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August 1, 2018:

A LITTLE MONTH I LIKE TO CALL AUGUST

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, it is August.  Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, it is August.  And it is my fervent hope and prayer that August will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.  There, I’ve said it and I’m glad and I’m glad I said it.  This year is flying by, like a gazelle talking trash about a zebu. 

Yesterday, the final day of July, had a lovely telephonic call with some great news. I only got about six hours of sleep, as my brain was working overtime with various and sundried thoughts.  I was up at eight-thirty, wrote some of those thoughts on the computer, and then went back to bed and got an additional hour of needed sleep.  Then I got up for good, answered e-mails, had the telephonic call, then went and had a bacon cheeseburger and a side Caesar salad.  I was in a booth next to a booth that had actor Jeffrey Jones signing heaven knows how many photographs for some celebrity show person – I’m assuming said person paid him for it.  Also in another booth, George Chakiris. 

After lunch, I came home, did some work on the computer, and then we had our first Kritzerland rehearsal.  Sami’s out of town until the Thursday rehearsal, and Andrea Marcovicci doesn’t come to these rehearsals as she’s doing numbers that are part of her repertoire and she has Shelly Markham playing for her.  Ironically, Shelly played the last iteration of this Cole Porter show.  And Grant doesn’t really come till sound check. 

First up was Damon Kirsche and we ran his three numbers: Let’s Misbehave, a put-together of In the Still of the Night and Night and Day, and a put-together of I Concentrate on You and I Love You.  These are all his kinds of material.

Then came Daniel Bellusci and we ran his stuff.  First up was Let’s Not Talk About Love – we whipped up a fun arrangement quickly. Then it was Don’t Fence Me In, and finally a put-together of I Love Paris and It’s All Right With Me.

Finally, it was Heather Lee.  She hasn’t been with us for ages, so it’s great to have her back.  She’s wonderfully creative.  She began with a Porter rarity called I’m Unlucky at Gambling – very funny. Then it was My Heart Belongs to Daddy, which we’re still playing around with.  And finally her very funny rendition of The Physician.  It was fun and went very quickly.

Then I picked up one package, then Grant and I had an impromptu meal at Barone’s. Since I’d eaten my main meal, I just had the appetizer scampi – four shrimp – very good and not heavy.  Then I came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched a motion picture from Warner Archive entitled Village of the Damned, the new Blu and Ray.  I saw the movie multiple times when it came out – I loved it, loved George Sanders and all the blonde children with the glowing eyes.  I wanted a pair so I could use them on the neighborhood bullies but I couldn’t find them for sale anywhere.  I’ve had every home video iteration of it, but I’m pleased to tell you that the Blu-ray is spectacular – a great transfer – beautiful contrast and clarity, the wonderful black-and-white photography looking so sharp and lustrous.  There are a lot of opticals in the film but the good news is they’re cut in short, which means they edit in the optical at the point it begins and edit out of it at the point it ends, rather than letting it run the entire length of the previous and incoming shots.  I always prefer that, because the drop in quality is really brief.  I can’t imagine this film ever looking better and it’s highly recommended by the likes of me.

Then I listened to lots of music, mostly film theme CDs, most of which are really fun and are things that I had as a kid.  And I forgot to mention that yesterday I achieved my fun goal of becoming an Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.  I got it into my head two months ago that that would be fun, never thinking I’d actually get there, as my reviewer ranking was somewhere around 300,000 or thereabouts.  But I moved up quickly as all these CDs I’ve pulled and listened to I reviewed immediately. For the past week I was hovering at 1,058 and yesterday I dropped below 1000 and got my official tag.  I suppose I could try to be a Top 500 and then a Top 100 and finally a Top 10, but heaven knows it that could actually happen.

Today, I will be up early, off to the bank to do some banking, which is what I like to do at the bank, then I have one rehearsal at one, then a lunch with Kay Cole, then I have to read some material, then I have a meeting at six about that material.   Then I’ll relax.

Tomorrow we have our second Kritzerland rehearsal and Sami joins us, and I think Grant will stop by, too, to run his two things.  Friday I may have an early lunch thing, and then if I can back in time, a haircut, which I desperately need.  Saturday is our stumble-through and then Sunday is sound check and show.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up early and do some banking, rehearse, lunch, read material, have a meeting, and then 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 postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, as we welcome in August – and it is my fervent hope and prayer that August will be a month filled with health, wealth, happiness, creativity, and all things bright and beautiful.

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