Matthew

Many thanks!

How are Hess wines? I go to Mount De La Salle often (next door to Hess), and I've always been tempted to stop there.

Opus One Red Wine 2010

Treadmill To Oblivion: My Days In Radio by Fred Allen

Happy Birthday!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Christmas in Evergreen. Yes, I proudly shout out that Hallmark Christmas movies rule!!!

The Office: Season 1. Haven't seen the episodes since they first aired. I'm surprised how good they are, as I remember not being too impressed when I first watched them, but knowing how everything turns out, I look and see the seeds of all the good stuff to come in this season.

The Case of the Sulky Girl by Erle Stanley Gardner

It was, and it wore down Williams, she looked at a loss on how to respond.

Sullivan's Travels

Halep was amazing in her court coverage, she got everything back. Great win for her.

Wasn't Harden averaging, what? like thirteen seconds per possession dribbling the ball at the end of games during the playoffs? Well, it looks like the West will be an LA thing this year, though I'm still not sure about how the Lakers are going pull it off, might have to get a Team Pass from NBAtv this year so see what happens in LakerLand.

James Harden and Russell Westbrook in the same backcourt? Yeah, that'll work out great. Still, Chris Paul wasn't working in Houston, so that's about the best the two teams could do given the realities of the contracts involved.

Okay, now I’m definitely going to rewatch The Long Goodbye, I want to see if I will change my mind about the film.

Love Altman, loathed that movie and the ending. For me, it was one of those movies that you watch, and you’re shaking your head saying “no” for the whole movie. Might have to watch again to be certain about my dislike.

He was 80 years old I remember what a big scandal his book was, and, of course, to my thirteen year-old mind, it was the greatest book I ever read.

William Faulkner: Novels 1926 - 1929: Soldiers'Pay / Mosquitoes / Flags in the Dust / The Sound and The Fury. Ever get a bug in your mind that you can't get rid of regarding a writer? I've had that bug for a couple of months, telling me that I need to read all the novels of Faulkner, in order -- Stupid bug! Anyway, I'm beginning at the beginning with Soldiers' Pay; we'll see how it goes...

I thought I was the only that liked it! Never hear it mentioned anymore.

Grand Prix

No one loves baseball like ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian. He says, after a half-century love affair with the sport, that he has never found the game to be more of a chore to consume. This, right here, is the quote for me. I could give a lot of reasons, why for me, baseball has become a chore to watch. No action, an endless parade of pitchers, three-and-a-half hour games, with only three of four plays meaning anything, hyper-sensitive players that take offense at the least thing. But the reason I keep coming back to is that most of the players don't seem to be that good. It's flat-out boring to watch a game now, in my experience. It's just my opinion, but for the first time ever since I first started watching baseball fifty-four years ago, I don't care, baseball has become boring, I have yet to watch a whole game this year.

I used to attend a lot of baseball games, and other sports events, but it's stuff like this and the high price for everything that soured the experience. Think it's been five years since I last went to a live MLB game -- I do like going to college baseball though, nice price, no booze, and the play is pretty good. PS: I guess I could look at the video as funny, but anytime I've been close to violence in the stands, I get very anxious and upset, it takes away all enjoyment for me. PSS: Violence is the reason I left Dodger fandom, I saw way too much bad sh** at Dodger Stadium during the McCourt years, and just said "I'm out!" And I grew up a major Dodger fan.

For me, Bette Davis is an acquired taste, and I haven't acquired it yet! Too mannered in my opinion, very off-putting. Of course, YMMV

Wilco: Kicking Television -- Live in Chicago