Monday, July 30, 2018

Things That Are Making Me Happy





Once again thanks to the friends that took me shopping, to the movies, out to lunch, out to dinner this week . Boy, am I lucky. See not driving has its benefits.

Another hard week. Less than three weeks to go though. Phil's been in pain for five weeks now, I don't know how he does it. And why nothing seems to cure it. It's like a constant barrage of kidney stones making their way out.

Saw EIGHTH GRADE, which was one of the most realistic looks at being a thirteen year old girl I have seen. Such a great Dad too. That is the second film this year that has portrayed a father so lovingly. (CALL MY NAME)

So much fun looking at the story boards and tryout tapes Megan has been sending me. Of course, they need real cheerleaders to do the cheers because actresses would break their lovely necks.

How about you guys? 


12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wishing you and Phil well as you go through this... I'm glad you have a close circle of friends to support you.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I've been looking forward to seeing EIGHTH GRADE since I read about it and saw a couple of short scenes. One of these days. We just seem to do all our movie going in our three months in Florida. Back home it is Broadway and off-Broadway and concerts, plus the occasional baseball game. We've done a fair amount of both this year and have a bunch of concerts (Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris with Graham Nash and Jackson Browne in a benefit for refugee families - sadly, this year, they are families HERE rather than Europe as in the past, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, The Eagles, The Rascals, and we just added Jeff Lynne's ELO. We also have tickets in September for MY FAIR LADY (at Lincoln Center) and (finally) COME FROM AWAY.

Then there is travel. When Jackie was working we were pretty much restricted to the summer. Now we spend the winters in Florida and take shorter trips during the year. We had a few days in Connecticut, and will be spending a few days in Washington in mid-August. We have a week in New Orleans in November, and just added the St. Petersburg Bouchercon in September. Next year we'll be going father afield, probably Texas and Oregon.

The "event" this week was Renee Taylor's one woman show, based on her 1986 memoir, MY LIFE ON A DIET. And what an eventful 85 years she has had! It was a very entertaining 90 minutes, going through her early years and her many friends, including Marilyn Monroe and Barbra Streisand, illustrated with pictures and short film clips. We loved the stories about her mother - "Hello, Marilyn. Frieda." - and the brief section about her 53 year marriage to Joseph Bologna. If she comes to your area, check it out.

Otherwise, just catching up on television. We finished season two of MARCELLA (did NOT see that end coming) and the first season of SECRET CITY, and will finish season one of WANTED (another good Aussie show) tonight. We're really enjoying DEEP STATE on Epix (the last part is coming next Sunday), and started season two of THE INDIAN DOCTOR (set in South Wales in 1964) last night (on Acorn).

Our thoughts are frequently with you and Phil. I hope there is better news coming very soon.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Saw Mission Impossible. It's the best in the series. Very well done action film and I'm not a Tom Cruise fan.
Watched first season of Scott and Bailey. Doubt I'll watch the rest. The story lines aren't very interesting and Lesley Sharpe always looks like she just smelled something really bad.I also didn't see the end of Marcella coming.
Read Give Me Your Hand by Megan and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended. Also liked Safe Houses by Dan Fesperman. Now reading City of Devils by Paul French.

George said...

Hope Phil's health improves. Pain Management is important! Opioids have been demonized, but they have a role in post-surgery and situations like Phil's.

Saw MISSION IMPOSSIBLE--FALLOUT and loved it! Great action movie!

EIGHTH GRADE hasn't opened here yet, but it's at the top of our SEE REAL SOON list.

We enjoyed a few 70 degree days over the weekend, but temperatures return to the 80s this week...with humidity. Yuck!

The BUFFALO BILLS opened their Training Camp so football isn't far away!

Mathew Paust said...

Sounds like that garage door collapse really banged up the car. Glad your friends are stepping up. Mentioning kidney stones makes me wince--I've had two, and now drink plenty of water to keep that pain far far away. I can't imagine what Phil is going thru, and my very best wishes are with him during his ordeal.

Been raining every day here for most of last week, and the forecast calls for the same all this week. At first people were saying, We need the rain. No one's saying that anymore. I walk 5 miles every morning, and have been lucky enuf to get it in before the rain starts--except for one day last week. Caught in a downpour and arrived home drenched to the bone.

Broke down and went to my first movie in months--MI-Fallout at the neighborhood theater Saturday. Incredible special effects. That last scene of Cruise spitting something out was the perfect comic relief I needed. All-in-all a humdinger of a flick. Be interesting to see how long he can keep making them before age catches up with him.

Rick Robinson said...

I'm not convinced about your claim of the positives of not driving, but it's good you have friends who can chauffeur you. I'd be in a real bind if I couldn't drive and if also Barbara couldn't. I believe "stuck" is the word.

Saw no movies, but we watched the Tour de France every day, have for the last three weeks, but it ended yesterday. Now we're in withdrawal, it was on every morning at about 5am. Barbara is always awake then anyway, and I usually dragged myself up soon after. Not sure what it is we find so enthralling, but we love it. Now I'll have a little more reading time, or puzzle time.

