Well, dear readers, the announcement was announced and Outside the Box is now officially an exclusive Broadway World web series. Within three hours the season premiere episode had more views than an entire week on You Tube. Within eight hours it had doubled those views, so I think the decision was absolutely the right thing to do. And the season one episodes all had healthy first day views, too, some coming perilously close to the total number of views after a YEAR on You Tube. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. Rob Diamond, who runs Broadway World, has been a perfect gentleman every step of the way, making sure everything was just the way I’d hoped it would be. It all works splendidly there and the thought of never having to upload another video to You Tube is a very pleasant one, I have to say. I did go to our channel and send out a little note that I hoped our subscribers would mosey on over to Broadway World and subscribe there. I also said that I’d be posting a direct link every time a new episode goes up. I feel very good about it all.
Prior to that, we announced the new Kritzerland release and I managed to get an extra two hours sleep at some point. Once up, I printed out orders, answered e-mails, heard from a lot of people about the Broadway World announcement, and then I did what I always do around this time of year – I wrote the first two paragraphs of what I hope will be my new novel, which I begin writing on January 1st. I got inspired whilst in bed and the paragraph came to me and I really like it. What this does for me is kickstarts the writing process on that first day. I have the opening, type it, and then I’m off and running. That’s what I’m talkin’ about. After that, I moseyed on over to the Bank of Bur where I met our editor and his assistant to hand over the hard drive containing all the footage from the two episodes we shot last week. I had the salmon, which was very calorie friendly and very yummilicious. Then I picked up no packages and came back home. I then finished writing the contextual commentary, which took a couple of hours, and then I went to Paypal to check on my account, which I’ve been doing regularly, just because it makes me feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, I felt no comfort because I felt the balance was a little light, and sure enough after scrolling back four pages I saw clearly that the money they’d credited back into my account last Friday night from the fraudulent charge used by the scum-sucking little peckerwood who stole its numbers had been taken out again.
I think you can imagine how fast I was on the phone to Paypal. The gal I got saw what had happened and said she’d have to get me to the debit card department, so she put me on hold. Then she came back telling me I’d getting an e-mail that I’d have to fill out stating what had happened, then upon review the money would be requested to be put back in my account. I stopped her right there and told her I wasn’t talking to her anymore, that the details of what had happened were clearly stated in my record because the supervisor from Friday told me they were, and that the money had been put back instantly because it was obvious it was fraudulent. I asked her to get me a supervisor in the debit card department. Once there, I found I did not have a supervisor and I just shut the fellow I did have down instantly and told him to get me a supervisor instantly. Once I had the supervisor, I calmly lit into him about how victims of crimes should be treated, explained to him that all the details were there to be seen and so I didn’t understand WHY I had to fill out an e-mail, and that while I was happy to fill out whatever they sent, that I wanted it understood in no uncertain terms that the money was going back into my account immediately and that I would not be getting off the phone until it was there. He asked me to refresh my screen, I did, and the money was there. He asked me if I would please fill out the e-mail he was sending and I said fine. Once the e-mail arrived, I filled it out, although it was stupidly worded so I explained in detail everything and I explained it clearly and concisely and said I did not want to be bothered by this again ever. At the bottom of the e-mail it said the money back into my account was “provisional” until they received the e-mail back. I explained that there was nothing “provisional” about the money in my account and that it better remain in my account as it was and is MY money, not theirs. I explained that the fraudulent charge would be obvious to a two year old – that I made a charge at a restaurant in North Hollywood and one minute after that a charge using my card was made at a liquor store in Brooklyn. I said it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that I cannot travel three thousand miles to Brooklyn in the space of one minute. So, hopefully, this part of the nightmare is over. Once the card arrives, then I have to go to every auto pay site where I use it (eleven, IF I’m remembering them all), and update the card.
After that, I moseyed on over to the Hills of Woodland for a wonderful home-cooked meal with the Staitman family. We had an amazing lemon chicken breast thing with some very tasty boiled potatoes and garlic and onion things, some green beans and for dessert, strawberry shortcake with real whipped cream. It was quite a lovely feast. For a little pre-dinner treat, I brought Sami’s Outside the Box episode to show them (the one that premieres next Sunday) – they all seemed to enjoy it and were very pleased with how cute Sami looks. After dinner, we all conversed and the girls set my cell phone up with something called Instagram, that I’m sure I will never use – just another thing to waste time with. And then I came home. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get some beauty sleep.
Today, I have a telephonic meeting at nine, then I shall buckle down Winsocki and write some damn liner notes and I’ll try to finish at least one set and begin another. I’ll eat at some point, and then in the evening I have to go record the Stephen Findle dialogue for the two episodes we shot last week. I also have to go through all the footage to give the editor some notes about certain takes and what I like best.
Tomorrow, I’m working with the Kritzerland musical director and one of our singers, and we’ll do any and all arrangement work that we need to do. Then it’s more writing of liner notes. Thursday I will attend a Thanksgiving dinner, which I’m looking forward to, and Friday maybe, just maybe I’ll get to relax. Not sure what’s going on over the weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a telephonic meeting, write, eat, and record some dialogue. Today’s topic of discussion: What are the most exotic delicacies you’ve ever eaten? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland because that’s what I’m talkin’ about.