The Cheese Stands Alone

 Th 3/30/23 730am (B). 1145am (2-B). 425pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 530am: Partly sunny & breezy with temps to lower 60's. Watched 'EVEN THE RAIN' (Netflix). A big-budget Spanish production company attempts to shoot a movie about the exploitation of Bolivia by Christopher Columbus while the country erupts in violence during the Cochabamba Water War of 2000;  with Gael Garcia Bernal and Luis Tosar; 22 wins & 17 nominations. '69 Metascore'. I had seen this before, but well worth a second viewing. From a review at San Francisco Chronicle:"That irresistible thing - a movie about the making of a movie - combined with a bit of a history and a political message." 1045am: PC is 'Off' and today's plan is to read for a while, do the weights, and then hit Planet Fitness.  Weights: 3 sets/ 15 reps. ***I noticed a For Sale sign at the young couple's house across the street with the red pickup. 1155am:  To Planet Fitness. 45"Cross.  45"T...

 We 3/29/23 735am (B). 930am (1-SB). 1150am (2-B). 135pm (2-B). 435pm (2-B). 710pm (2-B). Up 605am: Partly cloudy and temps to low 50's. Watched 'JOHNNY' (Netflix). A Polish criminal is rehabilitated by a handicapped (and dying) Catholic priest. Worth a look and the film has an Art House tone, but maybe slightly ham-fisted... "The most important thing that we can give each other is 'time', our private time." From Polish Film Review: "'JOHNNY' is based on the true story of Jan Kaczkowski , who founded a hospice and he passed away in 2016 at just 39 years old." Finished 'THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL' (Netflix).  A group of upper class boys in an Italian Catholic school rape and assault a couple of girls for the fun of it. Up until 1996 (the year of this incident) Italian law did not recognize rape as a crime against the person, but was considered a crime against against 'public morality'. After the rape and sexual assault against the...

 Tu 3/28/23- Ignition Recall @ Green on Dirksen 645am (B). 9am (2-SB). 12pm (2-B). 425pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 5am: Partly cloudy with temps to about 50. Watched 'THE CATHOLIC SCHOOL' (Netflix).  It's kind of a study in Catholic Sin in that Evil infects the victim as well as the perpetrator. Some of the ideas went too deep, but I will definitely finish this film. Shut it down at 1 hour and 5 minutes. I wanted to leave a larger section so that I wouldn't be watching just the last ten minutes. More 'THE WRONG SIDE OF THE TRACKS' (Netflix). Shut it down in 9 minutes.  Weights: 3 sets/ 15 reps. 905am:  To Green on Dirksen for the 930 appointment No record of the appointment but they said OK but will take approximately 2 hours.  Finished 'THE ONE- The Life And Music of James Brown' by RJ Smith in the waiting lounge. I drove to Green and noticed that the sign 'car wash Closed 'and during the registration the guy said that my appointment wasn't co...

Mo 3/27/23 710am (B). 820am (1-SB). 1010am (2-B).  445pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 525am: Partly cloudy with temps to about 50. Watched 'PROJECT POWER' (Netflix).  It looked as if I had already seen this film because it asked if I wanted to 'resume', but after watching it this morning I remembered absolutely zero, so this was my first time. I picked the movie because I wanted to see more films starring Dominique Fishback and she turned out to be the only bright spot in the movie.  A secret government operation involves dealing a new 'super-drug' on the streets of The Big Easy and the plan is to use the people of New Orleans as lab rats. The drug allows the user to tap into his 'hidden' powers but too much could blow his head off. This is a fair to middling Action Film, but the best parts are Dominique Fishback's 'raps'; with Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback, and Amy Landecker (TRANSPARENT, THE HANDMAID'S TALE). Watched a...

