Well, dear readers, how can it be? How can what be, you might ask and I might tell you because why should I withhold such information from you dear readers? How can it be December? The last month of 2014. Can it really be December? Yes, Virginia, it can and it is, not necessarily in that order. So, let me just say loudly that it is my fervent hope and prayer that December will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. December is, of course, a wonderful month, filled with holidays galore, happy faces, singing, Santa, Hanukkah, presents, and several dear reader birthdays including mine own. So, let the celebrations begin early and last right through our Rockin’ New Year’s Eve Bash right here at haineshisway.com. Let’s bring renewed vigor and less errant and truantness to our wonderful discussion board, too.
Yesterday, the final day of November, I slept eleven blessed hours, which I desperately needed after the three hours the night before. I awoke right at high noon, which was nicer than awakening at low eleven. I did my morning ablutions even though it wasn’t morning anymore. Then, after about an hour, I boiled me some water, put in some bow tie noodles, and cooked up a big batch of Wacky Noodles, which I ate at various points during the day. I haven’t made them in way too long, and I always forget just how much I love them. I may even, for the very first time, add them to the Christmas Eve Do this year. Usually it’s just spaghetti and the tuna pasta salad, but I’m thinking for those who don’t care for the tuna pasta salad that a little Wacky Noodles might be in order. I do have to make sure I have enough pots to do all three. Enough Pots – that’s the title of my next novel. I ate the first batch whilst sitting on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday and last night, I watched two full documentaries and began and watched the first forty minutes of a third, all on the Flix of Net. The first documentary, which coincided with the first batch of Wacky Noodles eating was entitled Robert Altman. It was, surprisingly, a documentary about Robert Altman, an interesting picture maker. I will admit right up front or left up back that I am not a huge Robert Altman fan. I do like a few of his films – parts of MASH, That Cold Day in the Park, Images, and then later The Player and Gosford Park, but I find many of them merely irritating, especially stuff like A Wedding, Health, Popeye and others of that era. But the documentary is very engaging and you do end up admiring Altman for his maverick sensibilities and not bowing to Hollywood’s interferences. He was his own man every step of the way. I recommend this one even if you, like me, are not that big a fan.
The helper came by for some invoices, and then I ate the second batch of Wacky Noodles whilst watching the second documentary, which was entitled Everything or Nothing, the story of the James Bond films through Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. It’s an interesting documentary with really good interviews. I never knew, for example, that EON Films, the company that produced the early Bond films, stood for Everything or Nothing. Anyway, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and it was great hearing George Lazenby, Pierce Brosnan and Roger Moore talk about their experiences doing the films. But you also get older interviews with Connery, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig, plus they have Judi Dench, too. But the most interesting stuff is about the early films, the relationship between Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and the stuff about Ian Fleming.
I then took a break. All through the day it had been raining in various amounts, which was so nice. We’re all hoping we have some more today and tomorrow because we sorely need it. Then I began the third documentary, whilst eating the third and final batch of Wacky Noodles. This one was called Whitey: The United States of America vs. James Bulger. It’s about a crime boss who ruled South Boston for thirty years, who was finally caught and put on trial. It’s very well done and compelling and I’ll finish it this day.
Today, I shall do my errands and whatnot, eat, hopefully pick up packages, finish the Whitey documentary, and then this evening we have our first Kritzerland rehearsal, which will take up the entire evening until ten-thirty. We’ve only done this one time before, but we had no choice as the only MD we could get could only do Monday and Thursday in the evening. I can only tell you it will be the last time it ever happens.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals – one tomorrow, one Wednesday, one Thursday – Thursday night is our second rehearsal, and then Saturday is our stumble-through and Sunday is sound check and show, followed the next day by me being a new age.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do errands and whatnot, eat, hopefully pick up packages, view, and have a long rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your holiday plans for this month? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to welcome in my favorite month of the year – December. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that December will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.