1. Double blood draw on Monday.
Lab results today.
To my astonishment, since my last labs were done in November of 2021, my kidney function improved by two points. My GFR has fallen to as low as 12, but now it has climbed up to 18. I'll look back at my lab records soon. I'm curious how long it's been since it was at 18. So, as I've written 1,000,000 times before, my hope with each blood draw is that my kidney function remains stable. I am at Stage IV (out of V) on the chronic kidney disease scale, but I'm feeling good, my function has improved a bit, and the other numbers, (aside from BUN and Creatinine, as expected) are all in range. My kidneys are making great use of the limited function they have. It's quite a relief.
By the way, the results of the blood work I had for my primary care doctor, checking on my prostate and cholesterol, are also really good.
2. I worked a little bit less today on the 50th class reunion project, opting instead to watch the movie, The Third Man 1949), named by the British Film Institute as the best British movie of the 20th century.
The Third Man tells the story of a naive pulp fiction writer, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton), who arrives in Vienna not long after the end of WWII, having been invited by an old friend from college, Harry Limes (Orson Welles). Filmed on location, in black and white, The Third Man takes us into the shadowy, morally and physically damaged world of Vienna. It's divided into four regions, each governed by a different country. The destruction of the war leaves Vienna deprived. Black markets thrive. Corruption, deceit, and duplicity reign, portrayed in the movie with off kilter and distorted camera angles, deep and sometimes nightmarish shadows, and close-ups of cunning, mendacious faces. Appearances belie what's actually true.
The movie's shadowy world is reinforced by a haunting, often ironic, soundtrack that features one instrument, a zither.
So what happens when Holly Martins arrives in Vienna? I'd rather not say. I'd much rather anyone interested in watching this movie enter into its astonishing visual texture and narrative labyrinth without foreknowledge of what's to come, to be, in fact, much like the unsuspecting American, Holly Martins, unprepared for the depths of intrigue, double-dealing, greed, and cynicism that marks this story about the way war turns buildings as well as moral behavior into rubble.
By the way, I watched The Third Man because of what movie director Philip Kaufman had to say about the movie when he agreed to be interviewed as a part of the Criterion Channel's series, Adventures in Moviegoing.
Later in the evening, I watched all but the last half an hour of The Horses's Mouth (1958) another British movie, one that Alan Arkin talked about in his Adventures interview. It's based on the Joyce Cary novel of the same name. Alec Guiness wrote the screenplay and stars in it. It's directed by Ronald Neame, who, by the way, also directed the comic CIA thriller I enjoyed so much a week or so ago, Hopscotch.
3. I had a full day in the Vizio room. In between movies, I watched the entire men's college basketball game between the top two teams in the Big East Conference, Villanova and Providence.
Villanova exploited a Providence slump late in the first half and held a commanding 40-26 halftime lead. At halftime, Steve Lavin said he thought Providence looked tired, possibly spent after their boisterous celebration on Saturday when they defeated Creighton to capture the Big East Conference title. I agreed with him . I also thought Al Durham's absence crippled the Friars. I thought this game might be headed toward a blow out
But, not so fast my friend.
Providence looked refreshed and energized after half time and stormed back. Providence evened the score but couldn't quite get over the hump and seize the lead. Both teams played ferociously, defended with passion, and hit one big shot and one crucial free throw after another.
In the end, Villanova prevailed, 76-74.
It turned out that slump in the first half doomed Providence. In addition, the Wildcats' Eric Dixon played great defense inside and neutralized the Friars' powerful center, Nate Watson, who also was in foul trouble during the tilt. Villanova also benefited from Caleb Daniel's superb play off the bench. He led Villanova in scoring with 20 points, a huge lift.
After this game ended and after I prepared another green curry dinner for Debbie and me with leftovers, I watched the second half of Wisconsin's gritty win over Purdue.
Maybe as much as anything in college basketball, I enjoy watching teams improve over the course of a season. Wisconsin has played pretty well all season, but in the last month or so they have developed into a surprisingly difficult team to beat in the Big 10. Tonight, with their 70-67 win over Purdue, the Badgers clinched at least a tie for the Big 10 title and can win it outright this Sunday with a win over Nebraska.
Wisconsin's win was a nail-biter and, honestly, Purdue had to feel like Wisconsin were the beneficiaries of divine intervention.
With 50 seconds left in the game, down by a point, Purdue called a time out to devise a defensive strategy that would stymie Wisconsin and give them the ball back with plenty of time to score and take the lead.
Their defensive stand was suffocating and Purdue forced Wisconsin's star player Johnny Davis to take an awkward shot from just inside the three point line near the top of the key.
Miraculously, not only did Johnny Davis sink the shot, he BANKED it. No one banks shots from near the top of the key by design. Was it luck? Providence? Who knows?
Now Purdue was down by three.
Quickly, Purdue got the ball inside to their towering center, Zach Eady. He had a straight on look from about four feet away and he short armed the shot, missed it, and Wisconsin secured the carom.
All Purdue could do was foul and they fouled the Badgers best free throw shooter, Brad Davison.
OMG!
Davison missed his free throw.
Purdue snared the rebound, quickly hustled up court and Jaden Ivey tied the score with bomb from way behind the three point line with eleven seconds left on the clock.
Wisconsin got the ball over the half court line and with three seconds left, freshman Chucky Hepburn launched a howitzer from in front of the Wisconsin bench, from behind the three point arc and
HE BANKED IT IN!!
That's right.
Was it luck?
Was it divine intervention?
I don't know.
What I do know is that Wisconsin converted a second improbable bank shot in the last minute of play.
Wisconsin intercepted Purdue's inbound pass, secured their victory, and their fans stormed the court.
It was a breathlessly exciting and mind-boggling ending to a game filled with passion, exuberance, and, for Purdue, heart break.
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