At Ancil Hoffman Golf Course

Taking advantage of the street closures blocking access to the course due to the California International Marathon, Sharon and I played nine holes at Ancil Hoffman Gof Course. Teeing off at 9:40 am, we played as a twosome.

I was happy with how I played. Although we haven't been playing as much over the last three months, I have been striking the ball more consistently over my last couple of rounds. I only three putted one green, but my chipping is still a problem. I parred the par three ninth hole coming into the clubhouse. In spite of all the leaves, I didn't lose a ball!

I carded a very honest 52. Sharon ended up wth the same score, but used a number of mulligans off the tee. I used one gallery loss on the eighth, but it turned out my ball was in the middle of the fairway about 20 yards ahead of where we were looking...

We had a very nice relaxed Sunday morning. I really enjoyed having a chance to play as a twosome.

Holiday Get-together

With the house decorated for Christmas, we invited the Gainsleys and Larkins over for a cocktail. The Larkins bought some smoked salmon and crackers.

Afterwards, the six of us went to dinner at Fabians Italian Bistro. Sharon and I split a bland caesar salad. For entrees, I had FETTUCCINE BOLOGNESE [ ANGUS BEEF & PORK RAGÚ, PECORINO ROMANO, FRESH BASIL], while Sharon had HALIBUT PUTTANESCA [CAPERS, OLIVES, ANCHOVIES, TOMATOES, CALABRIAN CHILI, GARLIC BREAD].

It was a very nice evening. Sharon and I are regretting that we don't have a trip booked for 2026...

Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour

Sharon and her brother Tom spent the afternoon at the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour. This is the fifth year that they have done the tour [2024, 2023].

They had a late lunch at Revolution Winery & Kitchen.

Carol Ann (Moline) Abbott

My mother had an older borther, Spencer Abbott, and a younger brother, Roderick Abbott. Carol was Roderick's wife.

Carol Ann (Moline) Abbott
May 14, 1937 - August 23, 2025

Carol passed peacefully, surrounded by her loving family. A special prayer for her soul was offered by her cousin, Dr. Melvin Morgan. She is survived by her devoted husband, Roderick Abbott, and is lovingly remembered by her two daughters, Jana Abbott and Judy Beil.

Jana Abbott is the loving mother of two daughters. Laura, her eldest, is married to Michael Mongon, and together they are the proud parents of Elleanora and Lochlan. Sunny, Jana’s younger daughter, is married to Evgen Gavryushkin.

Judy Beil is married to Jim Beil, and they are the loving parents of two sons, Ryan Beil and Evan Beil.

She is remembered for all things unique as she was, love of learning and adventure and the special way she touched all our lives for what we needed.

After having two daughters, she returned to college and proudly earned her degree from the California State University, Northridge.

Carol embraced every opportunity for adventure. With joy and resilience, she packed up the family and joined Roderick as they moved across several states throughout their marriage, always supporting his career and welcoming each new chapter with an open heart. One of these she and Roderick spent three memorable years living in Scotland, during which they explored Europe together.

Gifted in the art of sewing, she creatively crafted her daughters’ wedding dresses and created quilts for her grandchildren, featuring puzzle and airplane patterns. The airplane design was a heartfelt tribute, matching one made years earlier by Roderick’s grandmother.

Just a few weeks ago, we had the joy and privilege of celebrating Carol and Roderick’s incredible 67th wedding anniversary—a beautiful milestone filled with love, memories, and laughter.

Her legacy lives on through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, whose lives have been deeply enriched by her love, strength, and unwavering presence.

The Widow by John Grisham

My book for December was The Widow by John Grisham. Somewhat unbelievably, this is the 40th book by John Grisham that I have read in the last thirty-four years.

The book centers on Simon Latch, a struggling small-town lawyer drowning in debt and marital problems. Simon's luck seems to change when he takes on Eleanor Barnett, an elderly, secretive widow who claims to possess a secret, multi-million dollar fortune.

This book was a mixed bag for me. I didn't particularly enjoy the first hundred and fifty pages; martial struggles are not one of my favorite topics. I was also bored by the interactions between the lawyer and the widow. Then, the book changes directions completely. I was a lot more engaged. The book shifts direction for a third time in the last 50 pages for an odd, unexpected ending.

I will continue to read Grisham novels as filler between more ambitious books. They serve as a nice mindless break.

