A map of our Seaview Trail hike in Tilden Regional Park on Day 2 of our Berkeley trip.
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Monday, May 30, 2022
2022 Berkeley - Day #3
Sharon found a route from the Claremont Hotel through the UC Berkeley Campus on RunGo. We ended up walking just over four miles in about an hour and forty minutes. The walk went past the Claremont Court Gate and Street Markers and looped around the bell/clock tower on campus. We stopped along the way at the Strada Cafe for a light breakfast.
Getting cleaned up and packing up the room, we rolled from the hotel about 11:45 am. We headed to Drew and Carmen's house. We spent about an hour and a half visiting in the backyard.
Jack rolled up in Sharon's car about 1:30 pm. He is moving into an apartment with Jason in San Francisco.
The five of us went into Orinda and had lunch at the Four Bore Tap Room & Grill for lunch. Sharon had a Steak BLTA salad [flat iron steak, blue cheese crumbles, onion strings, bacon, avocado, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette], while I had the classic burger.
We started for home about 3:30 pm. I had been considering going home through the delta, but Waze said there wasn't much traffic on 80. Taking 24 to 680 to 80 to 50, we were home in just over an hour and a half. Given that it was the end of a holiday weekend, I was shocked how light the traffic was!
Drew took Jack and a load of boxes to Jack's apartment in the City. Both Sharon and I are looking forward to having Jack and Drew so close in the bay area.
Getting cleaned up and packing up the room, we rolled from the hotel about 11:45 am. We headed to Drew and Carmen's house. We spent about an hour and a half visiting in the backyard.
Jack rolled up in Sharon's car about 1:30 pm. He is moving into an apartment with Jason in San Francisco.
The five of us went into Orinda and had lunch at the Four Bore Tap Room & Grill for lunch. Sharon had a Steak BLTA salad [flat iron steak, blue cheese crumbles, onion strings, bacon, avocado, red onion, balsamic vinaigrette], while I had the classic burger.
We started for home about 3:30 pm. I had been considering going home through the delta, but Waze said there wasn't much traffic on 80. Taking 24 to 680 to 80 to 50, we were home in just over an hour and a half. Given that it was the end of a holiday weekend, I was shocked how light the traffic was!
Drew took Jack and a load of boxes to Jack's apartment in the City. Both Sharon and I are looking forward to having Jack and Drew so close in the bay area.
Sunday, May 29, 2022
2022 Berkeley - Day #2
We had a light breakfast at the East Bay Provisions at the Carriage Entrance to the hotel. Sharon had a burnt breakfast burrito, while I had a ham, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich.
The plan for the day was a hike in Tilden Park. We drove to Drew and Carmen's house. After a tour of the house, Drew, Sharon and I headed into the park. We parked the car at the parking lot for the Steam Trains & Golden Gate Live Steamers.
We hiked the Seaview Trail. The trail has some fantastic views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. In total, we hiked 5.9 miles in just under three hours. A map is here.
Dropping Drew back at his house, Sharon and I headed back to the hotel and got cleaned up. Since we skipped lunch, we headed to the Limewood Bar & Restaurant for a glass of rose and a snack (another cheese plate).
We finished the evening with dinner at the Revival Bar + Kitchen. This turned out to be a disappointment. We had a nice drink at the bar and chatted with the bartender. When we went to get seated, the large restaurant was empty. We were the only customers!?!
As a starter, we split a solid kale caesar [snap pea, carrots, radish, crispy quinoa, grana padano, fennel]. For mains, Sharon had painted hills braised beef short ribs [green polenta, broccoli & shiitake relish, demiglace], while I had wild california king salmon [spinach, crispy red bliss potatoes, fennel relish, cherry tomato, basil & fennel relish]. The entrees were not good.
The plan for the day was a hike in Tilden Park. We drove to Drew and Carmen's house. After a tour of the house, Drew, Sharon and I headed into the park. We parked the car at the parking lot for the Steam Trains & Golden Gate Live Steamers.
We hiked the Seaview Trail. The trail has some fantastic views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. In total, we hiked 5.9 miles in just under three hours. A map is here.
We finished the evening with dinner at the Revival Bar + Kitchen. This turned out to be a disappointment. We had a nice drink at the bar and chatted with the bartender. When we went to get seated, the large restaurant was empty. We were the only customers!?!
As a starter, we split a solid kale caesar [snap pea, carrots, radish, crispy quinoa, grana padano, fennel]. For mains, Sharon had painted hills braised beef short ribs [green polenta, broccoli & shiitake relish, demiglace], while I had wild california king salmon [spinach, crispy red bliss potatoes, fennel relish, cherry tomato, basil & fennel relish]. The entrees were not good.
Saturday, May 28, 2022
2022 Berkeley - Day #1
In the early afternoon, Sharon and I took off for Berkeley. We are spending two nights at the Claremont Hotel. With Drew and Carmen settled in a house in Orinda, we wanted to stay somewhere close by. I suggested this hotel and Sharon jumped on the idea.
