Sunday, February 09, 2025

Super Bowl LIX

Sharon and I went to a Super Bowl Party at our neighbors Greg and Michele's house. The group included Greg and Michele, Jim and Debi, Debi's daugther, Ed and Mary Lou, Jacek and Laurie, Brad, Heidi and Clark, and Sharon and I. There was one other person whose name I didn't get...

The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 40 to 22. Frankly, the game wasn't even that close. The Eagles led by the score of 34 to 0 late in the third quarter. Jalen Hurts was the MVP. Although I have called Patrick Mahomes a witch over the years and refused to beat against him, he had a horrible game.

Saturday, February 08, 2025

Babysitting Adventures with Lee and Clem


Sharon and I spent the afternoon babysitting Lee and Clem. On his way back from Homewood and skiing a couple of days at Northstar, Drew stopped by with his friend Adam. Clem, Lee, Sharon and I had an early dinner of pizza from the Pizza Factory.

Friday, February 07, 2025

The Apprentice

Friday night, Sharon and I watched The Apprentice. We are working to fill out our 2025 Oscar Nominations dance card. The film received two Academy Award nominations.

The Apprentice is an independent biographical drama film directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman. The film stars Sebastian Stan as Trump, Jeremy Strong as Cohn, Martin Donovan as Trump's father Fred, and Maria Bakalova as Trump's first wife, Ivana. For their performances, Stan and Strong each received nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and BAFTAs for Best Actor and Supporting Actor respectively.

The film explores Donald Trump's early career in the 1970s and 80s New York City real estate scene. The film focuses on his complex relationship with lawyer Roy Cohn, who becomes his mentor. Cohn's influence on Trump, including his "win at all costs" mentality, is a central theme. The movie also delves into Trump's personal life, including his first marriage to Ivana Zelníčková.

Jeremy Strong's performance is very good. Stan's performance is solid; he does a good job of morphing into Trump's verbal and physical tics over the course of the movie. Neither of them are going to win Oscars...

Kitchen Remodel - Day #10

The engineer stopped by in the early afternoon to review the work that has been done so far.

Wednesday, February 05, 2025

Kitchen Remodel - Day #8

Sharon spent more than two hours in the morning reviewing the kitchen remodel with the contractor (Joseph) and the designer (Laura). I wandered in and out of the discussion. Now that we are down to the studs, there are a number of items that need to be reworked. This includes adjusting walls around the location of several load bearing studs and the design of the hood over the oven.

In the afternoon, the electrician (Levi) spent a couple of hours working on the kitchen.

Tuesday, February 04, 2025

Kitchen Remodel - Day #7

Kitchen Remodel - Day #7

The Holiday

Monday night, December 23, Sharon and I watched The Holiday on Amazon Prime. Sharon wanted to watch a holiday movie. She got the suggestion for this movie from Caroline Chamber's Christmas Movie Approval Matrix.

The Holiday is a 2006 romantic comedy film written, produced and directed by Nancy Meyers. Co-produced by Bruce A. Block, it was filmed in both California and in England.

It stars Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. Jude Law and Jack Black were cast as the film's leading men Graham and Miles, with Eli Wallach, Shannyn Sossamon, Edward Burns, and Rufus Sewell playing supporting roles.

Two heartbroken women, an American movie trailer editor and a British journalist, impulsively swap homes for the Christmas holidays in a desperate attempt to escape their romantic woes. While in each other's homes, they unexpectedly encounter charming locals, leading to unexpected and heartwarming romances.

My only comment about the movie is that Jack Black seems very miscast. He is not a leading man.

Monday, February 03, 2025

XP Golf

Monday morning, I reserved a private bay for two hours at XP Golf, an indoor golf simulator, in Roseville. I spent about 45 minutes working through the clubs on a driving range and then played one of the courses. I made a mess of the course. I hit more shots into the water and trees than the fairways. Additionally, I couldn't get the right feel for the putting speed... I need to get back out of the driving range later this week when the rain stops.

Kitchen Remodel - Day #6

Over the first week, the contractor has run into a couple of issues. There are several large load bearing studs that will require some changes in the original design for the new kitchen.

The initial pictures of the kitchen before the demo started are here.

Sunday, February 02, 2025

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Sharon had seen the movie on a New York Times list of the best films on Netflix.

