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March 29, 2007:

STURM UND DRANG

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I have no idea if I will be posting these here notes or not, since Time Warner Cable continues to have sporadic problems in my neck of the woods, and now is one of those problem times. The Internet is deader than a doornail and I think we all know how dead a doornail is. It’s quite infuriating, but there is nothing to be done but to wait until it rights itself. Of course, once it has a problem, then sometimes synch is lost and I have to unplug everything and start it all up again. Oh, well. Meantime, I shall write these here notes. I did indeed have to unplug everything and now all seems to be back in order. But now I still have pages of posts to read (there were ten new pages when I arrived home), and I am behind and feeling pressure and instead of light and frothy notes we’ll now have to have sturm und drang, if you get my meaning. Speaking of my meaning, yesterday was filled with sturm und drang. For example, I got up. That was sturm. Then I had to deal with some very annoying matters pertaining to this alumni association thing, and I’m ready to tell them all to forget about it. That took up way too much of my time and made me a little late for my rehearsal with Miss Joan Ryan. That was drang. Once there, we got some good work done, and I’m finally feeling like we’re making some progress. After that, I had to rush to meet up with a couple of interesting soundtrack collectors, just to say hi to someone I hadn’t seen in about ten years. Then I rushed back, hoping to get some writing done – I did get a page and a half done, but I know I’ll be completely redoing it in the morning. Still, I’d written so much the day before that I’m still fine and on my schedule. And today I should be able to write all day. I would have gotten more done, but once again I had to take the time to send some mass e-mails pertaining to the alumni thing and it’s just beginning to be more trouble than it’s worth. After that, I had to hurry to the Monica of Santa, where I supped and then attended a screening of Mr. Kurosawa’s fine film, High and Low.

Mr. Kevin Thomas, long-time reviewer for the LA Times was there to introduce the film (long ago he gave Nudie Musical a lovely review), and then the film began. It’s my favorite Kurosawa film, and despite its two-and-a-half-hour length, I never tire of it. It is so perfectly done in every way, and to see it on the big screen in all its black-and-white scope glory was a treat. The film is a marvel of construction, and it does everything it sets out to do so beautifully – whether it’s the long set-up and then the moral issues the leading character has to face, or the police procedural middle section, or the capturing the criminal final act, everything plays out perfectly. The acting is superb, as is the photography and direction, and the score is one of my all-time favorites.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below before we have any more fershluganah sturm und drang.

Wasn’t Sturm und Drang a German comedy team? I think their most famous routing had this classic exchange:

Sturm: Ist das nicht ein schnitzelbank?
Drang: Ya, das ist ein schnitzelbank!

I’m laughing even as I read it. What a couple of cutups they were. Where was I? Oh, yes, today I shall be finishing the chapter I’m on, beginning a new chapter, printing out the last fifty-five pages and delivering them to my muse Margaret, and then doing a few errands.

Perhaps I’d better wrap these here notes up whilst the Internet is still working because I don’t need no more stinking sturm und drang.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, jog, write, write, do errands, Xerox pages, deliver pages, write, and then sup. Today’s topic of discussion: What is the best thing you’ve ever won? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, and let’s have no more sturm und drang.

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