We rolled up to the hotel just before 3 pm. The room was ready. The hotel is a little bit of a maze. We had to go down a floor from the lobby to the spa, hike across first floor, take an elevator up to the second floor and then find the room. It is an odd layout. The room had a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay.
After getting settled in the room, we wandered back to the front of the hotel. There is an outside area set up with a bar in a trailer. The seating area has great views of San Francisco, the bridges and the bay. We had a glass of rose and a Cheese Board [selection of artisan cheeses, honey, preserves, grilled sourdough].
We had dinner in the Limewood Bar & Restaurant in the hotel. We split a Garden Salad [spring lettuce, asparagus, radish, shiso vinaigrette]. For entrees, I had a Heritage Pork Loin Chop [garnet yams, sauce charcutiere], while Sharon had 1/2 a Fried Chicken [fried potato salad].
The food was only ok. Both of us were surprised at how causal the restaurant was; we expected something a little more upscale. Additionally, the restaurant and the hotel in general was overun by families with small kids which seemed odd.
We finished the night watching Dynasties II: Elephant.
We rolled up to the hotel just before 3 pm. The room was ready. The hotel is a little bit of a maze. We had to go down a floor from the lobby to the spa, hike across first floor, take an elevator up to the second floor and then find the room. It is an odd layout. The room had a nice view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay.
After getting settled in the room, we wandered back to the front of the hotel. There is an outside area set up with a bar in a trailer. The seating area has great views of San Francisco, the bridges and the bay. We had a glass of rose and a Cheese Board [selection of artisan cheeses, honey, preserves, grilled sourdough].
We had dinner in the Limewood Bar & Restaurant in the hotel. We split a Garden Salad [spring lettuce, asparagus, radish, shiso vinaigrette]. For entrees, I had a Heritage Pork Loin Chop [garnet yams, sauce charcutiere], while Sharon had 1/2 a Fried Chicken [fried potato salad].
The food was only ok. Both of us were surprised at how causal the restaurant was; we expected something a little more upscale. Additionally, the restaurant and the hotel in general was overun by families with small kids which seemed odd.
We finished the night watching Dynasties II: Elephant.
Friday, May 27, 2022
Glendale to White to Simi
In addition to being very close to the Glendale hospital, I like the Residence Inn Los Angeles Glendale because it has a Peloton bike. I started the day with a thirty minute Pop Ride with Cody.
I spent the day going from Glendale to White to Simi Valley and meeting with the IT Director at each site. I was glad that Sharon wasn't with me driving from site to site; I swear that the lanes are narrower in Southern California. In general, traffic was lighter than I expected. I ended up running ahead of schedule all day.
Heading back to the Burbank airport, my 5:30 pm Southwest flight was late coming from Phoneix. Boarding with A42 and going up the back stairs, I ended up with the two seat exit row aisle seat on an older 737. Although the flight was fairly full, no one ended up seating next to me. We ended up taking off about 6:15 pm.
I lamented to Jack and Sharon that people just don't know how to travel. I was fascinated by the amount of drama going on around me when people were loading and unloading the plane.
I was home back in Carmichael about 8:15 pm. Jack, Sharon and I finished the night watching the season finale of Survivor 42.
I spent the day going from Glendale to White to Simi Valley and meeting with the IT Director at each site. I was glad that Sharon wasn't with me driving from site to site; I swear that the lanes are narrower in Southern California. In general, traffic was lighter than I expected. I ended up running ahead of schedule all day.
Heading back to the Burbank airport, my 5:30 pm Southwest flight was late coming from Phoneix. Boarding with A42 and going up the back stairs, I ended up with the two seat exit row aisle seat on an older 737. Although the flight was fairly full, no one ended up seating next to me. We ended up taking off about 6:15 pm.
I lamented to Jack and Sharon that people just don't know how to travel. I was fascinated by the amount of drama going on around me when people were loading and unloading the plane.
I was home back in Carmichael about 8:15 pm. Jack, Sharon and I finished the night watching the season finale of Survivor 42.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
To Glendale
After more than two years of working from home, things have started to shift. I was in the Roseville Building on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. On Wednesday and Thursday, I attended an in person meeting of more than 140 executives.
Thursday afternoon, I caught a 4:05 pm Southwest flight to Burbank. Boarding with A33, I was able to get an exit row aisle on a 737 Max 8. There were only 70 people on the flight; I had a row to myself. Picking up a Hertz rental car, I headed to Glendale. I am spending one night at the Residence Inn Los Angeles Glendale. I stayed at this hotel last November.
I finished the day running on the treadmill, watching the Warriors beat the Mavs in game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and walking a couple of blocks to Chiplote to get dinner. In an odd twist, Drew actually spent the day driving to SoCal and back to pick up a set of speakers; he should have spent the night with me.
Thursday afternoon, I caught a 4:05 pm Southwest flight to Burbank. Boarding with A33, I was able to get an exit row aisle on a 737 Max 8. There were only 70 people on the flight; I had a row to myself. Picking up a Hertz rental car, I headed to Glendale. I am spending one night at the Residence Inn Los Angeles Glendale. I stayed at this hotel last November.
