Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish listening to Music to Become a Serial Killer By – back-to-back film scores by Howard Shore from Seven and Silence of the Lambs. These are very depressing, dark scores, but they’re quite interesting musically and I really like them and thus far I have resisted the urge to become an actual serial killer, although occasionally Facebook makes me think about not resisting the urge, if you get my meaning, which I know you do. I wish I could resist the urge to shove food in my mouth every twelve seconds. I wish I could resist the urge to take on trolls and morons on Facebook. I wish I could resist the urge to do the dance of the seven veils but I’m so good at it I simply can’t. Right now, as a matter of fact, I have the urge go out in the street and sing the score to The Most Happy Fella in a mask and gloves, but I shall resist, I shall resist I tell you. Yes, we must resist certain urges whilst embracing such urges as the urge to prance about in our colored tights and pantaloons whilst reciting poetry and eating figs. I no longer have a single clew as to what the HELL I’m going on about.
Yesterday was another busy day in certain ways. I was up by eleven after eight hours of sleep, with very weird dreams during said eight hours of sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails, did some work on the computer, and then it was time to get my haircut. This was done privately with all proper protocols in place. It took about forty-five minutes and I felt so much better being kempt than unkempt. Now my hair is neat and tidy, not necessarily in that order. Then I went and picked up a couple of packages, after which I spent two hours doing the same thing I’d done for two hours the day before, just to have an option, so that was exhausting in its own way, and now I just have to choose which option I shall opt for.
Once I finished that, I’d already placed in my DoorDash cart my beloved spicy chicken over rice, but I was a few minutes too late – the Cheesecake Factory closes at four-thirty and I went to place the order at four and couldn’t. So, instead I opted for my favorite pasta from Stanley’s – chicken with linguine, red onions, cashews, and broccoli in a nice cream sauce. It arrived about thirty minutes later and thankfully was still piping hot. I ate the whole thing up and it was as good as it’s ever been. And I had two pieces of their really excellent bread. After that, I was quite the logy individual, so I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I finished watching The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, the final film of Fritz Lang, a director I’m very fond of. It’s a wacky little movie but I like it, nonetheless. Nonetheless – that is three words boiled down to one – a bargain word. I watched the German version with subtitles because half the cast is German, so it was nice to hear those real voices. Then I watched the English dub as several of the actors are clearly speaking English, but those actors are still dubbed by other actors – weird. The transfer has gotten high marks from everyone. As I said, the contrast is great and I didn’t mind the transfer at all, but the same people who gave this high marks are also the same people who cry DNR at any sign of grain removal or gain management, such as the new Blu-ray of To Catch a Thief. Well, sorry, I didn’t see much grain in this thing, if any and the fact that there’s no grain in the opticals tells me something was certainly done. It’s still pleasing and has some detail but I’m not sure why it got a pass from those reviewers. Then again, they don’t really know much of anything.
After that, I started to watch Big Eyes on Blu-ray but wasn’t in the mood and shut it off. I find Tim Burton to be a director so in love with his visuals and his weirdness that I find it difficult to get into his movies. I remember enjoying this, so I’ll continue on, I suppose. Instead, I had several long telephonic conversations, including one with Elizabeth Sherman – she and Richard watched our Kritzerland show live on YouTube and loved it – and then I took the usual evening drive and after that I took a half-mile walk in the neighborhood.
Then I began listening to Music to Become a Serial Killer By and the rest you know. I also had to create five Zoom invitations for our rehearsals.
Today, I’ll be up by eleven, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then we have five Zoom rehearsals in a row, which finish around five o’clock. I think I’ll hold off on food until then. I’m going to be very methodical at our rehearsals – listening for wrong notes, fixing interpretive things if necessary, and being very detailed. If I’m feeling good about it then we won’t need a second rehearsal, but if we do need one, we’ll probably have it on Sunday. I’m looking forward to hearing what everyone’s doing with their songs.
Not sure what’s with the weekend yet. I know it’s the Memorial Day Weekend, which is, I’m told, what accounted for the bumper-to-bumper traffic of the past two days. I am hoping that the package with the books will be here on Saturday – something is scheduled for delivery and I can’t imagine what else it would be. Well, I just checked the tracking and it’s now saying next Wednesday, which is a full MONTH after I placed the order – supposed to be seven to ten days. I will have the Cheesecake Factory thing on one of the weekend days. Then next week is very busy, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, hopefully pick up some packages, have five Zoom rehearsals, eat, then watch, listen, and 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 – CD, much classical music. Blu-ray, Big Eyes followed by who knows what? Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall resist the urge to have weird dreams.