Really enjoyed THE COLD WAR, a Polish film about how the Cold War and the suddenness of the Soviet intervention in Eastern Europe wreaked havoc with lives. I also liked IDA by this director some years ago.
Enjoyed ESCAPE FROM DANEMORA on Showtime. We are inside so much we keep buying more and more TV. When you are ill or depressed, you lose focus and books are harder to distract.
Enjoying Paula Munier's A BORROWING OF BONES.
Love my ECHO DOT, So cool to say Alexa play Max Richter and she does. Pretty amazing. And the sound is better than on our old stereo. Alexa is very fond of Jimmy Fallon jokes. He must be an investor.
Going to see a play now. IF/THEN. Hope it's diverting....NO! Left at intermission.
12 comments:
Glad you've been enjoying your reading, Patti. Hope you get some warmer air coming in...
A few days ago, we were dealing with -25 degree windchills. Today, we're supposed to hit 50 degrees! Amazing!
Diane and I love our new Nissan Rogue. Diane wanted the Safety features like the Lane Monitor and Backup Alarm. I like the Heated Steering Wheel and Heated Mirrors. They came in handy during the Polar Vortex. We both like the Power Liftgate.
We plan to see COLD WAR.
I reread BROTHERS KEEPERS by Donald Westlake. HARD CASE CRIME just reprinted it. Fun read!
Glad you're enjoying the Munier. I did too.
We went from 2 degrees (-16 wind chill) on Thursday morning, to 52 Sunday, and more 50s predicted today and tomorrow. I'm loving it!
Big relief that the doctor said improvement continues and I need to start "gentle strengthening" exercises for my shoulder. I can do a lot more than I could even a couple of weeks ago. And he said I can drive, though I haven't yet.
Bummer than Netflix canceled TRAVELERS, a show we were really enjoying, after Season 3. We are still on Season 2 of THE WEST WING. Also enjoying THE KOMINSKY METHOD on Netflix and RUSSIAN DOLL on Amazon Prime. We've been watching movies too: not only the excellent ROMA, but lately REDWOOD HIGHWAY (I think this was on Starz) with Shirley Knight as an 80 year old who insists on walking 80 miles to her granddaughter's wedding on the Oregon coast, and the Israeli FOXTROT (kind of a downer but well acted).
Today marks the exact midpoint of winter, Patti, so the cold weather should now be on the decline. Well, that's the theory anyway.
I'm happy about dog beaches. We went to one yesterday and enjoyed ourselves greatly watching various dogs and their owners cavorting in the sand and surf. One man took his golden retriever out on a surfboard and both had a great time. Another couple brought their very old dog with hip problems hoping a romp in the Gulf might make him feel better. Alas, the dog would have nothing to do with the water. Nice try, though. The waves, the good weather, and the company made this one of the highlights of the week. Next week Christina is planning on bringing one of her dogs. Big bonus: everybody cleaned up after their dogs.
Cranberry orange muffins. I like them but Jessie has discovered she loves them. They are her personal reward following chemo sessions.
Old pulp magazines. I have been indiscriminately dipping into the pulp stories available on Internet Archive. WEIRD TALES, NEW WORLDS, DIME DETECTIVE, ADVENTURE, ASTOUNDING...so many great stories available at my fingertips.
A not-so-fierce hunter. A skink somehow made into our living room this week and has taken up residence under our television. The little lizard has been driving the cat crazy. Sadly, Willow does not really know how to cat, so the quick little skink keeps foiling her best hunting techniques. I wish no harm to the skink and Willow is so inept as a hunter that I have not bothered to move the skink to the wild outdoors.
We've been watching a lot of humorous compilations on Youtube. There's always something to tickle the funnybone. (I avoid the supposedly funny ones of people accidentally hurting themselves of others, a la AMERICA'S FUNNIEST VIDEOS. I've got no time for that @#$%) As I type there is one on about people at Walmart. I find people at Walmart to be endlessly fascinating, as well as people not at Walmart:
http://bitsandpieces.us/2019/02/i-dont-have-to-get-all-dressed-up/
As always, your blog is one of the best parts of my week. I hope this coming week is a glorious one for both you and Phil.