I finished the day running on the treadmill, watching the Warriors beat the Mavs in game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and walking a couple of blocks to Chiplote to get dinner. In an odd twist, Drew actually spent the day driving to SoCal and back to pick up a set of speakers; he should have spent the night with me.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
2022 Tulsa - Day #8
After spending the week with Janie in Tulsa, Sharon wound her way home. She caught a 9:30 am United Express flight from Tulsa to Denver. Sharon then took a 11:50 am United flight from Denver to Sacramento. On the ground in Sacramento before 1:30 pm, she took an Uber home. Sharon was back in Carmichael by 2:30 pm.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - Season Four
Sharon and I finished watching season four of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The fourth season was released on February 17, 2022. We finished watching the first season on September 6, 2019, the second season on September 22, 2019 and the third seasaon on March 6, 2020.
The show stars Rachel Bresnahan (Rachel in House of Cards) as Miriam "Midge" Maisel. Maisel is a New York housewife in the late 1950s who discovers she has a knack for stand-up comedy and pursues a career in it. Marin Hinkle (Judith on Two and a Half Men) and Tony Shalhoub (Wings and Monk) feature in supporting roles as her parents.
The series has been renewed for a fifth season. Reportedly, this will be the final season.
Both Sharon and I have really enjoyed this show. I recommend it. [Note to self], we need to binge watch these series. Lately, we have ended up watching several shows with large gaps between episodes. It makes it hard to keep track of the plot.
The show stars Rachel Bresnahan (Rachel in House of Cards) as Miriam "Midge" Maisel. Maisel is a New York housewife in the late 1950s who discovers she has a knack for stand-up comedy and pursues a career in it. Marin Hinkle (Judith on Two and a Half Men) and Tony Shalhoub (Wings and Monk) feature in supporting roles as her parents.
The series has been renewed for a fifth season. Reportedly, this will be the final season.
Both Sharon and I have really enjoyed this show. I recommend it. [Note to self], we need to binge watch these series. Lately, we have ended up watching several shows with large gaps between episodes. It makes it hard to keep track of the plot.
Monday, May 23, 2022
Drive My Car
Friday and Saturday night, I watched Drive My Car. This is part of my continuing journey to see all of the movies that are nominated for the 2022 Oscars. The film earned four nominations at the 94th Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best International Feature Film. It won Best International Feature Film. I have now seen all ten of the movies that were nominated for Best Picture.
Drive My Car is an introspective Japanese drama film co-written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. It is based on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name from his 2014 collection Men Without Women, while taking inspiration from other stories in the collection.
The film follows YÅ«suke Kafuku (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima) as he directs a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima and grapples with the death of his wife, Oto. Featured prominently, the car is a red Saab 900 Turbo.
It is the first Japanese film nominated for Best Picture. At the 79th Golden Globe Awards, the film won Best Foreign Language Film. It became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture from all three major U.S. critics groups (the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the National Society of Film Critics).
At three hours in length, the movie is glacial; the story proceeds very slow. The opening credits appeared 40 minutes after the movie started?!? There are a lot of long scenes of the car driving around. In Japanese with English subtitles, like my experience with Roma, I find the subtitles distracting. While I appreciate what they were trying to do, I don't recommend it.
One footnote, at the beginning of the film, the lead actor is shown on stage appearing in Waiting for Godot. Drew and I saw Waiting for Godot with Nathan Lane and John Goodman in 2009 after attending Morgan's graduation from Sarah Lawrence.
Drive My Car is an introspective Japanese drama film co-written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. It is based on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name from his 2014 collection Men Without Women, while taking inspiration from other stories in the collection.
The film follows YÅ«suke Kafuku (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima) as he directs a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima and grapples with the death of his wife, Oto. Featured prominently, the car is a red Saab 900 Turbo.
It is the first Japanese film nominated for Best Picture. At the 79th Golden Globe Awards, the film won Best Foreign Language Film. It became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture from all three major U.S. critics groups (the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, and the National Society of Film Critics).
At three hours in length, the movie is glacial; the story proceeds very slow. The opening credits appeared 40 minutes after the movie started?!? There are a lot of long scenes of the car driving around. In Japanese with English subtitles, like my experience with Roma, I find the subtitles distracting. While I appreciate what they were trying to do, I don't recommend it.
One footnote, at the beginning of the film, the lead actor is shown on stage appearing in Waiting for Godot. Drew and I saw Waiting for Godot with Nathan Lane and John Goodman in 2009 after attending Morgan's graduation from Sarah Lawrence.
Sunday, May 22, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Family Dinner
Friday, May 20, 2022
Babysitting Adventures with Lee
Morgan dropped Lee off at 11 am. He joined me for a Teams meeting, had lunch and then went down for his nap.
Thursday, May 19, 2022
To St. Helena and Back
I spent the lion's share of the day traveling to St. Helena and back for work. From January 2015 to September of 2016, I worked at the hospital.
This is the first time that I have been to the site since June of 2019. I was shocked at the damage to the area by the Glass Fire. Parts of the area look and feel so much different.