Su 3/26/23 730am (B). 1230pm (2-B). 445pm (2-B). 715pm (B).  Up 6am: Partly cloudy with temps to low 60's. Did  'The Weekly Cleaning' and I noticed that Buddy was sick last night next to his litter box. He was OK  and seemed his normal self all day. ***Began and watched 5 minutes,  'HIGH & LOW- The Worst X' (Netflix). High budget Japanese teenage gang picture and I was not in the mood...  Watched 'AMERICAN GIRL' (Netflix). What a surprise! Heartwarming and realistic portrayal of a family in crisis. Mom has breast cancer, dad doesn't make nearly enough money,  and their two daughters are forced to acclimate to life in Taiwan after living in Los Angeles. 9 wins & 19 nominations.  Finished 'NIGHT COMES ON' (Plex).  The film seemed too short and there was no clear plot resolution. A showcase of Dominique Fishback but the movie didn't rise to the occasion. In an off Broadway production she did a one woman show where she played 22 different...

  Sa 3/25/23 645am (B). 1010am (1-B). 2pm (1-B).435pm (B). 710pm (B).  Up 515am: I awoke slightly early because I thought I heard Buddy getting sick, but he seems OK and he ate his breakfast with no problem and he's been glued to his new rug. Overcast with light rain ending late morning and then partly sunny with temps to about 50. Watched Netflix disc 'THE DRY'.  An Australian federal agent returns to his home town to investigate a murder/ suicide. One of his teenage friends is believed to have shot his son and wife and then committed suicide. The two friends are also linked to the death of a girl who drowned on an outing twenty years previously. The two crimes are solved, and as I was watching the film I was sure that it had been based on an excellent novel. It was; with Eric Bana and other talented Australian  actors.  6 wins and 17 nominations. I'll make a note to check out one of Jane Harper's Australian novels from the library. Set in t...

 Fr 3/24/23 720am (B).  645am (1-SB). 1240pm (2-B). 440pm (2-B). 710pm (2-B).  Up 545am: Overcast and rain beginning late this morning and continuing intermittently through Saturday with temps in the upper 40's. ***'THE ONE: The Life And Music of James Brown' arrived in the mail from Amazon. Also, 'HERE TODAY' from Netflix. Watched the Netflix disc  'HERE TODAY'.  The movie has several very funny bits, but overall, it's a very unfunny movie. A famous TV comedy writer is in the early stages of dementia and he befriends a middle aged black woman who busks for change in the subways of NYC.  They form a warm nonsexual relationship, but it lacks credibility because it comes across as forced because they try too hard to be poignant.  A review from Movie Nation: "...as funny as a teenager’s funeral"Funny Jokes From The Film- "I'd like the outdoors so much more if it happened indoors"... Einstein's Theory of Relativity: "Don'...

Th 3/23/23 730am (B). 755am (1-SB). 155pm (2-B).  435pm (B). 705pm (B).  ***A couple of days ago a house on the other side of the street (almost to Kenyon) had a complete landscape make-over; trees and hedges trimmed, bushes cut back, leaves raked.  The property looks 1,000% better and I wonder how many hundreds it cost, but it was worth every nickel. Today I noticed a 'For Sale' sign in front of the home.  Up 550am: Overcast and intermittent periods of rain all day and night with temps to mid 50's. Watched 'THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN' (Amazon Prime). A town engages the help of 'Cowboy Samurais' to save their village from a ruthless mining developer. Murder, and mayhem follow. It's about what you would expect, although this film only rates a '54 Metascore whereas the 1960 version got a '74 Metascore; Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Peter Sarsgaard. I had planned to hit Planet Fitness today, but I'm expecting...

We 3/22/23 7am (B). 645am (1-SB). 440pm (2-B). 705pm (2-B).  Up 530am: Today temps climb to 60 & cloudy and intermittent rain in the forecast through Sunday! Watched 'HAIL, CAESAR! (Netflix).  The film is a look at Hollywood in the early fifties as seen through the eyes of a studio head. He's got problems with 'The Talent' and 'The Commies' are about to 'Rewrite History'; Crazy Scenes: the (gay) sailors dance before they head out to sea (no dames), the pitch for 'the story of Jesus' to an assortment of clergy, a cowboy actor earnestly tries to portray a high society snob; with Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, and Jonah Hill. Directed and written by The Cohen Brothers.   Watched 'THE INVISIBLE MAN' (Peacock-TV). A woman is physically and emotionally terrorized by her husband. He has a 'suit' that makes him invisible and he sets he...

