August 16, 2011

"It looks quiet."

"Like a graveyard"

--Attack!

On a group of German POWs: "The mean one's the captain.  Just like in any army"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a movie about the destruction of a bridge off the northern coast of Jutland in Denmark, with Angelina playing a Nazi in jodhpurs and riding boots.

    Dinner was curried shrimp.

    Saw the DVD of Robert Aldrich's Attack!  It's one of the better 1950s war movies, gripping and straightforward. (The ending was a bit ambiguous.) Jack Palance and Lee Marvin came from the age of Real Men!

August 15, 2011

    Dreamed of asking how tall you had to be, to be a general in the army.

    Went to Evgenia's apartment for an Asperger's Meetup, but there was nobody there.

    My Metropass for August got lost in the mail.  Today I finally got around to going to Davisville station, where they gave me a replacement.

    Dinner was linguini pesto (which I cooked).

    I was going to participate in a Ticket to Ride tournament at Snakes and Lattes--even brought my game set--but I was 20 minutes late and the tournament was already full! (I should have asked Father to drive me there, but he'd already driven me in th morning.) Moira's been having a bad day too.

    Saw the DVD of the 2003 revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, with Paul Newman as the narrator.  It gets pretty sad.

August 14, 2011

"Is it being unable to see that makes you weary of life?"

"No, being able to hear."

--Kung Fu

Marge: "I never realized history was so filthy!"--The Simpsons

    Went to a Games Meetup at the Yellow Griffin.  I played Kill Mister Lucky (sort of a prequel to Clue) and Guillotine (where I tied for first).

    On the way home, I travelled on one of the new subway trains that aren't divided into cars.  When the train's route curves, you can look toward the other end and see it bend!

    Dinner was ham quiche.

    Saw the DVD of "Besieged," a double episode of Kung Fu set entirely in China, guest-starring David Carradine's real-life girlfriend Barbara Hershey. (It's one of the episodes from the third season, which I hardly saw at all back at the time.)

August 13, 2011

"Talk to the wind, Chinaman!"--Kung Fu

Homer: "They did it that way because they're stupid!  That's why everybody does everything"--The Simpsons

    Went to an Asperger's Meetup at the Tim Horton's east of Yonge & Bloor.  They talked about the summer autism retreat a couple of them went to. (Should I go next year?) [I didn't.]

    Dinner was tortellini.

August 12, 2011

    Baked white bread, but it came out funny. (Why?)

    Yesterday I had a big headache.  Maybe it came from switching to caffeine-free Pepsi.

    Dinner was linguini primavera.

    Went to Mary's games night. (I played Say Anything and Balderdash.)

August 10, 2011

On a bald prospective husband: "You want hair?  Marry a monkey!"--Fiddler on the Roof

    Dreamed of groups of young people sailing around the world at the same time as part of a big project; finding out that years ago someone published a paper using my research, and not caring.

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was ham.

    Saw Norman Jewison's movie of Fiddler on the Roof (for the fourth time) with the Toronto Social Group Meetup at an outdoor screening next to Roy Thomson Hall. (I should have brought a pillow!) It's a strong, worthy adaptation of the classic Broadway musical.  The scene with the ghosts still gives me the willies!  I should read Sholom Aleichem's stories. [When Motl the mousy tailor was getting up the nerve to tell Tevye he loved the latter's daughter, someone in the audience shouted "You can do it, Motl!"]

August 9, 2011

"What do you want from me?  My heart? my blood? my soul?"

"Your absence!"

--The Pick-Up Artist

    Yesterday I saw the DVD of Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus.  I liked Marianne Faithfull's "Something Better." (I don't think I'd ever heard "Jumpin' Jack Flash" before!)

    Dreamed of waking up early in the morning at our old home in Sackville, N.B.

    Dinner was steak.

    Saw the DVD of James Toback's The Pick-Up Artist.  Robert Downey Jr. (in his debut) had a Harlequin-like appeal, but the Molly Ringwald character didn't really make sense.

August 7, 2011

    Yesterday we saw the DVD of Blue Valentine.  A Cassavetes-style domestic drama, very depressing.

