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June 23, 2011:

THINGS THAT BUG ME AND THINGS THAT DON’T BUG ME

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, here are some things that bug me: A CD package is returned to us. The USPS has put a sticker over the address and tracking number, and the sticker does not really pull off easily and therefore it is almost next to impossible to find out who was getting the package and what the tracking number was. I finally figure out the name from the back of the peeled sticker. I write the guy and tell him. He writes back with another address and says it will get to that one without any problems. In the meantime, the helper has found his shipping information and tracked the package – it shows as undeliverable because the address that we shipped to is a vacant house. In other words, the guy moved, didn’t update his shipping information on paypal and now we have to eat an additional shipping charge to get it back to him. That is thing one that bugs me. Here is another thing that bugs me: I had a session at the lab this morning – this has been booked for almost a week now. I cleared the time. Earlier yesterday I’d been told that the session would start thirty minutes later than planned, but we couldn’t add that thirty minutes onto the end of the session. Apparently it’s okay for certain projects to go over their allotted times (which is why we were starting thirty minutes late) but not for others to do the same. Then, nine hours before our session I get an e-mail telling me the session has been cancelled and that those hours are being scheduled on Wednesday of next week. That bugs me. That means there is no way for me to finish the transfer until next Tuesday at the earliest and now, most likely, Wednesday. I wrote back a pointed response saying not to do this sort of thing again and to see if they could add two hours to our Friday session to help make up for this lost time. I doubt they will, but we’ll have to see, I guess. That was thing two that bugged me.

Here is another thing that bugs me: Getting thirty to forty e-mails a day telling me a new member wants to join this here site. Happily, I have to approve everyone and it’s clear these are all generating from some evil spambot somewhere – easy to spot, easy to reject, but it takes time and it’s irritating as all get out and I think we all know just how irritating all get out is. That is thing three that bugs me. Here is another thing that bugs me: How hard it is to lose weight when you reach a certain age. You eat under the number of calories you need to lose weight – you jog, thereby getting your metabolic rate up – but still, it takes forever to lose a couple of pounds. That is thing four that bugs me.

Here is a thing that doesn’t bug me: Rehearsals with the thirteen-year-old. Those are sheer joy and pleasure and they make me endlessly happy. We had one yesterday and we all have such a good time – it’s surprising that having such a good time while working is even allowed. We worked mostly on patter (cutting some, adding a couple of jokes, and just focusing and smoothing), and then sang through the songs, me giving occasional notes for both. That is thing one that doesn’t bug me. Here is another thing that doesn’t bug me: Eating a good tuna fish sandwich with not too much mayonnaise and some finely chopped onions, on rye bread with a slice of low-cal, low-fat American cheese. That is thing two that doesn’t bug me.

Here is a thing that bugs me and doesn’t bug me at the very same time: Jogging. I did two separate jogs yesterday – one before the rehearsal, and one several hours after the tuna fish sandwich, for a total of three miles. It bugs me to have to do it and it doesn’t bug me to actually do it and finish. Aside from all that, it was a pretty okay day. We didn’t have any backers for the Kickstarter thing but hopefully that will kick start again today. I finished listening to the CDs for upcoming projects, did a little writing, didn’t get to the show order, and had a couple of longish telephonic calls. I didn’t really have time to finish a motion picture in any format – I’m in the middle of two – one I have to watch so I can write liner notes – and one is the Nicholas Roeg film Insignificance, which is weird, talky, and not all that good – I’m almost finished with it, though.

Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because frankly it will bug me if we don’t.

Today, I will not be going to the lab. Therefore, I will jog, I will figure out the show order, I will begin writing my contextual commentary, I will begin writing liner notes, I will hopefully begin writing episode five of the web series, I will continue trying to cast the New York episodes, I will eat something light but amusing, and I will hopefully not be bugged.

Tomorrow, I will be at the lab for at least four hours, and then we’ll be at Screenland rehearsal studios to do some staging with the thirteen-year-old. Afterwards, we’ll probably go to nearby Dino’s Pizza – I’ll be doing at least a three-mile jog so I can eat three or four slices without gaining weight. There are a few things happening on the weekend and then next week is super busy again, what with two or three sessions at the lab, two Gardenia rehearsals, and meetings and meals and, if you can believe it, the end of this month and the beginning of July. I gotta tell you.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, figure out a show order, hopefully pick up a package or three, write my contextual commentary, start liner notes, start episode five, cast, and eat. Today’s topic of discussion: Taking a leaf from yesterday’s notes – what are the most original motion pictures you’ve seen – the ones where you sat there and knew you were watching something totally unique and brilliant? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall try not to be bugged.

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