Good Morning Folks,
After a couple of weeks now of being "under the weather" (where does that expression come from?), I am finally beginning to see some daylight. It seems that the heavy winds we have had here for weeks may have caused allergies to develop into Sinusitis (possibly a cold thrown in). Thanks to a trip down to the VA hospital in Prescott I am now on antibiotics. At any rate I'm on the road to recovery and am even going to try the gym this morning.
The temps in Flagstaff have made it feel like Spring and almost summer. But, the aforementioned winds have been pretty crazy, 30-50 mile an hour stuff everyday for about 6 weeks now. What was a good winter for moisture is now being sucked out by these winds making for a dry fire season here.
Joanne and I are progressing along quite nicely. She had to go to Newport Beach (her hometown) for a memorial service so was out of town for several days this past week. I picked her up at the train station early yesterday morning and we spent a nice and low key day together. I had all but forgotten how nice it is to have someone in your life. Of course the added bonus is that we are so "gaga" about each other. We have discussed all the limitations of a "May/December" relationship and she knows marriage or even living together are not options and she is fine with that . . . She has her kids and is not wanting to be married again. Neither of us were looking for a relationship, it just happened. I am happy for the first time in a long while and so is she.
Natasha and Jason are thriving in Okinawa. He is working very hard at his job and she getting set-up to start classes at the Univ. of Maryland, Asia and checking out the job scene. Along with that they are preparing for their move from temporary housing on base to an off-base house at the end of this week. Coincidently, their furniture and stuff will arrive on the same day after two months getting there by sea transport.
While ill I did get out to the movies a couple of times. Most of you know me well enough to know I'd have to be on my death bed not to get out to a theater. At any rate, the summer film fare has begun. I saw Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchette's (I love her) new semi-historical opus, Robin Hood. Most of the critics didn't like it but I did. I found it entertaining and fun. I am a sucker for a big epic and all that sword play. Mind you I'm not saying it is a great film but enjoyed it in the way that I did Errol Flynn's version, pure escape. The second movie was Letters to Juliet. Again not a critics favorite but an enjoyable romantic story. I loved seeing Venessa Redgrave again. What with many of the great acting family of Redgraves dying fairly recently (to include her daughter Natasha Richardson and sister Lynn) she is nearly last of a dynasty. Most critics do not seem to like most offerings in the romance genre, but I do. Besides that you get a view of Verona, Italy and surrounding areas. So, I give both films three stars (out of 5) and a thumbs-up, but not way up!
Cheers, until next time!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Wind and Illness
Hey All,
Am sitting at home this morning instead of going to the gym. I rarely miss a workout day during the week. But it seems my allergies, after continuous strong winds here in Flagstaff, have evolved into a bad cold. Colds seem to enter my body at least once a year. The older I get the more annoying these maladies become.
Illness is interesting in how it affects your psyche. In light of the fact that I get all my immunizations and flu shots as a preventive action it always suprises me how the common cold persists as an uncurable ailment. I try not to let it get me down by attempting to combat it through the usual means but at the same time it is difficult to stay home all day. Luckily, it does not "lay me low" so the only limitation I place on myself is to cut-out my workouts for a couple of days. Even though I have not taken advantage of it, it is nice to have woman in my life who is a nurse.
Speaking of which, Joanne and I had a very good weekend together, especially Friday and Saturday. We continue to get to know each other better. Even with the illness life seems a bit more interesting these days. I do not know how long things will last between us (hopefully for good while) but there is a definite upswing in my attitude and demeanor. Romance may be my drug of choice. It is difficult to say since it has been a good while since I've had that kind of "buzz" in my life.
At any rate, life is pretty good these days all things being equal. Since I have not gotten any notification from the park service for this summer, I have begun to plan some trips. June will be my month for a sojourn to Colorado and Wyoming. In July my tentative plan is to hit the Shakepearean Festival in Cedar City. My goal is to see Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. In August I will make another trip to southern Cal to visit family. September is still open. If I can pull together the funds I'd like to visit Ranger Bob, the younger, in Alaska. Another possiblity is trip back up to WY to go to Glacier Park with Ranger Bob, the Elder. As you can see it is a very robust plan and other factors may cause changes, not the least my new relationship. I may need to shorten some of these trips in order to be able to spend time with Joanne, or not.
Movies: Since my last transmission, I have seen two films. Iron Man II, with Robert Downey Jr in the title role. This movie is very entertaining. It is worth seeing but not as good as the first one. The second, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an excellent Swedish thriller. It is rather long and has subtitles but well worth it. Also, I should warn you that there are some pretty graphic rape scenes in it, not so much nudity as violence.
I am looking forward to this Friday's release of the Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchette's version of Robin Hood. I have read that this will be a different, non-traditional approach to this often produced fabled story. It seems to be much on par with the reinterpretation of King Arthur featuring Clive Owen a few years ago. At any rate this is only the beginning of the summer onslaught of films that will be, for the most part, pablum for the masses. If we are lucky there will be a few gems buried amongst them.
Cheers all . . . Adios for now.
Am sitting at home this morning instead of going to the gym. I rarely miss a workout day during the week. But it seems my allergies, after continuous strong winds here in Flagstaff, have evolved into a bad cold. Colds seem to enter my body at least once a year. The older I get the more annoying these maladies become.
Illness is interesting in how it affects your psyche. In light of the fact that I get all my immunizations and flu shots as a preventive action it always suprises me how the common cold persists as an uncurable ailment. I try not to let it get me down by attempting to combat it through the usual means but at the same time it is difficult to stay home all day. Luckily, it does not "lay me low" so the only limitation I place on myself is to cut-out my workouts for a couple of days. Even though I have not taken advantage of it, it is nice to have woman in my life who is a nurse.
Speaking of which, Joanne and I had a very good weekend together, especially Friday and Saturday. We continue to get to know each other better. Even with the illness life seems a bit more interesting these days. I do not know how long things will last between us (hopefully for good while) but there is a definite upswing in my attitude and demeanor. Romance may be my drug of choice. It is difficult to say since it has been a good while since I've had that kind of "buzz" in my life.
At any rate, life is pretty good these days all things being equal. Since I have not gotten any notification from the park service for this summer, I have begun to plan some trips. June will be my month for a sojourn to Colorado and Wyoming. In July my tentative plan is to hit the Shakepearean Festival in Cedar City. My goal is to see Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing. In August I will make another trip to southern Cal to visit family. September is still open. If I can pull together the funds I'd like to visit Ranger Bob, the younger, in Alaska. Another possiblity is trip back up to WY to go to Glacier Park with Ranger Bob, the Elder. As you can see it is a very robust plan and other factors may cause changes, not the least my new relationship. I may need to shorten some of these trips in order to be able to spend time with Joanne, or not.
Movies: Since my last transmission, I have seen two films. Iron Man II, with Robert Downey Jr in the title role. This movie is very entertaining. It is worth seeing but not as good as the first one. The second, The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo is an excellent Swedish thriller. It is rather long and has subtitles but well worth it. Also, I should warn you that there are some pretty graphic rape scenes in it, not so much nudity as violence.
I am looking forward to this Friday's release of the Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchette's version of Robin Hood. I have read that this will be a different, non-traditional approach to this often produced fabled story. It seems to be much on par with the reinterpretation of King Arthur featuring Clive Owen a few years ago. At any rate this is only the beginning of the summer onslaught of films that will be, for the most part, pablum for the masses. If we are lucky there will be a few gems buried amongst them.
Cheers all . . . Adios for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)