2019

2019

West Chester, PA

My age: 63-64

Work - Retired and refusing to work for money.  However, I spent 5 weeks in Bangladesh, teaching global leadreship skills to women at a university in Dhaka.

Music- I don't know music anymore.  It has really become a challenge to stay current with music.

Movies- I go to the movies a lot. But I have moved to going to matinees rather that at night. Some weeks, I'll go to the movies twice.

•  Maiden- what a great movie to start my list.  This is the story of the first all-female team to compete in an around the world sailing competition. The movie was riveting, inspiration and uplifting. I loved it.
• A Man With A Gun- This Robert Redford movie was dreadful.  It seems as if his last couple of movies have been awful but made so that this old man can keep acting.  He is living off his legend and he needs to retire.
• Last Black Man in San Francisco- this movie was surreal, quirky and entertaining.
• Marianne and Leonard- a documentary about Leonard Cohen.
• Echos of the Canyon- the story of the music scene in California in the mid-60's.  The movie was enjoyable but it was too male oriented.
• Nanette- This was a Nextflix film about a comedian's efforts to come out of the closet.  the film started out slow but ended with a punch.  I loved it.
• The Farewell- I wanted to love this movie but I just liked it. The writer did a great job of explaining the differences between East and West cultures.  She nailed it when she described Westerners as individuals in all of our thinking.
• After The Wedding- This movie didn't do it for me.  There were too many characters, all of whom were shallow.  The story was too bizarre and I wasn't vested in any one's self interest.
• Death Zone- 20 sherpas climbed the Death Zone of Everest and removed dead bodies and most of the debris from this area. They were inspiring.
• Where'd You Go, Bernadette?- it was quirky and unbelievable but fun and funny.  I liked it.  I read the book and thought both were equally good.
• Brittany Runs A Marathon- this movie was better than I thought it would be.  All three characters showed their flaws and strengths and they all won in the end.
• Late Night- I liked this movie but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone as a must see movie.
• Peanut Butter Falcon- OMG, I loved, loved, loved this movie.  It was beautiful and full of heart.
• Luce- this movie was not so great.  The story was flawed.  The characters weren't interesting. 
• Big Night- I've seen this movie several times but it was being shown on the big screed again at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville. So Sharon, Glenn, Tricia, Bill and I went to an Italian restrain first fro dinner and then we went to the movie.  And as it was before, the movie was great.
• Goldfinch- There were moments that were introduced too quickly and then I missed the  implications.
• Downton Abbey- I went to this movie with Phylis.  She loved it.  I liked it.  She watched the entire 9 year series.  I watched one episode in 2010.  I guess that says it all.
• The Secret Life of Pets- I watched this at the pool in my apartment building.  Everyone was invited and I thought this would be a silly movie but I liked it.
• The Sound of My Voice- Linda Ronstadt's story
• Where is My Roy Cohn- the story of one of Trump's ruthless, despicable lawyers. This movie was yet another glimpse in to the corrupt world of Donald Trump.
• Judy- this is the sad, dreadful story of Judy Garland.  She was so admired and so miserable.
• The Irishman- The dreadful, murderous story of the Mafia and Jimmy Hoffa.
• Harriet- the story fo Harriet Tubman- this woman had a lot of courage.
• No Fear- A Bengali movie about a woman who was beaten by her older brother and then by her old husband.  But she prevailed and eventually ended up with the man she loved.
• The Chaperone- two women who struggle through life.
• The Two Popes- I really liked this movie.  I was moved by the possibility that Benedict may have asked forgiveness for putting knowledge and intellect before the needs of the people in the church.  But maybe he didn't do that at all.
• Bombshell- The héroes were the women who brought down these dreadful men.
• Little Women- this movie was too boring, long, white, sweet, and silly.  I hated it and Tricia loved it.
• 1917- the story of an awful event on April 6, 1917 in France during WWI. This story reminded me of my grandfather.  He was a private in this war.
• Just Mercy- the story of our brown, racist justice system. The story was so sad and so shameful.
• Don't Worry He Wont Get Far on Foot-  this was out last year and I wanted to see it but missed the opportunity.  Alcoholism is a tough disease.
• Won't You Be My Neighbor- another movie that highlights the spirit of Mr. Rodgers.
• Hidden Lives- The cinematography was absolutely beautiful in this movie.  The man's convictions were beyond what I could endure.
• Parasite- this movie started out funny and ended on a very gruesome note.
• JoJo Rabbit- I loved this movie which was a dark comedy about Nazis.
• Downhill- dreadful; don't waste your time watching this boring film which I thought was going to be so damn funny.  Don't even watch it on Netflix.
• 2019 Nominated Short Action Films- I liked most of these films and didn't like the film that won best film.
• 2019 Nominated Short Animated Film- I thought the Chinese film should have won best animated film.
• 2019 Nominated Documentary Films- The winer was the film about teaching young women in Afghanistan how to use a skateboard.  We have so many freedoms in this country.
• Midway- the story of our response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. War is just brutal.
• Les Miserables- some people have the most miserable lives.
• Honey Boy- too many people have dreadful family lives.
• Call of the Wild- I never read the book but I wanted to do this before I went to see the movie.  And once I read it, I just couldn't figure out how this movie could be mad because the dogs were really humanized in the story.  But the beauty of computertization made it all possible.
• The Aeronuts- it was OK.
•  The Torture Report- sometimes our government does dreadful things in the name of national security.
• The Resistance Banker- a man risked his life so that he could find money to support the Jews and other members of the Resistance in their fight against the Nazis in Belgium.

