Well, dear reaedears, I had about three hours of sleep last night and therefore I cannot see straight, cannot thingienek straight and, most obvioiusly, cannot typeen straighta. I’m ready to fall over and have been ready to fall over since six this morning. I was ready to sleep by one, but did not sleep. Too many things in the windmills of my mind, too many thoughts, too many things that need doing. I may have slept an hour at some point, but I finally got out of bed at four-thirty. I got everything prepped for our announcement and then just sat here like so much fish until six, when I announced everywhere. I then went back to bed, fell asleep around seven and woke up at nine-thirty to answer the telephonic device. I stayed in bed until ten-thirty but did not sleep a wink. I got up, printed out a nice amount of orders, had a long telephonic conversation that got interrupted and never actually finished, which it must this morning. We got the packaging approved and everything off to the printer, and then I had two back-to-back visitors, one of whom was our very own Mr. Nick Redman. We had a nice chat, and then he left and I moseyed on over to Jerry’s Deli and had some chicken tenders, which were really good. Then I went and picked up a couple of packages. After that, I came home.
I printed out more orders, had more telephonic conversations, the helper came by and picked up some invoices, the piano tuner came and tuned the piano, and then I finally sat on my couch like so much exhausted fish.
Last night, I watched a motion picture on Blu and Ray entitled Stormy Weather. Observant dear readers know that we just announced the 2-CD limited edition soundtrack of said Stormy Weather. I had the DVD but I’m not sure I ever actually watched it. Well, what an amazing motion picture entertainment it is, with a capital E. The talent is, of course, mind-boggling, but it’s the sheer energy and joy of it, the pace, the incredible musical numbers, one after another. The film is only seventy-eight minutes long and seems only about thirty. It could have been thirty minutes longer had they included everything they filmed and left numbers complete, but they really made the right decision. It was a bold film to make and the result was and is a miracle. I’ve read several “reviews” on a thing called the Internet, most of which feel it necessary to pontificate and give history lessons, like we are all rather stupid. We don’t need the history lessons, frankly. We all know the film is a product of its time and there is nothing at all wrong with it, and if oh so politically correct sensitive eyes don’t understand the importance of it, well that’s their problem. I just had a big ol’ smile on my face from start to finish. Lena Horne was stunning – beautiful, sexy and that incredible voice. Bill “Bojangles” Robinson was terrific, too. Dooley Wilson was really fun and funny, but everyone did a great, great job. Highlights were anything with Miss Horne, the staging of the numbers, Fats Waller singing his classic Ain’t Misbehavin’ and saying his hilarious line, “One never knows, do one?”, and anything with the fantastic and unique Cab Calloway. It’s like eating five hot fudge sundaes, and the cherry and whipped cream come at the very end with Jumpin’ Jive and one of the most incredible dance routines ever committed to film, courtesy of the genius that was the Nicholas Brothers. The transfer is spectacular and perfect – pay no attention to anyone telling you the element is less than pristine or that there is some wear and tear or debris or white spots, because there are NONE. NONE. Mr. Robert A. Harris gave it a five, his top rating, and he is absolutely correct. And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, this is highly recommended by the likes of me.
Whilst watching, I did rustle up a small plate of spaghetti with a little butter and cheese, which was very good. Before we get to tomorrow, how about another trip down One from Column A memory lane. Here’s a little something from column 102, posted on January 3, 2000, the very first column of the 2000s, but mostly written just before Christmas and the annual Kimmel Christmas Eve Do.
I keep saying “Tis the season to be jolly” and leaving off the most important part of that statement, “fa la la la la la la la la” (al al al al al al al al af spelled backwards). We simply cannot have a jolly season without the various fas and las. In any case, I have been cooking up a storm for my Christmas Eve bash. Have you ever cooked up a storm? Here’s my recipe:
1 tsp. rain
3 cups thunder
7 oz. Lightning
1 lb. Wind
Mix together and season (Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall – your preference) to taste.
This makes a splendid storm for three. Just increase amounts for a larger storm. Does anyone have a clue as to what the hell I’m talking about?
And then I took on the crazies who were all believing the world as we knew it would end on January 1, 2000. Here is what I wrote about THAT.
What is it with people, dear readers? I sincerely hope that none of you were susceptible to the Y2K panic. People taking their money out of banks, people standing in long lines to purchase dried meats, canned goods and bottled waters. People fretting that the entire infrastructure of everything would shut down and render the world totally useless. What a load of pish tosh and also tosh pish. As I write this it is now officially the year 2000. My computer is working fine, my ATM is working fine and you will find no dried meats, canned goods or bottled waters in or around my kitchen. All that panic for naught. The world didn’t end. What are people going to do with all that dried meat? Even if the world did come to a crashing halt what would they do with all that dried meat. Who invented dried meat anyway? Was the person who invented wet meat upset? Well, as you knew I would, I did a little research into Dried Meat and How It Came To Be and this is what I found.
Dried meat was invented by one Waldo G. Bamf. Apparently one fine day he just got the notion that it would be interesting to have some dried meat. There was really no rhyme or reason for it; he just got it into his head that dried meat was something worth pursuing. It became an obsession with him. It was all he thought about, day in and day out. Even during his weekly poker game he was heard to enigmatically exclaim, “I raise three dried meats”. One of the other players said, “That’s rather a jerky thing to say” and the rest is history. He dried out some beef and called it Beef Jerky. That was merely the tip of the dried meat iceberg for Mr. Bamf. From then on he devoted his life to dried meats. He gave up his career as one of the foremost experts on ingrown toenails and spent all his days and nights figuring out new and improved ways to dry meats. He, however, neglected to patent any of his dried meats, and he died many years later in abject poverty, his only assets being cupboards full of dried meats. At the time of his death he was working on his autobiography, My Life with Dried Meat by Waldo G. Bamf, but it was unfinished and remains unpublished. I think, however, he would have been pleased to know that at the end of the 20th century the millennium worrywarts were flocking to the stores to stock up on Mr. Bamf’s very own dried meat products.
Next time perhaps I’ll tell you the story of the person who had the brilliant idea to take water and put it in a bottle.
Today, I shall hopefully arise after a good night’s beauty sleep, and then I have a noon-thirty work session for the Kritzerland show. After that, I’ll go eat something fun, hopefully pick up some packages, then come home and do some writing and relax.
Tomorrow or Friday I’ll try to see Teddy. Friday evening we resume our show with a three-performance weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a work session, eat, hopefully pick up packages, write, and 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, hoping I fall asleep quickly and get some much needed sleep – one never knows, do one?