The Cheese Stands Alone

Su 1/31/21 910am.405pm.950pm. Up 730am: Overcast with periods of 'wintry mix' and barely a trace of accumulation- 30's. Watched 'THE INSIDER' (Leaves Amazon Prime tomorrow). 'The Big Reveal' is not so much that cigarettes are merely a delivery system for nicotine, but that if you attempt to speak Truth to Power you are fucked; with Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, Christopher Plummer, Philip Baker Hall, Gina Gershon, Michael Gambon, and Rip Torn. Nominated for 7 Oscars, another 23 wins & 51 nominations. 1pm: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles and watched a YouTube video of Lowell Bergman (AL Pacino's character in 'THE INSIDER'), a YouTube video of Fran Lebovitz, and the beginning of JOE ROGAN'S interview with IRA GLASSER-from the ACLU.  Read TUROW for an hour and then did the Weekly Cleaning. Watched 'BROKEN CITY' (Leaves Tubi tomorrow). A corrupt New York City mayor is brought down after it's learned that he stood to gain millions from the ...

 Sa 1/30/21 850am.1110am.330pm.925pm. Up 725am: Overcast early and then rain started late afternoon and to continue all night and into tomorrow- upper 30's. I began the first episode of 'ZERO ZERO ZERO' (Amazon Prime) and before I knew it I had finished episode 3. Borders on the melodramatic, but immensely compelling. 1230pm: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles and watched more of Dr. Carl Hart on Rogan, finished the 'FBI FILES' episode of the serial killer who was passing as a photographer and kidnapping girls at malls, and more of 'HOW NEAL FEEL'. Read SCOTT TUROW for an hour and then watched 'DEJA VU' (Amazon Prime). A decent blockbuster movie with a 'time travel' theme. An ATF detective must go back in time to catch a domestic terrorist before he detonates a bomb on a crowded ferry in the New Orleans harbor. And, he's also very attracted to a woman who was killed in 'a possible version of the past'. Just enough about time travel and wo...

 Fr 1/29/21- 3226 Read Oak Lane 920am.325pm.9pm. Up 7am and read about the new home on 3226 Red Oak Lane; Zillow $158,000- Auction Price $142,000. Partly sunny with temps to mid 30's. ***I hate this Casio watch. Spent an inordinate (and soul destroying) time trying to get the 'Date' back on the goddamn watch. Watched 'SHRINK' (Amazon Prime). Several storylines revolving around a shrink who is 'self-medicating' with marijuana to deal with his wife's suicide. The film pushes the narrative that people who smoke weed are just avoiding their problems. There are no positives to getting high, just 'deal with it' and 'move the fuck on'. Salon- "Shrink offers a roster of wonderfully eccentric characterizations, shoehorned into a dramatic structure that's just a little too formulaic." "...flashy, phony, nakedly melodramatic, and full of big actorly moments disconnected from real life." Considering all of the negatives, it wa...

 Th 1/28/21- Dentist 2pm 835am.4pm.920pm. Up 735am: Bright and sunny but cold. Teens early and to the upper 20's. Watched 'THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM' (Amazon Prime). Leaves Prime 2/1. Another film with car crashes that are pure adrenaline, but not quite as good as 'RONIN'; with Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney, and Joan Allen. 1115am: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles and watched the rest of the Rogan/Yglesia interview, an episode of 'THE HILLS' (Amazon Prime), and part of 'PRETEND IT'S A CITY' (Netflix) before the dental appointment at 2pm. ***I got an email from Janny that they have bought a new house. 3226 Red Oak Lane, bought at auction. Zillow listed $158,000, but it went for $142,000. The home is located in the Rochester school district- very far south and east just off of East Lake Shore Drive.   I arrived at the dentist a bit early so I drove down the street to the 'new' truck stop and bo...

