“There’s just something inherently right about showing up for a meeting, still dripping creek water.” I entered that text while I was still dripping creek water into the seat at the fancy downtown coffee house with wireless. The two-hour meeting turned into a three-hour meeting, but I was prepared. More or less. I think I’m finding the upper limit on the number of espressos I can drink in a morning: five. Or six. Maybe seven. If I went back for one more, though, I’m not sure that they would serve me.
So I was busy trying to figure out what the half-life of caffeine is. Three and half hours? (Unless, of course. I’m taking oral contraceptives) (which I’m not) (I hope I don’t get pregnant)
Two-meat Tuesday should include pork ribs and brisket.
Pork ribs were done right and helped offset the caffeine. A little. Which finally lead me to the Paramount, and the introduction to the movie: some guy from MGM, which now owns the UA catalog, and that catalog includes the evening’s masterpiece of Spaghetti Westerns, A Fistful of Dollars. And that also means that there was a few extra minutes of chat plus question & answer time.
(Cue the lonesome whistle, which is really probably a flute or piccolo, or maybe an alto – something – wind instrument.)
Italian director, mostly Italian cast, Clint Eastwood, obviously American, and German leading lady. Filmed in Spain. Trivia: until the last 25 years or so, as a holdover from the war, Italian films were done with no sound gear, and the dialogue was added in the studio, afterwards. So the lead was speaking English on the set, while the supporting roles were done in Italian, and the leading lady was probably speaking German.
Film was every bit as good as it was the first time I saw it, at a drive-in, yeah, that long ago. Maybe better. Just excellent film – work. Good escape from a triple espresso day. I was rather impressed, lots of violence, and yet, it touches on the whole mystique of the American West. The last frontier. Yee-haw. Wonder why the world sees us like that?
Brisket: it was my sworn duty to deliver chocolate purchased in Paris to Blue Valentine. At the Chili Parlor. Jake the Pisces, his little (mighty fine East Texas girl) Aquarius, Steph and her man, all convened. Within minutes, from the profound to the profane, it was great.
I was the most normal person in the group. Staid, conservative, even. Rational? I’m not sure about that. But it didn’t take long for even me to be rendered speechless, and blushing.
Cartoon, sound tracks, obscure British pop, musical allusions, and just plain illusions. We also discussed the sexual proclivities of certain town. Or people who live in those towns.
Jake gets the credit though, for referencing the original story line for Fistful of Dollars, “Yeah, two sides against each other, it’s a (I didn’t catch it all, but it was a plausible theory, at the time – something, I think, Japanese).”
So what’s the story line on the one for Wednesday night?
