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[Panni]

Jane - I'm firmly convinced that trying to be a vegetarian in Budapest played a large part in my losing the chance to write a major film. Story follows:
I was a vegetarian for around 8 years. (I started eating meat again about a year ago, but still eat as little  red meat as possible.)
A few years ago, when I was living in Boulder, I got a call from a producer in Canada who asked if I would like to go to Budapest for a long weekend to meet with the Academy Award-winning director, Istvan Szabo. Now that was a no-brainer. To fly First Class to my hometown, all expenses paid, to meet one of my favorite directors. I'm there!
The producer then sent me an 8 hour epic in Hungarian and the literal English translation. This opus, written by Szabo, was what was later to become the film SUNSHINE. What they wanted was to reduce the HUGE three-part film to a normal-sized epic. And they wanted a writer who could work with Szabo in doing this. I was to audition for him in Budapest to see how we got along.
Well, I flew to Budapest and met up with him. It was a dream come true. We drove and walked all over the city together -- he showed me locations he had shot of films I loved. We drank gallons of espresso and talked and talked. Only one thing didn't work. Whenever we'd sit down to eat, which was often, I'd nibble at the salad, the potatoes, the napkins, anything but the meat. There was nothing for me to order. And he would just look at me and say (in Hungarian) "Eat! Why don't you eat?!" I was too embarrassed to tell him that there was nothing on the menu that I wanted, so I would stutter excuses. I could see his disdain growing by the hour. When it was time for me to go home, we said our fond farewells, promised to keep in touch, etc. But I knew I would never see him or hear from him again. If you look the credits of SUNSHINE, you will see that it was written by Israel Horowitz. Who eats meat, I would bet. (And he's not too shabby a writer, but that's neither here nor there.)

[Panni]

An interesting footnote: I discovered in my travels with Szabo - who truly is one of the great European directors - that he couldn't tell left from right.   A rather unfortunate affliction for a director!

[td]

Countless thanks to all the Dear Readers & Moderators who have been thinking good thoughts and sending good vibes to myself and my family.
We are still not out of the woods yet: Dad's sugar still has not stabilized and Mom will have the Hoffman Device on her leg at least through the end of the month.  It's a constant three-ring circus around here - minus the clowns, the music, the sawdust and the FUN.  If I am errant and truant, it only means that I am tending to the homebound, both of whom need lots of care.  In order for me to go to work each day, I must have someone come in to take care of both of them, and sometimes, that just isn't possible.  Thank goodness I work for very, very understanding people - not to mention the compassion of my coworkers and friends.  Basically, I'm a nutcase, which I guess is really nohing new.
Before the media check, I must post personal thanks from MINX THE DOG to certain dear readers who know who they are.  She's ectastically pleased.
I must also personally thank another dear reader for very kindly sending in the clowns just when i needed them.
As to the media:
CD PLAYER: self burned Ahrens & Flaherty Songbook, based on the nice book I bought two weeks ago.
DVD PLAYER:  THE LION KING 1 1/2, ANGEL SEASON THREE (disc two), WISEGUY (Mel Profitt).
VCR:  Wednesday Night's ANGEL.

All my best and brightest vibes to whomsoever needeth them!

Let's see what else.

DSL is great and I even installed my own ethernet card without problems.

MBarnum was handsome in the September photo, I'm sure he's just as handsome now.

TCB , wish I could be there to enjoy a V-Day dinner with you - and any other dear readers who would be welcome.

And, finally, today is the final day of voting for the Rondo Awards, so, you know what to do, and here's where to go to do it:
http://rondoaward.com/

[PennyO]

td - best vibes on the vigil. You are not alone. Not ever.

MBarnum - you can do it, you can conquer this addiction. One step at a time, one moment at a time. Intention sets the miracle in motion. Great health to you, boy!

Panni - hahahahahahaaaaaaaaa!!! Even the carrots are made of pork!!!! hahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa!