Waze routed me home on Sage Canyon Road via Lake Berryessa and through Winters. I was shocked at the traffic when I transitioned from 113 to 80. At 3 pm on a random Thursday, the traffic was backed up all the way to the causeway. While it took me an hour and forty-five minutes to get there in the morning (80 to 12 to 29), it took more than two hours and ten minutes to get home.
This is the first time that I have been to the site since June of 2019. I was shocked at the damage to the area by the Glass Fire. Parts of the area look and feel so much different.
Waze routed me home on Sage Canyon Road via Lake Berryessa and through Winters. I was shocked at the traffic when I transitioned from 113 to 80. At 3 pm on a random Thursday, the traffic was backed up all the way to the causeway. While it took me an hour and forty-five minutes to get there in the morning (80 to 12 to 29), it took more than two hours and ten minutes to get home.
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
2022 Tulsa - Day #1
I took Sharon to the airport at 6:30 am. She caught a 8:39 am United Flight from Sacramento to Denver. After a quick bite to eat, Sharon took a 1:40 pm United Express flight from Denver to Tulsa. She was on the ground in Tulsa about 4:15 pm.
Sharon is spending the next week in Tulsa visiting Janie. They finished the day with dinner at Tucci's.
[Note to self], for future reference, it took an hour and fifteen minutes to take Sharon to the airport, park, help her with her luggage, walk her to the gate and then get back to the house.
Sharon is spending the next week in Tulsa visiting Janie. They finished the day with dinner at Tucci's.
[Note to self], for future reference, it took an hour and fifteen minutes to take Sharon to the airport, park, help her with her luggage, walk her to the gate and then get back to the house.
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
Spoiler Alert - Sooley by John Grisham
My book for May was Sooley by John Grisham. Somewhat unbelievably, this is the 36rd book by John Grisham that I have read in the last thirty-one years. I am not sure that this is something that I should be proud of...
The book tells the story of Samuel Sooleymon, a South Sudanese teen who comes to the United States to play college ball. It mixes a feel good story of a small school's success in the NCAA basketball tournament with the horrors of the Sudan Civil War.
It was clear towards the end of that something bad was going to happen. Nevertheless, I didn't expect Grisham to go Len Bias on us and abruptly kill off the main character.
Over the years, Grisham has written a number of sports books, including Bleachers, Playing for Pizza and Calico Joe. I enjoyed most of the book, but have mixed feelings about the plot twist. I continue to read Grisham book's as a break from more serious volumes...
The book tells the story of Samuel Sooleymon, a South Sudanese teen who comes to the United States to play college ball. It mixes a feel good story of a small school's success in the NCAA basketball tournament with the horrors of the Sudan Civil War.
It was clear towards the end of that something bad was going to happen. Nevertheless, I didn't expect Grisham to go Len Bias on us and abruptly kill off the main character.
Over the years, Grisham has written a number of sports books, including Bleachers, Playing for Pizza and Calico Joe. I enjoyed most of the book, but have mixed feelings about the plot twist. I continue to read Grisham book's as a break from more serious volumes...
Monday, May 16, 2022
To Marysville
After only traveling for work once in the last twenty six months [796 days], I have several short trips planned in the next two weeks. I spent the first half of the day traveling to Rideout in Marysville and back.
Almost three years ago, I spent almost two months working out of a cave in Marysville.
Almost three years ago, I spent almost two months working out of a cave in Marysville.
Sunday, May 15, 2022
Dry Creek Ranch Golf Course
After some initial confusion, Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I ended up playing Dry Creek Ranch Golf Course on Sunday morning. I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the course; the fairways and greens were in good shape.
It has probably been thirty-five years since I played the course with Nooter. I have a couple of strong memories from the round, including Nooter getting mad at a foursome in front of us and him eagling a par four from about 170 yards.
I probably should not have played. Over the last two plus years, I have started to do some light upper body weight work. Increasingly the frequency this year, I lifted on Monday night. I woke up early Tuesday morning and could hardly move. I was able to get everything loose on Sunday morning, but I should probably have begged off. I am just too stubborn.
I had a horrible start. I finally got going a little bit in the middle of the round, including a very nice par on the thirteen. Unfortunately, I started struggling again on the last few holes. I ended up with a very liberally scored 120. Given that this is the eleven time that I have played golf this year, you would think that I should be better!?!
The four of us finished the day with dinner at Scott's Seafood on the River. Sharon and I split a cup of Spicy Crab Bisque and a Wedge Salad [artisan iceberg / bacon / tomatoes / red onion / radish / blue cheese dressing / shafts blue crumble]. I had a couple of oysters. For entrees, I had Ahi Two Ways [sesame seared / poke with avocado / edamame / fresno chilis / jasmine rice / wasabi mayo / ponzu], while Sharon had Macadamia Nut Crusted Atlantic Halibut [brown butter / citrus wild rice pilaf / steamed vegetables] again.
It has probably been thirty-five years since I played the course with Nooter. I have a couple of strong memories from the round, including Nooter getting mad at a foursome in front of us and him eagling a par four from about 170 yards.
