The Cheese Stands Alone

 Mo 6/29/26- ARC Visit 710am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 8am (5-B: Diablo Sativa). 1040am (GB: Red Congolese). 535pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 835pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 610am: Partly cloudy and sweltering with temps to just over 90 and 'Excessive Heat Warnings'.  I trimmed the dandelions that I missed by the fireplug yesterday and watered the flowers on the front planter. Watched 'BEAST' (Kanopy). In an island community a killer is on the loose and a young woman becomes enchanted by a local 'bad boy'.  He becomes a suspect, but she has far more of a killer instinct than he does. It keeps you guessing until the very end. Filmed on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands & Surrey, England; with Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Geraldine James. Won 1 BAFTA Award; 8 wins & 25 nominations. "74" Metascore and I would boost that to "85".   Began 'THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT' (Netflix). I shut it down 21 minutes into the first episode....

 Su 6/28/26- Mowed Lawn 1010am (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 1050am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 145pm (GB: 5/Red Congolese). 535pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa). 840pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 630am: Hot & extremely humid with cloudy skies and temps to 90. "Excessive Heat Warnings" in effect through the end of the week. Today's 'Feels Like' will be 105! Weekly Cleaning; with a cup of instant I finished 'THE MOSQUITO COAST' and a short time later, attacked the lawn {820am- 910am}. I almost had to stop in the backyard because I was really overheated. Gray- black skies were percolating in the southwest, but I made it through without having to stop for a downpour. I thought I would only be able to hit the upper half of the back lawn, but I struggled and finished the whole damn thing. Into the shower (maybe for the first time?) and had trouble figuring out how to work the precious thing.     Watched 'THE POLICEMAN'S LINEAGE' (Kanopy). A young cop is assigned to...

 Sa 6/27/26 825am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 910am (5-B: Diablo Sativa).  1215pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 535pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 715am: Morning fog, then clouds (chance of showers) and temps to about 80. I wanted to mow the lawn today, but it might not happen.  A prompt to restart right off the bat. It only took a few moments, but why is there not a hue and cry?  Watched 'THE CIRCLE' (Kanopy). It's a profile of the harshness & unfairness of life under Sharia Law for women who are not connected to family or husbands. Patrols of armed men patrol the streets of Tehran, Iran and randomly stop and question women who are out unaccompanied. The women must keep covered (head to foot and preferably in black) and almost every purchase (for goods or services) requires a male to sign for them. One of the women buys a shirt and it costs $5,200 Iranian tomans and that is approximately $0.52 usd...fifty-two cents! 12 wins & 7 nominations. "85" Metascore and that...

 Fr 6/26/26- 1st visit to ARC 720am (GB: 5/ Red Congolese).  750am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 945am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 1155am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 825pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 6am: {I cut off a few inches from my beard; back to 'summer length'}. Rain is predicted for most of the day, although only a quarter inch is expected with temps only to mid 70's.  Watched 'A CHIARA' (Kanopy- I had difficulty 'opening' the film. I did a restart because I noticed last night on the downstairs PC I required two restarts, but it did allow the film to play although it probably had nothing to do with the restart).  Set in contemporary Calabria, Italy which is in southwest Italy and occupies the 'toe' of the country's boot-shaped peninsula; mountains, old-fashioned villages and dramatic coastline. A fifteen year old girl learns that her father is a mafia drug dealer. While he's at large, the authorities want to remove the teenage girl from her family (put...

 Th 6/25/26- Dentist 1pm 730am (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 815am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 225pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 535pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 835pm (GB: a mix of Diablo & Congolese).  Up 630am: Cloudy with the possibility of a shower (none) and temps to just over 80. 7am: I used the grass whip to 'even out' the weeds on the front lawn. Looks passable.   Watched 'RELAY' (Kanopy). I realized that I had seen the movie before when I remembered that the sultry 'client' was actually working with the bad guys. The film concerns a 'service' that deals with employees who have uncovered corporate malfeasance and need protection before going public.  The 'service' works for the client and the corporate entity so that the deal is done as stipulated by both parties. Although, in this case the sexy female client claims that she wants to give back the documents that she appropriated.  The film features the 'Telecommunications Relay Service' which i...

