October 19, 2011

"I'm a big girl!"

"Yes... and in all the right places too!"

--North by Northwest

"Are you the gentlemen who want to murder my son?"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a comedy about a small group of cardsharp grifters always on the move; one of them sneaking into a fancy gentlemen's club and signing the guestbook with "Yog, Monster From Outer Space" (an actual Japanese movie title); a space station; Alfred Hitchcock's line "Some directors' movies are slices of life.  Mine are slices of cake."

    Headache.

    Dinner was salmon.

    Saw Hitchcock's North by Northwest yet again, at the Scotiabank with the Movie Meetup group.  What a glorious slice of cake it is!

October 18, 2011

    Dreamed of having a big pile of laundry to do while on vacation; scrubbing the bathroom floor in our old house in Sackville, N.B., and finding a deep layer of dirt; a deep snowstorm; a deer on the sidewalk of York Street in Sackville.

    Dinner was pork roast.

    I had to leave opera rehearsal early because I wasn't feeling well. (It might have been the pork roast.)

October 17, 2011

    Dreamed of waking up at 17:00 and realizing I was going to be late for opera rehearsal.

    Dinner was the rest of the lasagna.

    At choir practice we rehearsed Norma and got to "Casta Diva."

October 16, 2011

    Dreamed of getting to read someone else's almost-finished Ph.D. dissertation; a long, controversial 19th-century French novel turned into an expensive, unreleased movie; writing on confetti.

    The cold weather's arrived!

    Went to a new Classical Music Singles Meetup organized by Mia.  Seems that Mary's group gave her some trouble, so she's discontinuing the group as a Meetup. (I encouraged her to start a Facebook group.) I had a Very Berry crepe.  They were disorganized and we had a long wait before breing served.

    Dinner was lasagna.

    I've been enjoying the City of Wonder game, but now I can't load it!

October 15, 2011

    Dreamed of trying to play a tenor saxophone. (I briefly played an alto sax in my youth.)

    Went out and bought a new watch at Zeller's, along with a new pair of pants.

    Dinner was butter chicken.

    Went to Beatrice and Adolfo's concert at Blythwood Baptist Church. [She sang and he accompanied her.] It was mostly jazz and ragtime, and pretty fun. (Giovanni gave me a lift home.)

October 14, 2011

    Dreamed of a movie being filmed in my hometown Sackville, N.B.

    Baked multigrain bread.

    Dinner was sausage & mashed potatoes.

    Saw the DVD of the second half of that National Film Board documentary on the War of 1812.

October 13, 2011

"I always cry at divorces"--Phffft!

"I almost feel sorry for him."

"Don't.  If you're ever in a nuclear attack, stand next to Gary Blondo.  He's a survivor!"--Murder One

    We picked apples at Orchard Home Farm. (They were all out of Golden Delicious, but we got Jonagold and Mutsu.)

    After we got home I had an afternoon nap.

    Dinner was primavera.

    Went out to 2Q and rented the DVD of the Jack Lemmon-Judy Holliday divorce comedy Phffft!  There was a funny mambo scene. [I also liked Kim Novak's cheerleader routine.]

October 12, 2011

    Saw the DVD of the last episodes of the first season of Murder One. (I had a theory that Francesca did it.) Quite enjoyable, and Louis the gay secretary was cool!

    Dinner was spaghetti.

    The Toronto City Opera had an acting class with David Roche and Tita Griffin. (First Giovanni gave us a lesson in pronouncing Italian.) I decided that in Lucia di Lamermoor I'm an impoverished cousin who dresses well and keeps up appearances on big occasions; in The Merry Widow I'm a Belgian who goes to parties to meet girls.

October 11, 2011

    Dreamed of a reprint of a 1980s episode of Steve Canyon.

    Went shopping. (I met Oksana from Coro Verdi in the supermarket.)

    Dinner was ham quiche.

    At opera rehearsal Barbara and David Roche took our measurements.

October 10, 2011

    Dreamed of visiting Halifax; being sorry I'd left Toronto; hearing a group putting on an opera in English; an article about Nazi leader Joachim von Ribbentrop.

    Moira returned from Chicago. (The weather was so hot that she ended up quitting the marathon!)

    John and family came over for dinner, which was Thai food. (Kathrine made us a pumpkin pie.)

October 9, 2011

    Dreamed of science fiction about three brothers in a half-destroyed world where people kept on the move and often got attacked, and life in cities was completely automated.

    We ate at Swiss Chalet.

    Saw the DVD of Ida Lupino's film noir The Hitch-Hiker.  It grabs one's attention and doesn't let go. (Remind me not to travel in Mexico...)

October 8, 2011

    Last night I went to a Karaoke Meetup at the Sports Centre Bar.  It gave me sensory overload, and I only stayed for two songs, including Gerry and the Pacemakers' "It's Gonna Be All Right."

    Today I went to an Asperger's Meetup in High Park.  We met at Cafe Novo and went for a walk. (The weather was perfect!) Bev brought her dog Lily, who was entertainingly energetic.  Evghenia brought her boyfriend and they spent a lot of time cuddling, so I didn't get home till 18:00.

    Dinner was salmon. (The potatoes were riced with a gadget we got from Publishers Clearing House.)

    Tonight I went to another Karaoke Meetup, this time at Bar Plus.  There were fewer people than usual, and I got to sing over half a dozen songs!

October 6, 2011

    In the morning Moira and I went to Scotiabank, where I arranged for my G.I.C. to be transferred to her ownership. (Afterward I voted in the election.)

    Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.

    In the evening I went to the St. Paul's NDP election night party at Boccone's. (I'm sorry my cold prevented me from doing much for their campaign.)

