A Guy, a Computer, and Entirely Too Much Caffeine
Saturday, 20 July • Bratwurst and Beer, with a Side of Blog
Pardon me while I do a little multi-tasking here. I'm polishing off a late-night snack: chowing down on a leftover brat, alternating that with a few quick keystrokes, while at the same time hoisting a Sam Adams. (For the record, I generally don't eat at the computer, having learned early on how spilled food and drink can make for a terribly mucked-up, unresponsive keyboard. The occasional light dusting with toast crumbs at breakfast is typically the worst I dish out these days.) Anyway, if you judge tonight's entry to be even less coherent than usual, just remember that I'm foregoing my usual black-tie candlelight supper just so you, Dear Reader, won't be denied your blog fix for the day. [Cue violins; up with heart-tugging, tear-jerking music.]
Although unplanned, it turned out to be something of a Britcom evening earlier. I was minding my own business, reading at Pynchon's Mason & Dixon when, in the background, "Keeping Up Appearances" successfully vied for my attention. It was an episode I'd already caught at least two or three times, but some unseen, irresistible force prevented me from returning to my book. Maybe I thought that somehow this time I'd be rewarded by seeing Richard reach the breaking point. Surely Hyacinth has it coming, and heaven knows there are plenty of blunt objects within easy reach in their home. Not that I actually crave Hyacinth's demise, mind you, but the level of anxiety she inspires in her husband, her neighbors, her priest, and countless other innocent bystanders just cries out for some kind of release after all these years. A good, surreal case for Patricia Routledge as PBS's Hettie Wainthropp, should our Mrs. Bucket meet an untimely end.
After Hyacinth & Company, it was "As Time Goes By." I've never been quite sure why I enjoy this ultra-low-key show, but I do. Lionel, in his unrelenting grumpiness, seems an unlikely character to win our sympathies, yet while in real life one might soon tire of his negative view of the universe, he's written with just enough curmudgeonly wit to win most of us over. Of course, it's hard not to like Judi Dench in any role, and here, as Jean, she's an effective foil for Geoffrey Palmer's Lionel. Hard to imagine the series being a success without her, really. Not a show that finds me laughing out loud, or going out of my way to see, but once started, it's one I seldom switch off.
OK, it's closing in on midnight, and your genial host is getting a bad case of the yawns, made worse by having stayed up too late last night boogying at Janet Reno's Dance Party. A good time was had by all, though keeping up with the disco-crazed Ms. Reno is definitely not for the faint of heart. It's going to take me a few days to fully recover, I suspect. Still, I can't wait for the upcoming John Ashcroft Nude Frisbee Fest, and the much-anticipated George W. Bush Pub Crawl. Be there, or be quadrate.
But now, alas, the old clock on the wall is nagging away, and it's time to bid you a fond farewell. So, thanks for coming; you've been a great audience. Let's do it again soon, shall we?
Posted by Spiffy Knickers - 11:49 P.M.
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©2002 Jerry Armstrong