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)is a 2017 American comedy-drama film. It was directed and written by Noah Baumbach. The film stars Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Marvel, Emma Thompson. The ensemble cast also includes Candice Bergen, Adam Driver, Sigourney Weaver and Judd Hirsch.

The film explores the complex relationships of the eccentric Meyerowitz family, focusing on the adult children of an aging, narcissistic sculptor (Dustin Hoffman). The sculptor's three kids, Danny (Adam Sandler), Matthew (Ben Stiller), and Jean, grapple with their father's legacy and their own personal struggles as they reconnect in New York City. Their interactions are filled with humor, resentment, and poignant moments of connection as they confront their past and present. Ultimately, the film examines themes of family, art, and the challenges of aging.

The Meyerowitz Stories is not a bad movie. It was a nice change of pace from the other films that we have been watching lately... I was particularly impressed by Adam Sandler's performance.

Friday, January 31, 2025

Zócalo

Trying to figure out how we are going to navigate the next couple of months(?) without a kitchen, Sharon and I finished the day with dinner at Zocalo University Village. We both had enchiladas. I had a mix of Mole Enchiladas, Enchiladas Guanajuato and Enchiladas Rojas.

Kitchen Remodel - Day #3

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Sharon and Laura

Starting at the Nimbus Flat State Recreation Area Parking Lot, Sharon and Laura hiked five plus miles along the south side of Lake Natoma on Wednesday afternoon. Afterwards, they had appetizers at Shangri-la.

Kitchen Remodel - Day #1

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Golftec

I had a Golftec lesson on Tuesday morning. I actually feel like I am making progress on my swing. At Sea Ranch and Turkey Creek, I was more consistent. I am making better contact. I still need to get my swing to be more in to out. The lesson focused on using my right hip and right knee to shift my body weight to support an in to out swing.

Kitchen Remodel - Day #0 - So It Begins...

The contractors start working on the kitchen remodel tomorrow morning. The house is in disarray...

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Packing up the Kitchen and Laundry Room

Over the last year, Sharon has been planning a kitchen remodel. With Velta's help on Saturday, we spent most of Saturday and Sunday packing up the kitchen and laundry room. Having lived in the house for almost thirteen years, there is an astonishing amount of stuff in the kitchen. I need to count all of the boxes, but I think that we packed up more than fifty small and medium sized boxes. The kitchen remodel is scheduled to start on Tuesday or Wedneday.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

California Historical Landmark #307

I explored this waymark on Day Ten of our California Road Trip.

Casa de la Guerra
California State Historical Landmark #307

See this location on Yahoo Maps in Flickr
See this location on Google Maps

This landmark is located at 15 East de la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara, California. There are 16 other California State Historical Landmarks in San Barbara County. The GPS coordinates for this location are 34° 25' 12.7" N 119° 41' 56.4" W.

You can log your site to this site at waymarking.com!

California Historical Landmark #307
A common council was duly elected near this site on August 26, 1850, two weeks before California statehood. The City of Santa Barbara held its first official meeting here in 1875, the first city hall was erected here, and the area is still center of city's governmental activities. The plaza was the scene of early Santa Barbara fiestas, and the hospitality at the de la Guerra house set standards for Santa Barbara.

Marker erected by California Centennials Commission in cooperation with Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, and Santa Barbara Historical Society.

Dedicated August 26, 1950.


California Historical Landmark #307

Friday, January 24, 2025

At Turkey Creek Golf Club


Holly, Van, Sharon and I played Turkey Creek Golf Club on Friday afternoon. Sharon and I played there in 2015 with the Sanborns. We teed off at 12:10 pm. As usual with Holly and Van, I rode with Van and Sharon rode with Holly.

I was generally pretty happy with how I played. I am definitely striking the ball more consistently. Using a couple of mulligans on the tee, I ended up with a liberally scored 104. It took us just under five hours to play.

The four of us finished the day with dinner at Q1227. Sharon and I split a KALE SALAD WITH PECORINO AND WALNUTS VGGFA [kale ribbons, golden raisins, toasted walnuts, housemate bread crumbs, pecorino cheese, garlic lemon juice, evoo]. For entrees, I had CHEF Q'S JAMBALAYA [andouille sausage, chicken, shrimp, crablegs, clams, mussels, spicy tomato broth, salmon trim, saffron rice], while Sharon had WEEKEND ROASTED CHICKEN [half mary's free range chicken, herbs de provence, shallots, fresh herbs, fingerling potatoes].

