The Cheese Stands Alone

 Sa 8/30/25- Wallet/ Computer Down/ Gummy: 75 mg {On Sunday morning the PC upstairs booted up...Strange} 620am {I took 1/2 'VIIA' 100 mg gummy}. 625am (3 hits-B: Citrus Mac). 720am {I took 1/4 'VIIA' 100 mg gummy: approx. 75 mg total today}. 810am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 855am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1055am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz).  1235pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 535pm (1-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 810pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 6am: Cloudy and threat of rain, then variable clouds with temps to about 80.  ***630am- 715am: County Market/ Fairhills. I got all the way to the checkout when I realized that I had left my wallet at home. I went to the car to use the emergency card in the glovebox. I had never used it before and was surprised and pleased that it went through.  ***When I got the groceries put away I booted up the living room PC and logged in to a black screen. I don't know what I'll do, but this is clearly requiring far more than I am capable of. Watched '...

Fr 8/29/25- Gummy 640 am {I took 1/2 'VIIA' 100 mg: 50 mg total}. 650am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 735am (3 hits-B: LA Runt). 1215pm (2-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 325pm (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 435pm (4 hits-B: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 815pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 545am: A mix of sun & clouds with temps just over 80. I borrowed 'THE TROUBLE WITH JESSICA' & 'WIFE OF A SPY' from Hoopla. I have no more 'Borrows' remaining for August. Watched 'THE WIFE OF A SPY' (Hoopla). A complex story set in Japan shortly before Pearl Harbor and concerns a Japanese business owner and his wife. They get information that the Japanese were using bio warfare in China and they want to release this information to provoke the Americans to attack Japan. The film is a very different take on the 'Espionage Thriller' genre. Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa who is a horror film director and not related to Akira Kurosawa. Seven wins & 9 nominations. ...

 Th 8/28/25- Dentist: 1pm/ Pot Shop  715am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 805am (2 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1025am (1-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 305pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 435pm (1-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 535pm (1-LB:  Citrus Mac). 815pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 630am: Bright & sunny with temps to low 80's.  Watched 'AN HONEST LIFE' (Netflix). A terrific story about a young man who attends university to study the law and becomes under the spell of a ragtag band of anarchists. A classic tale of a 'manchild who is initiated to the ways of the world'. He really wants to become a writer "and now you have something to write about" {Last line of the film}.  The film begins with the price of a watch: $185,000 Danish kroner to usd is $28,900. Shot in Lund, Sweden. Shot in Lund, Sweden which is about 21 miles northeast of Malmo, Sweden.  More 'SARA: Woman of The Shadows' (Netflix). I shut it down 28 minutes into episode #2. L...

 We 8/27/25 655am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 730am (1/2-B: LA Runtz). 9am (3 hits- B: LA Runtz). 1145am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 535pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 815pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  Up 555am: A mix of sun & clouds with temps to upper 70's.  Watched 'LILIES NOT FOR ME' (Amazon Prime). A gay man has his lover preform a surgical procedure on him 'to remove his gayness'. I didn't really understand what was going on until the end of the film. Before the final credits: "An unreported number of homosexual men were subjected to testicular transplants in the 1910's and 1920's. The doctor behind this procedure was nominated for the Nobel Prize six times before this work was discredited".   Watched 'BLUE RUIN' (Amazon Prime). A modestly engaging story of revenge. A man awaits the release from prison of the man who killed his parents. He sneaks into the man's release party at a roadside tavern and...

 Tu 8/26/25- Gummy 650am {I took 1/2 of a 100 mg 'VIIA' gummy: 50 mg total}. 655 (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 740am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1005am (1/2-LB: Citrus Mac).  1255pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 240pm (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 535pm (1/2-LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 825pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  Up 545am: Bright & sunny with temps to mid 70's.  It's great that the temps have corrected- yesterday I got a $127.00 bill from CWLP because of the heat.  Watered the dying plants along the front walk.  Watched 'MY KING' (Amazon Prime). An intense French drama about a couple's affair, from a super- sexy tumble of 'true love' into a very one sided and dreary married relationship. The guy comes off as a textbook narcissist. Essentially, he wants his own life and to keep her on the side like a mistress. She goes along with it, and she doesn't see him for who he really is until the final scene {It's...