 We 1/27/21- Illinois Department Employment Security 905am.320pm.855pm. Up 7am and read Scott Turow until 740am. Overcast and an inch or two of snow is expected by this evening- 20's. (More like three to five inches fell total) Watched Netflix disc 'IT'. A classy adaptation of Stephen King's epic novel, but he didn't write the screenplay for the film. "In the summer of 1989, a group of bullied kids band together to destroy a shape-shifting monster, which disguises itself as a clown and preys on the children of Derry, their small Maine town." At the end the kids promise that if 'It' returns in 27 years they will return to Derry and confront the monster again...I've got 'IT 2' in the queue. 1230pm: We've already gotten over an inch of snow and it's like a blizzard out there.  ON THE TREADMILL and watched more of Joe Rogan's discussion with MATHEW YGLESIAS. ***Before I got on the treadmill I got a call for The Illinois Departme...

 Tu 1/26/21 9am.230pm.930pm. Up 730am: Cloudy with some morning flurries and temps to low 30's. Watched 'CELL' (Tubi). The first twenty minutes was fantastic. A man is at Logan International in Boston talking on the phone with his wife. Suddenly, everyone around him who were on cell phones (he's on a coin phone) are consumed with homicidal rage, storming through the airport corridors, murdering at will. Then the film becomes like 'The Stand'. He meets a few 'normals' and they go to find his wife and son in New Hampshire. The reviews were lukewarm at best, but I liked it. Stephen King wrote the novel and the screenplay; with John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and Stacy Keach.  1130am: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles at a 3.1 pace and watched Joe Rogan interview Travis Walton, a man abducted by aliens in 1975. Read 'THE LAWS OF OUR FATHERS' in the living room. I called Lazy Boy Furniture and it will be another two weeks before I get the recliner.  Watched ...

 Mo 1/25/21 9am.1140am.345pm.9pm.  Up 730am: Intermittent rain, snow, sleet to continue for today and tomorrow with temps to the mid 30's. Under an inch of accumulation is expected. Watched 'CALM WITH HORSES' AKA 'THE SHADOW OF VIOLENCE' (Netflix). Set near Galloway in far western Ireland the film is a bleak story of a mob enforcer with limited intelligence who questions his gang affiliation. "Blood is only who you're related to, in our family, loyalty is what's most important'. Subplot: The man has a toddler with autism and he struggles to accept this fact. This is a more authentic examination of what autism is like to a low-income, undereducated family; with Cosmo Jarvis and Barry Keoghan ('THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER'). A classy drama and taken from a short story called 'CALM WITH HORSES'. Then the next episode of 'THE MISSING' (Amazon Prime).  ***I called The Illinois Department of Employment Security about the 'requ...

 Su 1/24/21 855am.120pm.350pm.920pm. Up 745am: Overcast with temps to about 40. A 'wintry mix' is possible for the next three days. Watched '1984' (Pluto- I couldn't find it because I was looking on Tubi).  "Freedom is the right to say that 2 plus 2 equals 4. From that, all else follows". "The Law of Gravity doesn't exist. If you say you can float, and I say that you can float, then you can float"; with John Hurt as 'Winston' and Suzanna Hamilton as 'Julia' and Richard Burton as 'O'Brien'. In the end credits it said that the film was shot in and around London from April to June in 1984. This is the same time period and place that Orwell set the novel in his hypothetical future.  Then I watched a couple of segments of 'COPS' on Pluto. They also show CNN and other news channels 243/7. This is so much better than what I already pay for at Xfinity.  1230pm: Read 'THE LAWS OF OUR FATHERS' for a bit and t...

 Sa 1/23/21 855am.150pm.445pm.925pm. Up 730am: Partly sunny with temps to mid 30's. Watched 'THE WHITE TIGER' (Netflix). The class system, religion, and the politics of India are wryly examined in a classic  tale about a young man from the country who goes to the city to seek his fortune. Theme: Obedience to a 'Better' is absolute because the master could easily retaliate and do harm to the family of a servant who has crossed his master. An unusual ending because the protagonist is clearly NOT a good guy, but you can easily empathize with his motivation. "For the poor there are only two ways to the top- politics or crime". Another pleasant surprise from Netflix. "White people are on their way out...They'll be finished within our lifetime. It's the century of the brown man and the yellow man, and god save everyone else". "Just for a day, an hour or a moment, it's all worth it just to know what it is like NOT like to be a servant. ...

