Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire

In May, I finished reading Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire by Caroline Finkel. During our trips to the Turkey, Eygpt and the Balkans, I was fascinated by the breath of the Ottoman Empire. I went looking for a book about the history of the empire.

The Book is a comprehensive account of one of the world's longest-lasting empires. The book traces the Ottoman Empire's trajectory from its nomadic origins in the late 13th century (1299) to its dissolution in the early 20th century (1922). The "dream" in the title refers to a foundational myth of Osman I, the empire's founder, who reportedly had a vision of a tree growing from his navel, symbolizing the vast and enduring empire his descendants would establish.

The book is structured chronologically, moving through key periods and events. Finkel explores the empire's rapid expansion under powerful sultans like Mehmed the Conqueror and Suleiman the Magnificent, detailing their military strategies and political innovations. She also delves into the complexities of Ottoman society, examining the roles of the diverse populations within its borders, including Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Finkel discusses the challenges posed by internal rebellions, external pressures from European powers, and the gradual erosion of central authority. The book culminates with the empire's final struggles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to its collapse after World War I and the rise of modern Turkey.

Just a few key points from the book include:

• The Ottoman Empire conquered Egypt in 1517. Egypt, along with the Levant and the Hejaz (which included the holy cities of Mecca and Medina), were incorporated into the Ottoman Empire as provinces. This significantly shifted the Ottoman Empire's focus and solidified its position as the leading power in the Islamic world.
• The Ottoman Empire was never able to conquer all of Iran and incorporate it into their empire, despite numerous attempts and prolonged wars. The rivalry between the Ottoman Empire (predominantly Sunni Muslim) and the Safavid Empire of Persia (predominantly Shia Muslim) was one of the most enduring geopolitical struggles in Islamic history, spanning centuries.
• In 1529 and 1683, the Ottoman army reached Vienna, but both times the seige failed.
• In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire clashed repeatedly for control of Crimea, a strategically vital peninsula on the Black Sea. This rivalry was a key part of the larger Russo-Turkish Wars.
• The Janissaries were the most famous and impactful of the Ottoman army's factions. Originally an elite infantry corps formed from Christian boys levied through the devshirme system, they were initially fiercely loyal and highly effective. However, over time, their power grew immense, and their discipline and loyalty began to wane. The Janissaries were responsible for overthrowing and murdering several sultans.
• In my ignorance, I didn't realize Jerusalem's significance as a holy city in Islam. At the site of the Temple Mount (where the Dome of the Rock now stands), Muhammad is said to have led a prayer with all the previous prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. From Jerusalem, Muhammad ascended through the seven levels of heaven.

The book is a load. It is a dizzying pile of names and places. While I am glad that I fought my way through it, I don't recommend it.

A footnote, I am very disappointed in myself over the last several months. Dating back to 1991, I have kept a list of the books that I have read. My goal has always been one book a month. I have done a great job accomplishing that goal. I lost momentum this year. My routine for years has been finding someplace quiet to hide and read at lunch. When I retired, I continued that routine; I would eat lunch in the kitchen and read. The kitchen remodel destoryed that rhythm.

Dinner with Holly and Van

Tuesday night, we had Holly and Van over for dinner. Sharon made a great dinner of Peruvian Chicken, Rice and Italian flat beans.

We spent the evening catching up and talking about our trips. Holly and Van spent four weeks in April and May on two Overseas Adventure Travel trips, including Northern Spain & Portugal: Pilgrimage into the Past and The Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos.

249 Jem Road, Oroville, CA

My sister Sharon pointed out that our childhood home is for sale. In 1961, we lived in a mobile home on the property while the house was being built. I can remember playing in the house while it was being built. The house was finished in 1962.

The inside of the house has been updated a lot in the last forty years. There are some major outside changes around the property. The was a giant oak tree in the left front of the house. The driveway in front of the house was added. There was a major irrigation ditch on the east side of the property which has been filled in.

When I was growing up, the house sat in the middle of 2,300 acres of prunes, peaches and pears. The farm was bordered on the east by Highway 70, on the west by the Feather River and on the south by Honcut Creek. There was a dairy to the north.

I have a section in my book about 1991 that talks about what it was like to be raised there.

looking east towards Highway 70 looking west towards the Feather River

Hacks - Season Four

Friday night, Sharon and I finished watching season four of Hacks. In February, we finished binge watching the first three seasons.

The series was created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. The three creators host an interesting segment after each episode discussing the episode. Hacks stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder (daughter of original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman).