    I've started translating another of my Spanish-language Mortadelo y Filemon comic books.  This one's title is "Armas con Bicho," which translates as "critter weapons"!

    Dinner was corn.

    I was going to see a documentary at the Projection Booth, about a veteran New York Times fashion photographer.  But transit was screwed up by the Taste of the Danforth street festival, and I waited over ten minutes for the Pape bus before figuring out that it wasn't running.  I didn't want to be late, so I went home.

August 5, 2011

Elisha Cook Jr. (pulling a knife out): "The moral is, don't hire detectives!"--Born to Kill

    Dinner was tortellini.

    Saw the DVD of Robert Wise's Born to Kill, a classic sexy film noir.

    Then we saw the DVD of the TV play Days of Wine and Roses.

August 4, 2011

"I'm not rapey enough for you"--Weeds

    Dreamed of travelling in southern Cape Breton; climbing the highest local peak, with a view for miles around; visiting a notorious Russian; writing on a wall; the movie Untamed Heart.

    Baked multigrain bread.

    Dinner was steak.

    Picked up a couple of bonds at Scotiabank.

August 3, 2011

    Went shopping.

    Dreamed of recalling Father saying he didn't care for Steve McQueen (which he really did say).

    Dinner was spaghetti.

    Saw the cinemacast of Franco Zeffirelli's Met production of Puccini's opera Turandot at the Sheppard Grande with the Classical Music Meetup group.  The first two acts are pretty good, but it gets masochistic in the third. ("Pain is sweetness to me...")

August 2, 2011

"He skeeves people off, like midgets"--Weeds

    Dreamed of trying to remember what town I was born in. (It was Sackville, N.B.)

    Dinner was salmon.

    Saw the DVD of Rod Serling's 1957 TV play The Comedian.  Mickey Rooney was disturbingly well-cast as the eponymous loud-mouthed bully!

August 1, 2011

"So you two, do you... fondue?"--Captain America

    Dreamed of driving from Halifax to my hometown Sackville, N.B.; wondering whether I'd get to see any of the August movies being shown at the Projection Booth. [I didn't.]

    Dinner was churrasco chicken.

    Saw Joe Johnson's Captain America:  The First Avenger at the Yonge & Eglinton. (I was going to see the last Harry Potter movie, but the TTC was slower than I expected.) It was a pretty good little-boy adventure.  They were showing it in 3-D, but my Scene card had enough points for a free admission anyway.

    In The Huffington Post I commented (paraphrasing Churchill on Neville Chamberlain) that Obama had the choice of bankruptcy or dishonour:  he chose dishonour, and he'll get bankruptcy.

July 31, 2011

    Dreamed of seeing the first part of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in a library in a Moncton shopping centre; trying to remember what movies were released in May and June, 1980.

    Had lunch with the Mad About Movies Meetup group at Spin. (I ate fresh fruit crepes.) Afterward we walked through Mount Pleasant Cemetery, where I spotted journalist Norman DePoe's grave.

    Dinner was the rest of the corn on the cob. (This time I poured cold water on it before eating, and didn't burn my mouth.)

    Started two new cities in my computer games:  Heathead in Kingdoms of Camelot, and Strathdunum (Celtic for "fort in the valley") in Glory of Rome.

July 30, 2011

Homer: "I don't have the discipline to be a hippie!"--The Simpsons

    Had dinner at the Golden Thai restaurant with the Aspergers Meetup group.  I ate special fried rice and cashew chicken.  Bea tells me that the St. Michael's Hospital, where my examination will be next month, has good haematologists. (She used to work in hospital administration.)

    Finally sprang for new cities in the computer games Glory of Rome and Kingdoms of Camelot. (I've also started a new Facebook game called Millionaire Boss.)

    John Slattery (who plays Roger Sterling on Mad Men) is six months younger than me!

July 29, 2011

    Baked raisin bread.

    Dinner was frozen pizza.

    Saw a La Scala production of Verdi's Nabucco in an open-air screening at the Italian Consulate, with the Classical Music Meetup group.

July 28, 2011

Homer: "When was the last time Barbra Streisand cleaned your garage?"--The Simpsons

    Dreamed of trying to drive a car [I've never learned]; filling a washing machine; the 1980s CBC comedy series Seeing Things (which I never watched).

