80's. Wrote up, 'STRAIGHT WHISKY' for the blog. Watched Netflix disc, 'PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE'. Beautifully shot on the coast of Brittany and the film attempts to answer the question of how do you shoot Love and succeeds brilliantly. I watched the Interviews and Bonus Features and will watch more from this director. Then watched, 'DUCH- MASTER OF THE FORGES OF HELL' (Kanopy). An astounding monologue from one of the chief torturers of the Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia. My post of the film at Kanopy: "Why all the documentation and photographs? Such unspeakable horror, yet they leave a detailed record of their crimes? The Nazis did the same thing. This doesn't have anything to do with Communism, Capitalism, Socialism, or any political system, but it's much more of a manifestation of Pure Evil. Duch thinks only in terms of 'Us' and...

Fr 6/26/20   Up 7am: Partly cloudy and hot; to low 90's. The  AC is on with the ceiling fan in the living room 'On'. Added LITTLE JOHNNY TAYLOR to Mp3. Tried to determine why Google Play was not uploading music. This has happened before, and I can't transfer Google Play to YouTube 'at the present time' (it says). Watched Netflix disc, 'THE EDGE OF HEAVEN'. From Roger Ebert's review of the film, "...we are so accustomed to all the stories converging at the end of a hyperlink film. Not this time. The characters are related in theme, but not in plot." An old man pays a prostitute to live with him. It works for a while, but they get into a fight, he hits her, she falls and dies. The old man goes to prison, but his son goes to Turkey to find the woman's daughter to pay for her schooling. This young woman has had no contact with her mother for many years and has become involved in a movement to overthrow the government. In a demonstration she...

Th 6/25/20- Dentist: 2pm Up 645am: Sunny with temps to upper 80's. Dentist appointment at 2pm. Watched, 'THE NOVEMBER MAN' (Hoopla). A foolish stew of tough-guy cliches where any situation or circumstance can be addressed with extreme violence; with Pierce Brosnan and a more-or-less international cast. Then I watched, 'OBSESSED' a 27" YouTube video about addiction to prescription pain medication. Corny nonsense- Drugs Bad, Sobriety Good.  Then another YouTube video called, 'WHAT THE 1% DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW' (30"). This is a little outdated as it was made before Trump's election, but it's only more important and relevant than ever. America is an oligarchy and has been one for decades.  Noon: PC is 'Off' and will read for a while before I take the Elantra to the dentist.  ****Arrived about 140 pm and tried to call, but no answer. Went to the door and was met by Taylor (I think). She let me in after a temp check and I went back t...

We 6/24/20 Up 7am: sunny to about 80. Beautiful! Wrote up, 'WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT'- Sarah Winman for the blog. Also, added 'New Miserable Experience'- THE GIN BLOSSOMS to the Mp3. Then I watched, 'STRANGERLAND' (Kanopy).  My post at Kanopy: "In a small Australian town at the edge of the desert, a fifteen year old girl and her brother go missing one night. It would seem that the film would evolve into a 'search and rescue' film, but it does not. The film is merely a vehicle to highlight the shattered and neurotic relationship of the parents. There's lots of high drama, but in the end it's just much ado about nothing and nothing is resolved; with Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, and Hugo Weaving.. "  Then I watched, 'INTERVIEW'. A jaded reporter interviews a flighty soap opera star. The film is the snide and malicious discourse between the two in her NYC loft apartment and secrets are revealed; Steve Buscemi and Sienna Miller. This ...

Tu 5/23/20 Up 7am: Sunny and much cooler with temps only up to 80. A chance of showers this afternoon. Watched, '99 HOMES' (Hoopla- I picked this because it is by the same director as 'GOODBYE, SOLO'). The film is the perfect antidote to the belief that the housing crisis was caused when the government forced banks to loan money to low income people; with Michael Shannon, Andrew Garfield, and Laura Dern. Directed by Ramin Bahrani.   Another early walk to avoid the storms. 1045am. Parkview to Wash Pk. South on Wiggins. Outer Park east to Holmes, then north, Walnut and west thru park on south side. Parkview down to 940. Mp3 Peter Green's FLEETWOOD MAC, P FUNK, GINGER BAKER TRIO.  Reading in the living room and finished 'WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT'.  Watered the flowers in front (as the black clouds rolled in).  5pm: Smoked a half bowl and watched 'THE VIRGIN SUICIDES'. (Amazon Prime). A very difficult subject yet made for compelling viewing. The film could ...