 Tu 3/21/23- County Market: $120 630am (2-B). 810am (2-B). 940am (1-SB). 135pm (2-B). 445pm (2-B). Up 545am: Cloudy with intermittent light rain beginning early this afternoon with temps to about 50. 645am: To Fairhills/ County Market & back home by 715am: $120  Watched 'ARISAKA' (Hoopla). A local city official is in an armed convoy enroute to testify against a drug cartel. Crooked cops shoot up the convoy and kill everyone but one honest female cop. She flees to the jungle and evens the score by shooting down her pursuers, one by one, along the trail of the actual Bataan Death March (Spring of 1942). Filmed near San Jose, Tarlac, Philippines in the Tagalog language. 1140am: PC is 'Off' and preparing for a walk on the treadmill.  1150am:  FIVE MILES AT 4.0 PACE AND ZERO SLANT; began & finished TAYLOR TOMLINSON on TIGER BELLY; began TUESDAYS WITH STORIES at the Gramercy Theater. Weights:  3 sets/ 15 reps  Reading 'BROTHER ODD' & listening to 'Get...

 Mo 3/20/23 7am (B). 855am (2-SB). 1250pm (2-B). 445pm (2-B). 710pm (2-B).  Up 520am: Partly sunny, breezy with temps to mid 50's. Wrote up 'TILL DEATH DO US PART' by Vincent Bugliosi. Watched 'THE MANDELA EFFECT' (Peacock-TV). A well done 'B-Movie' that presents difficult subject material, Alternative Realities/ String Theory/ Mis-Memory, but it's really about dealing with Loss and Grief. A couple loses their daughter in a drowning accident and dad develops a computer program that when fed into a supercomputer can overwhelm the current reality and his daughter can live again. Examples of the real 'Mandela Effect': 'Jif vs. Jiffy', Looney Tunes vs. Looney Toons', 'Oscar Mayer' vs. 'Oscar Meyer', 'Sex and The City' vs. 'Sex In The City'. I think the simplest explanation is 'false memory'.   Watched 'AUTHOR THE JT LEROY STORY' (Amazon Prime). A young woman releases a novel as a memoir and ...

 Su 3/19/23 740am (B).  1020am (2-SB). 230pm (2-B). 440pm (2-B). 720pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Bright & sunny with temps to mid 30's. Watched Netflix disc 'THE LODGE'. An extraordinary horror film that could be seen as a cautionary tale about the trauma that suicide inflicts on the family and society (the suicide of the cult members, the suicide of the kids' mother).  Why do many believers view suicide as 'the worst sin'?  1) If you're dead the 'elders' no longer have any power over you.  2) It's not your soul. You're only 'renting'. The winter landscape adds to the cold dread that penetrates every scene in the film; Riley Keough, Jaeden Martell, Lia McHugh, Richard Armitage, and Alicia Silverstone. Filmed near Montreal, Canada. For a complete change of pace I noticed that Jaeden Martell stars in a film about some kids that start a rock band, so it's next up. Watched 'METAL LORDS' (Netflix). A clever (adorable?) and discerning...

Sa 3/18/23 655am (B). 935am (2-SB). 11am (2-B). 450pm (2-B). 710pm (2-B).  Up 520am: A light dusting of snow fell last night. Today, partly cloudy & windy with temps only in the mid 20's. With the wind blowing and gusting, this is probably one of the coldest years of this winter season.   ***Buddy woke me up around midnight and I left out a small portion and he ate it. At 2am he wanted more and I fed him this morning and he seems to have fully recovered- Tip Top Magoo.  Watch 'A LAND IMAGINED' (Netflix). A strange and haunting film noir set in Singapore. A detective is trying to locate a missing worker who worked for a multinational land reclamation company on the south shore of the island nation of Singapore. You don't even know why the detective is looking for this man and the film is more about the dire treatment of the workers. They have no rights, they live in wretched conditions, and the company keeps their passports. I really liked this one, very slow to u...

