The Post - The Movie

I went to see the movie "The Post".  This is a movie I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to see a really good story.   Or, I should say, stories.

Of course, the major plot is The Post  trying to catch up to the news scoop by the New York Times of releasing what became known as The Pentagon Papers.  But, there is so much more.

There is the whole issue about the immorality of the Vietnam War, and sacrifices caused by the Vietnam War, as well as the conflict the war has caused in the United States society.  

There is the issue of the people in the press using a double standard to report the news based on their personal relationship with those involved, a common practice in years past(and present).

There is the major issue of deceit by the government for decades, known to those in power all that time, and not acting on the facts.  Who says we can trust the government?

Central to the plot is upholding of the first amendment, the freedom of the press, and the need to protect sources which is essential if the press does its "job" to keep society informed of events in government and politics.

There is the issue of the role of women in society, and how Kathryn Graham just accepted that her father would give The Post to her by the time of the movie deceased  husband, while she stayed home and raised the family and maintained her social life.  And the movie shows how she ran the newspaper, and maintained her social life. 

There is the issue of the relationship between President Nixon and The Post.

And, of course, the desire of The Washington Post to be more than a home town newspaper, but remain family owned, and survive financially. 

And, all the while I watched the movie, I was thinking about our current day president and his relationship with the press, his obvious attempts to present a different story than the press often presents, and his claims about "fake news" as well as his denials of things we have seen and heard from his own self while on TV.  Obviously, the nuances similarities are intentional.

Those of us who lived in that era know the history, but if the movie can hold your interest when you know the outcome, it has to be good.  And it was.

Relief - Soaking My Foot

I have had pain in my right foot since August.  Late in August, I woke up one morning, and the joint at the base of my great toe on each foot was swollen, and sore.  Eventually, the joint on the left foot became less swollen, but is still more pronounced than previously, but the joint on my right foot has never decreased, and continues to be sore.

This is not unusual to me.  The same happened many, many years ago with my thumb joints, and eventually, mostly with massaging, both decreased in size, but not ever back to normal, and the pain went away.

Well, the other day, a co-worker was talking about soaking her feet in Epsom Salt.  Well, that is a creature comfort that I enjoy, but did not even think of.  So, the other night, I soaked my right foot, and noticed immediate relief that lasted well into the next day, although the swelling did not diminish. 

Eventually, the pain returned, but I have been continuing with the soaking, and the pain has diminished, but of course, returns with use.

The other thing I noticed is that I have had a lot of broken capillaries on my ankles, and many of the ones on the right foot have disappeared from the skin surface.  There are still some higher than the area that is affected by the soaking.  Maybe I need to find a deeper container.  

The Crossover Game

This is what I sent to tonight. ESPN:

The Crossover Game

Tonight, I watched “The Crossover Game” of basketball on ESPN, between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Clippers.  The premise of this game is that college basketball announcers comment on this game, while professional basketball announcers comment on a comparable college game.  I have to say, this premise was a bust.  The commentators spoke about so many things that had nothing to do with the game, and everything to do with their own opinions about the current and future of college and professional basketball.  These are the kind of comments that belong on a sports commentary show, not a game broadcast.  I appreciate commentary on the current players, the history of the teams, and any current news in the sports, but everything else was extraneous in my opinion.  I finally had to mute the broadcast, and just watch the game.  Which effectively also took me out of the advertising for the game ($ Chi-Ching lost).  Sorry ESPN, not a fan of this type of broadcast.

Eating Tuna Today

I fed Taki and Haiku dry food and wet food this morning, and again, later in the day.  Mid-afternoon, Haiku acted like she was hungry but did not want any of the food I had put out.  So, I gave her some tuna, and fed her on the sofa, where she was alternately lying down, and being restless.  She ate quite a bit of the tuna, then settled down, for quite a while. A bit ago, she roused, and ate some more tuna, then laid right back down on her spot on the sofa.  I hope she is contented and had enough to eat.  I worry about her because she is such a picky eater, and sometimes, acts like she cannot find her food dishes.

New Monopoly

For the last several springs, the local supermarket chain has had a Monopoly game as a customer incentive.  You collect game cards that contain four pieces you add to a collection card and you get an additional playing piece that might offer a coupon, an instant prize, or a chance to play online for a prize. I am not sure when this year's game started, but just recently, I believe.  I have won a magnet online, and am awaiting the email instructions regarding how to redeem.  Hmmm.