    Went shopping. (We replenished the ice.)

    Dinner was corn on the cob (which I bought at Whittamore Farm yesterday). I think I burnt my mouth!

    I was going to go on an Art Walk Meetup, but I wasn't quite up to it.

July 27, 2011

Marge: "Nelson Muntz is a troubled, lonely, sad little boy.  He needs to be isolated from everyone!"--The Simpsons

    Dreamed of the British sitcom Steptoe and Son (the basis for Sanford and Son).

    We went out to Whittamore Farm in the morning and picked raspberries, along with peas and beans.

    Went back to bed and dreamed of dolls of Bonnie and Clyde.

    Saw a DVD of classroom films with a safety theme, including the Sid Davis classic Live and Learn.

    Donald had dinner with us at Red Lobster.

July 26, 2011

Lisa: "I know it's true!  I read it on a restaurant placemat"--The Simpsons

    Puitak and Gordon came over and brought lunch.

    Drove down to the lakeshore with the parents. (I don't usually accompany them.)

    Dinner was the rest of the Chinese food.

July 25, 2001

"What kind of dame marries a hood?"

"All kinds."

--The Narrow Margin

"You make me sick to my stomach!"

"Well, not in my sink."

--ibid.

    I feel like I'm getting a cold.

    Dinner was the rest of the fettucine.

    Saw the DVD of Richard Fleischer's train thriller The Narrow Margin.  That was quite a twist! (They should have taken a plane.)

July 24, 2001

On Musetta: "She's well-dressed."

"Angels are naked."

--La Boheme

    Went to a Classical Music Meetup at a fancy townhouse on Sheppard Avenue. (I took the bus east from Downsview station.) We saw a Blu-Ray DVD of a production of Puccini's La Boheme by Madrid's Teatro Real, and had a big-screen set to see it on!  Laura Giordano was a gorgeous Musetta!

    Dinner was lobster rolls.

    Went to bed early.

    Dreamed of finding an underground civilization with a lower level of development and causing a civil war there; checking different TV channels around midnight Saturday; Dvorak's "Songs My Mother Taught Me"; Moira learning the Armenian language. [She knows German and Russian.]

July 23, 2011

    Went to a Games Meetup at the Ryerson student centre.  The weather was so hot that I wasn't up to bringing my own games, as I usually do.  I only stayed for one game:  a new one called Samurai.

    On the way home, I picked up a new Japanese-English dictionary at Indigo Books.

    Dinner was Chinese food.

    Went to a Karaoke Meetup at Bar Plus.  I only sang three songs. (My energy level wasn't high today.)

    Headache.

    We sold some of our used books in a yard sale, and made almost $100.

July 22, 2011

    Dreamed of movies that were in release in the summer of 1987, like Full Metal Jacket.

    Baked whole wheat bread.

    I've moved all three of my cities in the computer game Glory of Rome from Moesia to Dalmatia in hope of being "farmed" less.  Now my alliance has a central city to concentrate resources and reinforcements.

    Dinner was an Indian buffet at the Regency Restaurant in Little India with the Social Anxiety Meetup.

    I've misplaced my Japanese-English dictionary so I guess I'll have to buy a new one. (Oh well, the old one was in pieces.)

July 21, 2011

    Dreamed of a thriller like Body Heat but with an even more complicated plot.

    Went to see my shrink Dr. Hassan.  Once again I got Father to drive me to the St. Clair subway station to make sure I'd be on time, but once again the doctor was a long while getting around to me anway. (When will I learn?)

    In the computer game The Kings of Camelot three of my five cities now have a full twelve Level 10 wildernesses, leaving me to focus on raiding barbarian camps near them.  And I've just figured out that for that purpose I may as well have archers alone.

    Dinner was fettucine alfredo (which I cooked).

July 20, 2011

"I asked other people, but they were all busy"--The Trip

"It looks like a place where they'd film a Miss Marple"--ibid.

    Dreamed of trying to explain Tom Swiftie jokes to Moira; mentioning that Elmore Leonard never uses adverbs (which is true).

