Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Mozart with an M conducted by Bruno with a B, and it’s all very lovely but I’m never going to love this music and that’s all there is to it. I like some of the tunes, certainly, but it just doesn’t “get” to me. Of the old guard, I do like Johann Sebastian whats-his-name – Bach. I suppose it’s a failing in me, but at least I can appreciate it from afar and I’ll keep listening, but I’m looking to some other music in this marvelous set – more Dvorak, more Mahler, and those kinds of folks. A lot of what’s coming up in the set are Walter’s stereo redos of his mono stuff. And one for Mahler. I’ll drink to that. Otherwise, I’m pondering when this world will get back to being a place in which it’s fun to live because I am surely bored of what’s been transpiring since March. I don’t like a world in which you can’t smile because your face is covered up to your eyeballs. But people are in that mode, the wear your effing mask mode. I understand the necessity when near people or in stores, but I am sorely tired of these Facebook types and their wear an effing mask. I’m tired of the media exploiting nothing but doom and gloom, fear and hysteria. I’m tired of the ever-changing stories and numbers. Let’s face it – I’m tired. What am I, Madeline Kahn all of a sudden? Meanwhile, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik has begun – talk about famous tunes and a perfect title – A Little Night Music. Why do I feel like getting up and doing a minuet when I hear Mozart? I’m doing a minuet as I type these here notes, but I only do it for a minute, since minute is minuet rearranged by some wise guy. I’m sure I had a point when I began writing this paragraph, but whatever that point was, it has gone the way of the dodo bird. In other news, it’s no fun doing a minuet for even a minute when you’re doing it alone.
Yesterday wasn’t much of a day, really. I was up at nine after five-and-a-half hours of sleep, answered e-mails, did a few things that needed doing, then got back in bed, fell back asleep around eleven and slept another two hours, so almost eight hours. Once back up, I had a lot to catch up on, did more work on the computer, had some telephonic conversations, and then around three I ordered food from a local Mexican jernt called La Fogata, a favorite of Muse Margaret. I had two beef tacos and two little chicken taquitos. Calorie-friendly as can be and very tasty. No beans, no rice, nothing extraneously extraneous, just the basics.
After that, I had a little work session with Richard Allen, our musical director, finished that, answered more e-mails, and then finally sat on my couch like so much fish.
I put the Thriller set away and watched the first half of a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled The Pink Panther, starring Robert Wagner, David Niven, Claudia Cardinale, Capucine, and Peter Sellers. This film was a huge hit when it came out and everyone loved Peter Sellers and his character of Inspector Clouseau. But the entire concoction was fun, the main titles got many laughs, which was not something that had ever happened before in a film, and the cast was perfection. Nowadays, people seeing it for the first time hate it. They find it boring and unfunny. Why? Because they only know the post-Pink Panther films where Sellers was the lead, and everything was designed around that. In The Pink Panther, Sellers is a co-star and not the motor of the film, and so people are baffled and confused by the film, instead of just enjoying it for what it is – an old-fashioned comedy with a great score and some fun moments. The transfer is odd – first of all, the color is fine and it’s relatively sharp. What almost 100% of the reviews when it came out failed to mention is that the image is a little squeezed so that everyone is thinner than they should be. It’s noticeable in the very first shot after the credits and shame on whoever didn’t notice it. It’s amazing to me that MGM/UA simply does not care about their films. This film was shot in eight-perf Technirama (think VistaVision) – but they couldn’t be bothered to use that as the basis for the transfer, which would have resulted in a stunning image. Instead, they used a standard 35mm interpositive and then whoever did the transfer either wasn’t watching it or is too dumb to notice they had a problem. I’ll finish it up tonight.
After that, I took a drive to the Rite-Aid and got more Claritin-D (thankfully, they had the twenty-four-hour kind), some Chapstick, and they were having a sale on Diet Coke – no caffeine free, of course. I got three of the regular Diet Coke, the sale being pay for two get one free. I came home, continued listening to music, danced a one-minute minuet and then listened to some Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.
Today is a busy day. I’ll be up by eleven at the latest, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and then we have our Zoom rehearsals beginning at three and those go until five-thirty. Then I’ll eat, and then watch, listen, and relax.
Tomorrow and Sunday are unknown to me other than I’m aware that they’re Saturday and Sunday. It’s good to be aware of the days of the week, although during this crazy time it IS hard to keep track sometimes. Next week, we begin gearing up for the August 9 Kritzerland show, so that will be fun, plus I’m already putting out asks for guest stars for the big September anniversary show.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven at the latest, do whatever needs doing, hopefully pick up packages, have Zoom rehearsals, eat, then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, more Bruno with a B. Blu-ray, The Pink Panther. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I listen to Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.