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December 4, 2004:

PITH AND VINEGAR

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I must write these notes in a hurry because not only will she of the Evil Eye be here shortly, but I also must pick up the Parisienne cake and must also prepare for today’s reading and signing. I must psych myself up, I must rid myself of unseemly phlegm, and I must bathe and anoint myself with precious oils so I will look my best. After the reading, I must come back to the home environment and begin packing for tomorrow’s trip to New York, New York. A car will be picking me up at five a.m. which means I must get up at four-thirty. I’ve already prepared the things I’m bringing with me, so all I have to do is stick them in my overnight bag and voila, I’m packed. I only travel with one small overnight bag and my laptop computer. The bookstore in New York asked me to bring two copies of each Kritzer book, lest someone should want them – those I sent ahead, and they’ll be waiting for me at the hotel, along with some Bus and Truck CDs for the signing. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too?

Yesterday, I had a lovely lunch meeting with Mr. Kevin Spirtas, and I’ll be helping him put together an act – you know, just being a second set of eyes to help him shape the thing and find what works best for him. I enjoy doing that sort of thing, so it will be fun. Other than that, all I did the livelong day was a couple of errands, a bit of writing and that’s about it. I also got several lovely packages in the mail, including a recent eBay purchase of sixteen hardcover volumes of Li’l Abner dailies, published by the Kitchen Sink Press. I have all the volumes in this series (26 in all), but only two of my first sixteen volumes were hardcover. The first printing of the hardcovers were only six hudred copies each, and they aren’t that easy to find anymore, as most sold out and have been out-of-print for several years (a couple of volumes were reprinted in hardcover as second editions). When new, these hardcover volumes sold for $39.95 each. So, this set of sixteen volumes came up for auction, all in mint condition, with no reserve. The bidding got up to about a hundred bucks, but I figured it would go quite high in the last few seconds. So, I placed a bid with eSnipe for $350.00, just to make sure I won it (still a bargain – less than cover price). Well, there was some fierce bidding at the end but the silly people kept upping the bid by five dollars and I ended up getting it for $145.00, a bit less than ten dollars a volume. Color me happy, oh, yes, color me happy. I now have all hardcovers for the entire set with the exception of volumes 18-21 (volume 26 only came in softcover). I shall now sell my volumes 1-16 (which include two hardcovers) on eBay and make half my money back. Color me happy.

My goodness that was an awfully long story about an eBay purchase, wasn’t it? Perhaps we should all click on the Unseemly Button below because time is a cruel mistress and is standing in spike heels with a leather whip telling me to hurry up with these fershluganah notes already.

Has anyone noticed that time is a cruel mistress? That sounds like a Judy Collins song, doesn’t it?

What a pithy paragraph that was. Filled with pith it was. And a little vinegar, too. Yes, pith and vinegar, a potent combination.

Here’s another potent combination: Two turns to the right to 24, one turn to the left to 16, three turns to the right to 8.

I no longer have a clew as to what the hell I’m going on about, but I’m rather fond of these short paragraphs, aren’t you? I feel they’re filled with pith and vinegar.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must pick up a Parisienne cake, I must get rid of all unseemly phlegm, I must hie myself to the Dale of Glen for my reading and signing, which I believe will have both pith and vinegar, not necessarily in that order, and then I must get cash for my trip at the ATM, and pack, and find time to eat and then try to get to bed as early as possible. Today’s topic of discussion: When you were growing up, who is the one person, besides your parents, who you felt was magical to you as a youngster – who taught you things, opened doors and showed you worlds you didn’t know? Tell us who, and tell us why. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and make sure they are full of pith and vinegar. But, for now, time is a cruel mistress and I must get crackin’.

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