Well, dear readers, time is a fickle mistress and a fickle mistress is time. Sometimes time just gets away from, just like a fickle mistress, not that I happen to have a mistress, fickle or otherwise. Sometimes you lose track of time and time flies by like a fickle mistress or a fickle gazelle or some such thing. Well, mistresses who are fickle can end up in a pickle or not worth a plug nickel. What IS a plug nickel anyway? Hmmm, let’s just see: I now know what a plug nickel means but it doesn’t make a lick of sense to me, nor does lick of sense make a lick of sense to me. Apparently, in days of yesteryear, nickels were made with a small silver disc added to the center of the coin in the planchet before striking. This was done to increase the value of the metal in the coin up to the coin’s face value. A plug nickel is one where the plug (center disc) has been removed, thus decreasing the metal value of the coin – hence something that’s not worth a plug nickel is basically worthless, rather like these here notes. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you find such valuable information that is not worth a plug nickel and that doesn’t make a lick of sense? Nowhere, that’s where. Where was I? Oh, yes, time being a fickle mistress and let me tell you that time was absolutely a fickle mistress yesterday. I kept waiting for the moment I might relax or have a little time to my very own self, but that moment never really arrived. I even had to rush through the meal because so much was happening pretty much from the time I got up until right this very minute and the writing of these here notes. Well, I feel that this paragraph isn’t worth a plug nickel and certainly it doesn’t make a lick of sense, so why don’t we just move along to the next paragraph.
Yesterday was a bit of a day. I wasn’t up until one because I didn’t fall asleep until five in the morning, for a variety of reasons. So, I did get eight hours of sleep. Once up, I had a ton of e-mails to answer, and then it was immediately on to the Kritzerland show work, which took up the entire day and into the evening. It was literally one thing after another. One of the things was maybe having to do a slight change to the show order, but I’m not quite sure about it yet. One thing that was promised to me never showed up and I am quite miffed about it but I’m done trying to nudge people and I will let this person know just how disappointed I am about it.
In the midst of all this, I made two cheeseburgers – the first two I had to throw out. I cooked the two patties in a skillet for a very long time and they certainly looked very well done, so I loaded them onto the two buns, put cheese on them, and I’d already dressed the buns with lettuce, ketchup, mustard, and onions. I bit into the first one and it was almost raw in the middle – I don’t do rare or even medium rare or ANY kind of pink. So, I bit into the second one and it was the same, so I threw those in the trash. Then I had to take a break and have a long telephonic call, then I finally made the other two patties and really let them cook until they were basically dead. I dressed new buns, and those two cheeseburgers were very good save for having to wolf them down because I had to have another telephonic conversation. Having wolfed and having had the second conversation, I had to have a third, and then several e-mail volleys. After that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fish for a short break.
Last night, I watched the first thirty minutes of a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Design for Living, an Ernst Lubitsch film starring Mariam Hopkins, Gary Cooper, and Fredric March. Great cast, from a play by Noel Coward, screenplay by Ben Hecht (diverging from the play quite a bit). I’ve only seen it once, on DVD, and I think I liked it okay. Not now. Now, I find it rather leaden and not funny at all. It’s too arch, the two male leads are schmacting all over the place trying to be funny and I know it’s heresy but I have never been a Miriam Hopkins fan. I know many proclaim it another Lubitsch Touch masterpiece, but I’m not a believer in the auteur theory for the most part. I’m not one who believes just because a certain brilliant director made the film that it is automatically a masterpiece. I love Trouble in Pardise, Ninotchka, The Shop Around the Corner and a few others, but this one doesn’t have the Touch as far as I’m concerned. The transfer, however, is pretty nice.
After the thirty minutes, there was more stuff to do and so I did it. Since I’d only eaten under 750 calories, I had about an ounce or two of peanuts to bring me closer to 1000 calories, and that was it for the eating. I wasn’t completely finished with stuff until after ten. Then I took a twenty-minute drive, my first time out of the house all day and night. That was nice, then I came home, did just a few more things and that was that, save for realizing that time is a damn fickle mistress.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, but hopefully not later than eleven or so, then I have Kritzerland show stuff to do, I’ll do whatever else needs doing, and then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll have tuna sandwiches for the meal and a total of 1000 calories, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I have a haircut, which I really need, then it’s more of the same, and the weekend will be even more of the same and then we’re one week until our tenth anniversary show, which I am really excited about.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do Kritzerland show stuff and whatever else needs doing, hopefully pick up some packages, eat tuna sandwiches, then at some point watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Ernst Lubitsch, Gary Cooper, and Fredric March? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where hopefully time will stop being a fickle mistress.