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September 22, 2013:

THE BIG BED

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it was time to do it and I did it.  Yes, Virginia, it was time to do it and I did it.  What was it time to do and what did I do?  Well, I’ll tell you what it was time to do what I did because why should I withhold such information from dear readers such as yourselves.  After almost ten years I decided it was both high and low time to get a new mattress.  My mattress just wasn’t cutting the mustard anymore or even cutting the ketchup or the mayo.  No, my mattress had gotten downright and upleft uncomfortable and I think it’s been one of the reasons I’ve had trouble sleeping.  It was sagging and really hard and just not comfy.  So, after she of the Evil Eye arrived and after I did a three-mile jog, planked and did thirty-five sit-ups, I moseyed on over to Ventura Blvd. to a handy-dandy mattress show located across from Art’s Deli.  The salesman was very nice and very helpful, asking what I wanted from a mattress and whether I preferred soft to firm or firm to soft or something in between.  While he was talking, I went from bed to bed and tried them out.  Beds are taller these days, much taller.  Some I found immediately too soft – it felt like my body was sinking.  And some were too hard, like a brick.  Then I found three that were to my liking, all top of the line mattresses.  I then began going back and forth between the three and did so for about twenty minutes.  And it became obvious which was working for me.  I removed one from the equation and then went back and forth between the two finalists.  One was one of the very tall beds, while the other was slightly smaller.  Now, I’ve always found my bed very high, so I thought I should have the high one, even though I knew it was probably higher than mine own.

In the end, I found the slightly shorter bed just a teeny bit softer than the slightly bigger bed and I just preferred the slightly bigger bed’s feel – it was cushy and really comfy, but I never had that weird sinking feeling.  So, I made the decision.  He gave me a great deal and that was that.  Best of all, he said it could be delivered in the late afternoon.

Then I had to hurry home to meet the Staitman clan.  Since Sami had recently finished Murder at the School Musical, we decided to have an Adriana Hofstetter lunch, so we drove directly to Astroburger.  The three kids – me, Sarah and Sami – had bacon cheeseburgers and mom had a chicken sandwich.  I ordered zucchini fries, and the girls ordered those, some onion rings AND some french fries.  I think the girls enjoyed their burgers very much, and they ate all their zucchini fries and most of the onion rings and french fries.  All in all, a lovely luncheon.

After that, we all went to Bed, Bath and Beyond because I was told that my sheets probably wouldn’t fit on this bigger bed and I wanted to make sure I didn’t find that out too late.  They now make California King sheets that are called “deep pockets” or oversized that are specifically made for these bigger mattresses.  So, we found some beige sheets very close to what I have with a good thread count, and the Staitman mom happily had a coupon with her for twenty-percent off.  Then they went on their merry way and I went to the mail place where I picked up one package that will probably make our very own Pogue happy – a complete set of Blu and Rays of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes series.  I think he’s very fond of those and I’ve never seen them, so I’m really looking forward to watching them.  And I was thrilled and elated to see that the replacement credit card had arrived – that was the best news and I came right home, activated it, and then went to the six autopay sites and updated the information so everything should now go through fine.  I also ordered a secondary card so that if this should ever happen again I won’t have to wait for the replacement.  Whew!  Then I answered e-mails and did some stuff around the house, then the new mattress and box spring was delivered.

First they removed the old mattress and box spring.  Funnily, when I got home from buying the new Big Bed I was more than a little shocked and amused how SMALL my old bed really was.  As I said, I’ve always thought it very tall, but it was, in fact, small and fairly close to the ground compared to the new one.  Needless to say, once they got the old box springs out, the rug below was so filthy with huge dust bits it was sickening – no wonder I have allergy attacks at night.  So, I got out Ye Olde Vacuume Cleaner and got it all spotless down there.  Then they brought in the new box springs, we put the bed skirt on, and then came the new Big Bed – once they got that on the box springs I could not believe how Big the new Big Bed actually was.  I have to climb up to get in and hopefully I’ll never fall out of it – it’s hugely high, but I kind of like it.

By that time, I’d washed the new sheets and pillowcases and then I put them on the new Big Bed – thank goodness I bought them because for fun I tried the old fitted sheet and it came nowhere near being able to fit the new Big Bed.  Then I went to Gelson’s for some evening snacks – I got some Chinese slaw and four teeny-tiny vegetable egg rolls.  I came home, heated the egg rolls (these four together wouldn’t make one regular-sized egg roll), then sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled A Letter to Three Wives, written and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, starring Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Southern, and Kirk Douglas, Jeffrey Lynn and Paul Douglas, as well as the great Thelma Ritter (who is uncredited), and some amazing character actors.  I’ve seen the film only on home video and I’ve always liked it – I’ve seen it maybe three times over the years.  I have to say, Mankiewicz was a major talent and his screenplay for this film is perfection and totally unique in structure.  Heaven knows what today’s young idiots who run studios would make of it, other than to make idiotic changes so that it would conform to the Syd Field/Robert McKee school of stuff and nonsense.  No one wrote film narration better than Mankiewicz and Billy Wilder – they were the best there’s ever been.  What’s fascinating about the film is that the character the whole plot revolves around is never seen – she narrates (Celeste Holm – absolute perfection) and that’s it.  What a brilliant device.  The acting from everyone is also perfection, straight down the line.  Mr. Mankiewicz’s direction is also perfection.  There’s only about five minutes of Alfred Newman score (the main title music was reused as Marilyn Monroe’s theme in The Seven Year Itch), but what there is is cherce.  I just sat there smiling, laughing and riveted and so happy to be watching a real movie, the kind that could never be made today.  The transfer is lovely and this is highly recommended by the likes of me.  If you’ve never seen it, you are in for a treat.

After that, I finally buckled down, Winsocki, and began writing the commentary for the next Kritzerland show.  I didn’t get that far, but I should be able to finish today, now that I’ve got it started.

Today, I shall hopefully awaken after a good night’s beauty sleep in my new Big Bed.  Then I’ll definitely do a jog and I’ll definitely try to finish the commentary – that’s my work for the day.  Then I’m seeing some singer at The Federal, preceded by dinner there.

This week I have meetings and meals every single day, and more keep getting added, so send lots of excellent vibes and xylophones that all good things happen and that any potential irritating things get flushed down the toilet where they belong.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, write commentary, sup, and see a singer.  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 where I shall hopefully dream sweet dreams in my new Big Bed.

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