Fr 3/17/23- Buddy Sick 745am (2-B). 1250pm (1-SB). 445pm (2-B). 720pm (2-B).  Up 550am: Partly sunny, windy & temps to upper 30's. ***Buddy sick; 655am- He was howling when I got up and ignored his Friskies, but ate the dry food and within 30" he puked.  He threw up later (after eating some Friskies) around 810am. I won't put any more food out for a few hours and keep the water dish full since he seems to be drinking more water. ***Buddy Sick again; 1045am.  Sick again 1225pm. 105pm I put out a smaller portion of Friskies. Before I got on the treadmill I washed his bent blue plate & left it empty. I wanted to encourage an appetite, although I'm not sure this makes medical sense. 520pm & Buddy has still not eaten yet is in good spirits.  Around 630pm I put out a small portion of Friskies and he ate part of it.  720pm: When I came downstairs I heard him throw it up near his litter box. He hasn't kept down any solid food all day and this is a first. I w...

Th 3/16/23 735am (B). 910am (1-B). 445pm (2-B). 720pm (2-B).  Up 540am: Showers begin about 8am and continue intermittently through the day with temps to low 50's.  Watched 'LUTHER: The Fallen Sun'.  Unfortunately it's only a very slightly above average crime/thriller. A psychotic web designer (?) is trying to establish an authentic 'Redrum' on the Internet. To accomplish his goal he scans the web for compromising information on people and then forces them to do his bidding or he will release their shameful secrets. Seems like he could have figured out an easier way; with Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Dermot Crowley, and Andy Serkis.   Finished the last half hour of 'A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE' (Netflix). The film is a ham-fisted attempt to make a light and entertaining comedy out of the tragic life of Doug Kenney. The tone for this picture was all wrong and the excesses didn't seem fun or meaningful, just pointless.  Watched some YouTube videos about ...

We 3/15/23 810am (B). 1150am (B). 130pm (1-SB). 440pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 540am: Partly sunny, breezy with temps to low 50's. ***Opened a new 1/8th- Indica. The previous 1/8th lasted almost exactly three weeks- just like all the others. Uncanny.  Began 'THE FALL' (Netflix). Set in Taipei at the beginning of the lockdowns during the COVID Pandemic. The film concerns a surly high school senior who must learn to live 24/ 7 with her authoritarian mother.  Actually,  Mom is suffering from mental illness and her daughter is the epitome of responsibility & caring. THE HOOK: Mom was hallucinating the noise of waterfalls and in the final section of the film her daughter is almost swept away in a river accident. A strange and heartfelt film and the best movie that deals with the pandemic that I've ever seen. Shot in Taiwan.  PAID CARDS ***After the film I noticed I was getting a prompt to 'restart'. It just took a couple of minutes.  1115am: PC is 'Off' an...

 Tu 3/14/23 725am (B). 1015am (1-SB). 1125am (1-SB). 12pm (1- travel pipe). 450pm (2-B). 710pm (B).  Up 6am: (Buddy was retching outside the bedroom door. I fed him and he seems OK). Mostly sunny with temps to about 40. ***9am: I called 'Lock Doctor' and they should be out between 10am-11am to fix the strike plate alignment on the downstairs door; $70? (955am-1005am) No, it was $80 for literally two minutes of grinding, but the door closes properly.  Watched Netflix disc 'THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT'. Nick Cage plays a version of himself who wants to be taken more seriously as an 'actor of massive talent'. He gets invited to entertain a billionaire on his birthday and the man pays Cage a million dollars just to attend the affair. After a kidnapping scheme in Catalonia involving a fifteen year old girl and the involvement of the CIA,  mayhem ensues. This was very funny, and I put 'PADDINGTON' in my queue at Netflix; with Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pa...

Mo 3/13/23 725am (B). 1135am (1-SB). 445pm (2-B). 7pm (B).  Up 610am: Cloudy and breezy with temps to mid 30's.  Watched 'WASP NETWORK' (Netflix). Based on a true story. The Wasp Network was a pro-Castro faction that operated in the United States and Cuba during the early 90's. The movie is about how individuals navigated life while trying to hold radical political beliefs when everything in their lives is at stake. I had given it a 'thumbs up', but I have no recollection of seeing the film although it was well worth a look; with Penelope Cruz, Edgar Ramirez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana de Armas, and Wagner Moura. Directed by Olivier Assayas.   Wrote The Chat 1115am: PC is 'Off' and preparing for another walk on the treadmill. I was going to Planet Fitness, but decided to wait until tomorrow so that I can pay the car license fee at Pine St.  They're closed on Mondays.  1135am: FIVE MILES AT 4.0 PACE AND ZERO SLANT; finished DAN SODER with ARI SHAFFIR smo...