 Fr 1/22/21- Pot Shop: $181.00 1005am.1135am.320pm.915pm. Up 730am: Bright, sunny, and cold with temps only to the upper 20's. Left for ASCEND at 905am and back by 940am; Popcorn Lemon Zkittle- 7oz; Popcorn Cake Mints- 70z. This seems like a deal since each packet is double what I usually get, and both of today's varieties are very high in THC- 24% Plus. Watched 'CUT THROAT CITY' (Netflix). Four friends in The Ninth Ward of New Orleans find that a life of crime is their only option after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the local economy. It seems that even dope dealers can't make a living because their customers are  broke. The second half of the film deals with the systemic racist social and political culture of New Orleans.  The authorities have done little or nothing for the people of The Ninth before and after Katrina and most of these American citizens were finished before they'd even had a chance to start- America's 'real' Walking Dead. An interest...

 Th 1/21/21 845am.355pm.9pm. Up 730am: Bright and sunny with temps to 50. Watched 'MISCONDUCT' (Hoopla- Also borrowed 'ICEMAN'). 'B Movie' hijinks about a married rookie lawyer who sees an ex-lover and she uses him to become ensnared in a multimillion dollar pharmaceutical lawsuit. This got scathing reviews, but I kind of liked it. The 'scene chewing' was so over-the-top that you could overlook the corniness; with Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman (BILLIONS), Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, and Julia Stiles. Then I watched the last episode of ''SANPA- Sins Of The Savior' (Netflix). Vincenzo Muccioli died of cancer (or possibly AIDS) yet his legacy is forever tainted. Was the rehab facility at San Patrignano (SanPa) based on a culture of violence and the false belief that a person can overcome an addiction by the threat of a beating?  I called Brewer for another gel-pen and it will be ready for pickup after 2pm this afternoon. 1320pm: Walked to Washingt...

 We 1/20/21 920am.1235pm.410pm.9pm. Up 745am: Bright, breezy and temps to just above 40. Watched Netflix disc 'MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN'. A kind of soap opera about how the Internet has affected a cross section of people in an upscale American suburban community. An excellent cast, yet a bit on the shallow side, although some of the ideas or viewpoints are well worth considering; with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Judy Greer, Dean Norris (BREAKING BAD), Timothee Chalamet, and narrated by Emma Thompson. 1pm: My first outside walk in over a week...maybe more. Edwards to the Monroe PO to mail back the two Netflix discs and back. I took a stroll on the path through the Pasfield Golf Course on the way back.  ***National Guard at Edwards at Boones Saloon and over to 2nd in front of the capitol. I walked back along Jefferson in front of the northside of the capitol. 2 guardsmen and 2 cop cars. Nobody around except the guards...AN HOUR AND FIFTY MINUTES... I finish...

 Tu 1/19/21 905am.320pm.850pm. Up 730am: Mostly sunny, breezy with temps to the upper 30's. Watched 'CATCH ME IF YOU CAN' (Netflix). The story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a master forger and identity thief. He ended up working with the FBI to catch check forgers and headed a company that provided online programs and community forums to educate consumers about identity theft and cybercrime; with Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, and James Brolin; dir. Steven Spielberg. 1pm: ON THE TREADMILL....4 Miles....Watched the next episode of 'THE NIGHTSTALKER' (Netflix) and watched more of the ROGAN/ RAWLINGS interview on The Joe Rogan Experience. ***Went out back and collected a barrel of pine branches to put out with tomorrow's trash. Watched Netflix disc 'EMPIRE FALLS: Disc 2'. An excellent film, but the last disc is not how I remembered the novel. School shooting? Mrs. Whiting gets swept away with the black cat during a deadl...

