Well, dear readers, the blank page, always the blank page. One of these fine days, I’ll open the Word document and it will already have today’s notes written and I won’t be faced with the blank page. The blank page is, after all, daunting, and since I’ve opened this document to write the current days’ notes something like 1700 plus times it might even be more than daunting, like insane. But, once one starts typing then the page is no longer blank and then it’s just getting on with the show. Ta da. The blank page is filling up with words, words, and more words, words of every shape and size, words that go together to make sentences, and sentences that go together to make paragraphs, and then, suddenly, voila – notes! Can you imagine if we compiled all these notes into one volume it would have about four thousand pages. That’s a lot of typing and a lot of words. Why the HELL am I going on about a blank page when the page is no longer blank? I am filled with rice pudding at the moment. Oh – was that a non sequitur? If there’s a non sequitur is there also just a plain old sequitur? In any case, I am filled with rice pudding (and a like amount of whipped cream), which I ate just prior to beginning these here notes. Prior to the rice pudding, I had a little portion of Chinese chicken salad and an even smaller portion of potato salad. Speaking of potato salad, yesterday was a day filled with this and that, and also that and this. I slept rather late (it’s about time I’ve been able to catch up on my sleep), and then I scurried about doing the ubiquitous this and that. I shipped some packages, I studied my music, read part of my script, did some errands, ate a sandwich, and answered e-mails and made telephonic calls. After that, I toddled off to a music rehearsal, where I met our music director, as well as reunited with my pal Gene Castle and the musical’s author, Mr. Michael Druxman. I met my female co-star, whose name I don’t remember, and I worked a tiny bit with my male co-star, Mr. Barry Pearl. But mostly I worked on my solo songs. They were very good about changing a few of the high notes (rather than transpose the whole song), and we fixed a few things where the meter was just so screwy for the lyric that it was practically unsingable. I’d only wanted to work for two hours but it ended up being three. We’re also being asked to work on Friday, and I’ll give them another two hours then. After that, I stopped at Gelson’s and got the aforementioned Chinese chicken salad, potato salad, and rice pudding. After that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I finished watching a motion picture on DVD entitled Artists and Models, starring Mr. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as well as Miss Shirley MacLaine and Miss Dorothy Malone. I think this is one of Martin and Lewis’ finest pictures, due in no small part to the wonderful direction and writing of Frank Tashlin. Mr. Tashlin began in cartoons, and most of his films reflect that sensibility. There are some wonderful cartoon-like gags in the film, which is about cartoon illustrators Malone and then Martin. There are some lines that in today’s obnoxious PC world would be edited right out of the film, but they’re really funny. It’s got a surprising amount of innuendo, some wonderful “in” jokes, and Jerry does some amazing physical shtick. The person who comes off best, however, is Martin, who is just charming as all get out and I think we know how charming all get out is. He sings several nice songs and he’s actually very funny, too. One of the musical numbers about it being his lucky day, is terrific – done with a bunch of kids on the street. Martin clowns it up with them, does some nifty footwork (one of the girls is an amazing dancer – she must be all of nine), and it’s just utterly charming. Shirley is kookie and delightful, but Miss Malone is a bit dreary – she has not a comic bone in her body and she looks ill at ease for much of the film. Eddie Mayehoff is hilarious as the owner of the comic book company. The transfer is almost excellent – it’s got beautiful and accurate color, but isn’t quite sharp enough for a VistaVision film. But compared to the other transfers in this second volume of Martin and Lewis films, we should be thankful it’s as good as it is.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’ve got three words to say when we get to the next section.
The blank page. Those are the three words. Today, I shall be doing lots of little things – a few errands and whatnot, a few telephonic calls and whatnot, but mostly I’ll be studying my script and my music (there are three songs I haven’t even begun to learn, and I’ll be receiving an mp3 of those, with just the melody line plunked out for me). I’m going to try to relax as much as I can, because it’s going to be a very long and arduous weekend of rehearsals, and then the three performances.
Tomorrow I’ll have to rehearse for a couple of hours, otherwise I’ve kept the day and evening free, to rest my voice and gird my loins, not necessarily in that order. I’m going to try and leave rehearsal promptly at four on Saturday, even though we’ve been asked to stay longer – they have other things they can work on, and there’s a book fair in town and I don’t want to miss the entire thing. It’s open until seven on Saturday, so I can at least go for a couple of hours.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, do errands, peruse my script, learn my music, and relax and smell the coffee and the roses and the baked Alaska. Today’s topic of discussion: What are the most creative things you’ve done with fruits and vegetables, your most creative dishes, or the most creatively prepared fruits and vegetables that you’ve had over the years. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as another day goes by and yet another blank page awaits at the end of said day.