To a crying schoolmate: "Cheer up--your face is leakin'"--Little Orphan Annie
Dreamed of the shot at the end of Atlantic City showing one building being torn down next to another under construction.
Resumed singing lessons after last week's interruption. I've decided to add a repeat to the last part of the Italian song.
Took a nap in the afternoon.
Dinner was tortellini.
Saw the DVD of the Constance Talmadge silent comedy Her Night of Romance.
Dreamed of trying to remember what year The Flintstones started and reading that it was 1957 (it was actually 1960); being unable to figure out a TV remote control.
I've hoed the garden and it's now ready for planting.
Dinner was pork steak.
At choir practice we're preparing for the year-end concert. We spent most of the evening on the wedding chorus from Rossini's William Tell, so we barely had time to get started on the number from Bellini's La Sonnambula. (Two numbers from operas set in the Germanic highlands!)
The Pallisers gets better with repeat viewings!
On a new MP from Ireland: "He worries a bit, about the peasants."
"So do we all. That's why we're in the Liberal Party."
--The Pallisers
Dreamed of explaining how occultation (stars coming out from behind the moon) shows that the moon has no atmosphere, since the star's image isn't blurred.
Went to a Games Meetup at the Yellow Griffin. I played Ticket to Ride (shouldn't have got that last ticket!), Cleopatra and Puerto Rico (which I won).
Dinner was roast chicken.
Dreamed of the ancient canal between the Nile River and the Red Sea.
Moira's back from the Boston Marathon.
Went to a Classical Music Meetup at St. Matthew's Church (just a few blocks east of here). The church's organist talked to us about organs and played some pieces on the church organ, which needs repair funds. Mary was too sick to come, unfortunately. [Afterward I contributed a bit more to cover for her and the other no-show.]
Dinner was McDonald's.
Finished redigging the ditch around the garden (hence the dream about the Egyptian canal?). Now all that's left is some hoeing, and we'll be ready to plant.
Went to a Karaoke Meetup at BarPlus. I sang a lot of songs, including "What's Goin' On" for the first time.
On young Octavius being named Caesar's heir: "Caesar was a boy, yes, but not every boy is Caesar"--ibid.
Dreamed of being in an overheated apartment; drying a sweat-soaked shirt on a hot radiator.
Dinner was lasagna.
Saw the first part of the DVD of the Roman miniseries Empire. Not as complex as the similar Rome, but pretty entertaining.
Dreamed of eating blackberries; the For the Boys exchange
"That boy deserves a purple heart!""
"It was purple, but it wasn't a heart!"
Went to a chamber music concert by the group Alchemy at the Northern District library.
Dinner was frozen Indian food.
Went to an Aspergers Meetup. We were going to meet at the Kingsway Second Cup again, but that place turned out to be closed down, so we moved to the nearby Starbucks. They make a pretty good cupcake, but it was predictably overpriced.
Baked cheese bread overnight. (We got a new grater.)
"I
Sinister banker: "...and we're pals already, aren't we, Annie? Come on--wouldn't you like to give me a little kiss?"
"Yeah, I'd like to give you a little kiss--with the soft side of a pick handle, ya fat yap!"
--Little Orphan Annie
Went shopping.
Had a dental checkup.
Dinner was KFC.
At the Games Meetup I played Settlers of Catan (it went on longer than usual), and Metro, where I managed to score over 70 points!
Italian mother: "College-educated girls are the worst! Just one step above the street"--Marty
Started forking the garden.
We ate Chinese food at the Mandarin.
Tried to watch a DVD of the TV play Marty with Rod Steiger, but the tape wouldn't play. So we watched it with the upstairs player (for the second time). Middlebrow slice-of-life stuff, very 1950s.
Dreamed of going to the top of the Empire State Building.
I also saw the DVD of a 1972 episode of The Dick Cavett Show with Ray Charles and Margaret Mead.
Finished the religion issue of Lapham's Quarterly.
Dreamed of a late-night TV show ending with a sequence filmed from inside a car that was about to crash (including a Steadicam shot).