 Mo 8/25/25- Paid Taxes  655am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 730am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 950am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 1255pm (1-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 435pm (1/2-LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: mix of LA & Citrus). 820pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  Up 615am: Mostly sunny with temps only to mid to low 70's.  Watched 'THE 355' (Netflix). Twelve minutes before the end of the film the meaning of '355' was revealed and I was in the process of Googling to find the answer. From AI Overview: "In the movie The 355, the number '355' is the code name of a legendary female spy from the American Revolutionary War. Her identity was never discovered, and she became a symbol for modern female operatives."  Premise: A harddrive contains software that can hack into any computer system on the planet and no operating system (power grids, banking records, weapons systems, medical histories) is safe. All the world's intelligence agenci...

 Su 8/24/25- Gummy 715am {I took 1/2 of 125 mg 'DIET SMOKE' gummy: 65 mg total}. 740am (1-B: Citrus Mac). 820am (1/2-B: LA Runtz). 1005am (1-LB: LA Runtz). 1245pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 540pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 810pm (1-LB: a mix of Citrus & LA). Up 615am: Mostly sunny with temps to mid to upper 70's. Nice. Watched 'ON SWIFT HORSES (Netflix). A very odd tale about a man, his wife and the man's younger brother set in California shortly after the Korean War. The wife has feelings for her husband's brother and he returns the 'love/lust'. The problem is that he's a male hustler (men & women, and he's also a card shark) and she's attracted to women (to a much larger extent than her husband). It's set in San Diego, Kansas, and Tijuana and it ends with the brother-in-law riding a horse to Kansas to meet his lesbian sister- in- law. The gummy came in handy and made it all (somewhat) worthwhile.   Finished 'RIVERS OF FATE' (Netflix)....

Sa 8/23/25 650am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 725am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 915am (1-B: a mix of LA & Runtz). 1150am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 150pm (1/2-B: a mix of LA & Citrus). 435pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 820pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 6am: Partly cloudy with temps to mid 80's.  I Watered the front flowers. The lawn is very dry and there is no rain on the horizon.  Watched 'THE SILENT FOREST' (Hoopla). A young woman is an apprentice agronomist and is taking soil samples in the forest where her father disappeared twenty years previously. THE REVEAL: During the final days of WWII uncounted numbers of Jewish prisoners died as they were forced to march through Bavaria heading east. Local citizens helped cover up the dead bodies. The girl's father found out about this and was murdered. The film is set in 'Oberpfalz' which is The Upper Palatinate, an administrative district in the east of Bavaria, Germany. It's on the border with Czechia and just we...

 Fr 8/22/25- Mowed Lawn/ Gummy  730am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 810am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1040am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 110pm (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 2pm [I took 1/2 100 mg 'VIIA: 50 mg total]. 215pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 535pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 810pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  Up 630am: Partly cloudy with temps to low 80's and less humid. Nice.  Watched 'QUISLING: The Final Days' (Amazon Prime). A powerful character study about Vidkun Quisling, Norway's leader during the Nazi occupation. The film concerns what happened to him during his incarceration for war crimes directly after the war.  His justification was that he was deathly afraid of Communism and really believed that Fascism was a lesser evil.  His deportment of the Jews was explained as 'people die in war because the rules are different'. The film has one of the most brutal executions I've ever seen. Quisling was strapped to a wall, blindfolded, and then about fifteen guys shot him...

 Th 8/21/25- Dentist: 130pm 830am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  955am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1120am (1-LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1/2-LB: LA Runtz). 530pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 810pm (1-LB: LA Runtz).  Up 730am {the wrong day to oversleep}. Partly cloudy, less humidity and temps only to 80. Beautiful. ***The computer upstairs is back to 'exceptional'. The sluggishness must have been tied to the Adobe program (that I have never used). Watched 'IN FOR A MURDER' (Netflix). I saw this one a long time ago and I had given it 'two thumbs up'.  It's a fine film that doesn't take itself too seriously yet the costumes, set design, and visual presentation are impeccable. A light hearted murder mystery with a boorish and ineffective cop who teams up with a woman whose detective skills rival (a Polish) Sherlock Holmes.  In the end the woman leaves her husband and happily begins life on her own.  The film is set in Podkowa Lesna, Poland which is a small town (pop: 3,800)...

