Well, dear readers, I hope everyone had a safe and sound July fourth. Here’s how mine began: It was, of course, my intention to sleep in and I didn’t really fall asleep until around four. I was up a few times to use the loo (ool, spelled backwards) as I’d had too many liquids before bed, and then I finally just got up at ten. I didn’t have to, but I just did. At 10:33 or thereabouts I knew why I’d gotten up – a bit of a sixth sense I have about what then occurred. It began gently but I knew what it was instantly – an earthquake. I said my usual line whenever that happens: “Stop it. Now!” This time the earthquake chose not to listen and it wasn’t a jolter, it was a rolling thing, so the house just swayed and creaked – it did this for a full thirty seconds that seemed like thirty minutes. Finally, it abated. Nothing fell, none of the pictures on the walls even got crooked – just the swaying and creaking for an endless thirty seconds.
As I suspected, those who live on Facebook twenty-four hours a day were making with the EARTHQUAKE!!! posts – some even used more than three exclamation points. Obviously, none of those posting had actually been through one of our bad earthquakes. Turns out it was a strong one – 6.6 – but it was centered quite a ways away in the desert. And thus began the July fourth Independence Day. I answered e-mails and went out to the garage to survey the newly spacious space – it was nice. I’ve got about four empty boxes to fill and that will be that.
Then I went and got two cheeseburgers and some animal fries from In-N-Out, came right home and ate it all up – it was all very good and hit the spot. Then I watched a documentary on Amazon Prime entitled, I think, The Amazing Allen Carr. It was what you’d expect, but it was nice to see Bruce Vilanch playing a major part and Carr’s story and chutzpah and rise and fall are, of course, interesting and fascinating.
Then I watched a motion picture on Amazon Prime entitled Premonition, starring Sandra Bullock. Completely awful, dopey, trying and failing to mix genres, copying every visual cliché in the book, with a mind-numbing score or minor chords shifting a half-step or sometimes a third, along with the obligatory string pads and occasional single piano notes. Highly not recommended by the likes of me.
Then I buckled down, Winsocki, and spent two-and-a-half hours writing and finishing the commentary. I’m sure I’ll finesse it, but at least that’s off my plate. And I realized this is one of the very few Kritzerland shows without a single put-together. Once I was done with that, I took a little snooze for about thirty minutes, stepped outside to see if I could see any fireworks, which I could not – in fact, I could barely even hear them.
Then I decided to watch another motion picture on Amazon Prime – much better choices than Netflix, I must say – this time I chose an HBO motion picture from a couple of decades ago, entitled Citizen X, the story of a Russian serial killer and the dogged forensics expert bent on catching him and stymied at every turn by a bunch of bureaucratic idiots who refuse to admit that a serial killer can even exist in Russia. But he has an ally in a colonel, and in the end, the bureaucrats are ousted and he gets his man. The acting is superb straight down the line – Stephen Rea as the forensics expert turned detective, Donald Sutherland, who won a well-deserved EMMY for his performance – he’s great – John Wood as an officious and inept investigator, Max von Sydow as a psychiatrist, and Jeffrey DeMunn as the killer. There are a couple of questionable writing and directing choices, but the majority of it really works wonderfully, and what a pleasure to finally see a good movie. If you have Amazon Prime you might want to give it a look-see.
Then I listened to music and relaxed.
Today, I pick up more video transfers from three-quarter inch tape, including my director’s cut of The Creature Wasn’t Nice. It may finally be time to release it and the release version on either Blu and Ray or perhaps just DVD. We shall see. I’m curious to see the other stuff, too – more of the Dinah and Her New Best Friends show – at least I think it’s more – and then four of my bits from Playboy on the Air. I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, and then I’ll relax.
The rest of the weekend can be ME days, and then next week is busy – a work session for the August Kritzerland show, starting to choose songs for the September anniversary show, and whatever else needs doing.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, pick up video transfers, I must eat, hopefully pick up packages, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – I have no idea. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have survived both July fourth and the earthquake.