25th Hour

The 25 Best Movies of the Century: No. 3, ‘25th Hour’

Sean and Amanda return to continue their yearlong project of listing the 25 best movies of the 21st century so far. Today, they discuss Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, one of the most present-tense films ever made. They discuss its fascinating legacy as a somewhat under-discussed masterpiece, explain why Lee’s stylistic choices are deeply moving, and identify the impressive fricative tension in all of the movie’s ideas.

Friday night, Jack, Sharon and I watched the 25th Hour. [Note to self], I need to build a blog post of The Big Picture's list of the 25 Best Movies of the Century.

The 25th Hour is a 2002 drama film directed by Spike Lee. It is adapted by David Benioff from his 2001 debut novel The 25th Hour.

The film stars Edward Norton. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Brian Cox [Succession] have a supporting roles.

The film takes place over a single day. It follows Monty Brogan (Norton), a convicted drug dealer who has 24 hours of freedom left before he must report to prison to serve a seven-year sentence.

Terrified of what awaits him in prison and filled with regret, Monty spends his final day saying goodbye to his father (Cox), his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson), and his two best friends: Jacob (Hoffman), a shy high school teacher, and Frank (Barry Pepper), a high-powered Wall Street trader.

It is widely regarded as one of the best films of the 2000s and is particularly famous for capturing the mood of New York City immediately following the September 11 attacks.

Although it is a little slow in a couple of spots, all three of us liked the movie. We listened to the Big Picture Podcast talking about the movie on the way to an early dinner on Saturday. A random note, Jesse Plemons has become Phil Seymour Hoffman; it seems like Plemons is now filling roles that would have been filled by Hoffman twenty years ago.

Round Up of • Clubs • Halls • Fraternities • Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 51, Number 3, 26 February 1953

ROUND UP of • CLUBS • HALLS • FRATERNITIES •

SOUTH HALL
   New hard working officrs recently elected are: Marge Oehlman, President; Eugenia Hoffman, Vice-President; Joyce Abbott, Secretary; Marcia Reed, Vig-Committee Chairman. Toni Gills and Mary Ann Krull are our Contributions to the Interhall Concil.
   Vivianne Elorza, the chairman for our Picnic Day float, is busy at work making plans for the South Hall masterpiece, and wonders if anyone knows of any windproof glue.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Jack

Wednesday night, Jack took a bus and then a train to Sacramento. While I was at the Kings game with Drew, Sharon picked him up at the Amtrak station.

We had a very nice couple of days, including Thanksgiving dinner, shopping for a Christmas tree, a couple of movies (The 25 Hour and Hamnet) and an early dinner at Teleferic Barcelona on Saturday.

Up early on Sunday morning, we dropped him at the Amtrak station. Jack caught a 6:50 am train back to the city.

Hamnet

Before lunch, Jack, Sharon and I saw Hamnet at the Tower Theater. We are continuing our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Hamnet with the third best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Hamnet is a historical drama film co-edited and directed by Chloé Zhao. Zhao co-wrote the screenplay with Maggie O'Farrell. The film is based on the 2020 novel of the same name by O'Farrell. It stars Jessie Buckley [Women Talking, The Lost Daughter, Judy] and Paul Mescal [Aftersun]. Emily Watson [Gosford Park] and Joe Alwyn [The Brutalist] appear in supporting roles.

The film is a fictionalized exploration of the life of William Shakespeare (Mescal) and his wife, Agnes Hathaway (Buckley). Set in 16th-century Stratford-upon-Avon, the story focuses heavily on Agnes and their domestic life together. The family is devastated by the tragic death of their only son, 11-year-old Hamnet. The narrative traces this overwhelming grief and how it ultimately serves as the emotional crucible that inspires Shakespeare to write his legendary tragedy, Hamlet.

Sharon and Jack enjoyed the movie more than I did. It is emotionally intense. My Shakespeare knowledge is not strong; I haven't read or seen Hamlet. Watching the movie, I was more than a little unclear of the plot of the play Hamlet. I expect that the movie will get a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Buckley is the heart of the movie. I expect that she will get a Best Actress nomination.

Shopping for a Christmas Tree

Friday morning, Tiber, Jack, Sharon and I headed to Roseville to shop for a Christmas Tree. For the eighth year in a row [2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018], we went to Bambi's Christmas Trees at Douglas and South Harding.

• In 2018 and 2019, we went to Bambi's on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving.
• In 2020, we went on Friday after Thanksgiving.
• In 2021, we didn't get around to going until the weekend after the Thanksgiving weekend; the selection of larger trees was not good.
• In 2022, we went on Sunday morning after Thanksgiving.
• In 2023, we went on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving.
• In 2024, we went on Saturday morning after Thanksgiving.