 Su 3/12/23 810am (B). 1015am (1-B). 2pm (2-B). 445pm (2-B). 720pm (2-B).  Up 530am: (Daylight Savings). Cloudy and overcast with temps to about 40. Did the Weekly Cleaning Watched 'BEAST' (Amazon Prime). It's just like 'JAWS', but the monster is a lion instead of a shark. The film is well written and inventive & creative 'scares' keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the film; with Idris Elba. "The Guardian"- 'B-Movie' bringing an 'A-Game'.  Finished 'WOMEN TALKING' (Amazon Prime). Basically, it's one long philosophical discussion about whether women can coexist with men or should they just leave. Scintillating dialogue & debate and it's kind of like David Mamet for women; with Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand. 1110am: PC is 'Off' and preparing for a walk on the treadmill. 1125am: FIVE MILES AT 4.0 PACE AND ZERO SLANT; watched a couple of YouTube videos about 'WO...

Sa 3/11/23 740am (2-B). 915am (1-B). 425pm (2-B). 7pm (B).  ***'Spring Forward' begins tonight. Last year a bill was introduced in congress to end this foolishness, but nothing was done. Up 6am: Sunny early, then cloudy with rain beginning this afternoon and continuing through the night. Temps to low 40's. Watched 'ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT' (Netflix). From October 1914 to the end of the war in November of 1918 the 'Western Front' barely moved, yet more than three million soldiers died there. The film is a harrowing testament to the pointlessness of war. This film is up for 'Best Picture' in the 2023 Oscar Ballot. Filmed in Prague, Czech Republic. 1135am: PC is 'Off' and preparing for a walk on the treadmill.  12pm: FIVE MILES AT 4.0 PACE AND ZERO SLANT; finished 'BROKEN- 'Makeup Mayhem' & began 'BROKEN- 'Big Vape' (Netflix). 'JUUL' is pronounced 'jew-el'; began  MICHAEL PENA on WHISKEY GINGER....

Fr 3/10/23 7am (B). 10am (1-B). 12pm (2-B). 435pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 5am:(Asleep by 930pm last night). Cloudy and breezy with temps to about 40. Watched 'COSTA BRAVA LEBANON' (Netflix). A couple and their two daughters escape the turmoil of Beirut, Lebanon and begin to enjoy a new life in the country but then the government installs a landfill on the edge of their new property. An unlikely storyline, but a warm and engaging look at a family dealing with omnipotent civilian authority. 81 Metascore: 6 wins & 12 nominations.   ***Problems loading Gmail and then it went away. Why? 1025am: The city picked up my branch pile. I should have cut down the branch by the garage Watched more of 'IN THE NAME OF GOD: Holy Betrayal' (Netflix).  More about the horny Korean pastor and all of this occurred years before 'The Me Too' movement. Shut it down 23 minutes into episode #3. 1125am: PC is 'Off' and the plan is to do the weights and then spend the afternoon ...

 Th 3/9/23 710am (2-B). 955am (2-B). 240pm (1-SB). 435pm: (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 540am: Mostly cloudy with temps in the upper 30's and light rain beginning early afternoon and continued through evening. ***I turned off the extremely annoying 'live captions' on the upstairs PC. (Do downstairs PC this evening- 'Settings', left side- 'Appearance'). In the evening when I began to change the downstairs PC I noticed that the feature was disabled when I shut off the upstairs PC.  Watched 'PRAYERS FOR THE STOLEN' (Netflix). In rural Mexico a village is threatened and harrassed by corrupt militias and violent drug cartels. These rustic people live a meagre existence helping drug traffickers in the poppy  fields while the feds spray deadly poison all over the countryside. And if this weren't enough, the villagers worry that their daughters won't be kidnapped and sold to be sex workers. The film begins when the main characters are child actors and in t...