 We 6/24/26 615am {1/2 Extreme Chill 150 mg: 75 mg total}. 650am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 910am (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa). 1215pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa). 145pm (GB: 4/ Diablo Sativa). 445pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa). 535pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 835pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  ***Dentist Tomorrow at 1pm*** Partly cloudy with a 50% chance of thunderstorms this afternoon with temps to just over 80. Watched 'A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN' (Hoopla). A man is released from prison after serving twelve years for murder. His criminal buddies get him set up, but expect him to commit another murder. The humor is dry & deadpanned, but parts are hilarious. Stellan Skarsgard is perfectly cast as a man who seems perfectly adrift in his own life.  He's so passive that he can only react. Hilarious Bit: Without the slightest effort on his part, he's in hyper-sexual relationships with two different women. 7 wins & 9 nominations. "68" Metascore and I'd go to "89". One of ...

  Tu 6/23/26 630am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 120pm (GB: 4/ Red Congolese). 530pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 835pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 535am: A mix of sun & clouds, variable winds and temps to about 80. The painter arrived next door just after 6am and he's painting the side of the house (my side).  Watched 'MODI' (Amazon Prime). The first few scenes were a crazy burlesque and I almost shut it down, but the film develops into a gloomy & bleak portrait of the the Art scene in Paris at the early part of the 20th century; with Riccardo Scamarcio as 'Modigliani', Al Pacino in a small role and directed by Johnny Depp (he's not an actor  in the film). It's set in Paris under seige during WWI and profiles three early 20th century artists, Amedeo Modigliani, Maurice Utrillo, Chaim Soutine. They are presented as the dregs of society, yet fiercely defensive and confused about Art and the price of fame. I was surprised to see that the movie is an adaptation of...

 Mo 6/22/26 740am (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 745am {1/2 VIIA 'Day Drift' 100 mg Sativa: 50 mg total}... Cleaned the upper apparatus of the GB...1020am (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa). 1240pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 435pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa). 830pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 630am: Generally cloudy with temps to low 70's.  Around 630am I noticed an older guy working at the house next door- touchup painting on the exterior/front? I was checking the rain gauge by the driveway and told him that we got two inches of rain yesterday and he said, "Just what we needed". His daughter is married to the owner's son and the house will be 'sold' and not 'rented'....Hooooray! Watched 'THE MARKED WOMAN' (Netflix. I've seen this before {2 Thumbs!}, but no recollection and I'll give it a shot or move on). Well worth a second look! Set in Algeciras, Spain which is just adjacent & south of Gibraltar. Filmed in Barcelona and Algeciras, Spain. I remember...

 Su 6/21/26 715am (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 8am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 1020am (5-B: Diablo Sativa). 12pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 420pm (GB: 4/ Red Congolese). 535pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa). 835pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 530am: Rain & thunderstorms afternoon through sundown (Flood Watch) with temps only to low 70's. {We got two inches of rain and no violent winds, but the predictions did look scary} Weekly Cleaning Later I'm going to call Janny and tell her I won't be visiting. I want to stay home and keep an eye on the sump pump. It has kicked off and I want to make sure that it's operating throughout today's downpours. Watched 'I SAW THE TV GLOW' (Hoopla). Being stuck in an uncompromising alternative reality is straight out of the PK Dick playbook; 'Valis'. "Sometimes The Pink Opaque feels more real than the real world". Filmed entirely in New Jersey; Bergen, Essex, and Monmouth counties. I watched a fifteen minute YouTube 'Ending ...

 Sa 6/20/26- Memorial Visit 8am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 845am (3-B: Diablo Sativa). 215pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 540pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa). 835pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 7am: Partly cloudy with temps to just over 80.  ***845am: a man (contractor?) was at the front and sides of the abandoned house peering up at the roof.  Watched 'HUNTING SEASON' (Hoopla). From IMDB: "When a reclusive survivalist and his daughter rescue a mysterious, wounded woman from a river, they become entangled in a deadly web of violence and revenge, forcing them to confront a brutal criminal to survive." It's a plotline that never tires. A righteous man with a gun and he reasons that "a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do' regardless of the absurdly high body count. He's a real Christian gentleman, except when he's blowing somebody's head off; with Sofia Hublitz ('Tag'), Mel Gibson ('Bowdrie'- what she calls her dad because her real fathe...