We picked out a very nice 10' to 11' tree; it looks as tall as the 11' to 12' tree that we got last year. For the second year in a row, we decided not to have it flocked this year. We took it home on the top of the Volvo. With Jack's help, we were able to get it into the house and in the stand without any drama.

Thanksgiving 2025

After the Run to Feed the Hungry, Sharon, Jack and I headed to Tom's about 2:00 pm for Thanksgiving dinner. The group totaled twenty four, including: Tom; Eric; Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia; Terry and Steve; Jim; Mary; Tim and Kathy; Eileen and Will; Cormac, Erin and Mave; Clem, Lee, Daniel and Morgan; and, Sharon, Jack and I.

Sharon made pumpkin pies and a green bean casserole for the dinner. Tom served turkey and lamb.

I really enjoyed the afternoon. It was great to spent some extended time with Clem, Lee, Daniel and Morgan! Clem was a handful; he was very active.

2025 Run to Feed the Hungry

For the twenty-first time in the last twenty-two years [2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005 and 2004], I ran or walked the Run to Feed the Hungry. We entered in 2007, but I was feeling under the weather and we decided not to run before heading to San Francisco for Thanksgiving. Sharon also missed seven years ago when she was feeling under the weather. In 2023, Sharon decided to do a virtual 5k around Ancil Hoffman Park.

I have come to view the Run to Feed the Hungry as a referendum on my fitness. Still recovering, I wasn't ready to run the 10k this year.

Leaving the house just after 8 am, Sharon and I parked along University Avenue just past Howe Avenue. With some effort, we met up with Kim, Laurel, Donna and Kevin. While Art ran the 10k, the five of us walked the 5k. I walked the 5k once before.

The registered number of people has 34,505, up from 31,000 last year. For the first time in 32 years, the event actually sold out.

It took us an hour and thirteen minutes to walk the 5k. The pace was actually not terrible; we averaged 23 minute miles.

I really enjoyed the group that we walked with this year. Nevertheless, hopefully, I will be back to running the 10k next year!

2025 Sacramento Kings versus Phoenix Suns

Drew and I went to the Sacramento Kings versus Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game. We sat next to his season tickets: Section 218, Row A, seats 20 and 21. Falling behind by 27 points in the first half, the Kings cut the margin to 8 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get any closer. The Suns won the game by the score of 112 to 100.

Mark Williams and Collin Gillespie were the high scorers for the Suns. They both scored 21 points. Williams had 21 points on 9 for 12 from the field and 3 for 5 from the free throw line. He added 16 rebounds. Williams is 7' 1"" and dominated the paint. Gillespie had 21 points on 8 for 15 from the field, 4 for 9 from three and 1 for 1 from the free throw line.

Keegan Murray and Russell Westbrook were the high scorers for the Kings. They both scored 19 points. Murray was 7 for 16 from the field, 2 for 9 from three and 3 for 4 from the free throw line. Westbrook was 8 for 13 from the field and 3 for 5 from three.

While I wasn't a fan of the Westbrook signing, I have to admit that he was played well for the Kings. He is not the problem.

This is not a fun team to watch. On offense, it looks like they aren't running any plays. Everyone stands around. The team is undersized. As I have said repeatedly, the pieces just don't fit together into a coherent team.

The Kings have 1 win and 2 loss in games that I have seen in the 2025-2026 season. My goal continues to be to see at least one game a month.

A footnote. With I meet someone at the game, I park at the Memorial Garage at 14th and H Streets. While it is about a 20 minute walk to the game, I can charge my car, get out of the garage quickly and drop on to Highway 160 for a straight shot home. Walking the route tonight, I was surprised at the number of homeless. After the game, I must have passed almost 20 homeless people. Recently, I can remember doing the walk and not seeing any homeless. I am not sure what has changed...

HERE ARE THE GRADUATES - Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

My mom graduated from UC Davis in June of 1954, while my father didn't graduated until December of 1955. They were married in February of 1956. I have some recollection that my mother taught school in Sacramento for a year before they got married.

California Aggie, Volume 52, Number 32, 3 June 1954

HERE ARE THE GRADUATES

The following are names of those who will be receiving certificates and degrees at the commencement exercises on June 16.

