Well, dear readers, I have been on a cleaning rampage. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I, BK, have been on a cleaning rampage. It just happened. I just looked at various piles of things in various places and I thought to myself, “Myself, you really must go on a cleaning rampage, and so I did. I instantly became Mr. Clean. I will say that this is going to take a few days, but I got a huge chunk of it done yesterday. There are no piles of anything anywhere now. For the first time since I moved here eight or so years ago, the huge Grundig classic radio I have (from the 1950s – the same kind my father had in his restaurant and that I write about in Benjamin Kritzer), which has been sitting on the floor near the back door because there was nowhere else to put it, other than the garage, which I did not want to do, is finally gone from there and in the den, awaiting Tuesday’s arrival of a cabinet thing I got really cheap. It will fit perfectly on the top of that, and the cabinet thing I got really cheap also has lots of room for CDs – so as soon as that arrives on Tuesday all the CDs that are piled on the floor in the CD closet (which is out of shelf space and has been forever), will go in the cabinet thing. I threw away tons of old papers and junk that had accumulated. I threw away about twenty catalogs – auctions, books, Restoration Hardware. And the result is things look wonderfully wonderful. I have to do a little stuff in the living room (not much, really), and the stuff in the den, and then the house will be clean as a whistle. But let me just ask this all-important question: Are whistles really clean? I’ve never really seen a clean whistle once it’s been used, have you? Whistles, once used, have saliva and drool and other unclean things. So, why is the expression clean as a whistle? Well, I’ll tell you why: Because a NEW whistle will emit the cleanest, clearest sound. That’s one theory about the saying. But the saying isn’t clean as a new whistle, is it? Another theory that’s interesting is that the swooshing or whistling sound of a sword decapitating someone is clean as a whistle, assuming the decapitation is swift and not messy. Even Robert Burns, the poet, gets credit for the saying in one of his early poems, even though the literal translation of what he wrote is clear, not clean. What the HELL am I talking about? In any case, my house is now mostly clean as a whistle and it was already clean as a whistle thanks to she of the Evil Eye.
I awoke at eight-thirty yesterday, answered an e-mail that needed answering, and then left as soon as she of the Evil Eye arrived. I drove to Long’s Drugstore and picked my Christmas cards, and we inserted the image I wanted, which is, of course, the cover of Album Produced By. After that, I went and had some bacon and eggs and also eggs and bacon, plus some rye toast and tomatoes. After that, I visited a local bookshop but didn’t see anything that tickled my fancy, then I came home. I then had a very nice visit with my pal, Mr. Jon Burlingame, who is the author of a wonderful new book on James Bond film music – I recommend it highly and it can be had at Amazon. After he left, I picked up no mail and no packages. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I made an attempt to watch two motion pictures. The first was a screener for Anna Karinina, based on the novel by Tolstoy. As soon as it began I thought I was in a Baz Luhrman nightmare and I ultimately gave up on this rather weird adaptation. It looks very nice and that’s about it. I may give it another try. I then tried to watch a DVD of Persuasion, from the novel by Jane Austen, but I gave up on that, too – weary from too much shaky cam (the same director as Hyde Park on Hudson). I really only bought it to hear the score by Jeremy Sams, and it seems to be for solo piano (unless there’s an orchestra that happens after the first thirty minutes) – it’s quite lovely music, and maybe I’ll go back and try to finish it at some point. Then I went and picked up my Christmas cards, bought the cabinet thing (it’s amazing how many incredible sales are going on right now – I also had stopped at JOS Bank clothes and some of their great stuff is seventy-percent off), and then did the Christmas card thing. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish again.
I then watched the first thirty minutes of the screener for The Master. I’d seen the film at the Cinerama Dome, but the projection there is terrible, and it just didn’t look good, despite being a 70mm print. Funnily, the DVD looks better – but the film is still the film. I really didn’t like it back when I saw it, and I’m trying to give it a second chance because I do like some of the actors, but my biggest problem with the film is its leading man (not Philip Seymour Hoffman), who is simply the kind of actor I cannot watch. For me, it’s totally self-indulgent acting, filled with mumbling and actor stuff – I’m sure some like that sort of thing but I’m not part of the some. Plus the character is such a jerk and it’s really hard to get past that because he’s not even a charismatic jerk – he’s a jerk’s jerk. I’ll finish watching it, maybe today.
Then I went into Mr. Clean mode and that’s how I spent my Saturday night. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I suppose I must try to get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall view all the footage from last week’s shoot so I can give the editor my notes on what I like – I’m never too specific because I really like him to have complete freedom, but I just point out bits that work for me as well as things that don’t. Then I’ll eat something amusing, then we have our Face Time rehearsal with the East Coast Singer – presuming they can figure out how to make it work. Again, if any of you East Coast folks would like to see her show on Monday night at the Metropolitan Room, you can do so as her guest, gratis. Just let me know and I’ll have you put on the list. After the rehearsal, I’m sure I’ll watch something or other.
Tomorrow I have a lunch meeting, then I’ll pay some Kritzerland bills. Tuesday the cabinet thing will be delivered, and from there on out it’s just a few meetings and meals as I wind down and go into what I hope will be a nice two-week vacation. The only thing I really want to do during this two weeks is announce our final three titles for 2012, hopefully print out a LOT of orders, and make book notes. I did rewrite the opening two paragraphs last night and they now set up the first sequence of the book much better than they did when I wrote a first version a few weeks ago. The idea came to me while I was driving to breakfast this morning and I just spoke it into my iRecorder.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, view footage, have a rehearsal, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after a good night of being Mr. Clean.