Mo 6/22/20 Up 710am. Partly sunny and humid to the upper 80s. Thunderstorms predicted and a storm raced through about 4pm. Nothing violent, and will just make the grass greener and the flowers bloom  faster and the flowers are exploding like mad. This is about the third or fourth wave of color.  THE SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK. Ed Burns stars and directs. Interviews with a few 'typical' New Yorkers provide story-lines about love, sex, and personal relationships. Not bad; with Edward Burns, Dennis Farina, Heather Graham, Brittany Murphy, and Stanley Tucci. Went for the walk before the rains hit later this afternoon. 1115am.On the walk. Lawrence, Edwards. South on New, Henrietta across South Grand on Holmes. West on Laurel across Chatham. Country Club, Oakmont, Parkview and down to 940.2 HOURS. Mp3. BILLY COBHAM.. Focus.. DIAMOND DOGS.. BOWIE, Armed Forces.. ELVIS. READ When God Was A Rabbit listened to tapes downstairs. PETER HOLSAPPLE, The Mekons- 'Me'. This was one of Chris...

Su 6/21/2020 As soon as I awoke I called: Ordered two eighths: 1 × Pillow Factory | PharmaCann - (1/8oz) $65.00 1 × CrescendO Flower | NGW - (1/8oz) $65.00 Cannabis Tax: $13.00 Sales Tax: $12.68 Order Total: $155.68 Up 715am: Cloudy and humid to mid 80's. Watched 'THE REPUBLIC OF TWO' (IMDB-TV). 43" into the film. 905 am: PC is 'Off' and preparing for a visit to the pot shop between 930-10am. ***My nicest visit so far. I got two eighths, parked out front, and was in and out in less than ten minutes. Smoked a half bowl at 10am and then finished, 'THE REPUBLIC OF TWO' (IMDB-TV). A very different kind of romantic 'dramedy' in that it was absolutely devoid of sentimentality. Two people in love, yet they cannot seem to connect. The guy has lost all of his undergraduate work and failed to be accepted for medical school and the girl hasn't yet settled on a professional career. I didn't know what was going to happen next because the entire tone ...

Sa 6/20/20 Up 640 am: Partly sunny with a chance of thunderstorms this afternoon- mid 80's. Watched Netflix disc, 'PAPA: HEMINGWAY IN CUBA'. Not a very well done biopic about the late great Ernest Hemingway. Although the actor that played Hemingway, Adrian Sparks, looks very much like the celebrated author and anything Giovanni Ribisi is in I will give it a shot. I could have seen this one on IMDB-TV.   To watch on Kanopy: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ogbl#inbox/FMfcgxwHNqNqKHPCwpWkmDNLFsNVTdfq   1015 am: Hitting the streets early because showers and storms are moving in later. Will drop the disc at the Wabash PO.  1040 am: On The Street. Up Parkview, Oakmont, Golf, across Greenbriar to Iles. East on Iles to Chatham the Wabash PO. Back the same way, more or less. ALMOST TWO AND A HALF HOURS; Mp3- John Zorn- 'NAKED CITY', KING CRIMSON, AND Lou Reed- 'NEW SENSATION'.  115pm: Watched, 'ZEROVILLE' (Kanopy) in the living room. James Falco's take ...

Fr 6/19/20- COUNTY MARKET: $104: Windows Blackout Screech Up 645am: Up early so that I can hit Fairhills. Mostly sunny with temps to 90 and chance of a shower. 715 am at County Market/ Fairhills. No wait in line; 30 people in store including the employees. 815 am: Mowed the lawn and done with raking and branch trimming by 930 am. Watched Netflix disc, 'LION'S DEN'. A women's prison film that concerns Argentinian women who are imprisoned while pregnant. They are allowed to keep their children until the child turns four. Then, the child is turned over to a relative or the authorities will put the child up for adoption. In the end mom's mother tries to take the child before her four years are up, so she takes her son and exits the country. I'd seen this one before, but well worth a second viewing. The director's wife has the role of the mother.   ***Around 1110 am I got a 'Windows Blue Screen Screech' on the PC. The screen got colorfully pixelated and I...