We got seven discs from zip.ca on the same day! (I'm not sure why six isn't the limit just now.)
Moira got through the Boston Marathon in just under four hours!
Saw the DVD of the first episode of the BBC series of Anthony Trollope's Victorian The Pallisers novels (for the third time). It looks a bit cheesy by today's standards, but Susan Hampshire had one of her best roles as Glencora.
Dinner was pork steak.
Saw the DVD of the movie of Tennessee Willliams' play The Rose Tattoo (for the second time). Anna Magnani is awesome!
Dreamed of starting rehearsals for the musical West Side Story.
Sore throat. (Too much singing!)
My choir performed Il Trovatore again. This time the parents came. Silvia gave me some tablets for my throat.
Afterward we ate at Swiss Chalet.
John and Kathrine came over with a chocolate cake. (It was John's birthday last Wednesday.)
I'm reading the earliest Little Orphan Annie episodes in reprint. Harold Gray was a genius.
On Ebay I bought the last two issues to complete my Menomonee Falls Gazette collection! (Except for four at the tail end, which don't have most of the regular comic strips anyway.)
Dreamed of trying to make a ransom payment for a kidnapped child, but being unable to figure out the electronic banking prices; working under a New Zealand MP nicknamed Mr. Smog.
Went to an Aspergers Meetup at the Golden Griddle on Carleton Street. We were going to go for a walk afterward, but the weather was cooler than expected.
Started spading the garden.
Went to Anthony's birthday party at the Fox and Firkin near Eglinton station. (I ate fish and chips.) He had a big group there, including Hartley and Evgenia.
Dreamed of becoming a newspaper columnist with the prospect of finding something new to write about every day.
Went to Eaton Centre to buy a birthday present for Anthony. I planned to find something in Mind Games, but the place was closed, so I went to Indigo and got a book of inspirational stories. (I also got a reprint of the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, for myself.)
Dinner was McDonald's.
Performed the first Il Trovatore concert. People are amazed that my binder is so full but I can still hold it up!
Dreamed of the Titanic; planning to write an essay about how the "dumbing down" process had affected all culture and realizing I'd been affected too!
Moira's gone away for the weekend to run in the Boston Marathon!
Finally did my taxes. With no profit from our used book business last year, I should get a full $100 refund.
Dinner was fettucine pesto (which I cooked).
Saw the DVD of Alexander Korda's rather tongue-in-cheek bio The Private Life of Henry VIII (for at least the third time). Charles Laughton is the movie!
Went shopping.
Moira recorded the accompaniment to my Italian song. (Giuseppe says I should sing it with Italian arrogance, but she disagrees.)
Dinner was the curry pies Puitak brought over the other day.
The choir did the Il Trovatore dress rehearsal.
Baked whole wheat bread overnight.
Father: "I'm not going. I'm living elsewhere."
Daughter: "That's going! You say something and you don't mean it."
--Mad Men
"I can explain."
"Of course you can. You're very, very good at telling stories."
--ibid.
Dreamed of reserving a pair of skates at a rink and overhearing the names of people who'd already reserved them, including Candice Bergen.
At today's singing lesson I did Richard Strauss' Italian song in the key of F.
Dinner was pork chops.
Saw the last episodes of the fourth season of Mad Men. It sagged somewhat in the second half.
On New York: "This isn't London or even England."
"That's true. We've been here ten months and no-one's asked what school I went to."
--Mad Men
"To tell the truth, people may think differently, but they don't really want to"--ibid.
Dreamed of reflecting that "liberal realist" historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr. was the Military-Industrial Complex' "useful idiot"; "waking up" and trying to remember where I was.
Puitak visited in the afternoon. She's moving later this year.
Dinner was capellini primavera.
This Il Trovatore choir rehearsal had all the soloists.
Mother to daughter: "You don't kiss boys, boys kiss you"--Mad Men
Greeting a neighbour: "What are you drinking?"--ibid.
Dreamed of an American warship in the War of 1812 being sunk by a torpedo fired from an anachronistic harpoon gun.
