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December 26, 2014:

I HAD MYSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS AND LEARNED A NEW WORD

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I had myself a merry little Christmas yesterday and I hope everyone here had one, too.  Or, at the very least, had one two to.  I had a rough night of sleep due to eating too much damn food just before getting into bed.  I fell asleep around three and was up at five feeling yucky.  I took a swig of Diet Coke and chewed a few Tums, then went back to bed, and I finally fell back asleep around six-thirty, then woke up at ten.  Once up, I began the task of cleaning up everything from the Do.  I’d done some of that the night of the Do, but none of the pots and pans and stuff.  I spent ninety minutes doing all that.  Then I did a bit of work at the piano, answered e-mails and relaxed.  I watched a bit of the new Blu and Ray of The Fortune, a movie that had success written all over it – a Mike Nichols film, starring Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and newcomer Stockard Channing in a zany screwball comedy.  At some juncture in the process, someone forgot the comedy, because not more than five minutes of the first forty are in the least bit amusing.  I’ll comment more when I’ve finished it, but it’s a real head-scratcher of a movie.

After that, I wrapped some presents to take with me to the Cissy Wechter Christmas party I attend most every year, then I got ready to go.  While there were a surprising number of cars on the freeway, I breezed way out to West Hills in about thirteen minutes, a ride that on most days would have taken no less than thirty and more likely forty to fifty.

I had intended to stay only two hours, but I ended up having the best time and stayed a bit over four.  I know a lot of the folks, so it’s always fun to seem them at this yearly gathering.  Mostly I hung out with David Wechter and we caught up and had a lot o’ laughs.  His beautiful ever-lovin’ Barbara was there as were their two boys who are now grown men – Zach and Daniel.  The food was amazing, as always.  There was turkey and ham, salad, cranberries, string bean and spinach casserole, stuffing, yams, rolls and especially made for me, noodle kugel (she doesn’t ever make it unless I’m coming).  I had a bit of ham and turkey, a tiny bit of cranberries, a small amount of salad, a tiny morsel of string bean and spinach casserole, no rolls, no yams, no stuffing, and plenty of noodle kugel, which was superb.  They had tables set up outside with heaters, two of which weren’t working.  I snagged a place at a table with a working heater, but it wasn’t working enough – it was freezing out, so ultimately we all went into the cozy and warm house.  Once in, I had seconds of everything in smaller portions, and then a third helping of noodle kugel, at which point I thought I was going to explode.  Then David and I exchanged gifts.  He gave me a chit for a dinner at a restaurant called Dresden – very famous, but I’ve never eaten there.  Prime rib and steaks.  Can’t wait.  I gave he and Barbara a signed copy of Two Roads sheet music and a box of Kritzerland CDs, including It Might Be Fun, since it includes a song from our musical, The Brain from Planet X.  Here’s David and Barbara – note he is holding the Sandy Bainum CD.

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And most importantly I learned a new word, a horrifying word of today, coined by some idiot somewhere and this word is most amusing and we riffed on it for about an hour, to great effect.  It became a running gag throughout the evening, especially with David and me and Mark and Leslie Schneiderman, who we were hanging out with for most of the evening.  Mark is my insurance guy.  I hadn’t actually seen him or Leslie for several years – I really like them both a lot.  Anyway, this horrifying word is “blumpkin.”  David introduced it to me – his kids had told him and then he filmed Barbara on his iPhone reading the definition from an urban word dictionary.  It was hilarious because you would just never expect to hear anything like it coming out of her mouth.  I shall not sully this here site by giving the definition – just Google it if you dare and tell us all what you think of it, because apparently it’s something that actually happens, scary as that might seem.  I do believe there is no depths to which today’s generation will not sink for their little shock value.  It’s a word that I’m sure John Waters would love.  Remember, you heard it here first – blumpkin.

Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep.  At some point I’ll have a visit from the Darling Daughter™.  I’m sure she’ll want some spaghetti, so we’ll rustle some up for her and I’ll give her her present.  After the visit, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then I’ll send everyone their music (some already have and some don’t) along with the entire set of music to our musical director, since we have to have a work session next week.  I still have one song to choose and I’ll be talking to the young gal who’ll be doing it – she has two things she wants to present me, and I will have a couple of choices, too.  Then I’ll make a show order and begin writing the commentary.  I’ll finish The Fortune, too.

Tomorrow and the rest of the week are all ME days, save for finishing the commentary, a couple of very brief meetings, a short work session with Sami about the show we’re working on, and a work session with the musical director.  But mostly, I will be relaxing and getting ready for our annual New Year’s Rockin’ Eve partay to ring in the New Year aka 2015.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a visit, eat, hopefully pick up packages, choose the final song for the January show, make a show order, write some commentary and relax.  Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player?  I’ll start – CD, too many to name.  Blu and Ray, next up is Inherit the Wind.  Your turn.  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall hopefully not think about the meaning of blumpkin.

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