Well, dear readers, what is this thing called love, this funny thing called love? Is there love for sale when love is sweeping the country? Love can be a moment’s madness, but love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage. The look of love is in your eyes but sometimes love lies bleeding. Love is a many splendored thing or love you didn’t do right by me. Yes, Virginia, I’m talking about love today. Lyricists love love, composers are inspired by love, authors write endlessly about love, a simple love story has been a staple of the cinema since the cinema began. Simple, my ASS. What is simple about love, that’s what I want to know? There are times when I think love is the most abused word on the planet I like to call Earth. People say it about everything – they say it without thinking, they say it willy-nilly and also nilly-willy. People “fall in love” quickly after they’ve met, and yet weeks or months later the love is gone. If love means what it’s supposed to mean, how can it go away so quickly? The answer, of course, is that many times it’s not love at all – it’s lust, or infatuation, or giddiness, or just plain stupidity. Just walk down the street sometime and count the number of loves you hear. I think it will astonish you. My goodness, I certainly seem to be on a tangent about love or, to put it in a slightly different way, a love tangent. I do understand love of one’s children and even love of one’s closest friends. But romantic love confounds me, I must say. I simply don’t think people always truly love the person their dating or that they’re married to or living with. I think they say it, yes, but whether they understand it is something else again. I have had people tell me they love me – love me deeply. Then, an argument might ensue, disagreements occur, and the love suddenly disappears, just like that. The deep abiding love becomes, “Goodbye – see you around – I’m out of here.” So, was it really love? I doubt it. I find the whole notion of love fascinating, frustrating, infuriating, and a few other atings. I am now done with my love tangent.
Speaking of love, I fell in love seventeen times yesterday. For example, I loved my Subway Club. I loved the potato salad I got from Koo Koo Roo. I loved a package I got in the mail. I loved the pages I wrote (and yes, Virginia, I just dove right back in and wrote three pages). I loved a few e-mails I got. I was just a bundle of love, baby. I saw some people walking down the street – I loved them. Finally, I loved sitting on my couch like so much fish. Love, love, love (that is three loves – game to BK).
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Seduced and Abandoned, a film of Pietro Germi, starring Stefania Sandrelli. Mr. Germi, of course, gave us the very amusing Divorce, Italian Style. This film isn’t quite as good, but I enjoyed it. It has funny things in it, certainly, but there’s a very depressing aspect to it, given the law that Mr. Germi is making fun of (it was repealed after this film was released). But, I could watch anything with Miss Sandrelli – she is a wonderful actress, and stunningly beautiful. There is a fairly current interview with her in the supplements and I must say she is still stunningly beautiful. The transfer from Criterion is just about perfect.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m sure there are many things that I will love in the next section, and I mean L-O-V-E love.
I’ve got to get a lot done this morning because at noon I am going to take the subway for the very first time and cousin Alan and neighbor Tony Slide and myself are going to visit Olvera Street. I’m really looking forward to our little sojourn – we’ll probably spend about two or three hours there. I may buy a serape, and I may have to have a taco or taquito. I haven’t been to Olvera Street since I was twelve. I will, of course, have a full report upon my return.
If you’re in LA, do stop by the celebrity signing show this weekend at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood. I was not intending to do anything but visit, but Mr. Kevin Spirtas told them I’d sit next to him and sign, so I guess I’ll be doing that very thing on Saturday and Sunday, although is Saturday is a bust, I won’t come back on Sunday. I’ve been to one of these shows and it was very ill-attended.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, write, hear some more Terry Trotter arrangements, have a field trip, and then write some more. Today’s topic of discussion: Easy – love. What do you think it means, how do you know when you’re in it, do you think the word is abused, and have you ever questioned the word? I’ll be very interested to read your thoughts on love. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all take a trip on The Love Boat.