The Cheese Stands Alone

 Sa 12/30/23- Pot Shop/ County Market 7am (2-B). 830am (1-SB). 1135am (2-B). 445pm (1-SB).  535pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 540am: A mix of sun & clouds with temps to lower 40's.  Watched 'TOMMY GUNS' (Kanopy). An Art Film that demanded more than it was worth. Some interesting bits, but overall it was lacking. From the 'Summaries' at IMDB: "In 1974, after years of liberation war, the Portuguese and their descendants fled the colony of Angola where pro-independence groups gradually claimed their territory back. A tribal girl discovers love and danger when her path crosses that of a young Portuguese Officer. Meanwhile, another group of Portuguese soldiers is barracked inside an infinite wall from which they will have to escape once the past comes out of the grave to claim its long-awaited justice." I ordered $257 {without discounts} from Ascend; Three jars of 7g- Indica and a 215pm pickup today. Finished 'BODIES' (Netflix). The plotlines came toget...

 Fr 12/29/23 650am (2-B). 745am (1-SB). 920am (1-B). 1225pm (2-B). 550pm (2-B).  815pm (2-B).   Up 530am: A wintry mix ending this morning and then cloudy & misty with temps to upper 30's. We got a very light dusting of wet snow last night. This is only the second time that I can remember any snow this season whatsoever. I think it's been an unusually warm December.  Watched 'IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING' (Kanopy). King Crimson is " A Rock'n'Roll Orchestra". Fripp says... "Albums are 'love letters', concerts are 'hot dates'". Bill Rieflin says {dying of cancer while a contributing member of King Crimson. I noticed on Wikipedia that Bill Rieflin died in 2020 and his wife died of a different kind of cancer in 2019}..."The only thing left behind is the work, and it must be good". Because Fripp is so demanding, the film almost works like a 'WHIPLASH' for guitar players instead of drummers. I don't thi...

 Th 12/28/23- Running Shoes 745am (2-B). 1210pm (2-B). 1245pm (1-SB). 140pm (2-B). 540pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 625am: Cloudy with temps to the mid 30's and a little bit of spitting snow. Watched 'A HANDFUL OF WATER' (Hoopla- borrowed yesterday).  A German curmudgeon meets a ten year old girl who is on the run from immigration and he helps her relocate to England. Not as corny as it sounds, but not much above average.  Apparently, in Germany all of your family must be deported together and if one of the group is missing, nobody goes. That seems odd. Set in Frankfurt, Germany. Watched 'ALL THE QUEEN'S HORSES' (Amazon Prime). Over a period of more than twenty years a city clerk in Dixon, Illinois was able to steal over 54 million dollars from the town's finances. These notes were shown before the end credits rolled: "FRAUD Accounts for 30%- 50% OF ALL Business"; 75% of companies are affected by fraud; 69% of all federal EMBEZZLEMENT cases occurred i...

 We 12/27/23 720am (2-B).  820am (1-SB). {1220pm- one gummy}. 1245pm (2-B). {3pm- one gummy}. 540pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Light rain/ drizzle this morning and then cloudy with temps barely out of the 30's. However, by late morning the forecast changed to rain/ drizzle throughout the day.  Watched 'KLONDIKE' (Hoopla- borrowed yesterday). A very dark satire about the horrors of civil war. A rural Ukrainian man and his very pregnant wife try to exist after their home has been partially destroyed by friendly fire and her brother and husband clash and take opposite sides in the conflict. In the end, the woman gives birth in squalor on a dusty sofa and the baby screams once and is silent...."Dedicated to women".    ***I ordered a 'jar opener for old people and children': under five bucks at Amazon; delivery by Dec 30.  Watched 'SUBJECT' (Kanopy). The film poses the question: Who is the real 'owner' of a documentary? Is it the human subject...