I probably should not have played. Over the last two plus years, I have started to do some light upper body weight work. Increasingly the frequency this year, I lifted on Monday night. I woke up early Tuesday morning and could hardly move. I was able to get everything loose on Sunday morning, but I should probably have begged off. I am just too stubborn.
I had a horrible start. I finally got going a little bit in the middle of the round, including a very nice par on the thirteen. Unfortunately, I started struggling again on the last few holes. I ended up with a very liberally scored 120. Given that this is the eleven time that I have played golf this year, you would think that I should be better!?!
The four of us finished the day with dinner at Scott's Seafood on the River. Sharon and I split a cup of Spicy Crab Bisque and a Wedge Salad [artisan iceberg / bacon / tomatoes / red onion / radish / blue cheese dressing / shafts blue crumble]. I had a couple of oysters. For entrees, I had Ahi Two Ways [sesame seared / poke with avocado / edamame / fresno chilis / jasmine rice / wasabi mayo / ponzu], while Sharon had Macadamia Nut Crusted Atlantic Halibut [brown butter / citrus wild rice pilaf / steamed vegetables] again.
Saturday, May 14, 2022
Sacramento Southern Railroad
Sharon and I met Lee, Morgan and Daniel in Old Sacramento to ride the Sacramento Southern Railroad. We took a 50 minute ride out to the old stop for the Land Park Plunge.
We got first class tickets in the French Quarter car. This restored car was inspired by the New Orleans French Quarter. It has wrought iron balconies and a “Sunset pink” painted ceiling studded with stars. Complete with its own serving bar, the French Quarter has large windows and a variety of seating combinations including four small dining table booths for seating of four guests, settees and lounge-style chairs. We got one of the dining table booths for the five of us.
We did this once with Jack almost twenty years ago. I am pretty sure that we didn't ride in a first class car. We did run into Randy and Aaron that day...
After much debate, Jack, Sharon and I finished the night watching Revenge of the Sith.
We got first class tickets in the French Quarter car. This restored car was inspired by the New Orleans French Quarter. It has wrought iron balconies and a “Sunset pink” painted ceiling studded with stars. Complete with its own serving bar, the French Quarter has large windows and a variety of seating combinations including four small dining table booths for seating of four guests, settees and lounge-style chairs. We got one of the dining table booths for the five of us.
We did this once with Jack almost twenty years ago. I am pretty sure that we didn't ride in a first class car. We did run into Randy and Aaron that day...
After much debate, Jack, Sharon and I finished the night watching Revenge of the Sith.
Friday, May 13, 2022
Mikuni
Jack, Sharon and I finished the week with dinner at Mikuni.
Back at the house, we watched the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzles by the score of 110 to 96. The Warriors advance to their sixth western conference final in eight years. We got a chance to see the Warriors play at Chase Arena in December.
Back at the house, we watched the Golden State Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzles by the score of 110 to 96. The Warriors advance to their sixth western conference final in eight years. We got a chance to see the Warriors play at Chase Arena in December.
Thursday, May 12, 2022
2010 Oscar Nominations
Best Picture
✔ The Hurt Locker - winner
✔ Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart as Otis "Bad" Blake - winner
George Clooney – Up in the Air as Ryan Bingham
Colin Firth – A Single Man as George Falconer
✔ Morgan Freeman – Invictus as Nelson Mandela
✔ Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker as Sergeant First Class William James
Best Actress
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side as Leigh Anne Tuohy - winner
Helen Mirren – The Last Station as Sophia Tolstaya
Carey Mulligan – An Education as Jenny Mellor
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire as Claireece "Precious" Jones
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia as Julia Child
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds as Col. Hans Landa - winner
✔ Matt Damon – Invictus as Francois Pienaar
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger as Cpt. Tony Stone
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station as Leo Tolstoy
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones as George Harvey
Best Supporting Actress
Mo'Nique – Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire as Mary Lee Johnston - winner
Penélope Cruz – Nine as Carla Albanese
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air as Alex Goran
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart as Jean Craddock
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air as Natalie Keener
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
✔ The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal - winner
Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger – Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman
A Serious Man – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Up – Screenplay by Bob Peterson and Pete Docter; Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson and Tom McCarthy
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire – Geoffrey Fletcher - winner
District 9 – Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell based on the short film Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp
An Education – Nick Hornby based on the memoir by Lynn Barber
In the Loop – based on the character Malcolm Tucker, who originally appeared in the BBC TV show The Thick of It
Up in the Air – Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman based on the novel by Walter Kirn
The 2022 Oscar nominations are here.
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.
The 1973 Oscar nominations are here.
