Marty Supreme

Continuing our Christmas Day tradition, Eric, Tom, Jack, Sharon and I saw Marty Supreme at at the Cinemark Century Greenback Lane. We are on our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Marty Supreme with the third best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Marty Supreme is a sports comedy-drama film produced and directed by Josh Safdie. He co-wrote the script with Ronald Bronstein. The film is loosely inspired by the life and career of American table tennis player Marty Reisman.

Timothée Chalamet stars and was the co-producer. The film also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara, and Fran Drescher in supporting roles.

Set in 1950s New York, the film follows Marty Mauser, a hyper-confident shoe salesman and motor-mouthed hustler who is obsessed with becoming the world's greatest table tennis champion. To escape his provincial Lower East Side life, Marty schemes and grifts his way into international competitions, eventually entangling himself with a wealthy socialite and an eccentric ink tycoon who bankrolls his journey to Japan. As his ego and relentless ambition push him toward a climactic world championship match, Marty must navigate the chaotic fallout of his own impulsive choices and the dark side of his pursuit of fame.

At dinner, Jack said "I wanted to like the movie more." He also said that he needed to see it again. Tom said that "it was tedious" in the middle. We eventually all agreed to give the movie a "B". Given some of the hype that Jack and I saw, we were expecting a little more. The movie is very frenetic.

On the way to lunch with my sisters, Jack, Sharon and I listened to the Big Picture podcast "‘Marty Supreme’ Is the Moment, With Josh Safdie!". After listening to the podcast, we increased our grade for the movie to a "B+". The podcast provides some insights into some of the nuances that I missed when we saw it...

Julie Tomasin Obituary

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Juliann Babette Tomasin (Julie)

more pictures

BORN: MAY 18, 1955
DEPARTED: DECEMBER 16, 2025

Julie was the heart and light of our family. She is survived by her beloved husband, Dr. John Tomasin, her partner in life, laughter, and adventure for 44 years, married for over 41 years. Their love story began with rugby. Julie first coming to watch the UC Davis Rugby team that John played for, even though she attended, and later graduated from Sacramento State, a detail she always wore with good humor Together, they built a beautiful family and shared countless adventures together. Wherever Julie was, joy and curiosity followed.

She leaves behind her greatest pride and joy, her three sons: David (Losalini), Christopher (Cassie & Baby Harrison), and Mikey (Mota). Her boys were her world, and her love for them was fierce, unwavering, and endless.

Julie is also survived by her four younger siblings, Francine (Jon), Carol (Arlis), Danny (Dina), and Richard (Anne), with whom she shared a lifetime of love, laughter, and deep family bonds.

Though small in stature, Julie's presence was powerful. She had a sharp wit, perfectly timed comebacks, and a sense of humor that could light up any room. She gave selflessly of her time, heart, and resources, leaving a lasting imprint on everyone she met.

Her dedication to the Santa Rosa Rugby community lives on through the establishment of For Pete's Sake Rugby Field and the ever-growing Santa Rosa Youth Rugby; a legacy built on love, service, and generosity. She was also a proud and steadfast supporter of the Healdsburg Italian Catholic Federation.

Julie loved deeply, laughed often, served selflessly, and lived fully. She will forever be loved and held close in our hearts.

49er Game plus to San Francisco and Back

Sunday night, Jack, Sharon and I watched the San Francisco 49er versus Chicago Bears NFL football game. In a thrilling back and forth game, the 49ers held on to win the game by the score of 42 to 38.

After the game, I took Jack back to the city. He and I listened to the live Bill Simmons podcast on YouTube on the drive. With the traffic fairly light, I dropped Jack at his apartment about 10:40 pm. I was back home by 12:20 am. A three and a half hour round trip.

We had a very nice visit with Jack from the last five days. We are planning to have lunch with him in the city on Friday.

Lunch Adventure with Clem and Lee

Gift exchange and lunch with my sisters

Clem, Lee, Daniel and Morgan stopped by in the morning for a Christmas Gift exchange. Although Clem is a little confused about the process, we had a nice time opening gifts.

[Note to self], I need to figure a better plan for next year. I want to be able to see Clem and Lee on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I love the rhythm that we have developed with Sharon's family over the last thirty years, but the next couple of years are going to be special Christmases with Clem and Lee.

From there, we all headed to Vacaville. My sisters invited everyone to lunch at the Backdoor Bistro. The group included my sisters Lee Ann and Sharon, my sister Sharon's friend Jim, my first cousin Christine and her daughter, Clem, Lee, Daniel and Morgan, Jack, Sharon and I.

