Have you read ON THE ROAD? I never made it through although both Phil and Megan were fans and I remember going to an exhibition of artifacts at the NYPL on 42nd Street a few years back. The movie was good enough but all of the info was widely known facts.
Also saw SKETCH, which turned out to be a kids' movie.
Watching THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT on Britbox, PLATONIC (Apple) and THE GILDED AGE. Still reading ABSOLUTION. So wickedly hot here.
We had a water main break here and I have to boil water for another day. Wonder if that is heat-related.
What about you?
12 comments:
Sorry to hear about the water main break, Patti. I hope it's all fixed soon. It has been awfully hot, hasn't it? That just impacts everything!
I did finally read most of ON THE ROAD (I skimmed some of the later part) about 10 years ago.
We're having a more Patti-like week than usual - one concert last night and another tomorrow. We saw The Doobie Brothers last night, with the Coral Reefer Band at Jones Beach last night.
More later.
I rarely get to real concerts. You and Jackie seem to live in the right place for concerts. Here it's local groups imitating famous ones.
Yes, the heat this summer was been crushing. Getting no exercise.
It's been a tough week for the home team. Thursday marked the third anniversary of Kitty's death, bringing abut a wave of melancholy. To cheer me up, Christina and Amy took me out for tacos; just being with them is enough to put a smile on anyone's face, although the fish taco I ordered was 90% guac and 10% small chunks of grilled fish with all the flavor taken out It's also been a frustrating week fighting with my bank. Since my ransomware attack the week before, the Bank of America computers no longer recognize me and I cannot gain online access to my account. I spent a frustrating hour with the it's help desk, which could explain what was happening, nor how to get back to my account; they advised they go my local office and speak to someone in person. I spent another hour at the bank the next day and they could not get their computers to recognize me. I tried again two days later with both the bank personnel and the help desk to no avail. My bank also suggested I not use my account since there appears to be spyware on my computer targeting the account. For the past fifteen years I have paid all my bills directly through the bank; at the moment the only bill I am concerned with is my monthly medical insurance bill. It is now 11 days overdue and I will have pay it by check via snail mail -- once I dig up the address and my account number, both of which can be accessed through my bank account which won't let me in. **sigh** I will probably have to get a new bank, which means switching all of my direct deposits -- another frustrating task. Although I could not access my account, the bank is still able to check and ensured me that none of my money had been touched, but they warned me again not to try to get into my account because then the potential scammers will try to raid it. (Not that there's much in it.) I hate banks and I hate computers.
Speaking of which, I was also lcked out of my computer for a couple of days this past week because of another spyware attack. It took my computer guy less than twenty minutes to free up the computer, costing me just 425. The last time it happened, the Best Buy Geek squad wanted to charge me over $200 and it took nearly a week to get my computer back. Go figure.
To add to my woes, my back went out again and I have spent three days in pain and basic immobility. The worst part of that was that I was unable to beach this weekend and I really needed the calming effects of the beach.
Today also happens to be my father's birthday. He would have been 109. He was a fantastic person, much loved by all and was the man I loved and respected more than any other. He died much too early, 44 years ago, after a truly horrifying accident -- an ending no one deserves. So today is filled with both warm and sad thoughts about him.
Today is also the first day of school.. Jack, now a teenager, is entering the eight grade. He promises to have a great year and will not burn down the school. One can only hope. Christina's student is embarking on the fourth grade; she met with the classroom teacher on Friday and is looking forward to a great working relationship.
No television and just a few books this week: NEXT by Michael Crichton (my FFB this week), THE NIGHT BIRDS, the latest horror novel from Christopher Golden was suitably chilling, and a large compilation of Thirteen Batman comic books: BATMAN; KNIGHTFALL, VOLUME THREE: KNIGHTSEND by Doug Moench, Alan Grant, chuck Dixon, Jo Duffy, and Dennis O'Neil -- this sage follows Batman's attempt at a comeback after being crippled and defeated by Bane.
Better times are coming for all of us. Stay safe and stay well, Patti.
As I was saying... unlike so many times we've been there over the years, last night we had near perfect weather, mid-70s, low humidity, clear skies and a nearly full moon. The concert was fun, it seemed sold out. The Coral Reefers did 70 minutes of Jimmy Buffett songs and talked about him. They are opening 20 concerts for the Doobies on this tour, and they could probably keep it going for a while.
The Doobie Brothers did 90 minutes. Three of the original members are performing, with Michael McDonald, who joined the group as a replacement in the mid-70s.
Jones Beach is getting to be a hassle to get to, and there are fewer concerts for us every year, so this might be the last time.
Some years ago we started staying at the Long Island Marriott rather than driving home after the concerts, plus it's a nice break.
