Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, once again not getting enough sleep for the second night in a row. I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it and I suspect that once I finish the book, it will change. Otherwise, I am listening to the Hollywood String Quartet play the William Walton string quartet – quite excellently excellent. Haven’t heard these in a couple of year now. But let me just get to the meal I had because I wish to rant, oh, yes, I wish to rant. I got one of those 40% off things for Uber Eats. I looked at my past orders and saw I’d had Lucille’s Barbecue – it’s a small chain of higher-end barbecue jernts. I’d had the fried chicken breasts with country gravy, which I’d really liked, some mac-and-cheese, which I remembered liking, and a roll, which I hadn’t cared for. So, I ordered the same thing once I was done with the day’s activities other than writing. The food arrives forty minutes later. The driver doesn’t ring the bell, doesn’t text me, nor am I alerted via e-mail that he’s left the food. The only reason I noticed is because I went to track the delivery and see where he was and it showed as delivered. I went and got it, opened the bag, and saw immediately a box that was way too small for the chicken breasts. I opened it and it was a heinous-looking fried chicken sandwich with wilted lettuce – it was also ice cold. I was quite irritated. So, I called Uber Eats and told them it was the wrong damn food and that I was throwing it in the trash and wanted them to bring what I ordered. He immediately put the money into a wallet on the site so that I could place a new order, which I did, while he was on the phone. Under instructions I wrote, “It would be swell this time if you actually give me what I ordered.” That arrived about forty minutes later, and even though I’d complained about the driver not ringing the bell, texting, or being alerted via e-mail, the same thing happened. Happily, I was on the site and checking, so I got it within a minute of it being dropped on the porch. This time the order was right, although it didn’t really look like what I’d had last time or what was pictured on the site. Here is what is pictured on their site.
What I got was about five shades darker than that. What I got several weeks ago when I first had it is exactly what was in that photograph. It wasn’t really warm enough, so I nuked it for about twenty seconds and that got it to proper warmth. I spooned the gravy on and took a bite. It wasn’t great, not like last time – and then suddenly the spiciness of it kicked in. As I continued to eat the first breast, the spice level grew and grew, and I couldn’t eat the second one. It was, in fact, kind of nauseating and my stomach hasn’t recovered all these hours later. I tried the mac-and-cheese and it was like eating plastic. I threw that out along with everything else. And I will be amending my favorable Yelp review to reflect the horrid experience of yesterday. I have since found out that this “Lucille’s” is located in a strip mall within a Door Dash store, a “ghost kitchen” – which is something they should outlaw – and how Lucille’s is allowing this I will get to the bottom of.
Yesterday was a completely wacky day. I was up at eleven after barely five hours of sleep – so irritating. I answered e-mails, got dressed and ready for the work session at noon o’clock. The work session went really well – our MD is just terrific. Right after she left, I got a call from the lady at Vitello’s. Last week, some singer posted on Facebook that he’d gotten an e-mail saying his show was cancelled because they were shutting down until mid-April. I didn’t quite believe it, since we hadn’t heard a peep and we certainly would have. Well, it turns out what they cancelled were the shows that weren’t selling at all – he left that part out of his Facebook post – hmmm – so, our show is fine as are a couple of other sold out shows. But we do have to reschedule our March event into either April or May – I’m waiting for available dates, although I think they may reassess in a couple of weeks, if cases go down, as they will, if we’ve learned anything from how Omicron has played out elsewhere. A huge surge, then a quick downturn after two or three weeks. Then I went and picked up a couple of packages and came home. Then I finished futzing and finessing, then we had the food drama, I wrote a few new pages, then the second food drama, which my stomach is STILL trying to process, then I had a few telephonic conversations, after which it was already after five. I wrote about seven pages and am in a fun sequence that’s just slow going in terms of writing and trying to get it where the flow is perfect, and the detail is perfect.
Then I had another few telephonic conversations – trying to set the musical director for L.A. Now and Then and a few other things, then, while sitting there after the last call ended, I just fell asleep for about forty minutes. So, then it was back to writing, which I did for the rest of the evening. I still have about three pages to go, and then it’s really the home stretch and the last forty or fifty pages.
Today, I thought I’d be able to sleep in, but nooooo – the handyman is coming back to paint what he had to replaster and make sure what he fixed in the bathroom is fixed. I find it infuriating that I’m given zero warning about this. I was told eight o’clock and I put my foot down and said no – no earlier than nine and that’s too damn early. So, no catching up on sleep this morning or tomorrow morning because she of the Evil Eye is coming. The first time I’ll be able to sleep in is Sunday and by then I hope I’m not sick for all this damn lack of sleep. The day I got twelve hours I felt so much better. And then this. Well, send vibes for no sick BK. While he’s doing his thing, I’ll futz and finesse then try to write new pages, although I really don’t like writing when people are here doing things. It’s hard to concentrate. I need absolute silence around me and no distractions. So, new pages may have to wait until he’s gone. I’ll eat something I know will be good, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and I’ll write new pages, and then more new pages and at some point I may just watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow, I’ll be up by eight-thirty and out of here by nine for she of the Evil Eye. I’ll have a light breakfast somewhere, and then come home and write. I suppose there’s a shot that I just might finish the book – if not, I’ll definitely finish early Sunday, then I’ll get Muse Margaret a PDF and pray that she likes it. And then it’s the Kritzerland rehearsal week, which I’m really looking forward to.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up at nine, futz and finesse, write new pages, eat, hopefully pick up packages, write more new pages, 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, Puccini’s It Trittico. Blu-ray, nothing until I finish the book. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping I have no further food disappointments and downright food disasters.