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March 20, 2015:

THE POGO STICK

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, this week has flown by, like a gazelle jumping up and down on a pogo stick.  Does anyone still use a pogo stick?  Did everyone have a pogo stick?  Do they still make such things as pogo sticks?  Well, blow me over with a turkey baster, they still make the damn things.  Who knew?  The modern pogo stick was, in case you were interested, invented by two Germans named Hans Pohlig and Ernst Gottschall in Germany back in 1920.  It is believed that the name Pogo comes from the first two letters of their last names.  The two-handle pogo stick was patented by George Hansburg in 1957.  I’m sure I must have had one back then and I’m equally sure I must have not been able to do whatever it was one did on a pogo stick.  Today they make high-powered pogo sticks called xpogo.  I think we should all purchase pogo sticks and see if we can use them without killing ourselves.

Yesterday was a day called Thursday.  The day began with me getting up after nine hours of blessed sleep.  I had the craziest dream in which I pulled a calf muscle – it wasn’t a dream, however, since I woke up in excruciating pain from my calf muscle – that happens from time to time and it’s completely random and weird.  Probably from thinking about the pogo stick.  Once up, I had some telephonic conversations, answered e-mails, printed out orders, and then I went and had some chicken tenders.  From there, I went directly to the Hills of Beverly for our Sandy rehearsal.  It went extremely well, and except for some patter fumfers, it’s really in good shape.  I left as soon as we were finished to avoid traffic, which I pretty much did.

When I got home, I had some work to do on the computer, some ALS stuff to do, more telephonic calls, but mostly I proofed the designed book.  I continue to be amazed how few things there are – in 120 pages there are less than twenty tiny fixes to do, which is amazing.  We should, in fact, be able to do all the fixes in less than twenty minutes – usually it’s two hours or more.  I wrote the flap copy for the book, too, then did the acknowledgements and the dedication.  I’m hoping all this can go in early next week.  I then took a break and sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I attempted to watch the new Netflix series entitled Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.  I’d heard nothing but how hilarious it was, how great the jokes were, even though some critics had some reservations about the show in general.  So, I decided to give it a look-see.  Going in, I thought the title was like most titles today – bad.  But it’s better than the original title – Tooken.  Now, I don’t know who Tina Fey is or the person she wrote this show with.  I have no history at all.  From the first shot I knew what I was in for – a wink-wink, smart-ass, “hip,” show filled with caricatures rather than characters and “jokes” that, for me, were terrible because they took you right out of the show.  In the first scene, Kimmy and her friends are rescued from some cult.  They immediately are on TV – at the end of their appearance, the PA ushers them out and says, “Thank you, victims.”  Sorry, caricature and not funny.  That kind of thing may work for fans of that kind of thing, but it’s kind of everything I hate about comedy today.  I like comedy that is at least based in some kind of reality or some world that I understand.  Even though Love and Death is pure Woody Allen craziness, the comedy is grounded in situation – yes, the dialogue is hilarious, but it’s hilarious without winking at the audience.  You just buy it.  I watched until my old pal Jane Krakowski was introduced – her character is not a character at all, just another caricature with “with it” jokes, which I find very stale.  I finally shut it off, finding it completely devoid of humor and pretty bad.  Others’ mileage may vary – that I understand, but for me this kind of show is not funny.  I grew up in a time when funny was FUNNY.  If you like smart-ass, this is a show you might enjoy.

After that, it was just more proofing and that was that.  I did take a shower and I did manage to do a little relaxing.

Today, I’ll do work on the ALS show, I’m hoping I get some word about the piano action coming back because I really need it.  Once he puts it all back together, he told me he needs about three or four hours with it.  All that is fine, as long as it’s ready for me on Monday because we begin our ALS rehearsals then.  If I finish proofing, I’ll see if Grant is free to make the fixes.  I’ll eat something, hopefully pick up some packages, then I’ll mosey on over to the theater for what are the final three performances of Inside Out.  I’ll know a lot of people there tonight, so I’m sure we’ll go out for some food and fun after.

Tomorrow, she of the Evil Eye comes, and I’ll go do stuff.  Then we have a rehearsal at three with our band over in North Hollywood.  Then I’ll attend the evening performance of our show.  Sunday is the crazy day – book signing from eleven to twelve, closing performance of our show at two, then right over to The Federal for sound check, and then we do our show.  Next week is a lot of ALS rehearsing and stuff, all of which we do here.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do stuff, eat, hopefully pick up packages, finish proofing, and see our show.  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, the soundtrack to Judith by Sol Kaplan.  Blu and Ray, Robert Montgomery’s Ride the Pink Horse.  Your turn.  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall be a championship pogo stick pogoer.

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