Bachelor of Science: Abbott, Joyce;

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

At Empire Ranch Golf Club

After lunch at Scott's Seafood Roundhouse in Folsom, Holly, Van, Sharon and I played Empire Ranch Golf Club. The four of us played there last October.

Teeing off at 2:00 pm, we played nine holes before it got dark. This was the first time that I have been on the driving range and out on a course in almost two months.

I was reasonably happy with how I was striking the ball. My chipping is still a mess. Additionally, I three putted five of the threes. Ugh. I ended up with a very liberally scored 55.

It took us just over two hours and twenty minutes to play nine. We were finishing the ninth hole right into the sunset. It was impossible to track the balls.

I enjoyed the afternoon outing. In spite of my chipping and putting struggles, I didn't get frustrated...

1986 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture
    ✔ Out of Africa (Winner)
   The Color Purple
   Kiss of the Spider Woman
   Prizzi's Honor
   Witness

Best Director
    ✔ Sydney Pollack – Out of Africa (Winner)
   Héctor Babenco – Kiss of the Spider Woman
   John Huston – Prizzi's Honor
   Akira Kurosawa – Ran
   Peter Weir – Witness

Best Actor in a Leading Role
   William Hurt – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Winner)
   Harrison Ford – Witness
   James Garner – Murphy's Romance
   Jack Nicholson – Prizzi's Honor
   Jon Voight – Runaway Train

Best Actress in a Leading Role
   Geraldine Page – The Trip to Bountiful (Winner)
   Anne Bancroft – Agnes of God
   Whoopi Goldberg – The Color Purple
   Jessica Lange – Sweet Dreams
    ✔ Meryl Streep – Out of Africa

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
   Don Ameche – Cocoon (Winner)
   Klaus Maria Brandauer – Out of Africa
   William Hickey – Prizzi's Honor
   Robert Loggia – Jagged Edge
   Eric Roberts – Runaway Train

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
   Anjelica Huston – Prizzi's Honor (Winner)
   Margaret Avery – The Color Purple
   Amy Madigan – Twice in a Lifetime
   Meg Tilly – Agnes of God
   Oprah Winfrey – The Color Purple

Best Original Screenplay
   Witness – Earl W. Wallace, William Kelley, and Pamela Wallace (Winner)
   Back to the Future – Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
   Brazil – Terry Gilliam, Tom Stoppard, and Charles McKeown
   The Official Story – Luis Puenzo and Aída Bortnik
   The Purple Rose of Cairo – Woody Allen

Best Adapted Screenplay
    ✔ Out of Africa – Kurt Luedtke (Winner)
   The Color Purple – Menno Meyjes
   Kiss of the Spider Woman – Leonard Schrader
   Prizzi's Honor – Richard Condon and Janet Roach
   The Trip to Bountiful – Horton Foote


More Oscar Nominations

Complete The Guest and the Host Spotify Playlist

The Apple Music version of the Complete The Guest and Host Playlist is here.

2025 South Africa, Zimbabwe & Zambia - Day #B - More Photos

During our trip to Africa, we spent four days and three nights at the M@kanyi Private Game Lodge.  Our guide was Carl and the tracker was Rondy. As I said in my musings about the trip, I really enjoyed this game lodge!

Estate Planning Seminar

Sharon and Tom are giving an estate planning seminar at St. Ignatius this afternoon.

Circle of Days by Ken Follett

My second book for November was Circle of Days by Ken Follett. Carmen's parents-Pam and Mike-gave me the book while I was recovering. I saw the author interviewed about the book on the Today show earlier this year standing in the middle of Stonehenge.

The novel is set in 2500 BC. The entire story is centered on the Salisbury Plain in the English county of Wiltshire. The people are divided into tribes, each named according to their role: miners, herders, woodlanders, and farmers. The main arc of the story is the conflict between the tribes, particularly the farmers and the herders.

In the background of the conflict between the tribes, there is a sacred site with a wooden structure (the Monument). The people meet each season at the wooden Monument for religious rites and festivities. The rituals are led by priestesses who track the movements of the sun, reflecting the astronomical significance of the site. Over the course of the book, a new, ambitious stone circle (Stonehenge) is planned and built.

Except for a couple of the Doonesbury books, I am not sure when the last time I read a physical book. Over the last ten years, I have switched to reading everything in the Kindle app on my iPad and iPhone. Athough I miss the viseral feel of a physical book, I love always having my current book in my pocket if I get stuck somewhere.