 We 8/20/25- Computer Problems/ Gummy  740am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 825am (2 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1225pm (2-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 1230pm [I took 1/2 'DIET SMOKE' 100 mg: 50 mg total]. 235pm (2 hits: LA Runtz). 435pm (1/2-B: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 820pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 610am: Sunny and less humid with temps to mid 80's.  ***When I turned on the upstairs PC it would not connect. After I entered my 'password' it went directly to a black screen. I started the downstairs PC with no problem and when I got back upstairs I was able to get online. I did a 'restart' and things seem OK. Could it be connected to the Adobe Acrobat Reader that I think I installed? Not knowing why is the biggest reason for high anxiety.  Watched 'BARBARA' (Amazon Prime). It's a complex and compelling psychological drama about a female doctor in East Germany who has been cast out of Berlin and now must work at a rural hospital. Her boyfriend is arranging ...

Tu 8/19/25 735am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 830am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1025am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1215pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 540pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). Up 530am: Muggy with temps to upper 80's. We got some heavy rain last night, but less than an inch registered in the rain gauge.  Watched 'A HERO' (Amazon Prime). An Iranian man is on a two day pass from jail. He was incarcerated for non-payment of a debt and his girlfriend finds a purse with seventeen gold coins. He could use the 'found' money to pay his debt, but he decides that he must do the right thing, and return the money. He does, but the reaction of the community turns against him. The film posits a thorny moral question and offers a look at how it works in a Muslim country. The character can get $75,000,000 tomas which is only $1,780.00 usd. Set in Shiraz, Iran. "82" Metascore and that's about where I'd put it. More 'DEUTSCHLAND 83' (Amazon Prime). I finished...

 Mo 8/18/25 750am (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus). 820am (2 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1010am (4 hits-B: LA Runtz). 125pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 3pm (1/2- LB: Citrus Mac). 440pm (1/2- LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 815pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  Up 645am: This should be about the last of the blast furnace heat and humidity. Today temperatures will hit the low 90's and 'feels like' will reach the triple digits.  On Saturday night I went to bed with 'mild to pretty bad' heartburn and it caused an undue amount of anxiety. I bought a bunch of antacids yesterday afternoon and I took one last night and I don't think that it was necessary. Saturday night was just a 'one time occurance' and I'm not getting acid reflux or some other dire medical condition.   Watched 'INSOMNIA' (Amazon Prime). A Swedish detective and his partner go to Norway to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. It's 'The Season of The Midnight Sun' and he ca...

 Su 8/17/25- Gummy 705am {I to 1/2 'VIIA' 100 mg gummy: 50 mg total}. 805am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 845am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 930am (2 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1255pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 535pm (1-LB:  a mix of LA & Citrus). 820pm (1-LB: a mix of LA & Citrus).  Up 530am: More molten heat & humidity with temps to low 90s and the 'feels like' to 105 later this afternoon. Weekly Cleaning Watched 'ESPIRAL DE MENTIRAS' {'The Illusion of Control' AKA 'Spiral of Lies'} (Amazon Prime). A rich Russian businessman runs down a pregnant woman and then learns that he has a brain tumor and has two months to live. THE REVEAL: He had just emerged and completely immersed in a 'movie in his head'. A company named 'Neuroglass' allows the user to put on glasses and then become part of a completely different reality. I'm shocked that not one professional reviewer saw and commented on this film, yet many 'customers' at IMDB were heaping ...

