The waiting continues on one front — my overdue delivery remains lost — but it’s almost over on another: I worked on two reviews today that should be ready to post soon enough. A FedEx delay means there’s no photo to share of a hobby workstation, which is just as well because I’m still not entirely sure where to put the big ol’ There’s Always Tomorrow insert poster that’s been propped against this wall the whole time we’ve lived here.
If you’re accustomed to drywall, you might think the answer is clear: “Hang it!” But plaster’s a different beast and my office walls are also covered in paneling. I hung smaller, lighter things, like Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, on the wall hangers left behind by the house’s previous owner; bigger, stronger hardware (and careful installation) would be necessary to keep Fred MacMurray, Joan Bennett and Barbara Stanwyck safe.*
That’s an original poster from 1956, purchased around 15 years ago, that makes me happy whenever I look at it. The colors are perfect and so is its breathless, if slightly foreboding (and accurate), come-on: “The dangerous years are those married years… when love is taken for granted!” There’s more drama in the actors’ concerned expressions than I’ve experienced in the totality of my existence.
I guess the point of this post is not to take drywall for granted, either, because you’ll miss it when it’s gone.** Plaster has its perks, like durability and noise reduction, but I’d love to be able to hang There’s Always Tomorrow above the table where I’ll paint. And to put a wall-mounted pegboard beneath it for holding an assortment of acrylic paints and the tools needed to build the lighthouse and Crankenstein’s cabin. The poster would contain the area’s only attractive brushwork, because mine’s a disaster.
OK, that’s all I’ve got for now — my only reaction to the women’s Miami Open final was happiness that Danielle Collins won her hometown Masters in what she says is her final year on the tour — and I’ll try to be less boring next time. Oh, and I’ll be happy with any outcome in the men’s final because Jannik Sinner’s a phenomenal talent and Grigor Dimitrov is, well, Grigor Dimitrov. No woman’s immune to his charms, even us gay ones.
* That’s an old Suspicion promo purchased 20 or 25 years ago from someone who supposedly had a professional tie to the movie. I think they were involved in publicity but couldn’t say for certain. It’s part of a larger advertisement and they wisely eliminated an unattractive sidebar depicting the supporting players, leaving only a gorgeous portrait of Grant and Fontaine in black and white with a touch of red.
** That photo is from 2021, I think, when I switched to a smaller (computer) mouse in exasperation due to clicking/cursor problems. Nothing improved, which made sense a couple years later when we learned I was the actual problem. The story of my life.