October 27, 2007
Woke up looking for a toe hold. Somewhere. Sputtering, sideways. The usual mind battle.

Went up to the Black Mountain Feed Store at about ten. Got a bale of hay for my two remaining chickens and a bag of dogfood ($29-something cash, plus $2 tip to the illegal who loaded the hay into my Ranger). Came home and carried the bale of hay into the chicken condo. Left it there overnight. ("What is it? Cluck Cluck." "Maybe a wide-screen TV? Cluck Cluck").

Planned on going into town at four to see the Cowboy Artist's annual show at the Phoenix Art Museum, but the girls were late and hungry, so, instead, Kathy, Deena and Frank met me at Outback Steakhouse at Tatum and Cactus for an early dinner ($55, includes tip, house account). Fun talking to them. Deena told me the ending of Gone, Baby, Gone which she didn't like, but it sounded like it has integrity.

Caught the 5:15 showing of the Wes Anderson movie Darjeeling Express ($36 for four tickets, $10 for popcorn,etc., cash). So-so, althought the ending salvaged it for me (7.5). The other troubling thing about the movie is that Owen Wilson plays a guy who apparently tried to commit suicide. Ouch! Hard to get past that.

"Ever thought of suicide Charley?"
—Jesse James (Brad Pitt) to Charley Ford (Sam Rockwell) in The Assassination of Jesse James by The Coward Robert Ford. Charley claims he never has, "Always something else I want to do," but he later does just that, killing himself with a bullet to the heart. Ouch! Ouch!