In May 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season. It premiered on April 10, 2025. In May 2025, the series was renewed for a fifth season.

Season four follows Deborah Vance (Smart) and Ava Daniels (Einbinder) as they navigate the challenges of getting Deborah's late-night talk show off the ground, leaving her stand-up career behind. The season further explores their complex, often tumultuous, mentor-mentee relationship amidst the high-pressure world of television.

Both Sharon and I really enjoyed the show. I recommend it. We were particularly intrigued by Singapore. Much of the last episode of season four is filmed at a number of interesting locations in Singapore, including the Fullerton Hotel, Gardens by the Bay, Resorts World Sentosa, the Clifford Pier and Victoria Theatre.

Your Friends & Neighbors

Thursday night when we got home from the Wyoming Road trip, we watched the last episode of season one of Your Friends & Neighbors. The series premiered on April 11, 2025, with its first two episodes. It has been renewed for a second season.

Your Friends & Neighbors is an American dark comedy crime drama television series from Jonathan Tropper for Apple TV+. It stars Jon Hamm, Amanda Peet, Olivia Munn, Mark Tallman, Hoon Lee, Lena Hall, and Aimee Carrero.

Jon Hamm stars as Andrew "Coop" Cooper, a wealthy hedge fund manager who loses his high-powered job and faces a messy divorce. To maintain his extravagant lifestyle and avoid public shame, Coop begins secretly robbing the homes of his affluent neighbors in Westmont Village. As he delves deeper into this criminal enterprise, he uncovers a web of dark secrets and illicit affairs hidden behind the polished facades of his community. What starts as a desperate measure to stay afloat quickly escalates, entangling him in increasingly dangerous and complex situations.

Although the plot is a little unusual, I really enjoyed Jon Hamm's performance. In recent years, I have enjoyed watching Hamm in Landman and The Morning Show. I enjoyed Your Friends & Neighbors and recommend it.

Kitchen Remodel - Day #128

When we left for Wyoming last Wednesday, the painters started painting. In the wake of the kitchen and laundry room remodel, we had the kitchen, garden room, entry way, downstairs hall, laundry room and upstairs hall repainted.

They finished painting today and cleaned up. For once during this project, the timing was great. We were gone for almost all of the work!

We are starting to get everything put away. We are finally getting rid of the last of the boxes that have been stacked around the house over the last four plus months. There are also a number of things that have be rehung on the walls.

When everything is put back together, I am going to do a final set of side by side before and after pictures.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #9 - Home!

Although the Hampton Inn was probably nicer than the Marriot Townplace Suites in Elko where we stayed on the way out, Sharon and I both had a restless night's sleep. We finally got up before 5 am. I did a five minute Peloton Core workout.

Packing up the room, loading the car and checking out, we were on the road at 6:12 am. I drove 45 minutes to Elko. We stopped and got a light breakfast at Starbucks on the west side of town.

Sharon drove from there to the Valmy Rest Stop (an hour and 15 minutes).

I drove from the rest area to Lovelock (an hour and 35 minutes).

Sharon drove from Lovelock to the Mustang exit east of Sparks (an hour and 20 minutes). We filled up the car at a Chevron station.

I drove from there to old town Truckee (35 minutes). We had lunch at Moody's Bistro. I had an Ahi salad.

I drove from Truckee to the Pedrick Road exit (an hour and 15 minutes).

Sharon drove home from there. We were home just after 3 pm.

Both travel days coming home seemed faster than the travel days going to Jackson.

It was a great trip. We have talked about doing some roadtrips in the South and along the East Coast in the future.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #8 - to Wells, Nevada

Up early, I did a 30 minute low impact ride on the Peloton bike in the Snow King's fitness room. I had a little bit of a struggle getting logged into the bike and connecting my bluetooth headphones. After the bike ride, I did a 10 minute upper body workout.

Packing up the room, loading the car and checking out, Sharon and I met Cindy and Larkin at Nora's Fish Creek Inn in Wilson for a late breakfast. We both had huevos rancheros.

From there, we started for Wells. I drove the first leg from Wilson through Apline to Swan Valley (1 1/2 hours). Sharon drove from Swan Valley to a rest area on I15 called the Hell's Half Acre (1 hour and 10 minutes). Taking a break, we walked the interpretive trail off the rest area.


