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November 16, 2021:

PUTTING THE WHEELS IN MOTION

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish after a long and involved day that was long and involved as well as involved and long, listening to pianist Alexis Weissenberg play ten preludes of Rachmaninoff on the piano, which is a fine instrument for a pianist to play. These ten preludes will be followed by thirteen preludes by Rachmaninoff. Let’s face it, the guy wrote a lot of preludes but, as far as I can tell, no postludes. Mr. Weissenberg plays these very well. Just prior to these ten preludes, he played the Bartok piano concerto, with Eugene Ormandy conducting – a very scrappy and nice performance, horribly recorded by RCA long after their glory days of brilliant Living Stereo recordings, this one made in 1971 after Ormandy’s brilliant recordings for Columbia. The companion piece, Bartok’s Four Pieces for Orchestra, fare much better. Before that it was some Haydn sonatas, which were okay for this non-Haydn fan. The Rachmaninoff preludes is the final album in this seven-CD set, which is a very enjoyable set with original covers and back covers and a nice booklet. It can be had VERY inexpensively. I also watched another hour of An Angel for Satan starring Miss Barbara Steele – it’s nice to look at, she’s nice to look at and I even recognize several of the Eyetalian actors from spaghetti westerns, but the film isn’t very good. There’s only another fifteen or twenty minutes left, so I’ll finish it tonight and then begin my Studio Ghibli viewing.

Yesterday was long and involved, as you already know. I got seven and a half hours of sleep, got up, answered a ton of e-mails, one of which was an order for one CD, but I got two more orders as the day went on and I can now attempt the miracle I’m hoping will become a miracle later in the week. Then I picked up a package from the mail place and there was also a little envelope that contained a really lovely thank you note from a happy customer – those always make me happy. I went and got Taco Bell for food, which turned out to be a mistake. I tried their new thing – a grilled cheese and steak burrito, which I got in the inexpensive “cravings” box that also contained a chalupa and a Dorito’s taco thing, which I’d never had. I came home and began with the burrito, which I didn’t love, then had the Dorito’s taco thing, which is the usual Taco Bell taco in a shell made with the flavor of Dorito’s chips – it was completely gross. The chalupa was fine, and the box also had a few chips and some cheese thing to dip in – that was pretty rank, too. So, it will be back to my usual items next time.

Then it was time to Zoom with David Wechter. But just as we began, I got a telephonic call that I was waiting for and I had to take it and it took about five minutes. It could potentially lead to something that would be really nice, so send excellent vibes and xylophones for that to work out – I’d like it to. And include vibes and xylophones for the thing that could lead to a miracle by the end of the week. Then David and I Zoomed for ninety minutes on our project, working out some details and figuring out who’d be writing what as we continue on this project.

After that, I was quite zonked. I had another telephonic call, this one with the singer. The act went over very well in Palm Desert – small audience, but they were very complimentary, so that was good. My thing about cabaret acts is that anyone can do them and invite their friends and their friends will woo-hoo and whoop and holler and scream their approval at every note and every utterance and the person doing the act will think they’ve created something brilliant. My advice is to go do that same act for eighty strangers and see how it goes – even though, I already know the answer to that question. With a well thought out and conceived act that does everything right, it will always work no matter who the audience. And that’s what the singer has and that’s what every act I direct has.

Then I went to Gelson’s and got a few things, then came back home and locked the motor car and didn’t get the beep that I need to get, as that tells me that the electronics have shut down properly. I couldn’t believe it. So, I had to do the game I have to do. I started the car, backed it up, drove it forward, and tried locking again – no dice. Same thing. No dice. Same thing four more times. No dice. I then drove around the block. No dice. I then went berserk. I started it one more time, turned it off, and finally got the beep. I really didn’t want a dead battery in the morning and now I won’t have one, but I can’t keep playing this stupid game and I really have had it with this motor car. Depending on the miracle, I may take it to my repair place and see what they think, but that means I’ll be without a car for a week and I’m not sure I can do that. A year ago, it wouldn’t have been a problem – I simply would have used Uber as I have in the past when I’ve had to leave it there. But Uber is out of control and no longer what it was and I’ve deleted the app and won’t use them again, ever since I was charged a little over twenty bucks at eleven in the morning on a Saturday to go a mile-and-a-half from here. That was it for Uber. I’ve never tried Lyft but I have the app. Anyway, we’ll see what happens by the end of the week.

For my evening snack, I had a small ham sandwich and a muffin top, all good. Then I watched an hour of An Angel for Satan, and then began my listening.

Today, I’ll be up by eleven, I’ll try to get the wheels in motion that could lead to the potential miracle – there are no real guarantees, but I’ve done this before and it’s worked, so I’m ever hopeful. After that, I’ll do some writing and I’m waiting to hear from Cindy Williams to see if she’s coming over to work on the special material I wrote for her, as we have to get a track made for her pretty quickly. I still have to finish choosing songs – I keep putting it off, but I really need to get the material to the singers and pianist pronto. Then IF Cindy comes, we’ll go eat after we’re done. If not, I’ll eat something fun. Then I can watch, listen, and relax.

The rest of the week is more of the same. Tomorrow I have a lunch meeting, Thursday is probably another lunch meeting, and then on Saturday I’m seeing a youth theater production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by eleven, start the wheels in motion that could lead to the potential miracle, I’ll do some writing, I’ll either have a work session and meal with Cindy Williams or I won’t, I’ll choose songs, and then I can watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite fruits and how do you like to prepare things that involve fruits? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, hoping to put the wheels in motion that could lead to a potential miracle.

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