Glasses

Well, I made it almost 70 years without needing glasses.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Late Tuesday afternoon, Sharon and I saw the Devil Wears Prada 2 at the CinemaWest Country Club Theater. We rewatched The Devil Wears Prada about two weeks ago.

The Devil Wears Prada 2 is a comedy drama film directed by David Frankel and written by Aline Brosh McKenna. A sequel to the 2006 film The Devil Wears Prada, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci reprise their roles. They are joined by Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, and Kenneth Branagh.

Set two decades after the events of the first film, it follows Andy Sachs (Hathaway) as she helps Miranda Priestly (Streep) navigate a new media landscape and corporate threats to the survival of Runway magazine. We were glad that we had rewatched the original recently; the back stories from the first film were important.

I think that I enjoyed the film more than Sharon. There are a number of things about the plot that I enjoyed, including: the demise of print media and the corresponding shift to social media; a short segment with the management consultants describing how to fix the company; and the scenes filmed in Milan. We have been through Milan twice, but never really explored the city. I have added Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper to my list of Places to Travel. Sharon doesn't think that the film will garner any Oscar nominations...

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Rewatch)

Saturday night, Carmen, Drew, Jack, Sharon and I watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Jack, Sharon and I had watched the movie in 2018 after Paul Newman died.

At the 1970 Academy Awards, the film received seven nominations and won four Oscars. The wins included: Best Original Screenplay: William Goldman; Best Cinematography: Conrad L. Hall; Best Original Score (Non-Musical): Burt Bacharach; and Best Original Song: "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" (Burt Bacharach and Hal David).

It was also nominated in the following major categories but did not win: Best Picture; Best Director: George Roy Hill; and Best Sound: William Edmondson and David Dockendorf. Despite the iconic performances of Paul Newman and Robert Redford, neither lead actor received an Oscar nomination for their roles in this film.

I had forgotten how long the chase scene is in the middle of the movie and how long they were in Bolivia. Although more than fifty-five years old, I feel like the movie holds up pretty well and is pretty rewatchable.

Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head is included in the Soundtrack for my Life.

Mother's Day 2026

After a hectic celebration on Saturday, we had a very low key day.

Up early, I took Jack to the Amtrak station to catch a 7:27 am train back to the city. Saturday night, he thought he was catching a 7 am train...

Drew and I walked Tiber. We had a leisurely breakfast on the deck with Dawson, Carmen and Drew. Afterwards, they rolled to Chico.

In addition to a rose bush for the pot in the front of the house, I gave her a card and a workout jacket.

Naps in the afternoon.

After hanging out on the back deck, we finished the day with leftover tri-tip, salad and potato salad from Saturday.

Mother's Day/Morgan Birthday Celebration

When we had lunch with my sisters in December, we put a get together on the calendar for today to celebrate Mother's Day and Morgan's Birthday. We were able to get everyone together! The group totaled twelve including: Jack; Drew, Carmen and Dawson; Morgan, Daniel, Lee and Clem; my sisters Sharon and LeeAnn; and Sharon and I.

I worked over the last couple of days to pull together a menu. It included barbecued tri-tip, Santa Maria Style Picnic Slaw, Grilled Asparagus with Lemon & Parmesan, and potato salad. I got tiramisu for dessert. I barbecued the tri-tip, Drew made the slaw and Daniel grilled the asparagus. It was a nice early dinner. After taking some pictures, we had dessert on the deck.

Dawson, Drew and Carmen spent the night. We finished the day watching Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Once upon a Time... in Hollywood (rewatch)

Friday night, Jack, Sharon and I rewatched Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood. We had seen it in the theater when it first came out. Sharon actually saw it twice in the theater: once with me; and once with Jack. The movie is on the New York Times list of the 100 best films of the 21st century.

The movie was nominated for ten Oscars, including: Best Picture; Best Director (Quentin Tarantino); Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio); Best Original Screenplay (Quentin Tarantino); Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson); Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt; Best Production Design: Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh; Best Costume Design: Arianne Phillips (lost to Little Women); Best Sound Editing: Wylie Stateman; and Best Sound Mixing.

