Memorial Day Weekend 2012

(I started this entry last Monday. It's taken me a while to finish this post, but here it finally is...)

Generally, I love 3 day weekends. I am usually able to sleep in a bit, get a few chores done and go see a movie or two. I did get some of that done but not as much as I would have liked. I wasted all day Sunday because I didn't feel well and spent the day in bed.

On Monday I decided to rise above it all and I did feel a bit better. Anyway, we started the day by going to a a burger place in Piedmont called Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers.

Fabulous French Fries

Delicious Hamburger

 It was a cool burger joint and the food was absolutely yummy. This is probably as close to a Yelp review as I will get - I give Barney's of Piedmont 2 thumbs up, 4 stars and my whole-hearted endorsement.

After lunch I had a little energy left so we decided to take in a movie at the Piedmont Theatre. It's the oldest operating movie theater in Oakland dating back to 1917. It's quite old fashioned but very charming. It's a little odd because it has been renovated recently hand there are modern leather seats inside the theater. The two things don't quite go together but the seats were comfy.

We went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Wonderful movie. The story is about several British older adults that have each come to a turning point in their lives and are compelled to leave England and move to India. They had been led to believe that they would be living in a luxurious retirement  community. Unfortunately they were misled and the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel for the Aging and Beautiful turns out to be an old building with no working telephones, missing doors and crumbling walls. Most of the new residents decide to make the best of their situation and take in the beauty that India has to offer. Dames Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are my two favorite British actresses - they are fantastic in this as they are in every movie they are in! Within this movie there is humor, sadness, a young love story and the bittersweet conclusion of a 40 year old quest. I loved this movie! Seek it out ~ go see it!

That was all I had energy for - so after the movie it was back home and back to bed. It was not exactly the weekend we had planned, but it was ok all things considered...Golden Gate Bridge and the USS Iowa on Saturday (please see previous post) and gourmet hamburgers and movies on Monday. I can't complain!

USS Iowa

It's a big weekend for San Francisco. Today is the celebration for the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge will be closed for about an hour this evening for the fireworks display. Traffic will be crazy so we decided to enjoy the bridge and the city yesterday for another reason.

Ron and I had heard that the USS Iowa would be leaving SF Bay and would be passing under the Golden Gate sometime between 2 and 3 pm. So we headed west over the Bay Bridge through San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge and up to the Marin Headlands. Traffic was S-L-O-W and we were afraid we would miss everything. As we headed up the hill to find the perfect spot to watch the history sail out of the bay, we were overwhelmed by the number of cars and people that were there before us. "We'll never find a place to park!" We crept up the winding road up the hill trying to avoid the crazy cyclists that love to test themselves up that hill. We made it all the way up the hill without finding a spot to park the Beeson Bus (yes, we still have our great big van!). We turned and were starting to head back down the hill. I had started to resign myself to the idea that we wouldn't be able to park when I spotted someone getting ready to leave! I don't think the people leaving knew about the Iowa because they left and enabled us to park!!

We found a perfect place to sit and wait...and wait...and wait...

However, we were well rewarded. The battleship was being tugged out of the bay and it was slow going, but it was perfect for all the professional and amateur (me) photographers out there to capture the big event. It was a beautiful sunny day in the city. Ron served as my sun shield as I sat and prepped my camera. I will just show you what happened from then on...

  Beautiful day ~ amazing view ~ history in action ~ great day.

why blog?

Every once in a while I get self-conscious about my writing. I mean, really…why should anyone care what I have to say about anything? Anyone with a computer can blog. It’s self-indulgent, I admit. In my defense, I write something and I put it out there. I don’t ask anyone to read it. Well, that’s not entirely true – when I write about Ron or the girls, I sometimes ask them to read and approve it before I post it. I don’t want to get in trouble with them. Beckie, the writer, is the only one that reads what I write on a regular basis and that’s just fine.

In general, I don’t write anything terribly controversial. I won’t ever write anything that I wouldn’t say out loud in a room full of people. I don’t write about politics, religion or sex because someone once told me that it’s not polite to discuss those things in mixed company. I like to go to the movies so I write my reviews even though I have absolutely no credentials to do so.

My blogs are online journals. Besides movie reviews, Tales from an (Almost) Empty Nest contains entries about my family and/or things that happen to me and/or what I think about them. I’ve been posting entries to this blog since 2009. I wish I had started earlier. In a way, blogging is therapeutic for me.

Recently, I started a new blog in March of this year to keep track of my experiences and progress with a new treatment I am undergoing. I felt that it might also be helpful to other people going through the treatment. I wanted to keep it separate from Tales because I didn’t want to inflict my treatment stories on someone who might be looking to read my latest movie review. Maybe someday I will merge the two blogs – maybe not.