Jack, Sharon and I visited Stonehenge in March of 2019. Although this is not a book that I would have bought for myself, I enjoyed it.

Cape Bushbuck

We saw the wild dogs eating a bushbuck at the Makanyi. I finally got a chance to get a picture of one while we were walking the trail across from Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.

Mustangs Maul Mather - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

I mentioned earlier that I was shocked to find out that my dad played baseball in college. It looks like he only played in three games in college during spring of his sophomore year; he didn't have a hit. Additionally, he doesn't show up in the 1953 season end statistics. My dad either got cut or, knowing him, got mad and quit. This probably explains a lot about his attitude towards baseball when I was a kid. Spring semesters of his junior and senior year he was on the golf team.

California Aggie, Volume 51, Number 5, 12 March 1953

Mustangs Maul Mather, Nab 2nd Win; Host Travis Nine Today

   By G. W. Billie
   Unleashing a devastating batting attack, the UCD Mustangs took the measure of the Mather Field nine last Saturday on the local diamond by the lopsided score of 20-8. The Mustangs, led by the booming bats of Purcifull, Cebull, Barker, and Bushnell, who collected four hits apiece, amassed a total of 19 hits to the visitors 9 in a game that strongly resembled a trackmeet, rather than the National Pastime.
Early Scoring
   All the Mustang scoring came in the first five innings with the big shows coming in the third and fifth wherein five then six runs were respectively scored. These innings offered a premature ..climax to the game. The lads from Mather, after the first inning in which they bunched three hits to score an equivalent number of runs, never seriously challenged the Mustang lead. Their nine hits were fairly well scattered over the nine innings, and in four frames they were held hitless.
   It was in one of the above, the 8th, that reliefer Rich Ortega accomplished the near perfect feat of sending the three men who came up to face him right back to the dugout via the strikeout route using just ten small pitches. How good can it get?
Experience Needed
   As in their first encounter this season, the Mustangs again demonstrated fine team spirit and a sufficiency of batting power. However, they still seemed a little tight in their fielding, commiting three miscues to the opposition’s one, and showed definite weakness in the pitching dept. These latter difficulties, however, are quite probably factors that will iron themselves out later in the season when the squad has resolved itself into more of a playing unit, as distinguished from early season in'dividual play.
   The Mustangs take on another non-conference foe this week, Travis Air Force Base, in two different games. The first will be played on the local diamond Thursday, March 12, and the second game will be played at the Travis Base Saturday, March 14.

   Mustang Box Score:

             AB  H  R

Veerkamp If   1  1  3 
Percifull c   6  4  4 
Cebull ss     4  4  3 
Barker 3b     4  4  2 
Oehlman cf    3  0  0 
Smith lb      3  0  0 
Bizzini, 2b   3  1  2 
Ortega rf-p   4  1  2 
Bushnell p    5  4  4 
Sheppard If   3  0  0 
Behrendt c    0  0  0 
Rutherford ss 0  0  0 
Wilson lb     1  0  0 
Heringer rf   1  0  0
* Lovelace    1  0  0 
Johnson 2b    0  0  0 
Harrisop cf   1  0  0 
             40 19 20 
             
Mustangs 3353600x—20-19-3 
Mather   30003020--8--9-1 

*Lovelace batted for Smith in the fifth

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

Decorating the House for Christmas

For the seventh straight year, [2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024], we have started decorating the house for Christmas before Thanksgiving rather the weekend after. Like last year, we are starting two weeks before Thanksgiving rather than one week.

Sharon spent Wednesday and Thursday taking down the fall decorations. Today, we dragged most of the Christmas boxes from the storage shed to the garage. It is going to take a week to get all of the decorations put up.

Remembering Becky Frame

Sharon's brother Tom's wife passed away ten years ago today. Talking with Tom this week, Sharon pushed the idea of getting a group together at the St. Mary's cemetery for a remembrance. The group ended up including: Eric, Kevin, Leah, Lydia and Amelia, Will and Eileen, Erin and Mave, Kathy, Jim, Tom, Sharon and I.

We ended up spending more than two hours at the grave site remembering Becky. Afterwards, Eric, Tom, Sharon and I made a stop at Sharon and Tom's parents grave.

F1

Friday night, Sharon and I watched F1 on the AppleTV. Sharon originally wanted to see the movie in the theater, but we never got around to it. She had been pushing the idea for the last couple of weeks.