 Fr 6/19/26 8am {1/2 'Extreme Chill' 150 mg: 75 mg total}. 805am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 1045am (4-B: Diablo Sativa). 1045am (5-B: Diablo Sativa). 1245pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 540pm (5-B: Red Congolese). 840pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 710am: {well rested}. Sunny to partly cloudy with temps just above 80. The edible hit nicely this morning.  Watched 'R.M.N.' (Kanopy). Creepy & upsetting and it's kind of a horror film about immigration in a poor country. The film boasts an electric town meeting where many racist solutions are suggested and it becomes a textbook example of Democracy morphing into Mobocracy; "It's a medical fact that they spread diseases and they will be touching our bread"; little boy was struck dumb because he foresaw his grandfather's suicide. Very captivating.  Directed and written by Christian Mungiu. "81" Metascore and I would go to "90". The movie was filmed in Romanian villages across the Transylvan...

  Th 6/18/26 7am (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa...NEW STRAIN). 750am (4-B: Red Congolese). 945am (3-B: Diablo Sativa). 1240pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 315pm (5-B/  Diablo Sativa). 535pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 830pm (GB: 6/ Diablo Sativa).  Up 530am: Partly cloudy & breezy with temps to mid 70's.  ***620am: They hauled away the full trash receptacle from the driveway at the abandoned house. A little early? Yesterday's storms were a bit of a bust. Only an inch of rain fell on Westview and we had stronger winds in the storm last week. Although there is no denying that yesterday's sky looked deadly and it really looked like severe damage by wind or rain was imminent. Maybe it's the worst that I can remember.    Watched 'MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN' (Hoopla). A middle school teacher in a tiny Russian city (known for a successful copper smelting plant- 'The World's Most Polluted City') documents the militarization of his school and the general population during Ru...

 We 6/17/26- Branch Pickup/ Janny's Diagnosis/ Violent Storms Up 625am:  740am (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 110pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 630pm (4-B: Red Congolese). 840pm (GB: 5/ Diablo Sativa).  Another dire prediction from The Weather Channel: "Becoming windy with strong thunderstorms likely this afternoon. Storms could contain tornadoes. High 83F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 70%." I'm getting sick of the catastrophic and frightening weather forecasts every other week. The old 'Tornado Alley' weather pattern has most definitely moved east and seems it's now located right over Sangamon County.  Watched 'DENIAL' (Netflix). The film concerns a British trial about a holocaust denier who sues an American author for libel. In her book she demonstrated how Nazi policy decisions led to the extermination of millions of Jews.  The evidence was overwhelming and she would not debate a holocaust denier because it would be like debating someone who b...

 Tu 6/16/26- Roof Gutters Cleaned 9am (GB: Durban Poison). 935am (GB: 4/ Red Congolese). 105pm (5-B: Durban Poison). 3pm (5-B: Red Congolese).  550pm (5-B: Durban Poison). 830pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese).  Up 545am {to the alarm}. Morning showers about 9am then cloudy with temps to upper 70's. ***I went outside at 7am and hacked off branches on the big tree in the back and trimmed back the growth beneath it. I saw on NPR that the city will pick up branches all over the city starting this week because of last week's fierce storms. Westview's regularly scheduled pickup week begins on July 6th, so the debris pile won't sit out front for too long. REGRET: If I had engaged a professional I wouldn't have to deal with the debris at all. I can afford it. Enough of the 'A Chuck & A Truck' solutions.  The guy next door was in his backyard when I was trimming and he was on the roof by 730am and we finished just after 8am. Storm clouds were moving in from the southwest...

 Mo 6/15/26- Cut Down Pine Tree 1230pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 1pm [1/2 VIIA 'Day Drift' 100 mg: 50 mg total]. 535pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 840pm (GB: 6/ a mix of Durban & Congolese).  Up 550am (to the alarm). Partly cloudy with temps to upper 70's. Ideal weather for a chainsaw party.  I drank instant coffee and read 'Mosquito Coast' until  we began work at about 820am. I pulled on the rope and he did the cutting. The first branch came down and glanced off my back; no harm done. The next cut he lost his balance and almost fell on top of the chainsaw. Also no harm done.  After the tree was down, he handled the scraps and I went out back and trimmed back the big bush by the computer room's rear window. I ripped off most of the vines growing on the metal fence. I told him I'd give him $350 for the pine tree removal and to blow out the roof gutters.  He wanted cash so I told him I'd go to the bank [after Esporta]. When I got home I put the cash in his m...