Jerry-did you ever read the book of stories I put together about people at Walmart called DISCOUNT NOIR. We had fun writing them.
Jerry, so glad you continue to improve. Thanks for the TV recs. TV is saving us right now.
George, we used to put 15,000 a year on the car. Now it is like 3000. But I wish we had gotten a bigger car now that we have to be out with all these huge SUVs.
Things I am complaining about:
• My annual trivia team did not place during the Knickerbocker Ice Festival competition this past Friday.
• I was then sick all Saturday, tried to be at work, had to call someone else in, went home to bed.
• I tried to go cross country skiing on Friday afternoon but the thick snow kept the polar vortex off the ice and there was still slush underneath the snow. Now the lake is all slush and the snow is melted off the nearby recreational trail.
Happy News:
• I've been watching FUTURE MAN on Hulu and enjoying it quite a bit. I started the second season over the weekend.
• Boy #1 tells us as little as possible about school. He joined the Forensics Club this year and I was glad to hear of it. My wife was out with friends Saturday night while I was sick and she found out the Forensics Club has an after-school meet today. She mentioned to Boy #1 that "Maybe you should keep us informed so I don't find out about your school schedule from a friend at a bar."
• I set one of our bicycles up in the basement on the indoor trainer and made a rough, wooden frame to hold my computer tablet. Now I can pedal along and watch TV. I should listen to an audiobook but have not.
I welcome the warmer temps this week.
Enjoyed New Iberia Blues by James Lee Burke but I figure Dave Robicheaux must be about 80 following the series timeline but acts more like 60. Now reading the new John Lescroart.
Not watching a lot of series tv right now. Liked The Bodyguard and am liking True Detective. Need to catch up on season 2 of Counterpoint.
Not much to see at the movies but am going to catch up on Vice this week.
After reading the above posts I am reminded that I saw the 1973 Burt Reynolds flick, SHAMUS on Amazon Prime. SHAMUS was a fun movie. There were only a few of Burt-isms - like the smirk - ad enjoyed the story and 1973 New York.
Every week I'm AMAZED at all the various TV inputs everyone seems to have, most of it, I suppose, the streaming kind. We get none of that, and with paying Comcast over $150 a month for straight cable, I can't imagine adding additional services. So we'll have to be satisfied with PBS and Turner Classic Movies.
I'm happy we have had none of the nasty cold weather the rest of you have experienced. The weather people said we might get a "light dusting" of snow today, but it hasn't even rained, and the low this morning was 34. Now they say maybe tomorrow. I doubt they know. We have had snow every winter since we've lived here, but it's possible there'll be none this year, which is bad for the summer water supply.
I'm not doing a lot except reading these days, though we did watch the Super Bowl and were pleased with the result, even if the game was slow and low scoring.
I am thinking you must read about ten hours a day, Rick, whereas it is two for me. I used to be able to read a lot longer. And movies really mean a lot to me. A very different but equally rewarding experience from reading.
I forgot all about Counterpoint, Steve. Just too many places to look now, I guess.
I don't think I ever saw SHAMUS. Was never a big Reynold's fan although my daughter is.
We decided to avoid possible confusion by recording Counterpart (not Counterpoint) and watching Berlin Station this season. But the latter has been a disappointment most of the season (improved lately) with the nasty "invade Estonia" plot. Oh well, only two more episodes before we can move on.
Been a tough couple of weeks here as the boy genuis caught a cold and then sent it on to me. Am hoping we both are by the worst parts of it.
We were in the 80s the last couple of days and this morning at 5 AM were awoken by crashing thunder, high winds, and small hail. Thankfully, the hail did not get above marble sized and seems to have done no damage here. We also missed out on the violent fight, multiple police chases, carjacking, car crash into a utility pole, and subsequent shooting in a house nearby in our area of NE Dallas. It was major news here yesterday evening though I don't know it that one went nationwide. We were safely at UTD as the boy genuis had class so we were not out and about driving around when this latest round of chaos exploded.
K
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