I had dinner at home last night. My dad made Italian Hotdogs. He doesn’t cook a lot of dishes, but those in his arsenal are incredible. After dinner my mom and I went shopping at TJMaxx and I bought two pairs of summery pants and two pretty skirts. Back home we watched the last half of Blood and Sand starring Tyrone Powers! What an incredible movie! Even though it is such a cliché, I can honestly say the movie was visually stunning!
The last few films I have seen have all been oddly interconnected. Take for instance Blood and Sand. Tyrone Powers was the star; he was also the fellow Ava couldn’t romance in The Sun Also Rises because of his war injury. Ava was also unable to romance Rossano Brazzi because of his war injury in The Barefoot Contessa. Something’s Got to Give contained a scene where the characters go to a store called, The Barefoot Contessa. The stupid American in Bed and Board, Billy Kearns, was also in Purple Noon, playing a stupid American. Returning back to Blood and Sand, playing Tyrone’s mother was Nazimova who stars in Salome, that just arrived today from Netflix.

Maybe I just have too much time on my hands?

I exercised, washed up, got into my pajamas, grabbed a tall glass of water, climbed into bed and spent 2 1/2 hours watching the Barefoot Contessa. Reclining in bed with the flickering TV in my eyes, I had a strange feeling that this is how I will spend many nights. It was an interesting movie. Not one of my favorites but I enjoyed it. I got a kick that this is the second movie I’ve seen with Ava Gardner where the man she loves is rendered impotent by a war wound. (Can anyone name the other movie?)

Today I will place The Barefoot Contessa in the Netflix envelope and send it back. Gosh, I love this service!

Erin’s new Web site, Dust Designs is doing very well! Google indexed her site almost immediately. Her paintbrush is poised and ready if anyone wants to commission some art!

Intead of exercising, I watched Bed and Board. I am working my way through the Antoine Doinel series backwards. The first movie I watched was the last film of the series, Love on the Run. In my Netflix queue are Stolen Kisses, Love at Twenty, and 400 Blows. Over the weekend I will watch Purple Noon. Hopefully The Barfoot Contessa will get here today so I can watch that too. The movies in my immediate queue are: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Salome / Lot in Sodom: Double Feature, and 8 1/2. So far I am loving Netflix. I remember I once went to Blockbuster and asked if they had 8 1/2 to rent–you know where they pointed me, right? Yes, over to the case with 9 1/2 Weeks.

Last night I went to the Inn of the Hawk for their new dish, the New Orleans-inspired muffuletta. It was very tasty!
In the mail I received my first two DVD’s from NetFlix: Bed & Board and Purple Noon. I think I am going to really like this concept of renting DVDs. Whenever I rent from Blockbuster, I rack up so many late fees, I could just buy the DVD. Has anyone ever seen Purple Noon? Such a disturbing movie. It still haunts me. Why do I want to see it again?

New To Do List
1. CLEAN BEDROOM
2. CLEAN OFFICE
3. CLEAN CLOSET
A cluttered living space leads to a cluttered mind.

I have gotten better. The living room, dining room and kitchen remain immaculate. I really work hard to keep them clean. And since I moved, I have really worked hard at not stagnating. Believe me, I could stare at a wall for weeks if left to my own devices. Instead, I have opted towards a more active life. What helped me is an article I read about Morita Therapy where instead of asking “Why don’t you want to clean your room?” and “How does it make you feel living in such a cluttered space?” Dr. Morita instead says: “JUST CLEAN YOUR DARN ROOM!” I like this and when I just want to sit and veg but know I need to load the dishwasher, I say to myself: “MORITA SAY: DO IT!” And I do it. Kind of like when I am at a meeting and I say to myself, “Be like Emma Peel!” and suddenly I gain the composure and confidence I was missing. So tonight I will do it– I will clean my bedroom and office because Morita say: DO IT and Emma would never live in such a pig sty.

I had such a lovely evening. My dear friend Erin came over and together we got her a domain name and a Web Site Provider. She is going to sell her incredible artwork over the Internet! Stay tuned for updates!
Also, the Mike Nesmith wool hat I knitted arrived in England and now sits atop the head of a very talented singer-songwriter. Check out his Web page. Go to the gallery to see a picture of him wearing the hat I knitted!
Lastly, DeLorenzo’s Pizza (a.ka. the very best pizza in the entire world) has finally put up a Web site designed by my very favorite maitre d’ Mr. John Beck! Check it out!

One more thing…. I signed up for Netflix. I am slightly disappointed they didn’t have Algiers for rent. Regardless, the first three movies that are coming my way are: Purple Noon (which I’ve seen but I want Lisa to experience it), Bed and Board, and The Barefoot Contessa.