Well, dear readers, I am writing these here notes early because I really need to get some sleep. The last few nights it’s taken a really long time to finally fall asleep, and I’ve just been getting five or six hours and that’s not enough for the likes of me. And since I can’t sleep in today, I will get to bed by eleven come hell or high water or even heaven and low water. I may even take a shot of NyQuil, since I’m still having the occasional hacking cough.
Yesterday was a pleasant-enough day. I only got between five and six hours of sleep – that wasn’t so pleasant. Once up, I had a visitor and then the helper and I went and did our Costco run. We got the usual waters, I got to huge things of Airborne and three huge things of NyQuil that will probably serve me for the next decade. I got two huge things of Ricolas, too. I got some nice aromatic roses for the dining room table, and a few other assorted odds and ends. It was quite crowded there. We did have a celebrity sighting and I really should have said hello – the legendary Barbara Steele, she of Black Sunday and other classic Eyetalian horror films.
I came home and the helper went on her merry way. I then had some telephonic calls, answered e-mails, did a spot of work on the computer, then rustled up a batch of Wacky Noodles, which, like the other day, I ate in three separate servings, like breakfast, lunch and dinner, not necessarily in that order. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Yesterday, I watched the almost three-hour documentary called Los Angeles Plays Itself, which has been released on Blu and Ray. It was made eleven years ago. I saw it at the American Cinematheque and then on DVD – I wrote about the latter right here at haineshisway.com. This new Blu-ray has been spiffed up, is slightly different in the editing and has a couple of things that weren’t in it before, at least I think they weren’t. The many clips have been hugely upgraded and taken from mostly Blu-ray releases of the films. Watching it a third time was just as bad as watching it the first two times. One endures it because of the clips and other interesting LA footage. It would be one thing had the director called the film How I Feel About LA Even Though I Wasn’t Actually Born There and How I Feel About Other Unrelated Topics. But he didn’t. There is almost three hours of the smarmiest, worst-written and most importantly pointless narration ever contained in a movie, all spoken by someone who should never ever be allowed to do narration – one of the most irritating voices in history. There is no sense of purpose, no logic, no forward momentum. The last thirty minutes of the film are spent talking about several low-budget movies that no one has heard of or ever will hear of. But since the director is a pedantic professor of film theory, I’m sure he thinks it’s all very profound and meaningful. It isn’t. It’s not a total bust thanks to some good clips, but it’s a complete lost opportunity to do something brilliant about LA and the movies. I simply cannot recommend it as a purchase – it’s apparently on Netflix right now, so if it’s free you may want to try to endure it.
I was happy to see that another screener finally arrived, this one for Clint Eastwood’s film American Sniper. I watched the first ninety minutes of it but I don’t want to talk about it until I’m finished. I never got around to going to the mail place, so have no idea if anything is waiting for me. I did hear from the Infiniti dealer – he suggested that even though it was ready yesterday that he keep it overnight, just to make sure the battery is doing what it needs to do.
Today, I shall be up by nine-thirty, then if the car’s okay, I’ll go pick it up around ten-thirty, then be on my way to my noon o’clock lunch meeting, which is not too far from the House of Pies. After that, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I may or may not have an afternoon visitor, and then it’s time for our second Kritzerland rehearsal, which will last until about ten-thirty.
Tomorrow, I’m really hoping to just relax and do a little work on the computer. Saturday is our stumble-through, which is at noon, and then a few of us will go eat something amusing. Then I’ll just relax, I think. Sunday is sound check and show, then I turn a brand new age on Monday.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, pick up the motor car, have a lunch meeting, hopefully pick up packages, maybe have an afternoon visitor, and have our second Kritzerland rehearsal. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your essential things that you always need to have in supply in your refrigerator and pantry? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep instead of being Sleepless in the City of Studio.