With a stop for gas in American Falls, I drove from the rest area to Twin Falls (2 hours). We switched again; Sharon drove to Jackpot. Trying to figure out where to have dinner along the way, we settled on the Desert Room in the Cactus Petes Casino in Jackpot. With the time change at the Idaho/Nevada border, we got to Jackpot about 5:30 pm. Sharon had fish and chips, while I had a club sandwich.

The clientele and servers in the restaurant kicked off an extended social political discussion that continued over the next day.

I drove the last hour into Wells, Nevada. We got there about 7:30 pm. We are spending one night at the Hampton Inn. I think that it is the first time that I ever checked into a major chain hotel that had paper signs everywhere saying that they were sold out for the night and there was no vacancy.

Watching the Big Bany Theory, Sharon and I crashed about 9 pm (10 pm Wyoming time).

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #7 - Exploring Jackson

Up early, I went down to the fitness center and did a ten minute Peloton core workout.

After a number of aggressive days, the plan for day was a more relaxed exploration of Jackson. Sharon and I walked downtown. We had breakfast at Cafe Genevieve (two egg breakfast and avocado toast).

Afterwards, Sharon and I wandered the downtown. Sharon shopped. I particularly enjoyed walking through the Thomas Mangelsen’s gallery. I eventually went back to the hotel and ran for 35 minutes on the treadmill.

We spent the afternoon with Cindy and Larkin at the National Museum of Wildlife Art. We had a light lunch at the Palates Restaurant in the museum (Game Stew and Beet Salad). Sharon and I were both surprised by the museum. It has a nice collection.

The Museum's outdoor Sculpture Trail is substantial. The museum is currently hosting a significant exhibition called "The Great Elephant Migration." It's an outdoor art installation featuring 30 life-size elephant sculptures on the Museum's Sculpture Trail.


The four of us finished the day with a leisurely dinner at the Gun Barrel Steak & Game House. The food was surprisingly good. Sharon and I split a CAESAR [Whole romaine hearts, parmesan cheese, crumbled croutons, housemade Caesar dressing]. All of us had ELK LOIN [mesquite grilled, served sliced with a red wine & huckleberry reduction] as an entree.

By the time Sharon and I got back to the Snow King and crashed, it was almost 11 pm.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #6 - Yellowstone National Park

After some debate on Saturday, we ended up booking a tour of Yellowstone National Park through Viator rather than trying to do a driving tour on our own like we did in Grand Teton National Pak. Yellowstone Day Tours picked us up at 6:30 am at the Snow King Resort. The tour guide's name was Dan. There were two other couples, including one with their twelve year old grandson.

I enjoyed the day. I particularly enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to do any of the driving!

Over the course of the day, we saw a great selection of animals, including black beers, grizzly bears, a moose, a red fox, a Great Horned Owl with her chicks and lots of bison. Somehow I didn't get any pictures of the bison...


We stopped at Lower Falls and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

We stopped at all five of the major hydrothermal features in Yellowstone, including:

Fumaroles;

Travertine Terraces;

Hot Springs;

Mudpots, and;

Geysers (Old Faithful).

It was a long day. We covered all of the upper and lower loops, including a side trip to the Butte Lake Overlook to see the grizzlies. It was 8:30 pm by the time we got back to the hotel. 14 hours door to door! Sharon noted that we have never done an excursion this long on any of our overseas trips...

Sharon and I ended the day with a late dinner at the Hayden Post with Bison Burgers.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #5 - Jenny Lake Loop Trail

The Larkins picked us up at the Snow King Resort at 8:15 am. We headed to the grocery store at Dornans. We bought sandwiches for lunch at the Deli.

From there, we headed to the Jenny Lake Visitors Center. The plan for the day was to hike the Jenny Lake Loop Trail. We were on the trail before 9:30 am heading counter clockwise. It was very peaceful for the first hour and a half.

As we got closer to the String Lake trailhead, we started to see more and more people. There were a lot of people on the trail on the west side of lake. When we got to the boat dock on the southwest corner of the lake, the area was a litte overrun with people. People were taking the boat across the lake and then hiking to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.

We stopped and had lunch about half a mile beyond the boat dock.

I was surprised at the number of people going the other way as we hiked the last two miles around to the Visitor Center. A lot of people seemed inappropriately dressed and didn't seem to be carrying much water.

When we got back to the Visitor Center, we grabbed a couple of beers at the grocery store near the visitor center. We relaxed on a bench outside the store.

In total, we hiked more than eight miles in about four hours and forty-five minutes. It was almost 4 pm by the time the Larkins dropped us off back at the Snow King.


