Well, dear readers, if I had my druthers I’d druther just go to bed right now and not write these here notes. But some things, including these here notes, are inexorable, like the turning of the earth. So, even though I’d druther go to bed, I shall write these here notes because of the inexorable thing. The Inexorable Thing – that’s the title of my next novel. I must say I am quite tired. Well, actually I just said it. That is because I had a rather wretched night’s beauty sleep. I got to bed at a reasonable hour but woke up at three-fifteen in the morning. Something I ate wasn’t agreeing with me and had come up a little, like topping off a gas tank. It was vile and it made my throat sting something awful. I got up and drank some water and then some Diet Coke, but the stinging and the awful taste remained. I finally fell back asleep at around four-thirty and slept until the telephonic device woke me up at nine forty-five. I had a nice telephonic conversation with the East Coast singer – she got some real rave reviews for the act, all of them commenting on the structure and song selection and how strong it was. They also got the point of the act. Then I did some work on the computer. Lunch was cancelled, as I figured it would be, so I went and ate by myself – a sandwich and sweet potato fries. Then I picked up some packages and came home.
I did some more work on the computer, answered e-mails and then sat on my couch like so much fish and watched part one of the American Masters documentary about Woody Allen. The full documentary runs over three hours. It’s pretty good – a few too many people like Leonard Maltin and F.X. Feeney mar the proceedings, but there’s a lot of Woody talking, and some fun stuff from Louise Lasser, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Mariel Hemingway and others. Like or dislike Mr. Allen, his body of work is fairly astonishing. No, I don’t care for the majority of his output in the last two decades, but one simply has to admire him for his tenacity and drive. I’m looking forward to part two.
After that, I headed over to the Dale of Glen to see Little Women at Musical Theatre Guild. Everyone did a nice job, but I really did not care for the show itself. The music is ordinary at best and VERY repetitious in its harmonies. The book isn’t much better, actually. I did see lots o’ people I knew so that’s always nice. And best of all, proofer three gave me her fixes, so I can now attend to those, although quite a few will have to be discussed with muse Margaret. After I got home, I actually did the first fifty-eight pages (well, the things I knew were okay). As always, proofer three caught a few doozies that proofers one and two missed, which is why you can never have enough eyes look at these things.
I’m also wrestling with one idea for the cover of the book, which is to have a Hirschfeld-like drawing of me. A decade ago I came within an inch of having Mr. Hirschfeld do a portrait of me, then chickened out. But there is an artist working today who does stuff in that style and he’s very good. As it so happens, he was in some of our early table readings of The Roxy, so I know him. I talked to both him and Juliana Hansen’s boyfriend, who is also a wonderful artist. He’s done a couple of Hirschfeld-like things, too, and they’re quite good. But the other fellow, Squiggs, is known for it and I think he’s probably the best bet – plus he can get to it quickly. I’d love to hear if you dear readers think this is a good idea for a cover. I’m just concerned that we won’t have a good photo for the cover, and I don’t really just want text.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I will then continue entering fixes, then I’ll break for lunch, then I’ll finish with the fixes, then have my conversation with muse Margaret to run whatever I need to by her. Hopefully I’ll also pick up a few packages. After all that, I’ll watch the second half of the Woody Allen documentary, and then probably something else. But most of all, I shall be eating little candy hearts and wishing everyone here a lovelier than lovely Valentine’s Day. You’re all my valentines, you know.
Tomorrow I have to prepare CDRs and music for the next Kritzerland show and I have to get it to all our singers. I’ll also send the manuscript to Grant Geissman so he can begin laying it out. Otherwise, it’s just meetings and meals as well as meals and meetings.
Hopefully on the weekend Grant and I will get together and lay out the photo sections for the book and then I’ll be able to get it printed out for my final proofing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, enter fixes, eat, hopefully pick up packages, enter fixes, finish entering fixes, talk to muse Margaret, and then watch motion pictures. Today’s topic of discussion: If you had your druthers, what would you druther be doing right now? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, which is what I’d druther do.