Th 6/18/20 Up 745am: Sunny with temps almost to 90. Wrote up 'THE FOURTH DEADLY SIN'- Lawrence Sanders for the blog. Then watched, 'CAPE FEAR' (Netflix). In a rape case the defense lawyer fails to introduce the victim's sexual history and because of this omission the perp does fourteen years. After completing his sentence he returns to the hometown of his lawyer who now has a wife and teenage daughter and plots to exact his revenge; with Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, Martin Balsam, and Illeana Douglas. Juliette Lewis was amazing as the nubile and desirable teen. Then watched, 'THE MOTEL LIFE' (Amazon Prime). After leaving the scene of a fatal accident in which a young boy is killed, two brothers leave Reno for Elko, Nevada. The film captures the sense of what it's like to live far down on the economic ladder. A fine Independent film; with Stephen Dorff, Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning...

We 6/17/20- Dentist 2pm. Up 745am: Mostly sunny with temps to almost 90. AC is 'On'. Watched, 'THE CLEARSTREAM AFFAIR' (Amazon Prime). An excellent documentary about international banking and fraud. Clearstream is a banking entity that was set up to be 'a bank for banks'. The film alleges that Clearstream was used by banks to launder dirty money and to aid influential French politicians to avoid taxes. However, it was found that the 'evidence' against Clearstream was doctored. The firm was not exactly exonerated, but the film would have worked better if they had been found guilty. ***The PC needed a restart and when it was completed I got Microsoft Edge. Don't want it. Took it off the tray. ***Watered the front flowers and removed some of the taller and more obvious weeds. Then watched another episode of, 'THE BLACK DEATH' (Amazon Prime). 10 to 20% of Western Europeans have natural protection from HIV. This is because a distant relative contr...

Tu 6/16/20 Up 7 am: Another bright and sunny day with temps to the mid 80's. Watched, 'THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME' (Netflix).  The American Peace Initiative (API) is a product which will send a signal to the human brain that will stop a person from committing a crime. Relay stations across America will broadcast this signal and it will end all crime in the US. Shortly before this this radical change goes into effect, a criminal gang is planning a ONE BILLION DOLLAR HEIST. The premise is crazed, unhinged, and almost laughably implausible. This movie was universally panned by critics because 2020 is not the time to put out a movie about a Law and Order styled government that aspires to put down civil unrest with absolute impunity. What were they thinking? And, Michael Pitt had a pretty good, yet almost goofy role in this travesty. Just before noon I smoked a half a bud and watched the last hour and a half of 'PARTY MONSTER' (Amazon). I started this a couple of ni...

Mo 6/15/20- Agnes Fenner; 330 pm. Up 745 am: Bright and sunny with temps just over 80. ***Watered the flowers out front and trimmed the 'reddish' tree off of the breezeway. ***Added 'ARMED FORCES'- Elvis Costello and 'THIS WAS'- Jethro Tull to Mp3. Watched, 'THE SECRET SCRIPTURE' (Hoopla- borrowed yesterday). Jim Sheridan directs and he also directed, 'BROTHERS'. Sheridan was born on 2/6/49. An Irish young woman travels from England to Ireland during WWII to be in a neutral country. She has an affair with a downed pilot, attracts the attention of the local priest, is incarcerated in a mental institution for the crime of being a nymphomaniac, gets pregnant by the pilot, escapes and has the baby on the beach. The priest takes the child and gives it to a local family and falsely blames the young woman of killing the child. Decades later a psychiatrist is asked to help move the woman from the institution as it is being closed. In the end, we learn th...

Su 6/14/20 Up 730 am: Cloudy, but mostly sunny by noon- to about 80. Wrote up 'PROJECT POPE'- Clifford D. Simak for the blog. Watched 'DA 5 BLOODS' (Netflix). Spike Lee's rendition of 'THE TREASURE OF SIERRA MADRE'. A group of black Vietnam vets travel back to Vietnam to find the gold that they left behind. Mayhem ensues. Well done and topical. Then watched, 'LADY BIRD' (Netflix). I had seen this one before, but forgotten how good it was. A high school student in Sacramento, CA is determined to attend college on the east coast, but her family hasn't the money. One of the better films ever made about the high school experience. Believable and funny; with Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, and Timothee Chalamet. I'm used to having 'star-studded' casts, but I was surprised to learn how many awards have been won by the leads in this film. 3 pm: PC is 'Off' and reading 'THE 4TH DEADLY SIN'. Walk later...

