Well, dear readers, may I just say that we live in a world where the most incredible things are around us in terms of technological marvels. iPhones, iPods, iPads, the Internet, the speed of computers, blu-ray, streaming video, unbelievably sophisticated video games and online virtual reality games and on and on, every day something more marvelous to learn and contend with – GPS, Pro Tools, well, you get the idea. Seemingly, anything is possible. Well, not quite anything. No, in all these years, with all this technology, with billions upon billions of dollars spent in research by brilliant minds, they cannot find a cure for cancer. Cancer is a disease. It strikes way too many people and has for a very long time. Many have died. Cases can be studied, post mortems can be done, after death, bodies riddled with the disease can be examined inch by inch – and yet, they cannot learn, they cannot defeat, they cannot do anything other than what they’ve done for years: treat with chemotherapy, which is, from all accounts (even the accounts here) a terrible ordeal, and an ordeal that can succeed or not. Some people do chemo and the cancer never comes back. But some do it and it does come back. Why can’t someone figure out why that is? Why can’t a drug be found that conquers this thing once and for all. We’re talking brilliant minds, and we’re talking BILLIONS OF DOLLARS – an iPhone, with all its amazingly intricate workings, sure. Cancer, a disease which attacks the human body, the human BODY, a body which has been around since the beginning of time, nah. I’m talking out of my rear end, yes, because I know nothing about this stuff – but I do know that this should not be. There is no excuse anyone, and I don’t care who they are, can give to explain why this cannot be cured. Call me a simpleton, call me crazy, call me madam or call me bwana, but if you can invent an iPhone, if the Internet can exist, then damn it all to hell, someone can cure this disease. Those who read last night’s posts know why I’m ranting about this. How many more loved ones must we lose, how many more billions of dollars must be spent before someone, some miracle worker, stops this. The day cannot come soon enough.
There, I’ve said it and I’m glad and I don’t care who thinks I’m an idiot or how stupid people think I am. And to anyone who is suffering from this horrible thing, I send my love and my most excellent vibes and xylophones. There, I’ve said it and I’m glad and I don’t care who says boo about it, even Boo Radley.
All right, then, notes. I had a really good night’s sleep with some really weird dreams (not bad, just weird). I got up at ten, had a visitor, did some work on the computer, did some banking, picked up a couple of packages but no important envelope, and then moseyed on over to Hugo’s for a small Caesar salad and some pasta papa. After that, I came home, did a mile and a half jog, wrote a blurb, and pondered some imponderables. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Pursuit of the Graf Spee (titled so on the box – the film itself retains its original title, Battle of the River Plate). I’d never seen it before, despite loving its filmmakers and having a region 2 DVD of it. This Blu-Ray comes from Germany but is released by ITV, so I’m sure it will be out in the UK soon. The film is written and directed by the team of Powell and Pressburger and they have no bigger fan than I (well, they have plenty of fans who love them equally as well as I). It’s about a naval battle in 1939 – a German “pocket” battleship goes around and destroys British battleships. The captain, played by Peter Finch, is very humane to his prisoners. He eventually underestimates the British resolve and his ship is seriously damaged and ends up in neutral Uruguay. For a Powell and Pressburger film it is curiously inert dramatically, with many long and hard to understand dialogue scenes, battle scenes that really aren’t that good – it does have very good performances, including in small roles, Patrick Macnee, Anthony Newley, and the wonderful Donald Moffat, who I eventually worked with at the Mark Taper Forum. Neither Newley or Moffat are credited. As to the blu-ray – there’s great news and not great news. Visually, this is a stunner, one of the best transfers of a 1950s film I’ve ever seen. The film was shot in VistaVision, and the clarity of image is astounding. The region 2 DVD had terrible color and compared to this looked like a really bad VHS tape. The color is perfection, and I just sat with my mouth agape the entire time. The sound, however, is not up to the image. In fact, I couldn’t find the DVD to listen to it to see if it has the same problems, but to my ears it sounds like the entire track is out of phase and out of balance, with the music and effects way too loud and the dialogue way too muffled and mixed back. I will be dropping ITV a note, because they really should fix this before releasing it in the UK. But that image – wow.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get my beauty sleep. There, I’ve said it and I’m glad.
Today, I have some writing to do, some errands and whatnot to do, and then I may try and have dinner with a friend, to cheer her up and be supportive, and yes, this has something to do with what I was talking about in the first part of the notes.
Tomorrow, I have no plans at all, just getting ready for the announcement of the new Kritzerland release on Monday morning, and hopefully printing out LOADS of lovely orders – that is my fervent prayer. Of course, I’ll watch the new episode of Mad Men.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, write, do errands and whatnot and maybe have an early dinner. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could perform any miracle, what would it be and why would you choose that particular miracle. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we? There, I’ve said it and I’m glad.