Well, dear readers, I was driving home from an event, very happy I’d be getting home by ten. I’d passed most of the cars while driving on the 134 freeway when BAM – horrible noise, car shaking like crazy, and I immediately realize my right rear tire has had a blow out. Thankfully, I am a very good driver and I took control of the swerving car and managed to instantly get from the furthest left lane all the way over to the furthest right lane – I was right at the Forest Lawn off-ramp, but that seemed a little creepy to me and I had no idea where it would let me out, actually, since I never take it, so I went an extra half-mile to the Buena Vista off-ramp, which I know well and which is not named after a funeral parlor. I pulled off and parked, called the triple A and they had someone to me in ten minutes. The tire was completely trashed, but thankfully the rim wasn’t damaged at all. Now, this was a relatively new tire, but was probably one that the dealer patched a month ago because a nail was found in it. Perhaps they did not do a proper job or perhaps some deviate but a new nail in there or perhaps I ran over something on the freeway – whatever it was, I have to have a new tire again. It’s really scary when this crap happens, but thankfully it all turned out okay. And I was home by ten-thirty.
Prior to the blow out, I’d had a perfectly okay day. I’d been so wired from our show that I didn’t fall asleep until almost three, so even though I got up at ten, it was only seven hours of sleep. I then decided that since I’d worked the entire weekend, that I could be lazy and have a ME day, which is mostly what I did. I did a little work on the computer, did a few errands and whatnot, and picked up one little package and a surprise envelope, a royalty check for the new book – and I must say, I, whose book royalty checks would not usually buy a Happy Meal, was shocked by the amount of the check. It’s not like HUGE, but it was more than two hundred bucks, which is the most I’ve ever gotten at one go on a book – by far. And it was only for two months worth of sales.
Then I watched the most recent episode of Mad Men – it was pretty good, although I really hate that Joan is now a partner. And for the second time in a week, a major character has gone away. That part of the show was quite good, I thought. Sally “becoming a woman” was also well done. Just one last episode now – it will be interesting to see the way they wrap up the season, which, for me, has mostly been a disappointment.
I then finished the Blu and Ray of Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika, a Swedish film from Sweden. Not one of his greats, but really well directed and acted and very enjoyable. There is a very nice interview with the star, Harriet Andersson, who looks pretty great at eighty, and there is what should be a great extra about Kroger Babb’s exploitation US release of the film, cut from its ninety-seven minutes down to just over an hour, and with an emphasis on all the salacious bits and including a horrible English dub and a whole new score by – Les Baxter. I wish they’d actually included the entire version, but instead we get only tantalizing clips and a pedantic “expert” babbling on about the history of Mr. Babb and exploitation in that awful, droning way these people do. Transfer is very nice.
After that, I went to have my dinner with a young performer visiting from Canada. We were to meet at the Eclectic Café at four-thirty, but she got held up at some taping that ran late and then in traffic, so she was actually an hour late. We had a fun time – she’s the gal who got all the way to first place in a singing competition in Canada, beating out hundreds of other girls, singing my song, Annie. She came out here for a series of classes and seminars available only to people not from the US – twenty-two participants weeded out from hundreds. So, we chatted about her experiences here and she’s determined to move here permanently by October.
From there, I went directly to South Pasadena to give out a little certificate of appreciation to a retiring teacher and former chair of the LACC Theatre Academy. It was a very nice tribute to him, with many speeches. Mine lasted all of forty seconds, which I know everyone appreciated. He was very touched by all the tributes, which were well deserved.
Then I drove home had the blow out, which thankfully was a minor incident – scary, but minor. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get some beauty sleep because my plan is to get up very early to go get a new tire.
Today, I shall be up very early and on my way to my neighborhood Firestone Tire shop, which is only five minutes from here (actually directly across the street from the Varese Sarabande office). Hopefully, they can get me in and out quickly. Then I’ll come home, do a little writing, then hopefully pick up some packages. After that, I have a dinner to do, then I’ll come home and watch some stuff.
Tomorrow and the rest of the week is meetings, meals, finalizing songs and getting sheet music for the next Kritzerland show, and finalizing its casting.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get a new tire, I must write, I must hopefully pick up some packages, and I must sup. Today’s topic of discussion: What’s the most spontaneous vacation you ever took? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland happy to have survived a very bad blow out that could have been much worse.