Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Sutter Health VP of Technology

After almost sixteen years with Sutter Health, I left in February of 2014. It has been a tumultuous period for their Information Technology team since then.

Sutter Health has had at least three people fill my old CTO position: Wes Wright (March 2015 to March 2018), Frank Rausch (interim CTO from May 2018 to August 2018) and Bill Bellando (February 2019 to May 2021).

In the middle of 2018, Sutter Health fired the Information Technology CIO, COO and CFO.

The CTO job is again posted on Linkedin.
Vice President, Technology | Sutter Health | LinkedIn

The VP of Technology reports to the CIO and will have enterprise responsibility for establishing Sutter’s technical vision, ecosystem, and roadmaps. They will lead all aspects of technology development and play an integral role in fulfilling the company’s strategic direction, development and future growth. Overall responsibility for the long-range direction of technological planning and development. Establish, communicate, and maintain the enterprise technology ecosystem, working with the enterprise architecture function, to ensure that the architecture can support the growing and changing needs of the business. Works closely with the privacy team to ensure the security of all stored and shared data.

Lead all functions within IS Technical Services to include; The ITIL Service Delivery Framework, policies and procedures for Engineering, Operations, and Data Centers. Ensure the Technical Services roadmap and budget is synchronized with IS and organizational strategies.

Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred. ITIL Certification preferred.

Experience, Knowledge, Skills
  • 15+ years of progressively responsible technology leadership roles with a minimum of 8 years in an executive management capacity
  • Extensive healthcare experience required
  • Knowledge and experience of large, complex environments strongly preferred
  • Knowledge and skill demonstrating leadership across all of the major functions of IS Technical Services
  • Demonstrate the importance of good decision making and strategic discipline through example
  • An extensive knowledge of Information Technology is required with a minimum of a Bachelor Degree or an advanced degree in business or related discipline
  • Managerial and organization skills are needed to create plans and strategies and articulate the acceptance of these plans and strategies across all levels of the organization
  • This position requires management knowledge to drive through obstacles and deliver computing capability across a broad spectrum of technologies and entities
  • Specific functional expertise in the following areas are required; Data Center Redundancy, Network Engineering and Operations, Telecommunications Engineering and Operations to include; Wide and local area networking engineering and operations, ITIL Framework focus on Service Delivery, risk management, budget management, and organizational management
  • Experience leading large scale deployment and optimization projects
  • Diverse knowledge in industry software and hardware technology trends
  • Ability to analyze and resolve complex issues both logical and physical
  • Establish and deliver on key performance indicators to ensure high availability and integrity of systems
  • Publish and maintain a two year detailed roadmap of technology evolution to support the demand of computing requirements
Organization:Sutter Health System Office

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Drew

After spending almost a week and a half at Sea Ranch followed by a quick stop in Oakland, Drew showed up on Tuesday afternoon. He is going to spend a couple of days with us supporting Morgan.

Monday, June 28, 2021

SF Crosstown Trail

On Saturday, June 26, we hiked the SF Crosstown trail from the Land's End Visitor Center to the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park.

On Saturday, August 21, we hiked the SF Crosstown Trail from the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park to Hunters Point. The map is here.

Sunday, June 27, 2021

2021 San Francisco - Day 3

Up and moving before 7 am, we got room service. Sharon had YOGURT & PUMPKIN SEED GRANOLA, while I had a BUTTERMILK WAFFLE. We packed up the room.

The plan for the day was wine tasting in the Napa Valley. In the car and heading out of the city just after 9 am, we got to Donum Estate about 10:15 am. We spent the morning at a wine club member event.

Afterwards, we headed into Napa. Sharon wanted to stop at the cabi outlet store. We were home back in Carmichael about 3:30 pm.

A few comments about San Francisco. The hotel [Proper Hotel] was right on Market Street. The area was very dirty and essentially surrounded by homeless people. When we left the hotel on Friday night, there was a homeless person sleeping and blocking the door exiting the hotel on to Market. When I went to open the door, I was essentially pushing him out of the way. Coming back into the hotel on one occasion, we got yelled at by a homeless person with obvious mental health issues. In the Uber on the way back from dinner on Saturday night, we passed a large homeless tent camp on the street about a block from the hotel. I don't recommend this hotel.

