p.s. Hey. Today the splendiferous writer, critic, and d.l. Joseph forages through one of the Harry Potter mythology's tail winds on all of our behalves, so enjoy the breezes, etc. and tell Joseph what you're feeling in the comments section today if you feel like it, thank you. And thank you kindly, Joseph. Me: I'm either feeling very slightly better today or that's just wishful thinking, I can't tell yet. Happy April Fools Day and all that. ** David, Oh, that turned out just magnificently, sir. A total joy. Folks, as a kind of loose p.s. or after burn of the recent 'brush/ famous' SPD, our noble friend and colleague David has beautifully 'recounted' an encounter with the legendary Angus Wilson on his blog. Here's a taste: '... Sir Angus gave a reading one Thurday night. Craig and I decided to go and invited the smitten Scotty to join us." He sucks with absorbent lips", Craig had nicknamed him after a middle-of-the-night nude tussle in the flash of a dying fire ...', and here's the rest. So, go over there, shoo, be off with you. Oh, David, you mentioned Margaret Drabble. Are you a reader of hers? I ask because just yesterday I read about a novel by her that's either about a jigsaw puzzle or structured like a jigsaw puzzle or something. Does that ring a bell, and, if so, do you know if/think it's worth a read? ** Bernard Welt, Hey. Well, I really love movies that play games with the viewer. There are few bigger Resnais fans than me, just for instance, but, yeah, I just didn't find the game in the Polanski interesting, or, rather, I enjoyed the game while it was secretive much more than when it went on that high speed spurt of self-deconstruction towards the end. Anyway, like you said, taste's taste, basically. ** David Ehrenstein, Hey. It wasn't the car pursuit itself but rather the fact that, beginning with that scene, the film became too interested in revealing and resolving and tweaking plot twists and motivations and all that stuff for my taste. I just didn't buy them or care, and I liked the film a lot better when it was odd and tense and languorous, but, you know, that's my taste talking, I guess. Oh, fantastic about the Anna Karina interview! Wonderful! And it's very interesting to learn that the Godard feud stuff is mostly myth. That's certainly pleasing. Yeah, congrats to you and to her, David! ** Dan, Hey, Dan! More faintings? Wow. And even in Amsterdam? Well, hm, actually, that's not totally surprising. Anyway, cool, and congrats. I'll go seek out your email. I'm kind of under the weather with sickness, so I'm a bit slow, but I'll read and write to you soon. Thanks a zillion, Dan. ** Changeling, I'm totally in the 'clumsy is beautiful' camp, but, you're right, there has to be a sort of, hm ... je nais se quoi going on at the same time. Stoicism, invincibility are very good descriptions. I don't think the counterbalancing grace or reserve needs to be known or understood by the person being clumsy though, do you? More like a brilliant, revealing mistake or something. I have this thing for innocence, I guess. Bleeding profusely in public is intense, yeah. The discombobulation and shame it produces is really unique. And what it does to the people around you too. It's such a weird sensation that you might have to be hypnotized or something to really remember and relive the feeling it produces clearly. Or I don't know. That's probably just me. ** Jose, Hey, man. Nice to see you. Oh, well, awesome about that blog day. Thank you. Much, much appreciated. Very curious to see your new website and also any projects you're working on that end up being public. ** Steevee, Oh, well, then my consider my congrats re: the screeners shifted into a good luck, man. Mm, I don't think they have Coldcalm here. Really, they literally have almost no and maybe even no US medications, whether over the counter or prescription, available here in France at all. I can't think of one. ** _Black_Acrylic, Yeah, I mean, I guess the #1 reason to take the no-pay editing gig would be to get that editorship on your resume. There's logic to that idea. It's the workload that's the issue. Anyway, options open, absolutely. ** Little foal, Going vegan sounds good to me. I've been a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) since I was 16, and I've never had problems from that at all. I used to go pure vegan every couple of years to clean myself out, and it felt great. The problem was I'd get deathly skinny eventually and not in an attractive way, so I'd stop. Anyway, we have at least two vegans around here (Wolf and Mark Gluth), and maybe they'd pipe in if you need any tips or anything. xxoo, me. ** No more teenagekicks, Hey, Mark. Oh, that's cool, man. The weekend would be awesome. It's just super cool of you to do that. Anything you can say about your novel's progress? You know I'm over here chomping. ** The Dreadful Flying Glove, Yeah, when I was saying I liked TheBishop's smile, it was partly because it just seemed to know a lot. I could imagine a mastery of the comedic was responsible for its construction. It might be worth it to become his torturing master just to be able to be in the audience for his lexicon of double takes, witty ripostes, arch pleas, and so on. Oh, thank you deeply re: the SFA Day. No doubt in the entire world that I'm going to like it. 