Well, dear readers, here we are in the shank of the evening. I have no idea what that means, but I like the sound of it, don’t you? Actually, researching the term, no one seems to know what the HELL it means. Oh, they have their ideas, sure, but each is different and they’re just making it up as they go along. I wonder if it has anything to do with the shank of lamb. That’s the cut of lamb near the legs. So, perhaps the shank of the evening means the evening near the legs. Or maybe it means the evening is like a lamb’s leg. Or maybe it means the shank of lamb is to only be eaten in the shank of the evening. I, for one, don’t give a flying Wallenda what it means but I have wasted an entire paragraph talking about it.
Yesterday, I was up at nine, had no e-mails about the book, hadn’t heard from anyone, didn’t know if my gal was there, so I just began at the top guy and I had a call five minutes later from my gal. She brought me up to date with as much as she knew, which wasn’t much, but said she’d call when she knew exactly when the new print files were being sent to the printing houses. She did tell me she figured out exactly who added the misspelled line to the title page – some design guy, and she e-mailed him asking for an explanation. I’d only slept about six hours, so I went back to bed and got up at around noon, so about eight-and-a-half hours, all told.
Once up, I answered e-mails, but no updates from the gal. I did a few other thing, including making the show order, which I think will work – I may switch up just a couple of things after we have the work session next week. Then I went and picked up some packages, then was really hungry so I went and had a bacon cheeseburger and a side Caesar salad at Jerry’s Deli, both very good. I took home a couple of biscotti for my sweet. Whilst eating, the gal called and said she was fairly certain the print files would be going in by the early evening – she’ll update me today, hopefully. Once that happens, she will immediately place my order again.
Then I came home, did some more stuff on the computer, approved two covers for upcoming projects, and then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I tried to watch another Harlan Coban limited series, this one called The Five, but I kept falling asleep and have no idea what it’s about, other than it looked and felt just like Safe. Then I watched about half of the Phillipe de Broca film, Up to His Ears aka Chinese Adventures in China. I’d begun it when I got the Blu-ray – it’s with my favorite de Broca, That Man from Rio. But I couldn’t get with it then and frankly I’m having trouble getting with it still. Yes, it has some amusing things, but what is completely fun and effortless in Rio is labored and heavy-handed here. Belmondo is charming, but the plot is just not that interesting and you really can’t take any of it seriously, not that that’s important, but unlike Rio, there is simply nothing to hang on to. I will, however, tough it out to the very end.
By then it was the shank of the lamb’s evening legs. I looked through more newspapers and managed to find the two horrible reviews two of my shows got – both at the Morgan Theater, back-to-back in 1974, both written by the disgusting and unctuous and awful Lawrence Christon, who was new to the Times when my shows came along, so being a smart-ass helped set his tone, which never changed. He ultimately became their comedy critic and that seemed more than odd given his humor-challenged self. Both reviews were very nasty to me personally. While the first of the shows was something I literally had to create on the fly while I was directing it, The Menaechmus Twins – the adaptor and director had been fired and I vowed to give them a show to open. Audiences had a ton of fun, it got lots o’ laughs, and while some of the songs are not up to snuff for me, it is the show that introduced Honey, What’cha Doin’ Tonight. The other show was my food musical, Feast, and while the Morgan production wasn’t nearly as good as the LACC production, it was perfectly fine and that score has lots of fun stuff in it. He called that musical “oleaginous.” Which shows you exactly what kind of a twerp he was and am sure he still is. Interestingly, a few days later Dramalogue reviewed it and gave it a big ol’ rave and that critic was our very own Rob Stevens.
Today, I’ll hopefully have a good update in the morning, then I have to write the commentary, then I think Grant and I will grab some lunch somewhere fun – I’m thinking maybe Casa Vega, as I haven’t been there in ages. But if he’s up for pizza, maybe a Dino’s visit would be ever so much fun. I’ll hopefully pick up packages, then I’ll come home and finish up the commentary and relax.
The rest of the week is meetings and meals, then on Sunday I do the paperback book show and signing, which I’m almost looking forward to.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, hopefully have a good update, I’ll write commentary, lunch, hopefully pick up packages, write, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as the shank of the evening bids us a fond farewell and the evening simply becomes the middle of the night.