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August 6, 2007:

TALES OF THE CITY

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am high in the sky writing part one of these here notes. Isn’t that exciting? Isn’t that just too too? For example, right now there is a man in one of those obnoxious armless t-shirts trying to get something out of the overhead compartment above my seat. So, I have to have this cretin’s hairy armpits staring me in the face. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like hairy armpits staring me in the face. Next to me is a cute little girl and her mommy. Mommy is sleeping and the cute little girl has her eyes glued to her portable DVD player, which is currently playing a motion picture entitled Everyone’s Hero, which she is watching in full frame instead of its intended widescreen ratio. I thought about having a discussion with her about filmmaking art and the director’s intention but, you know, she’s like six and I’m not sure she would care. The drink cart is making its way down the aisle and soon I will have a beloved Diet Coke in my hands. It’s a little chilly on the plane, which is, I suppose, better than a little chili on the plane. We took off on time, and we should be arriving in Newark at around three-thirty, at which point I shall try to get a cab as quickly as possible. The little girl is giggling over something that is happening in the motion picture she’s watching in the incorrect ratio. I feel like I’ve already been up for hours. Of course, I HAVE already been up for hours so that could explain that. I’m currently debating whether to have breakfast on the airplane. Right now, I’m inclined not to have it or, to put it another way, I’m disinclined to have it. We shall see. If I don’t have it, then I can eat lots of yummilicious food this evening at Joe Allen. If I have it, I shall have to eat much less yummilicious food at Joe Allen. The battery is already down to 94%, but that means I can go at least two or three more hours. Can you imagine? I could write the longest notes in history, but don’t worry, I shan’t. Mr. Hairy Armpits is back in his seat where he belongs. I’m now sipping a Diet Coke. Mom and daughter have Sprites. People around me are sleeping peacefully. I have always found it very difficult to sleep on airplanes, hence I am up and writing tomorrow’s notes today. In front of me and across the aisle, we have a clone of dear reader Jeanne. Directly across the aisle from me we have a man with at least five tattoos on his left arm reading Ann Coulter. I’m very much looking forward to my stay in New York, and I’ll feel a little more at ease once I’m in this apartment I’m staying in. It’s always a little unnerving to be staying somewhere you’ve never stayed, especially when it’s an apartment. I suppose it’s no different than when I’d sublet different places during the heyday of Varese Sarabande. I was in at least four different sublets, and until my first time there, I’d never seen any of them in advance. I’ve got several keys – one for the front door, one for the apartment, one that says “top” which might be for the roof, and one that says “elevator” which is for the elevator should you want to go to the basement (for trash). And, of course, we’re praying that there is good wireless signal (hot spot) to glom onto. Well, I suppose that’s enough for paragraph one. Paragraph two will hopefully continue from the apartment.

Paragraph two is coming live from the apartment. It’s a nice apartment, but has only an air conditioning unit in the bedroom which is small and which doesn’t pump out really cold air, a fan in the living room, which circulates the hot air, and another large air conditioning unit in a little loft area – that one works great and it’s really cool up there, if one wanted to spend one’s time in a loft. There is a tiny little area to sleep, but it’s not for a claustrophobe like me. Other than that, it’s a nice, clean place – don’t know what the shower is like until morning, but let’s hope it’s fine. The promises of effortless wireless have not proven to be the case. There are two networks I can glom onto – one provides one bar of signal, and the other, which is sporadically there, provides two bars of signal. I had to set up a dial-up access number for AOL and that works just fine. At least I can get on and I’ll be able to post Ye Olde Notes.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below so I can continue the Tales Of The City.

The rest of the flight went fine, and the cab ride into the city, while pricey from Newark, was quick and easy. After settling in to the apartment, I walked over to Joe Allen, where I met up with dear readers Jose and elmore. As I was walking to the table, a man turned to me and said he’d have to check the notes today. Isn’t that funny? It really does make you wonder just how many people are reading these here notes. It never occurs to me that there are times I should perhaps be more circumspect, but, you know, we let it all hang out, baby. I do feel that soon we will be the most popular site on all the Internet. We had a lovelier than lovely time. Food was consumed, dish was dished, and we laughed and laughed and just when we thought we could laugh no more, we laughed again. The food was, as always, excellent, and they now have a new BK favorite – macaroni and cheese. I’ll definitely be having that again before I leave. I had a nice leisurely walk home, stopped and got some toiletries, and then sat on the couch like so much fish.

Today, we have casting session number one, which I’m looking forward to. Dear reader Jose will be doing the honors on the ivories. I think we finish around four-thirty, and then our choreographer and I will probably have a drink somewhere to discuss the show, and then I head over to have dinner with FJL, Skip, and whoever else shows up. I’m very much looking forward to it. I’m also hoping we have a final answer from our actress, which I’m hoping will be yes, and I hope to hear from another actor we’ve made an offer to.

Tomorrow we have an intensive production meeting at the general manager’s office, which I’m also looking forward to. As you know, I’ve had to staff the production in a most peculiar way via long distance, so I haven’t actually met most of the creative team. There will be a tremendous lot to discuss. After the meeting, I’m sure some of us will convene somewhere to sup, and I know that I’ll be seeing Merrill Grant sometime this evening.

Tomorrow will be our final casting session, and we’re hopeful to have it all done by then. Depending on the actress, there are only two other parts which, if I don’t see anyone I like, could still remain uncast. But, I’ve got people in mind that we could just make offers to, so we’ll wait and see what happens.

Now wait just a darned minute. Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora and the old-fashioned waltz, for today is the birthday of now and then dear reader td. So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to now and then dear reader td. On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO NOW AND THEN DEAR READER TD!!!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, attend a casting session, sup, and also answer various and sundried e-mails and I must download a few items when I’m in a good wireless zone. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your all-time favorite side dishes? And what are the best sides you’ve ever had and where did you have them and what were they? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst the Tales Of The City continue unabated.

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