    Moira and I went to see Michael Winterbottom's The Trip at the Cumberland, with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon improvising their way through a tour of inns in northern England.  Lots of funny impersonations! (Too bad that the cinema's air conditioning made me sleepy.)

    Dinner was salmon.

    Went to a Classical Music Meetup at the Mad Bean Cafe.  The letter was U and the subject was uncompleted works.

July 19, 2011

Mrs. Simpson: "Contentment is for domestic creatures"--Edward & Mrs. Simpson

    Dreamed of griping that my Ph.D. thesis supervisor couldn't direct traffic! (Was that fair?)

    Had lunch at the Mandarin with the Movie Meetup group.  The others saw the Woody Allen movie Paris After Midnight afterward, but it didn't start till 15:30 so I didn't stay.

    Back home I tried to watch a DVD of Lenny Bruce's last filmed performance, but I dozed off.

    Dinner was lasagna.

    Saw the DVD of the first two episodes of the 1978 TV series Edward & Mrs. Simpson (for the third time). IMHO abdicating the Throne was the best thing Edward VIII ever did for the United Kingdom!

July 18, 2011

Count di Luna: "My only god is vengeance.  That's the deity that I worship!"--Il Trovatore

    Dreamed of living in a huge house with a big library; a Harry Potter story in which Ron gave his life for Harry and Harry took Ron's form to keep the bad guys confused; the Marx Brothers movie The Cocoanuts.

    Saw the DVD of the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 version of The Indestructible Man (for the second time).

    Dinner was frozen pizza.

    Saw the cinemacast of the Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi's Il Trovatore at the Sheppard Grande.  My main interest, of course, was Dmitri Hvorotvsky's Count di Luna!

July 17, 2011

"Sometimes I feel like I'm slightly retarded in the mouth"--Weeds

    The Coro Verdi performed the summer mass at the Church of the Holy Redeemer. (John George drove me there.)

    Brian, a fellow Coro Verdi member, told me how he'd had an operation where they stopped his heart for a few minutes. (Some electrical dysfunction in his heart was causing his body to retain too much water.) He had an out-of-body experience where he saw his hometown Montreal, his late father and his late dog!

    In the afternoon I napped till dinner time.

    Dinner was corn on the cob.

    Slept with the windows open. [Nowadays I do that every summer.]

July 16, 2011

    Dreamed of the front yard of our old home in Sackville, N.B., being covered with a layer of ice thick enough to skate on.

    Went to the new Projection Booth cinema in the East End and saw some cartoons. (The place was so empty that they didn't charge admission!) I saw some Ub Iwerks fairy tale cartoons; some Famous Studios cartoons with characters like Little Audrey and Herman the mouse; and the CTV cartoons of The Nightingale and The Velveteen Rabbit; but no Warner Brothers.  Their upcoming documentaries look interesting.

    Afterward I walked east to the Little India street festival.

    Dinner was spaghetti.

    I've dreamed more than once of going to a new cinema, and today I actually did it!

July 15, 2011

"Just because you've been a slutty, irresponsible slutty slut..."--Weeds

    Went to an Asperger's Meetup.  We met at the Tim Horton's east of the Bloor-Yonge station.

    Baked rye bread.

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was stir-fry.

    Saw the DVD The Golden Age of British Comedy, with sketches from the 1940s through the 1960s.

    I read about the new Projection Booth cinema and on their webpage found a link to the Silent Toronto blog, a fascinating read about Toronto's deceased cinema palaces.

July 13, 2011

    Dreamed of a British ad promoting disaster response by government, narrated with a Welsh accent; water flowing out of a manhole.

    Dinner was beef stroganoff.

    Went to a Coro Verdi rehearsal for Sunday's mass.

July 12, 2011

    Dreamed of uncovering a large penis unconnected to anything.

    Visited Dr. Ang. (My CT scan turned out negative.)

    I had such a long wait for the doctor that I was late for dinner, which was chicken curry.

July 11, 2011

"I make dresses for women who really wear them!"--Valentino

    Dreamed of being about to get on a cruise ship in Moncton, where we'd suffer amnesia and be given new identities; playing a Farmville-like computer game where one area turned out to produce poisonous food.

    Dinner was Swiss Chalet takeout rotisserie.