Tomorrow night is Jackson Browne at the Beacon on Broadway and 74th Street, and that is a hassle to get home from since Jackie refuses to ride the subway, so we're staying at a Marriott on 37th Street off Fifth Avenue.
You really did have a tough week, Jerry. Hang in there.
Saturday would have been my mother's 100th birthday.
Supermarket and other air-conditioned-space walking can count toward the exercise, particularly if, like me, you go to four+ markets in a shopping day to gather the items two house-apes and two house-cats prefer. We've had a not quite break in the Philly/Camden area, of low/mid '80s F in daylight, dropping to lower 60s overnight.
Patti, if you haven't seen it, Timothy Spall was also great in Death Valley on Britbox. Never heard of The Sixth Commandment.
Sarah Lancashire has been getting a lot of attention lately with Happy Valley and Julia, but we found a couple of her much earlier series, probably on Britbox too. ROSE AND MALONEY (2002, I think) has her as a woman working to correct miscarriages of justice, who discovers the man she helped free from prison was actually guilty, and rubs that fact in her face. Her partner, also in many other shows, was Phil Davis, and both look a lot younger.
The other Lancashire show was even earlier, 1997, WHERE THE HEART IS, not a mystery but a family drama set in Yorkshire, with Lancashire a young (28 ) nurse working with her older sister in law, Pam Ferris, who is clearly the star of the show.
NEW SCIENTIST on easing one's way into "alternate" exercise: https://archive.ph/0lvlD
Western NY is in the middle of a Heat Wave! It was 91 yesterday. We'll be in the 90s today and tomorrow. Drought is a real possibility here. We're hoping for rain on Wednesday, but we would need several inches--not in the forecast--to recover.
Patrick is in Seattle at a computer conference. Diane entertained her sister who visited with us this weekend. Diane and Carol spent Saturday at the Lewiston Arts Festival. I stayed home and watched WEDNESDAY on Netflix.
Several communities south of Buffalo have been boiling water. It could be heat-related. Stay safe!
All my best to Jerry. I've never dealt with scammer instigated bank trouble but have heard plenty about the trouble it takes to get things squared. My mother had someone use a paper check to steal some money from her account. Not much was taken but the resolution was never quite clear. The bank covered the losses. Insuring against that kind of theft is big business.
Heat and humidity is high again. Took the dog on a short-ish walk early yesterday evening. Usually I'm annoyed by the dog lagging behind and slowing me down. Yesterday I was purposefully walking slow so I wouldn't be soaked in sweat once I got home.
Spent a good part of Saturday cleaning out our garage in expectation of using it as storage for Boy #1's apartment belongings. The garage is an old carriage barn and had a couple spots used by animals as nesting. I threw out so much stuff I filled our rolling garbage can and had to stop until garbage day (today) empties the bin.
I've been listening to AWAKENED by Laura Elliott. It's a post-apocalypse story with a twist on zombie stories. People who had chips implanted in their brains to stop having to sleep go nutso and attack and eat others. Unlike other stories of the type, the plot is almost entirely inside a safe Tower of London and there are no big power struggles or evil bad guys within the survivor group. Initial discussions and philosophy on the nature of monsters, medical ethics, and evolution was interesting. Then is just got repetitive.
Also reading PLAYWORD by Adam Ross after a recommendation by comedian Anthony Jeselnik. Jeselnik had a TV show at one point that I used to catch and he often made references to reading and books. I read an online list of his favorites of 2025 with PLAYWORLD one of them. Set in 1980 NYC and a teen actor is getting sexually abused by an older woman. Not the the kid recognizes the abuse as abuse. Nor, quite understands that he was just sexually abused by his wrestling coach.
Not to go off on too many tangents, but the wrestling coach character reminded by of Denny Hastert. Then I got thinking of the current GOP's allowance of any behavior as long as they get what the want. Then, back to the novel in 1980 where the description of Reagan so closely matches the current jackass in chief.
Anyhoo.
I'm on Season 2 of PENNYWORTH which is about the earlier life of Batman's butler. Still enjoying the alternate history take on 1950-60s London and an English civil war.
Sixth Commandment is just four episodes and Spall in only in the first. The guy who plays the villain is terrifying. PLAYWORLD has been recommended to me a lot as well as his first novel MR PEANUT.
Jeez, Jerry. That bank stuff is really scary. I would be completely incompetent to handle it. All my bills are paid automatically.
Patrick seems like he is on the road a lot.
I looked at the list for Bouchercon this year and no one I would talk to was going. Except for Megan.
Love Jackson Browne.
I am going to see a doc about Jeff Buckley tomorrow. I barely remember him but my friend is a fan.
Post a Comment