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June 17, 2021:

WHO WAS THAT UNMASKED MAN?

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to Mr. Andre Kostelanetz do orchestral music from operas. I’ve always enjoyed Kostelanetz and had many of his albums as a youngster. And, most importantly, I am listening without a mask. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I, BK, am listening without a mask. Which leads me to the past two days. As many of you know, here in California on June 15, everything reopened at 100% capacity and the mask mandates were lifted for anyone fully vaccinated. This, of course, came at least six weeks after the CDC and science said it was fine not to be masked or distanced if one was fully vaccinated. Now, for the past year and four months, most thinking people did what was asked of them. They stayed home, they distanced, they masked. And on Facebook, many of them screamed at people daily in all CAPS – wear your damn mask! Trust the CDC and science. Of course, these screamers were preaching to the choir and their friends, so what the point was, I haven’t a clew. But now the CDC, science, and many states in the United States of America have said those fully vaccinated folks don’t have to. Cases are obviously down to a bare minimum. The CDC has also revised their long-standing stuff about droplets and being exposed outdoors – their new take? Almost impossible to have ever been able to catch this outdoors and especially from droplets, a complete reversal of everything they said prior to this. In any case, Tuesday was a good news day for many, many people who are fully vaccinated. We could finally take the mask off, we could go into stores, markets, restaurants, the mail place sans masks and boy did it feel good. But here’s the funny thing: I went to Ralph’s. A sign on the door clearly states that if you’re fully vaccinated you don’t need the mask. Well, there wasn’t a single unmasked person in that store but me.  I went to the mail place yesterday – there wasn’t a single unmasked person in the store, even though there is a sign that clearly states that fully vaccinated people don’t need masks and they’ve removed all the distancing marks on the floor. Outdoors, in over 100-degree heat, people are still wearing masks, and some are even still wearing them in their car, despite the CDC and science. Whereas the screaming all CAPS people said trust the CDC and science when the news was all negative all the time, well, those same people are now screaming on Facebook in all CAPS that they don’t trust the CDC and science because, well, because the news is positive. Thankfully, no one has looked askance at me and as long as that continues to be the case everything will be fine. You see, I have no problem if people want to stay in their masks – their choice – if that makes them comfortable. No problem at all. Whereas, I would absolutely have a problem if THEY had a problem with my choice. Over at the Group Rep, no one is masked. And what a pleasure to see people’s smiling faces. What a PLEASURE. So, unless a particular business has decided to keep the mask rule for their particular business (I’ve seen no evidence of this), I am done with the mask. I even got an e-mail from my beloved Musso and Frank Grill saying they were open and no masks needed and that as long as you told them you were fully vaccinated that was all that was needed – and frankly, their clientele would never lie about such a thing. I have, just in case, taken a photo of my vaccination card, which I now have on my iPhone, should anyone ever ask me for proof, although I’m not sure they can.

Now playing is a wonderful recording of Bernard Herrmann’s score for Fahrenheit 451, one of his greatest scores and one that I find intensely moving. Prior to this late-night listening, I watched a Blu-ray of a symphonic concert version of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. I wrote about this a few years ago when I got the Blu-ray. It’s one of the most ludicrous stagings I’ve ever seen, like middle school really. Imagine a big orchestra upstage. Imagine cardboard cut-out set pieces in black-and-white, looking like James Thurber drawings because, yes, that really captures the feel of the story and music – not. Imagine a leading man who has no sensitivity or likeability. Imagine casting a blonde woman in the Catherine Deneuve role and another blonde woman of similar look in the role of Madeline – hard to tell ‘em apart, Mr. Director. Do your damn job. Imagine people moving about aimlessly or watching scenes for no reason, moving set pieces for no reason. So, what can one do with such nonsense? Exactly what I did: I closed my eyes and listened to the score, which is played beautifully (conducted by Michel Legrand) and sung nicely. Much better that way. It would have been so simple to stage this simply and wonderfully.

Yesterday was an okay day, I suppose. I got almost eight hours of sleep. I answered e-mails, checked the sales rank of The Creature Wasn’t Nice at Amazon – still pretty good – and saw that no copies were available. Since I’m the only one selling it that meant only one thing – that we’d run through all the copies I put up, which is amazing. So, I immediately put up another 100 – hoping we didn’t lose any sales. I picked up a package at the mail place, then came right back home. I had a 40% off coupon from Uber Eats so I ordered from Stanley’s – I’ve stayed away from the Chinese chicken salad during this Keto thing but turns out it wasn’t necessary. I checked the carbs and it’s minimal save for the little orange slices, which do have carbs but not enough to do anything. So, that’s what I ordered, and it was really great.

After that, I listened to an opera entitled La Giaconda by Ponchielli. I enjoyed it very much and delighted when the big tune showed up. I had to refrain from singing it in an Allen Sherman voice with his lyrics. This CD is the first stereo recording the opera had, back in 1958, and the sound is quite good and I certainly enjoyed the cast. But I have the Maria Callas version coming and am interested to hear that.

Then I set up the speakers and laptop in the living room, on the piano, so that’s done now and ready for the reading. I got a good sound level I can sing over and hopefully that will be good. If not, the volume button is close by. Then I watched the Blu-ray, then listened to music and the rest you know.

Today, I’ll be up by ten-thirty, as I’m having an early luncheon with Kay Cole. That should be fun. Then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then I’ll come back home and relax until it’s time to leave for the theater. I’m stopping at Muse Margaret’s to drop something off for her, and then I’ll attend our opening night and hopefully the sound issues will be gone with the wind.

Tomorrow, it’s Kritzerland show stuff, and then I’ll attend the opening night of the other program of playlets – another six plays to watch. Saturday and Sunday will be making sure everything is ready for our private reading. Monday will be a ME day so I can relax and rest my voice, because it’s my intention to sing through the score once a day so I’m warmed up for it. Then on Tuesday night, we do the reading and I will, of course, have a full report for you.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by ten-thirty, have an early lunch, hopefully pick up packages, drop something off at Muse Margaret’s, and then attend our opening night. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite Michel Legrand songs and scores? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to be unmasked after all this time.

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