 Tu 12/26/23 730am (2-B).  830am (1-SB). 1015am (1-SB). 1225pm (2-B). 540pm (2-B).  815pm (2-B).  Up 6am: A mix of sun & clouds with temps to about 40. Wrote up 'BIASED' by  Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt for the blog. Watched 'CAIRO CONSPIRACY' (Hoopla). The film is a complete psychic immersion into the Muslim worldview. The Imam of Al-Azhar University in Cairo dies and the successor that is chosen must be friendly to the state. A 'freshman' is forced to act as a government agent to keep tabs on possible 'other' candidates. The wrong choice could lead to civil war and... "Civil War is worse than murder".  A really fine film that illustrates how the clandestine ways that power is wielded in the highest circles of religion and government.  More 'BODIES' (Netflix). Another body shows up on Longharvest Court and another timeline (and another detective) is introduced.  I finished episode #2 and the doppelganger of the corpse from 2050 meets the...

 Monday, Xmas Day 720am (2-B).  845am (1-SB). 1040am (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Light rain & drizzle all day with temps to mid 50's.  Watched 'THE MISSING' (Kanopy). Set in 1885 New Mexico and concerns a woman living alone with two daughters. They are attacked by a renegade band of Indians and one of the girls is kidnapped. The woman's estranged father has 'gone Indian' and leads the rescue of his granddaughter. Not a bad cowboy film, but a little heavy-handed with the 'Trafficking' angle; with Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Max Perlich, and Aaron Eckhart and Val Kilmer in very small bit parts. Directed by Ron Howard. 2 wins & 8 nominations. "55" Metascore.  1030am: PC is 'Off' and preparing to do five miles on the treadmill so that I can get in 'the daily seven' before I leave for Glenwood- 430pm.  1045am: FIVE MILES AT 4.1 PACE AND ZERO SLANT; watched 'AMANDA KNOX' (Netflix). A young Ameri...

 Su 12/24/23 740am (2-B). 820am (2-SB). 1225pm (2-B). 540pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Clouds & drizzle with temps just over 60. Christmas Eve and it feels like April.  Did the Weekly Cleaning. Watched 'BEHIND THE SUN' (Amazon Prime). A dark film about a fourteen year old girl who is raped by a group of slightly older boys from her neighborhood. Later she becomes a singer in a rock'n'roll band, but the trauma of the rape has permanently altered her life. A young writer gets to interview the singer and he reveals that he was present at the rape. A difficult subject and based on a real incident that happened to the writer of the film. The very disturbing sequence was shot in the same house (and room) where she was raped. Better than I expected. Title track by SONIC YOUTH and many of the songs of THE LEFT BANKE are featured; with Kim Dickens (DEADWOOD), Gabriel Mann, Roseanna Arquette, Don Cheadle, Eric Stoltz, and Elizabeth Pena (JACOB'S LADDER). Filmed in Cocoa...

 Sa 12/23/23 835am (2-B). 955am (1-SB). 1215pm (2-B). 545pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 645am: Fog early, then cloudy with temps to mid 50's.  ***Wrapped the kids' Xmas gifts 'I DON'T EXPECT ANYONE TO BELIEVE ME' (Netflix). A strange mix of reality and fantasy about a writer who happens to be creating the story that you are watching. He is a graduate student from Mexico studying in Spain and his dissertation is about the state of humor in 20th century South American literature. Just before he leaves for Spain a Mexican cartel forces him to launder money in Spain. It's an absurdist tale and probably improves after more than one viewing. I'm surprised that this film wasn't more highly rated. 1125am: The PC is 'Off' and the plan is to visit Esporta this afternoon.  Weights: 3 sets/ 15 reps. 1225pm: To Esporta...45" Precor.  45"Treadmill.  30" Cross.  30" Recumbent Bike. 30" Precor; MK ULTRA (Amazon Prime)- It's a less than s...

 Fr 12/22/23 7am (2-B). 8am (1-SB). 1235pm (2-B). 545pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 545am: A chance of light rain all day with temps to the upper 40's. I wrote up 'THE WRONG SIDE OF GOODBYE' by Michael Connelly. Watched 'WHY DON'T YOU PLAY IN HELL?' (Kanopy). 'FUCK BOMBERS- The Fantastic Cinema Club' make the most important film in the history of movies- "THE BLOOD OF WOLVES". Two rival Yakuza gangs become the actors & crew in the extravaganza and a young woman who made an enchanting toothpaste commercial a decade previously leads the charge. It's very Absurdist/ Surreal and willfully irrational yet hilarious. 8 wins & 11 nominations. "68" Metascore.  Began 'DIRTY PICTURES' (Amazon Prime). A look at the life's work of,           an American scientist {The Godfather of Psychedelics} who developed more than 200 psychedelic compounds. He once worked for Dow Chemical and made millions for the company from his synthesis...