 Mo 1/18/21 9am.315pm.920pm. Up730am: Cloudy with flurries and temps to mid 30's. Wrote up 'THE LAST MILE'- David Baldacci for the blog. Watched 'THE VANISHED' (Netflix). A couple with their ten year old daughter are camping at a secluded lake nearing Tuscaloosa, Alabama when their daughter goes missing. The film is chock full of red herrings and false leads, and a somewhat satisfying ending. The parents were nuts and faked the disappearance because their daughter had died years before and they couldn't accept her passing; with Anne Heche, Thomas Jane, and Jason Patric.  Then the next episode of 'PRETEND IT'S A CITY' (Netflix). "They  talk about how expensive it is to live in NYC, but it has always been that way. In 1970 if you spent a thousand a month on rent and you told people about it today they'd think it was a steal, but compared to what you could rent in other places a grand a month was really quite a lot".  1230pm: ON THE TREADM...

 Su 1/17/21 855am.220pm.835pm. Up 730am: Cloudy and flurries through the day and temps only to about 30. Watched 'THE TAX COLLECTOR' (Hoopla).A couple of very violent Los Angeles mob enforcers fight a takeover by a powerful Mexican cartel; with Bobby Soto, George Lopez, and Shia LaBeouf (Shy-a, La Buff). LaBeouf's performance is heavy on 'the tough guy shit', but his banter with Bobby Soto's character seemed authentic....maybe. ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles...Listened to JOEY DIAZ'S podcast with JOE ROGAN. Read 'THE LAST MILE' in the living room, then watched 'OUTSIDE THE WIRE' (Netflix). Set in a future Yugoslav war in which Russian nuclear codes are lost and then stolen by a sentient robot. The majority of the film glorifies war and the last few minutes implores us to 'stop the violence'; with Anthony Mackie, Damson Idris and Michael Kelly (HOUSE OF CARDS). More 'Blockhead Masculinity'. 510pm: ON THE TREADMILL...2 Miles... More...

 Sa 1/16/21 840 am.245pm.835pm.945pm. Up 710am: Cloudy with intermediate snow showers continuing through Sunday- low 30's. Watched 'PIECES OF A WOMAN' (Netflix). A darkly moody and personal film about a couple that loses their baby during a home birthing. The midwife is held responsible, prosecuted by the authorities, and attacked by the media, but the mother has a change of heart; Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Molly Parker, and Ellen Burstyn. The story is set in Boston, Massachusetts, but filmed almost entirely near Montreal, Canada. 1145am: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles...Watched more of ROGAN and RICHARD RAWLINGS. Read 'THE LAST MILE' in the living room, then watched 'SQUARE GROUPER' (Kanopy). A low budget documentary about three marijuana smuggling operations located in South Florida during the late 70's. 'The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church of Miami Beach'- Pot is not a drug, it's an sacramental  herb...'The Black Tuna Gang'- A few frie...

 Fr 1/15/21- Furniture Row: 4-6pm. 925am.2pm (teensy bud).925pm.  Up 730am: Snow showers beginning today and to last through the weekend- 30's. ***Stephen Colbert: "It feels like I just took my decorations down from the last impeachment!" Watched 'S.W.A.T.'(Netflix). A new SWAT team is formed in Los Angeles and their first job is to take an international crime figure into custody. He offers $100,000,000 for anyone who can get him out of jail and some serious hard guys take him up on the offer. The getaway involves landing a jet on a downtown LA bridge at night. Not so much 'Toxic Masculinity' as 'Blockhead Masculinity'; with Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, and Jeremy Renner.  1240pm: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles...I watched a 46" biography of Art Pepper on YouTube. Basically a love letter to his wife. She handled his medical issues with addiction and his nearly all of his professional life (Yoko?). He died in 1982. And almost finish...

 Th 1/14/21 850am.310pm.850pm. Up 745am: Cloudy with intermittent showers and wet snow begins late tonight- 40's. Watched 'KENSHO AT THE BEDFELLOW' (Amazon Prime). An aspiring playwright works at the Bedfellow Hotel in NYC and leads a chaotic life. A complete lifestyle change is needed, but is he up for the challenge? Brad Raider wrote, directed, and starred. Slightly uneven, but hits more than it misses- 'A' For Effort. Winner of numerous awards and a popular film festival entry. 'Kensho' is a Japanese term from the Zen tradition meaning 'nature, essence' or 'the Buddha-nature or nature of mind'. 12pm: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles...Watched JOE ROGAN discuss America's Covid policies with ALEX BERENSON. He's not a kook or a conspiracy buff, but I don't agree with a lot of what he has to say. Why would the overwhelming majority of the world's medical community be 'For' the use of masks if it weren't true? Ventilators ...

