Well, dear readers, this month is flying by, like a gazelle doing the Twist whilst playing Parcheesi. Does anyone still play Parcheesi? Does anyone still wear a hat whilst playing Parcheesi? I know we had Parcheesi when I was a tad of a lad of a twig of a sprig of a youth, but I’m not sure we ever actually played it. Otherwise, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Mr. Quincy Jones’ delightfully delightful soundtrack to a motion picture entitled Walk, Don’t Run, which I saw back in the day and enjoyed but have not seen since. It was Mr. Cary Grant’s final film. It also starred Jim Hutton and Samantha Eggar. It’s got a Mancini vibe, the score, but it’s very tuneful and features whistling by the one and only Toots Thielemans. I’m also writing these here notes early because I have to do a CVS run at eleven-thirty and so want to have them done in advance of that. And now, Toots has stopped whistling and is playing the harmonica, which no one has ever played better. He also plays a pretty great guitar. The other players on this album are nothing to sneeze at either – Harry “Sweets’ Edison on trumpet, Bud Shank on reeds, Earl Palmer on drums, Carol Kaye on electric bass, Emil Richards on percussion, and orchestrations by Shuken and Hayes. Lyrics to the two main themes were by – Peggy Lee. It’s a very happy soundtrack and quite a bit of fun to listen to. It puts one in a positive frame of mind, it makes one want to get up and dance around one’s home, it makes one want to go out in the street and eat a sticky bun. Prior to all that, I tried watching a motion picture on the Flix of Net entitled Earthquake Bird, based on a novel entitled Earthquake Bird. It’s called a psychological thriller, but thus far, thirty minutes in, there have been no thrills nor nothing psychological. It looks nice, and I like it’s leading lady, Alicia Vikander, but it’s slow going and I got antsy and shut it off. I’ll try to finish it this very evening.
Yesterday was perfectly okay as days go. I got eight hours of sleep, arising at eleven. I answered a lot of e-mails, got dressed, and then moseyed on over to the mail place to pick up two important envelopes. Unfortunately, the most important envelope was in absentia, but the less important envelope was there. I came home and made bagel, lox, and cream cheese sandwiches and ate them. Then I called the mail place at two and thankfully the important envelope had just arrived, so I drove back there, got it, then went to the bank and cashed it. That took exactly three minutes. I decided not to try and deposit it today because my bank is just too crowded on the first.
I came back home, did a few things that needed doing, checked in on the screenplay with David Wechter – he’s still trudging away making cuts and adjusting things. I rewrote a little sequence he was struggling with. Around six-thirty I had a small Philly cheesesteak sandwich for my evening snack. It was pretty good, from a chain called Charley’s Cheesesteaks. Then I tried watching the movie, and the rest you know.
Today, I’ll be up by noon at the very latest, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’ll eat something light, and then we have our stumble-through. After that, I’ll watch, listen, and relax and rest my voice.
Tomorrow, I’ll relax and rest my voice, then get ready, then mosey on over to Vitello’s for sound check at five, then show is at eight. After, I’m sure some of us will go downstairs for a proper bite to eat. The weekend is mostly for relaxing, and Saturday night I’ll go see the show that just opened at the Group Rep. Then next week we have to cast the two-night staged reading of a play and get that on its feet.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by noon at the very latest, do whatever needs doing, eat something light, have a stumble-through, and then watch, listen, and relax and rest my voice. Today’s topic of discussion: What were your favorite games to play when you were growing up – board games, word games, anything like that. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, but not until I find out exactly what the HELL Parcheesi is.