 Th 12/21/23 7am (2-B). 8am (1-SB). 1205pm (2-B). 545pm (2-B). 820pm (2-B).  Up 6am:  Cloudy with temps to mid 50's. ***Buddy threw up very early this morning. I cleaned it up and he ate and seemed fine. Is it that he needs to be fed a little bit at three hour intervals? Watched 'CHILE 76' (Hoopla). {borrowed yesterday} Set in Chile during the military dictatorship of  Augusto Pinochet. An upper class woman aids a wounded rebel and becomes an enemy of the state during an authoritarian reign. The best movie I've ever seen about daily life in an era of political repression. The details of the story are very slowly yet precisely revealed and the psychological tension never lets up. A beautiful 'soundscape' that enhances the dark unease of the storyline. The arresting soundtrack is not really a 'score' but more of 'a precise condiment of musical sounds'. I loved this film. "78" Metascore. Finished 'BLOOD COAST' (Netflix).  They'...

 We 12/20/23 710am (2-B). 740am (1-SB). 1220pm (2-B).  545pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 520am: Partly cloudy with temps to upper 40's.  Watched 'REVOIR PARIS' (Hoopla).  A woman is present at a mass shooting in a crowded Parisian restaurant/ bar. She comes back later and learns that the bar hosts a support group of people who are dealing with the aftermath of the attack. Many of the survivors want to connect with people who have shared their terror and also to find out if they made it through the ordeal. I had never heard of this type of support happening where an attack has occurred even though mass shootings are a common occurrence in the US. "71" Metascore; 4 wins & 2 nominations. Watched 'GUATEMALA: Meet The Maras' (Amazon Prime- 60 minutes). A camera crew stalks the favelas of Guatemala to learn about the Maras (gangs) and how they function. Most of the crews make their money by shaking down local businesses. They look at it as merely a 'tax'...

Tu 12/19/23 740am (2-B). 840am (1-SB). 1245pm (2-B). 540pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Partly cloudy with temps to mid 30's. It was only in the teens this morning.  ***Buddy was sick yesterday right after I got off the phone from Janny and he threw up again about 130am this morning. He ate his breakfast and seems back to normal.  Wrote up 'MR. IVES' CHRISTMAS' by Oscar Hijuelos for the blog.  I had planned to watch 'CYBERBUNKER: The Criminal Underworld' (Netflix), but I decided to watch 'INSIDIOUS' (Netflix) first and then 'CYBERBUNKER'.  'INSIDIOUS' (Netflix). This is a well made and high quality 'Haunted House' genre film. A young boy becomes trapped in another world by evil spirits. It's not the house that's haunted, it's the boy that's possessed and Dad has paranormal abilities as well. Lots of things that go bump in the night, but it works although a rather predictable twist at the end; with Patrick Wilson, R...

 Mo 12/18/23 630am (2-B). 720am (1-SB). 130pm (2-B). 550pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 520am: Windy & raw with a mix of sun and clouds with temps only in the low 30's. Watched 'THE WAILING' (Netflix). A series of murders in a rural South Korean village seem to be connected to the paranormal. Some of the 'demon possession' scenes were funny, but didn't negate the intensity of the suspense and horror. It's almost a Korean reworking of the American film 'The Exorcist' (1973). Set near Gokong, South Korea which is far south central Korea.  "81" Metascore. 34 wins & 57 nominations. From 'The A.V. Club'- "The Wailing might be a somewhat meandering and nonsensical genre recombination, but that spell never breaks over its lengthy running time." Finished season #1  'HOLY FAMILY' (Netflix). A completely confusing and unexpected ending to season #1, but season #2 is the end of the series and I hope that all the loose ends...