When we got back to the room, it hadn't been cleaned. Sharon harrangued them and someone showed up shortly to clean the room and change the towels.

Sharon and I finished the night with dinner at the Blue Lion. It was a big disappointment. For a starter, we split GNUDI [Housemade ricotta pillows, Parmigiano Reggiano, sage, balsamic, hazelnuts, brown butter]. For entrees, Sharon had TROUT EN PAPILLOTE [Idaho Trout, Sweet Peppers, Fennel and Orange Salad, White Wine], while I had ELK BOLOGNESE [Cavatelli Pasta, San Marzano Tomatoes, Ground Elk, Olive Oil, Parmesan].

Sharon's trout was not good. I ended up giving her most of my bolognese and eating the trout. To top it off, the service was very bad.

We were told during our Yellowstohe tour the next day that the restaurant had recently changed hands and had gone downhill. I don't recommend it...

With an early start planned for Monday, we crashed before 10 pm.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #4 - Grand Teton National Park

The plan for the day was a self guided driving tour of the Gran Teton National Park. Based on a book that Sharon got and a web site that she found, we built a list of places that we wanted to stop. Using the GPS, we went from spot to spot. The itinerary for the day included:

• We got breakfast at the Creekside Market on the way out of Jackson [breakfast burrito and breakfast sandwich]. The food was not good.
• We drove east towards Kelly, Wyoming.
• From there, we drove to the Mormon Row Historical District. We stopped and took a few pictures.
• Entering the Grand Teton National Park through the Moran Gate, we stopped at the Oxbow Bend Turnout.
• We cotinued to the Colter Bay Village. We hiked the Lakeside Trail. Sharon shopped in the Vistor Center, while I walked through the small Indian Art display. Over the course of the day, I was surprised by the small size of the displays in the visitor centers.
• We stepped at the Jackson Lake Lodge. The lobby has beautiful views of the mountains.
• We stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Unfortunately, it is not open until June.
• Although it wasn't on my list of stops, Sharon decided to drive to the top of Signal Mountain. Ugh...
• We stopped at the Moran Mountain turnout for some pictures.
• We stopped at the Cathedral Group Turnout for more pictures.
• We stopped at the Jenny Lake Visitors Center. The web site that Sharon found said that if you got here at midday parking would be difficult. It was. After not seeing anyone hardly all day, the stop was crawling with people. We walked down to the hike to check out the trail. I was surprised by the number of people in line for the boat to the other side of the lake. We are planning to hike around Jenny Lake with the Larkins in Sunday.
• Leaving the Jenny Lake Visitor Center, we started towards a couple of next stops, but pivoted to a late lunch at Dornans Pizza & Pasta Co. Getting a seat at the bar, we split a Ranger Peak pizza.

We finished the day having dinner with Larkins at Aurora Restaurant at the top of the Snow King Gondola. We had a cocktail in the bar. We got a very nice table along the windows. The four of us split Carpaccio of Bison and Wagyu Steak Tartare. For entrees, I had lamp chops, while Sharon had Duck. The food and the service was very good.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #3

Sharon and I had breakfast at Haydens Post in the Snow King Resort (veggie omeletes with fruit). It was uninspiring; we probably won't eat there again during this trip.

The plan for the day was to ride bikes with the Larkins. I had reserved two e-bikes online last week. Located in the hotel, we walked up to the shop just as it opened at 9 am. They were already getting the bikes ready.

With a side trip to the town of Wilson and a short extension up to the trail to get a better view of the Tetons, the four of us rode to Teton Village for lunch. We had lunch at the Tram Dock Bar & Kitchen. Sharon had a Summer Salad, while I had Tomato fest flatbread.

Afterwards, we took the Jackson Hole Aerial Tram to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. Have I said recently how much I dislike heights...


On the way back, we stopped at the Larkin's trailer for a quick drink and some smoked salmon. By the time we got back to the hotel to drop off the bikes, it was 4:45 pm.

In total, we covered more in 34 miles in three and a half hours. Sharon was very entralled with the e-bike. It made it possible for her to easily keep up with the group. E-bikes may be in our future. I rode my bike more than 95% of time with the electric assist off. I was very impressed with how well the bike rolled compared to my mountain bike.

Getting cleaned up, we walked to Snake River Brewing for dinner. Sharon and I both had SRB Big Cobb Salads [Crispy bacon, gorgonzola cheese, smoked chicken, avocado, hard-cooked egg, heirloom tomatoes & chives tossed with fresh field-greens & cranberry-balsamic vinaigrette]. I rarely say this about a meal, but I don't recommend it.

