plutherus

Item 1: Today, I went to In-and-Out Burger. This is a burger place to which, despite all the many years, off and on, that I have lived in California, I have never been before. Somehow, I just couldn't get past the name. Anyway, at 3pm, I finally finished the emergency I was working on, and went out to lunch, as the on-site cafeteria closes at 2. Still wanting to get a couple more things done, then get out asap so I could go see Superman, I just swung through the first drive-through I found, which was In-and-Out. I have been told, many times, that it really isn't as bad as it sounds. True. They don't totally suck. They're known for only having three things on their menu: Hamburger, Cheeseburger, and double-cheeseburger. Oh, yeah, and fries and coke.

So, what's the prognosis? Eh.

I mean, it was OK. The burger was definitely better than McDonald's, but nothing special. It's definitely fast-food. Perhaps half a step below Stake-n-Shake. So, not great, but not bad.

The fries, on the other hand, were utterly wretched. Yuck. I can't remember having worse. Half salt, and half some kind of weird petroleum scent, with a chalky aftertaste. Eew.

Item 2: On the other hand, I got the last book that I bought with the Amazon gift certificate I got for my birthday this year. Olivia de Havilland's "Every Frenchman Has One". I was hoping for a story about her career, you know, standard actor autobiography stuff: some amusing anecdotes about her early days, behind-the-scenes stuff from her movies, inside dirt on Errol Flynn (or Alan Hale!), the story of her famous lawsuit against Warner Brothers, leading to the end of the actor-as-property-of studio-model. Instead, it was a charming collection of essays and anecdotes about her life in France, where she had lived for the last couple of years with her husband. Engaging, well, written, all that. Enjoyable. She starts off with the disclaimer that, contrary to popular belief, she's not dead, she's just in France. Also, as I discovered after receiving it, it was autographed. Normally, I'm not much for autographs, though I've got a few. Generally, an autograph is a memento of the occasion that I met the person in question. (Or, in a couple of cases, a gift from the friend who wrote the book). So, I've never tried to collect an autographed book that was signed before I bought it, as that would defeat the whole point.

This one's a little different, though. I mean, it's Olivia de Havilland, ya know?

I don't know if the person who sold it through Amazon had any idea it was signed, or if it would make any difference if it was. There were numerous stickers on it, as it's been sold many times before, and the cover's half off. Still, not bad for $4.00 plus shipping.

And, just so you know, she's still alive, though I have no idea if she's still living in France.