Su 12/17/23 730am (2-B). 820am (1-SB). 1155am (2-B). 545pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B). Up 530am: Cloudy with temps only to just above 40. Did 'The Weekly Cleaning' Watched 'CITY OF INDUSTRY' (Freevee TV). A jewelry store robbery in Palm Springs, CA goes perfectly. Later, one of the robbers kills two of the crew and splits with the stash. The survivor tracks the turncoat and exacts his revenge. Better than I thought it would be, but I agree with this thought by Roger Ebert in his review of the film..."more like an exercise in noir atmosphere and violence than like a story"; with Harvey Keitel, Stephen Dorff, Timothy Hutton, Famke Janssen, and Wade Dominguez. More 'HOLY FAMILY' (Netflix). I only have 33 minutes left in season #1 and it's clear that another season was necessary. There are an infinite number of possible storylines and I doubt if all the loose ends will be tied even at the end of season #2.   1115am: The PC is 'Off' and the plan is to d...

 Sa 12/16/23- one gummy 740am (2-B). 830am (1-SB). 1250pm (2-B). 230pm (1-B). [440pm- one VIIA Hemp Gummy]. 540pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Rain all day with temps to mid 40's. Wrote up 'MEMORY MAN' by David Baldacci for the blog. Watched 'HARD DAYS' (Netflix).  A 'slightly' unprincipled Japanese detective is involved in a deadly hit & run. He hides the body and later learns that the man was shot dead before he ran him over. It's a long and twisted tale as to why this occurred, but it's a clever way to maintain a high level of interest in the plot. Unbelievable events occur, and the detective must find ways to proceed with only seconds to figure out a plan.  All in the same night...while he is 'buzzed driving',  he almost hits a woman on the side of the road and then immediately runs over a man, then he is stopped by a sobriety patrol and they want to search his trunk that contains the body of the man that he has just run over, and, to...

Fr 12/15/23 730am (2-B). 825am (1-SB). 1140am (2-B). 135pm (1-SB). 545pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 615am: Cloudy with temps to mid 50's. Rain predicted for tonight and tomorrow. ***I opened Dropbox for the first time in ages and saw all of my old photos. Lots of shots of the condo and some of  Thunder. ***Last night I got an Update and the PC needed to be restarted. This morning I had to restart the living room PC.  As usual, there was no discernible difference on both machines.  Watched 'ALL ABOUT LILY CHOU-CHOU' (Amazon Prime). An Art Film about daily life within a group of teens from the sixth grade through junior high school in rural contemporary Japan.  The film's tone is dreamlike and hazy, yet disturbing and unsettling. Several of the kids bond on a message board dedicated to a popular singer and her charisma seems to calm their distressed lives. The film is set about sixty miles north of Tokyo and parts filmed on an island in the Okinawa chain of islands. ...

 Th 12/14/23 740am (2-B). 830am (1-SB). 1240pm (2-B). 535pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 630am: Bright & sunny with temps to low 50's. ***When I woke up my right ear was completely clogged. I used the rubber- bulb syringe in the tub last night and it didn't clear the wax. This is the worst that I can remember and it took a couple of hours before I was able to anything approaching normal.   Watched 'BOYZ IN THE HOOD' (Netflix). It's a unique perspective on the 'Mean Streets/ Ghetto' film genre and tries to portray the characters as more human and multidimensional, but it feels more like parody than reality. I liked it, but a lot of it didn't ring true although they certainly tried; with Cuba Gooding Jr., Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, and Ice Cube. Nominated for 2 oscars; 12 wins & 27 nominations. "76" Metascore..."Increase The Peace".     Finished 'THE GANGS OF OSLO' (Netflix). A less than satisfying ending, but still ...

We 12/13/23 710am (2-B). 810am (1-SB). 905am (1-SB), 130pm (2-B). 535pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 530am: Partly cloudy with temps to mid 40's. Wrote up 'CHINAMAN'S CHANCE' by Ross Thomas and 'THE MAN WHO LIKED TO LOOK AT HIMSELF' by C.K. Constantine for the blog. ***It seems that the screen savers are now working on both computers. For a week or so neither machine would display the screen saver and I thought that it had to do with the 'Chrome Graphic Equalizer' extension. The very next time I left the computer, the screen saver failed to materialize. Fuck it. {I noticed online that Chrome is aware of the problems with the equalizer extension}. Watched 'FRANCE' (Hoopla). A very dark satire on the career of the most famous female television journalist in French media. She represents a world in which the 'news presenter' is made to appear more important than 'the news'; with Lea Seydoux. "57" Metascore.  The lead character...