✔ The Hurt Locker - winner
✔ Avatar
The Blind Side
District 9
An Education
Inglourious Basterds
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
A Serious Man
Up
Up in the Air
Best Actor
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart as Otis "Bad" Blake - winner
George Clooney – Up in the Air as Ryan Bingham
Colin Firth – A Single Man as George Falconer
✔ Morgan Freeman – Invictus as Nelson Mandela
✔ Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker as Sergeant First Class William James
Best Actress
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side as Leigh Anne Tuohy - winner
Helen Mirren – The Last Station as Sophia Tolstaya
Carey Mulligan – An Education as Jenny Mellor
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire as Claireece "Precious" Jones
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia as Julia Child
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds as Col. Hans Landa - winner
✔ Matt Damon – Invictus as Francois Pienaar
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger as Cpt. Tony Stone
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station as Leo Tolstoy
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones as George Harvey
Best Supporting Actress
Mo'Nique – Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire as Mary Lee Johnston - winner
Penélope Cruz – Nine as Carla Albanese
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air as Alex Goran
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart as Jean Craddock
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air as Natalie Keener
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
✔ The Hurt Locker – Mark Boal - winner
Inglourious Basterds – Quentin Tarantino
The Messenger – Alessandro Camon and Oren Moverman
A Serious Man – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Up – Screenplay by Bob Peterson and Pete Docter; Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson and Tom McCarthy
Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire – Geoffrey Fletcher - winner
District 9 – Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell based on the short film Alive in Joburg by Neill Blomkamp
An Education – Nick Hornby based on the memoir by Lynn Barber
In the Loop – based on the character Malcolm Tucker, who originally appeared in the BBC TV show The Thick of It
Up in the Air – Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman based on the novel by Walter Kirn
The 2022 Oscar nominations are here.
The 2021 Oscar nominations are here.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2022
California Historical Landmark #453
While we were in San Francisco in December, I did a walkabout and found eight different California Historical Markers, including: #88 Niantic Hotel; #90 Fort Gunnybags; #462 Site of First Jewish Religious Services in San Francisco; #408 Site of the the first Meeting of Freemasons held in California; #453 Lucas, Turner & Co. Bank; #192 El Dorado, Park House and Dennison's Exchange; #500 Site of the Eastern Terminus of Clay Street Hill Railroad; and, #119 PORTSMOUTH PLAZA.
Site of the Bank of
Lucas, Turner & Co.
(Sherman's Bank)
California State Historical Landmark #453
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 498 Jackson Street, San Francisco, California. There are 48 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Francisco County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 37° 47' 45.7" N 122° 24' 12.3" W.
William Tecumseh Sherman established the branch bank of Lucas, Turner & Co. in San Francisco in 1853. He settled the firm in their own building on the northeast corner of Jackson and Montgomery Streets in the springof 1854. Sherman successfully carried the bank through the financial crisis of 1855, and remained until they discontinued business in 1857.
Lucas, Turner & Co.
(Sherman's Bank)
California State Historical Landmark #453
See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps
This landmark is located at 498 Jackson Street, San Francisco, California. There are 48 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Francisco County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 37° 47' 45.7" N 122° 24' 12.3" W.
Tuesday, May 10, 2022
Monday, May 09, 2022
A Life of Picasso IV: The Minotaur Years: 1933-1943
My book for April was A Life of Picasso IV: The Minotaur Years: 1933-1943 by John Richardson. This is the fourth volume of a four volume set. I read the first volume [The Prodigy] in 2009, the second volume [The Cubist Rebel] in 2011 and the third volume [The Triumphant Years] in 2013.
I continue to be fascinated by the breadth and variety of Picasso's work. Signficant in this volume is the creation of Guernica. We saw this piece when we were in Spain in 2010. I didn't realize that the painting was originally created for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition.
Two things shocked me in this book. First, Picasso remained in Paris while the Germans occupied the city during World War II. He continued to paint, but didn't exhibit. Second, Picasso wrote poetry as an alternative outlet. Between 1935 and 1959 he wrote over 300 poems.
As I noted when I read volume three, Picasso was very successful while he was alive. There were major exhibitions of his work in England and the United States during this period.
Richardson passed away at the age of 95 in 2019. The fourth volume stops at 1943. Picasso lived another thirty years; he died at the age of 91 in 1973.
I finished reading the book while we were at the Wallens. This volume was shorter and more accessible than volumes two and three. I am going to have to find a book that covers the last third of Picasso's life.
I continue to be fascinated by the breadth and variety of Picasso's work. Signficant in this volume is the creation of Guernica. We saw this piece when we were in Spain in 2010. I didn't realize that the painting was originally created for the Spanish pavilion at the 1937 Paris International Exposition.
Two things shocked me in this book. First, Picasso remained in Paris while the Germans occupied the city during World War II. He continued to paint, but didn't exhibit. Second, Picasso wrote poetry as an alternative outlet. Between 1935 and 1959 he wrote over 300 poems.
As I noted when I read volume three, Picasso was very successful while he was alive. There were major exhibitions of his work in England and the United States during this period.
Richardson passed away at the age of 95 in 2019. The fourth volume stops at 1943. Picasso lived another thirty years; he died at the age of 91 in 1973.
I finished reading the book while we were at the Wallens. This volume was shorter and more accessible than volumes two and three. I am going to have to find a book that covers the last third of Picasso's life.
Sunday, May 08, 2022
Mother's Day 2022
Sunday morning, Sharon and I made a run to the dump (one of her favorite things!?!). We stopped at Lowe's for some plants on the way home. Drew called Sharon to wish her happy Mother's Day as we were heading home from Lowe's.
