Well, dear readers, I have news for you – it is February. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is February. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you get such information? Nowhere, that’s where. Now, how many of you pronounce the first ‘r’ in February? And how many of you don’t and pronounce it Febuary? I’m going to make an assumption and say that most people pronounce it in the latter way rather than the former way. And since that’s the case, what word cretin stuck that ‘r’ in there? Was it just to be different? Was it to confound and confuse and conversely was it to confuse and confound? It’s so random and arbitrary. And given February, shouldn’t arbitrary be pronounced arbitary? Well, enough of this word madness. It’s February and I don’t care who knows it. And let us welcome February with open arms and may the month be filled with merriment and mirth and laughter and legs. May the month be a fine and wonderful month. The one thing we know for sure about February is that it is a short month. Speaking of a short month, yesterday was a long and exhausting. For example, I woke up. That was exhausting. I then got in my motor car and headed over the hill to have an early breakfast meeting in the Hills of Beverly. I knew I was in trouble when the left lane to turn onto Coldwater Canyon was backed up two blocks. Thankfully I’d left a thirty-five minutes to do what should have been a fifteen minute drive. It took twelve minutes to turn left. It’s so bad at this corner that they have street police directing the traffic. Just when this hideous turn of events happened is anyone’s guess, since I have never EVER seen such a thing on this street. We then inched forward (and I mean inched would be gilding the lily) all the way up to Mulholland Drive. That would normally take about six minutes – it took twenty. Luckily, I got hold of the assistant of the person I was meeting and he alerted the fellow that I’d be twenty minutes late. Mulholland was equally terrible until you actually got back on Coldwater going down the hill. From there on, magically, it was very quick and I got to Nate ‘n Al’s twenty-five minutes later. I had a good meeting and have been asked to provide and oversee the brief entertainment portion of a gala in June for a children’s charity. I already have some ideas and we’ll see what they respond to. The one thing I made sure of up front was that the entertainment will not happen during the meal. I then came home via the same route – it took eleven minutes. I then had a phone conversation with my muse Margaret and I read her my fixes, which she thought helped everything a lot, and I told her I thought there were other things that needed to be shortened in that chapter – she agreed, but I wanted to make sure I wasn’t cutting anything she liked. And she also mentioned one thing in a subsequent chapter that she felt had just a teeny bit too much repeated information, so I made a note of that. Then I spent most of the day fixing those things, which really took a long time for some reason. I then wrote about seven new pages. I ended up cutting around three pages total and I read her the changes and she really liked them. And I’ll be careful from here to the end to keep moving forward with only new information and the only repeated information will be things that are absolutely necessary for the character and the plot. Whew! After all that, I sat on my couch like so much exhausted fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on DVD entitled This Sporting Life, starring Mr. Richard Harris and Miss Rachel Roberts. I was very fond of this film when it first came out and I saw it about four times in two weeks. I thought its style and structure were mesmerizing and I loved the camerawork of Denys Coop (who I singled out for praise for Bunny Lake Is Missing). The film has held up remarkably well and it’s still quite powerful if a little difficult to watch at times, so searing and intense are some scenes. Mr. Harris is excellent, but it’s Miss Roberts who gives the best performance in the film. She’s beyond brilliant and as much as I love Patricia Neal, Miss Roberts should have taken home the Oscar. One of the most interesting things about the film is the score by Roberto Gerhard – it’s really a different sort of score to what was being done then, and it gives the film part of its uniqueness. This was the first feature film of Lindsay Anderson, and his work is right up there with the best of them. The transfer from Criterion is one of the best DVD transfers of a black and white film ever.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst we all ponder February With An R, which is, of course, the sequel to Liza With An Z.
Today I have no plans but to write and do some small errands. After that, I know not, but I shall probably find time to watch a DVD or two.
I shall also write during the weekend and also have no real plans, at least that I can remember. I’m sure there will be meals to eat and motion pictures to watch.
Now wait just a darned minute – we’d all better put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, we’d all better break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, we’d all better dance the Hora and the Swim for today is the birthday of our very own DJ Mr. Donald Feltham, the longest-running and best DJ on all the Internet. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our very own DJ Mr. Donald Feltham. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR VERY OWN DJ MR. DONALD FELTHAM!!!
Wait, you partay poopers – keep those hats on and those cheese slices and ham chunks on the table and you dancing shoes on, for today is also the birthday of dear reader Kerry. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to dear reader Kerry. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO DEAR READER KERRY!!!
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, do errands, write, write, sup, and perhaps watch a motion picture. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player, and your DVD/video player? I’ll start – CD, a whole slew of LP transfers, which I’m really enjoying. DVD, the special features disc on This Sporting Life and then I don’t know what will be next. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, as we give a big welcoming hug to February With An R.