November 3, 2009

Reilly (learning that Japan's about to attack Russian territory): "Without a declaration of war?"

Japanese officer: "Our code does not require one."

"Theirs does."

"Very unfortunate--for them."

--Reilly:  Ace of Spies

    Dreamed of the movie Titanic; planning to turn it off when the iceberg struck; trying to translate "He ain't heavy, he's my brother" into French and Spanish. [Google Translate gives "Il n'est pas lourd, c'est mon frere," and "No pesa, es mi hermano."]

    Saw the DVD of Empire of the Air (for the second time), a Ken Burns documentary about the inventors of radio.

    Dinner was lasagna with spinach.

    At opera rehearsal we did the Bell Chorus from Pagliacci, which I already knew from singing it at Coro Verdi.

November 2, 2009

"They crucify spies there [in Siberia]. Not like in Europe"--Reilly:  Ace of Spies

Dreamed of a car being transported by a helicopter with Jackie Kennedy inside; a female Hollywood puppeteer with lots of opinions.

Dinner was stuffed sole, which Moira cooked.  She didn't think much of the result, but I didn't mind it. (Of course, I wouldn't eat the stuffing no matter how good it was.)

At choir practice we started on the Christmas concert and rehearsed the songs we've been singing every December.

November 1, 2009

Nero (to his ex-favourite concubine): "I command you to stop loving me!"--Quo Vadis

Dreamed of snow in August.

Saw the DVD of Mervyn LeRoy's Quo Vadis.  Very long and pretty conventional.

Dinner was roast beef.

Saw the DVD of the first episode of Reilly:  Ace of Spies.  I want to find out how much of it is true. [They took some dramatic licence...]

October 31, 2009

Daughter: "I'm going to California, living with Aunt Flossy and studying art!"

Father: "Art who?"

--Splendor in the Grass

    I was a long time getting to sleep because of my leg, so I took a sleeping pill. [I'd only use them sparingly because I was afraid of becoming dependent on them.]

    Dreamed of trying to make an anagram of David Letterman's name. [I found a website that gave me "Tamale-ridden TV," among others.]

    I committed to go to the Bowling Meetup in the afternoon and thought of going on a walking tour in the morning, but my leg was too sore.

    Saw an early Dr. Who story on DVD, about an adventure among the Aztecs.

    Dinner was McDonald's.

    Saw Elia Kazan's Splendor in the Grass at the Cinematheque with the VITAL group. (Jackie was there and we agreed to play Agricola next week.) The movie was Mad magazine-ridiculous--all about Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty not having sex.

October 30, 2009

    Finally got around to pruning the trees.  I was cutting back the plum tree's branches so the garden would get more sunlight, when the stepladder collapsed under me! (The garden's soil, it turns out, wasn't stable enough for it.) I didn't break anything, but I did strain a muscle in my left leg so I'll have to keep off it for a while.

    Dinner was fettucine alfredo (which I cooked).

    Listened to "Kashmiri Song (Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar)" on the internet.  I'd heard it on the DVD soundtrack of the silent movie The Sheik, then recognized the tune in the documentary series The Story of English.

October 29, 2009

Andre Leon Talley: "My eyes are starved for beauty!"--The September Issue

    Dreamed of briefly returning to a ship and meeting a young woman and her father whom I'd encountered there before; reflecting that we sometimes turn our memories of painful times into nostalgia.

    Went shopping.

    I forgot to put yeast in last night's multigrain bread! (It was on the flat side.) So I baked it again.

    Dinner was roast chicken.

    Puitak and I went to see the Vogue magazine documentary The September Issue at the Varsity.  I can take it or leave it.

    As I practiced singing, my voice gave out on the high notes.  I'll have to cancel next week's lesson and ease up.

October 28, 2009

    Saw the DVD of Robert Drew's Crisis:  Behind a Presidential Commitment, a behind the scenes documentary about the confrontation between the Kennedy administration and George Wallace over integrating the University of Alabama in 1963.  JFK's finest hour.

    Dinner was ham.

    Went to a Games Meetup at 401 Games.  I played SmallWorld and Carcassone.  My SmallWorld races were commando humans, seafaring tritons and wealthy ratmen, and I won a game for the second time! (I smoked 'em and got 89 points!)

    Baked multigrain bread overnight.