Tu 12/12/23 725am (2-B). 830am (1-SB). 12pm (2-B). 535pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 615am: Mostly sunny with temps to low 40's. Watched 'LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND' (Netflix).  It's a unique reworking of the theme from The Twilight Zone episode,  'Monsters Are Due on Maple Street'; with Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha'la, Farrah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans, and Kevin Bacon. Every plot twist and wry observation was electrifying! "67" Metascore {I would have rated this film much higher}.  'Three Stage Invasion'- 1) Attack 2) Disinformation 3) Civil War. The targeted nation destroys itself and this is the most cost effective way for a successful invasion or a coup d'etat... "Preconceived Beliefs vs Truth- Seeing the difference is one of the hardest things a person can do." More 'THE GANGS OF OSLO' (Netflix). I finished episode #2 and more this evening. 1115am: PC is 'Off' and the plan is to do the weights a...

 Mo 12/11/23 815am (2-B). 925am (1-SB). 105pm (2-B). 550pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 645am {Thanks, Buddy} Bright & sunny with temps to mid 40's. Last night I received an email from 'Your Benefits Resolution Reminder' that a direct debit payment of $51.00 will be taken from my checking account/ Heartland. This must have something to do with the new insurance and I will call to find out. Also, what's the deal with Silver Sneakers? The wait time was 20- 40 minutes so I left word to have them call me back.  ***Within two minutes after hitting the bong, I got the call.  The fifty one dollars is the monthly fee for United Healthcare Plus. I didn't ask if this includes dental insurance and I didn't ask about Silver Sneakers.  Watched 'RUSTIN' (Netflix).  Bayard Rustin was a black gay man who was an important figure in the Civil Rights Movement of the early 1960's. He was 'the mind behind' The 1963 March on Washington. All of the major figures in ...

 Su 12/10/23 725am (2-B).  830am (1SB). 10am (1-B). 1150am (2-B). 210pm (1-SB). 540pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Partly cloudy and cooler with temps only to mid 30's.  Did The Weekly Cleaning/ Mopping ***Around 9am (10 to 15 minutes) a firetruck (#8) pulled up between Bob & Alice's old house and the guy that works for the city. Three firemen went behind the houses and I could see a lot of smoke. Then it went away yet it didn't seem to be an emergency. I wonder what it was?  Watched 'ELENA KNOWS' (Netflix). A truly captivating, yet strange film. An elderly and infirmed woman is convinced that her daughter did not commit suicide. You think that the film will be about the old woman's discovery of a macabre murder plot, but it turns out that the daughter took her own life because she could not face life as her mother's caretaker. This one had no Metascore and I'm really surprised there wasn't any critical acclaim. I really liked this film. Finished...

 Sa 12/9/23 7am (2-B). 810am (1-SB). 1145am (2-B). 545pm (2-B).  815pm (2-B).  Up 550am: Partly cloudy,  breezy and cooler with temps to about 50. Watched 'AVENGEMENT' (Netflix). A younger brother does hard time in the toughest prison in England because of his criminal older brother. The crew was shaking down local people and when the younger brother escapes, he decimates the crew and divides his brother's ill gotten gains among the people that he fleeced.  Scott Adkins, the lead actor, looked so much like Ben Affleck that it was distracting. "63" Metascore.  I was surprised that it rated this high. From Film Threat: "The whole film plays like a hunk looking at himself in the mirror"...Parts were shot near London Fields and Hackney, London, England. Watched ILARY BLASI: The One And Only' (Netflix). Ilary Blasi, television host and former model, and Francesco Totti, a professional footballer were 'Rome's most famous romantic couple'. Their...