Woody and Bruce - check your email. I forwarded the script of Weird Romance to you from David Spencer. And he sent the CD to you, in care of me, in care of the theater. Come an' get it, boys!

[Jane]

Panni, as usual, I enjoyed your story.  I’m hoping the vegetarian situation has changed.  Even in Los Angeles it can be difficult to find good vegetarian dishes if you go to the more traditional restaurants.  I know from all the meals out with my family.

Our son says his food selection in his little town of Tecuci, Romania has improved since he has been there.  He can even buy tofu now.  Over the New Year he went to Budapest and found a Thai restaurant (although it was ridiculously overpriced for the food).

[bk]

Well, I've been through the galley and save for one teeny-tiny little error (that I can live with, as no one would notice it), it seems all correct.  If they can fix the one little error, great, but only if they guarantee me it won't cause any other things to get screwed up.  It shouldn't - it's just a lower-case letter that needs to be a cap, so hopefully they can just go in, do it, and be done.

[Jane]

TD – GOOD VIBES!

[Tomovoz]

DR Jane: Is the Tofu a native animal or Romania or does it only graze on the steppes of Russia?  I am sure I saw a progamme about it's life and mating habits (was it narrated by Lowell Thomas?).

[George]

I've been logged in all day but haven't had any time to read any posts.  I just now started page two.  Anyway, I should at least check in with the media:

currently in my CD player at work:  Cheryl Bentyne's brand new (from Japan but sung in English) CD called "The Lights Still Burn...." (the .... are part of the title).  Before that was the original off-Broadway cast recording of The Prince and the Pauper by Neil Berg, Bernie Garzia and Ray Roderick.  It's not too bad...not too special, either.  

In my DVD player at home:  Chess in Swedish.  I love this.  'nuff said!

In my VCR:  a tape to tape tonight's ABC line-up.  I love Bonnie Hunt.

That's it for now.

[Danise]

Good evening all!

Let me start with a joke I was told today.

An employee calls in to work and tells his supervisor he can't come in to work.  The supervisor asks, "Why not?"  The employee replies, "Because I have Anal Glaucoma."  "Anal Glaucoma?" asks the boss. " Never heard of it.  What is it?" To which the employee says, "I just can't see my butt coming in to work today!"    

I thought it was pretty funny.

And since it's "confession" time, I might as well confess that I haven't started my "diet" yet.  However, the amount of junk I've been consuming has declined over the past few days, but I'm just not "feeling it" yet.  The last time I started a program, I literally woke up one morning, and something in my head said, "This is the day!".  And it was.  I just haven't woke up with that feeling yet.  But my fridge and cupboard are slowly being overtaken with "good foods", so maybe once the "bad foods" are gone...

-Sorry, DR Danise.  It's not even a matter of not trying... or even failing at this point... Like I said, I'm just not feeling it right now.

But I am very proud of your progress so far!  Onward and upward! -Well, downward on the scales and measuring tape!
 

That's ok, Jose.  If your hearts not into it, it won't work for you.  I won't pick on you.  I'll flaunt my skinny self in front of you.  I'll make you feel ten kinds of guilty because it could have been you as well. I'll be the envy of one and all but I won't pick on you for not starting you diet any more.  

I love the SS vs ALW stuff!  Two grown men behaving that way.  Ha!

I have a cable modem.  Roadrunner and I've just finished my first year with the service.  I really like it.  No complaints from me except the price.  Almost $50.00 a month is a bit much.

Continued good vibes to you and your family, TD.  My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours!

DR MBarnum,  The very best of luck and vibes to you!  You CAN do it!  I've never had a cig to my lips but I know how hard it can be to quit.  Just think about how much better your going to feel when some of that junk gets out of your body.  