    Went to a screening of the fashion documentary Valentino:  The Last Emperor at Studio 561 near Bathurst station, as part of an Art Meetup. (Jeanne Beker, of the fashion show FTV, appeared briefly.)

    Afterward I went to Book City and bought some books that were priced to clear. (We might resell them at a profit...)

July 10, 2011

    Dreamed of an actual line in the children's book The Travels of Babar: "Real war is not a joke."

    Neisau's right:  that Hotshot game is addictive!

    John and Kathrine came over for dinner, which was pizza. (I burnt my mouth again!)

    Went to Nepeta's games event at the Fox and Fiddle near St. Clair station.  I played The Amazeing Labyrinth, Settlers of Catan (which I won!) and the Monopoly-based card game Deal, which I didn't quite figure out.

    I was a long time getting home because the Salsa on St. Clair street festival had queered up the St. Clair Avenue transport.

July 9, 2011

    Last night I saw Vittorio de Sica's The Children Are Watching Us (for the second time) on DVD.  Powerful.

    This weekend is the noisy nearby Salsa on St. Clair Festival, so the parents and I visited Brampton to escape the noise. (We were going to see the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at Niagara on the Lake, but Father wasn't up to driving that far!)

    We went to Downey's Farm Store in Caledon, picked some raspberries (too few were ripe) and bought some strawberries in the store.

    We ate at the original Mandarin Restaurant in Brampton.  That place is huge!

    After we got home, I strolled around Salsa on St. Clair.

July 7, 2011

    Dreamed of an obituary of Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz.

    Baked multigrain bread.

    Dinner was salmon.

    Went on an art walk in Yorkville.  One of the galleries we went to had an exhibit of Picasso etchings. (Many of them have already sold for huge prices!)

    Dreamed of the true story of frontiersman Tom Horn; living on the moon; a Chinese man sitting next to me giving my arm a nasty pinch for no reason; returning to earth with its blue skies, and singing the Al Jolson song "Blue Skies."

July 6, 2011

"Heroes aren't made, they're cornered!"--Redd Foxx

    Dreamed of the Barcarolle in Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann; strawberry shortcake.

    Dinner was sausage and mashed potatoes.

    Went to a Classical Music Meetup at the North York Centre library.  The director of the Toronto Summer Music talked about this year's romantic theme.

    I've just quit the online game Frontierville again. (My new interest is a game called Hot Shots.)

    Saw a DVD of Redd Foxx and Groucho Mark doing one-man shows.

July 5, 2011

    Dreamed of a book cover with mold on it; Catherine Mckinnon's song "Spinning Wheel."

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was pork chops.

    Went to the Open Minds Cafe Meetup.  Unfortunately, it was combined with a Live Your Dream Meetup and the latter dominated things. (I had nothing to contribute.)

July 4, 2011

Dreamed about the Petula Clark song "Downtown" (which I sometimes sing at karaoke); wondering why the past is so close; the Warren Beatty movie Heaven Can Wait; the TV series B.J. and the Bear (which I never watched); trying to pick up a load of wire for BJ (who was a trucker) but not being sure which kind.

    Dinner was lasagna.

    Went to an Introvert Meetup.  We walked through the Don Valley to the brick works. (The organizer had a pair of very frisky spaniels.)

July 3, 2011

"We drank, we fought, he did his ancestors proud!"--Thor

    Dreamed of being appointed editor of The New York Times; the Classics Illustrated comic book version of Robert Louis Stevenson's David Balfour.

    Saw the comic-book movie Thor at the Revue.  Directed by a slumming Kenneth Branagh, it's pretty fun in a goofy way.

    Dinner was KFC.

July 2, 2011

Homer: "Taking stupid risks is what makes life worth living!"--The Simpsons

    Dinner was steak.

    Went to a karaoke event organized by Anthony Ng at Twister Karaoke. (It was a birthday party for another Anthony.)

    Headache.

July 1, 2011

 Dreamed of our old house in Sackville, N.B., being in Nazi-occupied Russia near smouldering ruins still hot; a new rival subway system in London (with a commercial sponsor for each station).

    Baked cheese bread.

    Went to an Aspie Meetup at Harbourfront. (Big Canada Day crowds!) Tonia brought her King Charles dog Scrappy.