Jack rolled back from the bay area in the middle of the day. Sharon's brother Tom wandered over about 3 pm. Rather than a relaxing afternoon, Jack and I spent some time dealing with some drama with Tiber.
Like two years ago, I made veal piccata for dinner with angel hair pasta and green beans. I don't feel like it turned out as well as before. I get stressed when I try to make a more ambitious meal... After all of the drama with Tiber and the anxiety pulling together the dinner, we had a nice relaxing dinner. I always enjoy Tom's company.
For presents, I got Sharon a Honeybee Statement Necklace from Julie Vos. Jack got her a succulent garden and a card.
[Note to self], I should have taken a picture of Sharon and Jack!
Jack rolled back from the bay area in the middle of the day. Sharon's brother Tom wandered over about 3 pm. Rather than a relaxing afternoon, Jack and I spent some time dealing with some drama with Tiber.
Like two years ago, I made veal piccata for dinner with angel hair pasta and green beans. I don't feel like it turned out as well as before. I get stressed when I try to make a more ambitious meal... After all of the drama with Tiber and the anxiety pulling together the dinner, we had a nice relaxing dinner. I always enjoy Tom's company.
For presents, I got Sharon a Honeybee Statement Necklace from Julie Vos. Jack got her a succulent garden and a card.
[Note to self], I should have taken a picture of Sharon and Jack!
Saturday, May 07, 2022
Friday, May 06, 2022
Celebrating Morgan's Birthday
Sharon and I took Morgan and Daniel to Allora to celebrate Morgan's birthday. We celebrated my birthday there in January.
I had the five course tasting menu including:
I had the five course tasting menu including:
- OYSTERS* HOUSE HOT SAUCE, LEMON, MIGNONETTE
- DUCK EGG + MORELS WHEY POLENTA, BRAISED GREENS, GREMOLATA, RICOTTA SALATA
- TAJARIN DUCK EGG PASTA, DUCK CONFIT, PORCINI CREAM, TARTUFATA, PECORINO ROMANO
- HALIBUT MARCONA ALMOND-PEA HUMMUS, ASPARAGUS, FAVA BEANS, PIOPINNO MUSHROOMS
- BOMBOLONI LEMON CURD, VANILLA GELATO
Thursday, May 05, 2022
Wednesday, May 04, 2022
Barry - Season One
Sharon, Jack and I watched season one of Barry.
Barry is a dark comedy crime drama television series created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader. Season one premiered on HBO on March 25, 2018. HBO renewed the series for a third season, while a fourth season has been written.
Hader stars as a hitman (Barry Berkman) from Cleveland who travels to Los Angeles to kill someone but finds himself joining an acting class taught by Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). He meets aspiring actress Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg) and begins to question his path in life.
Barry has received 30 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Hader won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Winkler won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for their performances in the first season.
The series is extremely violent with a high body count. I did like the show and recommend it. We will eventually get around to watching the second season.
Barry is a dark comedy crime drama television series created by Alec Berg and Bill Hader. Season one premiered on HBO on March 25, 2018. HBO renewed the series for a third season, while a fourth season has been written.
Hader stars as a hitman (Barry Berkman) from Cleveland who travels to Los Angeles to kill someone but finds himself joining an acting class taught by Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler). He meets aspiring actress Sally Reed (Sarah Goldberg) and begins to question his path in life.
Barry has received 30 Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Hader won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Winkler won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for their performances in the first season.
The series is extremely violent with a high body count. I did like the show and recommend it. We will eventually get around to watching the second season.
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Monday, May 02, 2022
2022 Todos Santos - Day #5
A long day of travel misadventures...
We pulled away from the Wallen's house in Todos Santos at 9:15 am. Although again longer than I expected (an hour and twenty-five minutes?), it was an easy uneventful drive to the airport. We dropped the rental car at Hertz and caught a shuttle to the international terminal.
At this point, the fun started. The terminal was a sea of people. We got into a line specifically to check in for our Southwest flight. It took more than 45 minutes to work our way through a fairly short line. When we got to the front of line, they issued paper handwritten boarding passes and hand written luggage tags for Phoenix. I had paid for Business Select. The Southwest app showed that we should have had A5 and A6.
We worked our way through a fairly short security line and headed to the gate hand written on the paper boarding pass. It was bedlam. There was no Southwest representative anywhere. Wandering around, I found one person with a Southwest uniform who pointed me back to the gate that was written on the boarding pass.
Our Southwest flight ended being about an hour and a half late. Eventually with someone yelling and pointing, they lined everyone up in the order of the number hand written on the paper boarding pass. Of course, they then moved the whole line to a different gate and loaded us on to buses to get to the plane. I don't remember anyone ever looking at the boarding pass.
It turned out that the computers for most of the airport were down. Just as we were boarding the bus, we started to see some of the digital signage start to come back up.
In spite of all the bedlam, we somehow ended up in the nice exit row!
Landing in Phoenix, we went through passport control and grabbed our luggage. Due to the fact that they hadn't checked the bag through to Sacramento in Mexico, we had to leave security and go down to the ticketing desk. We ended up with a rude agent that initially refused to check our bags. Another agent came over the top and pointed out that we were on the ill-fated Cabo flight.