 Su 6/14/26 750am (GB: 6/ Durban Poison). 825am (5-B: Durban Poison). 1010am (4-B: Durban Poison). 1240pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese). 210pm [two meager hits/ one hitter]. 305pm (4-B: Red Congolese). 535pm (6-B: Durban Poison). 835pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese).  Up 630am: Partly cloudy & breezy with temps to mid 70's. Feels good man.  Watched 'THE WEDDING BANQUET' (Hoopla). A sweet and intelligent gay film. A lesbian couple and a gay couple are friends. The guys want to get married but can't resolve 'green card' issues and the lesbians want a baby but IVF is too expensive. They try something that could benefit all concerned, but when one of the guys' grandmother (who is rich & influential) visits from Korea, things take a theatrical turn. Director Andrew Ahn's film (2025) is an adaptation of a film by Ang Lee (1993). Lee's film dealt with the issue of 'closeted gay' and Ahn's movie focuses on how queer people intentionally build 'chose...

 Sa 6/13/26 720am (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 755am (6-B: Red Congolese). 1240pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 225pm (5-B: Red Congolese). 435pm (GB: 4/ Durban Poison). 535pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). (no weed) Up 610am: Partly cloudy with the chance of a stray thunderstorm and temps to about 80 and then storms late.  I had one of those sessions where 'electric patterns' overwhelm my normal vision.  I took five minutes to decompress and it went away. The eye doctor said that it was similar to a migraine headache without the discomfort.  I had to wait for a windows 'update' and 'restart'...said five minutes but it was probably less than that.  Watched 'PROJECT Y' (Netflix). Two high end Korean prostitutes (sisters?) are cheated out of their savings and learn of a way to steal millions of dollars worth of gold bars from the bad guys. It's got a plotline with lots of twists and turns and some involve violent criminals, a crooked professional Korean basketball team ...

 Fr 6/12/26- Outage Power & Internet  825am (GB: 6/ Durban Poison). 920am (5-B: Durban Poison). 1205pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). 540pm (GB: 6/Durban Poison). 830pm (GB: 5/ Red Congolese).  Up 550am: Bright & sunny with temps just over 80. The AC is 'Off' at least for the morning [all day & night]. Feels good man. Before I got on the internet I cleaned up some of the smaller branches that had fallen on the driveway. I talked with the guy next door and we'll remove the pine tree Monday around 8am. $300.  When I went online the internet was down and Xfinity showed the outage on the phone; text and outage map.  I read for a while and then tried again at 730am and we were up and rolling. The red light is now 'On' at the router and this signifies that the power was 'Off'. Paid Visa   Watched 'MAPLETHORPE' (Netflix). Kind of dull, yet a somewhat engaging portrayal of a very flawed individual. The guy had many rough edges and a lot of his behavior ...

 Th 6/11/26- Agnes Fenner: 1130am/ BAD STORM 7am (GB: 5/ Congolese Red). 750am (4-B: Congolese Red). 840am (GB: 4/ Congolese Red). 1230pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 1230pm [1/2 100 VIIA 'Day Drift' Sativa: 50 mg total]. 535pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese). (no weed) Up 550am: Partly cloudy & breezy with temps to about 90 & a chance for thunderstorms this afternoon. A huge storm blew through the area last night. Trees are down in many parts of Springfield (especially near the airport; the Animal Protection League took a direct hit) and power is out in some areas near the airport. The woman's branch pile across the street was scattered and the front porch rain gauge measured over two inches. I moved the new gauge out from under the tree and to the other side of the driveway.  I was very apprehensive about the 1130am visit to 800 N. 1st because of constipation. The problem was resolved at 715am. I don't know what I'm going to say, but I've got to say something. Descr...

 We 6/10/26- Mowed Lawn 710am (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 1010am {1/2 'Extreme Chill 150 mg: 75 mg total}. 1225pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 245pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 535pm (GB: 5/ Durban Poison). 850pm (GB: 6/ Red Congolese Sativa...NEW STRAIN).  Up 610am: Hot & humid with temps to low 90's & Discomfort Index off the charts. Very violent weather to the north from Peoria to Milwaukee.  Just as I was turning on the film I got a prompt to 'restart'; it took about 3 minutes. Watched '12 HOUR SHIFT' (Netflix). An absurdist comedy that skewers White Trash characters; the writing is excellent. One night in a small hospital when a 'organs for money' plot is revealed. Mayhem ensues; written & directed by Brea Grant, produced by David Arquette. "63" Metascore and I would go to "83". From THE A.V. CLUB- "The material is edgy and at times outrageously gory and chaotic, but Bettis gives Mandy an exhausted, fed-up quality that keeps ...