Thursday, January 23, 2025

Celebrating Sharon's Birthday


After a hectic eight days at Sea Ranch and in San Francisco, Sharon and I ended the day celebrating her birthday.

She asked me to make Juicy Lucy Burgers with special sauce for dinner. These are the same burgers that we made for Jack's birthday last year. I got eclair's from Whole Foods for dessert.

For presents, I got Sharon several practical gifts, including a external iPhone battery and an adaptor for our trip to Japan and a couple dozen golf balls.

We finished the night watching a couple of episodes of season three of Hacks.

Sharon and Tom's 2025 San Francisco Adventure - Day #3

Sharon and her brother Tom spent a second night at the Presido Lodge.

They had breakfast at George's Donuts & Merriment.

Sharon has home in the early afternoon.

2025 Oscar Nominations

Best Picture
    ✔ Anora
    ✔ The Brutalist
    ✔ A Complete Unknown
    ✔ Conclave
    ✔ Dune: Part Two
    ✔ Emilia Perez
    I'm Still Here
    Nickel Boys
    ✔ The Substance
    ✔ Wicked: Part One


Best Actress
    ✔ Cynthia Erivo - Wicked: Part One
    ✔ Karla Sofia Gascon - Emilia Perez
    ✔ Mikey Madison - Anora
    ✔ Demi Moore - The Substance
    Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here


Best Actor
    ✔ Adrien Brody - The Brutalist
    ✔ Timothee Chalamet - A Complete Unknown
    ✔ Colman Domingo - Sing Sing
    ✔ Ralph Fiennes - Conclave
    ✔ Sebastian Stan - The Apprentice


Best Supporting Actress
    ✔ Monica Barbaro - A Complete Unknown
    ✔ Ariana Grande - Wicked: Part One
    ✔ Felicity Jones - The Brutalist
    ✔ Isabella Rossellini - Conclave
    ✔ Zoe Saldana - Emilia Perez


Best Supporting Actor
    ✔ Yura Borisov - Anora
    ✔ Kieran Culkin - A Real Pain
    ✔ Edward Norton - A Complete Unknown
    ✔ Guy Pearce - The Brutalist
    ✔ Jeremy Strong - The Apprentice


Best Director
    ✔ Sean Baker - Anora
    ✔ Brady Corbet - The Brutalist
    ✔ James Mangold - A Complete Unknown
    ✔ Jacques Audiard - Emilia Perez
    ✔ Coralie Fargeat - The Substance


Best Adapted Screenplay
    ✔ A Complete Unknown
    ✔ Conclave
    ✔ Emilia Perez
    Nickel Boys
    ✔ Sing Sing


Best Original Screenplay
    ✔ Anora
    ✔ The Brutalist
    ✔ A Real Pain
    September 5
    ✔ The Substance


Best International Feature Film
    I'm Still Here
    The Girl with the Neddle
    ✔ Emilia Perez
    The Seed of the Sacred Fig
    Flow


Previous Year's Oscar Nominations

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Lunch with Snipes and Tomasin

Snipes and I drove to Vallejo and met Tomasin for lunch at the Sardine Can.

Sharon and Tom's 2025 San Francisco Adventure - Day #2

With works that exuded cool elegance and transgressive sensuality, Tamara de Lempicka (1894–1980) helped define Art Deco. Her paintings captured the glamour and vitality of postwar Paris and the cosmopolitan sheen of Hollywood celebrity. This exhibition — the first major museum retrospective of Lempicka in the United States — explores the artist’s distinctive style and unconventional life through four major chapters. The more than 100 artworks on display range from her post-Cubist work in 1920s Paris to her most famous nudes and portraits to the melancholic still lifes and interiors of her final days in the United States and Mexico. Including an in-depth look at the artist’s drawings and studies, this exhibition reveals the creative process behind her iconic paintings.

Sharon and Tom spent the night at the Presido Lodge.

After having breakfast at lodge, their focus for the day was the Tamara de Lempicka exhibition at the de Young.

They walked in Golden Gate Park after touring the exhibition and the museum.

Sharon and Tom finished the day having dinner at Dalida. Located down the block from the Presido Lodge, Sharon said that it was the best meal that she has had in some time.

