Well, dear readers, here I am high in the sky winging my way homeward, ever homeward from the city that never sleeps, New York, New York. Despite thoughts that it would take me sixty to ninety minutes to get to the airport, it took exactly thirty-two minutes, which got me there VERY early for my noon-fifteen flight. But I figured that getting through security would take at least thirty to forty-five minutes, but, in fact, I got through security in about six minutes, which got me to the gate for my flight VERY early. I then sat there like so much fish, waiting. I played on my iPhone, I played on my laptop, and somehow the time went by and it was time to board. It was good to board because frankly I was bored and needed to board, clearly a case of two board/boreds. I must say, from the time they closed the cabin doors to the time we were in the air was the shortest I’ve ever seen at JFK airport. I think it’s because they have to get the first flight of the day out on time or it screws up the schedules straight down the line. It’s a little surprising that the first JetBlue flight of the day out of JFK is noon-fifteen, but it is.
The flight has been very smooth so far. We have a completely full plane. Now, what are the odds that one of my regular orchestrators from the recording days would be on this very plane, sitting one row in front of me across the aisle? Well, no matter what the extreme odds of that, one of my regular orchestrators, Mr. Steve Orich, is indeed sitting one row in front of me across the aisle. Go know. I have a nice lady next to me and since she’s studying sides I suppose she’s a nice lady actress. This plane obviously is the weak bladder flight, since literally every ten seconds there is someone bolting to the bathroom to relieve themselves, as if there were some run on bathrooms. Part of the problem, and it’s a problem that’s only been going on for a couple of decades, is the huge amount of liquid people consume these here days. It’s like people cannot go four seconds without swigging from a bottle of water. Whether that’s good for someone or not has not been proven to my satisfaction, but for the bottled water industry it’s working just fine. No wonder we are a nation of peeing people, relentless peeing, peeing ever onward. On this very plane I’ve seen at least two gentlemen consume three not small bottles of water. I’ve had my two bags of teeny-tiny nuts and six pieces of chocolate licorice and frankly I want to vomit on the ground but shan’t since that would be most unseemly.
Before I left, I awoke to the sweetest private message from a nice man from an unlikely message board, the Home Theatre Forum. This nice man actually found my book, There’s Mel, There’s Woody, and There’s You in an actual bookstore in Las Vegas – who knew? He wrote me a long note saying how much he liked it and that he’d been very moved by it, in fact, moved to tears in the last thirty pages, since he’d been through similar emotions. When all is said and done, whether one sells thirty copies of a book or three million copies of a book, if that book has touched someone then it makes having written the book very worthwhile. I wrote him back thanking him for his graciousness in writing. He wasn’t aware that I’d just written a volume two, but since he’s a big fan of my albums, he’s going to buy that one right away.
This trip was just the right length. In and out, short and sweet. I may be back in early June to film an episode or two of Outside the Box if I can’t cast all the episodes to my satisfaction in LA. And that is the report from high in the sky winging my way homeward, ever homeward.
I got home around three-thirty, unpacked, then went and had a bacon cheeseburger and no fries or onion rings, after which I picked up a few packages. I had some packages that had arrived during my absence – they included the original Squigs black-and-white line art for the new book cover, so I’m going to have that framed today. The other exciting package contained two count them two books – one hardcover and one softcover Album Produced By. What a thrill that always is. They both look splendid, although I wasn’t happy with the quality of the photos in the hardcover – the softcover looked great, photo-wise, but the hardcover had printed way too dark and muddy. So, I placed the book order and the lady who took the order assured me she would be very vocal about the quality of the photos having to match our PDF exactly and that if they don’t I’ll simply keep returning the books until they do. That kind of thing usually results in quality control, as they’re not going to want to reprint over 100 copies of the book. But, as I said, a complete thrill.
Then I caught up answering e-mails. Just what up was doing answering my e-mails is anyone’s guess, but I caught up and then beat up upside the head. I was groggy as all get out, and I think we know just how groggy all get out is, do we not? I tried to watch a motion picture and was just to out of it. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I’m going to get these here notes posted early and get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I will hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep. I think I have a lunch engagement, and then I will go to the framers to frame the Squigs art, then hopefully pick up some packages, after which I will do nothing until I finish two sets of liner notes. Working up the energy to do these liner notes has been an ordeal, but the time has come to buckle down, Winsocki and do them and do them I shall.
Tomorrow there will be lots of errands and whatnot, then I’m seeing Andrea Marcovicci’s new show at the Gardenia. Not sure what’s happening on Friday and the weekend but I think there are a few things going on that I need to remember, since I’ve written nothing in my iCalendar.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, maybe have a lunch engagement, frame, hopefully pick up packages, and finish liner notes. 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 hit the road to dreamland happy to be sleeping in my very own bed in my very own home environment.