 Fr 12/8/23 730am (2-B). 830am (1-SB). 1140am (1-SB). 1245pm (2-B).  545pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 550am: Cloudy & breezy with temps to upper 50's. ***Buddy threw up on the carpet near the bedroom door last night. Yet he seemed normal at 6am and sucked up breakfast as usual.  ***I clicked on 'DON'T SAVE' for 'Cheese Stands Alone', but I managed to save it and sent it to two external hard drives. I started a new 'Cheese'- 'Fr 12/8/23 thru'. It was 'touch & go' for a few moments.    Watched 'HURRICANE SEASON' (Netflix). A Mexican Art Film about the murder of a 'Brujo' in very rural contemporary Mexico. The 'Brujo' is an old transvestite that has gay raves and provides abortions for local women. A couple of young nitwits believe he has a large sum of money in his house, so they rob and murder him. The drag queen gave a drug to induce an abortion to a woman befriended by one of the boys. She almost died and the...

 Th 12/7/23- 2 gummies: VII HEMP {710am - one gummy VII HEMP}. 720am (2-B). 810am (1-SB). 1235pm (2-B). {another gummy VII HEMP}. 535pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 6am: Mostly sunny & breezy and much warmer with temps to 60. ***I cracked the seal on the new gummies: 'EUPHORIA'- Delta 9/ THC/ CBD  Watched 'HUNTER KILLER' (Netflix). An American and a Russian sub have a stand-off that nearly causes a nuclear conflagration. This was based on a novel ('Firing Point'), but it should be filed under,'Tom Clancy for dullards'; Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, and Linda Cardellini (BLOODLINE). It features a parachute jump in an electrical storm near the Arctic Circle. More 'RUNAWAY' (Netflix). I finished episode #9 and I'll finish the final episode tonight. 12pm: PC is 'Off' and the plan is to do the weights and then walk Washington Park.  ***I liked the 'Euphoria' experience and I might do another gummy this afternoon.  Weights: 3 sets/ 15 ...

 We 12/6/23 745am (2-B). 915am (1-SB). 1215pm (2-B). 545pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 615am: A mix of sun & clouds with temps to low 40's. Wrote up 'DEMON COPPERHEAD' and 'RADICAL CHIC & MAU-MAUING THE FLAK CATCHERS' for the blog.  Watched 'WHIPLASH' (Netflix). I saw this when it was first released (2014) and I knew that it would be well worth another look. A relentless conductor at a prestigious NYC music school strives for magnificence in one of his student drummers. Or maybe the jazz conductor is just a psycho and clearly over the line. A difficult subject, but it was a tale well told and nearly every moment was riveting; with Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. Won 3 Oscars; 98 wins & 144 nominations. "89" Metascore. More of 'RUNAWAY' (Netflix). I shut it down 26 minutes into episode #6.  1135am: The PC is 'Off' and the plan is to visit Esporta this afternoon. On the way out I'll stop for vitamins/ Beer-peanut butter-cat...

Tu 12/5/23 745am (2-B). 9am (Liked. 1250pm (2-B). 230pm (1-B). 540pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 620am: More clouds and temps to lower 40's. ***When I went to enter the 'CHEESE STANDS ALONE' I noticed that the shortcut on the desktop was gone. It was still in 'documents' and I created another shortcut and nothing was lost. It was a harrowing few minutes, but no foul.  ***The screen saver will not engage after I added the Chrome Equalizer extension a few days ago. But, the downstairs PC has the extension and the screen saver works fine. I've done all I can and it was only on the early computers that it was possible to 'burn' an image into the monitor, so it's really not that critical of an issue. {Later I noticed that the screen saver activated. Why?.....Later still I noticed that it was NOT working...Why?}  ***VII Hemp order arrived in the mailbox at 847am and I got a text confirmation. Watched 'DESPERATE HOURS' (Tubi). Another film that was so b...

Mo 12/4/23- 1 gummy 7am (2-B). 805am (1-SB). 955am (1-SB). 120pm (1-B). 545pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 550am: Partly cloudy with temps to low 40's. ***I hung the Christmas wreath and the red 'Merry Christmas' sign to hang on the living room lampshade. 925am: I took one gummy to see how a single dose compares to the new batch (same THC but much more CBD) that should arrive today. {only a very slight difference and just made the smokable herb a little more powerful} Watched 'THE BIG UGLY' (Netflix).  A film so bad that it was good. An elderly London mobster is friends with an old, rich oil operator in Kentucky. The Englishman comes to Appalachia with his crew to launder some of his millions in the drilling operation. His chief lieutenant's girlfriend is killed by a well connected local and he exacts his revenge on the local hillbillies. "52" Metascore and I would have rated this far, far lower. From Time Out: "... feeling like a Guy Ritchie movie pla...

