Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
December 24, 2008:

THE DAY OF THE DO

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, the day of the Do is here. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, the day of the Do is here. Day Of The Do – that sounds like a George Romero film. The Day Of The Do is always fun, but not as much fun as the Do itself, which if fun-plus. Yes, it’s Christmas Eve, the time to have yourself a merry little Christmas and to make the yuletide gay because from now on our troubles will be miles away, and I hope that’s true because we all need our troubles to be long ago and far away. Speaking of long ago and far away, yesterday was long ago and far away. I got up, had to deal with a few things, and then did my early-morning errand, after which I returned home and did the long jog. It was actually a pretty day, with blue skies and a nip in the air. When I got home, my helpful helper arrived and finished importing all my AOL address books into like-named gmail accounts. After that, we got a bite to eat at Dino’s Pizza, which was just what I had a hankering for. It was quite yummilicous and I was quite full afterwards. Then we came back to the home environment where all packages were addressed, so that’s out of the way now. After that, the helpful helper left and I toddled off to do some necessary errands and whatnot, which included a final trip to Gelson’s to purchase rolls, mushrooms, and donuts. I then came home and decided to make Yo Olde Tuna Pasta Salad, which I did. So, that’s one less thing to do today. I then did some more cleaning and organizing and the home environment is looking pretty spiffy now. After that, I finally sat on my couch like so much fried fish.

Last night, I watched a DVD of a program that was shown on PBS a few months ago, about entertainer Mitzi Gaynor and her television specials. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and only wished that they would have included a couple of the specials in their entirety, but maybe they are saving those for other releases or maybe there are clearance problems. It was fun hearing and seeing Miss Gaynor as she is today (she looks pretty terrific), and also hearing from Bob Mackie and Tony Charmoli. And the clips were great, too. Miss Gaynor, in these specials, was really something else. She’s a terrific dancer, a good singer, and a good actress. The choreography, especially that of Peter Gennaro and Danny Daniels, is so much fun – today’s choreographers just don’t know how to do what these guys did. The outfits of Bob Mackie are at times fairly outrageous for television, but Mitzi looks grand in them. The show runs a quick hour, but there are some good extras, including the full versions of about eight musical numbers. Quality is excellent considering this stuff is all over thirty years old and shot on videotape. I then watched another PBS special, this one about the musical Grey Gardens and its trip to Broadway. While it had some interesting things in it, it wasn’t a grabber. It had nice interviews with the Maysles, lots of footage from the film, less footage from the show, and absolutely no hint of the backstage drama with the show’s producers, the Gondas. To ignore that robs the show of any sort of drama. I’m sure the Gondas wouldn’t allow it, but a documentary is a documentary and they should not have been allowed to have veto power. They could have presented their side of it, and Miss Ebersole and others could have presented theirs. All in all, too surface and not that great.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because this is, after all, the Day Of The Do, and I must get my beauty sleep so I can Do, Do, Do all of the Do things that must be Done.

Today, I shall do Do things. I shall, of course, do the long jog before doing the Do things. The Do things I’ll be doing will include slicing mushrooms, mincing garlic (how do you feel about mincing garlic? I feel when the garlic minces it’s just too effeminate, but that’s just me), and preparing the famous BK spaghetti sauce, the preparation of which takes about two hours, and then it simmers for another four. I’ll set the table where all the food goes, and I may have to make one trip to the market or somewhere that has candles, as I am out of one big candle that goes in the middle of a festive Christmas thing. Whilst I’m doing all of this, the packages will have postage added to them, and I’ll probably watch a DVD at some point, whilst the sauce simmers. Whilst The Sauce Simmers – that sounds like a soap opera, doesn’t it? I’ll also shave and shower and do my ablutions. And at six, the guests begin to arrive and I do hope a few of them arrive on time so I can EAT right away. I will, of course, have a running commentary whilst the Do is being done, and photographs will be taken.

Tomorrow, of course, is Christmas Day and I shall open my few presents in the morning, which is when I like to open my few presents. I’ll be lazy and perhaps watch Scrooge, in honor of Christmas Day, and then I’m attending the Christmas Day partay of Miss Cissy Wechter, which I’m very much looking forward to. I intend to eat only a smidgen of turkey and/or ham so that I can partake of her faboo desserts.

As of Friday, I’m done with stuff for the rest of this year. I shall do nothing but what I wish to do and no one can say boo about it and if someone were to say boo about it I shall say boo right back.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the long jog, prepare the famous BK spaghetti sauce, watch a DVD, finish tidying up, and then have the annual Christmas Do. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I attend to the Day Of The Do.

Search BK's Notes Archive:
 
© 2001 - 2024 by Bruce Kimmel. All Rights Reserved