Went to a Games Meetup at Jeffrey's place. We played Ticket to Ride, then a new game called Cleopatra, where we were architects working on Cleopatra's palace. I narrowly escaped being executed for corruption and managed to finish second, despite forgetting to use my wild cards.
Dinner was ham.
"Joanie, I don't want to have a quarrel about this."
"Then stop talking."
--Mad Men
"Peggy Olsen and I want to smoke some marijuana"--ibid.
The cold weather's returned. (I was careless enough to go out without a sweater!)
Moira taped the "Scintille, Diamant" accompaniment.
Dinner was spaghetti, which I cooked.
There's a new Meetup having a games night at the Golden Griddle, but they had it on the same night as Mary's games night (first Friday of the month). In this case, I went to neither but stayed home and watched the Mad Men video.
"I told them I thought it was a stupid idea, but they [the British owners] don't understand our inflections"--Mad Men
"I just want everything to be perfect!"--ibid.
Dreamed about a non-existent classic song; a non-existent episode of Doctor Who with more violence than usual, involving a non-existent recurring Russian villain; comic dialogue about a marriage breaking up; a non-existent comic song by the Eagles' Joe Walsh.
Baked raisin bread.
Dinner was salmon.
Saw the DVD of a BBC production of Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea.
Went to 2Q Video and rented the fourth season of Mad Men for a week.
Went shopping.
Wanted to see the other BBC Ibsen play on our DVD today, but there wasn't time. I wanted to got the bank and cash my interest cheque, but I noticed it doesn't mature till tomorrow. I wanted to get the "Scintille, Diamant" accompaniment recorded, but Moira needs more time to learn it. I would have baked raisin bread, but I always soak the raisins overnight first. Didn't get much done today.
I decided to raise the Italian song's key by four semitones instead of two.
Dinner was lasagna.
Went to a Games Meetup. I played the American version of Ticket to Ride, where I finished third but managed to complete all six tickets, winning the globetrotter bonus. Then I played Smallworld, where my races were wealthy amazons, seafaring halflings and berserk amazons.
"I'd rather die!"
"People say that all the time, but they rarely do it."
--Hedda Gabler
On love: "Don't use that repulsive word!"--ibid.
Dreamed of starting out on a journey with a new pair of red shoes.
At today's singing lesson I sang the Italian Song from Der Rosenkavalier, and it turns out Giuseppe won prizes singing it in his performing days. He suggested raising the key a couple of semitones, which I will.
Saw the DVD of a 1962 BBC production of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler with Ingrid Bergman. As usual with Ibsen plays, I got sleepy in the middle.
Someone from zip.ca phoned and opffered me a free ticket to the Genie Awards show Monday, but I wasn't interested. [Those are the Canadian Oscars.]
Dinner was ham.
At choir practice we went through Il Trovatore with most of the soloists.
Dinner was the rest of the churrasco chicken (and Indian food and stuff).
Moira and I went to the Royal (hadn't been there in years!) and saw La Danse, Frederick Wiseman's documentary about the Paris Opera Ballet. My favourite part was the Spanish ballet where the dancers were shouting!
Dreamed of the song "Buffalo Gals"; finding a new London subway station called Saskatchewan; accidentally turning on the built-in hot plate on top of a refrigerator.
Donald came over for dinner, which was churrasco chicken.
I've just about finished the new score for Richard Strauss' Italian Song. (The phrases are the tedious part.) I also composed a couple of bars for an introduction.
Dreamed of a schoolboy coming at me with a frying pan; reprinted early episodes of the comic strip Blondie.
Met Luke at the coffee shop next to Pawsway for the first Social Tigers Meetup. We walked along Harbourfront, and he talked to strangers, including a woman who'd come from Shanghai just six months ago.
Later I joined the Shyness Meetup for a walk through Rosedale's ravine. (My feet got pretty tired.)
John and company came over for dinner, which was takeout Indian food.
Father drove John and the others home, but he hit a man at a crosswalk while he was out. The latter was taken to a hospital but doesn't seem to have been hurt. Father had to answer police questions and was a while getting back. (We were worried because we didn't know what had happened to him.)