Books- I am listening mostly to audiobooks at the moment.  My friend gave me her password to her Audiable account and I am listening to what interests her.

• Calypso- David Sedaris- I like everything he writes.
• Nomadland- Jessica Bruder- this book frightened me. We are on the verge of a perfect storm of economic disaster.
• When Breath Becomes Air- Abraham Verghese- this book was exquisite.
• Just Kids- Patti Smith- the story of Patti Smith's relationhsip with Robert Maplethorpe.
• Looking for Alaska- John Green- this book could be the 21 century Catcher in the Rye

Travels-  I traveled a total of 4 months this year.

• Bangladesh
• Indonesia 
• Israel & Jordon.
• Haiti
• Canada- The Celtic Music Festival
• Colorado 
• Florida
• Georgia
• New Mexico
• Mississippi
• New Orleans

News Events

• Trump embarrassed us on the international stage evrery fucking day.
• one hundred women were sworn in to Congress.
• North Korea-U.S. Nuclear Talks Stall, thanks to Donald Fuck Trump. 
• Brexit Upended Britian and the EU. 
• The U.S.-China Trade War Continued thanks to Donald Fuck Trump who tweeted that “trade wars are good and easy to win.”
• The Central American migrant exodus exploded.  The surge in asylum-seekers at the U.S. southern border overwhelmed the system. 
• Narendra Modi won a stunning victory in India’s parliamentary elections.
• The United States Ends Its Support for the Syrian Kurds.  Even some of the Trump’s closest allies called the move a “disaster in the making.” 
• The U.S. House Impeached President Donald Fuck Trump.  
• Protestors took to the street in Hong Kong, Algeria , Sudan, Chile,  Lebanon  Iraq, Iran,  Bolivia, India, Nicaragua, and Russia. Millions of people risked their lives to make governments responsive to their wishes.
•  In April, fire devastated Paris’s historic Notre Dame Cathedral. I just about cried.
• The USA formally withdrew from the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia. 
• In September, Trump announced that peace talks with the Taliban were “dead,” a position he reversed three months later. 
• In October, U.S. Special Forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State. 

Family/Friend  news:

• Jimmy Staudt was in a play, The Crucible, in Manhattan amd many of us took the train to see him.
• I participated in the Women's March in Philadelphia.  This was my 3rd year of participation.
• I broke my first fucking tooth which was beyond repair.  That meant I had to spend $6000 for a fucking implant.
• A frind from China was in the area for a weekend in October.  We went to the NJ shore and just sat on the cold, windy, sunny beach all day.  It was great fun.
• I drove to Cheery Spring State Park, PA, the darkest place in the east coast of the USA, to watch the stars.  The sky was filled with stars.
• My good friend, Bill Brown, died of a heart attack at the age of 49. We shared the same birthday.  Each year, he gave me a gift adn I never gave him a gift.
• Sharon, Glenn, Jaye, Dom and I went to State College to see Bob Dylan and he was so dreadful that I am still mad at him and I want my $100 back.
• I have a vomiting problem that is become a source of concern for me.  I am not used to having health problems.
• I took Gus and Clay to Georgia to meet Uncle Dick and Aunt Jo.  Shortly thereafter, Uncle Dick lost his memory to Alzheimer's Disease.