We are planning to go to dinner there with Holly and Van in February.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Sharon and Tom's 2025 San Francisco Adventure - Day #1

Sharon and her brother Tom took off midday for a couple of days in San Francisco. They headed to the Lodge at the Presido. They are spending two nights there. Sharon and I stayed at the lodge in 2021.

Jack took an Uber to meet them at the Lodge. Jack got a chance to see the Lodge and the room. The three of them took advantage of the wine and cheese reception.

Jack, Tom and Sharon took an Uber to an early dinner at the Foreign Cinema. We held Jack's birthday party there in 2023.

The movie playing was Austin Powers, International Man of Mystery. For the entree, Sharon had the Grilled Heritage pork chop [butternut squash purée, crispy Brussels spouts, sage butter, frilly mustard greens].

Ubering back to the Lodge, they dropped Jack at his apartment and crashed early.

Monday, January 20, 2025

2025 Sea Ranch - Day #5


My goal for the morning was to go for a run. As I have said repeatedly, with fifty miles of trails, Sea Ranch is my favorite place in the world to run. Being able to run along the bluffs on the ocean for miles and miles is so cool.

Running north from the house, I covered 3.25 miles in 46:39. I averaged 13:37. This pace is not much different from my longer run last year. My body felt better than I expected.


Kevin and Donna went out for a walk. Sharon also went out separately.

After a quick breakfast of the left-over breakfast hash, we started to pack up the house. We pulled away from Monette about 10:25 am.

With Sharon driving, we decided to passby the cliffs. We took Timbercove Road to Seaview Road to Fort Ross Road to Myers Grade Road to Highway 1. There were two long stops for road construction on Highway 1: North of Timbercove, and; North of Jenner. Changing drivers in Bodega Bay, we drove through a Taco Bell in Petaluma. In spite of the Martin Luther King Day holiday, it was a very easy drive home. There were no slow downs at any of the normal gore points. We pulled up to the house a little after 3:00 pm.

After picking up Tiber from boarding, Sharon and I finished the night watching Ohio State beat Notre Dame in the College Football Payoffs by the score of 34 to 23.

Sunday, January 19, 2025

2025 Sea Ranch - Day #4


Sharon made a hash with eggs, potatoes, cheese and sausages for breakfast.

The plan for the day was a longer hike. We drove to a parking lot on Solstice near the Del Mar recreation center. We hiked along the bluffs and up Salal Creek through the golf course. It seemed like we could see the seventh and ninth fairways more than we could before. We looped through Gaulala Point Regional Park. We made a quick stop at the visitors center; it wasn't open. We stopped for a light lunch and some wine on a rest log overlooking the ocean. Although the sun tried to come out several times, it was cloudy.

In total, we covered 5.3 miles in just over three hours. We had about two hours and twenty-four minutes of moving time. We did a similar hike with Holly and Van in 2021.


Back at the house, we had a lazy afternoon. Kevin and I used the hot tub. Sharon and Donna worked on a puzzle. We watched the Eagles beat the Rams by the score of 28 to 22 and then part of the Bills versus Ravens game. We were watching the games on my iPad. In our rush to get out of the door on Thursday, I forgot the AppleTV.

Getting cleaned up, we headed to the Sea Ranch Lodge for dinner. We intended to have a cocktail before dinner, but the place was overrun. With only one bartender, it was chaos. We sat for more than thirty minutes and finally just went to our table.

The four of us split Focaccia & Marinated Olives. Sharon and I split a Chicory Salad [d’Anjou & Asian pears, Fennel, Pt. Reyes Blue, Candied Walnuts, & Cider Maple Vinaigrette]. For entrees, I had Spaghetti with Dungeness Crab, while Sharon had Braised Short Ribs. Kevin and Donna split Fried Brussels Sprouts [Walnut, Fresno Chili, & Anchovy Relish]. For entrees, Kevin had New York Steak, while Donna had Farm Oyster Mushroom Risotto.

We finished the night playing Mexican Train Dominos. I won three of the four games to easily win the evening. We crashed about 10:30 pm.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

2025 Sea Ranch - Day #3


Donna and Kevin made scrambled eggs for breakfast. The plan for the day was to play golf. With the Sea Ranch Golf Links closing on January 5, we made a tee time for the Little River Golf Course more than an hour north. At dinner at the lodge on Thursday night, the waitress said that people were continuing to walk on and play tghe Sea Ranch Course. On Friday on our way back from Gaulala, we stopped and talked to a local in the Sea Ranch Golf Links parking lot. He said that they weren't chasing people on the course. Additionally, they are continuing to mow the fairways and the greens and move the pins every day!