While we had similar experiences in this general area when we were in San Francisco in December of 2009 and October of 2014, the problem seems worse now. I don't know what the solution to the homeless problem is. I don't know what San Francisco's homeless strategy is. It does seem like they need to take a different tack.

Saturday, June 26, 2021

2021 San Francisco - Day 2

A busy, interesting day.
Up and moving before 7 am, Sharon was chagrined that the hotel didn't serve breakfast on weekends. We ended up walking down Market Street to a Starbucks.

The plan for the morning was hiking the SF Crosstown Trail. We caught an Uber to the Land's End Visitor Center. From there, we hiked along the Coastal Trail. The trail follows the rocky cliffs above the mouth of the Bay. The views include glimpses of the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked through the Sea Cliff neighborhood to Baker Beach. Turning south, we followed a boardwalk trail through the Presidio's sand dunes. Leaving the Presidio, we hiked along the Park Presidio Greenway, a tree-lined trail heading south to Golden Gate Park. We finished in the Rose Garden in Golden Gate Park. We covered just over five miles in two hours and twenty-four minutes.

I was much more impressed with the hike than I expected to be. I will post a map in the next several days. We are already planning to come back this summer and hike the rest of the trail.

Searching for a place to have lunch, we settled on Pacific Catch on 9th Avenue. It was just on the other side of the park. As we walked to the restaurant, I was shocked at the number of cars trying to get into Golden Gate Park.

Sitting at the bar, we had a nice lunch. Sharon had a West Coast Bowl with salmon, while I had a taco platter. After lunch, we caught an Uber back to the hotel.

Dropping our packs in the hotel, we walked to the SVN West event space. This was formerly the Fillmore West and Carousel Ballroom. When we were working in DC and visiting Jack, I had bought tickets for the Van Gogh Immersive Show. I have always been a fan of Van Gogh; we seen several Van Gogh shows and visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

I enjoyed the show. We ended up spending just over an hour. The show is about 35 minutes long and then loops.

Walking to and from the show, it seemed like there were a lot more cops on the street than Friday night. I will have more comments about our experiences in the area around the hotel on Sunday.

We finished the day with dinner at SPQR. This is supposed to be a one star Michelin restaurant. The experience was not good.

We took an Uber to the restaurant. After getting seated, it was more than 35 minutes before anyone came to speak with us. We chose the wine pairing with the fixed menu. Twice during the meal, the course showed up, but we had to wave someone down to get the wine pairing. Additionally, the food came at odd intervals. Sharon was less than impressed by several of the courses, particularly the lemon linguini.

Sharon said "I don't know how this place got a Michelin star..." The menu and wine pairing list are included below.

After dinner, we got another Uber back to the hotel. My experience over the last couple of months is that it takes longer to get an Uber than did before the pandemic and it is more expensive... Back at the hotel, we crashed.

Friday, June 25, 2021

2021 San Francisco - Day 1

Sharon and I took off from Carmichael just after 1 pm. We dropped Tiber at Ruff's Resort on the way out of town. For a change of pace, we took Sharon's car. While I did a couple of work calls, she drove to Vallejo. We switched drivers there and I drove into the city.

We rolled up to the hotel about 3:20 pm. We are spending two nights at the Proper Hotel. The hotel is right on Market Street. I will have some less than positive observations about the hotel and the area on Sunday.

Sharon was bitterly disappointed to find out that the bar in the hotel was not open. Researching options within walking distance, we ended up hiking up to the Ritz Carlton. We enjoyed a cocktail and an appetizer there. I am pretty sure that Sharon and I stayed here years ago [1997?] for my birthday and went to dinner and to a comedy club by the ferry building.