Sa 6/13/20 Up 650 am: Bright and sunny with temps to mid 80's. Added 6 albums to Mp3: THE POGUES, TALKING HEADS, SCREAMING TREES, KINGS OF LEON, X, and IAN HUNTER. Watched Netflix disc, 'BROTHERS'. A remake of a Danish film, 'BRODURE'. A tale of two brothers- one lacks direction and the other is a Marine captain with a wife and two young daughters. When the captain is presumed dead in Afghanistan,  the other brother starts to become closer to his nieces and sister-in-law. Then the captain returns...Very dramatic and the two little girls were amazing. Then watched, 'CLUELESS' (Dropped on Netflix last week). A campy, yet not unpleasant romp about Beverly Hills High School's most entitled and most clueless denizens; with Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Paul Rudd, Jeremy Sisto, and Wallace Shawn. 1 pm: Read for a while then an early walk downtown to mail the Netflix DISC. FINISHED 'THE POPE PROJECT.  355 pm. Out the door. To Lawrence an...

Fr 6/12/20 Up 730 am: Sunny with temps to upper 80's. ***Noticed some caked blood when I blew my nose and there is a tiny cut on the edge of my left nostril. Maybe this is an indication of a broken nose? Watched Netflix disc, 'RULES DON'T APPLY'. A rather bland fictional account of an aspiring actress who is picked by Howard Hughes to become a star. The film is kind of a ham-fisted 'love triangle' between Howard, the actress, and the man who was hired as her driver. Warren Beatty stars, directs, and produces; with Lily Collins (daughter of Phil Collins), Alden Ehrenreich, Paul Sorvino, Matthew Broderick, Candice Bergen, and Martin Sheen. The 'star power' was not commensurate with the results...again. Then watched, 'GINGER AND ROSA' (Hoopla- borrowed yesterday).  Set in London at the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis, two best friends are at odds when Rosa has an affair with Ginger's father. The theme is 'The Sexual Revolution' meets ...

Th 6/11/20 Up 635 am: Bright and sunny with temps to low 80's. Borrowed 'GINGER & ROSA' and 'EVERYBODY'S EVERYTHING' from Hoopla so that I could beat the cut-off for today. Then I noticed that I could see a biography of Francis Bacon on Kanopy. Watched, 'LOVE IS THE DEVIL- Study For A Portrait Of Francis Bacon' (Kanopy). My post at Kanopy: "The film is not so much a biography of the artist, Francis Bacon as it is a 'poisoned valentine' to his lover, George Dyer. And, although no paintings by Bacon were allowed in the film, the director and cinematographer have done a credible job of capturing the 'frozen motion' or 'after-imaging' inherent in his work. And, Tilda Swinton imperceptibly steals the show with her snarky characterization of Muriel Belcher, owner of the private and infamous drinking club, The Colony Room." Then watched, 'EVERYBODY'S EVERYTHING' (Hoopla). Essentially this is a 'puff piece...

We 6/10/20 Up 630 am: Much cooler and cloudy with a slight chance of rain this afternoon; temps to low 70's. ***Shortly before 9 am. a Mayflower truck pulled up across the street. I thought that we were finally getting new neighbors at Boozer's old house, but it was just Willow's house getting a piano.  Was this a late birthday gift? The  trucks were gone within fifteen minutes. ***I replaced all of the batteries in the lawn lights out front. Checked at 9 pm and they all work perfectly. Looks nice.  Watched, 'INSIDE MAN' (Netflix). Robbers take over a Manhattan bank and dress all of the hostages in masks and gray jumpsuits. Hours later, when the hostages are let out the main entrance, there is no trace of the robbers and nothing was stolen. However, they were only concerned with the contents of one safety deposit box. Similar to the Italian series, 'MONEY HEIST'; directed by Spike Lee, with Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, and Christopher Plummer...