 Sa 8/16/25 755am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 835am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 11am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 240pm (1/2-LB: Citrus Mac). 435pm (1/2-LB: LA Runtz). 530pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 815pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 640am: Molten heat & humidity with a Heat Advisory beginning at noon and extending through Sunday.  I watered the plants & flowers along thefront walk as they were getting more brown than green.  Watched 'MUD' (Kanopy). Two 14 year old boys who live on the Mississippi find a boat in the trees. It was swept up during a storm and the kids meet a mysterious stranger who needs the boat to reunite with the love of his life.  It's a really well written script (especially the dialog between the two boys) that attempts to deliver some quirky insights into the meaning Truth & The Meaning of Love.  Some might see it as corny, but the middlebrow viewpoints are valid and embraced by many in this area of the country. The movie was filmed...

 Fr 8/15/25 805am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 850am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1110am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 105pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 245pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 435pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 815pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 7am: Mostly sunny with temps to low 90's and 'feels like' in the triple digits. The temps and humidity will be rising through the weekend.  Watched 'INTO THE LABYRINTH' (Amazon Prime). The film is a highly stylish homage to the look and style of Italian cinema of the late 1960's. The plot concerns a young teenage girl who was kidnapped and escaped after being held for fifteen years. She's being interviewed by a very 'concerned' shrink, and the 'reveal' is that he's the twisted designer of the maze. The cracked premise was that she lived in an underground tunnel system for so long, but the presentation was very surreal and the film is a feast for the eyes. Directed and written by Donato Carrisi and stars Dustin Hoffman w...

Th 8/14/25- Gummy/ Groceries 715am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 820am {I took 1/2 'DIET SMOKE' 125 mg gummy: 63 mg total}. 845am (1-LB: LA Runtz). 915am (4 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1135am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 1250pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 540pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 815pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 650am: Partly sunny with a 30% chance of afternoon showers {no rain occured} and temps to the mid to upper 80's. Windows open till 1045am.  Groceries: 720am- 810am: $165 {including beer, soda, coffee} Watched 'KANDAHAR' (Netflix).  It's a barely average Action/ Adventure tale with half baked political intrigue and lots of CGI 'boom boom'. Great Idea: American agents in Afghanistan hack into a secret Iranian nuclear bomb factory and blow it up. But the rest of the film doesn't live up to that novel premise; with Gerard Butler. "52" Metascore and I would only go to "69". NEW YORK TIMES: "Stupefyingly sluggish".   More of 'A KIDNAPPING SCANDAL: The ...

We 8/13/25- Gummy 715am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 8am (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 910am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 1245pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 1250pm [I took 1/3 100 mg 'DIET SMOKE': 33 mg total].  245pm (3 hits-B: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 815pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 555am: Bright & sunny with temps to mid 80's and much less humidity. Windows open until 10am.  Watched 'MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?' (Amazon Prime). The tone is 'spooky strange' and concerns a man in San Diego who lives with his wife and his overbearing mother. He snaps and skewers mom with a Japanese Samurai sword and the SWAT team is called in. Insane Scene: The two detectives measure the distance between the walls and the coffee cups on a table in the living room adjacent to the body; with Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, Chloe Sevigny, Udo Kier, Michael Pena, Brad Dourif. "59" Metascore and I would easily boost this to "85". Directed by Werner Herzog, David Lynch- Exe...

 Tu 8/12/25- Gummy 725am (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 725am {I took 1/2 'DIET SMOKE' 125 mg gummy: 60 mg total}. 810am (4 hits-B: LA Runtz). 955am (3 hits-B: Citrus Mac). 1245pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  435pm (1-LB: LA Runtz). 535pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac). 810pm (1-LB: Citrus Mac).  Up 530am: Partly cloudy with a 60% threat of afternoon showers and temps in the upper 80's. Very humid.  Watched 'CUCKOO' (Kanopy). Another kooky horror film that was a cut above. Set at a German mountain resort where a teenage girl is staying with her father's new wife and step daughter. It's a crazy tale and involves breeding mutants...or something. It was scary, ironic, and funny. "62" Metascore and I would go to "82".  Began 'A KIDNAPPING SCANDAL: The Florence Cassez Affair' (Netflix). Mexico had become the kidnapping capital of the world and this case generated an avalanche of publicity.  A Mexican man and his French wife are captured and accused of being responsi...