We walked back to the Proper Hotel. We had a 7:15 pm reservation at Charmaine's. This is the rooftop lounge on top of the Proper. We had a nice table outside with a firepit. We had a light dinner of PORK BELLY SKEWERS [Blood Orange Kosho, Black Sesame, Chive] and PROPER CHOPPED SALAD [Little Gems, Cherry Tomatoes, Radish, Avocado, Soft Cooked Eggs, Toma Cheese, Bacon-Sherry Dressing]. For dessert, we had a RAINBOW PRIDE CAKE [Lemon Yogurt Cake, Blueberry Compote, Funfetti Vanilla Buttercream].

We headed up sitting there for more than two and a half hours. We watched the fireworks after the end of the Giants game. With a big day planned for Saturday, we headed back to the room and crashed about 10 pm.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

John Charles Hummel

John was CIO of Sutter Health from fall of 1999 to January of 2006. I worked for Sutter Health from May of 1998 to February of 2014.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our father, John Charles Hummel on March 20th, 2021. Many of you know that John has been fighting health issues for many years and this Saturday he passed in his sleep as his body could fight no more. John left behind his wife of 49 years, Ruth Anne S. Hummel, and his 5 children, John, Deby, Dejah, Dianna and Rachel. John also is survived by his grandchildren Charlie, Emily, Greysen, Griffin, Mathew, Charlie Jay, K. Danger, Morgana, and Pippin, as well as many nieces and nephews, friends and others who had the pleasure of knowing him. John was born the 4th and last child to Jack Hummel and Barbara Hay Hummel on December 10th, 1953. John is survived by 2 of his older sisters, Yvonne and Charlene, and held fond memories of his beloved sister Suzie, who passed before him. He was an avid scholar, meeting Ruth, the woman who would become his wife, at Moorpark college where he was impressed with her free spirit (she was cooling off in a fountain) and felt the need to seek her out and introduce himself (he told her she was breaking the rules for being in the fountain, she splashed him and his books). He asked her to go steady, she said no. He asked her to marry him, and she said yes 3 weeks later. They were married November 26th, 1972 and were still married at his passing. John was many things throughout his life. He started his love of learning young, being supported by his high school teachers to explore marine biology off the California coast, investigating building coral reefs. He then joined the Navy in the hopes of becoming a medical doctor. In the Navy he served with honor and learned Nuclear Physics. After the Navy John then turned his attention to the new field of computers and quickly became an expert at this, leading him to corporate positions and development of new systems in healthcare that are still used today. He also loved history, seeking a degree in Civil War History, literature, philosophy, as well as science and space. At one point John pursued a degree in astrology, just because it interested him. John was incredibly generous with his resources and laughter. He was known for his sense of humor and along with his lifelong partner was the center of many parties, much laughter, and circles of practical jokes that are still remembered with fondness by many. As his health declined John retained much of his sense of humor, even if the circle who got to experience this got smaller. His final text to his family was a blend of sarcasm, humor and life observations that those who knew him will remember, and those who did not can see in his children. This drive for knowledge as well as his rapid wit and sense of humor are the legacies he has left to his children and grandchildren, all of whom share in his sarcasm and ability to laugh at themselves in any situation. He will be remembered fondly by many and will be missed. A Celebration of John’s life will be held at a later date. The family of John Charles Hummel has entrusted the care of their loved one DeVargas Funeral Home of Taos.

Monday, June 21, 2021

2021 Father’s Day Weekend - Sea Ranch - Day 10

Up at 6 am, we packed up the car and were on the road by 7:45 am. We dropped the key to the house in Gualala. I got gas in Bodega Bay. We were at the Sacramento Airport about 11:35 am.

After dropping Jack at the airport, Sharon and I picked up Tiber. We were home in Carmichael about 12:30 pm.

Jack caught a 1:12 pm United flight to Denver and then a 6 pm flight to Dulles. He was on the ground at Dulles about 11:30 pm. Catching an Uber, Jack was back in DC about 12:35 am.

It was a great trip. I really loved the opportunity to spend time with Jack, Drew, Morgan and Lee. The last two years have been a remarkable sea change.

