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March 22, 2017:

WHEN THE DUST SETTLES

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, here is something worth pondering: When the dust settles is there just settled dust or is there more to it than that? Yes, these are the things that are roaming around the windmills of my mind. Settling dust. One of the great topics for intellectual discussion. For example, when the dust settles will these here notes be finished or will the dust still be settling even after these here notes are posted? But enough about me – let’s have some damn notes, shall we?

Yesterday was quite a weird day – not bad, not great, but certainly weird. I did get a bit over eight hours of sleep, so that was good. Then I spoke to the head of the LACC Theatre Academy about our upcoming auditions for the Sherman Brothers musical – those will be in April. After that, I moseyed on over to Jerry’s Deli for a cup of chicken soup and a bagel. I ran into D.C. Fontana, the Star Trek scribe, and she’d just finished Thrill Ride, which she professed to think was excellent, also saying it would make a great movie. She did find one bit of factual misinformation that no one caught, which means she’ll probably be alone in that – it’s not something I ever would have thought to check and involves a Burbank location that is not what it used to be – I had no idea it wasn’t, and had never heard a peep about it moving to a different location, which is why I still thought it was what it always was. But the character who mentions it could, I suppose, be like me and just not have known. Yes, I think that’s the angle here. But I was very pleased with her reaction. I ended up having a long telephonic conversation whilst eating, which I don’t normally like to do, but the conversation had to happen.

In the booth right next to me was the actor William Katt. There’s always someone interesting in Jerry’s Deli. The soup and bagel were light and hit the spot. After that, I went and picked up one package that contained two things, and came home. The two things were replacement light bulbs for two small recessed lights that had burned out – these bulbs can’t be found in regular stores here, but they’re pretty cheap and finally the dining room is fully lit again. After the dust settled, I then did some work on the computer, and then typed up all my notes from Monday’s informal reading of the musical I’m directing. The key when doing things like that is to never make them seem like criticism, never speak in absolutes, and to keep them positive – just stuff to think about. We sent them to the producer first to make sure she didn’t feel there was anything in them that would upset the authors (upsetting the authors is not how to get changes), but she thought they were just right, and that my preamble made everything seem not only positive but worth considering, so thankfully I did a good job. I then sent them to the authors and hopefully they’ll take them in the spirit in which they were meant.

Then I had some visitors and we did a little rehearsing, and then we went to have some dinner over at Du-Par’s, where all four of us ordered pancakes – they had eggs with theirs, whilst I had a small Caesar with mine. The pancakes were yummilicious, a very fine batch of cakes they were. In the little shopping center to the east that’s been there for over thirty years – Trader Joe’s is there as well as Western Bagels and other little jernts – the biggest of the places, the key Studio City McDonald’s, quietly closed on January 10. It’s completely gutted and I’m completely baffled by how such a popular McDonald’s could just go away like that – it was always crowded there. It’s the first closing of a McDonald’s that I’ve ever known about. I Googled to see if there was a reason, but came up completely empty.   Then I came home.

I did a few more things on the computer, listened to music (it was a John Williams kind of day and evening), and relaxed. I had no time for movie watching.

Today, I have a morning meeting here with my set designer, then I’ll probably eat a little something, and then I have a work session with John Boswell, after which I’ll relax.

Tomorrow will be a visiting day with our very own Nick Redman. I’m bringing him a softcover of Thrill Ride so he’ll have something to read (he’ll get a hardcover as soon as they arrive), and it will be nice to see him. Then in the evening I’m seeing Fun Home. On Friday I’m lunching with our very own Sandy Bainum. I’m not certain what the weekend holds, but it would be nice to relax as the following week is our nutty Kritzerland rehearsal week and then show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have a morning meeting, eat, hopefully pick up packages, have a work session, 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, that is when the dust settles.

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