Jane, thanks for the kind words about my up grade!  We didn't have time to work on it today but my boss wants us to set a day aside next week to get it finished and into the "powers that be" by next FRIDAY!  I'm very happy and proud about it.   I can't go any higher excpet for the title of Manager I.  My boss says  that will come, someday.  I'm not to sure about that.  

I started out as a Secretary.  I never expected to advance this fast.    Wow!  Sorry if I sound stunned but I am!

[Danise]

So Bruce, is it going to be like a scavenger hunt?  Who ever finds the one tiny mistake wins a prize?

[MBarnum]

DR MBarnum (again) - That's a great pic of your mom and dad.  Now we know where your good looks come from.  -Shot gun wedding?  Did I miss something?

Ha! It is a long story Jose! LOL! I was born before my parents got married. They were both married to others when they met on a bowling league...and well, one thing led to another and the birds and the bees and what not. Would have made an interesting Ross Hunter movie! LOL!

[MBarnum]

Have you been there?  What wonderful (vegetarian) foods will I eat?

LOL! No I have never been to Europe at all. Japan is the only overseas country I have visited thus far. I just love food and my favorite thing to do would be to try every unusual food item that I came across! Don't know what there is vegetarian wise, but I am sure there must be some scrumptious non-animal foods!

[MBarnum]

Good luck, MBarnum! I think it's great you "confessed". Now you are no longer alone in trying to quit, but have a whole community of terrific people to support you.

You are so right Panni! A nicer bunch of people couldn't be found! That is partly why I "confessed." I figured the HHW support system might help in making this departure from nicotine a success!  

[Charles Pogue]

Panni, enjoyed your story, which illustrates the virtues of being carnivorous.  Didn't you even eat fish at the time?  When I was in neighbouring Slovakia, there was certainly a lot of pork, but we also had several Italian restaurants, and a couple of Asian restaurants and when you were homesick, you could also go to the K-Mart in downtown Bratislava and next door they had Caesar's pizza next door.  

Oddly enough despite the fact of all that pork and a good caterer and downing Pivos (Beer) with the likes of Pete Postlethwaite, Jason Isaacs, and the British stunt crew, I lost weight like crazy and got down to about 175 lbs. eventually.  Slimmest I had been since college.  I attribute it to be up from five AM to eleven PM every day and stress from watching the movie go awry.

Were you a vegetarian for moral or health reasons?  And what changed your mind?

[MBarnum]

Ok, while I am able to actually find some photos here are a few more of my trip to Los Angeles. Hope you all don't mind, but it was one of the funnest vacations I have ever been on, although the previous trip down when I got to go to Mickey Hargitay's house was a close second.

Here is my good buddy Ron, who always goes with me on my treks to L.A. In this photo he is trying to help me find the handprints of Frances Farmer so that I can snap a shot of them for JRand53. Unfortunately no such prints could be found. Sorry JRand! Oh, well, couldn't find June Kenney's either! LOL!

[MBarnum]

And here Ron and I are with the lovely Laurie "Queen of Outer Space" Mitchell and Diana "foil of the Three Stooges" Darrin at our wonderous luncheon in the Oaks of Sherman! This will be one of the absolute highlights of my life! It was such fun!

[Dan-in-Toronto]

I was a vegetarian for about eight years. When invited to someone's home, I was quite content to eat the side dishes, but I found that some hosts really fretted. We were once invited to friends of Gord's, who announced that they had prepared a special vegetarian meal in my honor. It turned out to be chicken livers. Gord explained politely why I didn't touch the main course (I was usually adept at slipping things on his plate), but the hosts never really understood that liver is meat.

 

[MBarnum]

And here I am at Carolyn Kearney's house. Carolyn as some may know starred in THE THING THAT COULDN'T DIE, HOT ROD GIRL, and DAMN CITIZEN. As well as a Twilight Zone, a Thriller, and a Bonanza, among numerous others! She is the sweetest person you could ever want to meet!

