Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to another Joe Hisaishi score to a Miyazaki film, this one Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, whilst I am sitting here feeling Nauseous in the Valley of the Oaks of Sherman for reasons I’m not sure of – perhaps something I ate at some point. Hoping the nausea goes way, and I am enjoying Nausicaa, which has a while longer before it goes away. Prior to that, I got my first DGA screener for something called Passing, which I got halfway through and which I’m not sure I’m liking much, although the two lead actresses are good. It’s directed by Rebecca Hall, an actress that I’ve seen in quite a few movies and yet I have no memory of her in any of them, which is odd. Now she’s moved to writing and directing and this is her debut film. Of course, her daddy was a pretty well-known director named Peter Hall. The story is based on a novel about black women passing for white in long ago time – it looks like the thirties to me, but it’s actually hard to tell. It feels more like a play than a movie – extended talking scenes with two people are frequent. It’s shot in black-and-white and in the old Academy aspect ratio – that’s a cute idea but, you know, it seems rather like “Look how clever I am.” We’ll see how the rest of it is – it’s gotten raves from most critics, not that that means anything. Otherwise, it was a short day for reasons you’re about to find out.
Yesterday was a short day for reasons you’re about to find out. Once again, I woke up after two hours of sleep and was up for two hours – that’s becoming truly irritating. Then back to sleep around seven and not up again until two in the afternoon – so, nine hours of sleep, which I really needed. Once up, I had to hurry and answer e-mails, then hurried to the mail place for some packages, then hurried to Panda Express for food – almond chicken and orange chicken and white rice – hurried home and hurriedly ate the food whilst writing what I needed to write prior to the Zoom session, which got pushed to four-fifteen.
Then we had our Zoom session, I read through his stuff, and he read through mine, then we discussed the next four sequences, two of which he’ll write and two of which I’ll write – when those are completed, we’ll be one-third of the way through. We’re both having fun. And, of course, we’d like to have the sweet smell of success with this project, and funnily I’m now listening to Elmer Bernstein’s great score to – Sweet Smell of Success.
After that, I had some telephonic calls, I posted about the holiday show and sent out my own eBlast for it, although even that’s become really difficult, because a good majority of the saved e-mail addresses in my AOL mail account are now not there and I have to search them to find them and who can remember who I send these things to. Really irritating. Then I watched the first half of Passing before passing on watching the second half until later, perhaps even tonight after I post these here notes.
Then I did a quick Ralph’s run – they have a great soft drink sale going on four twelve-packs for eleven bucks. The only problem is – no Diet Coke in cans. Apparently, some idiot on the Internet started spreading rumors that there was a Diet Coke shortage and so everyone and their mother immediately went out and cleaned the shelves of all Diet Coke in cans – that’s what these hoarders do, and I find it noxious and ridiculous. There’s no shortage, just nincompoops. So, the same sale applied to the mini-plastic bottles which come eight to a pack, so I bought four of those and that will get me through until the cans come back in stock. I also got a little salad for my evening snack, and a small thing of pumpkin pie. I came home and ate the salad, which was fine, and then the pumpkin pie, also fine. And the rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll eat (I got stuff for today’s meal at Ralph’s), I’ll do some writing and get that out of the way, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same and some meetings and meals, then an opening night on Friday. I’ve asked to be excused from the Thanksgiving dinner – just can’t chance that long a drive with the motor car, plus the ongoing horrible allergies, plus my tummy issues, which probably has to do with age and digestion and I’m going to have to just lay off certain foods, I think. Anyway, I think the person who invited me is not so happy about it, as someone else he invited is also pulling out. I’m just not fun to be around if I’m having these issues.
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 whatever needs doing, hopefully pick up some packages, eat, do some writing, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What do you suppose is the album or CD you’ve played the most? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland hoping that I soon won’t be Nauseous in the Valley of the Oaks of Sherman.