Finished the Meyer, and then promptly proceeded to get incredibly busy at work and not write anything about it. Somewhere, a professor just tsked an exasperated tsk and doesn't know why. Hopefully, tomorrow will see that little project finished.

But on the happy flip side, I got the Jacobs and the Chappel today! It's like Christmas every day around here.

(Dear Amazon, I am pleased as punch that you wanted to send me the Chappel way earlier than you projected, but are you aware that the Lubin/Rains film has been supposedly "about to arrive" for a month? Please advise.)

In a blitz of productivity, I'm scant pages away from finishing the Meyer. Supposedly, theoroetically, conceivably, I might even start writing about it tomorrow.

I know, I'm as shocked as you are.

I am Anne. Watch me procrastinate.

The Bischoff review is finally done and up! Man, for a tiny little book I took a lot of notes. Let's hope that's not a trend, or I may never see the end of this project.

By rights, I should be reading Greenberg's Phantoms next (well, actually, I should be watching Ye Bang ge Sheng and writing a review of that and Webber's musical first, but I think we all know what will happen if we let me detour for that long), but unfortunately reality is intruding upon my carefully crafted deadline. Three of these delightful nuggets of literary zest (the Meyer, the Siciliano, and the Charnas) are due back at the library in a week or so, so unfortunately they must be moved to the front of the queue. I will therefore be moving on to the Meyer tomorrow, and hoping that the note-taking doesn't kill me.

However, I can celebrate a new package today: the Liu, Vehlow and Bruns all landed on my doorstep this morning! Glee, and creaking of my To Be Read shelf!

Finally finished the Bischoff! Man, that little book took more notes than the Chaney movie by several pages. Now, if only I could get off my lazy ass and write them out so I can move on to the next...

And speaking of the next, package came through from Lulu! Welcome to my parlor, Garza, Soper-Cook and Taylor.

Interestingly, sometime in the last week Sarah Flanagan, one of the most prolfic self-publishers of Phantom materials, suddenly yanked all of her previously available stuff off of Lulu.com. I'm not as distraught as I could be--after all, I'd heard that they were pretty darn awful--but the scholar in me is wailing in depression. Now I'll never get to read them and call them nasty names! Never get to make spurious conclusions about the psychological state of the writer! I'm considering weeping, but instead will probably just poke around the web and see if anyone has any old copies for sale at a reasonable price.

Let's just hope they're on the reality side of reasonable. Whomever that person on Amazon is who thinks those Sheryl Aumack novels are going to sell for over $200 each is both depressing me with their desire to take advantage of hardcore fans and amusing me with their assumption that anyone, even the hardcore fans, is going to buy them at that price. I just backordered it from somewhere else. Sucker!

Progress was made on the Bischoff today, though again I'm not entirely sure how I could still be only 75 pages into the slim little thing. I blame those pesky people at work... what do you call them... ah, yes, my clients. And the copious notes. If I could just stop taking notes like a demented obsessive-compulsive psychopath, I could just enjoy these books and... ah, yes, I'm supposed to be taking notes. Alas.

But the Sillesen and the second two The Trap-Door Maker volumes arrived today, so the rejoicing can continue unabated. Though, seriously... why does no one in the entire known universe carry the first volume of The Trap-Door Maker? It can't already be out of print, can it? Diamond, I'm shaking my impotent little fist at you right now.

Argh. Is there anything as frustrating as having the second two volumes of a trilogy, but not the first?

The Hernandez came in today... which is good, because it was quite late and I was beginning to wonder if it had gotten lost in transit.

Now, if only I would stop being a slacker and finish the Bischoff (seriously, it's about three pages long--what the hell), I could keep on moving!

As usual, everything comes in one big box that makes me wait! Today's haul includes the Minton, the Miller, the Greenberg, the Yoshinaka, the Ebert, and the other Meadows, as well as the Richardson/Dance film and the Yeston/Kopit musical. Eeee! My coffee table is groaning under their weight, but I'm loving it.

New review up! That's right, despite having been a lazy ass about it, first round of notes on the Julian/Chaney film are up and (mostly) readable. On to the written word (and let's face it... that's always been my first love, anyway). I don't have the films leading up to the next written work, which is the Bischoff, but hopefully I'll be able to fill in that gap later.

Well, actually, I do have the original Ye Bang ge Sheng. But I think I'm going to do the Eastern interpretations separately if I can help it; certainly I don't think I'll have too much of a problem separating the influences that come from previous versions, at any rate.

One of the Meadows has arrived. My victory dance was epic and scared the cats.

Finished the Julian/Chaney film tonight. It was very excellent, though the classical score caused John some mild embarrassment when it was overheard by his gaming buddies. Ah, well. I sacrifice, he sacrifices.

The kittens seem to have approved. They watched the carriage chase with me in rapt attention. John approved of my turning it off.

Bam, a big old box came from Amazon today! Prebler, Cole and Gale all make their way to my shelves while I chortle with glee, as well as the Schumacher/Butler film popping up a day early. It's like Christmas every day!

The first review is up! Oh, Leroux. You crazy bastard. Next up is the Julian/Chaney film, as it's both next chronologically and probably the third most influential source, beside Leroux and Webber. Watch me be productive!

There's a smile on my face for the whole human race; why, it's almost like... my Phantom book finally showed up!

That's right, Leroux finally decided to put in an appearance. Time to dive in! A couple of others made their way to me as well, including the Chaney DVD and the third Montgomery, and I'm psyched. Can't wait to get going... though I will say that it was discouraging to see grammatical errors in the foreword, which is supposedly written by the translator. I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with my novel being translated from the original language by someone who can't avoid comma splices... but we'll see. I've heard good things about this translation, and will give it the benefit of the doubt.

Now, I'm very tempted to just buy the rest of my list WILLY-NILLY, WITHOUT REGARD FOR THE CONSEQUENCES. Someone should probably stop me.

Still short on books, and awake early because of Daylight Savings Time and John's having to get up for class. I haven't been idle, however: a few little exercises in comparative media were enough to sate my ravening desire to get to work already. For now. In the future, who knows? Amazon may yet triumph by claiming my fragile sanity.

Five books came in the mail today. Five. I walked in with the boxes and John said, "Did you get your book?" and I said, "I got three packages, it's got to be in one of them.

Well, guess what? IT'S NOT.

Sigh. Two of the three Montgomerys, the Pettengill, the Bischoff, and the Charnas, now proudly in my to be read pile. But the original Leroux? Nowhere to be seen. Never mind that I ordered it at least a week before most of the titles above.

Somewhere, an Amazon shipping dude who hates his job is chortling over the agony he's putting me through. Damn you, shipping dude. Damn you.

The saga continues! I am on a journey of discovery, I tell you.

Is The Phantom of the Opera On Ice not one of the most entertaining ideas you've encountered today? It has been immediately added to my list. For educational purposes.

Somewhere deep in my soul, a gawky seven-year old in skates three sizes too big and mismatched butterfly barrettes thinks that is friggin' awesome.