Well, dear readers, this week is flying by, like a gazelle gone gluten free. I mean, it’s almost the middle of the month – I can’t believe how fast the time goes these days. Perhaps time has gone gluten free. I, for one, have not gone gluten free. First of all, who said gluten is free. I believe gluten should be paid, don’t you? Second of all, I believe one can never have enough paid gluten. But, funnily, I will be gluten free for part of the upcoming four or five weeks, as I eat food from a website called Freshly. I saw their ad, looked at their meals, and since they had a half off offer I joined up. At the half off price the meals are about five bucks each and they do look very tasty. All their meals are gluten free. Did you know that if you remove the “en” from gluten you’re left with glut? Just asking. Where was I? Oh, yes, Freshly. My six meals arrived late in the day yesterday via ONTRAC, in a big box loaded with cold packs. I brought them right home and put them in the refrigerator. They say that the meals should last four days easily – so two a day for three days – the good news being that each meal is between 400-600 calories, which means I’ll be under 1200 calories a day, and that’s a calorie count that makes weight loss possible. If I like the meals, I’ll do this for the next five weeks and see what happens. And on the four days without, I’ll be very careful with my calorie count and also try to stay away from all breads and sweets, the two things that are usually my diet downfall. But enough about free or paid gluten.
Yesterday was an okay day as days go. I did get eight hours of sleep. Once up, I did some work on the computer. I was hoping the Freshly meals would arrive early enough for me to actually begin the diet yesterday, but alas they didn’t arrive until after five, so I went and had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and a side Caesar salad, and got some halvah for my evening treat, just for the halvah of it. We don’t allow groaning here at haineshisway.com.
Kay and John arrived at two and we ran the show. I made a couple of patter adjustments, just smoother lead-ins to the songs – the act is really terrific and Kay is finding her way in this new terrain beautifully and it’s fun to watch her get more comfortable with each run.
After that, I did more work on the computer, then picked up my Freshly box and a couple of other packages, then came home and began listening to music. First I finished the five piano concertos of Bohuslav Martinu – they’re really good and between them and the symphonies I think I’ve discovered a new musical friend. Then I decided to move on to the six symphonies of Danish composer Carl Nielsen. I knew nothing of his music at all, but in reading about another composer, they kept mentioning Nielsen and how he was from the Mahler/Sibelius/Brahms school but completely unique, so I had to see what it was all about. Well, he’s pretty amazing. The music is stunning and in its very own world – each symphony is very different in tone and style and it was love at first hear. Some of his effects are so tonally brilliant that they actually take the breath away. The set I opted for after reading up on the eight or so complete sets that are available, is by conductor Ole Schmidt, a conductor I only knew from one Sibelius recording that I’d enjoyed. This set began life as a Unicorn LP box set, then was issued on CD from that label – people raved about the performances but were very down on the sound. But it’s now been reissued on the budget Alto label and it’s been newly remastered – I don’t have the old set to compare, but the sound is really excellent. And Mr. Schmidt certainly seems to understand this marvelous music. What a pleasure to make these discoveries on a daily basis. This one is highly recommended by the likes of me, and the three-CD set can be had for under fourteen bucks.
After that, the helper came by and we did an Amoeba run – I had a big box of cast-offs – Blu-rays, DVDs, and CDs, so we took it over there, got a nice amount of credit, and I picked up some new classical things that I’m looking forward to hearing, and I still have a lot of credit left over, too. Then I just relaxed and listened to the Nielsen symphonies while uploading all the new stuff, which includes another set of the Rachmaninov symphonies, a Kubelik Mahler set, another recent Sibelius set, and other goodies.
Today, I’ll work on stuff in the morning, have my first Freshly meal at noon – don’t know which one yet – and then Kay and John come and we run the show. Then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, attend to the Kritzerland show (waiting to hear if my pick for our final performer can do it), and then I’ll probably go over to the theater to clean up the murder scene in Dial ‘M’ – that would only take about ten minutes and I’d come right back home and have my second Freshly meal.
Tomorrow it’s another run of Kay’s show and then I’ll probably attend the evening show of Dial ‘M’. Saturday I decided it would be a good idea to have some people here for the final run-through of Kay’s show, so she isn’t performing cold on Sunday night without ever having done it in front of people. This is something I always do with acts – it’s really helpful. Then Sunday we have sound check and then the show. I will, of course, have a complete report for you.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have two Freshly meals, rehearse, hopefully pick up packages, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Since I was in a state of confusion yesterday, we can do Ask BK Day today, since we missed it yesterday. So, today’s the day you can 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, excited to begin my Freshly journey.