MrKurtNielsen.com

Thus far, I am finding 2011 to be quaint, though not earth-shattering. I am not frolicking in my youthfulness like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez on the beach (yes, I saw the photos – I don’t live in a cave), but I am what you might deem content. This ain’t a bad thing.

We have had our first celebrity death: Anne Francis, who I know (and adore) best for her saucy role in the Don Knotts comedy The Love God?. I can’t exactly forget who she is, since I have a poster from that film hanging on my wall (signed by Knotts), with her name glaring at me each and every day. I was hoping to get her to sign it at a celebrity autograph fair a few years ago, but she pulled out at the last moment. Now all I can do is stare at the space I had saved for her on the poster until the day I die. But, if that’s the worst thing that happens to me all year, I am doing just fine!

Lately, I have been on a low-caffeine kick. I have been partaking in small amounts of my cherished Postum hoard, when the mood strikes me, without a shred of regret. But I only venture into those waters when I really have to, since Postum is no longer produced and is now as precious as gold (going for $75.00 and upwards on the internet!). A solid and delightful substitute for Postum is Cafix, which comes from Poland. If you were even remotely curious as to what Postum was, Cafix will give you a pleasant window into that extinct beverage.

I’m just trying to do things slow and simple lately, so I can get better in tune with myself. I am working on a brand new cartoon, which will hopefully be done by early spring. To be completely effective as an artist, I have to streamline my life. That means buying less, and appreciating what I have. And if there’s anything I have that I don’t need, it is tossed out to the wind (or the Goodwill truck). “Less is more”, as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, is one of the sayings that I come to over and over again in life.

I have had several folks express interest in doing the pen pal scene with me. I encourage you to join the bandwagon. All you have to do is holler!

The soundtrack to Tron: Legacy (awesome stuff, kids!) is on the hi-fi, serving as the backdrop that will whisk me off to the rest of my day.

Let’s hope 2011 is great for all of us.

I am spending my last moments at home in 2010 listening to the melancholy voice of David Gates, packing my bags and getting ready for an evening of adventure. It’s not going to be your standard night, and it can’t really be described as “partying,” either, for I will be working at the Disneyland Resort, welcoming families to It’s a Bug’s Land. But, I will have my brass bell on hand, continuing Maurice Noble’s tradition of ringing in the new year. It won’t be traditional, and I won’t have Dick Clark to hold my hand, yet I will be quite happy, in my own way.

And 2011 will see me doing the same darn thing: taking what is there, and making the very best of it. You don’t really have a lot of choice in the matter, do you? It’s all about perception, anyhow. If you choose for things to be positive, then they will be. Money isn’t even a part of the equation. I am more content sitting on a stump watching a butterfly than I am buying flashy clothes, or drinking $75 cognac. 2011 will see me sitting on that stump a lot, with a goofy smile on my face.

I am starting a letter writing group called the Happy Time Correspondence Club. I hope you will all join me on my mission. Basically, I want to bring back the lost art of the pen pal. Will you join me in my mission? If so, all you have to do is contact me here, and I will be more than happy to furnish you wish my address.

I also am going to valiantly try to update this web site every two days, and get a little more positive momentum going in my life. My world is already pretty positive, but it can always be much more so. You can never have enough goodness!

Speaking of goodness, please check out the amazing web site by Ruth Reichl. She will gladden and inspire you in a hundred different ways! What a lady she is. She is definitely one of the people I would love to meet and have a meal with. If only!

And in only one month, we will have the pleasure of hearing Gilbert O’Sullivan’s brand new CD, Gilbertville. I can’t wait!

2011 will be SMASHING!

My love and best wishes to you all.

– Kurt

It’s December 1st. So easy to remember a few birthdays in my world. See, it’s my sister’s birthday, Gueren’s birthday, Carl’s birthday, as well as Woody Allen’s, and Gilbert O’Sullivan’s.

Speaking of Gilbert O’Sullivan, his new album coming out on January 31, 2011. And I will be part of another animated project for him, to be completed in the next few months. I have long looked up to Gilbert, who does what he wants with his art, no matter what anybody says. His music just keeps getting better and better. To work for him, in any capacity, is at total thrill. He’s one singer-songwriter who is just ripe for a major comeback.

It’s a happy day, indeed, and I wish you birthday kids the very best day, no matter how you all choose to celebrate it.

Well, friends, as you probably know, I do my very best to always follow my bliss. Sometimes this leads me to great success, and sometimes a brick wall, where I need time to repair and heal. I guess you could say the last year has been a mixture of the two. Good and bad combined in equal portions.

That being said, I am not here to discuss the bad. (What good will that do you, or me?) Instead, I will simply talk about the good things, for there is certainly more than enough of that to ride upon for several lifetimes.

I am at my old wood desk, which belonged to my father. It dates back to the 1930s. I call it my “Andy Griffith desk,” because it resembles the one Andy had in the courthouse on The Andy Griffith Show. And here I have produced some of my best work, be it music, writing or animation. We have been reunited after a few years apart. I feel it’s a definite step in the right direction for me.

The windows are open, with fresh air trickling in with its health-fortifying properties. A pot of chili is on the stove in my classic cast iron Dutch oven. The Hanson Christmas album — Snowed In — is on the hi-fi. I will soon shower and shave, and head out into the world to make magic.

I’m going to start writing here more often. A few times a week, for my own good.