We 3/8/23 655am (2-B). 1020am (2-SB). 1205pm (2-B). 435pm (2-B). 710pm (2-B).  Up 510am: I got up a little early because I wanted to write up 'EXPOSURE' by Kathryn Harrison and 'THIRD DEGREE' by Greg Iles for the blog. Light rain and a wintry mix was predicted for this morning but nothing materialized on Westview. And then it was breezy & cloudy with temps to the upper 40's.  Watched '10 DAYS OF A GOOD MAN' (Netflix). The film is kind of a Turkish homage to Philip Marlow who was Raymond Chandler's 'Noir Fiction' detective hero. An affable yet quirky PI is asked by a woman to find her twenty-something son. She thinks that he's an angel, but he's hooked into numerous illegal and dangerous activities. The plot was so twisted I had only the basic idea of what was going on and it was partially concerned with a bloodthirsty brother and sister who happened to be albino twins. Filmed in Istanbul, Turkey. Began 'MH370: The Plane That Disap...

 Tu 3/7/23 715am (B). 845am (1-SB). 955am (2-B). 1130am (1-SB). 435pm (2-B). 710pm (2-B).  Up 535am: Partly cloudy and breezy with temps to about 50 and much cooler than yesterday. I wrote the 'Day Late' chat that I forgot to send because of yesterday's early grocery shopping. Watched Netflix disc 'AD ASTRA'...  Not since 'SPACE ODYSSEY'...An astronaut is sent on a far off mission to stop deadly power surges that are targeting Earth from outer space. It involves a space mission that his father began near Neptune that went rogue. The plot was loony, but the film was absolutely captivating; with Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, John Ortiz, and Liv Tyler. Title: Latin for 'To The Stars'. Another fantastic film directed by James Gray.  Finished 'WEST BEIRUT' (Netflix). An interesting point of view about refugees: Many 'displaced persons' do not want to leave their home countries. Even when governments cannot provide the most...

 Mo 3/6/23- Grocery Shopping: $123 715am (2-B). 850am (2-B). 1050am (1-SB). 1245pm (2-B). 435pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 630am: Partly sunny with temps to upper 60's. 720am: To County Market and home by 8am: $123. Watched 'DIE HART' (Amazon Prime). 'The Actor', Kevin Hart tries to shed his 'second banana' screen image and evolve into a real-live Action Hero. A review said that this movie was actually a serial TV production for a streaming service that failed during the pandemic. They spliced together footage to make it into a feature length film and it really doesn't work; with Kevin Hart, John Travolta, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jean Reno, and Josh Hartnett.  Finished the last 40 minutes of 'THE LAST RAMPAGE' (Amazon Prime). A True Crime documentary of the real events would have made a better movie about a dad and his three sons who embark on a grisly murder spree in the wilds of Arizona.  1215pm: PC is 'Off' and the plan is to do the weights an...

 Su 3/5/23 725am (B). 1015am (2-B). 1240pm (2-B). 445pm (2-B). 720pm (2-B).  Up 545am: Partly sunny, breezy with temps to upper 50's. ***I fed Buddy at 1145pm and 330am last night. He was not sick during the night and was ravenous (normal) this morning. However, I wonder how long I will consistently wake up twice a night to serve snacks?   Watched 'AT CLOSE RANGE' (Amazon Prime). Dad is released from prison and comes back to corrupt his sons and ruin their lives; with Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, Tracey Walter, David Strathairn, Kiefer Sutherland, and Crispin Glover.  A surprisingly dark film and for all of Dad's proselytizing about 'Family' and 'Loyalty'  he is only motivated by self interest. I really liked the film.  Fun Facts: 1) The film was made when Sean Penn and Madonna were an item and she does the song over the closing credits. 2) Kiefer Sutherland and David Strathairn were such novices that they only had ...

 Sa 3/4/23 715am (B). 920am (1-SB). 1050am (1-SB). 450pm (2-B). 715pm (2-B).  Up 530am: Partly sunny with temps to 50's. This morning we still had an inch of snow covering the ground and as the sun shined stronger (7am- 8am) there was a hazy fog/mist against a backdrop of a blue sky throughout The Oaks.  Watched 'THE WOMAN KING' (Netflix). Some outstanding machete fighting, but not much else; with Viola Davis. The film is set in 1823 and concerns the slave trade in Dahomey Africa. Dahomey was a precolonial West African kingdom located in what is now southern Benin. Filmed at Thanda Safari- Hluhluwe, South Africa.  ***I ordered ten pounds of Mahatma Rice on Amazon: $5.36.  More of 'DAISY AND THE SIX' (Amazon Prime). I shut it down 22 minutes into episode # 3. 1145am: PC is 'Off' and preparing for 5 miles on the treadmill. 1205pm:   FIVE MILES AT 4.0 PACE AND ZERO SSLANT; began NATE BARGATZE on THEO VON: finished episode # 2 on 'DAISY JONES AND THE SIX...