F1 (marketed as F1 the Movie) is a sports drama film. It was directed by Joseph Kosinski from a screenplay by Ehren Kruger. Brad Pitt stars with supporting roles by Damson Idris, Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Tobias Menzies (The Crown - Season Three, The Crown - Season Four, Outlander - Season One) and Javier Bardem.

The story follows Sonny Hayes (Pitt), a former Formula One prodigy whose career ended in a devastating crash three decades earlier. He is convinced to return to the sport by his former teammate (Bardem) to help save the struggling underdog APXGP racing team from financial collapse. Sonny reluctantly pairs up with Joshua Pearce (Idris), a talented but arrogant young rookie who views the veteran as a threat to his own career.

Less than 30 minutes into the movie, Sharon said "this is too predictable; it is formulaic." I enjoyed the movie more than she did. In my teens and twenties, I followed Formula One. I went to the Long Beach Grand Prix in March of 1976. I am shocked that The Big Picture podcast talked about F1 sneaking into the Oscar Best Picture race. It is not going to be nominated for Best Picture. With so many other movies to watch, I give it a luke warm thumbs up.

Song for 2025

Carmen and Drew released a song called Through The Door in August. It was written in the midst of their IVF pregnancy journey. They wrote it to summon a little life their way in hopes of growing their family. Their son Dawson is due January 1, 2026.

If you listen closely to the intro and the bridge of the song you can hear his sampled heart beat adding a rhythmic pulse.

My song for 2025 is Through the Door by The Guest and The Host and Neon Meadows.


You can find the work in progress Soundtrack for My Life here!

What is this?

Only Murders in the Building - Season Five

Sharon and I finished watching season five of Only Murders in the Building on Sunday night. It is available on Hulu. We watched season one in January of 2023, season two in February of 2023, season three in November of 2023 and season four in November of 2024.

Only Murders in the Building is a comedy mystery television series created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman. Season five premiered September 9, 2025. The series has been renewed for a six season. Starring the trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, season five includes special guest appearances by Meryl Streep.

The fifth season of Only Murders in the Building sees Charles (Martin), Mabel (Gomez), and Oliver (Short) investigate the death of the Arconia's beloved doorman, Lester, who was found dead in the fountain after Oliver's wedding. Their investigation quickly uncovers that Lester's death is connected to the disappearance of a mobster, Nicky Caccimelio, and a secret casino hidden beneath the building. The trio must navigate a cast of suspects including a trio of eccentric billionaires and the mayor to expose the complex web of murders, secrets, and a severed finger.

I enjoyed the season five, but it is not as good as the first two seasons. Like season four, there are some very good episodes. Unfortunately, storyline gets off track and wanders in some odd pointless directions in the middle of the season. We will definitely watch season six. Apparently, the trio—Charles, Oliver, and Mabel—will be taking their investigation overseas for the first time to London for next season.

The Old Course At St. Andrews at Waymaker Brewing

Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I spent the afternoon at Waymaker Brewing playing the Old Course at St. Andrews on the golf simulator. It is the first time that I have swung a club in seven weeks and only second time in two and a half months. I felt stronger as the round progressed. I actually parred the 12th hole. I made a couple of long putts, but putting is an adventure on the simulator!

Fraternities and Halls - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 50, Number 16, 15 January 1953

CALPHA

   The members of the house held elections for the Spring semester. Bob Anderson was elected President; Davis Ramos, Vice-President; Ralph Gomma, Sgt.-at-Arms; Dick Heringer and Ben Broersma, Rushing Chairman; and Mike Rover, IFC Rep.
   The Calphas will end the semester and begin the New Year with a house party Saturday night.
   Congratulations to Lynn Smart and Bill Ursey, thanks for cigars Bill. Congratulations to Fred Stafford and Ramona Burke now known at Mrs Fred Stafford. Don Jacop will lose his freedom come Feb 7th. Good Luck you poor boy.
   Recruit Jack Fox will be working for his Uncle Sam next semester and John Fifield leaves for Imperial Valley.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis

2025-2026 Kings Season

During the 2025-2026 Sacramento Kings season, the Kings
are 1 and 2 in games which I saw in person, including:

