Well, dear readers, this here iMac computer, which I bought in 2015 and has served me through so many things, including about ten books, has just about had it, I think. I can’t wait much longer because if it crashes, I could lose everything and I don’t wish to lose everything, although I THINK all the important stuff is in the Cloud. Yesterday, for example, nothing worked properly – everything was like moving through sludge, with the spinning wheel occurring over and over again. Documents wouldn’t open easily, mail was ridiculous and somehow about six years’ worth of e-mails, from 2012 to 2018 just disappeared from the inbox. I have no idea how that happened but it’s ridic. Thankfully, all those e-mails are still on the AOL server, but still, really scary stuff. It finally got so bad that I just manually shut it down and restarted it. When it finally loaded everything, it was better – not smooth, but definitely better. I simply have to get a new computer. There are only two options: Get the new Mac Mini with 1TB of storge for about $1400, but then you have to get a monitor and if you want an Apple monitor it’s another 1500 bucks. That’s just nutty to me. I know you can get the cheaper Mac Mini for $599 but it’s only 256 gigs of storage and that would be gone the minute I began bringing everything over. I’ve watched quite a few videos about using an external drive for everything, but I actually hate that idea. And you still need a monitor. The other more logical option is to get the new iMac 24” M4. When you upgrade to 1TB, it’s around $2200 and while it’s downsizing from my 27” monitor, it’s become clear that Apple isn’t going to make the iMac available in that size. The all-in-one has everything you need – great monitor, really advanced camera for stuff you need to do online that requires you to be on video, and even though I have great Audio Engine speakers, this comes with really good sound. The old iMacs like the one I have had horrible sound and a terrible camera. The M4 chip is supposed to be amazing – with everything working very fast. Plus it has the new USB ports and Thunderbolt ports for really fast data transfer. Anyway, if someone would like to send me one, I’d gladly accept it. I like the green color best. And that’s THAT story. I watched no motion picture last night – I have a couple of streaming screeners to watch but the two I’m interested in don’t work on the Firestick, so I have to watch them on the computer, which I don’t love. I basically just sat around in the evening, started a movie called Bottom of the Bottle, a Fox Cinemascope film from the mid-1950s starring Joseph Cotton, Van Johnson, Ruth Roman, Jack Carson, and others. I’m interested in it because it’s based on a novel by Georges Simenon. I’ll see if I can get into it a bit more than I have.
Earlier, I got almost eight hours of sleep. I needed more, but the construction was in full swing so that wasn’t going to happen. I got up, answered e-mails, went to Gelson’s, who still don’t have the soup I like, and I think I just have to go to the Studio City branch from now on, even though mine is only three minutes away. I ended up with a bit of stuffing, and then two hamburger patties and buns and shredded lettuce, oh my. I came home, had the bit of stuffing, then made one burger, because unlike the Studio City Gelson’s, who has thin burger patties that are really easy to cook, these two were a half a pound each, way too big and too thick for the buns, so I didn’t really enjoy it all that much. I may just toss the other patty, or if I decide to make it, I’ll cut it into two four-ounce patties. After that, I had some telephonic conversations, am still on the hunt for a damn set designer, which is causing me stress, found out that the lovelier than lovely Marvin Laird, composer of Ruthless passed away – we had so much fun making that album and he was funny and a true gentleman. And if you want to know just how low Variety has sunk, check out this line from Marvin’s obituary in that rag: Among the most notable Broadway shows he conducted are “Annie” “Get Your Gun,” “Gipsy” – I kid you not. I need to pull out my cast album of Get Your Gun, an early version of Assassins. Variety should really give up the ghost. And that was about it for the day and evening.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll decide whether to have two burgers or to bring something in – I feel that I should not be wasteful of food or money, so it may be burgers again. We shall see. I’ll check with the mail place to see if anyone has sent me a new computer, but basically, I’ll just rest my voice and watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow is our second Kritzerland rehearsal starting at three, Saturday is our stumble-through in the afternoon, and prior to that I’ll be checking out the progress of the set-up for the show via texts and photos, then after the stumble-through I’ll rest my voice, Sunday I’ll arrive at the Arboretum at ten-thirty and check out the sound sound set-up, figure out where I’m sitting, do a sound check, and then we do the show at two o’clock. After, there’s a thing Adrienne Stiefel is doing for our birthdays, so I’ll go to that for a short time, and then a few friends and I will convene for a birthday dinner.
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, decide on food, check with the mail place, rest my voice, and watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are the best burgers you’ve ever had, what are your favorite fast-food burgers, for our vegetarians, what are your favorite veggie or Impossible burgers, and do you make burgers at home? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall dream of a new green iMac M4 with 1TB of storage.