Well, dear readers, I always enjoy Thanksgiving week because most everyone that I deal with in terms of business has taken off so there’s not all that much to do. And thus it is this week, oh, yes, thus it is this week. Oh, I have things that must be done but it’s not like most weeks. For example, all I really had to do yesterday was get up at six in the morning, say “Klaatu barada nikto” and announce our new CD release. I didn’t go right back to bed because the helper decided to come early and pick up some invoices and even a copy of Album Produced By that someone bought. She wanted to get all her shipping done early because she’s now out of town until Friday. Once she left I went right back to bed (around eight) and slept till ten – I suppose somewhere in there I got about six hours of sleep.
When I got up I was more than happy to see a reasonable amount of orders, although they were coming in more slowly than I thought they would. I printed them out and then did some work on the computer. I also received a lovely and warm e-mail from ASCAP honcho Michael Kerker, who really enjoyed the Sandy CD and my songs. That made me very happy. I then went and had a cup of chili and a chicken salad sandwich on rye bread, then I went and picked up a couple of packages, after which I came back home.
Once home, I went to the ASCAP website and registered a bunch of songs. I’ve been meaning to do that for a couple of months and yesterday was the day. I still have tons I need to do, but I’m up over 100 now, so that’s good. After that, I printed out more orders – even though they’d come in slowly at the beginning of the day, they kept on coming in steadily throughout the rest of the day and into the evening, which I prefer. I had a couple of telephonic conversations about this and that and also that and this, cleaned a bunch of stuff off the computer (it’s amazing how much stuff piles up that one simply doesn’t need anymore), and then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray (an import from the UK) entitled The Day the Earth Caught Fire, which is different to The Day the Earth Stood Still. Instead of the earth standing still the earth catches fire, which is a whole other kettle of drums. I saw the film at a sneak preview (at my beloved Lido Theater, I think) back in 1961, and I really loved it and saw it several more times when it finally came out in 1962. I liked that it wasn’t a monster movie, but, like The Day the Earth Stood Still, a thinking person’s sci-fi film, a what if the world tilted off its axis and was headed towards the sun. There are some striking parallels to what we call global warming today – very ahead of its time this was. The actors are excellent – Edward Judd, Janet Munro (this Blu-ray includes her hair-washing scene, which was cut from UK and US prints due to some partial top half nudity (more than you’d ever seen back then, let me tell you) and Leo McKern. It’s expertly directed by Val Guest and has a good screenplay by Guest and Wolf Mankowitz. The transfer from the BFI is great – black-and-white scope with the proper yellow tinted opening and closing sequences.
I then watched the first half of Mario Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much, also from the UK. Actually, this has the very first release of the film as released in the US by AIP under the title The Evil Eye. I’ve only ever seen the Eyetalian version in Eyetalian with subtitles and I’ve never liked it all that much. But the American version is better – they re-edited, they added back in about eight minutes that had been cut in the Eyetalian, and had Les Baxter do a score. The big change is first-person narration by the leading lady and it makes all the difference in the world. It’s more fun and I’m enjoying this version in a way I never did the other. I’ll finish it this afternoon.
After that, I made sure not to go anywhere near Facebook for reasons you probably can figure out (not that I go there much anyway), and I just did more work on the computer, and at one point was eating a piece of licorice that just pulled my temporary cap right off. I don’t really get why it happened when I’ve been eating pretty much anything – like a sandwich on rye bread or other things that require some chewing with vigor. I got freaked out and it took me a full fifteen minutes to figure out how it went on (which side went where), but I finally got it back on and it feels pretty secure. I’ll see how I fare today, but am prepared to run over to Dr. Chew if I must. I want to be sure I’m okay for Thanksgiving dinner. I guess I’ll just have to be very careful and licorice will be a complete no no and pasta will be a big yes yes.
Today, I’ll do some errands and whatnot and if the cap is feeling weird I’ll call Dr. Chew and see if he wants to do something about it. Then I have a two o’clock interview with Les Traub of Cabaret Scenes – he’s doing a story about our Kritzerland shows. I’m also starting to think about songs for the show in January – all kids as we did last year. I’ll eat at some point and hopefully pick up some packages.
Tomorrow I have a work session with the musical director of the holiday show – he’s new to us and I do hope he’s prepared. Then Thursday is Thanksgiving dinner with Barry Pearl and his ever-lovin’ Cindy Dellinger and their chums. That’s always a good time with good food. Then I’m doing nothing for the long weekend – just relaxing and catching up on movies and music and thinking about the book I’ll begin in January.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do errands and whatnot, maybe call Dr. Chew and if need be run over for a brief visit, have an interview, eat, hopefully pick up some packages and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Truman Capote wrote A Thanksgiving Memory – what is your favorite Thanksgiving memory? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall hopefully not uncap the cap again.