Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much sick fish, hoping that it does not get worse and that it gets better sooner than later. The scratchy throat has abated a bit, so that’s good, but coughing and phlegm are running rampant and rampant isn’t too happy about it, frankly. I did get over eight hours of sleep, so I’m sure that was helpful. Once up, I did answer e-mails, I did get a modern major miracle, and I did blow my nose quite a bit. I did have a turkey sandwich on rye with American cheese and lettuce and that was excellent. It came with a side of cucumber and onion and that, too, was excellent. I’d forgotten to take my eight pills on Monday, so I took them yesterday and I’m sure that’s okay. I’ve also been trying to drink water, and I think that’s been helping with the contraction of the muscles in hands and feet. Interestingly, I never dozed off, not in the day, not in the evening. What is with this paragraph? There’s no style, no wit, no zhuzh, no sparkle, no gleam, just a damn laundry list of this and that as well as that and this. Let’s try to inject some spunk into these here notes. It’s not easy when you’re not feeling up to par – when you’re not up to par you even get a bad rap, but then again rap is par spelled backwards. Where the HELL was I? I never dozed off and isn’t THAT riveting information that you cannot get anywhere else on all the Internet. Later in the day, I had some matzo ball soup and that was certainly soothing. I had a long telephonic conversation with Doug Haverty about a variety of things, I asked for two changes from our author, and he gave them to me, and I finessed one of them. In the second act, he had a song that basically reiterated the I Want song of act one, just a kind of brief restatement, if you will. He set it to a song we hadn’t heard yet and it was cute, but I felt it wasn’t working – I felt if we’re reiterating the I Want song it should be a reprise of that, and so that’s what I asked him for and it’s going to work MUCH better. I also asked him to write an additional lyric to the opening number for the curtain call and that came out well. I had one Mucinex-D left, so I took that, hoping it would get rid of some of this horrid phlegm. We shall see if it does. And then, finally, I sat on my couch like so much fish and watched yet another 2025 motion picture, this one entitled Is This Thing On? a film of Bradley Cooper.

Now, I am not a fan of the two movies Mr. Cooper directed prior to this – the umpteenth remake of A Star is Born and then the Leonard Bernstein picture, Maestro. This one’s supposedly a “comedy” although there aren’t any real laughs in it. Will Arnett stars with Laura Dern. It’s one of those angsty marriage on the rocks and will they get back together or won’t they things – Marriage Story comes to mind, and stylistically so does Husbands and Wives. The so-called direction is all shaky cam, and Mr. Cooper even operates a “B” camera himself. He also co-wrote the film, which is based on some Brit comic who went through this scenario in real life. My problem with this film in particular is that I didn’t really care for any of the characters. I suspect there was quite a bit of improvisation going on – the dialogue is pretty rank throughout. The story, if you want to call it that, meanders along for a way too long slightly over two hours. It’s contrived in the worst way, with Dern’s character deliriously happy and then angry and upset literally two seconds later. It’s an easy film to tune out of, but I stuck it out to the end. It’s yet another film with a hideous score that does not one thing for the film or that a film score is supposed to do. And through all of it, I knew when I went to read the reviews that most of them would be over the moon and I was right. There are three critics who saw through it. Mr. Cooper also has a co-lead, and Christine Ebersole plays Mr. Arnett’s mother. I found Mr. Arnett thoroughly unlikeable and I’ve never heard of him before or seen him. So, for me, another 2025 dud.

After the movie, I had an English muffin and took pill three. I’m about to take a hot shower, then more Sambucol, Melatonin, and Ny-Quil and I will damn well get to bed by twelve-thirty and I damn well hope I get a good night’s sleep without too many trips to the ool to eep.

Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll do whatever needs doing, I’m thinking I may just have that turkey sandwich again, I’ll rest my body and my voice, I’ll keep organizing and getting the home environment ready for the Do, and that includes hanging some stuff on the walls. And I’ll watch, listen, and relax, of course.

Tomorrow is more of the same, Saturday, I think I’ll be okay enough to do the vocal sessions, then it’s just rest, rest, rest, and then I have to shop for the Do and then, of course, Do the Do.

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, maybe have a turkey sandwich again, rest body and voice, keep organizing and also hang some stuff on the walls, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite movies about marriage? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall hopefully dream of a lovely laundry list of things that would be nice.