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| Pool Time With Mom |
I was extremely entertained by the
photos/videos my daughter sent of her adventures yesterday in L.A. with the visiting
NYC curbside delegation and her usual sidekicks Wingman and the First Blog
Reader. They stopped off at a brewery that my granddaughter is becoming a
regular at so we know she bred true in terms of her grandfather’s gene pool.
This was followed by her first ever trip to a swimming pool. The pool looks to
be on top of a downtown L.A. hotel with great views. My granddaughter didn’t
appear to be a huge fan of the water so at last there’s something I can work on
with her. It was great to see them all together reuniting from their hallowed days
of joint New York City residence. Nothing can beat hang time with friends. It’s
the Curbside Aunt’s birthday today so she’ll get the best present I can think
of, time with the First Blog Reader.
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| At The Brewery with Wingman |
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| The Gang |
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| Aunt Curbside |
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| Yeah, This is Where I Hang |
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| Can't Believe How Fast She's Growing |
Yesterday was a prototypical New England
March day in Worcester. I woke up to a fairly warm, rainy morning which changed
to brilliant sunshine by noon with plummeting temperatures. By the evening we
were firmly back into sub-freezing temperatures. I consider this as the feeble
winter’s last gasp as the calendar is rapidly running out of opportunities. I’m
becoming a fan of March lately as it signals the return to USA of a certain Panamanian.
While that’s still weeks away this year’s separation was a little easier in
that I now have an I-Pad and we video chat each day. I was extremely jealous
when she called yesterday from the laughing cousin’s (one of my favorite people
in the world) house, was sipping a beer, and recounting their afternoon spent
lounging in a nearby river.
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| I'm Guessing a Good Time Was Had |
I made it three movie nights in a row
yesterday seeing Triple 9s. A very gritty crime film set in Atlanta featuring
one of the best casts I’ve seen in a while. That could be part of the problem because
while everybody was good, Kate Winslet and Woody Harrelson always left me
wanting to see more of their scenes. I didn’t even recognize Winslet who played
a Russian crime lord, of all things, and was more menacing than I’ve ever seen
her. I had a bad night for actor recognition because it took me almost half the
movie to realize Aaron Paul and Casey Affleck were different characters. That
goes straight to the editing and the lighting which were challenging at times.
The plot revolves around corrupt cops
brought into an elite robbery team which is held in thrall by the Russian mob.
There’s circles within circles as each of the cops, on both sides of the law,
are dealing with their own demons. I ended up liking the movie a lot when I
figured out who everybody was but again, that was more of a struggle than it
should have been. There were some great action scenes, expertly staged and a
climax that was singing with tension. It’s not Heat but a very enjoyable crime
drama.
Since this winter was so balmy, at
least by last year’s standard, I had to experience the chill vicariously which
I certainly did with the latest in CJ Box’s Joe Picket series, Winterkill.
This one has Wyoming game warden Picket up against looneys coming at him from
all directions. He’s trying to solve a brutal murder while simultaneously
worrying about his foster daughter being kidnapped by her mother from hell who’s
holed up in a clan of anti-government militia. You add in a psychopathic Federal
bureaucrat and there’s a recipe for a very entertaining plot. It all takes
place in devastating snow storms which Box does a fantastic job of describing.
I even felt cold reading some of the scenes.
My sister, who put me on to Box, has
been warning me about the arrival of her favorite character in the series, Nate
Romanowski, and he finally shows up here. A former special ops soldier who now
trains falcons, he provides a perfect foil for the straight laced Pickett. He’s
cut from the same cloth as Mr. Jack Reacher, need I say more. I look forward to
more time with both Pickett and Romanowski.
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