Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry for she of the Evil Eye will be here all too soon and I must get as much sleep as I can before arising at eight-thirty to let her do her thing. Right now, I’m doing my thing, listening to a favorite album entitled Motions and Emotions with Oscar Peterson on piano with his trio, with the enticing orchestrations of Claus Ogerman. It was on the MPS label, a label known for brilliant recorded sound and their sound is indeed amazing on every recording I’ve heard and I’ve heard most of ‘em. It’s a wonderful collection of tunes by Mancini, Jimmy Webb, Bacharach and David, The Beatles, Jobim – you know, those people. Ogerman, as dear readers of these here notes know, is a hero of mine, one of my idols, and someone who’s work I’ve been crazy about since my discovery of him with the Bill Evans and Symphony Orchestra album. One of my great joys was conversing with him when Bay Cities released an album of his, after I wrote him out of the blue and he called me. We corresponded several times and I have those wonderful letters still. If you’ve never heard this incredible album of Mr. Peterson and Mr. Ogerman, I’m sure it’s on the Tube of You. In fact, let’s just check on that, shall we? It is, in full. Prior to listening, I watched, specifically two motion pictures written and directed by Mr. David Mamet. The first motion picture is one I’ve seen several times but always enjoy – House of Games. In fact, I don’t think Mamet has ever topped it and that may be because it was so fresh at the time. I’ve enjoyed other Mamet films, but after a while we’re onto the con and can see what’s coming. Joe Mantegna and Lindsay Crouse somehow manage to do the Mamet-speak convincingly – I mean, no one on the planet Earth actually talks the way he writes, probably not even Mamet himself. I never quite remember how things go down in this film, which is why I always end up enjoying it. I’m not sure if I ever saw the second film I watched, Homicide, also with Joe Mantegna, and William H. Macy. Some of its themes are sadly still very timely (antisemitism), but in the end it goes off on a lot of different tangents and never really satisfies in its storytelling, at least not for me. All the actors are excellent, though.
Yesterday was uneventful, and I’ll take that rather than irritating. I didn’t really fall asleep until around five and then woke up at six and was up until nine, then slept from nine to two, so I think that was around six hours of sleep. Once up, I answered a LOT of e-mails, had some telephonic conversations, did some cleaning up, then went to the nearby branch of my bank and made an ATM deposit in the ATM, which I find is always the best place to make an ATM deposit. I came right home. I decided to try a package of those Velveeta shell things. I boiled the shells, then stirred in the cheese sauce. It was kind of gross and I only ate a tiny bit before tossing it. When I was a child, I really liked Velveeta cheese, but I think those days are gone with the wind. Then I ordered a chili cheeseburger and chili fries from Tommy’s Original Burgers. That arrived about twenty-five minutes later. The burger was a little messy, as you might imagine, but it was certainly decent – their chili is a little spicy for my taste. The chili fries weren’t that good and I only at less than half of them. By that time, the day was done and done was the day, whichever way you looked at it and I looked at it askance.
Before I continue, I forgot to post these two photographs. First, our merry troupe. Second, the ubiquitous photo of Richard Sherman and li’l ol’ me.
Today, I’ll be up by eight-thirty and out the door by nine. I’ll go somewhere and have a breakfast, then I’ll pick up some packages, do a quick Gelson’s run and anything else that needs doing, and then I’ll come home and I think the rest of the day can be a ME day. I’m thinking I’ll have a little salad for my evening snack, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow will be more of the same and then we’re into the birthday week, which I’m praying will be a decent week and that some major miracle shows up because I’m not sure I can even make it to the birthday. What a crazy year this has been and I know it’s been that way for many of you dear readers, too.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eight-thirty and out the door by nine, have a breakfast, hopefully pick up packages, do a quick Gelson’s run, come home, and then at some point watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite plays and films of David Mamet? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had an uneventful day with no events.