Well, dear readers, you know what’s funny? Well, I’ll tell you what’s funny because why should I keep what’s funny from dear readers such as yourselves? What’s funny is to call someone you haven’t spoken to or seen in twenty-nine years, get the answering machine, and begin leaving a message that goes, “Hi, you probably won’t remember me, or will you remember me, I barely remember me” and then having the person pick up and say, “Bruce Kimmel?” That’s funny. Twenty-nine years. She said, “I recognized your voice immediately. Twenty-nine years. Can you imagine? Well, that’s what happened yesterday. When I transferred The Elephant Man bit that I wrote and directed for the cable comedy series Likely Stories back in 1983, watching it I took note of one of the young gals in the ensemble. I immediately remembered her as a then-LACC student that I’d tried to cast in my show Together Again, but she was on some kind of theatre department probation or something and I couldn’t use her. But I cast her in the episode and we became friends and hung out together for a while. I even have a vivid memory of us going to see a midnight showing of Nudie Musical at the Vista Theater. But, I was going through much turmoil back then and we just sort of stopped doing things and I haven’t seen or talked to her since. So, a couple of years ago I ran into someone who’d gone to LACC back when this gal had and I asked her if she remembered her and she did and said they were still friends. She promised to get me the phone number but never did. On Monday, when I had my meeting with the LA singer, she knew the mutual friend and texted her to get me the number. And that happened that night. So, I called and she remembered and we had an absolutely delightful over an hour chat. It was really fun to catch up, and her memory is every bit as good as mine and she reminded me of visits to record stores and Musso and Frank and other places. So, I invited her to the Christmas Eve Do and if she’s not working she’ll come. If she is working, then we’ll sup towards the end of next week. Isn’t that fun? I thought it was.
I have to write these here notes and get them posted as soon as possible because we have a little wind kicking up and the City of Studio does not know how to deal with a little wind and we’ve already had the power go out, albeit briefly for like two seconds, but just enough to shut the computer down, the printer down, the router down, and the microwave clock down (but not the oven clock – go know). Everything came back up right away, except for the booster tower for my cell phone reception, which is struggling and being stupid. I assume it will lock onto a signal at some point, but right now it is irritatingly just blinking. Yesterday was one of those days that had fun things and irritating things, both in about equal doses. I was up at nine and had a long telephonic conversation with the East Coast Singer, and that was very productive and good and we’re on track for what we’ll be working on in 2013, which will be a lot o’ stuff. Then I did some work on the computer, after which I went and had a Cobb salad. After that, I went to the mail place and picked up two packages but not the one that is overdue and that is the one I really want to get. That was supposed to have shipped Priority or Express Mail and should have been here already. So, when I got home I wrote a somewhat testy e-mail about it, after talking to the USPS and finding out the damn thing was sent via Media Mail (I paid for Express Mail). The seller was mortified – he doesn’t actually do the shipping – he’s in Canada – so he has all his packages driven into New York and shipped from there. And that guy simply screwed up and took it upon himself to send it Media Mail rather than reload his postage machine with more dough. Well, at this time of year, Media Mail, which is normally the slowest and worst way of shipping anything, let alone an important package, is even worse than usual. The post office doesn’t give a crap about Media Mail – actually, they don’t give a crap about anything, but Media Mail is like cooties to them. The only thing we know is that it left the East Coast on Monday. They’re telling me it could take anywhere from two to eight days, but there’s no guarantee of even the eight days. The guy who screwed up thinks it will be here by the weekend and I really hope he’s right, as I’d really like to get it before Christmas. The seller offered me a gift, which I may take advantage of but only after the package arrives. So, that was fairly irritating.
