Well, dear readers, I have some important breaking news for you, news that cannot be delayed nor suppressed. Yes, you heard it hear dear readers, I have news that cannot be delayed nor suppressed and so I shall now impart this news without further ado because haven’t we all had just about enough ado? The news: It is November. I ask you, where else on all the Internet can you get such up-to-the-minute news such as it is November? Nowhere, that’s where. And it is my fervent hope and prayer that November will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful. Not only is it November, it is the end of Daylight Savings Time, so don’t expect any more savings on Daylight – that sale is done. I hope and trust that you’ve all set your clocks and timepieces back one hour. In other words, at two o’clock it will be one o’clock. This is an amazing turn of events, that suddenly it’s not later than you think but it’s earlier than you think. They do this to mess with our minds, dear readers, these time people. But I like that at two o’clock it will be one o’clock because it gives me an extra hour to listen to Szell and more Szell. In fact, as I write these here notes Szell is doing a stereo version of the famous Beethoven fifth symphony, which, I suppose, has one of the most famous opening statements in all music. Like everything I’m hearing from Mr. Szell, it’s a wonderfully played and conducted performance, not too ponderous, fleet of foot when it needs to be and even for us Neanderthals who don’t care for old Ludwig van it is suddenly appealing. Not something I’d listen to every day, but I’m not hating it, which is a step forward, I think. Prior to old Ludwig van we had Wolfgang Amadeus, a whole slew of Wolfgang Amadeus in a row – piano concertos, symphonies, violin concertos – let’s face it, the guy was prolific as all get out and I think we all know how prolific all get out was and is. I don’t know why, but whenever I hear the Beethoven fifth, I have a sudden urge to bash in a coconut with a hammer. And I would if I only had a coconut and, more importantly, if I had a hammer. When I moved into this house, I brought with me a hammer, but said hammer has disappeared into the ether. I’m sure it’s somewhere but I have no idea where. And you know, if I had a hammer I’d hammer in the morning, I’d hammer in the evening, all over the land. What am I, Pete Seeger all of a sudden? The other thing I can tell you is that yesterday I was driving somewhere and at stopped at a light. When stopped at a light, I frequently look at the license plates on cars and “read” them. I’ve been playing this game since my daughter was born and it’s a lot of fun and I find that sometimes when I make up what the initials on the plate stand for, it comes true, like a prophecy. And yesterday, I saw these initials and there was no hesitation as to what I guessed they stood for: JBW. I’ll let you dear readers see if you can see what I came up with. And I do hope it’s a prophesy that comes true, for many, many reasons, and I am not a person who goes on about these kinds of things, as you know.
Yesterday was a day I thought would be relaxing and a partial ME day but that certainly didn’t happen. I got up around eight-thirty after five hours of sleep, answered e-mails and did a few things on the computer, then got back in bed at ten-thirty, fell asleep around eleven and slept until two – so eight hours of fractured sleep. Once up again, most of the day was gone, but I got no futzing and finessing on project one done, because I had to approve a master for one of our four upcoming CD releases, I had to some Kritzerland show stuff, and I wrote the third set of liner notes – so, three down and one to go and, in fact, the package design for two of the four is already done and approved. So, moving right along, as the song goes. That all took most of the rest of the day.
At some point, I stopped and made six ounces of bow tie pasta with my red sauce, ground beef (cooked), and onions. It was really good, and I ate it all up, every bite and cleaned my plate but good. Then I did the dishes so I wouldn’t have that mess to look at. I never got around to futzing and finessing and also never got around to watching anything. I left my front porch light off and so no trick or treaters rang the bell. I felt bad about it, but the times are the times and hopefully by next Halloween this madness will all be over. At eight-thirty, I did a quick Gelson’s run – I decided I didn’t want to eat pasta two days in a row and I didn’t want to do the meat, onions, butter, and cheese that I was planning to. But I had to do something to use the remaining ground beef, and then it came to me – tacos. So, bought some shells, some shredded lettuce, a tomato, some Gelson’s salsa, which is excellent, and I have shredded cheddar cheese here already. So, that’s a nice diet-friendly deal and I’m looking forward to it. Oh, and I bought a little chocolate mousse thing from their bakery. I thought perhaps I deserved a little treat for all the work I’d done. I came home and ate it with some whipped cream on top. I think it probably took me up to 1300 or 1400 calories, but that’s fine, and I haven’t really done a splurge day as one is allowed to do eight weeks into a diet, and today I won’t go over 1000.
Then I listened to music, watched an old Camera Three show, a thirty-minute birthday celebration for Samuel Barber’s sixty-seventh birthday. I have to say, that people just looked older back then – he looks like he’s in his seventies, frankly. But I love his music and reading the YouTube comments found there was a 2017 documentary about him, aired on PBS originally, so I looked it up and it’s on Blu-ray, so that will be here on Tuesday. But mostly, I wrote a lot of stuff – not only the liner notes but the announcement blurbs, too. It all takes time and a lot of using the old noggin’ and the old fingers for typing away. And now Wolfgang Amadeus is playing, symphony forty-one. That’s the Jupiter symphony, so I’m feeling very Jupiter right about now.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do a little futzing and finessing for sure, but mostly I want a ME day with no distracting distractions. I do have to pick up a little package, but otherwise I’m staying in and doing whatever takes my fancy. I’ll make the tacos, probably three, maybe four – they’ll only be about what Taco Bell tacos are, about 170 calories per taco or 200 at the most. Then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
This week is all futzing and finessing for project one, getting all our ducks in a row for next Sunday’s Kritzerland show, although I’m thinking rather than ducks, I might get all our swans in a row, just for a change of pace. So, it will be a busy week. I don’t think we’ll do a test Facebook and YouTube Live thing. And happily, my commentary is written and finessed, so that’s ready to go. Then on Sunday at 5:00 PST/8:00 EST we do our show.
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, futz and finesse, have a mostly ME day, hopefully pick up a package, eat tacos, then watch, listen, and relax. 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, as we set our clocks back and gain one hour and welcome in a hopeful and happy November – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that November will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.