Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to the soundtrack to Alain Resnais’ lovely motion picture entitled Stavisky, which just happens to have a score by someone named Stephen Sondheim. I happened to be be in New York rehearsing for the TV version of Forget-Me-Not Lane and I went to see it when I was off one afternoon. I really liked the movie a lot and I went gaga for the score. At the time, no one knew that Sondheim had recycled a few Follies cut songs for pastiche moments in the film. But his other themes were just wonderful, especially the main theme. It was orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick, and the only downside was a less that great band. Well, I had to have the soundtrack album and the end titles said there was one. Of course, none of the regular stores carried those kinds of imports, but I knew of one store in the 40s, between Fifth and Sixth if memory serves – I’d bought some nice classical imports there back in 1969. So, I instantly walked over there and surprise of surprises, they’d literally just gotten it in that morning. I snapped it right up but then had to wait until I got home a couple of weeks later to actually play it. And even then, I couldn’t because we moved to a new house in the Oaks of Sherman, where I finally unwrapped it and played it for the next two months every day. I have somewhere the old Image DVD but who knows what it is. It’s out on Blu-ray in Germany, Spain, France, and Japan – but no English subtitles. One wonders why Kino or Criterion doesn’t grab it. Anyway, it’s still enjoyable after all these years. I did make an attempt to watch the latest Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon. I made it to thirty minutes and knowing there was three hours MORE of it, well, that was it for the likes of me. As to the rest of the day and evening – I got nine hours of good sleep again, got up, answered a lot of e-mails, ordered a turkey sandwich from the Beverly Glen Deli and that arrived pretty quickly. I ate half and saved the other half for later. I listed two items, animation cels from Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, Kiki’s Delivery Service. The eBay prices are nuts – some going for over ten grand, some lesser ones for slightly under a grand. One of mine is the only one on eBay with not only Kiki but JoJo the cat. I listed them at reasonable prices with Make Offer enabled. That was all I could do. I dozed off for a bit, made an Instacart order because I had a credit – just got fruit from Gelson’s – cantaloupe and honeydew chunks, green grapes, and apples. Fruit makes a nice snack. Later, I had the second half of the sandwich. That wasn’t enough to eat for a whole day, so I made two tacos – just about three ounces of meat – that was good. I had four cantaloupe chunks, too. And I’ll have some grapes as soon as I finish writing these here notes, and then I can take pill three. And oops, forgot that today was the eight pill day, so I’d best do those too, right now, in fact. There, eight pills taken. Whew. Other than a few irritating YouTube videos, that was about it.
Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I think we’ll put up my friend’s book on Amazon as a softcover and see how that goes, then I’ll mosey on over to the mail place and see what’s what, I may have another turkey sandwich or maybe even a Subway spicy Eyetalian – we shall see. Then I’ll come home and keep resting and hoping this shortness of breath crap goes away soon. Yesterday was a little better – not much – but we’ll take what we can get. Then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is approving the final set design, trying to finish casting, but mostly just resting and sleeping – I think that’s just what I need.
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, put up the softcover on Amazon, go to the mail place, maybe get Subway for food – haven’t had it in ages – if not, another turkey sandwich – then home, eat, and just rest and doze and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Studio Ghibli anime movies of Miyazaki? Mine are Kiki’s, My Neighbor Tortoro, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away, and Porco Rosso. Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping I get more good sleep, sleepyhead.