Haines Logo Text
Column Archive
April 2, 2013:

THE DAY THE TRACKPAD DIED

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, yesterday was The Day the Trackpad Died. Well, I’m not sure if it actually died but it was sure dead to me, in the mafia sense. Several months ago the trackpad began behaving strangely, having a mind of its own, opening and closing things all over the desktop – very frightening to watch and dangerous as it could just nuke something willy nilly. I called Apple Care at the time and spent hours troubleshooting and even upgraded to a new operating system to see if that would help. They also had me uncheck a box in preferences. It’s been okay until late last week when it began spazzing out again. I turned it off, I turned it on, but yesterday it was out of control so I called Apple Care late in the afternoon, we discussed it, and the nice lady said that from her perspective they’d sussed it all out and know it’s not the computer, so she got the powers that be to agree to a replacement track pad. That news coincided with the helper arriving so I sent her and the dead to me trackpad to the Apple Store and she was back fifteen minutes later with a brand spanking new trackpad. We turned it on, let it pair with Bluetooth, and voila, it worked and worked perfectly and has been working perfectly ever since. My thinking is that one of the relays or contacts in the other trackpad had gone bad. RIP old trackpad and a long healthy life to the new trackpad.

Other than that, it was a perfectly pleasant April Fools Day. I got up really late thanks to getting to sleep late. I did a few things on the computer then did a three-mile jog. I’m very proud of myself for being so maniacal about my regime and sticking to it. The weight may be falling off slowly, more slowly than I care for, but it IS falling off and I do feel better for it. When I got back, I had to look at yet more packaging, answer yet more e-mails, and then I made myself the same meal I had yesterday – two cheeseburgers totaling 710 calories. I also had a nougat bar (with CRANBERRIES), which brought the calorie count up to 840. But I jogged off some of that, so I was doing well. At one, the musical director and Jason Graae arrived and we rehearsed Jason’s song, Wrong Note Rag. He used to do this in his act a long time ago (it’s on his live album), but we wanted to make it even funnier, so not only does he now sing it in his inimitable style, he also plays the oboe during the musical interlude. It’s really funny.

After that, I went to the mail place and picked up one package, a gift from dear reader KevinH – two bags of chocolate licorice. If I need a sweet, that’s kind of perfect – four pieces for 160 calories. Then I spent the afternoon doing work on the computer and dealing with the trackpad. A lady from the STAGE benefit came by and picked up the Sondheim musical quote I got them for their silent auction, plus about twenty Kritzerland CDs for a nice basket.

At seven-thirty the musical director was back and we began our rehearsals with the delightful Madison Claire Parks, who is the granddaughter of Miss Betty Garrett. I’ve known her dad for ages, Garrett Parks, and his wife and Maddie’s mom is the wonderful actress and singer, Karen Culliver. Good lineage. Maddie was under the weather so was singing quietly – we ran her three numbers and recorded them for her, since we had to adjust the keys from the tracks she’s been listening to – she does a put-together of Learn to be Lonely (from A Doll’s Life) and My Own Morning (from Hallelujah, Baby), Some Other Time, and Never (from On the Twentieth Century). Once she’s feeling up to snuff she’ll be grand. Then came young Jenna Rosen, who’s doing one song, Never Never Land. This young kid has such an amazing voice and presence – she knocked it right out of the park.

After her it was Damon Kirsche – this is an easy show for him as he’s sung all three of his songs many times over the years – he’s doing Fireworks (from Do Re Mi), Lonely Town, and My Fortune is My Face (from Fade Out, Fade In). After Damon it was Cynthia Ferrer and she is a delight. She did her three songs – 100 Ways to Lose a Man, I Can Cook, Too, and Make Someone Happy. She’s easy to work with and a total pro. Then it was Robert Yacko – I gave him a wonderful put-together of How Can You Describe a Face and Comes Once in a Lifetime, my two favorite songs from Subways are for Sleeping. Then he sang Lucky to be Me, and wrapped up with Never Met a Man I Didn’t Like. Last but not least, Lisa Livesay – she’s done many of our shows and I’d be more than content if she did them all. She ran through her songs – the wordy but great If You Hadn’t, But You Did, Thanks a Lot, But No Thanks, and a put-together of It’s a Perfect Relationship and The Party’s Over. That’s our show, and it’s just fantastic to sit and listen to one great song after another.

By the time we were finished I was starving, so I did something I do occasionally as a snack – I took two of my 120 calorie hamburger buns and toasted them with a little butter and garlic on them as they toasted (so four small pieces of bun) – with the butter that probably cost about450 calories, so with what I jogged off, I got up to where I wanted to be, about 1200 calories. I’m trying not to eat less than that. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I really must get a good night’s beauty sleep.

Today, I shall be up by nine-thirty at the latest. I shall do a jog, then I have a noon lunch at the local Thai place, said lunch with Mr. Nick Redman, his Twilight Time partner, Brian Jamieson, and a film director with whom both of us are doing projects. We’ll also be shipping out the How Green Was My Valley CDs to those who ordered just that – we’re not sure when A Time for Singing is coming in – it could be tomorrow, it could be Wednesday, but if it’s after Wednesday it won’t ship for another week as the helper is gone for seven days. I did my best last week to insure it would get here before she left, but I simply have no control over it. We shall see. Hopefully I’ll pick up some packages, and then I’ll write some more liner notes and then relax.

Then it’s meetings and meals, Thursday is our second Kritzerland rehearsal, Friday morning I make a brief appearance at a funeral, Saturday is our stumble-through, Saturday night I’m seeing the STAGE benefit, and Sunday is sound check and show. We’re completely sold out.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, have a lunch, ship CDs, hopefully pick up packages, write, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: If the world were coming to an end and you could only eat three more meals before it did, what would you eat and why? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall sing the mournful song The Day the Trackpad Died.

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