    Dinner was Burger King.

June 30, 2011

    Dinner was pizza.

    Went on a Queen Street art walk.  We visited BYOB (a "cocktail emporium") and Artscape Gallery, and spoke to artists Morley Shayuk and Michael Toke. Someone bought us soup from Ravi Soups, but I didn't have any.

June 29, 2011

    Father and I got up early, drove to Whittamore Farm and picked some strawberries. (I also bought some Jonagold apples at their store.) The weather was unusually cool.

    After we got home, I went back to bed for over three hours.

    Dinner was sausages.

    My choir performed Nabucco for the second time. (This time the family came.  Father drove Mother home during the intermission because she had a cramp.) Giuseppe said the opera group might perform Norma or A Masked Ball next year.

    I'll soon be taking another break from the online game Frontierville. (And I'm not sure about Kingdoms of Camelot and Glory of Rome.)

June 28, 2011

On a body found on a beach: "Was she drowned?"

(sarcastically) "No, she's a mermaid."

--Young and Innocent

    Dreamed of wanting to play an arcade video game where you're a caveman attacking a mammoth; looking through a big pile of change but failing to find a quarter.

    Finally bought my new Metropass. (They didn't mail them this month because of the postal strike.)

    Dinner was more pork chops. (Moira also made some risotto with onions and barley, but I can't stand onions.)

    Saw the DVD of Alfred Hitchcock's Young and Innocent (for the second time). It's one of his early British movies, a well-written romantic comedy-mystery.  My favourite scene is the one with the suspicious aunt.

June 27, 2011

    Dreamed of the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice.

    Went to Toronto East General Hospital and got a CT scan.  They injected me with a dye and I felt a bit dizzy afterward.

    Dinner was pork chops

    Coro Verdi had one more rehearsal before our final show. (I considered skipping it, but decided my head was clear enough.) Just before we started there was a brief delay when a fire alarm went off:  we all went out to the front of the building and saw a fire engine arrive, but it was a false alarm.

    John George usually gives me a lift to the subway, but we ended early and his wife hadn't yet brought their car.  Instead Giovanni gave me a lift to St. Clair Avenue.  When I mentioned that I'm 49, Giovanni was really surprised, and said I look twenty years younger!

June 26, 2011

    Dreamed of a non-existent film of animated toys made back in the 19th century; trying to figure out who owned a legendary Los Angeles cinema.

    Went to a Games Meetup at the Yellow Griffin.  I played Fireball Island (which I won, to my surprise) and Ticket to Ride (which I also won).

    Dinner was salmon.

June 25, 2011

    Dreamed of a British family that spent part of their time in London and part out in the country.

    Dinner was McDonald's.

    Went to Karaoke Meetup at Barplus.  I sang Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me" for the first time.

June 24, 2011

    Dreamed of recalling how when I was a kid I couldn't deal with the pain from going to the dentist, and ended up not going for ten years.

    I weakened and ended up playing the new Facebook game Empires and Allies.

    Started reading Daniel Boorstin's The Creators, a history of the arts.

    Dinner was lobster rolls.

    We performed the first of the two Nabucco concerts. (Just before showtime I felt a bit sleepy.) The audience was pretty enthusiastic.

June 23, 2011

"Fucking is fucking, but music--that's personal!"--Treme

"Some of the fights worth fighting are ones you know you're going to lose"--ibid.

    With the water main fixed, our water pressure is now stronger than before. (The bathtub fills up quicker.)

    Baked whole wheat bread.

    Finished the Lapham's Quarterly work issue.

    Dinner was chicken with apple juice and mushrooms, from a recipe Moira made from a book about running (which included champion runners' favourite recipes).

    Moira caught up with me and we saw the last two episodes of Treme together.  Can't wait for the next season! (The flashback from just before Katrina was a bit confusing.)

June 22, 2001

    Went shopping.

    Dinner was spaghetti.

    The choir dress-rehearsed Nabucco. (Carrie substituted for Sinead.) I must say we sound rather good now.

June 21, 2011

"You're famous!"

"I'm noticed.  There's a difference."

--Treme

    Today the water did get turned off for a few hours.  The water main people are now finished.