[MBarnum]

Here I am someplace in Hollywood. I forget exactly where, but it must have been just off of Hollywood Blvd. Perhaps one of the L.A. area DRs will know for sure.

[MBarnum]

And last, but not least, my cat Freddy greeting me upon my return home (No doubt wondering why he had to live in the garage for a week!)

Thanks for putting up with my photo gallery. I hope I haven't clogged the arteries of HHW with KBs and JPGs and whatnots! LOL!

[Charles Pogue]

MBarnum, I can't make out enough of the details to know exactly what side street you're on and I know Hollywood Blvd.  and environs pretty well.  I used to live off one of those side streets, Ivar, in the bungalows Nathaniel West wrote about in DAY OF THE LOCUSTS.  Is that a theatre on your right?

[Panni]

Were you a vegetarian for moral or health reasons?  And what changed your mind?

I ate fish at the time, but wasn't in a fishy mood for some reason. Plus, often we sat down for a smaller meal and I didn't want to order a big fish dish.
As for your question, I became a vegetarian sort of by accident! My then husband was going through a major identity crisis and decided to solve it by abandoning producing movies and becoming a Taoist priest. (Perfectly understandable.) This meant that he was on a very strict vegetarian diet (this is a man from Newfoundland who in his younger days heartily ate squirrel and seal). My daughter, who was quite young at the time, thought this was pretty neat - the diet, not the rest of it - and decided to also not eat meat. I had a busy life and was certainly not about to cook two different meals every night.  So I joined them. Within about a year, my husband and I split up and my daughter started eating meat again. But I liked the way I felt not eating meat. I had much more energy and just felt "lighter." So I stayed a vegetarian. Last year, however, I really started craving meat - chicken specifically, so I started eating it again. End of boring story. But you asked.
As for your losing weight on the shoot in Slovakia. Not a surprise. I always lose weight when I go on location - and I really shouldn't lose weight. The stress is enough to kill a horse -- or at least slim one down.

[bk]

Had a scary computer prob about which more tomorrow, but everything is fine now.  Shortly I will be off to see Mr. Ray Bradbury's play at Theater West.

[JMK]

I've been a vegetarian for most of my life, but I've never been to Hungary (although we had a great Czech babysitter for a while who was over here as an exchange student).  We're currently going through "meat education" with our kids, who have starting having school lunches.

Re:  SITPWG.  I want to clarify a couple of things--my qualms are based on the video version, I've never seen the show live, but the whole thing (not just Act I) seems oppressively cold.  I'm sure it's my shortcoming as an audience member, but I did not have this same apathy toward "Passion," which, perhaps not coincidentally, I did see on Broadway.  I certainly have respect for the score (a six week run of "Putting it Together," with that phenomenal title song--which I had to reduce from two pianos to one--almost gave me permanent carpal tunnel syndrome ), I just don't feel myself involved with the characters.  I'll keep working on it.  

[JMK]

liver is meat.

LOL--I can't tell you how many times we've been invited over to someone's house for dinner and when we tell them I'm vegetarian, they'll answer, "Do you eat chicken?"  Ummmm......

[Tomovoz]

Thanks for sharing your photos with us Michael. Vicarious lives we have. A little concerned about Freddy. Did you label his food so he knew which to eat what? I used to tell people that we had our pets "put down" if we were going away for any length of time. It's so easy to get fresh ones on our return and it saves so much money. Somes fools believed it!

[JMK]

In this photo he is trying to help me find the handprints of Frances Farmer so that I can snap a shot of them for JRand53. Unfortunately no such prints could be found.

I don't think FF ever did that--in any case, it probably would have been fist marks!!

[Jane]

Tomovoz – Ha! Ha!

Danise-cute joke.  How long have you worked there?  You should be proud and happy with yourself.

I too have had to go through the list of what I don’t eat.  

[Jane]

Tomovoz I can't believe you tell people that.  How horrible-but I did laugh which just shows how warped my sense of humor is.