 Su 12/3/23- Installed Sound Equalizer For Chrome 730am (2-B). 845am (1-SB). 1235pm (2-B). 540pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).  Up 555am: Drizzle early to partly cloudy with temps in the low 40's. Did the Weekly Cleaning/ Mopping ***830am: LOFTUS CHIMNEY SWEEPING arrived at the house across the street... A house call on a Sunday morning? Long after the workman left, there was still no smoke from the chimney.  Watched 'BLOOD TIES' (Amazon Prime).  One brother is a NYC cop and the other brother is a career criminal.  A premise that's almost a cliche, but in this case the melodrama is worth it. The bad brother is just out of prison and trying to go straight, but circumstances won't let him be. Some decent performances and an eclectic soundtrack; with Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, James Caan, Noah Emmerich, Domenick Lombardozzi, Lili Taylor, and Griffin Dunne. Directed by Guillaume Canet from a French novel. "45" Metascore...

 Sa 12/2/23 710am (2-B). 815am (1-SB). 1250pm (2-B). 225pm (2-B).  545pm (2-B). 815pm (2-B).   Up 6am: Overcast & temps to low 40's with more rain predicted for tonight. ***In The Mail: New rice cooker that is exactly like the one I have been using ('Aroma' rice cooker: $20 @ Amazon) and my new insurance card with United Healthcare. Watched 'Illegal Woman' (Netflix). A gripping drama about the CENTROS DE INTERNAMIENTO DE EXTRANJEROS {CIE} which is the Spanish governmental agency that handles migrant detention and deportation.  An immigration lawyer with a dying wife (he 'assists' in her euthanasia) fights the inhumane policies of CIE and strives to keep poor people from being deported to their home countries. He helps a young Nigerian woman to leave Spain and get status in England. Here in the US we think of immigration mainly as a problem with our southern border with Mexico, but actually the problem of immigration is an international issue. Western Eur...

Fr 12/1/23 710am (2-B). 810am (1-SB). 1040am (1-SB). 1255pm (2-B).  535pm (2-B).  815pm (2-B).  Up 640am: Rain ending early this morning with a chance of some showers this afternoon with temps to upper 40's.  Watched 'THE WORLD OF KANAKO' (Amazon Freevee).  A crazed and alcoholic Japanese police detective looks for his missing daughter and learns that she was nothing like he had remembered. More violence, brutality, and cruelty than in any film that I can remember and most of the transgressive behavior is done by the 'hero' of the tale. Set in Saitama, a suburb of Tokyo that is about twenty miles north of the metropolitan area. From RogerEbert.com: "It’s a film that’s tempting to dismiss because of its bleak, misanthropic viewpoint on the world, but that would be discounting the quality of the filmmaking and the riveting performance at its center." 3 wins & 2 nominations. "55" Metascore. Directed by Tetsuya Nakashima. Watched more of  'CR...

 Th 11/30/23 655am (2-B). 730am (1-SB). 1210pm (2-B). 540pm (2-B). 810pm (2-B).  Up 530am: Cloudy and temps to mid 50's. Rain is predicted to begin early this evening and continue through tomorrow. Borrowed 'FOR MADMEN ONLY' (Hoopla). I noticed that we only get six picks per month. I thought it was seven.   Watched 'AFTERSUN' (Kanopy).  An Art Film about a father and his eleven year old daughter during their vacation at a low budget Spanish resort hotel. There is a shift in time and we see the eleven year old reviewing the holiday footage as a young woman apparently in a lesbian relationship and becoming a mother herself. She might be remembering her father just before he commited suicide after that holiday vacation. There was a postcard where he said 'I will always love you, don't forget that'. Set in Torremolinos- a municipality in Andalusia, southern Spain, west of Málaga. Not much of a plot, but moving and a sly and effective storytelling technique. ...