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December 8, 2020:

THE NEW AGE ME

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, in breaking news, I am the new age me.  Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I, BK, am the new age me because today is the day of my birth or as the wags like to say, my birthday.  I know this to be a fact because sitting in front of me is a silver-framed photograph of my very own self and engraved on the frame is my very own name, Bruce Stewart Kimmel at the top, and on the bottom, I was apparently born at 6:45 AM and I weighed 7 lbs 3 oz.  There are many interesting things involved with those numbers, but I shan’t go into it other than to say that numerically it makes me happy.  Here is said photograph with all that pertinent information.

In the interesting department, isn’t it fascinating that my birth weight is my new age?  What are the odds of THAT?  I gotta tell you.  Anyway, I don’t feel much different than I did when I was younger just a few moments ago.  In fact, I feel younger than springtime, I’m fit as a fiddle, I can dance the Hora, I am at this moment wearing my colored tights and pantaloons and will shortly be having some cheese slices and ham chunks and the celebration of the new age will continue throughout the day and evening, albeit by myself, since one cannot share such events with anyone due to the pandemic.  So, I shall be celebrating by my lonesome, which is fine, I suppose, unless someone wants to make a Zoom surprise party.  Why, I may even do the limbo, that’s what good shape I’m in.  Otherwise, as the midnight hour approaches, I’m sitting here like so much fish listening to the Franz Schreker opera entitled Der Schatzgraber (The Schatzgraber).  You may recall, I listened to this opera a couple of weeks ago but couldn’t tell much due to the really rancid recording – a live performance in which the band was so distant-sounding they may as well have stayed home.  So, I took a chance on this newer live recording and it’s everything the other one wasn’t.  The band is present, sounds great, and all that incredible Schreker music in its lush orchestration is there and what a difference a well recorded album makes.  Plus, I like these singers much better, so I now love this opera.  Earlier, I’d listened to Richard Strauss’s final opera, Capriccio, which I enjoyed very much – it’s quite fun, an opera within an opera, beautifully performed and conducted by Karl Bohm on Deutsche Grammophon.  Looking forward to more Strauss this week.

Yesterday, I was younger, that much we know.  I got a little over eight hours of sleep, got up, answered e-mails and did a few other things, then moseyed on over to the mail place to pick up some packages.  I came directly home and ordered a Chinese chicken salad from Stanley’s and that arrived about twenty minutes later and was really excellent, as always.  I never got around to project two, so I will buckle down, Winsocki and get some work done on that all this week, I mean serious work.  I listened to music, I had some telephonic calls and after all that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I finished watching Variety Lights, the first film that Fellini did, as co-director with Alberto Lattuada.  I suspect it’s more the latter than the former and while it has many delightful things in it, in the end it’s really a trifle and a bit slow.  The actors are wonderful, but there’s none of the Fellini style that would show itself immediately in his next film, his first solo directorial effort, The White Sheik.  After that, I did a little organizing, putting all the opera CDs in one place on a shelf for easy accessing.  Of course, somewhere in a box in the garage are more opera recordings that I can’t get to, but such are the way of things.  I might go hunting and see what I come up with. I also got my Christmas cards, so I did a few of those.  Then it was more music and now I’m giving a second listen to the von Karajan mono recording of Hansel and Gretel.  Even though I believe it’s the same mastering of the previous CD I got, for some reason it sounds better to me now – who knows?

Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I think there are two packages coming here rather than the mail place, one of which will contain my birthday dinner, I think, unless something else tempts me.  I’ll do whatever needs doing, hopefully pick up some packages, eat whatever takes my fancy, I’ll definitely do some work on project two and the Kritzerland show, but mostly I just want to have a nice, warm, cozy day with no drama and a lot of comedy.  That’s what I’M talkin’ about.  Then, at some point, I’ll watch, listen, and relax.

The rest of the week is project two and the Kritzerland show and on Friday I believe the Group Rep begins streaming their Christmas playlets, including, of course, the one I directed by Doug Haverty.  They are charging for it – not my decision, baby – but it’s only ten bucks for those who might be interested, and the money goes to help keep the Group Rep afloat.  I won’t be at all offended if you don’t watch, please know that.  I believe it streams from Friday through the end of the year.  Then on Sunday, of course, we do our Kritzerland show, and if the rehearsals are anything to go by, it’s going to be really fun.  I’ll have all the links right here as we get closer to the day.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, do whatever needs doing, receive two packages here, hopefully pick up packages, eat, work on project two and the Kritzerland show, then watch, listen, and relax.  Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite memories of haineshisway.com thus far?  Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be the new age me.

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