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May 10, 2010:

FOOD POISONING

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, by the time you read these here notes I hope I shall be on the road to feeling better. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I hope that I, BK, shall be on the road to feeling better or at least not feeling like I want to vomit on the ground every five minutes. Apparently, I got some food poisoning. I woke up yesterday morning feeling queasy and the queasiness quickly escalated and I found myself attempting to throw up to no avail. So, I did a tiny bit of dry heaving and thankfully that was the only time during the day and night that that happened. When my friend got here at eleven-thirty to go to the art fair, I had to send her on her way – there was no way I was going out. I then went to my couch and laid down like so much fish. I turned on another Hammer movie, this one entitled Stop Me Before I Kill, which was quite bad, and I dozed on and off during the entire film – each time I awoke I’d rewind and watch what I’d missed and then promptly fall asleep again. Eventually I saw the whole thing. I then watched another Hammer movie called Maniac – also not too hot, but at least it had some interesting turnarounds in its final third. I slept some more during that one. At certain points during the day I’d start to feel a little better, but as soon as I’d get off the couch, the nausea would come back full strength, although not dry heave full strength, although, that said, as I write these here notes, it’s pretty full strength. So, send all your excellent vibes and xylophones for a quick end to this bout of food poisoning, for it is quite nauseating. I then watched a motion picture that I had on the DVR entitled Woman of Straw, starring Mr. Sean Connery, Miss Gina Lollobrigida, and Mr. Ralph Richardson. I first saw this film at the Pix Theater in Hollywood at its sneak preview. And I believe it was one of the very first films I ever walked out on – I lasted one hour and bolted. The audience at that screening was quite rude to the film – the Ralph Richardson character was so over the top in his awfulness that it was unintentionally funny. But I was interested to see it to its conclusion. Indeed, the first half of the film is wretched. Once we reach the midpoint it becomes better, as a thriller. And the ending twenty minutes has some fun moments, several of which are surprising. However, what completely undoes the film so that it never has a chance, was director Basil Dearden’s decision to only use classical music – and not even as scoring, just in scenes where Richardson is listening. This would have been a whole different film and probably one that would have done well if it had been twenty minutes shorter and had a score by Bernard Herrmann. But it doesn’t, and so it remains pretty dreadful, save for it’s final third. The film looks good, and Dearden was always a competent director, but he shot himself in the foot by not having a score.

I was watched out after three motion pictures, and so I got up, answered some e-mails, and got progressively more nauseous. The interesting thing is, of course, that I’m also hungry because I haven’t eaten since seven on Saturday night. So it’s nausea/hunger with the nausea taking precedence right now.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly this whole section is making me nauseous.

Today, I’m hoping I’ll awaken feeling better. But, better or not, I’ll be shipping out CDs and other packages, and that will take all morning. Once that’s done, then I’ll assess how I feel and decide whether I can eat something small and very mild. Hoping for the best.

Tomorrow will, of course, depend on today. Otherwise, I’m hoping I’ll be better for my meetings and two work sessions, one for the long musical, and one with David Wechter.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, feel better (hopefully), ship CDs and other packages, and, if I’m feeling better, eat something small and light. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the suspense film that most made you squirm in your seat – the one where you might have left the theater because the suspense was so unbearable, and yet you had to stay. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hope that I’m over this bout of food poisoning by the time I arise.

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