Although I predicted it to win best picture in 2020, it was beat out out by Parasite!?! It took home two wins: Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt (for his performance as Cliff Booth); and Best Production Design: Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh (for their meticulous recreation of 1969 Los Angeles). This was Brad Pitt's first-ever Oscar for acting (he had previously won as a producer for 12 Years a Slave).

Both Sharon and I enjoyed rewatching the movie more than we expected.

Jack is back plus Survivor 50 Episode #11

I picked Jack up at the downtown Amtrak station at 3 pm.

Thurday evening, Sharon's brother Tom and her nephew Eric came over for dinner. Sharon made a boneless leg of lamb, potatoes and aspargus.

The five of us watched episode eleven of Survivor 50. In early March, the five of us drafted the Survivor 50 contestants.

Our updated draft board is here.

Dean Dahnke Pictures

My sister LeeAnn's husband passed away on April 25th.

A short obituary is here.

Morgan - Over the Years

Happy Birthday, Morgan!

from 2009

Bullet Train

Flying from Frankfurt to San Francisco, I watched Bullet Train on my iPad. Seeing me watching the movie, Sharon ended up watching it on the inflight entertainment system.

Bullet Train is a 2022 action comedy film directed by David Leitch. It is based on the 2010 Japanese novel by Kōtarō Isaka. The film is known for its fast-paced dialogue, neon aesthetics, and interconnected plotlines.

It centers around a group of assassins on a Japanese high-speed train who end up in conflict with each other. The ensemble cast consists of Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Bad Bunny, and Sandra Bullock.

Although more violent than I expected, it was entertaining. It was a good way to kill a couple of hours on an eleven and a half hour flight.

Pickleball

Sharon and I wandered down to Greg and Michele's house on Sunday morning to play pickleball. Over the course of three games, Sharon and I lost to Jim and Debbie by the score of 11 to 4, Sharon and Jim lost to Greg and Michele by the score of 11 to 8, and Jim and I lost to Greg and Michele by the score of 11 to 8.

Afterwards, the six of us hung out in Greg and Michele's backyard.

At Teal Bend Golf Club

Sharon and I met Holly and Van at Teal Bend. We had a 12:20 pm tee time. Not having played in a month, still feeling a little under the weather and getting to the course a little late, I felt very harried. I hit a few balls on the driving range and feel inconsistent. As usual, I rode with Van.

This inconsistency carried over to the course. I had a lot of very good shots, but struggled to string them together. My chipping was a hot mess on the front nine.

With a handful of mulligans on the back nine, I scored a very liberal 109. Although I got a little frustrated with myself, there was a lot to be happy with...

It was slow four hour and 45 minute round. It had to wait on the group in front of us on almost every hole.

The four of us finished the day with dinner at Aiona. This new restaurant opened in the space where the Esquire Grill on the "K" Street Mall. It has only been open for two weeks.

Sharon and I shared Kalamari [Skordalia, Fried Lemon, Herb Gremolata] and a Village Salad [Beet, Apple, Arugula, Feta, Olive]. For entrees, I had Risotto [Iberico Ham, Cipollini, Smoked Peas], while Sharon had Bucatini [Grilled Prawns, Green Garlic, Anchovy, Caper]. Sharon judged the food as "ok."

The Devil Wear Prada (rewatch)

Friday night, Sharon and I rewatched The Devil Wears Prada. We had watched it almost eight years ago in 2018. We wanted to rewatch because we are planning to go see the Devil Wears Prada 2 in the theater this week. As an aside, Bill Simmons has ranked The Devil Wears Prada as the number one most Rewatchable Movie of the 21st Century?!?

The 2006 film is based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a powerful fashion magazine editor, and Anne Hathaway as Andrea (Andy) Sachs, a college graduate who goes to New York City and lands a job as Priestly's co-assistant. Emily Blunt co-stars as co-assistant Emily Charlton.

Streep's performance drew critical acclaim, including her record-setting 14th Oscar bid. Streep was nominated for best Actress. Streep now has 21 Oscar nominations... The film was also nominated for Best Costume Design.

I enjoyed the film and recommend it. Frankly, I had forgotten a number of the plot points. I am glad that we rewatched before we see the sequel.