Monday, June 18, 2018

Things That Are Making Me Happy


The Dakota Inn Rathskeller was opened on August 1, 1933 by Karl Kurz, the Grandfather of Karl E. Kurz, the present owner. EIGHTY FOUR years later, Detroit’s only authentic German bar is still going strong! We celebrated my daughter-in-law's mother's birthday there on Saturday night.

Thursday night we attended a performance of the Great Lakes Chamber Series with our friends the Boyles, which takes place every June at many venues over several weeks. The concert we saw was at the gorgeous Kirk in the Hills Church.

                                      My son and family came over for Father's Day. A nice time.Kevin is now a middle-schooler. Where did the years go?

Very much enjoying Bailey and Scott on Amazon Prime.

What about you?

17 comments:

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Went to my oldest daughters for a barbecue on fathers day. Her outdoor thermostat said 97 at 4:00.
Saw First Reformed. Reminded me a lot of Bergman films like Winters Light and Through a Glass Darkly. Good performances.
Read $MM (sex money murder) by Jonathan Green about a NYC gang in the projects during the crack heyday. Also The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatti. Next up The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz.
Still enjoying Westworld and Bill Maher on HBO. And the Detroit Tigers. Only two and a half games out of first place when they were expected to be dead last.
Will probably binge watch the second season of Goliath on Amazon Prime. I enjoyed the first.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yes, SCOTT AND BAILEY was quite entertaining. There is a lot of back story involved with the show, but if you're interested, you can look on Wikipedia.

We watched the first DEEP STATE last night on Epix. Good so far. On the other hand, there are shows Jackie likes that I don't. One is the first series of SIX (as in Navy Seal Team Six), derivative of so many other shows that you get a constant deja vu feeling. I'm hoping Season Two is more interesting with the addition of Olivia Munn. The other I dislike intensely is yet another psycho serial killer story on WGN America, 100 CODE, with a badly miscast Dominic Monaghan (as a New York cop) and the late Michael Nyquist (as a Swedish cop) hunting a serial killer who has apparently moved from New York to Stockholm. There is literally nothing about this I like.

What did I like this week? THE BOOK OF MORMON was as fun (if extremely raunchy, so definitely NOT for kids) as everyone said it was. It's in its eighth year on Broadway. Also the Lucinda Williams/Steve Earle concert. This week we have John Fogerty and ZZ Top at Jones Beach (and we'll be staying at the local Marriott out there), and an Ultimate Do-Wop concert next weekend, with Lou Christie, The Tokens, The Marvelettes, The Coasters, Joey Dee, and Willie Winfield & the Harptones, best known for "A Sunday Kind of Love" (1953!).

I also finished three collections of stories and David Sedaris's diary (1977-2002). I'm currently reading (among other things) Penelope Fitzgerald's HUMAN VOICES, a novel based on her time working at the BBC Headquarters in London in 1940, between the fall of France and the Blitz, when she was in her early twenties.

And the Yankees continue to have the best record in baseball.

Anonymous said...

Sounds as though you had some happy things going on, Patti, and that's great.

Jerry House said...

Flag Day, my father-in-law's birthday, and ice cream...what's not to like? The family came over with ice cream and fixings and we gorged ourselves on sundaes and banana splits.

Not to be outdone, on Father's Day, Jessie and the girls came over with PIE! Key lime pie and blueberry pie. Yummy! I made up a batch of chili, being sure to save some for Christina and her brood when they stop by today.

The long-delayed conclusion to SENSE8 aired on Netflix. Lana Wachowski is currently writing a complete third season, just in case. I hope the demand grows and season 3 will be green-lighted. In the meantime, Prime is streaming PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, which I am looking forward to. Coming later, JACK RYAN and CASTLE ROCK, both of which look good.

I am very happy about Internet Archive, which is allowing me to read books and stories I might not otherwise. I'm currently dipping into stories in the four-volume ROMANTIC TALES (1808) by Matthew G. Lewis, author of the Gothic classic THE MONK.