Racing back through security, we got to the gate just as they were starting to load the Bs. I frankly didn't think that we would make the connection. Again, I had paid for Business Select and was supposed to have boarding passes A9 and A10...
We did end up with row to ourselves. Sharon took the window, while I had the aisle.
We were back in Sacramento just before 7 pm. Unforunately, our luggage didn't make the flight. Sharon and a large number of other people from the flight got in a line to talk to Southwest baggage services. Our luggage was scheduled to show up on a Phoenix flight at 12:30 am. We will have to go back on Tuesday and get the bags.
By the time, we got home it was after 8:30 pm. We had been on the move for more than twelve hours.
Sharon says that she is done with Southwest.
In the more twenty-five years that Sharon and I have traveled together, we have one rule: any day that you end up where you were supposed to be is a good day.
We pulled away from the Wallen's house in Todos Santos at 9:15 am. Although again longer than I expected (an hour and twenty-five minutes?), it was an easy uneventful drive to the airport. We dropped the rental car at Hertz and caught a shuttle to the international terminal.
At this point, the fun started. The terminal was a sea of people. We got into a line specifically to check in for our Southwest flight. It took more than 45 minutes to work our way through a fairly short line. When we got to the front of line, they issued paper handwritten boarding passes and hand written luggage tags for Phoenix. I had paid for Business Select. The Southwest app showed that we should have had A5 and A6.
We worked our way through a fairly short security line and headed to the gate hand written on the paper boarding pass. It was bedlam. There was no Southwest representative anywhere. Wandering around, I found one person with a Southwest uniform who pointed me back to the gate that was written on the boarding pass.
Our Southwest flight ended being about an hour and a half late. Eventually with someone yelling and pointing, they lined everyone up in the order of the number hand written on the paper boarding pass. Of course, they then moved the whole line to a different gate and loaded us on to buses to get to the plane. I don't remember anyone ever looking at the boarding pass.
It turned out that the computers for most of the airport were down. Just as we were boarding the bus, we started to see some of the digital signage start to come back up.
In spite of all the bedlam, we somehow ended up in the nice exit row!
Landing in Phoenix, we went through passport control and grabbed our luggage. Due to the fact that they hadn't checked the bag through to Sacramento in Mexico, we had to leave security and go down to the ticketing desk. We ended up with a rude agent that initially refused to check our bags. Another agent came over the top and pointed out that we were on the ill-fated Cabo flight.
Racing back through security, we got to the gate just as they were starting to load the Bs. I frankly didn't think that we would make the connection. Again, I had paid for Business Select and was supposed to have boarding passes A9 and A10...
We did end up with row to ourselves. Sharon took the window, while I had the aisle.
We were back in Sacramento just before 7 pm. Unforunately, our luggage didn't make the flight. Sharon and a large number of other people from the flight got in a line to talk to Southwest baggage services. Our luggage was scheduled to show up on a Phoenix flight at 12:30 am. We will have to go back on Tuesday and get the bags.
By the time, we got home it was after 8:30 pm. We had been on the move for more than twelve hours.
Sharon says that she is done with Southwest.
In the more twenty-five years that Sharon and I have traveled together, we have one rule: any day that you end up where you were supposed to be is a good day.
Sunday, May 01, 2022
2022 Todos Santos - Day #4
Up early, Wallen and I left house before 7 am. We picked up Scott and his son Matt. The plan for the morning was hiking the Sugar Port Trail. With about a 500 foot elevation gain, the hike has some amazing views of the area. We ended up hiking 4.7 miles in just over two hours. A map and a couple of photos are here.
After getting cleaned up, we took a large group to lunch at the Oysteria. The group included Scott, Gail, Matt, John, Jill, Elle, Sharon and I. For appetizers, I had clam chowder, while Sharon had a tostado. We both had the catch of the day as the entree.
We spent the afternoon playing bocce ball at Scott and Gail's house. Continuing their run from the previous night, Sharon and Elle beat Jill and Gail before losing to Scott and Matt. Scott and Matt then beat Wallen and I.
Afterwards, Elle, Jill, Wallen, Sharon and I took lawn chairs down to the beach and watched the sunset. Unforunately, there are no whales migrating this time of year.
The five of us finished the day with a late dinner at RomAntic Pizzeria Italiana. The night ended on an odd note...
After getting cleaned up, we took a large group to lunch at the Oysteria. The group included Scott, Gail, Matt, John, Jill, Elle, Sharon and I. For appetizers, I had clam chowder, while Sharon had a tostado. We both had the catch of the day as the entree.
We spent the afternoon playing bocce ball at Scott and Gail's house. Continuing their run from the previous night, Sharon and Elle beat Jill and Gail before losing to Scott and Matt. Scott and Matt then beat Wallen and I.
Afterwards, Elle, Jill, Wallen, Sharon and I took lawn chairs down to the beach and watched the sunset. Unforunately, there are no whales migrating this time of year.
The five of us finished the day with a late dinner at RomAntic Pizzeria Italiana. The night ended on an odd note...
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