 We 1/13/21 845am.305pm.905pm. Up 730am: Partly sunny, breezy and temps to the upper 40's. Bad weather is coming and up to three inches of snow is predicted by Saturday. ***Updates are pending on the living room PC and I was able to get the downstairs PC updated and it required a restart. Why is this such a goddamn hassle every month? Watched Netflix disc 'THE PROFESSOR'. An odd film about a college professor who learns that he has only six months to live. He drinks, smokes weed, ingests pot brownies, and has sex with a few women and one male student...and then he takes the family dog and leaves. This could have been so much better; with Johnny Depp, Rosemarie Dewitt, Odessa Young Danny Huston, Zoey Deutch, and Ron Livingston. Then watched the next episode of 'THE MISSING' (Amazon Prime). ***A link to a site about the series https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a812945/the-missing-episode-4-questions-and-theories/ ON THE TREADMILL... *Set the PC to download Windows Updates...

 Tu 1/12/21 835am.345pm.920pm. Up 725am: Sunny, breezy with temps to low 40's. Watched 'THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO' (Netflix). A first rate detective thriller about a journalist and his sexy punk /hacker /sidekick who help a powerful Swedish family investigate the disappearance of a young woman in 1966; with Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, and Robin Wright. ***Marx Fireplace called to tell me that my Visa card was rejected. The card is fine, but the tech entered the wrong expiration date. Today is Patch Tuesday, but the living room PC says that the updates are current. I can't download what hasn't been made available.  1215pm: After the film I was going to walk outside, but decided to hit the treadmill...FOUR MILES... and watched another episode of 'BRIDGERTON' (Netflix) and finished TIM DILLON and WHITNEY CUMMINGS. ***Monitor and PC problems turning back on. Will just power down/power up from now on. Spent a half hour...

 Mo 1/11/21 915am. 225pm. 905pm. Up 745am: Partly cloudy with temp to about freezing. I dragged the pine branches that fell last week over to the three 'gone to seed' flower beds in the back. One branch had come straight down and was embedded about eight inches into the ground. I didn't know that was possible. Watched the first episode of 'BRIDGERTON' (Netflix). "Put down the book. It will confuse your thoughts". A soapy romance genre satire of the British aristocracy in 1813. Some of the 'royalty' are black and makes race a factor in how these characters are perceived. Clever presentation, but it's basically a romance novel adaptation for the screen.  Then I watched the first episode of 'PRETEND IT'S A CITY' (Netflix). "No one can possibly afford to live in New York City, yet 8 million people do"...An apple and a pack of cigarettes left on the dashboard and someone broke the windshield to steal them- well, what do you exp...

 Su 1/10/21 Up 730am: Partly cloudy and cold temps to upper 20's. Borrowed 2 from Hoopla before they went over the limit; MANHATTAN and TERMINAL. Watched 'MANHATTAN' (Hoopla). It's nearly impossible to view the film without considering Woody Allen's relations with young women. Are the long standing sexual accusations against him true? But 'MANHATTAN' is not about a middle aged man taking advantage of a much younger woman, but more about the maturity of that seventeen year old young woman; with Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Michael Murphy, Mariel Hemingway, Meryl Streep, Michael O'Donoghue, and Wallace Shawn. Nominated for 2 Oscars, another 15 wins & 22 nominations.  I used the $50 Amazon Gift Card from Jamie and Melissa to buy two sweaters from Amazon: Grey turtleneck and an olive green pullover- $23.00. 115pm: ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles...Watched Joe Rogan and Lawrence Wright and some of a Sarah Silverman podcast; "What is a Democratic Socialist c...

