Well, dear readers, it is February. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you get such up to date and factual information such as it is February? Nowhere, that’s where. February is already flying by like a gazelle in West Hollywood. I think since February is a short month, I shall inaugurate it by writing long notes. I have no idea what I will say in these long notes, but they will be long notes and that is all there is to that. Speaking of that, yesterday was all that and more. For example, I got up. That was all that. I then had an unpleasant conversation with an uppity young woman at the post office branch that has been losing my packages. She out and out lied to me as to how they deal with delivery confirmation scans. I’d already ascertained several times that when people from my mail place go to pick up stuff the packages are already scanned in and in a box. This uppity young woman said the opposite – that they don’t scan them until they’re there to pick up stuff. But, I had other fish to fry, so I put some scallops in the pan and fried them. I then had to do some errands, and then I had a nice early lunch with Miss Yvette Lawrence. We discussed what she was intending to do in her act, and I gave some suggestions based on seeing her song list. I’ll be helping her out a little tomorrow morning. After that, I had to do some more errands, then I came home and went as high as you can go with the post office – to consumer affairs and the postal authorities. The lady I spoke with was appalled at the way I was spoken to by the uppity young woman, and everything has been noted and sent to various and sundried people. I should be getting a phone call in a few days. I think some heads are going to roll over this, because I’m not the only one it’s happened to. After that, I had other fish to fry, so I put some sole in the pan and fried it up. Then a friend came over with a rare book he wants to unload, and I helped him create his eBay listing for it. After that, the day was basically done and I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled Agatha. I have always been very fond of this movie for various reasons, and seeing it again was a lovely experience. The film is based on a true event – Agatha Christie disappeared for several days. No one could find her, and when she resurfaced, she claimed amnesia about her missing days. The film takes that event and comes up with a good yarn about what might have happened. The film mostly succeeds thanks to a luminous performance by Miss Vanessa Redgrave. Her co-star, Dustin Hoffman is not so luminous, although he’s very good in a handful of scenes, but insufferably bad in just as many others. I gather that the script had to be rewritten and tailored for him (the original producer, David Puttnam, walked off the film and vowed never to work with Hoffman again) – compared to Miss Redgrave, he’s a lightweight. Timothy Dalton is very good as Miss Christie’s philandering, cold husband. But, what really lifts this film for me is the gorgeous photography of Vittorio Storaro, the simple, elegant direction of Michael Apted, and the absolutely gorgeous score of Johnny Mandel. Miss Redgrave should have been up for an Oscar (its only nomination was for costumes), and Mr. Mandel should have, too. The region 2 DVD (from Germany) is in its proper ratio and enhanced for widescreen TVs – it looks like an older transfer off less than pristine elements, but it has perfect color and given what Warners has been doing in their domestic transfers with too much ugly brown and yellow, I’ll take a lesser transfer with perfect color any day of the week.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because, after all, I will be writing very long notes and we may as well get to the next section, where I have other fish to fry.
Today I have no plans other than writing. After that, I have other fish to fry, so I will bread some shrimp and fry it up. Tonight, I’ll be going to see Experiment In Terror and Mr. Cory on the big screen, which I’m really looking forward to.
I recently got a bound volume (we love our bound volumes) of three months’ worth of Time magazines from 1955 – January through March. It is so interesting to look through these issues. What you immediately realize is that the problems our world faces today it faced in 1955. It’s all the same – just different names, places, and events. John Foster Dulles was the Man Of The Year. Time’s choices for the best films of 1954 were Beat The Devil, Genevieve, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers, The Earrings of Madame de, On The Waterfront, High and Dry, The Little Kidnappers, Ugetsu, Carmen Jones, and Gate of Hell. One issue has incredible painted pictures of birds, including my favorite, the Blackburnian Warbler, which is also the title of my next novel. One always thinks that today’s preoccupation with movie box-office is a product of the Internet generation, but back in 1955 here was Time magazine talking about box-office numbers just as we do today. According to Time, the top ten box-office hits of all-time were Gone With The Wind, The Robe, The Greatest Show On Earth, From Here To Eternity, This Is Cinerama, White Christmas, Duel In The Sun, The Best Years Of Our Lives, Quo Vadis, and Samson and Delilah. At that point, Gone With The Wind had grossed 33.5 million dollars – can you imagine what that would be in today’s dollars? In 1955, Marilyn Monroe, already tired of the kinds of roles she was playing in Fox films, formed her own production company so she could play roles of depth – her fervent desire was to play in a film of The Brothers Karamazov. Billy Wilder, who would soon direct her in The Seven Year Itch, said he’d like to direct her in the sequels to The Brothers Karamazov – Seven Brides For The Brothers Karamazov, The Brothers Karamazov Join the WACS, and Abbott and Costello Meet The Brothers Karamazov. For $489.50 you could own the brand spanking new and spiffy Desk Top Copying Machine – which would give you 300 copies per hour at a cost of less than two cents each, and best of all, with no stencils, messy inks, or fumes. In 1955, Time was bemoaning the dying out of the old-fashioned bookstore and predicted that all people would want was a supermarket of books. Isn’t that interesting?
Well, I said the notes were going to be long, didn’t I? I warned of long notes and I have delivered on my promise.
Now wait just a darned minute. I think we’d just better put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons. I think we’d just better break out the cheese slices and ham chunks, I think we’d just better dance the Hora or the Mambo Italiano because we’ve got us not one but two birthdays to celebrate. The first birthday to celebrate is our very own beloved dear reader Kerry. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved dear reader Kerry. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED DEAR READER KERRY!!! The second birthday to celebrate is our very own beloved Mr. Donald Feltham, who DJs the best radio show on all the Internet or anywhere else for that matter. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own beloved Mr. Donald Feltham, who DJs the best radio show on all the Internet or anywhere else for that matter. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN BELOVED MR. DONALD FELTHAM, WHO DJS THE BEST RADIO SHOW ON ALL THE INTERNET OR ANYWHERE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER!!!
And just a word to say what an amazing January we had here at haineshisway.com – an all-time posting record of almost 2500 posts more than our previous record, along with at least two days that entered our top ten posting days. I feel that soon we will be the most popular site on all the Internet.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog (come hell or high water), write, and then attend a double bill. Today’s topic of discussion: Reading these old Time magazines got me to thinking how much of today’s technology we think “just” happened. But, it’s not so – when is the first time you ever heard of a computer and understood what it was, when is the first time you heard of any sort of copying machine other than one of those things that made purple copies – what was the name? It won’t come, but I know one of you dear readers will have it. When was the first time you heard of what would become a cell phone, and when did you own your first cell phone (I think mine was a cumbersome thing in 1989 – I never had a car phone – mine was one you carried and it had a big holster)? I’m sure you’ll think of other examples of today’s technologies that were actually around many years ago. So, let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we say a big and positive hello to February.