Robert Manners

Rocky Road

It's amazing, the therapeutic powers of a big bowl of Dryer's Rocky Road ice cream slathered in Hershey's chocolate syrup, especially when taken in conjunction with four and a half hours of pretty boys on television (in all sorts of places... two contiguous Law & Order: SVU reruns featuring particular hotties, the new Real World has two I like, and Everwood on the WB is just crawling with them). My cares just floated away.



In order to hang onto that carefree feeling, am going to wear sweats to the office today. That way, not only will I be terribly comfortable, but also I won't have to change for the gym. This will save me mountains of time.



The audit is almost over (this, by the way, is a sort of internal audit, performed by teachers' unions all over the country because some fucknut named Hudson in Chicago twenty years ago objected to being charged agency fees), and all bookkeeping will be taken out of my hands soon. I have to try to remember, in the future, to not accept it when people lay things off on me. I mean, I've been trying for months to get the bookkeeper to take over all of the bookkeeping, but I didn't have the authority (or, truth be told, the balls) to make him do it, and I couldn't get my boss to do it even though the boss agreed that he should be doing it rather than I. But nothing happened, and I just kept on doing the bookkeeping regardless.



I guess it makes me feel more important when I am put-upon... revelling in an image that I heroically rise to the occasion when necessity demands. But looking at the wreckage of the financial files that were left in my keeping, I would have to say that I did a totally half-assed job of it, there was no heroic rising of any kind involved. I sucked at it, and I allowed myself to continue doing a sucky job. My bad. But I don't care anymore.



(PS: an hour after posting, I got to the office to find an envelope of documents dropped off by the bookkeeper for the auditor early this morning; almost all of the missing documents were in it. I oughtta kick that man right in his head, making me hunt all over the goddamned office for documents he had in his goddamned house... AAAUUUGGGHHH!!! But, like I said, I don't care anymore).



On to more interesting topics:



I was watching Entertainment Tonight, last night in bed before I went to sleep, checking out what people wore for the Golden Globes. I didn't like Nicoles Kidman's dress, those big gold paillettes made her look like a casino display of some kind. But everyone else looked just lovely. And what's wrong with Stephen Cojocaru's mouth? Like Steven Tyler without the lycra. And aren't cojocarus those weird chickens in The Legend of Zelda and the Ocarina of Time? (a websearch reveals that there was one "cucco," the chicken creatures, named "Cojiro" to be found in "Kakariko" Village... I guess I conflated the words in my memory). I like the guy, personality-wise, he's bright and funny... but bubula, you need a serious makeover... just don't go to Joan Rivers' surgeon.



So anyway... to catch up on some of the doings I talked about in the post before last, The Return of the King was absolutely fabulous. The pacing, which was my main complaint in both previous episodes (The Fellowship of the Ring was too meandering, and The Two Towers was too action-packed) was extremely well done in this one; one would get all twisted up in the action sequences, but before I'd get too tired from bracing for action, a nice quiet scene would follow in which I could relax and gather my strength. They also cut back a bit on the foley effect during battles... not so much of the sound of swords entering flesh, no echoes of breaking bones, fewer screams of the dying (which made The Two Towers so painful to watch). And I was very happy with the ending... perhaps the longest happy ending in film history. People kept teasing me that everyone dies at the end, and I wasn't sure if they were really joking or not (since I'm about the only adult left on the planet who hasn't read the novels). The three and a half hours just flew right by. A great pleasure of a film. (I was also very excited by the trailer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which is coming out in June... eeeeeeeee!)



The Winter Extravaganza went quite well, also. Caroline was wonderful in her performance of "Little Red Corvette," I was thrilled to have the elusive Miss Daisy among us delivering Shirley Bassey's "This is My Life," Miss Gay Marin (in perpetuity) Candie Swallows visited and gave us a spectacular discoed-out rendition of "My Heart Will Go On," and our own little Grand Duchess Angelique did the terribly cute "Popular" from Wicked. There were a whole lot of performers, most of the Court was there, not to mention visiting dignitaries from Modesto, San Jose, San Francisco, and elsewhere. We raised well over $800, pumped by a single $100 donation for a command performance by the wonderful Mama Portugal.



And, on a more personal note, I looked fabulous. I took a few pictures, not many, but I left my camera in my purse, which is in my suitcase, which is in the car, so I can't upload them yet... Caroline took a great many more, but hasn't gotten them developed yet. I'll hopefully remember to post them when I get copies.



That's all I have to say for myself today. I have to get to work now and see if I can accomplish anything better than mere damage-control today. I hope you have a super-duper day!