Although it wasn't the best venue for visiting-a long table in a noisy restaurant-it was a very nice get together. We are going to try to get everyone together again in early May to celebrate Morgan's birthday.

Angels and Demon Rewatch

Friday night after golf, Jack, Sharon and I watched Angels and Demons. Sharon and I saw the movie in the theater when it came out in 2009. The three of us watched in 2013.

At Haggin Oaks Alister McKenzie Golf Course

Jack, Sharon and I played the Alister McKenzie Golf Course at Haggin Oaks. We teed off at 11:48 pm.

I actually feeling pretty good about my swing. I am not hitting the ball as far as I would like, but I am making good contact and keeping the ball in play. I actually had a chance at six or seven pars, but couldn't get any long putts to drop. My major problem continues to be chipping, I made a mess around four or five of the greens leading to handful of eights and nines.

I ended up with a very liberally scored 113.

We were lucky. It didn't start to rain until we were on the 17th fairway. Jack and Sharon didn't play the 18th.

We started the round renting carts. Given that it was cart path only, I switched to a pull cart at the last minute. I enjoyed walking the course, while Jack and Sharon rode together.

Our fourth was Tim, a marketing manager for McAfee. He dropped after the eighth hole. His chipping was almost as bad as mine...

It has been several months since Jack played. He was a little rusty, but he can't still hit the shit out of the ball.

Christmas Day 2025

It was a wild night. A storm was slamming the south side of the house made it difficult to sleep. Additionally, it has been a long two and a half months; I am more than a little beat down physically and mentally.

A Christmas Day in four Acts.

Act 1

Jack, Sharon and I had a lazy morning. Sharon made Caroline Chambers Christmas Strata for breakfast. We had a very nice morning exchanging gifts. I got Sharon a necklace from Finland, a workout top, a golf top and guide books for Prague and Budapest. With Drew and Carmen staying close to home and Morgan and Daniel skipping Christmas Eve, I am missing them and the grandkids!

Act 2

Sharon's brother Tom and nephew Eric came over. We did a gift exchange with them.

Act 3

The five of us went to see Marty Supreme at the Cinemark Century Greenback Lane. We have a long tradition of seeing movies on Christmas Day. I will post all of our thoughts about the movie in a longer review.

Act 4

Eric, Tom, Jack, Sharon and I finished the day with dinner at Buca di Beppo in Roseville. We shared Antipasto Salad, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Eggplant Parmigiana and Chicken Limone. We have gone to the Buca on Howe Avenue a number of times on Christmas Day, including 2023, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2015 and 2014.

Christmas Eve 2025

I picked Jack up at the Sacramento Amtrak station at 2:50 pm. We rushed home to get ready to host Christmas Eve.

Everyone started to show up at 4:30 pm. The group totaled eighteen, including: Tom; Eric; Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia; Steve; Steve's grandson Brian; Jim; Tim and Kathy; Will; Cormac, Erin and Mave; and, Sharon, Jack and I. Terry, Eileen and Brian's wife and baby called in sick at the last minute.

Sharon made a great dinner of Porchetta and broccolini. Everyone contributed to the dinner, including: Erin and Cormac - tiramisu; Lean and Kevin - mashed potatoes; Tim and Kathy - cheese puffs; Jim - breard; Eric - salad; Steve - ham; and, Tom - bread.

After dinner, there was a chaotic gift exchange. Everyone left just before 9:30 pm. I finished the night walking Tiber.

2025 Christmas Tree

Christmas Card 2025

See all of the Christmas Cards since 1997!

Christmas Cookies

Continuing a Frame Family tradition [2024, 2019, 2018, 2017], Sharon and Tom spent the afternoon making Christmas cookies.

Deterding Ranch Neighborhood Christmas Party

Over the last thirteen years, there has a been some version of a Deterding Ranch Neighborhood Christmas Party [2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024]. This morphed into a progressive dinner in 2015. When it became clear that the progressive dinner wasn't going to happen in 2022, Sharon and I decided to host a cocktail party. It has been a progressive dinner party again for the last three years.

Sharon and I hosted cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. Dinner (lasagna) and dessert was served at Jan and John's house. Sharon lamented that we have stopped doing a gift or ornament exchange.

The group totalled 20, including: Tom and Judy; Glen; Mike and Jill; Jan; Brad and Heid; Scott and Laura; Jim and Debbie; Audrey, Victor and Enzo; Sarah, John and Ben; and, Sharon and I. Anna was a server.