Feeding Cats in Bed, or Elsewhere

Haiku has become a very picky eater, in some respects, and weight loss is an issue, so sometimes I find myself feeding her in unusual places.  She likes to eat away from Taki, so I might feed her on the dining table.  Sometimes, if we are in the computer room, she likes to be fed on her chair in that room.  Sometimes, she is on the top tier of the cat tree, and likes to be fed there.  She might also like to be fed on the sofa, if that is where we are sitting.

I really do not want to cater to her whims, but I do, because she is so insistent, and does not otherwise go to the kitchen to eat.  I can even carry her to the kitchen, and she may not eat, but if I carry her food to her, she eats.

The problem with this is I have to bring food to Taki, too.  Not such a big problem, but sometimes, I have to remember where I last had their dishes.  

Again, a Light

This morning, when I started the car to go to work, the tire pressure indicator light was on.  I drove for about a mile and a quarter, and the light went off.  I had decided not to go back to have the tires checked again, since they were okay, if over inflated, yesterday, and they did not look any different today.

Dashboard indicator lights are wonderful, only if they work correctly.

Topsy Turvey Dishes

So, the regular reader will have read about Haiku meeting me at the door from the house to the garage, crying insistently tonight.  I thought it was due to being alerted that I was home, and then I did not go into the house because I left right away.

I am not sure that is the case.  When I got into the house, Haiku's food dishes, which were on the dining table when I left for work this morning, were on the floor.  Dry food was spread out and the liver was covered by the dish, without much eaten.

Haiku was crying and crying, and I quickly realized she was very hungry.  She ate two helpings of liver, plus some dry food.  Sometimes when she eats a lot, she vomits, but so far tonight, I have not discovered any.

Finally, her tummy full, she settled down, and stopped crying.  I feel badly that she did not get to eat more of her breakfast, but there is nothing I can do, except put the food on the floor.  Sometimes, she will eat the food on the floor, but Taki often intimidates her or nudges her away from her food, so then, she does not get it any way. This morning, she wanted to eat on the table.  

I will have to be sure to just put the food on the floor. 

Tire Pressure Indicator Light

I did not notice it until I arrived home, and drove into the garage, but the tire pressure indicator light was on.  Rather than risk a low tired in the morning, I backed out, checked all the tires for a serious flat, but there was none.  So, I drove the Vue to the Discount Tires Store  and took advantage of their free air offer. 

The technician who checked my tires said none were low, but a couple were too high in pressure. He did not think that would normally set the indicator light off, but after he checked the tires, we checked the indicator light, and it was not activated.  So, he did what needed to be done.  He also confirmed that the tread on the tires was good.  Which is reassuring to hear.

I can check the tires myself, and do sometimes, but I do appreciate the Discount Tires Store free air check service. Since I purchase tires there, I take advantage of the service. 

Snookered by the Garage Door

When I arrive home from work, the cats know because they hear the garage door open.  They often are sitting at the garage door leading to the house, waiting for me, when I arrive home. I imagine they did that tonight.  But, when I drove into the garage, I noticed the tire pressure indicator light was on.  I wished I had seen it before I got all the way home, but not so.  

I backed out and closed the garage door, and drove the mile and a half or so to the  Discount Tires Store where I trade.  When I arrived back home, I could hear Haiku mewing loudly at the garage door. She was not happy with me, and I assumed it was because of the false alarm of having opened and closed the garage door once, before I stayed home.  

She was waiting at the door to the house.  Crying loudly. Hmmm.

Missing Games

I have been missing Texas Tech men's basketball games, and Lady Raider games.  Sometimes it is because I have something else to do, sometimes it is because I cannot find the radio broadcast of the game, and lo and behold, today, it was because I mis-read the schedule.  But that is okay.  The men won, and the women were routed.  I would have been miserable at the woman's game, anyway.

The men are having a very successful season, the women, a horrible season.  So be it.

"The Darkest Hour" the Movie

I went to see this movie today.  I knew it was about Winston Churchill during World War II, but not much else. I suspected it was about the early war days, because those are the days Churchill referred to as "our darkest hour."  And, that is just what it was.  It was about the change of the prime minister from Neville Chamberlain to Winston Churchill, and his decision not to negotiate for peace but to fight for England.

I don't know why, but this movie moved me to tears.  It was a good story.