[This is a convenient stopping point, for now, for daily entries.]
12.30
Up 8, watched Wedding Rehearsal (Alexander Korda, 1932). A little correspondence, then drove to Pasadena for coffee with Ted Apel; had a good talk, I think, and went to Book Alley (where a guy recognized me from NPB). Bought Charles Hersch, Subversive Sounds: Race and the Birth of Jazz in New Orleans; Percival Everett, Cutting Lisa, and Sam Price and His Kay Cee Stompers, Barrelhouse and Blues (Jazztone LP). Listened to v. 1 of the Czech boogie-woogie collection on the way out - fantastic Jimmy Yancey version of "St. Louis Blues." Some groceries for Bree + wine for New Year's parties. Hit rush hour on the way home - more b-w, and Elliot Carter String Quartet No. 1 (1951). It doesn't seem -quite- as opaque in construction (though only passingly 'tuneful') than other Carter I've listened to. Dinner, home: Read a bit of the Schiff here and there, but not much. Seem to have misplaced the Wharton.
12.31
Up 7 or so, stopped at Upland Starbucks and found my Edith Wharton book as suspected, went to a 9:40 matinee of La La Land; songs aren't bad but sort of unmemorable, most interesting touch is that the 'love theme' never gets words, there's a weird thing w/ jazz purism (and, implicitly, race), the dancing seems fine, and the movie's main demerit is that Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling don't have singing voices to carry a musical. Shame Marni Nixon isn't working. Finished Schiff; would repay a slower look, no doubt, and the last poem "The Houselights" is esp. intriguing (oddly gets into musicals/entertainment.) Gym, 1st time in ages, 30 min. on elliptical listening to the M. Fields album. Home, read 2 more Wharton stories, dinner, watched 1/2 of the Tony Bennett 90th birthday TV special, went out about 8 to Nathan Wilson's New Year's eve party; dj'd one short set while there from recs I've bought on this trip. Talked w/ Chris + Cleaver (whose Xmas party we missed), Steve Krank, Lisa Kuta, Steve Folta. Stayed to count in midnight, left around 12:15 - was fearing bad traffic or checkpoints (I had one stout), but it was fine. Listened to some Liquid Liquid and E. Carter Quartet #2 (less dynamic/engaging than #1, on first exposure) and most of Robert Forster's Songs to Play on the way back (I know what he's going for by this point, but a little staid). Also the 2nd boogie-woogie disc on earlier drives.
Might as well own up to my main goals for 2017:
1) Finish full draft of bridge book
2) Release Work from Home cass. and (I hope) Viable singles comp
3) Finish recording new HH album for 2018 release
4) Drop 1/2 lb./wk (this includes 2-3 gym visits a week + some light home exercise, but mostly not being a pig)
5) [personal; redacted]