Sinners

We were originally scheduled to babysit Lee and Clem on Friday night. When Daniel turned up sick, Sharon and I watched Sinners. We are continuing our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Sinners with the best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Sinners is a horror film produced, written, and directed by Ryan Coogler. The film stars Michael B. Jordan in dual roles as criminal twin brothers It co-stars Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton (in his film debut), Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, and Delroy Lindo.

Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan). They return to their hometown to open a juke joint and start a new life. Their plans for a fresh start are quickly derailed when their community is besieged by a group of vampires led by a charismatic but sinister Irishman.

Both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute listed it among the top ten films of 2025. It received seven nominations at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama.

When the movie ended, Sharon said "boo, boo, two thumbs down." She added if this film wins best picture that she is not watching any of the 2027 best picture nominees. I found the movie an odd mix of 1930's black culture, blues music and a vampire movie. In general, I am not a fan of horror movies. I hope that it doesn't win best picture.

To Windsor and Back

With Julie Tomasin passing away on Tuesday, Wallen, Snipes and Joy headed to Windsor on Wednesday. Leaving from the UC Davis Medical Center, I drove Thursday morning to catch up with them and Tomasin.

I met them at the Fred Young Funeral Home in Cloverdale for the viewing.

Afterwards, we stopped at the Saw Mill Saloon.

From there, we visited the Olive Hill Cemetary.

The five of us had lunch at the Dry Creek Store.

Heading back to Windsor, Wallen, Tomasin and I shopped for groceries for dinner.

We watched the Los Angeles Rams versus Seattle Seahawks NFL game. Making Wallen happy, the Seahawks prevailed by the score of 38 to 37 in overtime.

Wallen made a great dinner of barbecued flank steak, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

With an early appointment on Friday morning, I rolled back to Carmichael after dinner. I was home just before 10 pm.

Julie Tomasin

Julie's Obituary

Pebble Beach at Waymaker Brewing

Larkin, Gainsley and I spent the afternoon playing Pebble Beach Golf Links on the simulator at Waymaker Brewing. Although I had an uneven round, I birdied the short par three seven hole. Even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while...

By mistake, I set the maximum score on a hole to double bogey rather than double par plus auto drop on the out of bounds. As a result, the scorecord is pretty wonky. Overall, I feel like I am making more consistent contact. Although I felt like I was starting to get the putting figured out when I have been there before, I struggled with the putting.

Amazing Race - Season 38

Last Thursday night, Sharon and I finished watching season 38 of the Amazing Race. With a passion for traveling, I have enjoyed watching the Amazing Race over the last few years. We finished season 32 in January of 2021, season 33 in March of 2022, season 34 in December of 2022, season 35 in December of 2023, season 36 in March of 2024 and season 37 in May of 2025.

Season 38 premiered on CBS on September 25, 2025. It concluded on December 10, 2025.

This season featured a unique twist: all the contestants are former houseguests from Big Brother, paired with a friend or relative. New elements introduced this season include a U-Turn penalty vote for a non-eliminated team. Elements of the show that returned for this season include the pre-starting line task, the international starting line, gifting a second Express Pass to another team, and the Hazard.

The legs of the race included:

• Leg 1 (Netherlands)
• Leg 2 (Netherlands → Czech Republic) [Prague]
• Leg 3 (Czech Republic)
• Leg 4 (Czech Republic → Hungary) [Budapest]
• Leg 5 (Hungary → Croatia) [Dubrovnik - Buža Bar!]
• Leg 6 (Croatia)
• Leg 7 (Croatia → Romania) [Bucharest]
• Leg 8 (Romania)
• Leg 9 (Romania → Greece)
• Leg 10 (Greece → Italy)
• Leg 11 (Italy → France) [Paris]
• Leg 12 (France → United States)

Brothers and entrepreneurs Jas and Jag Bains were the winners of this season. We were rooting for them most of the second half of the race; they deserved to win. Dating couple Kyland Young and Taylor Hale finished in second place, and brothers Joseph and Adam Abdin (who we were actively rooting against) finished in third place.

My enjoyment of the season was a little marred by the fact that I didn't like most of the teams... I particularly enjoyed the episodes filmed in Dubrovnik. We spent six nights there in 2024.

Taking advantage of some holiday discounts offered by Viking, Sharon and I have booked the Viking river cruise Passage to Eastern Europe with a pre-trip to Prague. The trip includes Prague, Budapest and Bucharest! Additionally, we are planning to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Paris in October!