"I refuse to pray to God for protection from a world He made dangerous!"--Dirty Sexy Money
Dreamed of returning home from a trip to Europe, where I ended up staying longer than I wanted to.
Baked multigrain bread.
The warm weather has arrived! There were quite a few people at Hillcrest Park.
Dinner was ham quiche.
Saw the last episodes of Dirty Sexy Money on DVD. It got pretty silly toward the end.
Dreamed of spring planting season; staying in an airport hotel room with glass walls; writing in this diary; waking up in the morning and telling a joke first thing.
Went to the Reference Library and borrowed the score for Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. I've started making a new score for the tenor aria, with the solo part two octaves lower, perfect for my voice.
Dinner was McDonald's.
Saw the first episode of the DVD of the Simon Schama series A History of Britain. He brings a new perspective to familiar stories.
Saw a DVD of early stop-motion animated films by special effects legend Ray Harryhausen, of nursery rhymes and fairy tales and such. He had visual talent.
Dreamed of Harry Truman's wife Bess; the British puppet show Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons being introduced with a montage of young people becoming interested in photography.
Went shopping.
Dinner was the rest of the fettucine, along with the Chinese food and other leftovers. I ate before the rest because I was leaving early.
Went to a Games Meetup. First I played Metro, which was a mistake because it ended early and everyone else was still playing the other games. I tried to play Lunch Money but couldn't get into it, so I played the last part of a Robo-Rally game instead. Then I played Settlers of Catan.
The last game ended early, but there was a streetcar accident on St. Clair Avenue so I had to take a detour and getting home ultimately took over an hour!
Dreamed of spending three days in Boston, including a day trip to New York.
At today's singing lesson I tried "Scintille, Diamant" from Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann for the first time. (I also advised Giuseppe that if Coro Verdi did Rigoletto in the fall we'd be asking for trouble.)
Went to my shrink Dr. Hassan to set the date for my next appointment.
Finished Jonathan Raban's Bad Land. Superb.
Dinner was fettucine alfredo, which I cooked.
Saw the DVD of the D.W. Griffiths-Lillian Gish silent classic Way Down East. There's a great climax involving river ice breaking up!
Dinner was Chinese food. (My fortune said people appreciate my sense of humour.)
At choir practice Giovanni gave us a report about the committee meeting with our patron Tony Fusco last week. (We've learned all the new stuff in La Traviata and are now going through the whole piece.)
The other night someone sang the Carpenters song "Goodbye to Love" at the Karaoke Meetup and I've been listening to it on Youtube. It's really brilliant!
Dreamed of playing Monopoly.
Went to a Games Meetup at the Yellow Griffin. I played Galaxy Trucker (just one round), Puerto Rico and a new game called Acquire, which was pretty fun.
Dinner was scallops.
Saw Within the Law, a Norma Talmadge silent melodrama on the same disc as Kiki.
Dreamed of reading a book about someone who knew W. Somerset Maugham, which was interesting from the first page; Kay Summersby, General Eisenhower's secretary-chauffeur who was rumoured to be his mistress.
Joined the Brunch Club Meetup at Udupi Palace for a South Indian vegetarian lunch. (I had vegetable bulao rice and nan bread.) I met Jackie He there and we left on the same streetcar. She's having a baby in September! [I knew her from the Games Meetup.]
Dinner was chicken potpie.
Read 50 pages of Jonathan Raban's Bad Land.
Went to a Karaoke Meetup at the Bar Plus, where we rented a room. There were only five of us, so I got to sing about a dozen songs, including "Hit the Road Jack" for the first time. Jeanine arrived late and came in just as I was about so sing "Consider Yourself," which was fortuitous.
"There's a time and place for fun and enjoyment, but it's not on this show"--Knowing Me, Knowing You
Bullwinkle: "If I got any closer, I'd be on the other side of you!"--Rocky & Bullwinkle
Dreamed of a non-existent TV show about a detective with teenage assistants; visiting a subway station in Buenos Aires; The Muppet Show.
Baked rye bread.
Saw the DVD of Kiki, a silent comedy with Norma Talmadge.
Dinner was more scalloped potatoes and ham.