Sunday, June 20, 2021

2021 Father’s Day Weekend - Sea Ranch - Day 9

A fantastic Father's Day.

After a couple of late nights, we slept late. Sharon eventually made pancakes and bacon for breakfast.

While Sharon went into town to get steaks for dinner, I went for a long run north along the bluffs. I went 6.25 miles in an hour and seventeen minutes. I ran all the way to Graham View.

When I got back to the house, Drew was there. Eventually, Drew, Jack and I took off for a hike. We hiked across Highway 101 to the Hugal Ravine trail, south on SAG Pond Trail and then back north on the Ridge Trail. We hiked just over three and a half miles in an hour and twenty-three minutes. I will post a map on the near future.

Back at the house we watched the end of the Eastern Conference semi-finals game seven. The Hawks defeated the 76ers by the score of 103 to 96.

At some point earlier in the day, Drew found a copy of the board game Catan. We ended up playing three games in the afternoon and evening with Sharon joining for one game. Drew, Jack and I each ended up winning one game. It is a rarity for me to win.

In the late afternoon, we watched the end of the US Open Golf Tournament. Essentially taking him out of contention, Oosthuizen drove just out of bounds into the canyon left of the 17th fairway for a bogey. Rahm birded the last two holes to give him a 1 shot victory.

Morgan, Daniel and Lee joined us after Lee got up from his nap. Before dinner, a group of us walked out on the bluffs to look for some kayaks that we had seen being carried down to the ocean. I barbecued steaks for an early dinner.

Drew, Jack, Sharon and I watched the end of game one of the Western Conferences finals. The Suns beat the Clippers by the score of 120 to 114.

Jack, Sharon and I finished the night watching another episode to Ted Lasso.

Saturday, June 19, 2021

2021 Father’s Day Weekend - Sea Ranch - Day 8

The plan for the morning was golf. We took off from the house about 9:45 am. After hitting a bucket of balls, we had 10:40 and 10:50 tee times. Sharon and I went off first. Jack, Drew and Madi followed.

I enjoyed the round a lot. I felt like I struck the ball pretty well. I used a mulligan on the 6th tee. I had to drop on the par three 8th over the gully. I played with the same ball for the rest of the morning. I ended up shooting a fairly accurately scored 54 on the front nine. While I have scored better on the front nine in the past, it was probably not scored as honestly...

Jack, Drew and Madi played best ball. Jack actually got his game going a little and was fairly happy with the round.

It was a fast round. We played nine holes in just over two hours.

Jack, Sharon and I barbecued hot dogs for lunch. Afterwards, Sharon headed into Gualala to shop. While she was gone, I went for a long walk north along the bluffs. I covered just over four miles in an hour and fifteen minutes.

We took everyone to the Vue for dinner. This is the sixth time in the last eighteen months that Sharon and I have had dinner here! The group split a selection of appetizers, including calamari, ceviche and crab din sum. Morgan had the Tipsy Sardinian [fish, prawns served in spicy vodka sauce with sun dried tomatoes and saffron cream linguini]. Sharon and Lee split Fish and Chips. Jack had Linguini Alfredo [White wine, triple cream, pecorino]. I had Braised Short Ribs [Burgundy braised beef short ribs, garlic mash, bacon and seasonal vegetables].

Jack, Sharon and I finished the day watching the Bucks beat the Nets in overtime of the Eastern Conference NBA semi-finals. Afterwards, we watched the first two episodes of season one of Ted Lasso.

Friday, June 18, 2021

2021 Father’s Day Weekend - Sea Ranch - Day 7

As I have often said, Sea Ranch is my favorite place in the world to run. There are ten miles of trail along the bluffs. Friday morning, I ran from Waveside to the house that Drew rented. Running south along the bluffs to Pebble Beach, I turned up Navigator's Reach. I crossed Highway 101 and picked up the Pilot's Reach trail. There were several steep sections that slowed me to a walk. Heading north on Sea Ridge Road, I turned on Conifer Close to get to Drew's house. After visiting with Drew and Madie, I retraced my steps back to Waveside. In total, I covered just over six miles in an hour and sixteen minutes.