Although we didn't have pull carts, we decided to pivot and play the Sea Ranch course. We walked and carried our clubs. It was a little surreal. There was no one on the course. It was very quiet and peaceful. The course was in very good shape. A single caught up with us on sixth. On the ninth tee, there was a group of more than a dozen people hitting balls.


Unlike Thursday at the Links at Bodega Harbour, I was very happy with how I played. I was making solid contact. I parred three holes. Both Kevin and I hit safely over the ravine on the eighth hole. I had a fairly honestly scored 50. I really enjoyed the round!


We had a late lunch on the deck on the back of the house. The weather was gorgeous.


In the late afternoon, we hiked the Sea Meadow Trail to Pebble Beach. We walked down on to the beach. Heading back, we stopped to watch the sunset.


We had a nice dinner of oysters, crab and left-over lasagna. While Kevin and I were barbecuing the oysters, one of the neighbors came up. She was worried because she smelled gas. About ten minutes later, security rolled up. He said that someone had called smelling smoke. He talked to us for a while before moving on.

We finished the night playing Oh Hell. Kevin won on the last hand. We crashed just before 10:30 pm.

Friday, January 17, 2025

2025 Sea Ranch - Day #2

Moving slow, we had a lazy breakfast watching the ocean waves break on Black Point Beach.

After breakfast, Sharon and I hiked north along the bulffs. We covered 4.2 miles in just over an hour and a half. The weather was nice, not too windy. This is a beautiful section of the coast. I brought my running stuff with me; I need to find some time to run at least once while we are here!


After the hike, we headed into Gualala. Sharon had somehow not packed her underwear. She was able to buy some at the Gualala Sport and Tackle Shop!?!

After lunch at the house, I drove the car to the Sea Ranch Lodge. I walked back.

The Gainsleys rolled up about 2:10 pm. They unloaded and got settled in the house.

Eventually, the four of us walked to lodge for a cocktail. It was the same bartender [Trace] that we met three years. Trace said that he started working at the lodge in early February of 2022.

Driving back to Monette, we had lasagna, salad and bread for dinner. Sharon had made the lasagna on Wednesday.

We finished the night playing Mexican Train Dominoes. Sharon won... It was after 11 pm by the time we crashed.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

2025 Sea Ranch - Day #1


Scrambling to get the car loaded and on the road, we pulled away from the house about 8:50 am. We are spending a long weekend at Sea Ranch to celebrate our birthdays.

The plan for the morning was to play nine holes at the Links at Bodega Harbour. We originally had a 11:30 am tee time. On the ride over, I called and slid the tee time to 11:50 am. With no stops, we pulled up into the parking lot a little after 11:15 am.

Playing by ourselves, it took us just over two hours to play nine. I was very surprised by the course. The front nine is very hilly; there is a lot of up and down. Sharon said that it reminded her of Apple Mountain without the trees. The views of the ocean and the coast were spectacular!

Sharon and I both struggled. I was very inconsistent. I had a number of shots that I was very happy with and an equal number that were awlful. I ended up with a very, very liberally scored 54.

After a quick stop at the Tides Restaurant for some smoked salmon, we headed towards Sea Ranch. Very unusually, we took Sharon's car and she drove the whole way.

We pulled into Gualala about 3:30 pm. After picking up the key, we did some shopping at the Surf Market. Afterwards, we headed into Sea Ranch. We are spending four nights at Monette. This is the fourth time that we have stayed at this house.


After getting settled in the house and enjoying the sunset, we headed to the Sea Ranch Lodge for dinner. After some oysters and splitting a farm mixed green salad, Sharon had the local halibut, while I had braised short ribs.

We crashed very early...

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Celebrating My Birthday

Sharon and I had a busy day celebrating my birthday, including:
  • a leisurely breakfast at The Mimosa House (banana nut bread pancakes and Athens omelet);
  • hitting a medium bucket of golf at the Ancil Hoffman driving range;
  • a couple of Peloton bike workouts;
  • a phone call from Jack wishing me happy birthday;
  • a dermatology appointment;
  • facetiming with Drew and Carmen;
  • a very nice scallops dinner with presents (shoes, turtleneck, pants and South Africa book) and tiramisu for dessert, and;
  • watching the finale of season two of Hacks.