Well, dear readers, I don’t know how to keep this a secret anymore, so I’m going to just spill the beans: It is July. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is July. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. And we need that prayer to be answered because we’ve all been cooped up for over four months now and inertia is setting in. I do not like inertia. I do not give in to inertia. I combat inertia and banish it to the four winds. Not the five winds or the three winds, mind you, but the four winds. Inertia cannot thrive when banished to the four winds. I read it in a heavy tome called Inertia Cannot Thrive When Banished to the Four Winds, by Bella Delilah Fortescue, which, of course, was the nom de plume of Bella Delilah Baines-Fortescue. It’s a pricey book but well worth it if you suffer from inertia. In the book, you learn about inertia in all its guises and learn about each wind. My only complaint about the book is the chapters on each wind are long-winded. If anyone has an inkling or a penciling of what the HELL I’m talking about, now would be a good time to speak up, because I haven’t a clew. In any case, it’s July and that’s all there is to it.
Yesterday was still June, which must be why I only got four hours of sleep. I was up at eight, did stuff on the computer, ordered food to be delivered between twelve-thirty and one from Hugo’s (pasta papa, of course), and then I went back to bed and slept another ninety minutes, arising just before the food arrived. The forgot the cheese, which always comes on the side – it’s better with the cheese, but it was still excellent, and I did eat it all up. After that, I spent the next several hours doing Kritzerland show stuff. Through sheer perseverance I booked three wonderful guests for the August Kritzerland show. One Tony winner, one coming out of retirement just to do this show, and one Kritzerland favorite. I’m trying for two more. I haven’t canvassed our core cast yet, but I’m hoping they can all do it, as it makes things ever so much easier. The songs for the three guests are already chosen, so as soon as I know our core cast can do it, I’ll figure out their songs from a long list I’ve compiled.
That took most of the afternoon and I was super tired by the end of the day, so I sat on my couch like so much fish and dozed off for about forty minutes. Then I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray called The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, who will always be the definitive Holmes and Watson to me. I’ve had this box of all their films since it came out and haven’t watched any of it. I’ve only seen a handful of the films, so this will be fun. And I’ve never seen any iteration of Baskervilles all the way through. Unlike the Universal series, which were very low budget, the two Fox films were class projects and it shows. I enjoyed Baskerville very much, especially its classic final line. I wondered the entire film if they were going to say it, and there it was.
After that, just for fun, I watched about thirty minutes of the Hammer Baskervilles. I’ve never liked the Hammer version – it’s just crass and garish and bombastic, and Peter Cushing, much as I’m a huge fan, is not a good Holmes – he’s too fussy and it becomes annoying. Christopher Lee isn’t a good fit for his role either. You know from the opening sequence you’re in Hammerland rather than Holmesland and it just doesn’t work. I shut it off after about forty-five minutes.
Then I took a nice drive, about thirty minutes of driving here and there. People were in restaurants dining – one could see them through the windows. This weekend should be interesting in certain ways. Then I came home, had a bagel for my snack, and then listened to the English version of Die Bajadere by Emmerich Kalman – the one I’d listened to last week was in German. The English version is called The Bayadere and I must say it’s more charming and fun in English so that you actually can follow the story and what’s going on. Then I decided to take another tour through the Munch box.
Today, I’ll be up early, as I have to do banking and hope it’s not too crazy. The Studio City branch of my bank is still closed – eight weeks now, which I find outrageous – and the Sherman Oaks branch is difficult – crowded, I have to explain myself and get het up to get what I need, so I’m going to go to another bank to cash the check they always give me problems about, but if it’s too crowded there, then I’ll just expend the energy at the Sherman Oaks branch of my bank. Then Adryan Russ is stopping by to get her copy of the new book, and then I’ll eat something, hopefully pick up some packages, do Kritzerland show stuff for the upcoming show and the August show, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week, of which there isn’t much, is more of the same, and I’ll relax on the weekend, I think, and then we’re into the Kritzerland show week, so lots of work to be done. We’ll do our three live tests, as people seem to enjoy those, and it gives us a chance to make sure everything is working properly.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up early, do banking and hope it’s not too crazy, have a little visit with Adryan Russ, eat, do Kritzerland show stuff, and then watch, listen, 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, happy to say, and now, July – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that July will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.