Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Mr. Eugene Ormandy conduct Mr. Norman Dello Joio’s marvelous score for the CBS documentary program Air Power. Wonderful stuff in wonderful Columbia stereophonic sound. Otherwise, I’m so conflicted about which of my three ideas for the 2023 book to write. Haven’t been able to get hold of Muse Margaret to see which she responds to most. Every time I think I know which way to go, one of the other ideas keeps tugging at me. I’ve written short openings for the two fiction ideas – the third idea is non-fiction and would actually be the easiest to write. And of the two fiction ideas, one would be easier to write than the other since it’s something I’m very familiar. But part of me wants to do something unfamiliar, to go where no BK has gone before. So, I keep making notes and keep waffling. Perhaps I should be pancaking instead of waffling? I did watch a new motion picture produced by the Flix of Net and a real piece of Oscar click-bait, which is precisely why they’re releasing it now. It’s based on a book, something the wags call postmodern literature – Don DeLillo’s White Noise. The movie is written and directed by Noah Baumbach, so is certainly a filmmaker I have little tolerance for. This film did nothing to change that. The actors are not my favorites either – Greta Gerwig and Adam Driver, and the film is wall-to-wall talking and where every character sounds the same. Verbose, writerly writing and, for me, that becomes tiresome very quickly. It’s cutesy, it hammers its points home with a jackhammer, and more than two hours of it was about ninety minutes too much for me. On the other hand, I didn’t turn it off. Apparently, the last thirty minutes veer from whatever the book is, but I wouldn’t know about that because I pretty much don’t like postmodern anything except for Kurt Vonnegut, who I gather was one of the authors for whom that term was termed. Knowing the Academy, they might just nominate this for a few awards. After that I watched the first hour of a thriller from 2009 film entitled State of Play. I think I stayed away from it because the title made me think it had something to do with war, like a war movie. But that’s not what it is at all. I’m enjoying it, despite its being a paint-by-numbers story. The cast is good – Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Helen Mirren, and Rachel McAdams are the leads. It’s paced well so far although I could live without some of the shakycam BS. I’ll finish it after I finish these here notes, which won’t be long from now.
Yesterday had its nice moments. I got seven hours of not quite enough sleep, got up, got myself semi-presentable, then moseyed on over the hill (zero traffic) and met our own dear reader Jeanne at a West LA jernt we like called Louise’s Trattoria. We had a lovelier than lovely luncheon and were the only ones in the jernt. I’ve always had their pappardelle with spicy Eyetalian sausage, but the way my tummy has been recently, I’m trying not to do spicy – so, they allowed me to have two meatballs rather than the sausage. That worked perfectly and it was wonderful. Jeanne had pasta primavera and didn’t finish it, taking half home. I, on the other hand, am always a member of the clean plate club. She had some minestrone soup to start, and I had their small starter salad, which was very good. Conversation was sparkly. It only too me twenty minutes to get there and twenty minutes to get home. I must say that that stretch of Pico Boulevard from Beverly Glen to Overland is almost unchanged – yes, maybe a new building or two, but no high rise buildings at all, not even a two-story building and most of the buildings have been there for fifty years or more. It’s like going back in time, actually.
Once home, I did a few things on the computer and then watched the first movie. I did need a snack after the movie, so I got a steamed artichoke from Stanley’s, melted some butter, and that was my snack. I do like a good artichoke every now and then. Then I began watching State of Play and here we are, in a state of play.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll choose more songs and start getting the kids their music so they have plenty of time to learn and get used to it, I’ll hopefully have a telephonic conversation with Muse Margaret, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, I’ll keep hoping for major miracles (we’ve had a couple of smaller ones), I’ll eat something reasonably reasonable, and then at some point I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same and I’m going to try and make a concert this weekend if I can find someone to go with. And I’ll hopefully see the first cut of episode four.
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, choose more songs and gather up music to send, hopefully converse with Muse Margaret, hopefully pick up packages, hope for major miracles, eat, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What were your favorite films of 2022? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as I continue to waffle and pancake about which book to write.