Blogging is a great hobby. Beckie thinks that I should be working on my memoir. For Mother’s Day she gave me a book to give me pointers on how to write my memoir and a journal to write it in. I don’t think I’m ready for that yet. In the meantime, I will keep practicing here. If you happen to stumble across my blog and like what I write – I’m glad. If you don’t like it, that’s ok, too. What I write is for me and for my girls but I’m happy to share it with anyone who takes the time to read it. Besides, my blogs may be the closest I ever get to writing a memoir…

Bucket List part 2

This post should probably be entitled "Ron's Bucket List," but since where he goes I go, I count this as part of my list, too. So here are a few additions to my ongoing list...

1. The Indianapolis 500 - one day we hope to see the race in person AND we hope to see it before Jim Nabors retires from singing "Back Home Again in Indiana."

2. The Kentucky Derby - Ron has promised to buy me a FABULOUS hat when we go to see the "Run for the Roses."

3. A Super Bowl game  - preferably with some teams that we care about. Do you think the Bengals will ever get to another Super Bowl?

4. A NCAA Final Four series - Ron - college basketball...'nuff said.

5. Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. So this is the only one that I'm not all that excited about. I don't get the whole golf thing and the only time I was in Georgia it was HOT HOT HOT AND HUMID HUMID HUMID. No fun at all, but when Ron watches this tournament on tv every year it's as if he is in church. So we will go.

Doesn't this sound like fun?

busy weekend

I really shouldn't even be taking the time to write and post this today. I have a lot to do...What's the big deal, you may ask? Well, another one of my chicks is flying home tomorrow! Gotta spruce up her room and go to the grocery store to get some vegetarian goodies (she's strictly a herbivore like her twin).

Mandi has been in NYC since September enjoying the Big Apple and all it has to offer. I'm so glad that she was able to have such a great experience before she buckles down for grad school. She will begin the next phase of her adventures at UCSF early next month and will be tied up with that for the next 3 years! At the end of it, though, she will be a physical therapist!

So, until she finds a suitable place to live in the city, she will be bunking with us and our nest will not be quite so empty. Can you tell that I'm smiling?

for the record...

Here we are in the theater right before the movie started

Just so you know...I wasn't wrong about The Avengers. We took Viliamu to see it tonight and  although he was a bit tired from a full day of playing and swimming with his mama, he stayed awake and engaged through the entire movie. So, for the record, this movie not only gets two thumbs up from me (I reviewed it last weekend), but it also gets the Wild Thing seal of approval! That's really quite a telling endorsement.

I am watching him sleep as I type this. As tired as he was, he stayed awake during the car ride home. PJ's on, a trip to the bathroom and teeth brushing done and he was still able to get through 2 1/2 stories. What a trooper! Guess which book he wanted me to read first? You guessed it! Max is still the king of all wild things and #1 in both our hearts! All is right with the world.

good night, wild things...

A dear friend that I never met died last Tuesday. We were on our way to work when Ron and I heard on the radio that Maurice Sendak had died from complications after a stroke. He was 83 years old. It surprised me how emotional I became at this news. It brought tears to my eyes. (I also reacted like this when Jim Henson passed away).

Mr. Sendak was responsible for writing and illustrating my favorite children's book of all time - Where the Wild Things Are. This book has been very important to me over time, but even more so during just the last five years. Max, the king of all wild things, has a naughtiness and an imagination that reminds me very much of another wild thing. I honestly can't tell you how many times I read this book to Viliamu but I will tell you that almost every time I read it, he would say, "Again!" and how could I refuse?! This book has been a real bond and an important point of reference for us. See?

 

After I found the Max doll, I photographed him in all kinds of adventures when we'd go on vacation, like this...

and this...

and this...

.

Once I took the pictures, I would post them on facebook so that Denise could show them to Viliamu while we were away from him. And of course, whenever we went on a trip together with Viliamu, Max got to come along. He really enjoyed Disneyland! 

We have had countless adventures with our Wild Thing many of which were inspired by Max. Maurice Sendak wrote and illustrated countless other stories, but I have to thank him for creating this story - one that so captured our imaginations and helped me to maintain a connection with Viliamu.

So, although I never met him, I will always think of Mr. Sendak as a real friend. I will miss him.

I wonder if Kermit's "dad" and Max' "dad" have met up on the other side...

My Date with The Avengers

Hooray for Hollywood! The season of summer blockbusters has arrived! Ron and I stood in line to get tickets and then in line to get into the theater. It is great fun to be around people that are about to see a movie they have waiting for for a long time. There were little boys wearing Avenger t-shirts and others with Captain America shields. The atmosphere was filled with anticipation...

And then the movie started! Like any other movie about comic book super heroes, you have to expect there will be a certain Velveeta factor aka cheesy-ness aka cornball quotient. That's really part of the charm of this kind of movie. So much of the dialogue is said tongue in cheek. It is so much fun! Makes me wish I was one of those kids that had read and collected comic books.

