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September 19, 2016:

HIGH AND LOW

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it was yet another wacky day of highs and lows as well as lows and highs. I got eight hours of sleep so that was definitely a high. I answered e-mails, forwarded some orders, and spoke to Apple about Garageband and how to get it to record an LP transfer in stereo. It turns out that it’s very simple to do so, but neither Doug Haverty or myself could figure it out, even though it was right there in front of Ye Olde Eyeballs. So, that was a high. A low was that Doug didn’t do the transfer – he went off to do a matinee and hasn’t been heard from since, so I’ll go get the LP today and do it myself. That was a low. Then I got the news that the lovely Charmian Carr had passed away at seventy-three. I didn’t really know her well, but I did have two wonderful moments with her and I found those entries from 2009 and present them here for your mental delectation.

Since my old pal Maura Soden was throwing the partay, I’d assumed it was her house I was in, in Encino. As I walked into the kitchen, there was a really beautiful woman sitting there and we looked at each other, both of us seeming to think we’d met before. I couldn’t remember where we would have met (and believe me, I would have remembered). Maura introduced us – the woman’s name was Charmy. As soon as I heard the name I realized where I knew her from – the same place a gazillion others would have known her from, since I was conversing merrily with The Sound Of Music’s Liesl, Charmian Carr. I told her I’d put out the CD to Evening Primrose, and she realized that’s where she’d heard my name – a mutual friend had told her. I spent most of the evening chatting with her and David Wechter, and she was really delightful. There was a lot of food, but I’d already had a pastrami sandwich and fries, so I didn’t want to eat too much. I had a really tiny sampling of some homemade chili (like a couple of forkfuls), which was yummilicious, and a tiny bit of pulled pork on a tiny bit of a roll, a tiny piece of cornbread (bite-sized), and a few carrots. As it turned out, the house we were in was Charmy’s and Maura has been staying there. Before I left, I looked in the trunk of my car and found I had an Evening Primrose CD, so I gave it to Charmy – she seemed very excited to get it. She told me that they’d begun shooting the show and Sondheim still hadn’t completed her song, which, of course, would be the brilliant I Remember Sky. It was a very nice evening, and I promised Charmy I’d call her and get her a DVD of Evening Primrose.

Last night, I had dinner. It was a friendly dinner with a new friend, Miss Charmian Carr. We went to Hugo’s, where we had a very nice supper and a lot of nice conversation, after which I took her home. She’s doing the Sound Of Music sing-a-long next Saturday night at the Hollywood Bowl – apparently they do this now every year. In any case, she’s a very bright person and it was fun.

I have no memory of why I didn’t keep in touch with her. Anyway, she had one bigger than big moment in the sun but what a moment it was. That film and her performance were hugely important to a lot of people. Who didn’t fall in love with her when they saw the film? Later, I fell in love all over again when I finally saw Evening Primrose. From my two times with her, I saw what a warm, friendly, and wonderful person she was. So, that was a low.

Then it was time for a two-hour work session with Kay Cole and John Boswell. She sang through all the songs for the album we’ll be doing – there’s still one left to choose. The selections are great, I gave a couple of tiny arrangement notes and that was that.

Then I had a Chinese chicken salad and a bagel – that was between a high and a low, kind of a higl. I came home, did some work on the computer and then, later, Richard Sherman and his ever-lovin’ Elizabeth came by. Richard brought me the last piece of the puzzle for our new CD, so I now have at least all the components. Then I gave him a little gift and I wish I’d photographed his reaction when I presented it to him: a bag of Twizzlers chocolate licorice. His eyes literally lit up and he was literally eight years old again. He immediately opened it and said, “I’ll have just one piece.” He loved it. And during the next forty-five minutes as we were all chatting in the living room, he kept sneaking more pieces. It was really funny. Then they toddled off to a party and I did a two-and-a-half mile jog. All of the above was a high.

After that, I ate five pieces from my own bag of Twizzlers chocolate licorice – mighty fine they were, those five pieces. I did a little reading, took a shower, and that was really about it.

Today, I’ll be doing a lot of writing, I’ll hopefully do the LP transfer and get that to my restoration guy, I’ll eat, jog, hopefully pick up packages, and write some more, basically an all-writing day. In the evening hours I shall relax.

The rest of the week is meetings and meals and going and doing and doing and going and hopefully all highs and no damn lows.

Let’s all put on our pointy party hats and our colored tights and pantaloons, let’s all break out the cheese slices and the ham chunks, let’s all dance the Hora and the Charleston, for today is the birthday of our beloved dear reader elmore.  So, let’s give a big haineshisway.com birthday cheer to our beloved dear reader elmore.  On the count of three: One, two, three – A BIG HAINESHISWAY.COM BIRTHDAY CHEER TO OUR BELOVED DEAR READER ELMORE!!!

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, do an LP transfer, eat, jog, hopefully pick up packages, write, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite licorice treats? What flavors do you favor? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, after a day of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low.

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