It's been wretchedly hot here. We have set an all-time record for most consecutive 90 or higher days. The last day it was below 90 was 11 days ago. It will continue until Thursday, when it will drop to mid-80s (still too hot for me). This hot weather is innervating. We run the air conditioning around the clock, plus the ceiling fans, plus a portable fan. The house stays cool but going outside is awful. I really, really hate this heat, and it's only July. I dread August and September. Plus we have had no rain in two months and everything is so dry. The wildfires are just awful. It's the air and fans I'm happy for.

I really am glad Phil is able to soldier on the way he is, and sincerely hope things get better SOON!

Jerry House said...

As with everyone else, we are pulling for you and Phil and hoping he will be feeling better real soon. Your motherly pride in Megan and her incredible success is certainly well deserved.

As for me...

Happiness begins (as always) with Kitty and my family. Christina and the kids painted their living room and it looks great. Walt moved to a new job with a bit more money (his old job contract was running out). Their homemade soap business is doing well, their packing has been improved, and they are offering many new scents. Mark has been taking keyboard lessons and loves it. Erin took part in the school beginning-of-the-season band/color guard extravaganza and did wonderful. Jack slept over last night -- something's that always fun. Jessamyn is doing very well with her treatments and her attitude is amazing. Amy found a kitten (hiding in the engine!) of a co-workers car and added it to the menagerie. Ceili is busy with her nail salon business and is thinking of going back to school. Grandcat Willow recovered nicely from surgery and granddog Pirate continues to recover from her surgery.

Hard to believe, but some of the news has made me happy. John Lewis has been released from the hospital. (I know it's dangerous to put people on a pedestal, but he is a personal hero.) Our national clown show continues but the clown in chief seems to be losing ground. Every day there seems to be news of people acting out of kindness and every day there seems to be news of people rejecting hate. NASA is celebrating 60 years of wowing me. (Well, maybe they are not celebrating me personally being wowed, but I am.) The internet provides me with articles and pictures of the wonders of nature. I'm not sure if the happy stuff is outweighing the terrifying stuff but I'll whatever I can.

Watched the second season of CARDINAL (based on the Giles Blunt character) and thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the telegraphing of the "shock" ending. We also watched the first three episodes of CASTLE ROCK and liked it. (It took three days to watched episode three, though -- it kept stopping halfway through and going back to the beginning. I don't know if the problem was with the streaming service or what.)

I read another four volumes of the Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips graphic novel CRIMINAL. Tough, unrelenting, and wonderful. I finally was able to get back to John Connolly's HE, a novel about Laurel and Hardy. Fantastic writing and highly recommended.

Came back from my dental appointment about half an hour ago. Not sure what they did but it involved blood, stitches, novacaine that took way too long to set in, and a $1400 tab. I'm woozy, but by God I survived. That's a good thing.

Hope you survive the coming week with joy and happiness rather than nasties and unpleasantness. Best to both you and Phil.

Gerard Saylor said...

I had a full week of Boy Scout summer camp in Northern Wisconsin. Only one of my sons was interested in camp and he seemed to have a good time. We had a couple nights of rain but I think most things stayed dry, or didn't get too damp at least. Coffee was available 24 hours a day and came from a machine that mixed a concentrate with hot water. The coffee was pretty decent.

I had little reading time over the week but finished SOAK by Patrick E. McClean and thought it was very good.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Am going to look for CARDINAL. I am enjoying DCI BANKS although he is miscast. In ther second series when he advises a new female officer about how to make friends, I had to laugh. He is just as much a stiff as she is.
I went to camp from 9-14 and loved it.
Yes, driving would be better. Phil should have been stricter with me.
Thanks, Jeff, I am very sad not to be at Bouchercon.
Glad you liked the book, Steve. It looks like it might be her best selling book at this point.
Thanks, Matt. I am hoping to see IMF even though I loathe Cruise. I am a sucker for such good reviews.

TracyK said...

I hope Phil's health improves and things get better for both of you, Patti.

I finished Queenpin tonight. I was so tense reading the first half I did not know if I could finish it, then I relaxed with the second half and enjoyed it. Wow, such tension, I did not know I could feel that much tension reading a book.

I will read You Will Know Me in the next month or two.

Mathew Paust said...

I've never liked Cruise, either, Patti, especially after learning he stayed in a motel with his mother when doing Minority Report scenes here in Gloucester. I wouldn't cross the street to meet him, but some of his movies have been entertaining. With the phenomenal special effects, clever direction, and editing in MI, Cruise was more prop than anything. I found it a little long, but it held my attention throughout.

Kevin R. Tipple said...

Can't find CARDINAL on my viewing options here....still looking.

Our 100 plus and plus again finally stopped at 112 and then broke a coupe of days later. We even got a little rain.