Well, dear readers, as I sit here listening to the last of the Louis Lane albums, two ballets by William Walton courtesy of Bach and Scarlatti, which are also the names of my accountants – The Wise Virgins and The Good-Humored Ladies – of course, he could have easily combined these into one ballet entitled The Good-Humored Ladies Who Were Wise Virgins – I’ve known several wise virgins over the years and I, myself, was once a wise virgin but I am straying from the point – as I sit here listening to these two Good-Humored Virgins Who Were Wise, I am stuffed to the gills. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I am stuffed to the gills, due to eating a rather large meal at the birthday partay for David Wechter. There were eleven of us in attendance and it was a lively affair. We were at Valley Inn, a nearby jernt that could be thought of as the Sherman Oaks version of the Smoke House. I had a dinner salad with great thousand island dressing and for the main course a big ol’ slab o’ prime rib. I have to say it was big. There was no mistaking the bigness of the prime rip and yet I ate it all and it was pretty great. It came with some steamed vegetables and a small scoop of mashed potatoes. For dessert, three of us shared a hot fudge sundae that was quite tasty – not C.C. Brown’s tasty, but tasty. The only alarming thing about the dinner was that there were so few people in the restaurant – you used to not be able to get in without a wait. I think there were two or three tables occupied in the entire jernt, which is quite roomy. Our partay was in a private room at the back of the restaurant. Anyway, a good time was had by all and by all a good time was had. And how, I am stuffed to the gills whilst some wise virgins are having a Walton/Bach musical escapade. This has been the most delightful fourteen-CD set, every CD a winner. Methinks that Mr. Lane is a very underrated and mostly unknown conductor, which, given these wonderful performances, is a real shame – not a false shame, mind you, but a real shame. Earlier and then later, I did watch thirty minutes of a motion picture from 1957 entitled The Tattered Dress, starring Mr. Jeff Chandler, he of the stoic countenance and square jaw. I always found Mr. Chandler odd-looking and kind of a weird actor, and yet he was Universal’s biggest star for a time. He died very young at 42 in 1961 due to botched medical surgeries. He was also a good singer and released several albums. In fact, had he lived, he would have been a very good stage Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl.
Prior to all that, I got ten hours of excellent sleep. Once up, I answered e-mails, did a few things on the computer, and then shaved and showered. At three-thirty, David and I had a brief telephonic call, and then I just relaxed until it was time to mosey on over to Valley Inn. The rest you know and here we are, stuffed to the damn gills.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll gather up whatever’s at the mail place, which will hopefully include the residual, then I have some work to do on the Kritzerland show, I’ll eat something light but amusing and not ordered via DoorDash, I’ll have a few telephonic conversations, and then I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, a work session for the Kritzerland show, various and sundried meetings and meals, trying to set a musical director for the show I’ll be directing early next year, and then doing whatever else needs doing.
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, go to the mail place, do some work on the Kritzerland show, eat, have some telephonic conversations, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: For our meat eaters: What are your favorite kinds of meals involving meat? For our vegetarians, what are your favorite kinds of meals involving non-meat? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a wonderful meal but hoping the stuffed to the gills feeling will abate soon.