2025 Year in Review

2025 San Francisco - Day #6

Sleeping late, Sharon and I eventually got organized and walked to Sisterita in the financial district for breakfast. Sharon had eaten there before when she was in the city with Laura. I had a Country Style Omelet [Chicken sausage, spinach, red onions, tomato, fresh herbs, habanero jack cheese], while Sharon had Forestiere Omelet [Cremini mushrooms, black olive, garlic, basil, herbs, goat cheese, arugula].

Walking back to the hotel, we checked out and made a quick stop at Jack's apartment to pick up his golf clubs. Heading home, we stopped in Orinda to vist with Drew and Carmen. We had a very nice visit. I am impressed on the progress that he had made building out his studio in the old woodshop.

We stopped in Dixon, got gas and switched drivers. It was after 2:30 pm when we got home.

We had a very nice visit with Jack.

2025 San Francisco - Day #5

Rolling from Carmichael about 1 pm, we headed to San Francisco. With a driver change at the Hunter Hill Rest Area, we were in the city by 3:20 pm. We are spending one night at the Stanford Court Hotel. The room was ready when we got there.

Jack met us in the bar about 4:30 pm. From there, we took a Waymo to Golden Gate Park. Sharon got tickets for Lightscape 2025. It is a mile-long trail of light and color thourgh the Botanical Garden.

After walking the trail, we caught an Uber to AltoVino for dinner. For starters, we split Bagna Caôda ["warm bath" of olive oil, anchovies & butter served with raw & poached farmer's market vegetables] and Crostini [mortadella mousse, house-cured Stemple Creek lardo, toasted pistachio, balsamic reduction]. For entrees, Jack and Sharon had Pappardelle [10 hour bolognese - Rossotti Ranch veal, Schmitz Ranch dry aged beef, guanciale, Stemple Creek Ranch pork, sofrito, baby spinach, parmigiano-reggiano], while I had Tagliatelle. Jack and I each had a scoop of chocolate gelato for dessert.

It was a long lazy meal. By the time we walked back to the hotel and crashed, it was after 11 pm.

Clem's 2nd Birthday

W.A.A. Sports - Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Like my dad playing baseball in college, I was surprised to learn that my mother played tennis. I don't remember her ever talking about playing tennis in college.

California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 28, 6 May 1954

W.A.A Sports

   Wednesday, April 21, the girl’s tennis team had a meet with Sacramento J. C. in Sacramento. Nancy Hughes and Carol Freitas lost their game, 6-0 and 7-5, but Sally Kenyon and Vi Kessell, the second doubles team, won theirs 6-1 and 6-5. Joyce Abbott won the second game 6-0 and 5-4.
   Softball practice is every Monday and Wednesday at 4:30. Any girls interested come on out. We are getting ready for a game on May 12 with Sacramento here at 4:30. The big event of the season will be the Playday at Modesto May 15.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Footnote: The Women's Athletic Association (W.A.A.) was the primary organization responsible for governing and promoting women's sports. It served this role for a quarter-century, specifically before the implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendments in 1972, which revolutionized collegiate women's athletics.

Sentimental Value

Wednesday afternoon, Sharon and I saw Sentimental Value at the Cinemark Century Greenback Lane. We are continuing our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Sentimental Value with the fifth best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Sentimental Value (Norwegian: Affeksjonsverdi) is a comedy-drama film directed by Joachim Trier. He co-wrote it with Eskil Vogt. It stars Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård [Dune, Dune: Part Two, Good Will Hunting], Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning.

The movie follows Nora (Reinsve), an actress, and her sister Agnes (Lilleaas), as they reunite with their estranged father, Gustav (Skarsgård), a renowned but aging film director, at their ancestral family home in Oslo. Gustav, hoping for a career comeback and reconciliation, attempts to cast Nora in his highly personal new film about their family's traumatic past.

The movie Sentimental Value received a total of eight Golden Globe nominations. The nominations included: Best Motion Picture – Drama; Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language; Best Director – Motion Picture (Joachim Trier); Best Screenplay – Motion Picture (Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier); Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (Renate Reinsve); Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Elle Fanning); Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), and; Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture (Stellan Skarsgård).

In a reverse of Hamnet, I liked the movie more than Sharon did. She thought that it was slow in spots... All of the acting performances are very good. Nevertheless, I am not fond of subtitles. Almost 75% of the movies is subtitled Swedish and Norwegian. Reading the subtitles, I feel like I miss some of the action. I believe that the movie will get nominated for a best picture oscar and will get several acting nominations. While we haven't seen Sinners yet, I still think that One Battle After Another is the favorite for the Best Picture Oscar.