 Sa 1/9/21-HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Up 740am: Overcast with temps to about 30. ***Buddy was sick yesterday, but this morning he was hungry and ate his Friskies with enthusiasm. I hope yesterday was just a fluke. I watched the next two episodes of 'THE WILDS' (Amazon Prime) while waiting for Habitat. I got a call from the driver at 10am saying that I was next on the list. And, they were out of here by 1015am. One more episode left in 'THE WILDS' and we now know that the 'rat' is the girl that's spacey and neurotic....doesn't narrow it down much. 12pm: ON THE TREADMILL... 4 Miles... watched more of Howard Zinn's lecture on 'The Myth of American Superiority' and finished Joe Rogan's End of The World Podcast-Election Night 2020. Then Watched 'HEADHUNTERS' (Kanopy). An elegant art thief meets his match when he tries to steal a painting worth millions from a former mercenary and hi-tech mogul. Funny, Noirish, clever, and very bloody; with A...

 Fr 1/8/21- Marx Fireplace-9am. Up 720am (to the phone alarm) Cloudy, breezy with temps to low 30's. ***While waiting for the Marx repairman I disassembled the kitchen table. No problem with the bolts, but the table is very heavy. I put the flat section on the breezeway and added the legs and chairs later Friday evening. ***Marx: 850am-945am- There was a dust ball in the line and he had to replace the switch. The bad switch was what was causing the unit to turn off. He recommended that it be serviced every three years: $150. Then watched 'THE 2ND'(Netflix). A really stupid film with lots of really stupid 'Boom-Boom'- "A celebration of the age of shit getting blown up". While picking up his son from college an ex-Army Ranger becomes involved in the kidnapping of the daughter of a supreme court justice. The title refers to the second amendment to the US constitution, but I still don't know if the 'Good Guys' were for or against the amendment. 125...

 Th 1/7/21 Up 8am: Cloudy, breezy and temps to just about freezing. Watching news videos of the attempted coup that occurred yesterday in DC....Then, 'Bong Maintenance'... And then watched 'ZERO DAYS' (Kanopy). 'Zero Day' means that there is no existing counterattack to the malware and the infected users do not have to do anything to allow it to enter their system like downloading a file or opening an email. 'Air Gap' is a computer system that is not connected to the Internet such as what might be used at a power plant or a transportation network. This setup was believed to keep the system free from Internet attacks, however these systems can be bridged. 'Stuxnet' is malware developed by the US and Israel to disrupt Iranian nuclear facilities. It was untraceable code until the Israelis changed the program and launched an attack. This did little damage to the Iranian facilities, but vastly increased their will to get nuclear weapons. The film'...

 We 1/6/2021 Up 730am: Fog and clouds with temps to mid 30's. ***The plumbers are back at the two little girls' house across the street. I watched the Netflix disc 'THE DANCE OF REALITY'. A very strange 'Art House Film' that's a political satire with elements of fantasy and the absurd that's also a kind of autobiographical sketch by the director of his early life in Tocopilla, Chile; written, produced, and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky.  ***Habitat For Humanity will be over to pick up the old dining room set between 9am and 11am on Saturday. I will disassemble the legs. I had the wrench taped to the bottom of the table. I am a genius! ***Tried to pay the car insurance, but they didn't answer. 145pm: On the walk for the first time since last week. Parkview, Wash. Pk., Park north to Washington, over to PO box at Walgreens, Monroe, Fairway, and down to 940...ONE HOUR AND 25 MINS... Mp3- PRODIGY, and News on NPR- Trump supporters invade the Capitol. ...

 Tu 1/5/2021- Dentist 130pm/ New Kitchen Set Up 730am: Sunny, calm with temps to just over freezing. Watched Netflix disc 'MUTUAL APPRECIATION'. A perfect example of a 'Mumblecore' Film. At the age of 72 I think that this film is clearly about the crazy and irrational impulses of youth, but, of course, when I was that age a film like this would be appealing because the intent is so forthright and honest. It works both ways, but at my age I see 'Mutual Appreciation' to be more about naivete than frank veracity. ***I noticed several plumbing trucks at the house across the street where the two young girls live. Later, a old toilet and sheets of wet wall material were laying on their front lawn. An emergency bathroom installation? 830am, Wednesday...The Plumbers Are Back. 1145am: Downstairs to get in some mileage before the dentist. 3 MILES ON THE TREADMILL and more JOE ROGAN and TONY HINCHCLIFFE.  125-240pm at the dentist. $860 my end.  After the dentist I stopped ...