After some debate about what to do for morning, we decided to go to Bowling Ball Beach. One of the interesting things about coming to Sea Ranch five times in the last eigthteen months is that we have done several things that we have never done before. Drew and Madi drove to our house and then we caravaned north towards Point Arena.
After initially hiking down the wrong trail, we found the north trail and hiked to the beach. From the driftwood pile at the bottom of the stairs, it is about 1/2 hike north along the beach to the bowling ball section. Although I expected the rocks to be larger, it is an interesting spot.

We stopped in Gualala after the hike and shopped. We picked up oysters, chicken and rice for dinner. We got tri-tip sandwiches for lunch.

Sharon, Jack and I spent a lazy afternoon at the house. While Sharon took a nap, Jack and I watched golf.

In the late afternoon, we headed to Drew's house. We got a chance to spend some time with Morgan and Lee. I brought a small soccer ball for Lee. Drew and Jack played a couple of games of Othello. Drew and I played cribbage.

I barbecued oysters as an appetizer and then chicken for dinner. Sharon made instapot risotto. We had a nice dinner and a nice visit with everyone. Eventually, Sharon, Jack and I wandered back to Waveside about 10:30 pm.

Thursday, June 17, 2021

2021 Father’s Day Weekend - Sea Ranch - Day 6

After spending the Mother's Day weekend at Sea Ranch, we are heading back for Father's Day. Rolling from the house just after 8 am, we dropped Tiber at Best Friends. Sharon made a 11 am reservation for lunch at Lynmar Estate Winery. We have been there twice before for tastings [2016 with Sanborns, 2014 Frame Family Function].


Lunch started with organic popcorn [seasoned with rose & garden borage salt, estate extra-virgin olive oil]. It included a Fattoush Salad [romaine lettuce, english cucumber, pickled graden radish, toasted house-made pita croutons, local goat feta, sumac & oregano dressing]. This was paired with a 2017 Quail Hill Vineyard Chardonnay. The entree was gently roasted breast of organic chicken marinated in portugese spices [purple & sweet potato rosti with fermented garlic, grilled spring vegetables, castelvetrano green olive tapenade & bliss lemon aioli]. This was paired with a 2018 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Dessert was cookies & cream [orange blossom & tahitian vanilla bean panna cotta with candied citrus tapioca center].

Part of the back story for the weekend is that Drew rented a house at Sea Ranch for the next ten days. When he told us, we turned around and rented another house for the Father's Day weekend. We rolled up to his VRBO about 2:30 pm. We explore the property and hung out with Drew. Morgan and Lee eventually got there.

From there, we headed into Gualala to pick up the key to the place that we are staying. We are spending four nights at Waveside.

After getting settled into the house, Sharon, Jack and I walked north about a mile along the bluffs and back. Sharon made her tranditional first night at Sea Ranch lasanga for dinner.

The three of us finished the night trying to watch Inglourious Basterds. I didn't realize that it was going to have subtitles. I fell asleep a couple of times. We gave up about 2/3s of the way through and crashed about 10:30 pm. I am going to have to go back and watch it from the beginning again.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Old Aggies Touring Side Zoom

Clayton and Chabrier pulled together an Old Aggie Touring Side Zoom to connect with Lambert. Gribi was there, but couldn't seem to figure out how to start his video!

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Frame Family Function

I have noted several times over the last fifteen months how much I have grown to appreciate the large Frame family holiday functions. I have missed the events during the pandemic.

With the Breuner house going on the market at the end of the week, Tom invited everyone over for a backyard picnic of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The group totalled sixteen (16): heringers-3; Toms-7; and, Tims-6. It is the first time that we have gotten everyone together since Christmas Eve of 2019.

It was a nice evening. We finished the gathering splitting a bottle of Jack's Rose amongst the adults.