With an early start planned for tomorrow, Sharon and I headed back to the hotel. We did some planning for our tour of the Grand Teton National Park. We had lights out before 9:30 pm.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #2 - To Jackson, Wyoming

Another long travel day...

Up and moving about 6 am, I did a five minute Peloton core workout in the room. Sharon and I packed up the room and loaded the car. We had a quick breakfast in the hotel lobby.

We pulled away from the Townplace Suites in Elko at 8:07 am. Like when we left Lyon, Sharon spent most of the first hour arguing with the GPS. I drove just over an hour and a half to Jackpot, Nevada (9:45 am). We fueled the car and switched drivers.

Jackpot sits on the Nevada/Idaho border. There is a time change at the Idaho border; we lost an hour. It was 11 am when Sharon started to drive. She drove to the Coldwater Hill Rest Area on Highway 86 (12:50 pm). We switched drivers again (1:00 pm).

I was fascinated by the amount of agriculture between Twin Falls and Pocatello.

We drove through a McDonalds in Idaho Falls for lunch. I drove to Swan Valley (3:30 pm).

Sharon drove the last leg into Jackson, Wyoming. I was surprised how muddy the water was in the Snake River above Alpine.

We got to the hotel about 4:45 pm. We are spending six nights at the Snow King Resort.

After getting settled in the room and cleaned up, we walked downtown to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. We met the Larkins for drinks in the bar. We finished the day with a nice dinner downstairs in the steakhouse. Sharon and I split a WYO WEDGE (baby iceberg lettuce with heirloom cherry tomatoes, maple glazed pork belly & Point Reyes blue cheese dressing) For entrees, I had the BISON FLANK STEAK served with chimichurri, while Sharon and the Larkins all had a Wagyu steak special.

Walking back to the room, we crashed just before 11 pm.

2025 Wyoming Roadtrip - Day #1 - To Elko

Jackson Hole is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County. The term "hole" was used by early trappers, or mountain men, as a term for a large mountain valley. These low-lying valleys, surrounded by mountains and containing rivers and streams, are good habitat for beavers and other fur-bearing animals.

Pulling away from the house at about 9:15 am, Sharon and I are off for a nine day roadtrip to Jackson Hole. We are catching up with the Larkins in Jackson, Wyoming.

I have driven across Nevada twice. Both times were more than 45 years ago. In 1980, I drove to Elko with my dad to fly fish in the Ruby Mountains and to Park City, Utah with Tomasin, Wallen, Nooter and Connor for a rugby tournament. While I remembered the drive as flat and straight, the section between Lovelock and Elko was more rolling hills than I remembered.

I drove from Carmichael to the rest area near Boreal Ridge (11:45 am). Sharon drove from there to Lovelock, Nevada (1:00 pm). We had lunch at the Lovelock Cafe (cheese bugers with a side salad).


I drove two hours (1:30 pm to 3:30 pm) from Lovelock to a rest stop. Switching drivers, Sharon drove to the California Trail Interpretive Center just outside of Elko, Nevada (4:15 pm). We spent some time touring the center.

From there, we headed to the Marriot Townplace Suites in Elko. We are spending one night. Elko is much different than the picture that I had in my head. It is much more hilly.

We finished the day with dinner at Star Hotel and Bar with a Basque family style dinner. I had baked lamb, while Sharon had a petite lamb chop.

We crashed early.

Survivor 48

Last Wednesday night, Sharon and I watched the final episode of season 48 of Survivor.

Season 48 of Survivor was filmed in Fiji from June 27 to July 22, 2024. The season premiered on CBS on February 26, 2025 and ran until May 21, 2025. It is the sixteenth consecutive season to be filmed in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji; this has been the show's location since Season 33. The season is part of the "new era" of Survivor, which means it ran for 26 days instead of the 39 days of the first 40 seasons.

Kyle Fraser was voted the Sole Survivor, defeating Eva Erickson and Joe Hunter (Sacramento Fire Captain) in a 5–2–1 vote.

Unlike some recent seasons, I felt that this was a final four that belonged there. Sharon and I were rooting for Joe or Eva. Although Joe didn't acquit himself very well at the final tribal council, I was surprised the vote wasn't more evenly split. Sharon was disappointed that Kyle won.

As I have said repeatedly, I would really love to see the show filmed in other locations. Additionally, I think that the use of the sanctuary has gotten very repetitive. It seems lazy just to use the sanctuary over and over for the reward challenges.

