Monday, August 28, 2017

Things That Make Me Happy



It makes me happy that we have good friends that helped us last week with the trips across town to take care of Phil's first cataract surgery. And that includes Todd who did FFB. Not so easy doing radiation in the morning and cataract surgery and followups in the PM. Wow, why don't I drive?

Very happy with the pilot of THE DEUCE. They managed to introduce dozens of characters in a way that made me remember them. The look of it is fantastic, the acting splendid. The dialog superb. It just felt so right. They haven't quite settled into the story yet, but I know that is coming. It must be the biggest cast on TV. The most lavish sets.

Loving IN A LONELY PLACE, which I don't know why I never read before. It is so skilled in its telling. A real course in how to make an unlikable protagonist interesting enough to stick with.

So far, so good with the TV series SPOTLESS, about two brothers dragged into mob activity with their crime scene cleanup business. A bit like Ray Donavan but not so much to ruin it.

Also recommend LAST CHANCE U on Netflix about a bunch of football players at East MS Community College with their last chance to qualify to play professional football.

What about you? 




18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very glad you were able to get the help you needed, Patti. And I keep hearing good things about In a Lonely Place; glad you're enjoying it.

George said...

I'm happy that Bill Crider and other friends are holding their own during Hurricane Harvey.

If I was still working at the College, I'd be working Pre-Registration this week. Instead, I'm catching up on my reading!

The weather in Western New York is cool (70s day, 50s night) and sunny. Perfect!

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Never read In A Lonely Place but I am a fan of the movie.
Nice weather this week. Not too hot not to cool.
Settled in my new apt. Within walking distance of two theaters and a library. Now if I didn't get leg cramps in my calf every time I walk I'd be fine. Don't know whats causing them.
Reading Bibliomysteries edited by Otto Penzler. A collection of stories centering on books and bookstores. Just watched the newly remastered The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Film looks beautiful.

Unknown said...

Happy to be safe and dry in Alvin, Texas, but feeling really sad about what's happening in Houston and other nearby towns. Harvey is Texas' Katrina and the effects will be felt for years.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Glad Bill is safe and OK. This morning I saw that M.D. Anderson took on some water. The pictures could be from Katrina. What a mess.

Glad the weather has improved, and glad we postponed visiting D.C. for two weeks. It's so much better being here when it's 78 in August than when it's 94.

Great to see our friends Jeff and Ann Smith for dinner yesterday, especially as they won't be in Toronto.

Great to have lots of good books to read and Netflix to watch.

Yes, Patti, sometimes not driving is a real problem. Of course, Jackie doesn't drive either.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Also within walking distance of the same two theaters and library. I get leg cramps. Try standing a foot or two from the wall and do pushups against the wall. Also rise up and down on the balls of your feet. Helps me. The film is quite different.

Thinking about Houston and east Texas all the time. People are going to have to move away from coastlines, I think. OF course even that is no guarantee.

The weather has been great here too.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Not driving in NY is much better than not driving in the Motor City.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

I've tried different leg exercises but none have helped. Also told to eat bananas for the potassium. Hasn't helped either.

Jerry House said...

Happy that Harvey didn't hit the Florida Panhandle. Thoughts are with those in Texas where it will take a long time to recover from the devastation.

Happy to celebrate Ceili's 21st birthday. I remember well when she was born.

Happy for Amy, #2 grandchild, who spent her first week of dormitory life last week. Classes begin today. Where does the time go?

Happy that my daughter's incontinent cat was re-homed with us. Turns out the cat was merely stressed by all the other animals at Christina's house. Probably stressed by a loud and active five-year-old also. It's been three weeks and not an accident. She's really a sweet cat.

Getting addicted to Minute Maid Lemonade (2 liter bottle for a buck). It's probably not good for me, but what the heck.

I hope Phil is feeling better.

Rick Robinson said...

I'm so happy we have air conditioning! It's in the 90s here again, possibly 100 or over today and tomorrow, and without air we would be so very miserable.

I decided to read some other things beside genre fiction, so In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, which was just okay, then Travels With Charlie by John Steinbeck, which was just as enjoyable as I remembered from 30 years ago, when I first re-read it. Now I'm reading a Mike Shayne, Marked for Murder, marking time until some things come in from the library.

I'm SO happy we have a good library system here!

pattinase (abbott) said...

Phil has his last radiation round on Wednesday. It will be so nice not to have that staring him in the face every morning. Fingers crossed, it is ended. He will be tired for a few weeks but should regain his strength fairly quickly.
Our local library is not good but within a few miles we have very good libraries which we can use freely. Lucky that.
Steve: go into the health food store on Main Street, just below 11 Mile. He will have some ideas. It may be a fall allergy.

Charles Gramlich said...

Loved Lana's baked salmon last night

Gerard Saylor said...

I am thankful my relatives in Houston are doing well and not flooded out.

The weather has been cool here in Southern Wisconsin. A nice change from the heat.

I've been able to exercise more often as my shoulder heals from my June bike wreck. I was able to swim laps in a indoor pool on Wednesday evening as Boy #1 was at mountain bike practice.


pattinase (abbott) said...

We have salmon pretty often too, Charles, although I have never baked it. Have to try that.
You must have the most athletic family in the state, Gerard.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Absolutely. I was going to mention our transportation options being better than on.most other places. We were able to get (permanent) Senior SmartTrip cards for the local Washington Metro and buses for $2 each. We got ours at a library in Bethesda, but I think there are places in D.C. where you can get them. You need to show photo ID proving you're 65. Then, much like our New York cards, you add money to them and only pay half-fare to travel.

Look online before you go to find the details. We left the car at the hotel and took the Metro everywhere.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Despite eating too much in general in Washington, I did have salmon two days in a row.

Steve Oerkfitz said...

Went to see ANNABELLE: CREATION, it was surprisingly good and might be remembered as an all-time classic horror movie, strangely enough though even in the theatre the picture quality wasn`t as good as my afore-mentioned newly remastered blue-ray quality copy of The Good the Bad and the Ugly when veiwed on my 60-inch Sony Plasma TV.

Todd Mason said...

Even with the nonsense last wee, it's still fun to do FFB gathering. Also, glad you like SPOTLESS, which was created by the original SHAMELESS guy and a woman from the production and show-running of CSI, and I think that lineage shows in every aspect. Reviewed it a few back when it was in first run in the US on the now-vanished Esquire Network.