Monday, June 14, 2021

In The Heights

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched In The Heights on HBOMax on the AppleTV. The movie is based on the stage musical by Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda. Given that we had seen Miranda's Hamilton on Broadway and then watched the filmed version of that play, I was interested in seeing the film.

What I didn't realize was that the Broadway play predates Hamilton. In the 2008, In the Heights was nominated for thirteen Tony Awards. It won four, including Best Musical. Hamilton opened on Broadway in 2015; it also won a Tony for Best Musical.

In the Heights is directed by Jon M. Chu [Crazy Rich Asians]. It stars Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits. It tells the story of a corner in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City where each member of the community pursues their dream of a better life.

Sharon had a negative reaction to the beginning of the film; the opening song strikes a cord that sounds very similar to the opening of Hamilton. Fortunately, the rhythms change, the film follows its own course and Sharon's initial reaction softened. It is not as good as Hamilton; it's ok. I enjoyed it.

Sunday, June 13, 2021

Jack

Jack caught a United Flight from Dulles to Sacramento. Scheduled to take off at 6 pm, it pulled away from the gate at 6:30 pm. The flight was supposed to arrive in Sacramento at 8:40 pm, but didn't actually arrive until 9:40 pm.

Heading to the airport to pick Jack up, Sharon and I rolled into a huge traffic mess. Northbound 5 was shut down to one lane for several miles. It took us an hour to drive the 21 miles to the airport. We ended up scooping Jack up at the curb about 10:15 pm and were home at 10:45 pm.

Saturday, June 12, 2021

Cleaning out Breuner

Sharon and I spent the morning with Tom, Tim and Kathy cleaning out the Breuner house. This was Jack and Rosemary's home. Sharon, Tom and Tim have been renting out the house since their mom passed away in 2009.

With the current lease ending last week, they are now planning to sell the house. They hope to get it on the market by the end of the week.

Sharon and I finished the day watching In the Heights on HBOMax.

Friday, June 11, 2021

Plainfield Station

Late Friday afternoon, I met Snipes at the Plainfield Station for a couple of adult beverages. We spent a couple of hours catching up.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Neighborhood Book Club

Sharon is part of a neighbor book club that used to meet about every two months. After not meeting since last September, they met Thursday night at the community pool. They discussed The Nature of Fraglie Things by Susan Meissner.

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

1988 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture
    The Last Emperor - winner
    Broadcast News
   ✔ Fatal Attraction
    Hope and Glory
    Moonstruck

Best Actor
   ✔ Michael Douglas – Wall Street as Gordon Gekko - winner
    William Hurt – Broadcast News as Tom Grunick
    Marcello Mastroianni – Dark Eyes as Romano
    Jack Nicholson – Ironweed as Francis Phelan
    Robin Williams – Good Morning, Vietnam as Adrian Cronauer

Best Actress
    Cher – Moonstruck as Loretta Castorini - winner
   ✔ Glenn Close – Fatal Attraction as Alex Forrest
    Holly Hunter – Broadcast News as Jane Craig
    Sally Kirkland – Anna as Anna
    Meryl Streep – Ironweed as Helen Archer

Best Supporting Actor
   ✔ Sean Connery – The Untouchables as Jim Malone - winner
    Albert Brooks – Broadcast News as Aaron Altman
    Morgan Freeman – Street Smart as Leo "Fast Black" Smalls Jr.
    Vincent Gardenia – Moonstruck as Cosmo Castorini
    Denzel Washington – Cry Freedom as Steve Biko

Best Supporting Actress
    Olympia Dukakis – Moonstruck as Rose Castorini - winner
    Norma Aleandro – Gaby: A True Story as Florencia Sánchez Morales
   ✔ Anne Archer – Fatal Attraction as Beth Gallagher
    Anne Ramsey – Throw Momma from the Train as Mrs. Lift
    Ann Sothern – The Whales of August as Tisha Doughty

Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
    Moonstruck
    Au revoir les enfants
    Broadcast News
    Hope and Glory
    Radio Days

Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
    The Last Emperor - winner
    The Dead
   ✔ Fatal Attraction
    Full Metal Jacket
    My Life as a Dog


The 2021 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2020 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2019 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2018 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2017 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2016 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2015 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2014 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2013 Oscar nominations are here.