Joss Whedon did a fantastic job directing. I wish I could say that he stayed true to the characters, but I don't know. The Hulk is the only DC character I knew before the recent movies started coming out. As a matter of fact, Hulk was my favorite part of the movie. The other characters are Nick Fury, Black Widow, Thor and Loki, Captain America and Iron Man. Before becoming a team, they had to fight with each other and that was fun, too!

The action was fast-paced and exciting. There was violence but no gore - yay for me! The movie was almost 2 1/2 hours long but seemed to go by quickly. When is the last time you went to a movie, and the audience applauded when it was over? That's the kind of movie this was. We saw it in 3D but I think it would have been just as good in regular D. I'm a big kid when it comes to this type of movie. Loved it! Hey, did you know that Spiderman is coming out soon?!

Picarro

I rarely write about current events that don't directly involve me, but I thought you might find this very interesting and reassuring.

There is an up and coming company in Santa Clara, California called Picarro. In very basic terms (that I can understand, because I am not tech-savy) this company manufactures a device that detects green house gasses. This is important technology because the device is able to detect natural gas leaks. Here is a link with a video that explains how PG&E is going to use the device....

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=8524992

Had PG&E had this technology earlier, the 2010 natural gas pipeline explosion in San Bruno might have been avoided. The company does more than manufacture this device. This is directly from Picarro's website -

 Picarro's singular mission is to produce the world's highest performance and easiest to use gas analyzers. Our analyzers serve a wide variety of markets including atmospheric science, greenhouse gas measurement, air quality, food safety, hydrology, biomaterials testing, ecology, environmental consulting, semi-conductor, industrial process gas measurement, and landfill gas measurement. With the highest precision and sensitivity level measurements, months or years of calibration-free operation, and a quick and easy set-up, this incredibly rare combination of attributes enables our customers to make the highest quality measurements both in the modern lab and in the most remote locations imaginable. 

Every possible source of industrial and municipal emissions are subject to increasing regulation either for worker safety, to improve air quality, or as part of larger state, national and international greenhouse gas reduction strategies and protocols. Regardless of whether the customer is an expert scientist who values performance foremost, an engineer who demands quality and uptime from a solution, or a field technician who values simple installation and little maintenance, Picarro analyzers are the emerging standard.

Besides the amazing work this company does, why should I care? I care because since March 22nd, Ron has been the corporate controller. I couldn't be more proud!

3 Movies

Ronnie B and I were in the mood for movies last weekend. Add the fact that a new theater opened in a reasonably convenient location and we had something to do!

On Friday night we saw The Five Year Engagement. I was afraid that they might have given away all the best parts in the trailers, but luckily there was more to the movie than the previews showed. It was a fairly predictable romantic comedy. Jason Segel is a funny guy. I think he actually wrote the screenplay - decent job. My only problem with Jason is that he is such an exhibitionist. In another movie he was only too happy to do full frontal nudity - repeatedly - and this time he treated us to his bare butt.  I'm no prude but that's a treat I could have done without. Emily Blunt was also in this movie - she is adorable and very good in the movie. The premise is cute, but as I said before, the outcome was totally predictable. Go see it at matinee prices or wait til it comes out on DVD.

On Saturday, we did our chores and decided to see another movie at Century Theatres at Pacific Commons in Fremont. The Raven is a fictional account about a serial killer who uses Edgar Allen Poe's stories to kill people. John Cusack is one of my favorite actors and did a good job portraying the author. However, there was some gore and blood - think of "The Pit and the Pendulum". The film makers decided that they needed to show that gruesome murder in it's entirety. There was a love story twist as well...I hate to say it, but I don't recommend the movie. Rather, I recommend that you pick up a collection of Poe's stories or poems...leave the gore to your imagination.

Finally, we decided to watch Contraband on pay per view. This was probably the most satisfying film of the weekend. It was about smugglers and illegal activity. Yes, it was brutal and there was profanity, drug use and violence, but it was also engaging and exciting - one of those movies that keeps you sitting on the edge of your seat. Mark Wahlberg is very easy on the eyes, if that sort of thing is important to you....but he is also a decent actor. Giovanni Ribisi once again plays a very creepy tattooed bad guy - he's really good at that.  Kate Beckingsale is Marky Mark's wife and she's pretty tough - GIRL POWER, baby! Put this movie in you Netflix queue - it's a good one!

So there you go - 3 quick reviews on last weekend's movies...if you see any of these, let me know what YOU think....Otherwise, we really recommend the new theater. It's close to the Auto Mall shopping area in Fremont. Not too many people know about it yet, so we didn't have any trouble getting tickets. It's fresh and clean and the theaters all have leather seats - Ronnie B loves that.