September 5

Wednesday night May 7 while Sharon was on her Oregon roadtrip with Tom, I watched September 5. The film is one of two movies nominated for a major 2025 Oscar that I haven't seen. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 97th Academy Awards. Additionally, it received a Best Motion Picture – Drama nomination at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards.

September 5 is a historical drama thriller film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Tim Fehlbaum. It stars: Peter Sarsgaard as Roone Arledge, the president of ABC Sports; John Magaro as Geoffrey Mason, the head of the control room in Munich; Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader, the head of operations at ABC Sports; and Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhardt, a translator for the crew who speaks German.

The film chronicles the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis from the perspective of the ABC Sports broadcasting team. Initially covering the Olympic Games, the crew finds themselves pivoting to report on the unfolding tragedy involving Israeli athletes held hostage by the Black September terrorist group. The film highlights the intense pressure and ethical dilemmas faced by the broadcasters as they navigate live coverage of the escalating crisis. As the situation deteriorates, the crew grapples with the responsibility of informing a global audience while dealing with the immediate and dangerous consequences of their reporting.

September 5 makes extensive use of archival footage from ABC's coverage of the 1972 Summer Olympics and the hostage crisis, including footage of Jim McKay narrating the events. I enjoyed the movie and recommend it.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Sunday morning, Sharon and I went to see Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning at the Country Club Cinema. This is the eighth installment of the series. Sharon and I saw Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning [#7] in March 2024. Sharon, Jack and I saw Mission: Impossible - Fallout [#6] in 2018, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation [#5] in Boston in 2015 during our east coast college tour and Mission Impossible III in 2012.

Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning is a 2025 American spy action film directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen. It was released May 23, 2025. It is a direct sequel to the previous installment that also wraps up continuous threads begun in the 1996 original.

It stars Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt. Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Henry Czerny, and Angela Bassett reprise their roles from the previous films.

In the film, Hunt and his IMF team face off against "the Entity", a powerful rogue AI.

As a kid, I loved watching the old television series. The theme song for the series is part of the soundtrack for my life.

The stunt work at the end of the movie is pretty amazing. Tom Cruise was genuinely on the wing of a vintage biplane as it flew at speeds of up to 140 miles per hour and at altitudes of around 8,000 feet. There was no green screen for the bulk of the stunt. No body doubles were used for Cruise's actions. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the creation of a new "Best Stunt Design" category. Unfortunately, it will not debut until the 100th Academy Awards in 2028, honoring films released in 2027.

We enjoyed the movie. As I said after the Dead Reckoning, I have a kink about an artificial intelligence's ability to hack any and all systems. With almost 45 years of large system information technology experience, the casualness with which some extremely complicated technical things are accomplished grates on me. I appreciate the concern about artificial intelligence, but technology on this kind of scale is fragile... It will be interesting to see if this is actually the final installment in the Mission: Impossible film series.

Dinner at Greg and Michele's

Sharon and I went to dinner at our neighbors Greg and Michele's house. Jim and Debbie were also there. They served a great dinner of Caprese salad, rice, aspargus and barbecued pork loin. Sharon made a lemon custard for dessert. After dinner, we spent some time around the firepit listening to music.

We finished the night playing ping pong! Playing two games, Sharon and I lost to Greg and Michele and then Jim and Debbie. I am not clear what the rules are regarding how the serve rotates...

It almost midnight by the time we wandered home, walked the dog and got to bed.

Neighborhood Homeowners Association Meeting

Thursday night after golf, Sharon and I went to a neighborhood homeowners association meeting at the pool. Unfortunately, there is a lot of drama taking place around the management company for the HOA.

Nevertheless, I love our neighborhood.

At Ancil Hoffman Golf Course

Thursday afternoon, Sharon and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman with Jim and Debbie. We teed off at 3:32 pm. There was no one in front of us or behind us! It felt like we had the course to ourselves.

Monday and Tuesday mornings, I hit balls on the driving range at Ancil Hoffman. Tuesday had a Golftec lesson. Thursday morning, I went to Haggin Oaks to hit balls using the Toptracer. I was hoping to score a little better. I didn't.

Really focusing on reaching back behind me with my swing, I was very inconsistent. I had a number of drives that I was very happy with. My chipping was also solid. I just couldn't string two shots together... I ended up with a very liberally scored 62.

I keep my emotions in check. I just kept working on the swing changes. I enjoyed walking the course.