The 2010 Oscar nominations are here.

The 1988 Oscar nominations are here.

The 1975 Oscar nominations are here.

Tuesday, June 08, 2021

Wall Street

Continuing down a rabbit hole, Sharon and I watched Wall Street on the Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend. After she read Sharon Stone's biography, we watched Basic Instinct and Total Recall. Listening to The Ringer's Rewatchable podcast about Basic Instinct, they talked about Micheal Douglas in Fatal Attraction and Wall Street. We decided to watch both of those films.

Wall Street is a 1987 American drama film directed and co-written by Oliver Stone. It stars Michael Douglas, Charlie Sheen, Daryl Hannah and Martin Sheen. The film tells the story of Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen), a young stockbroker who becomes involved with Gordon Gekko (Douglas), a wealthy, unscrupulous corporate raider.

Michael Douglas won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Daryl Hannah's performance was not as well received and earned her a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress.

I am a little surprised that Douglas won an Academy Award for his role. While Charlie Sheen is in almost every scene, Douglas' role is much smaller. Having watched Charlie Sheen in Two And A Half Men for years, it was a litte disarming to see a much younger actor in this role. Overall, I enjoyed the film. It is definitely rewatchable.

Monday, June 07, 2021

Friends: The Reunion


Thursday night before Memorial Day, Sharon and I watched Friends: The Reunion on HBOmax on the AppleTV. It was ok, but not great.

The cast and producers had some interesting comments near the end. They noted that there was no interest in making any new episodes. The series creators noted that they were happy with where they left the characters at end of the show. They were not interested in reopening the storylines.

Sunday, June 06, 2021

Catan

For the second Sunday afternoon in a row, Jack, Drew and I played Catan. Both days, Drew and Jack each won one game. In the Facetime picture from May 30, you can see Lee sitting on my lap in the bottom right corner. He sat on my lap and watched almost the whole time we played.

Sunday, May 30
Sunday, June 6

Saturday, June 05, 2021

My Octopus Teacher

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched My Octopus Teacher. At the 93rd Academy Awards, it won the award for Best Documentary Feature.

The film is a 2020 Netflix Original documentary directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. It documents a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster forging a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest.

Although I am not quite sure I understand how they got all of the footage, this is very good. I recommend it.

Friday, June 04, 2021

Dinner with Gainsleys and Larkins

Friday night, Sharon and I got together with the Larkins and the Gainsleys. They stopped at house before we went out to dinner. The goal was to pick a date for the fall dinner party and brainstorm a potential Viking Egyptian cruise in 2023.

After appetizers and cocktails, the six of us headed to Old Fair Oaks for dinner at Shangri-La. Sharon and I split an order of deviled eggs. For entrees, Sharon had a burger, while I had the fish tacos.

I was a nice evening. I always enjoy their company.

Thursday, June 03, 2021

Brooksby, 20, heads to Paris, 2 years after a US Open splash

Our neighbor's son qualified for the French Open and lost in the Round of 128.

Like many a 20-year-old American in Paris for the first time, tennis pro Jenson Brooksby is excited about where he is and eager to see where he's headed.

Brooksby, who's from Sacramento, California, has been tearing up the lower-level ATP Challenger Tour — 19-2 record; youngest U.S. player to accumulate three titles in one season on that circuit in 15 years; ranking rose from 315th in February to 163rd on Monday — and now he's looking for more.

Not just this week, when he's scheduled to face 20-year-old German Cedrik-Marcel Stebe, who is seeded 20th, at Roland Garros in French Open qualifying Tuesday, but in the years to come. Asked where he sees himself a decade from now, Brooksby did not hesitate a bit.

“I mean, by then, I want to be No. 1 in the world. I believe I can do it. It’s a long road. It takes a lot of, obviously, a lot of hard work, a lot of discipline getting better. But I believe I’m very motivated enough to do that,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press conducted via Zoom. “And by then, even five, 10 years, or before — I mean, I don’t want put limits on it, my goals — I definitely want to be the best player in the world.”

