Another Rainy Day


It was a cold and rainy day – so we went to a movie again. We decided that going to a movie is a much cheaper recreational activity than going shopping. We went to see Juno and loved it.


My writing is inadequate to describe the movie so here is what the critics say:


"Juno" is hilarious and sweet-tempered, perceptive and surprisingly grounded.

Jason Reitman's "Juno" is just about the best movie of the year. It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we have come to love. Strange, how during Juno's hip dialogue and cocky bravado, we begin to understand the young woman inside, and we want to hug her.


Has there been a better performance this year than Ellen Page's creation of Juno? I don't think so. If most actors agree that comedy is harder than drama, then harder still is comedy depending on a quick mind, utter self-confidence, and an ability to stop just short of going too far. Page's presence and timing are extraordinary. I have seen her in only two films, she is only 20, and I think she will be one of the great actors of her time. – Roger Ebert


(Now we are back to me again) So if you really don’t think you want to see a movie about a pregnant, unwed, 16-year-old, think again. I think it deserves the Oscar nominations it got and would be very pleased if Ellen Page got the best actress award.


With all this cold, wet weather I’m making good headway in catching up with the house. Except for the sunroom where I have stashed the parsley and basil plants to protect them from freezing, Penny’s sewing room (which I leave to her) and the room formerly known as Christy’s room, our house is up to "OK for visitors" status. I’m almost ready to make that final push in the workshop to make it functional again. Isn’t retirement exciting? Now I try to keep up with everything on a daily basis, something i have never succeeded at. Opening the additional storage helped a lot.

My river run training is coming along. I'm walking 3.7 miles at a 3.3 mph paceevery 2nd evening. I am increasing the difficulty by raising the incline. This week it is 3 degrees. Using the computer while on the treadmill is fantastic. There's no clock watching because your mind is all wrapped up with writing.


We are starting to firm up this years travel plans. Mid-Summer we are thinking of seeing some of Montana. In October we will once again do Vermont. Then it is down to Melbourne and Florida Tech for my fraternity’s 35th reunion. In between we will visit Karen, Christy and Kathy as much as we reasonably can. We promised Karen and Tim that we would provide babysitter service once every month or 2 so they could have a date night. Our first trip this year will be to Tampa to visit Kathy and Joe and see my Brother Louie. We may stop and say hi to Karen and/or Christy on the way down. Next is a visit to Jacksonville to see my birthday present from Karen – Monty Python’s Spamalot. We are also thinking about renewing our passes to Seaworld and Busch Gardens to have somewhere neat to go in between.

Tomorrow begins our weekend cycle with Target in the morning.