Then I was stuck at home waiting for the cabinet thing to be delivered. That was going to happen anytime between three and seven. I’ll let you guess when they rang my doorbell. Yes, that’s right – seven on the dot. My irritation level was really high at that point. But it looks so nice I forgot all about the irritation level. I put the big Grundig radio on it, and realized it just didn’t look good there. It’s got a few too many bruises and it’s a little too large, so out it went to the garage and in its place I put some of my nice art books and coffee table-type things between two antique Adohr Farms bookends and that just looked really nice and somehow it really warms up the room. I also got almost everything off the floor of the CD closet and into the cabinet’s shelves. All that’s left on the floor are homegrown things and test pressings and that’s all going into a box and out to the garage and then the CD closet will be clean and friendly again. It hasn’t been clean and friendly for over a year. After that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first hour of an Oscar-nominated documentary entitled Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life. As you might imagine, it’s about Ayn Rand. I’ve come to Miss Rand very late, but I’m very intrigued by her since seeing part one of Atlas Shrugged and being a fan of the overheated film version of her novel, The Fountainhead. Watching the documentary, Miss Rand was a woman of great intelligence with interesting notions and an interesting philosophy – it doesn’t really matter whether one agrees with it or not because she and her history is just compelling and fascinating. The documentary is very long, two-and-a-half hours, so I’ll finish it tonight. I have another Rand documentary about the philosophy of Atlas Shrugged coming today, and I also got the Eyetalian film version of her novel, We the Living. Then I called Fed Ex to see why I didn’t get the screener that a few others seemed to get, namely Les Miz. They’re now able to look up things by address, so they told me I am getting a Fed Ex package today, so that’s great and I’m really looking forward to seeing the film.
After that, I did some organizing, then wrote three blurbs for our end of year releases. I think we got approval on one of the two that needs approval (the third doesn’t need approval) – we had to make two little changes and that was that. I also wrote the lady who does the approving and asked her to please move on to the next one and gave her the title that was most important (we’re getting three approved, but one is for January and I want the two strongest titles for this month). So, hopefully she’ll get to it before they go on their break. If I haven’t heard by Thursday, I’ll write again. I really think they’d like to have this off the desk before they go – at least that’s the hope.
Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get some semblance of beauty sleep before I have to get up VERY early.
Today, I shall be up by six-thirty and to the car place by seven-thirty to get the motor car serviced and my key fob needs a new battery, which they have to do there. They told me it would take an hour, so I’ll bring something to read or I’ll play on my cell phone. After that, I’ll come back home and I will hopefully have an important e-mail waiting for me in the morning, one that will brighten the day considerably. Please send excellent vibes and xylophones for the early e-mail that will brighten the day considerably. Then I’ll make some book notes, and I’ll get all the tracks ready for the audio samples for our new releases. I’ll hopefully pick up some packages and no irritating mail, and then the rest of the day will be mine all mine. And if the Fed Ex package does indeed come and if it does indeed contain Les Miz, I shall watch that after I finish the Ayn Rand documentary.
Tomorrow, I’m going to try and get in to see Teddy. But we also have to do a Costco run tomorrow, and that will depend on when the helper is available. I want to get as much stuff for the Do as I can. The good news is I already have enough soft drinks, I have wine for those who partake, and I should have plenty of plastic forks and spoons and knives. We have to check about plates – I’ll probably need those. I definitely have enough cups and napkins left over from last year. Friday, I take possession of 10 boxes of Jane Lanier’s caramels, and I am here to say that one of the boxes is for me personally and I’m diving right in because there is nothing on earth like these yummilicious caramels. I haven’t a clew as to what’s happening on the weekend, but I hope and pray that it includes announcing this year’s final three releases. I do have to shop at Gelson’s for certain Do items. I just checked and I think I certainly have enough knives and spoons and I have forks, too, but may get just one more package of them. I have about thirty-five plates, which is probably enough, but again, I’ll get one extra package just to be safe. So, that’s good.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get up very early, take the motor car in for its servicing, hopefully get the e-mail I need, which will brighten the day considerably, make book notes, get tracks ready for audio samples, hopefully pick up some packages, hopefully get a Fed Ex package, and then relax. 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, where I shall sleep and think how funny it is that someone I haven’t spoken to in twenty-nine years knew instantly that it was me.