Tu 6/9/20 Up 720 am: Very windy, overcast with rain beginning this morning and to continue through the day- to low 80's. Watched, 'JOHN HENRY' (Netflix). A strong and conflicted man from Compton, CA tries to protect two immigrants from Central America from LA gang violence. The dialog is so ridiculous that the film is very close to parody. Then watched, 'THE GUARDIANS' (Amazon Prime). A shocking documentary about the legal kidnapping and robbery of senior citizens in Clark County, Nevada performed under 'guardianship laws'. The average worth of a person in their mid 70's is $300,000 (there seem to be many ways of arriving at this figure and there are many different final numbers), and the guardian can legally get it all. One crook working for the county since the 80's was able to devise the scheme and now he is running the same scam from the private sector. ***I called the dentist and the urologist to confirm the appointments for next Wednesday and M...

Mo 6/8/20 Up 650 am: Sunny and temps to 90. Rain predicted for tomorrow. Added, 'JERRY LACROIX- THE SECOND COMING' to Google Play and the Mp3 player. LaCroix was the lead singer for EDGAR WINTER'S WHITE TRASH BAND and BLOOD, SWEAT, AND TEARS.   ***Finally cleaned the front window; inside and outside. Watched, 'BERNIE' (Kanopy). An assistant funeral director in the small town of Carthage, TX becomes involved with a wealthy yet unpopular widow. He got to share her opulent lifestyle, but he paid dearly for the privilege.   My post at Kanopy: "All of the actors (especially the townspeople) are so achingly earnest and sincere that you completely forget that what they are saying is so ridiculously absurd. One of the funniest townspeople is played by Kay McConaughey who is Matthew McConaughey's mother."  ***1115-1145 am: Walked to the gas station at Chatham and Monroe to fill the lawnmower can.  Put 'Diamond Dogs'- Bowie, 'The Abbreviated King Cri...

Su 6/7/20 ***Used the central AC for the first time yesterday. Up 615 am: Sunny, hot, and humid- to 90. Watched, 'DEBT COLLECTORS' (Hoopla). Two over-the- hill enforcers for the LA rackets, French and Sue, must make three collections in 48 hours. They have a history together, but they are able to forget their differences and complete the mission. No surprises and no new ground broken. This was the second in the trilogy, but apparently the final segment was never made. No surprise; with Scott Adkins (has an extensive background in martial arts films) and Louis Mandylor.  Then I watched, 'TIME LAPSE' (Hoopla). Three friends live in a small California apartment complex and discover that the old man that lives across from them has a time machine that can see 24 hours into the future. Murders and mayhem ensue. I (kinda) vow to never watch another movie involving time travel again because they all are riddled with confusing plot holes. ***Hotter than Hell outside, but cucumbe...

Sa 6/6/20 Up 615 am: Sunny, humid, temps to about 90. Watched, 'STRAY DOGS' (Kanopy). Taipei is the capital of Taiwan which is an island country off the east coast of China. The film concerns two children and their parents as they deal with homelessness in Taipei.  My post at Kanopy:  "Be forewarned...The film is glacially paced and purposely designed to force the viewer to allow the images to resonate by a process of accretion. The director has crafted the film to communicate something that is not directly expressed by allowing the gradual addition of visual layers of meaning and emotion to slowly seep into the viewers consciousness. Needless to say that this is not an easy goal and only a few will stick with it to the end, but I found it well worth the effort." Then watched, 'FREEWAY 2: CONFESSIONS OF A TRICKBABY' (Amazon Prime). I didn't realize it while I was watching it, but it seems to be a reworking of the fable, 'Little Red Riding Hood'. Wh...

Fr 6/5/20 Up 620 am: Overcast with a slight chance of rain, humid, to about 90. *** 710 am:To County Market/Fairhills; $89. Home to unload the groceries and then off to the Pot Shop to pick up the order that I submitted at 7 am; 1/8 of flower and some Pot Candy; $110. 945 am: Watched Netflix disc, 'THE STONING OF SORAYA M'. In a small village in 70's Iran a woman is stoned to death for violating Sharia Law. However, her husband falsely accused her of adultery because he wanted a divorce and to be free to marry a fourteen year old. Graphic violence: Her arms are tied behind her back and she is forced to kneel, buried up to her waist, and then the stoning begins.  Then watched episode 1 of, 'UPLOAD' (Amazon Prime).  A SciFi comedy about a future society where you can opt to 'upload into Heaven' instead of death. This afterlife has been programmed to simulate living at an upscale mountain resort...for eternity. This seems like it will be a clever series and I...

