Well, dear readers, I have breaking bombshell news for you: It is Thanksgiving. And I, for one, am giving thanks right here and now as well as now and here, for the good stuff, the positive stuff. There is plenty not to give thanks for this year, but I always like to think the good outweighs the bad. Of course, I outweigh both the good and the bad as well as the ugly, but that’s another story. But today is the day we eat turkey and stuffing and cranberries and candied yams and mashed potatoes – some also eat ham chunks, but I’m not one of them. I won’t be having Thanksgiving dinner until eight-thirty, when I’ll join Robert Yacko for a fine dining experience. While the restaurant we’re going to does have some of their regular dishes on the menu, I think traditional is the way to go, don’t you? I will tell you that hard as I tried, I watched nothing – well, I watched most of an English comedy from 1954 entitled The Million Pound Note, a whimsical comedy of whimsy. Gregory Peck is the star, and the supporting cast is filled with fine British character people, including Ronald Squire (you’d know him instantly), Wilfrid Hyde-White, Joyce Greenfell, Maurice Denham, a very young Bryan Forbes, Hugh Griffith, Laurence Naismith, and more. It’s directed by the wonderful Ronald Neame, photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth, edited by future director Clive Donner, with a score by William Alwyn. It’s adapted from a Mark Twain story. I enjoyed it, but its whimsy wears a little thin despite the short run time of 87-minutes. But you can’t really go wrong with a cast of players like that, and Peck is really charming in it. I’d never even heard of it. Otherwise, it was a heavy listening day, mostly to soundtracks I hadn’t even opened. Most of them weren’t to my liking, but I’m glad I heard them.
Yesterday was okay. I got nine hours of sleep, which was nice, answered e-mails, had several telephonic conversations, then ordered my little pepperoni pizza via DoorDash. That jernt is literally five minutes from here, if that. And yet, the schedulers at DoorDash had him pick up my order, then, instead of coming here, they had him go seven MILES in the other direction, to Tarzana. He made several stops. The pizza finally arrived thirty minutes later, ice cold as I knew it would be. I’d already gotten a complete refund and ordered it again. This time, it arrived in five minutes and was nice and hot and pretty good.
I did a few things on the computer, then watched the whimsical movie. Filled with whimsy, I skipped around the house barefoot like a faerie sprite. I would have had a Sprite whilst doing so, but I only had 7-Up. And now, I am listening to some Billy Goldenberg TV music – Ghost Story/Circle of Fear right now. We love Billy Goldenberg and I’ve got about thirty CDs of all his never-released TV and film music.
There were a couple of small irritants but I decided not to let them irritate me. I did not leave the house because I knew it would be madness on the roads.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll just relax and watch stuff and then I’ll get ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Perhaps I’ll take some photographs and share them. I think you dear readers should do exactly that and share them here. That will give us visual proof and be delightful. When I get home, I’ll listen and relax.
Tomorrow, I’m not going anywhere because it will be absolute madness. Saturday, I’ll probably go to the mail place and see if anything’s there, but I actually might try to go tomorrow because maybe people will be out of town, or shopping for Black Friday, or recovering from the overeating. Saturday is our first Kritzerland rehearsal – we go from three to about six – Sunday we have one thirty-minute rehearsal in the morning, then the day is mine for adjusting commentary and making book notes, Monday is our second rehearsal, Tuesday I rest, Wednesday is our stumble-through, and then Thursday we do our final show at Vitello’s.
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, relax and watch stuff, get ready, have a nice Thanksgiving dining adventure with accompanying photographs, then I’ll come home and listen and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Thanksgiving memories? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, giving thanks for Thanksgiving.