Phil got out three times this week. We saw two movies and had a lunch and a dinner with various friends. For the moment things are looking good. Fingers crossed.
Enjoyed JULIET NAKED and SEARCHING at the movies. Enjoyed AFTERMATH by Peter Robinson. OZARK seems too much like last year's version although I have to give them credit with keeping the plot moving at breakneck speed. BETTER CALL SAUL is a much better show to me. Didn't like JACK RYAN but Phil might.
Beginning to thin out the annuals. I never was completely in charge of the garden before this year and it shows a difference in philosophy. I am a big one for thinning things out whereas Phil likes to thicken it up.
What about you?
14 comments:
I'm glad to hear that Phil is making progress! And that dinner sounds fascinating. I'm sure you'll really enjoy it.
Well, the big deal of the week was Bouchercon here in St. Petersburg, which is nice despite the weather - 90 and very humid every day, with daily shoes or thunderstorms. Back after breakfast.
Hope you don't run into Florence, Jeff.
Yes, it should be an interesting evening, Margot. Not getting a local paper and not watching local news handicaps us in many ways.
Like you, we enjoyed JULIET, NAKED. The next movie on our list is BEL CANTO.
The weather finally moderated from the high 80s to the mid-70s. Much more comfortable!
On the downside, the Buffalo Bills laid an egg in Baltimore with a 47-3 thrashing by the Ravens. Could be a long season...
Glad to hear Phil is getting out more. I've read mixed reviews of JACK RYAN. We might give it a try.
As I was saying...looks like New York is getting the remnants of Gordon today. We'll be going home tomorrow and it shouldn't be an issue.
We had a pretty good time despite the fact that few of our friends were at the convention this year. Looks like next year's 50th Bouchercon in Dallas will have a bigger turnout. We did see some entertaining panels - including an amusing one on Florida Man, with Tim Dorsey - and got to spend a lot of time with Bill Crider's daughter Angela and her husband Tom. She got to present the first Bill Crider Memorial Award for Series Entry at the Anthonys. Perhaps appropriately, it went to Sue Grafton for her final book. Thanks to Angela for giving me an ARC of Bill's final Sheriff Dan Rhodes book, THAT OLD SCOUNDREL DEATH.
It is a nice area - the convention was at the Marriott Vinoy resort, but we're ten miles north, just across the bay from Tampa Airport - but we both prefer West Palm Beach on the East Coast.
I read a few things before we left (see Rick's blog), but haven't had much time for reading here.
Also enjoyed Juliet, Naked. Not much else out there to see this week. Enjoying Ozark but it is just more of the same. Agree Better Call Saul is better. Liked the first couple episodes of Jack Ryan. I would give it a B.
Weather went from 90 to 58. A little too cool. But it is supposed to get warmer this week.
Reread a couple of favorite Elmore Leonards this week. Freaky Deaky and City Primeval.
Here, mums in the garden are making me happy. Although I'm losing the battle with weeds... Afraid to watch Ozarks or Jack Ryan for reasons mentioned by others, just finished Sneaky Pete (not bad).
I've been to one Bouchercon (St. Louis a handful of years ago) and had a decent time for not knowing anyone there. I was very happy to see Angela Crider Neary's post about the Bill Crider Award.
I saw WIND RIVER last week and thought it was pretty good. I especially like that the male and female characters were not pushed into a love affair. The female character did not need any rescuing - to me that shoot-out finale does not count. The hunter did not look at the lions and give the "I've had too much killing" cliche, he was going to continue his job until he noticed snow tracks away from the lion den.
Boy #2 is doing recreation league soccer. This is less competitive than the club teams around here. Which means the kids don't practice as often and the rec league has trouble getting knowledgeable coaches from among the parents. I never volunteered because I know jack all about soccer. I ended up volunteering out of necessity and now I am watching training videos on Amazon Prime.
Boy #1 had his first mountain bike race of the season yesterday and finished 11 out of 33 which is his best race yet. Maybe that expensive new bicycle made the difference. My wife took him out last weekend to buy cleats for cross country. His next race with the new shoes was one of his best ever. I think the spiked shoes give much better grip and I imagine he was more confident in not slipping on the grassy and sometimes wet courses they run.
I tried reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF SEVEN KILLINGS and bailed out. It did not click with me. I did enjoy the how James wrote the Jamaican accent.
I'm glad we have the front, curbside bed cleaned out. We removed more than two dozen Iris that need dividing, and will be replanting some and giving many away to friends. This coming Saturday we're going to a plant lecture by the owners of Far Reaches Nursery in Washington, given at a local community college. We have pre-ordered some Prescaria to put into the newly prepared bed. So soil turning and improvement this week along with other gardening. Supposed to rain today and Wednesday but I'll work it in (pun). In the process of cleaning out the bed, we stirred up a ground wasp nest and we both got several stings. Ouch! Still bothering me a couple days later. We had to do some eradication will ammonia.
Books are flowing in from the library, John Varley's IRONTOWN BLUES, Anthony Horowitz's MAGPIE MURDERS, the latest Christopher Tolkien, THE FALL OF GONDOLIN, and others waiting. I need to read, read, read!
First year we planted no mums and don't have any in pots. I miss them and might still try to get a couple for the entry way. I liked WIND RIVER too. Has anyone seen YELLOWSTONE. People seem to like it but the reviews are pretty harsh.
I do need to plant tulips soon. Have to take the annuals out first and they are doing well in that bed. Going to watch THE DEUCE tonight although I have soured on it since Megan and Lisa left.
Jackie watched YELLOWSTONE. I didn't. She liked it because it is a western, though she fast forwarded every scene with the awful daughter.
The news I have seen in recent days regarding Phil and several other cancer fighters.
I am very glad that Phil is making strides in his cancer battle. As always, you and your family are in my thoughts. On our homefront, Jessie will be going in for a lumpectomy in a week or so and everything looks very hopeful.
I was happy to watch granddaughter Erin perform with the Color Guard at the first home football game of the year. It was a very difficult routine and she did fabulous. I was as happy with the football game. Rude (sometimes drunk) spectators caused us to move several times; one sob kept kicking Kitty's back. When we left after half time, our side was ahead by to touchdowns -- both teams played very well and I enjoyed what went on the field. Go Dolphins! But this was the last high school football game for us.
After the game we stopped off at DQ with Christina and the Kangaroo. Turns out that their Heath Bar Blizzard is scrumptious. I'm trying to drop 50 pounds and this didn't help...but it was sooo good. I had dropped 20 pounds already but for the past few days have bounced back and forth a pound. Time to get serious again.
I cannot say that the clown car that is the current administration makes me happy, but schadenfreude has reared its head over Trump's very bad, horrible, no-good week. But if Trump goes we get Pence who is just less obviously batshit crazy. And if Trump and Pence go we get Paul Ryan, who is considered an intellectual by Republicans because he has read Ayn Rand. Reasonable people stop believing in Rand after their sophomore year in college, but not Paul Ryan, whose intellect matches that of my front doorknob. (Yes, I am fervently liberal. Please love me in spite of that.)
I enjoyed JACK RYAN much more than I thought I would am will look forward to Season 2. I'm seven episodes down (with three to go) on Season 2 of IRON FIST. I found the first season kind of blah, but I'm really getting into the current season.
Just heard on NPR that Joan Baez is about to embark on her final tour. I'm getting old.
Have a great week and keep the good news about Phil coming!
Phil will probably watch Jack Ryan without me.
Glad for the good news all around.
Post a Comment