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March 2, 2010:

PONDERING THE FRENCH FRY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here pondering the meaning of the french fry. Last night, I was sitting here pondering the meaning of the lithuanian fry and the armenian fry. Did you know, for example, that the first reported french fry was in Belgium in the year 1680. Apparently, poor people used to have fried fish to accompany their meal, but when the river froze, the cut potatoes in thin strips and fried those instead, because, let’s face it, those wacky Belgians had to have something fried with their meal of choice. When soldiers came and tasted the Belgian fries, they called them French fries because French was the language in Belgium. What the HELL am I going on about? What am I, a french fry historian? I just like to eat the damn things and I have, in fact, become quite hooked on them in the last six months, and I have them at least three or four times a week. It is, in fact, my favorite way to eat a spud. To Eat A Spud – that’s the title of my next novel. Shouldn’t I be writing some notes right about now or, at the very least, write about now? I had a perfectly pleasant first day of March and I hope everyone else did, too. I got up just before nine. That was perfectly pleasant. I had to answer many e-mails and take a telephonic call or three, and then I had a two-hour work session with the composer and lyricist of the long musical. That was a productive session. After that, I had to do several errands and whatnot, as well as eat a sandwich and – you guessed it – fries. I must say that whatever one thinks of Jerry’s Deli, and many don’t think much of it, they do make exquisite french fries. I did a little book proofing whilst eating. Then I came home and answered more e-mails, sent off our new title’s packaging for approval (hopefully that won’t take too long, although I am ready to jump on two other titles if need be – one way or another, we’re announcing something next week), did some work on the computer, had more telephonic calls, and then finally sat on my couch like so much tired fish.

Last night, I finished watching a motion picture in high definitions on the DVR entitled The Bad And The Beautiful. It’s such a great movie, with terrific dialogue and wonderful performances, as well as elegant direction by Vincente Minnelli, and a great score by David Raksin. The hi-def transfer looked very good. I then watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Presumed Innocent, part of a Harrison Ford double bill that also includes Roman Polanski’s Frantic. I remember not caring for Presumed Innocent very much back in 1990, but I must say time has been good to it and given a lot of the crap that passes for film these days, Presumed Innocent suddenly looks very good. First of all, the cast is terrific – Ford is always fun to watch, and Bonnie Bedelia is one of my favorite of today’s actresses. Add to them Brian Dennehey, Paul Winfield, and Raul Julia, along with Greta Schacci, and you have a crackerjack cast in a well-directed film (Alan J. Pakula), shot by the great Gordon Willis, and a real movie score by John Williams. I’d forgotten the ending and I was just taken in by the whole film. The transfer looked really good.

After the movie, I spent two hours playing with the sequencing of a potential project – the music is really out there for a lot of it, but I like the composer and if I can figure out a sequence that really works I might just do it. What I figured out last night is that it doesn’t work at all in film order. I think some of it does, but I have to find a great opening track, and then separate a lot of really similar-sounding cues. I’ll continue to play with it and see how it feels.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below whilst we all ponder the french fry and all it means.

Today, I have to do some banking in the morning, have to pick up something from the film composer with whom I’m doing a project, get that Fed Exed to where it’s going, and do a couple of errands and whatnot before my long work session at noon. I really won’t be able to take more than three hours of that, so that will be done by three. Hopefully, the alarm people, who are scheduled to show up between noon and five, will have already been here so that I can go pick up a package or three and eat something amusing.

Tomorrow, I have a lunch meeting, which I’m looking forward to, and then I have a ton of stuff to do – all sorts of book stuff and shipping and addressing packages and errands and whatnot – all that will continue right through the rest of the week.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do banking, pick up something, ship something, have a long work session for the long musical and then pick up some packages and eat. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite legal thrillers, a genre I’m actually very fond of? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst we all plan on having a nice big plate of french fries so we can ponder them whilst shoving them down our collective gaping maws.

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