 Mo 1/4/2021 Up 8am: Overcast and fog early with temps to mid 30's. Snow is still clinging to branches all over the neighborhood. And, still there after sundown and I can't remember snow on trees for this long...ever.  I Watched 'I'M YOUR WOMAN' (Amazon Prime). A powerful 'neo-film noir' set in late 70's Pittsburgh. A gang boss pays for a woman to give birth and he gives the baby to his infertile girlfriend. Then, a mob war ensues, he disappears, and she is taken by the gang and placed in a kind of 'witness protection' program... "Where is Eddie"? 1215pm: To Fairhills County Market for grocery shopping. It's going to be a big buy (Total: $112.00) Groceries put away by 130pm and wrote The Weekly Wrap and sent. Watched the next two episodes of 'THE WILDS' (Amazon Prime). You still don't know 'why and who' are behind the reason that the girls are on the island.  Decided to just do Four Miles today... In the tub with...

 Su 1/3/2021- Snow! Power Outage Up 730am: A couple inches of wet, heavy snow fell last night. Snow hanging on the ice on the pine trees out back will probably cause more branches to fall. Partly sunny with temps only to about freezing. At sundown all of the trees are still covered in snow and ice. Streets are clear and only wet. ***830am. and Hoopla is 'over the limit'! Watched 'THE EXTRA MAN' (Kanopy).  An odd subject makes for an odder film. A washed-up playwright living in lower Manhattan earns his livelihood currying favor to geriatric debutantes. He takes a naïve and aspiring writer as a roommate and tries to show him the ropes; with Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Katie Holmes, and Paul Dano. Features 'DANDY IN THE UNDERWORLD' performed by Marc Bolan and T-Rex during the end credits. 1145am: ON THE TREAD...4 Miles...  and watched the last episode of 'THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT' (Netflix). Then, I did the Weekly Cleaning. Spent time cleaning out my queue ...

 Sa 1/2/21 Up 8am: Icy and overcast with a 'wintry mix' beginning late this afternoon and continuing through the night. Watched 'UNKNOWN' (Netflix).  Kooky, but engaging. A man loses his memory after plunging into a river after a traffic accident. He was to have attended a scientific conference in Berlin with his wife, however after the accident his wife doesn't know him and another man claiming to be him is also attending the conference. Later it's revealed (to the man and the viewers) that  he is an elite professional hitman. Not even a little bit of the storyline is believable- such a good idea squandered; with Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Bruno Ganz, and Frank Langella. 1230pm: On The Treadmill...4 MILES...Watched the penultimate episode of 'QUEEN'S GAMBIT' (Netflix) and then more of KOSTAS/ROGAN. ***Turned off the monitor and left the PC 'On'. Seemed to work and the sound stayed 'On' when I came back.  W...

 Fr 1/1/2021- New Year's Day! Up 825am: light freezing rain continues but only some ice on branches and power lines- to low 30's. This weather system could have been much worse. ***However, by late afternoon I had many large pine branches down in back from the weight of about an eighth of an inch of ice.  Watched 'SHOT CALLER' (Netflix). Another one that I'd seen before and nearly forgotten how great it was. I've seen dozens of 'Prison Films' and this was definitely at the extreme top of the heap. A happily married California stock broker drinks and drives slightly above the legal limit, runs a redlight, crashes, his friend dies, and he ends up in prison for life. But along the way, he becomes the undisputed head of the most powerful gang in the California state prison system; starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (GAME OF THRONES).   ON THE TREADMILL...4 Miles and finished the episode of 'Italian Heroin Rehab Scandal' that I began last night, and then ...