REGULAR SEASON

10/24/2025: Kings-105, Jazz-104 - Larkin

11/07/2025: Thunder-132, Kings-101 - Carmen, Drew and Sharon

11/26/2025: Suns-112, Kings-100 - Drew

2025-2026 Season [1-2]
2024-2025 Season [5-4]
2023-2024 Season [6-2]
2022-2023 Season [5-3]
2021-2022 Season [1-5]
2020-2021 Season [1-0]
2019-2020 Season [1-4]
2018-2019 Season [7-4]
2017-2018 Season [5-2]
2016-2107 Season [5-3]
2015-2016 Season [2-2]
2014-2015 Season [1-4]
2013-2014 season [3-2]
2012-2013 Season [1-0]
2011-2012 Season [3-2]
2010-2011 Season [3-6]
2009-2010 Season [4-7]
2008-2009 Season [2-7]
2007-2008 Season [7-7]
2006-2007 Season [5-9]
2005-2006 Season [8-8]
2004-2005 Season [10-4]
2003-2004 season [12-3]

To San Franciso and Back

Sharon and I spent the day winding our way to San Francisco and Back to connect with Jack. Leaving Carmicheal at 9:45 am, it took us almost three hours to fight our way into the city.

We had a late brunch at Ti Piacera. Sharon had a Wild Arugula Salad [Fennel, oranges, beets, roasted almond, feta hazelnut vinaigrette], while I had Veggie Frittata [Baked omelette with, broccoli, mushroom, bell pepper, red onion topped with Feta, arugula, avocado]. Although we had forgotten until we sat down, we had eaten there once before.

We headed home about 2:40 pm. With a stop for gas, it took us about two hours and twenty-five minutes to wind our way home; we were home just after 5:00 pm.

A discouraging and disappointing day.

2025 Sacramento Kings versus Oklahoma Thunder

Carmen, Drew, Sharon and I met for dinner at Echo & Rig in the Sawyer Hotel (Swordfish). Afterwards, we went to the Sacramento Kings versus Oklahoma Thunder NBA basketball game. This is the first game of the NBA Cup Group Play.

It was an ugly game. The Kings lost the game by the score of 132 to 101.

As I said when Larkin and I went to the home opener, the Kings look small. Unfortunately, Domantas Sabonis sat out his second consecutive game with sore ribs making the situation even worse. The Thunder outrebounded the Kings by 52 to 38.

Taking advantage of the Kings' lack of size, Isaiah Hartenstien was the high scorer for the Thunder. Hartenstein had a career-high 33 points on 14 for 17 from the field and 5 for 6 from the free throw line. He had 19 rebounds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 30 points.

Russell Westbrook was the high scorer for the Kings. He had 24 points on 9 for 17 from the field, 5 for 9 from three and 1 for 2 from the free throw line. He added six rebounds and nine assists.

While I am appreciating Westbrook's addition to the team just before the season started a lot more than I thought I would, it is sad that he was the high scorer. The Kings are a collection of misfits toys; the parts don't fit together into an effective team. I feel sorry for coach Doug Christie.

To make matters worse, we were sitting next to a very obnoxious Thunder fan. We had to listen to his running commentary for the whole game.

The Kings have 1 win and 1 loss in games that I have seen in the 2025-2026 season. My goal continues to be to see at least one game a month.

Bots! - A New Children's Musical

Thursday evening, Sharon and I went to the California Montessori Project Capitol Campus to see a production of Bots!. Sharon's great-niece Lydia had a large role.

Lunch with Snipes and Tomasin

Snipes and I drove to Vallejo and met Tomasin for lunch at the Sardine Can. The restaurant was one of Rickey's old haunts. After lunch, we drove by the house that Rickey owned in Vallejo.

Neighborhood Homeowners Association Meeting

On a rainy Wednesday night, Sharon and I went to the neighborhood homeowners association meeting at Tom and Judy's house. The board now includes Brad, Tom and Chuck. The meeting was lightly attended.

I love our neighborhood.

Bugonia

Tuesday afternoon, Sharon and I saw Bugonia at the Century Country Club Cinema. We are continuing our annual journey to see all of the films that might be nominated for an Oscar. As of today, GoldDerby currently has Bugonia with the tenth best odds to win the Best Picture Oscar.

Bugonia is an absurdist black comedy film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It is an English-language remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! by Jang Joon-hwan. The film stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, and Alicia Silverstone. Delbis is autistic. Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos have collaborated on four feature films: The Favourite (2018); Poor Things (2023); Kinds of Kindness (2024), and; Bugonia (2025).

Teddy Gatz (Plemons), a conspiracy-obsessed beekeeper, and his intellectually-disabled cousin, Don (Delbis), kidnap Michelle Fuller (Stone), the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. They are convinced she is an alien disguised as a human. They hold her captive in their basement in a bizarre attempt to save Earth from an extraterrestrial plot.

