Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, staring at a bottle of Arrowhead mountain spring water thinking about how much I don’t like drinking water. I can tolerate it, oh, yes, I can tolerate it, and occasionally it can be refreshing if it’s cold and you’re in the right frame of mind, but mostly I rate water blechhh. Actually, writing about it is more refreshing than drinking it. But the Arrowhead label is pretty. Otherwise, it’s been a restful day, pretty much, and pretty much a restful day, not necessarily in that order. Here’s how it went in five easy paragraphs.
I got up at eleven, after eight hours of sleep. While I would have liked another hour or two, I really don’t like getting up at noon (noon, spelled backwards). Once up, I answered e-mails, listened to some music, had some telephonic conversations, did no work at the piano or on the computer, and the time passed.
I picked up some packages, then decided to try Popeye’s. The line was not too crazy, so I braved it and no I did not get the stupid chicken sandwich. I understand that for whatever dopey reason, a fried chicken sandwich is now a “thing”, something people must have, even health nuts must have it. Not only must they have it, they must post photographs of it. And because some people are boycotting (the new Facebook pastime) Chick-Fil-A, everyone has gone Popeye’s. They actually have a limit as to how many you can buy at one time (four). Since I have no interest whatsoever in being part of this trend, I got my usual two mild breasts to go. I know it will end at some point and hopefully soon, but until it goes away it is amusing to watch people wait in long lines to have a fried chicken sandwich, something, by the way, which has never not been available – McDonald’s has had one for years. But people must wear their having a Popeye’s chicken sandwich like a badge of honor. As for me, we don’t need no stinking badges or honor.
I came home, ate the two mild breast and attendant biscuits – very tasty – and then I just relaxed and listened to more music, until I finally sat on my couch like so much fish, where I promptly dozed off for about forty minutes. Then I watched the new Almodovar motion picture, Pain and Glory, an autobiographical movie about a movie director. It’s gotten mostly raves, but the two not raves I’m basically in agreement with. I’ve enjoyed several Almodovar movies, but this one, well-meaning though it may be, is just too talky and goes on too long. It looks great and Almodovar is always stylish. And I’ve just decided I have no real time for movies in which there is a lot of drug use – just hate it.
After that, I had another telephonic call, then just sat at the computer like so much fish, listening to music. More Weinberg, and then stuff I found on the Tube of You, some quite wonderful music, including a beautiful classical piece by film composer Manuel de Sica.
I ate a bagel with whipped cream cheese for my snack, along with a handful of pistachios. And then it was time to write these here notes, which, in case you haven’t noticed, is what I’ve been doing.
That was five easy paragraphs, which, by the way, I wear as a badge of honor, much like those eating a chicken sandwich as if their very life depended on having such a thing.
Today, I can sleep in again, as my working lunch meeting was pushed to Thursday. So, once up I’ll do whatever needs doing, then I’ll eat, hopefully pick up some packages, then relax until it’s time for rehearsal. The plan is to get used to the stage, spend thirty minutes making sure everyone knows how entrances and exits work, etc. Then we’ll do a run of act one. We’ll smooth out whatever needs smoothing out, and then we’ll run it again. If there’s time left, we’ll run as much of it as we can again.
Tomorrow will be more of the same but with act two, then Thursday I have my working lunch meeting and we do act three. Friday we do what I hope will be a full-on run-through with no stops, so I can finally get a sense of how the pacing is working and how to speed up whatever needs it. Saturday and Sunday are run-throughs – hoping to be able to do two per day, then we’re not off again until Thanksgiving, actually. So, I’m hoping within all those days we really hammer this puppy into great shape.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in, eat, hopefully pick up packages, relax, rehearse, and then relax some more. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite nuts? And have you partaken in this wacko chicken sandwich craze? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to not wear as a badge of honor the eating of a chicken sandwich at Popeye’s.