Well, dear readers, I needed me a little pep me up, a little mood lightener owing to no modern major miracles and some stressful things causing stress, so yes, I needed me a pep me up, so I watched a motion picture that always peps me right up, a motion picture that has something in common with my current age – 76 – yes, trombones, yes, The Music Man, yes, One Grecian Urn, yes, ya wild kid, ya, yes, you watch your phraseology, yes, ye gods, yes, great honk, yes, what Elinor Glyn’s mother reads is her problem, yes, it’s a smutty book, yes, ya got trouble, yes, not on your tintype, yes, BALzac, yes, I’ve been using the think system on you, yes, I always think there’s a band, kid, yes, some of the most quotable dialogue ever written for a musical, yes, one of the all-time best stage to screen musicals, yes, yes, yes. I laughed, I cried, I sang along, I clapped for everyone during the “curtain call” at the end. It pepped me up and for that I was gratefully grateful. Otherwise, it was a long day – up at nine-thirty after eight hours of sleep, shaved and showered by ten-thirty, out the door fifteen minutes later. I put gas in the motor car, then headed out to Arcadia and the Arboretum. Thankfully, there was not a speck of traffic the entire way. I didn’t quite realize how close it was to Pasadena – just a handful of off-ramps later and right after the Sierra Madre off-ramp I use when I see shows at the playhouse there. I found parking easily and I was escorted to the library and shown around. That’s who our holiday show is benefitting. I met quite a few people, our sound guy arrived, and we moseyed on over to the hall where we’ll be performing. We figured out where the cast would hang between numbers, where they’d change and get ready, and it should all work out nicely. I know that they’re working on having some decent front lighting for us. I didn’t really get a chance to tour the Arboretum – after all, it’s 127-acres. Anyway, what I saw was very pretty. I wanted to be back on the freeway by one-thirty, but I actually got out of there at one. As irony would have it, even though the on-ramp to the freeway was three minutes from there, I still didn’t get on the freeway until one-thirty. I could’ve lived without the irony, frankly.
When I got to the on-ramp for the 210-west, it was closed, blocked, couldn’t use it. So, I went to the next block, Foothill, which I knew would lead me to the next on-ramp a mile away. It did – that on-ramp was also blocked and closed. I continued to the next on-ramp, which was also blocked and closed. At that point, I wanted to block and close someone, whoever was causing the problem. I actually had two choices – my usual go-to choice of going berserk or to open the GPS and say “Home” and let the chips fall where they may. I chose the latter option, and the GPS bypassed all the on-ramps until the very last one in Pasadena at Orange Grove Boulevard – which I arrived at precisely at one-thirty. Something must’ve been going on but I have no idea what. Thankfully, things zoomed along after that. I stopped at the mail place – nothing there – so I came home only to find out that something WAS there, so I went back and got it. Then I had a BLTA with fries from Paty’s – very good and for some reason, really filling. I had a nice e-mail from Doug Haverty about the four songs playlet – he loved the songs and sent it on to his artistic council. We also had a nice telephonic conversation. Then I watched the movie and pepped up a bit from the stressful stress. I had a couple of low-calorie hot dogs for my snack, and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I have to type up some thoughts about the play I read and get those sent off, then I have to finish reading the play I’m mentoring and those notes. I’ll eat something amusing at some point, still pray for a modern major miracle, deal with some texts I’d prefer not dealing with, and then at some point, watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow and the weekend will be finishing up stuff for the holiday show and getting everyone their music, and once that’s done, then I can have a ME day.
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, type up some thoughts, finish reading another play, get those notes organized and sent, eat, pray for a modern major miracle, deal with texts, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite movie musicals – both adapted from the stage and original? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a pepper upper.