    Dinner was KFC.

    Went to a seminar at the Water Company office on Eglinton east of Mt. Pleasant. (They have a Meetup group.)

June 20, 2011

    Yesterday Donald came over for dinner and we had Indian food.

    Stayed up even later than usual following a Huffington Post forum about "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. (One of my posts was "One nation under the Mighty Thor!")

    Dreamed of the 1982 movie 48 Hours; a slapstick movie scene where someone was carrying a load of bees and they escaped into a crowd!

    The water main people arrived today. (Water service hasn't been interrupted yet.)

    Dinner was McDonald's.

    Choir practice was at the Villa Colombo today.  It's Giuseppe's birthday and someone brought a cake!

June 18, 2011

Wotan (explaining Siegmunde and Sieglinde's incestuous love): "Sometimes things happen that have never happened before"--Die Walkure

Brunnhilde (to Wotan): "Who am I if not your will?"--ibid.

"I dated your sister for three months."

"She says you were a total asshole!"

"Yeah, I can see why she'd say that."

--Treme

    Saw the cinemacast of the Met production of Wagner's Die Walkure at the Sheppard Grande.  Another excellent Robert Lepage production:  over four hours long (plus intermissions), but it didn't seem protracted.  As Brunnhilde, Deborah Voight was youthful as a bobby-soxer!

    Dinner was the rest of the fettucine.

June 17, 2011

"Cold beer!"

"Nice to see you too."

--Treme

"I was married to a musician.  Ain't no possible way you're going to make that shit right!"--ibid.

"It's N.P.R.  They get it.  The "N" is for nuance"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a non-existent Brazilian movie titled Cinque Oras. ("Cinco horas" is Portuguese for "five hours," "cinque ore" is the Italian.)

    Dinner was sausage and mash.

    Finally planted the potatoes. (Some of the onion sprouts are already visible!)

    I've started a new Facebook game called Hero City. (It's like Cityville, but with rather kid-sized superheroes.)

    Saw the DVD of the first episode of the New Orleans ensemble series Treme.  Very promising! (It rhymes with the soap brand Camay.)

June 16, 2011

Biff: "I've always made a point of not wasting my life, and every time I come back here, I know that all I've done is to waste my life"--Death of a Salesman

    I was a long time getting to sleep again. (Didn't wake up till about 14:00!)

    Dreamed of doing an acting exercise where I played Stalin on his deathbed; telling my shrink about it.

    The pipe workers were going to come to our house today, but got delayed by a leak in the water main.

    Dinner was fettucine alfredo.

    We couldn't find any seed potatoes, so I'm going to plant regular spuds.

    Went to a Toronto Social Group Meetup at Scallywag's.  We had a Scrabble tournament, with everyone playing three games.  In the first game my first letters included both blanks, so I used up all seven letters and got the 50-point bonus on my first move!  I owned the first game, finished last in the second, and narrowly won the third.

    Wrote a customer review of Stephen E. Ambrose's To America at amazon.com .  I didn't think much of it. [Ambrose let his patriotism cloud his judgement...]

June 15, 2011

    Dreamed of the song "Cockles and Mussels."

    Father and I went to Scotiabank again for more financial business.

    Dinner was chicken curry.

    Went to the Games Meetup at 401 Games for the first time in a while.  I played the U.S. version of Powergrid for the first time, and finished last. (I know what my big mistake was...)

June 14, 2011

Younger woman: "I felt sorry for him.  He's an old man."

Michael Caine: "With an old bank account."

--Pulp

"His name was Di Nuccio.  That was the nicest thing about him"--ibid.

    Dreamed of travelling across Canada with John; taking the train to Gaspe, then proceeding on foot; seeing a horse as large as a camel; actress Jayne Mansfield.

    John and Kathrine came over and bought dinner, but it was vegan again.

    Went to a party at Boccone's for the volunteers who'd worked on the St. Paul's NDP campaign. (The provincial election is coming soon.)

    Afterward I ate a Wendy's hamburger and it immediately disagreed with me. (Serves me right!)

    Saw the DVD of Mike Hodges' Pulp.  It's a witty film noir spoof, with Michael Caine and Mickey Rooney in fine form.