Well, dear readers, it is both not a good time to be a cynic and a good time to be a cynic, not necessarily in that order. It’s not a good time to be a cynic because people simply want to share whatever they see on Facebook, without checking, without even thinking, just sharing and believing. When asked for links or when you say you’re distrustful, the pile-on is unbelievable. Well, I don’t trust half of what I hear and 90% of what people “share” on Facebook as fact, on those occasions when, as I go to check my own page, I see stuff at the top of my feed. And so, it’s a good time to be a cynic and question every one of those things you see. To wit: The latest is posting long screeds purportedly written by real people, but unattributed, warning of this and that. Well, if there’s no name attached, folks, it is FAKE. There are no ways to argue this, and yet a friend I know shared just such a thing yesterday, purported written by a younger fellow here in LA – unnamed and unsigned, of course – who said he was perfectly healthy, and yet this had hit him hard and all those attendant details. I was actually brought into that thread by someone who did that purposely, so I responded that I didn’t believe it to be true, like most of that junk. The response was, “Who would make up such a story?” Well, apparently someone loves doing this because it’s happening every day in every way. So, it took me exactly thirty seconds on Google to find the exact same screed attributed to not a younger fellow in LA but a younger fellow from a small town in Georgia, and then a younger fellow from somewhere else. Well, how can someone from three places all over the country write exactly the same words? Hint: They can’t, hence fake as fake can be. And when you can’t argue with that, what happens? Radio silence is what happens. If these things show up with no name attached and no link for you to ascertain their credibility, then they are FAKE. It’s just that simple. This screed was NOT fake but it was a screed, which, of course, is deercs spelled backwards. End of opening salvo.
Yesterday was another day and I suspect I’ll be writing that same thing for another couple of weeks whilst we’re all hibernating. I slept eight-and-a-half hours, arising at noon o’clock to greet the day. The day didn’t really give a flying Wallenda that I was greeting it, so I answered e-mails, did a few things on the computer, and then after a while, I decided that I’d try ordering from The Cheesecake Factory via Door Dash. Well, it wasn’t possible – despite saying the address was in the correct proximity, despite allowing me to actually place the order, when it came to choose the delivery time it would not allow it – not at any time, not on any day. So, why have it there if they can’t actually provide that service?
So, I went right to the Stanley’s website – they, too, allow you to order through Door Dash, but they also had more of a direct way, and I chose that. I placed the order and it estimated it would be to me in twenty minutes. Forty-five minutes later I called them and there’d been some screw-up or misunderstanding with their driver, who never actually came to pick up the order. So, they told me they’d remake it and get it to me in twenty minutes, which was fine. About five minutes later they called and offered me a free dessert – rather than that, I opted for their starter salad with Caesar dressing, which they were happy to do. And twenty minutes later the doorbell rang and the meal was on my porch waiting to be brought in by the likes of me.
I had my usual fettucine with chicken, broccoli, red onion, and cashews, and while it wasn’t quite as good as it is fresh out of the kitchen, it was most excellent and REALLY filling – but of course I ate the whole damn thing and ate it vociferously. The salad was great, too, and also filling, and they were nice enough not only to include some of their yummilicious bread but two pats of butter. All in all, a good experience.
After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish and tried to watch a motion picture entitled Khartoum, a Blu and Ray I’d never even unwrapped. Before the overture ended, I was out like a light for the next forty minutes. Then I watched about fifteen minutes – the transfer is fantastic with perfect color, but I just don’t care for the film is the bottom line. I’m not sure what the top line is.
Then I sat in my living room chair like so much fish and read, finishing all but about eighty pages. I will have more to say about this Sam Wasson book about the making of Chinatown – for now, I’ll just say I find it sloppy and more than a little irritating at times. After that I listened to music, some British violin concertos, all enjoyably enjoyable.
Today, I’ll sleep in (I mean, what else is there to do in the morning), then I’ll do stuff, answer e-mails, maybe take a walk or a drive, just to be out for a bit, then I’ll eat something here – frozen dinner perhaps, or egg and cheese burrito or eggs and rye toast – plenty to choose from and we’ll see what tickles my fancy or what my fancy tickles. Then I’ll finish the book and then I’ll watch the new 4K transfer of Chinatown, which I got from iTunes and have already checked out a bit – so far it looks pretty good but it’s hard to tell from the opening scene. After that, I’ll listen to music.
Tomorrow is more of the same and the rest of the week is more of the same. At some point, I’m going to be very bored of more of the same and I have to figure out what to do about it. Of course, I’m hopeful the galley and cover proofs will be here tomorrow or at least by mid-week so I can get those approved. We’ll also be posting In My Mind’s Eye on the Tube of You, so you’ll be able to see that. I sped through it and it looks decent enough. The fellow who put it together and shot it did a great job, although I do wish he’d put in an intermission slug. It’s pretty obvious where it comes though. And I’m happy to say that when I was originally told that each act runs about an hour, that my prediction that that would not be the case with me at the helm was proven true – sans intermission we came in at exactly and hour and forty minutes and that was every single performance.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, sleep in (I mean, what else is there to do in the morning), I’ll do stuff, I’ll eat, maybe take a drive or walk, and then read, watch, and listen. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall continue to be a cynic even though it is not a good time to be a cynic.