This is what competitiveness and confidence sound like. It's also evidence that having had a taste, albeit a brief one, of the uppermost echelon of a sport can do for someone who is trying to make it big one day.

Qualifying for the French Open began Monday; play in the main draw starts next Sunday. Players whose rankings weren’t high enough to get direct entry into the Grand Slam bracket can earn their way in through the three rounds of qualifying — essentially a tournament before the tournament.

Every so often, someone who does work his or her way into the main event uses that momentum as a springboard for serious success.

At the 2020 French Open, for example, 20-year-old American Sebastian Korda went from qualifying to the fourth round before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal; 23-year-old Argentine Nadia Podoroska took that route all the way to the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Iga Swiatek. At this year's Australian Open, 27-year-old Russian Aslan Karatsev qualified and got to the semifinals before losing to — yes, that's right — eventual champion Novak Djokovic.

Brooksby — known as “JT” to those closest to him, because his middle name is Taylor — played in only one Grand Slam tournament as a junior, the 2018 U.S. Open.

But he stood in the spotlight at age 18 in New York the following year: Brooksby won three matches in qualifying to book a spot in the main draw, then beat 2010 Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych.

There was a swirl of attention around Brooksby and conversation about whether he would, or should, opt out of playing college tennis at Baylor and declare himself a professional so he could accept the prize money at Flushing Meadows.

“The whole world told him to go pro,” Brooksby's advisor, Amrit Narasimhan, said in a telephone inteview, “whereas I was like, ‘Buddy, you’re not ready to play pro tennis.'”

Brooskby acknowledges as much, saying, “I felt my game was ready, but not other areas. Not physically, not mentally. ... Now I’m ready.”

So he chose Baylor — but then never actually played a college match, sidelined by a toe injury. In the meantime, he's grown to 6-foot-4 and improved his strength and fitness.

The best part of his tennis game?

“The strength," Brooksby said, "is no weaknesses.”

He's been with the same coach since age 7, Joe Gilbert, who joked that Brooksby is “not growing a beard anytime soon” and offered a similar assessment to Narasimhan's about their player's on-court demeanor.

“He can’t stand losing. And he’s a very fiery competitor," said Gilbert, who met Brooksby after giving his parents tennis lessons. "So he battles himself. Sometimes battles his opponent. He battles everything out there, because he is a bit emotional. But he loves it.”

Wednesday, June 02, 2021

Fatal Attraction

Sharon and I have been going down a movie rabbit hole. After she read Sharon Stone's biography, we watched Basic Instinct and Total Recall. Listening to The Ringer's Rewatchable podcast about Basic Instinct, they talked about Micheal Douglas in Fatal Attraction. We watched the movie on the Friday night of Memorial Day Weekend.

The movie is a 1987 erotic psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay written by James Dearden. It is based on Dearden's 1980 short film Diversion. At the 60th Academy Awards, Fatal Attraction received six nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Close), Best Supporting Actress (Archer), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and Best Film Editing.

Fatal Attraction stars Michael Douglas, Glenn Close and Anne Archer. The film centers on a married man who has a weekend affair with a woman who refuses to allow it to end and becomes obsessed with him.

Although we liked Basic Instinct more, Fatal Attraction movie holds up better than Total Recall. I enjoyed it. It is definitely rewatchable.

Tuesday, June 01, 2021

Back into the Office for a Meeting [Work from Home - Day 450]

Almost exactly a year ago, I started going back into the office part-time. I was part of a small group envisioned as Wave 1 to repopulate our building. It was very lonely in the big empty building. The repopulation strategy was quickly reversed as the pandemic grew.

I went back into the building today for a meeting to work on our 2030 IT Strategy Playbook. It has probably been more than eleven months since I have been into the building and into my office.

We are talking about trying to open the building back up in September. I will probably start going in more often for face to face meetings.