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November 22, 2014:

WILL NO ONE RID ME OF THIS MEDDLESOME COUGH?

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it is late and I must write these here notes in a hurry because I have some ridiculous and persistent hacking cough that is really and truly and also truly and really irritating the HELL out of me.  I mean, will no one rid me of this meddlesome cough?  I just need to feel tip-top, top-tip, ship-shape, shape-shift and brand spanking new so bring it on, baby, bring it on, because I am heartily tired of popping Airborne and sucking down Coldeez and phlegm and coughing and clearing my throat.  As Babs and Donna said, enough is enough.

Otherwise, yesterday was a perfectly serviceable day.  I got eight hours of sleep, maybe a bit more, answered e-mails, had some telephonic calls, then Doug Haverty came by, picked up his CDs and we went to the Studio Café for some lunch.  I had eggs benedict and a short stack.  The benedict was really good as were the recommended tater tots, but the pancakes were terrible – heavy, no flavor, and I sort of picked at one of them.

After that, I went and did some banking, then went to the mail place where I picked up an exciting no packages.  I then came home.  I had a two visitors – both brief – one picking up some CDs, the other delivering the new master for Monday’s release.  I then listened to that and it was fantastic.  I sent the packaging in for approval, too – I was hoping that would come today, but alas it did not – hopefully on Monday.  Then I wrote the blurb for Monday’s release and got it and the audio samples where they needed to go, and then I prepped the eBlast, so that’s all ready to go.  Then I finally sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night I watched two count them two motion pictures.  The first motion picture was a DVD screener of Get On Up, the biopic about James Brown.  I find all these biopics about singers to be the same – sure, different details and all, but in the end they are what they are.  This one plays fast and loose with its chronology – mixing up its time periods as if someone threw the scenes in the air and let them land wherever they landed.  So, it’s not linear and I have no problem with that other than it was confusing for no real reason.  The director and writers also use the Scorsese-like device of having actor playing Brown consistently breaking the fourth wall and talking to us, like in The Wolf of Wall Street and Goodfellas (I think Kevin Spacey may have also done it in the Bobby Darin movie but I can’t remember).  It’s 140 minutes long, with a lot of music.  The fellow who plays Brown is very good and will probably get an Oscar nomination.  But all the actors are good.  But Brown isn’t that likeable, and yet he’s not a tragic figure, so there’s just nothing to really hang onto.  I didn’t hate it.

I then watched The Wind Rises on Blu and Ray.  The Wind Rises is what we’re told will be the final Hayao  Miyazaki film from Studio Ghibli.  And what a film it is – simple, beautifully told, gorgeously animated and a complete winner.  It’s actually based on a true story about an airplane designer who helped design the Zero bombers used by Japan in World War II, and one other person – they’ve been combined into the hero of this film.  The film is just ravishing to look at and the characters are all wonderfully realized and voiced.  One thing that gives the movie a completely unique feel is that the major sound effects are all done by human voices.  Joe Hisaishi provides another great score.  I laughed, I was touched, and I even got teary-eyed.  No one makes movies like this and when something is that unique it is always worth watching.  I haven’t loved all the Miyazaki films, but I certainly have admired them all – the ones I do love I love hugely and this would be in that category.  The transfer is perfect and it must be watched in Japanese with subtitles.  If you listen to the Disney dub you are getting cheated – hearing this in English is just plain wrong – these films are inherently Japanese and the English just cheapens everything and kills it.  This is highly recommended by the likes of me.  I just loved every second of it’s 125-minute running time.

After that, I went to Gelson’s and got a little chicken noodle soup and some seafood salad and some melon balls for my snack.  I came home, ate it all up, did some more work on the computer and that was that.

Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s sleep and I’ll hopefully feel better.  I have a brief editing session at two for our Indiegogo video, and then I have a dinner thing.

Tomorrow I am seeing a club act at The Federal, otherwise I’m just relaxing.  Monday morning we announce our new title, then the rest of the week is meetings and meals, a work session with our holiday show musical director and other stuff.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have an editing session, hopefully pick up some packages, sup and perhaps watch a motion picture.  Today’s topic of discussion: Puzzles.  What are your favorite kinds of puzzles to do?  I’ve always loved crossword puzzles, but I also love other types, too, plus I loved putting together those big puzzle things with hundreds of puzzle pieces.  We used to set up a bridge table to do it when I was a kid – too much fun.  Your turn.  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after which I will hopefully arise feeling better and rid of the meddlesome cough.

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