Well, dear readers, it’s one of those evenings when I just stare at the computer screen and the white page before me and no matter how hard I try I cannot think of how to begin the notes. I hate when that happens. Then I just have to begin typing and whatever comes out comes out. For example, when I first began typing these here notes I put my fingers on the keyboard and this is what came out: Ctjkebyinnlent nltnkelnen t0tnnl r tlkeotibnklb lktehp alknelkn. I then had to take out my special Dick Tracy Code Breaking Ring and translate – when translated it read: Well, dear readers it’s one of those evenings when I just stare at the computer screen and the white page before me and no matter how hard I try I cannot think of how to begin the notes. Well, we’re off and running, aren’t we? Now I am in fine fettle. Yes, Virginia, my fettle is fine and we’re breezin’ along with the breeze. Well, I was breezin’ along with the breeze. I had to stop writing and take a nice hot shower. I just had an extreme urge to take a nice hot shower and so I did and now I’m just breezin’ along with the breeze and feeling in fine fettle. I don’t even know what a fettle is, frankly or even georgely. Speaking of georgely, yesterday was a nice rainy day. It never really rained hard, but it was steady and I liked it. I got up, she of the Evil Eye arrived and I toddled off to breakfast. After that, Mr. Grant Geissman and I toddled over to a book dealer’s home environment so that Mr. Geissman could pick up some books he purchased. We looked around at books, and then Grant made the purchase and we toddled off to lunch. I finally got home around four and immediately sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched two count them two motion pictures on DVD. The first motion picture on DVD was entitled Tarnished Angels, a film of Douglas Sirk, starring Rock Hudson, Dorothy Malone, Robert Stack, and Jack Carson. The film was adapted from William Faulkner’s novel, Pylon, and it’s quite a good little meller. It’s directed with Sirk’s usual consummate artistry, perhaps his only foray into Cinemascope. The film does cry out for color, but apparently black-and-white was forced on the production for budgetary reasons. A very enjoyable film with excellent performances by all. I then watched the second motion picture on DVD, which was entitled The Mephisto Waltz, a dreadful early 70s film starring Alan Alda, Jacqueline Bisset and Barbara Parkins. It was bad back then and it’s fifty times worse now, filled with hip early 70s wide-angle photography. In fact, I’d say the film is mind-bogglingly awful, but it does have its somewhat amusing sequences – not meant to be amusing, of course, but amusing nonetheless. The only redeeming feature of the feature is Jerry Goldsmith’s score. He wrote some wonderful scores for some truly hideous motion pictures. The DVD is a region 2 (although I’m sure it will come out here at some point) and the transfer is pretty middling – soft, fuzzy, and washed out, very similar to the region 2 Pretty Poison DVD. When the latter came out in the US, the transfer was one hundred times better, so that will probably be the case with The Mephisto Waltz.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button because I’m in fine fettle and I’m fit as a fiddle and lookin’ for love.
Today, aside from one very brief meeting, I have no plans other than to write a bit (I was given a few research items for the new book, so I’m going back a bit to add some fun detail to the early part of the first chapter). The only other thing I shall do all the livelong day and night is relax and smell the roses or the coffee or the tuna. I shall watch at least two DVDs, putter around the home environment, and if the rain abates, possibly jog.
Tomorrow, I have a lot of stuff to do, little things, but they must be done. Our sound clips should be up tomorrow evening for both the Brain and Joan Ryan. We’re going to be having a CD release party for the Brain towards the end of February, probably right before the street date of 2/27, so if anyone wants to come into town for it, we’d love to see you. There will be lots of fun people in attendance, and I’ll have more details as we get closer to the date.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, sup, relax, and maybe jog. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, and let’s all be in fine fettle, just for the HELL of it.