Well, dear readers, I think we may have solved the smell thing in the home environment. As you know, for the past couple of weeks I’ve felt like it smelled of cigarette smoke – not consistently, but over the last couple of days it seems to be worse. I looked it up on the Internet and that wasn’t much help at all. I had the fellow in the back house come and smell and he didn’t think it smelled like cigarettes, but he definitely smelled something. I continued to ponder, and I told Grant to come by today so he could smell it. But then it suddenly occurred to me that the filter in the air/heat unit hasn’t been changed since before the pandemic, and I think that’s what it must be – it must be dusty and dirty and blowing itself all over the house when I have to have the air on. Hopefully, that is what it is and today I’ll buy a new filter and get it installed. And fingers crossed that it fixes the issue. I don’t know why that hadn’t occurred to me earlier. Otherwise, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Ennio Morricone’s unused score for the film What Dreams May Come. His score was replaced by a Michael Kamen score. One source says it was because of editorial changes, but that’s utter nonsense because Morricone and a music editor could have easily made any adjustments. No, I’m afraid the culprit is the same as it always is in these cases – the dreaded focus group previews. The film didn’t test well in previews and rather than blame, oh, the writing or the direction, they blame what they always blame – the composer. Morricone was not happy because he wasn’t given the opportunity to make his own changes. He scored the film they made. Did Michael Kamen’s new score help? No, of course not. Same film, different music. The problems didn’t go away. The film did okay – not sure it broke even or anything, but I believe it would have done the same middling business whichever score it had. I saw the film once and I really did not like it at all. Prior to that, I listened to a few CDs – John Lanchbery’s delightfully delightful Tales of Beatrix Potter, then the studio cast version of The Merry Widow with Dorothy Kirsten and Robert Rounseville, produced by Goddard Lieberson in mono and English. I enjoyed the English lyrics, and the cast is marvelous and it’s all very merry, this very merry Merry Widow. Mono sound is excellent. And prior to that, I watched a DVD of the Elmer Bernstein concert we did in January of 2020 at the Autrey. The producer gave it to me at the Kritzerland show. I really hate watching myself, so that wasn’t any fun at all. But I have to say, I was really sharp in terms of laughs and that part was fun – I was very free and off the patter frequently. But, and it’s a big butt – the sound person lost the mix when his computer crashed – how do you not keep a back-up – and so the only mics we can actually hear are mine and the singers. You can’t hear the bass at all, barely hear the trumpet and trombone, the flute and violin fare better but not much – it’s really bad but it’s what it is. The editing isn’t so hot either, but no one’s gonna see it anyway. But a couple of things were irritating to me – I’m pretty sure the editor used only the matinee performance, even though I’d told him he had to use the To Kill a Mockingbird suite from the evening because there were mistakes in the matinee. And I know there were a couple off-the-cuff things in the evening that were really hilarious and, of course, those aren’t there. I wish Marshall Harvey had cut it, but, alas, he did not. And now I am listening to my all-time favorite Morricone score, Once Upon a Time in America. What a beauty it is.
Yesterday was not much of anything. I only got three hours of sleep, so that wasn’t good, and I felt groggy and out of sorts all day and night and the smelly smell didn’t help matters. I did a bit of work on the computer and at the piano, I picked up one little package and I ordered a tri-salad from Art’s Deli, thanks to a 50% off coupon. That arrived and was very good, as it always did. They forgot the ranch dressing, so less calories. Otherwise, the only other food I had was a bag of barbecue potato chips. I had some telephonic conversations, then watched the video, which was two-and-a-half hours long, and then listened to music.
Today, I’ll be up by ten-thirty, then I’m meeting the helper at storage, and we’ll go over all the Indiegogo stuff so she can get it all shipped out, and she can ship whatever orders we got online, as well. That happens at noon, then I’ll go buy the filter, then eat something, hopefully pick up some packages and important envelopes, then I’ll come home, and Grant will come and smell the smell and then we’ll replace the filter. And then, at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The weekend will be planning the Group Rep cabaret, perhaps a meal out, and relaxing and getting ready for another very busy week – I think The Sap of Life and Cole Porter III arrive on Tuesday and there are a LOT of orders to ship. And I’ve got to announce new titles.
I was sent this grouping of photographs taken after the Kritzerland show. In the top photo, left to right, my very own self, Jason Graae’s hubby Glen Fretwell, Robert Yacko, Mary VanArsdel, Linda Purl, and Jason Graae. Bottom left is me, Linda, and Jason. Bottom right is Mary and Linda.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by ten-thirty, meet the helper at storage and get all the Indiegogo stuff ready to ship, buy an air filter or two, eat, hopefully pick up packages and important envelopes, and 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, a Barry Sisters CD. DVD, some home-grown discs that were given to me. I think one of them has whatever Wanda Vision is. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hopeful that we’ve figured out the smelly smell and that replacing the air filter will fix it.