Well, dear readers, I am in a state of high dudgeon. Not low dudgeon, mind you, no, I am in a state of high dudgeon. I have no idea what that means, but someone used the words high dudgeon the other night and I guess they embedded themselves in the windmills of my mind. Wait just a moment, won’t you?
Oh, I see – if I am in a state of high dudgeon then I am very angry, offended, or resentful. Here’s the problem as I see it: I am not very angry, I am not offended, and I am not resentful. And yet, I have said that I am in a state of high dudgeon. There is a dichotomy at work here, is there not? Yes, there is a dichotomy at work here – I only have to pay minimum wage to dichotomy – a bargain, if you ask me. I have boxed myself into a corner by saying that I am in a state of high dudgeon when I am not even in a state of low dudgeon. I’m feeling no dudgeon whatsoever. Actually, having said that I’m in a state of high dudgeon is getting me into a state of high dudgeon. I am now angry, offended, and resentful that I said I was in a state of high dudgeon when I was clearly not in a state of high dudgeon. Speaking of high dudgeon (and who wasn’t?), I had a day completely devoid of dudgeon and that day was yesterday. I didn’t sleep as late as I wanted to, but that was not a cause for either high or low dudgeon. I just got the hell up and went out for an early jog. I then toddled off to the book fair and for a description of the fascinating events that took place, see yesterday’s posts. I do enjoy having book talk with dealers and I had several most amusing ones with several of my favorite dealers. I then came home (not in a state of high dudgeon) and I prepared the big boxes that need to ship out in the morning. I don’t know exactly how I’m going to deal with them, frankly, as there are three of them and they all need to be carried separately. I’m hoping to get to the post office early so that I can get a parking space near the front door – then I can just carry them in one by one. After preparing the boxes, I did a couple of errands, and then I got a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich from a local eatery, along with some onion rings. I then sat on my couch like so much fish and ate all the food right up.
Yesterday, I managed to watch one count them one motion picture on DVD, but it should count as two because of its extreme length. Said motion picture on DVD was entitled The Seven Samurai, a film by Mr. Akira Kurosawa. I know that it’s a classic and it’s one of Mr. Kurosawa’s most beloved films, but it’s not at the top of my personal Kurosawa list – I really prefer his modern films to his period films. That said, The Seven Samurai is rousing entertainment and really, really long. It runs about three hours and twenty minutes. The action sequences are quite stirring, and the acting is terrific, as is the musical score. Mr. Kurosawa’s direction is masterful, as always. It’s amazing to watch the film and see how many other films have borrowed from it (and I’m not talking about the “official” American version – The Magnificent Seven) – it really is one of the most influential films in terms of its impact on other filmmakers. The new Criterion DVD transfer is ever so much better than the old DVD transfer – much more pleasing to look at, sharper – not world-class, but just fine. Lots of extras, which I’m sure I’ll get to one of these years.
What am I, Ebert and Roeper all of a sudden? Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst I try to work myself up into a state of high dudgeon.
Nope, I cannot work myself into a state of high dudgeon. I’m just not very angry, offended, or resentful. In fact, I’m anti-dudgeon. I simply think I put the dudgeon in the dungeon, where it sits like so much fish.
Today, as stated, I must ship out three huge boxes of CDs, after which I must come home and jog and then write. At some point I’ll probably go to Mr. Grant Geissman’s home environment to help out on Miss Cissy Wechter’s book. I also have to get together with my stage manager to knock out a rehearsal schedule so that my guest actors know when they’ll be needed. The rest of the week will be filled with meetings with Joan Ryan and Alet Taylor, and setting keys for some of the students in The Brain, and tons of other stuff.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do (sans high dudgeon), I must jog, ship, write, meet, eat, and drive about in my motor car like a gazelle in a Hupmobile. And if I may drop my Internet persona for one small moment – may we have a moment of remembrance for those who lost their lives five years ago today. Today’s topic of discussion: Where were you and what were you doing when you heard what was going on on September 11th? I’ll start. I was fast asleep, when the phone rang – it was my engineer Vinnie who sounded quite agitated. He simply said, “Are you watching the news?” I said no, and he said, “It’s the end of the world.” I got up, and watched the shocking images like most of the rest of the world. We were supposed to fly to New York a few days later to record Sally Mayes and Donna McKechnie. Needless to say, we cancelled for a week, but I can tell you that flying there and back was not fun. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let us all avoid high dudgeon like the plague, because the world doesn’t need anger or resentment. I adore you all.