Having painted our living room, dining room, and hallway, Christina, Mark and Erin will be over today to paint our bedroom. Because Mark is meticulous, he does the trim work. On Thursday Chrstina and Erin are off for a trip to Greece and Mark is off to Maryland to visit friends, then to Virginia to see his other grandparents.

Jessamyn is doing well despite being tired and losing hair. Shortly before she shaved her head in a preemptive strike, she and Amy were in a Friendly's Restaurant and Amy said, "Do your trick, Mom." So Jessie reached up and pulled out a large chunk of her hair, to the dismay of some of the other customers. So, yeah, my family is evil like that.

Enjoy everything wonderful this week brings you, Patti.

George said...

I enjoyed THE INCREDIBLES 2, but I'm still puzzled why it took Pixar 14 years to produce a sequel to the original classic.

I went for routine blood work last week and today I have an appointment with my internist today for my Yearly Physical. I expect a glowing report!

The weather has been hot, but my A/C works just fine!

pattinase (abbott) said...

I just did that routine last week, George. Everything was okay except for HBP.
Phi, after seventeen chemos & 12 radiations & two surgeries is tired all the time.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I had blood work too. He changed one of my blood pressure medications. Seems it can cause coughing as a side effect. Now he tells me! I had been coughing more the past few weeks. Jackie has to do it twice a year to make sure her thyroid medication is still working properly. Now we have the dentist (semi-annual visit) and Jackie has to go for a hearing test.

By coincidence, Patti, we also went to a (local) German restaurant last week, and I really appreciated the real beer on tap. I admit to being a beer snob, but I can't stand most of the crap turned out by the major brewers in this country. Busch? Miller? Pfui!

Rick Robinson said...

Since this has turned into a medical report...I'm happy my PSA was so good, but my A1C was up. I may have to increase my insulin shots.

I'm happy the garden is nice, but boy, it's hot. Could be 90 today, much to hot for June, that's July-August temps. Like George, we'll be running the air conditioning. Sorry about your HBP, Patti, whatever that is. Everyone uses initials for everything these days, as if we all know every one of them.

We had a big thunder storm yesterday, while it was in the 80s, and was it a show! Then later there was a double rainbow. Beautiful.

pattinase (abbott) said...

High blood pressure, but it is controlled. Jeff, was it Lisinopril? They changed mine for that.
I am not much of a fan of German food or of beer. But everyone else thought it was swell.

Charles Gramlich said...

Makes me want to get back to Weidekers in Arkansas. Great german food

pattinase (abbott) said...

I have never been in Arkansas. Have to put that on my list.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yes, it was Lisinopril. He switched it to Losartan, which Jackie was already taking.

We loved the Hofbrauhaus and Augustiner Bierhalle in Munich. I love sausages, most kinds.

Gerard Saylor said...

I suggested Arkansas, TN, and NC as vacation destinations for this summer. My wife vetoed because she did not want to spend money in a state that voted Trump. I rolled my eyes. Especially since we are going to WY - voted Trump - and we live in WI - which went to Trump.

I am happy for working air conditioning, my van's flat tire costing just $23 to fix, and a new trailer hitch that will hold a bicycle rack.

pattinase (abbott) said...

That is what I was switched to also, Jeff. They must be cleaning up.

pattinase (abbott) said...

My air conditioner is making strange sounds. Ugh.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Steve-Mark Duplas is a villain. No!!

Todd Mason said...

Because Duplas is unconvincing as a villain?

I like 100 CODE rather better than Jeff does...it's based on a Ken Bruen novel...the recently concluded CB STRIKE on Cinemax just a cut below 100 CODE for me, and based on J,K, Rowling's adult crime fiction. Everyone, I think, agrees that Monaghan was a bad fit for a driven, bitter NYC cop, but even given that he has a decent moment or two.

All good things in re everyone's health. I'll spare the assembled, at this late hour, my chiming in.