The wonderful Laraine Newman and I are driving up to Santa Barbara today to speak to a band of college kids at U.C.S.B. about how to break into show business. I still feel like someone who should be attending one of those lectures, not giving it. Anyway, posting here will be light as I need to prep for the trip, then make the trip, then get back from the trip, etc.
I also need to nurse a very sore knee that's been giving me problems since Sunday: Fine when I sit, agony when I put any weight on it. I hobbled to an orthopedic specialist on Tuesday who x-rayed and poked and said "Hmm" a lot and told me I had a very sore knee. Until I got to him, I'd been putting ice on it and taking ibuprofen. His recommendation? Put ice on it and take ibuprofen. I did for two days to no improvement. Then yesterday, my primary care physician guy said to ditch the ibuprofen and switch to naproxen, aka Aleve. Seems to be helping.
The cause seems to be the long hours I spend at this here computer, forgetting to get up and walk around every half-hour or so. I think I'll see if I can find a little program that will run in the background and then pop up an on-screen window every 30 minutes to remind me to budge from my chair. Someone must have written such a thing and if they didn't, I will.
Once again, I feel I should remind folks that if someone you've heard of dies and I don't post an obit, it doesn't mean I disliked the person or didn't respect their work. It probably just means that others on the 'net seem to be adequately covering the passing and I don't have any insights or anecdotes to add to the general mourning. I started writing obits about obscure performers and comic book creators only on the basis that if I didn't do it, no one on the entire wide, wide world web would. I'm happy to say that's no longer the case…and I no longer feel the obligation to write something immediately or at all. End of reminder.
I'll be back later — more likely, tomorrow — to report on the road trip. Oh — but before I go, one last plug for Frank Ferrante…