Well, dear readers, it is the day before the day of the Do and therefore there is much to do for the Do the day before the day of the Do. So as I sit here listening to a piece of Mahler’s, namely his second symphony conducted by Rafael Kubelik I must write these here notes because one simply must write these here notes on the day before the day of the Do.
Yesterday, I only slept six hours, got up, answered a few e-mails, and then moseyed on over to Costco, where I expected the worst and got it. It was jammed with people and people in Costco really do lose their sanity – they block aisles while they talk or text on their cell phones, they stuff their carts so full of crap that it’s just astonishing anyone has that kind of money to spend. I do understand that a lot of these types own convenience stores and buy in bulk for said stores, but holy moley on rye it was just amazing to see those overflowing carts. But I knew exactly what I wanted and I was done gathering those items in about six minutes. The checkout lines were humungous, but as I hunkered down for the wait my eye spied a new checkout counter opening with only one person in the line, so I sped over there and made it in time, and the one person in line had exactly two items. So, thankfully I got out of there in fifteen minutes flat.
I then headed home, but decided to pull into the car wash that’s a mere two blocks from the new home. I hadn’t had the motor car washed since April and it was filthy beyond belief. Now, this car was is very weird – there’s always a line of twenty to thirty cars in the cheap lane – that’s the cheap wash where you actually stay in your car while it’s being washed. But there are other lanes for the normal washes and the specialty washes. They happened to have a very reasonably priced detailing package and I was able to get in a lane with only one car ahead of me. The guy who came over to see what I wanted recommended the reasonably priced detailing package and offered me a nice discount on the already reasonable price. So, I jumped at that and was told it would take about fifty minutes. I simply paid for it then walked home, which took about six minutes. Once home, I wrote a bit more of the commentary and answered more e-mails, and announced the year-end Kritzerland sale. Then when it was time I walked back to the car wash and my car was ready as promised and looking very spiffy and clean. I drove straight to the mail place and picked up no packages and a nice envelope, did some banking, then came back home.
I brought the Costco stuff in and put it all away. Then I did work at the piano and on the computer, got word that were already two-thirds sold for the Kritzerland show, which means we’ll absolutely be packed to the rafters – unfortunately, the club rather stupidly booked something during the day, which will preclude us from doing a second show. Oh, well. Still, it’s nice to be this far along this early, but the kid shows always sell out quickly and easily. Then I heard the master of our next release – it was an early CD release back in 1986 but I always found the sound of it extremely boxy and annoying, with almost no low end and a muffled high end, despite the CD notes telling me that’s the way the recording was and that they didn’t do much to it and that the listener could do it at home, which I find absolutely a ridiculous thing to say, but that’s how it was back then. My mastering guy has done an absolutely brilliant job in opening up the mono sound, giving it a beautiful low end and airy high end – it’s and amazing difference and since it’s one of my favorite classical composers, I’m really happy to be able to do it. Then I got ready for supper.
I moseyed on over to Richard and Margaret Jones’ house. We sat and conversed for a while, marveling at much of the stupidity that is the world in which we live. For dinner she made spaghetti with meat sauce (the meat being sausage) and it was really good – just one serving and just right. We also had a little salad, some tiny garlic rolls and for dessert she made a very light no-frosting chocolate cake. We retired to the living room and chatted lots more – it was very funny chatter and we all had a grand time. I borrowed three of the screeners I didn’t get due to the move – Get Out, The Big Sick, and Wonder Woman, so I’ll be watching those today.
After I left, I went directly to Ralph’s to get the rest of the stuff for the Do. I was there for about thirty minutes, came home, but everything away, and then listened to music and relaxed.
Today, I’ll hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep, and then I intend to eat a meal right here in the home environment, hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, then I’ll watch some screeners and after that, in the evening, I’ll do all my slicing and dicing and chopping, along with making the tuna pasta salad.
Tomorrow I’ll begin making the sauce at around noon and let that simmer all the livelong day. Then people begin arriving around six. I’ve invited much less people this year – next year I’ll feel more comfortable having more, but there’s still so much stuff to be done that I’m not ready to do the usual thirty people. I will, of course, have a full report. Monday is Christmas Day and I’ll be relaxing and then going to a dinner with Barry Pearl and his ever-lovin’ Cindy that they’re having at a local Eyetalian eatery. Then next week is just relaxing, making new book notes, and getting ready for our Annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Bash right here at haineshisway.com
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, eat, hopefully pick up packages, finish writing the commentary, watch screeners, and then begin preparations for the Do. Today’s topic of discussion: Cookies. What kind have you made yourselves, what are your favorites, and who has the best cookies that you can buy in a store? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, ready to greet the day before the day of the Do.