Th 6/4/20 No further details on the Chicago 'truck accident' that caused Comcast/Xfinity to lose the signal yesterday for most of downstate Illinois, but my MBps is now up above ONE HUNDRED again! Up 620 am: Overcast and storms should begin late morning and ending by early this afternoon- to low 80's. Watched, 'GOODBYE SOLO' (Kanopy). Directed by Ramin Bahrani; '99 Homes', 'Chop Shop', 'Man Push Cart'. My post at Kanopy: "A poignant drama about an immigrant from Senegal who is a cab driver in Winston Salem, North Carolina and develops a friendship with one of his fares. This older white man seems to have given up on life, and Solo tries to save him. A deeply moving film that is guaranteed to captivate even the most skeptical viewer. "  Watched, 'Streit's: MATZO AND THE AMERICAN DREAM' (Amazon Prime).  1115 am: Noticed that it will rain later, so I decided to hit the sidewalks a little earlier. 1145 am: on the streets. La...

We 6/3/20 Up 620 am: Hot with a chance of rain this afternoon- to 90. No rain until late in the evening.  Wrote up 'CUTTER AND BONE' for the blog. Watched, 'PUBLIC ENEMIES' (Netflix). A star-studded cast, yet a fairly uneventful portrayal of some of America's criminal superstars and the newly formed Federal Bureau of Investigation during the 1930's; with Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, Stephen Dorff, Giovanni Ribisi, Marion Cotillard, Diana Krall, Lily Taylor, and Leelee Sobieski, dir. Michael Mann.  Finished the film at 11 am and finished the mulching while the PC is on 'Sleep'. 40" on the mulching. Looks 'not good' , yet better.  Downstairs to read PALE KINGS AND PRINCES. Listened to ART PEPPER, ARTHUR Conley, SAM&Dave. ***INTERNET DOWN AT  2 pm.  Finished Spenser novel. Began Phil Lesh bio. On The Walk : 315 pm-445 pm. Because the Internet was down I didn't pay much attention to the weather, and about half way through the walk I noti...

Tu 6/2/20 Up 730 am: Sunny, breezy with temps to 90. Watched, 'I'M NO LONGER HERE' (Netflix). A powerful drama about a seventeen year old boy from Monterrey, Mexico and his love of the 'Cumbia' style of music. Because he accidentally witnessed the murders of some local gang leaders he is forced to flee to Brooklyn, NY.  and he tries to begin his life anew. Beautifully shot and the sets, locations, and costumes were amazing. Then watched, 'THE TROUBLE WITH BLISS' (Amazon Prime). A surprisingly fine film about a lonely man who lives with his widowed father on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. When he has an affair with an eighteen year old high school student who happens to be the daughter of one of his high school buddies, his life spins out of control. Quirky and well written; with Michael C. Hall, Lucy Liu, Peter Fonda, and Brie Larson.   Wasting time surfing through Nextdoor and decided to hit the sidewalks early so that I can finish with the mulching job ...

Mo 6/1/20 Up 630 am: Partly cloudy and breezy with temps to about 80. Watched, 'MAD AS HELL' (Hoopla). A profile of The Young Turks- Cenk Uygur (Jenk U-ger). He is more than a proponent of progressive ideas because he was one of the first to foresee the rising power of social media and online news content. He was right to downplay the importance CNN or MSNBC because now online news has become a much bigger influencer than cable news.  Then watched, '1985' (Kanopy).  The film is a lackluster, black and white film set in Texas at the onset of the AIDS Crisis.  My post at Kanopy: "Because it is set in 1985 the film lacks a confrontational edge and presents the topic of sexual identity in a most mild and bland manner. The message seems to be that it's more important to maintain the family's status quo rather than to realistically confront the protagonist's sexual orientation and that 'nice, Christian, and well liked' takes precedence over the truth....