'Pornografia' is a terrific thing, I needn't tell you. I'll be curious to read your take on it. ** Justin, Wow, I can really almost picture the Vivisection jacket, and it sounds exquisite. Very nice description there. The frog/pins thing, whoa, very nice. ** Inthemostpeculiarway, My butts are almost stubs again. Hopefully, that means I'm getting better. Hm, I wonder if the bear is textured. Hope so. I'll bet. No, the 'Another Man' interview is magazine only. The issue's pretty good though. The other interviewees include Cronenberg, Noe, Jarmusch, Stephen King, and a bunch of other guys. It has Jack White on the cover if you're in a newsstand somewhere with spare dollars. What you say about Bendy isn't stalkerish at all. It's attentive, refined, and warm. I hope your wanting to cry wasn't a bad thing. I always enjoy that feeling when I want to cry or am about to. My day won't be a whole lot of much at all again, I'm afraid. I felt okayish for part of the afternoon. Enough to make me sad that none of my Recollets pals are in Paris right now to hang out with, even were they willing to risk being in my company at the moment. Oscar, Kiddiepunk, Scott, Paul ... all far, far away. All my theater friends too. So I worked mostly and not very well. Still, over the previous few days, I'd been very worried that my new novel is an unsalvageable disaster, and yesterday I decided that had been my sickness and crabby mood talking, and that it isn't so bad after all, just in need of a shitload of work. Uh, I walked outside at some point to buy food and medicines. Oh, at 3 pm I was interviewed via phone by one of this blog's d.l.s, Puella Aeterna, who coincidentally gave us the Elizabeth Young post yesterday. She interviewed me for the this website Ponystep. She's very cool and smart, of course, so the interview was interesting and fun, although I wish I'd felt a bit more healthy and completely on top my thoughts. Still, I think it was okay. That was day's highlight, I'm pretty sure. I ate stuff, smoked a little less than usual, started feeling sicker after nightfall, watched TV (can't remember what), and crashed, hoping I wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night again with a hacking cough. I did, but it only kept me awake for two hours, which was an improvement. So, that's it. I'm in need of your Thursday report now. ** Sypha, Hey. Oh, right, Easter. I keep forgetting it's almost Easter. Congrats on getting the best of it via those days off from work. Ha ha, why is the church so ugly in particular? I'm guessing it's like a newer style church with modern, anti-gothic architecture? Yeah, that's odd about that girl never responding to you. She must have really weird issues or something. I'm sure you're probably better off. ** Bill, Man, if you see this pre-departure, have the safest, smoothest, most interesting movie filled flight possible today, and check in here when you arrive and get a chance, yeah? Take good care until then, Bill. ** L@rstonovich, Man, that sounds like one sweet, non-boring trip you've got going on there. Should be solid, classic LA weather for you if my forecast widget is on the ball. What's this 'book club' at a bar thing? No, but I'd love to see that documentary on Helvetica. I'll search it out. Did I already ask you if you've seen the documentary about the mellotron? I read that it's great, and I'm a huge mellotron devotee/ fetishist, so I'm dying for that one. Safe travels south tomorrow, man, if I don't talk to you again before then. ** Math, Hi, pal. I'm angling to get the health thing in order in time for the theater thing. The last performance is on Saturday. I might have a shot. Love always to you too, maestro. ** Dorna, Hey, D! Yeah, if your visit over here can nick the run of our piece at Avignon, that'd be awesome, obviously. Oh, so you're still in the midst and heat of that film publicizing gig, eh? Well, I'm guessing her visit will form the peak of your workload at least, right? Then your bed can start giving you the lovin' you deserve. I already told you that tomorrow is the day I'm posting you-know-what here, right? I'm excited and so grateful. Lots of love from me. ** Bollo, Phew, close call on the job mishap. Or maybe not. I bet they really need you. You and nobody but you. I occasionally get into watching chef shows. There's a young, kind of superstar-ish French chef whose name I forget and who has a show here that's pretty watchable. He's kind of like a skinnier, slightly better looking, gay Tarantino with a floppy haircut. Otherwise, I guess the only real cooking show I was ever into heavily was a very gimmicky, campy one -- the original 'Iron Chef' -- so that doesn't count, I guess. ** Creative Massacre, Oh, I see about the catch. Still, you'd be in France, right? Anyway, yeah, tell me more when you're rested and non-busy and ready. ** Misanthrope, Actually, my shoe is untied. And, actually, I do have something on my shirt. Dried something from last night ... mustard, I guess. Yikes, man, about your grandma. Jesus Christ, that's like, whoa, I don't know. Well, you know what it's like, and I'm the one who doesn't, and I have to say I'm glad I'm an ignoramus on that front. Please tell me you're not going to spend today pulling April Fools pranks on her. ** Armando, Hey, Armando! It's always really good to see you, man. I think or I hope that I'm very, very gradually getting better, health-wise. I'll know better tomorrow. How are you doing? I'm really glad you like Zac German's novel. I love that book a ton. Take care, buddy. ** Okay, now it's you and the cast of the Harry Potter movies against the world until further notice. Take full advantage of this golden opportunity, and I'll see you in the morning.