October 5, 2011

    Dreamed of becoming an angel in heaven and doing something that unleashed turmoil; driving from B.C. to Alberta.

    Dinner was more turkey pie.

    We saw two episodes of Murder One tonight so the fourth disc will be ready to return when Moira leaves for Chicago.

October 4, 2011

D.A. (outraged about being called to testify): "And I remember these things--forever!"

"Good.  That's what I like best in a witness."

--Murder One

Sinister Richard Cross: "I can see you're getting... overwrought"--ibid.

    Dreamed of a non-existent MGM musical ballet number from the 1950s, with a woman wrongly thinking she'd killed a man and Ray Walston in two roles; arriving in my hometown Sackville, N.B., by train (from the west); taking the subway all the way west to Kipling station; a new Flintstones animated movie.

    I'm still not completely over my cold. (Singing tires me before long.)

    Dinner was more turkey pie.

    At opera rehearsal, I already have some of Lucia di Lamermoor memorized again. [I'd done it eight years before.] Beatrice performed a ragtime song for us which she'll be singing in a concert soon.

October 2, 2011

"An' when a man does what he thinks is right --he deserves credick even when he's wrong"--Popeye the Sailor

    Dreamed of visiting abortionist Henry Morgenthaler; visiting Bill Cosby's house (with sitcom family); noticing that someone was collecting stolen property near our old home in Sackville, N.B., and threatening to call the police; a period serial played for comedy called Believe It or Not.

    Donald came over for dinner, which was turkey. (We had Thanksgiving a week early, since Moira will be in Chicago for the marathon there.)

October 3, 2011

"My heart may have led me astray."

"I don't think it was your heart that was leading you, Arnold."

--Murder One

    Dreamed of being on a children's soccer team going to Cuba for a tournament; going to a promontory on the seacoast; being unable to keep up on long walks; boarding a turboprop plane; seeing a huge Miami tower whose base was beneath the horizon.

    Saw a DVD of a PBS documentary about building New York City's first subway line around 1900.

    Dinner was turkey pie (surprise, surprise).

    Went to the year's first Coro Verdi rehearsal. (Giuseppe's back from Italy.) This year we'll be doing Bellini's Norma first, and Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera later.  Norma has a superb opening number!

October 1, 2011

    Dreamed of golf; making a new movie of Moby-Dick; seeing a conventional film depiction of a dream.

    Went to a Sensitive People Meetup at the Java and Juice place in the Beaches. (I had an egg salad sandwich there.) Afterward I strolled along the boardwalk.

    Dinner was a recipe called straw and hay pasta.

September 30, 2011

Prosecutor: "The People strenuously object!"

Judge: "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

--Murder One

    Dreamed of using invisibility to go into a courthouse in my pajamas and occupy an unused room; re-entering the place without invisibility and getting caught; the John Denver song "Calypso"; translating the chapter in Tom Sawyer where he persuades the other boys to whitewash his fence.

    Went out and dropped some more NDP flyers in my neighbourhood, between Greensides and Arlington avenues.  I got really sweaty.

    Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.

    Started a new computer game called Airport City.

September 29, 2011

"Boys, times have changed.  I changed them"--Junior Bonner

"He's your father's dog.  He'll shake your hand or bite it off"--ibid.

"I have a better idea, Arnold.  Why don't you take a flying leap off the Hollywood sign?"--Murder One

    Dreamed of an off-colour video for the non-existent song "Big and Somewhat Dimmer."

    Went shopping.

    Baked cheese bread.

    Dinner was salmon.

    Saw the DVD of Sam Peckinpah's unusually subdued Junior Bonner.

September 28, 2011

"I don't want luxury!  I wants happiness"--Popeye the Sailor

"Isn't that dirty pool?"

"When she does it to us, yes.  When we do it to her, no."

--Murder One

    Dreamed of visiting an interactive museum south of Amherst, N.S.

    I've started a new computer game called City of Wonder. (I also tried My Vineyard, but it didn't appeal to me.)

    Dinner was scalloped potatoes and ham.

    Headache.

September 27, 2011

"People are so concerned about... dogs"--The Body Snatcher

"Don't get too high and you won't get too low"--Murder One

"Weirdness."

"It's Mom."

--Weeds

    Dreamed of the Tijuana Brass number "A Taste of Honey"; a non-existent animated cartoon involving a bad imitation of Robert Frost's poetry.

    Saw the DVD of the Val Lewton-Robert Wise thriller The Body Snatcher, with Boris Karloff at his best.

    Dinner was beef stroganoff.

    Went to the second Toronto City Opera rehearsal and registered there. (Giuseppe wasn't there because he's gone to Italy.) We went through the Lucia di Lamermoor wedding scene, which I found pretty familiar.

September 26, 2011

Seeing a meteor: "Everything good dies here, even the stars"--I Walked With a Zombie

"Was General Grant stoned when he won World War I?  Was Al Gore stoned when he defeated global warming?"--Weeds

 Dreamed of reflecting that bullfighting has lost its official cultural protection in Spain; not much regretting it; driving in England near Dover.

    Dinner was the rest of the Indian food.

    Saw the DVD of the Val Lewton-Jacques Tourneur thriller I Walked With a Zombie.  The creepy atmosphere was pretty impressive.

September 25, 2011

"Peasants breatfeed"--Weeds

Homer: "The internet--is that thing still around?"--The Simpsons

    Dreamed of looking up information online about the Jet Li movie Once Upon a Time in China.

    I was in bed till almost 14:00! (That cold still has me weak.)

    Baked whole wheat bread.

    John and Kathrine came over for dinner, so we ordered Indian food.

    Got sick later that evening. (I must have eaten too much...)