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September 30, 2017:

PONDERING THE IMPONDERABLES AND THE PONDERABLES

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish pondering, as always, the imponderables. I wonder why I never ponder the damn ponderables? The ponderables are apparently SOL – Shut Out Losers. I think someone should do a tribute to the damn ponderables, but noooooo, only the imponderables get the damn pondering. What the HELL am I talking about? I’ll tell you what I’m talkin’ about – how can this month be over already? It just began. But that means that tomorrow is a brand new month, October, and it is my fervent hope and prayer that October will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.

Yesterday was a fascinating day – not really, but I liked writing it. I was up early after seven hours of sleep, and on the road by nine. One never knows exactly how the traffic will go, but it went fine and I was actually to the House of Pies by nine-twenty. I was joined by an LACC student who’s been helping out with typing stuff for Levi. The main point of the meeting was to go through scenes and consolidate characters. For example, as written in the original script there were about twelve to fifteen immigrants and an equal number of immigration officials. Well, we don’t have that size cast nor would any professional production – can’t do it these days. So I consolidated roles and got it down to about eight immigrants and eight officials for now. I have many more women than men, which is real issue with this show. The fact is for two numbers were going to have to have women dress as men – in a regular professional production we’d have half and half and that would work great – twelve men, twelve women – we’ve got eight and sixteen. So we got the first scene done and that took a long time. I also assigned actors to roles, but we only got to scene three and the student had to leave for some kind of festival she was helping on at school. I had the eggs benedict and we shared some pancakes, but I only had three bites of the latter – just needed the taste.

Then I came back to the Valley and picked up no packages or mail. I really need an important piece of mail today, so send excellent vibes and xylophones for the arrival of said important piece of mail – there will be hell toupee if it doesn’t arrive. Once back home, I answered e-mails and did some work on the computer until it was time for Robert Yacko’s pick-up rehearsal. That went very well and we came up with some fun stuff for his schizo Puttin’ on the Ritz. Once that was done I had a long e-mail volley about the important project. The problem with it is, the original label who put it out is now owned by another label. They are REALLY keen to license it to me, but the paperwork is so enigmatic that they needed me to contact the company that would get the mechanical royalty. I found them online and wrote to them via their contact form, a very nice note and I must say very cleverly worded. So, we’ll see what kind of response I get – I’m hoping it will all go down easily and simply and quickly. So, I’m still really hoping it can happen because I heard a test track of the bad-sounding prior CD and it sounds great and what an upgrade it would be. So all digits crossed and send excellent vibes and xylophones for that, too, please. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night I watched a show on the Flix of Net, an hour-long Jerry Seinfeld thing, doing his stand-up in the club that gave him his start. I find him very personable but I have to say I did not laugh once – the audience seemed to be having a good time, but I just didn’t find any of it very funny. I’m not really a fan of the stand-up comics these days. The only one I actually thought was funny in person doing his routine was Gary Shandling. He made me laugh. In the old days I loved a lot of stand-up comics – Jackie Mason made me laugh loudly, all the comics in Catskills on Broadway made me howl, none more so that the brilliant Mal Z. Lawrence, Jack Benny always made me laugh but that was more his face, timing, and persona. Billy Crystal made me laugh when he opened for either The Manhattan Transfer or Melissa Manchester – can’t remember which – at the Roxy. He was just starting out – circa 1975. But today? I just don’t find any of these folks very funny. Probably just me.

After that, I had an interesting telephonic call, then I decided that it was high time I did a jog and I did – two-and-a-half miles and it felt pretty damn good to do it, I must say. Then I listened to music, ate the past packet of popcorn, and relaxed. We had not one contribution to the Indiegogo campaign today and that’s not good, although not unexpected because you do really have to be relentless, which I will be come Monday – just have to get past the Kritzerland show, then come new perks, new puuuuuush, and all good energy.

Today, I’ll jog, and then relax until our stumble-through. We are missing little Hayley Shukiar as her dad is a cantor and so she’ll be all day at temple doing the Yom Kippur thing. So we won’t have our opening number but I’ll explain it to everyone. Then I’ll eat something, then rest my voice and watch something innocuously innocuous.

Tomorrow, I’ll jog, and then relax until it’s time for sound check, and then we do our show. I’m sure some of us will grab a bite to eat after, but maybe somewhere other than Little Toni’s. Monday I am back on top of the Indiegogo campaign and will be staying on top of it from then until it closes. In the best of all possible worlds I would love to actually get close to funding this week – that would be wonderful and we could go into stretch goal mode, which would be to pay for a CD recording. I also have to finish casting the November show and finish choosing its songs so I get that out of the way, and then it’s meetings and meals, hopefully closing the deal on the project I really want to do – if we close then it goes on the really speedy track – and I’m seeing Hamilton on Thursday night, which I’m surprisingly apathetic about, but hopefully I’ll love it like everyone else does.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do a jog, relax, have a stumble-through, eat, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Our next show is Jule Styne so favorite Styne songs. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have pondered both the imponderables and the ponderables.

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