Plemons and Stone's performances are very good. I wouldn't be surprised to see either of them nominated for an acting Oscar. Primarily due to the ending, I have mixed feelings about the movie. I think that the movie would have been better with a more understated ending. They could have accomplished the same thing without the cartoon characterizations at the end. I think that the movie is on the bubble for a Best Picture Oscar nomination. It will depend on how well a couple of movies released over the next couple months are received (e.g. Avatar - Fire and Ash and Wicked for Good).

"Bugonia" is a Greek word (βουγονία, also spelled "bougonia") that refers to an ancient Mediterranean rite or belief that bees spontaneously generate from the carcasses of dead animals, particularly oxen.

dinner at Holly and Van's

Monday night, we had dinner at Holly and Van's.

On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything

My book for November was On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver. I read Silver's previous book, the signal and the noise, in May of 2013. I currently follow him on Substack.

The book explores the mindset and strategies of elite risk-takers, whom he collectively terms "The River." Drawing on his background as a professional poker player and statistician, Silver investigates how people like professional gamblers, hedge fund managers, venture capitalists, and AI innovators navigate extreme uncertainty and use probabilistic thinking to their advantage in high-stakes environments. The book contrasts "The River's" analytical, contrarian, and risk-tolerant approach with "The Village," a metaphor for the more cautious, conventional mainstream elites in media, academia, and government. Through anecdotes including a detailed look at the rise and fall of FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried—Silver, Silver reveals the common traits and decision-making processes that enable this influential group to shape the global economy and technology.

Although I don't recommend it, I enjoyed the book. It is a mishmash of engaging stories that I don't think fit together towards the books conclusions. I enjoyed the stories. I just don't see how everything fits into some practical conclusions...

There is a discussion at the end of the book about p(Doom). In AI safety, P(doom) is the probability of existentially catastrophic outcomes (so-called "doomsday scenarios") as a result of artificial intelligence. At one point, Silver notes that the scientists building the current Large Language Model AIs don't understand how some of the answers are generated. I am going to follow up by reading a basic primer on AI technology.

Art Show and Dinner with Greg and Michelle

Saturday night, we went downtown with our neighbors Greg and Michelle. We went to an Open House Art Show by Deborah Rhea and DAniel Schoorl. Greg and Michelle own a number of pieces from these artists.

Afterwards, we wandered next door to Magpie Cafe for dinner. For entrees, I had WESTERN LAMB CHOPS [Baba ghanoush, grilled summer squash, cherry tomato, pickles, fresh herbs. Sumac yogurt], while Sharon had a BURGER [Caramelized onions, heirloom tomato, watercress, Sierra Nevada cheddar cheese, pickles, secret sauce, milk bun. Fries]. We spent the dinner talking about their daugther's wedding and our trip to Africa.

We stopped at our house to watch the end of game seven of the World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Toronto Blue Jays by the score of 5 to 4 in 11 innings. I hate the Dodgers...

Halloween 2025

Halloween 2024

Halloween 2023

Halloween 2022

Halloween 2021

Halloween 2020

Complete The Guest and Host Apple Music Playlist

The Spotify version of the Complete The Guest and Host Playlist is here.

Sacramento Women's Golf Club Members/Guest Tournament

Like last year, Sharon played in the played in the Sacramento Women's Golf Club Members/Guest Tournament at Haggin Oaks. Sharon has been a member this year; She took Debbie as her guest. Playing a scramble and using at least three drives from each player in the foursome, they parred every hole.

Golf Bolstered By New Talent - Dick Heringer at UC Davis

California Aggie, Volume 54, Number 4, 3 March 1955

Golf Bolstered By New Talent

   The Cal Aggie golf team, which didn’t do too well last year, has improved considerably as a result of some additional talent, and Coach Vern Hickey feels that his boys will have a much, better season this year.
   Along with returning lettermen Dave Hughes and Tom Condon, and Dick Heringer, who played a lot last year, there are three new men who look good. These boys, all low eighties golfers, are Dan Catlin, Pete Wallace, and Clark Knowles, who played for Chico two years ago. Also out for the team are Joe Russ, Don Fox and Joe Renner.
   The golf team meets every school in the Far Western Conference twice in dual matches, and then finishes up the season by playing in the Far Western Conference Tournament, May 13 and 14 in Chico.

Dick Heringer and Joyce Abbott at UC Davis