Fr 3/3/23- Snow! 725 am (B). 1035am (2-B). 1150am (1-SB). 435pm (2-B). 645pm (2-B).  Up 610am: Heavy to moderate rain all day and extremely windy with gusts over 30 mph and temps to about 40. About 130pm heavy sleet &  rain & snow, but no accumulation possible because it's far too warm, but I was completely wrong.  ***By 245pm we had an inch of ground cover & it's still coming down. Calm by 330pm, but today was one of the only snowy days this season.  I noticed that the Godfather Trilogy will be dropped from Peacock on March 31st, so I started 'Godfather II'. Began 'GODFATHER II' (Peacock-TV: this film is over three hours). It's been so long since I'd seen this film that it might as well have been the first time- an undeniable classic. I shut it down at 2 hrs. and 4 mins. and I will finish the last hour and fifteen tonight.  Watched the first episode of 'DAISY JONES AND THE SIX' (Amazon Prime). Fun Fact: Laura Haddock of the Netflix s...

Th 3/2/23 705am (B). 920am (1-SB). 1155am (B). 225pm (1-SB). 445pm (1-B). 755pm (2-B).  Up 540am: Partly sunny with temps to about 50. Rain & wintry mix begins tonight and through Friday. No accumulation is expected. Watched 'A SUN' (Netflix). The film concerns a modest family living in contemporary Taiwan with two sons. The younger boy has been a 'problem child' and the older brother was the 'perfect child'. As a young man, the older sibling commits suicide while the younger brother does time for participating in a violent crime (another young man's hand is cut off with a machete), but he pulls his life together and becomes an upstanding citizen. Dad and mom are distraught, but both have done more than their share to help their surviving son. The film's title, 'ONE SUN' is probably a clever use of the word 'sun' for 'son'. The older brother said that the sun is the 'fairest' thing of all because it shines on every squ...

We 3/1/23 750am (B). 1230pm (B).  440pm (2-B). 655pm (2-B).  Up 640am: Partly sunny with temps just over 60. Watched 'NORTHERN SOUL' (Kanopy). A fantastic film about a young man who discovers a very specific musical scene that caught fire in the English Midlands (north of Birmingham). It was the late 60's and obscure American Soul was played while fans lost their minds dancing. The dance floor was more spirited than Disco and was largely influenced by Bruce Lee karate moves and fueled by handfuls of amphetamines. This film was a very pleasant surprise; written and directed by Elaine Constantine.  Shot near Blackburn, England; 30 miles north of Manchester. I playlisted a compilation of 'Northern Soul'. I wasn't familiar with any of the artists and it sounds like a revved up Motown and I like it. I found another film that featured one of the stars of 'NORTHERN SOUL', Elliot James Langridge. ***Hassle changing the date on the Timex Expedition. I pulled the ...

Tu 2/28/23 715am (2-B). 830am (1-SB). 1140am (2-B). 440pm (2-B). 655pm (2-B).  Last night I finished reading 'GUILTY WIVES' by James Patterson and began 'EXPOSURE' by Kathryn Harrison. Up 520am: Partly sunny with temps to low 50's. Watched 'THE LOST CITY OF Z' (Hoopla).  In 1905 a young English military man hooks up with the Royal Geographical Society to explore the border between Bolivia and the Amazon jungle. There he learns of an ancient and abandoned city in the wilderness and to rediscover this lost civilization becomes his life's mission. It was a far better film than I thought and I half expected to see a "Harrison Ford character" running around looking for a temple with a parrot on his shoulder.  James Gray (the director) presents racist and sexist views as a normal person would express them given the era. Maybe this is the reason that some of the scenes are a bit uncomfortable- ex. 'ARMAGEDDON TIME'; with Sienna Miller, Charlie...