johnozed

Another muggy Thursday with rain spells intermittently pouring down in sheets for a few minutes. Regarding yesterday, one person died of a heart attack while the 24 inch steam pipe burst, the driver of a tow truck that was almost on top of the exploding steam pipe is in a medically induced coma due to being terribly burned over 80 % of his body. A couple of other people are in hospitals with various ailments. They city is saying the air is safe to breathe, but people are remembering that was said after 9/11, backed up by Christie Todd Whitman and the Bush administration. Various police officers and EMS workers were wearing respirators. I only saw one person wearing a respirator and she was blocks away. Better safe than sorry she was.

I didn’t have any trouble getting to work this morning, but then again I don’t use the trains that were shut down in the area of the explosion, and that area of the explosion is a block away from Grand Central Station so most subways were waylaid. I walked over across midtown, some streets were pedestrian thoroughfares which was an interesting sight to see. Made me wish that most of Manhattan were pedestrian thoroughfares, but without the explosions. That’s not too much to ask for is it?

Work was slow. I need to find ways to pass the time. Today was a continuation of searching midtown Manhattan for an unlocked Blackberry 8800 for Vivek. It was an enjoyable stroll, and of course the sky opened up while I was a few blocks away from the office. I was heading back, and didn’t feel any need to run for shelter. When situations like this occur the soundtrack in my mind always goes to the Beatles singing Rain, the b-side to Paperback Writer. In my opinion, Rain is barely a better song than Paperback Writer, since Paperback Writer is a perfect pop song. Rain being a bit left field and experimental I guess earned it’s place on the flip side. John Lennon’s voice is great and the lads sound toppermost of the poppermost.

Juan came over last night and we watched Last Comic Standing which probably is the only ‘reality’ show I occasionally watch. Juan never saw it before and of course the good comedians we liked were voted off. It’s not as easy handicapping the show like last year since there are no handicapped comedians on the show this season. And whatever happened to that handicapped guy who won last year?

We watched To Catch A Predator after that. That was fun and interesting since they filmed in Ocean County NJ and Juan and I had our eyes peeled in case we knew someone on the show. We didn’t know anyone though I think Juan was hoping to see someone’s dad being arrested. Maybe next week. It was creepier than previous episodes since now they have the decoy actually sitting and talking to the predator. We watched some of the Daily Show then Juan said he was tired and I kicked his tired ass to the curb. Actually we hugged and he merely walked down the stairs.

Here’s some after work pics from this afternoon.

45th and Lexington (5 blocks north of the explosion)

News trucks at 45th and Vanderbilt

Cops on the roof

It’s 6:55 and I just missed a steam pipe explosion at 41st Street and Lexington Avenue. It’s one of the routes that I take when I walk from the office to the bus terminal. I generally avoid 42nd Street since it’s always crowded with tourists and commuters and that’s an unlucky mix.41st Street is much less crowded and I can smoke a Padron in peace as I stroll down the street. I missed it by an hour or rather it missed me. Tonight I walked down 45th Street past Grand Central Station’s north side where the menfolk are easier on the eyes, and I was listening to the Specials first album so I wouldn’t be hearing the complaints about me and my cigar.

Apparently there was a loud explosion, only two people have been reported injured. But steam and ‘liquid with brown dirt’ are presently flying through the air. There’s no clear and safe route anywhere in the city since the infrastructure is crumbling with each passing second. It’s an old infrastructure, much like in Hudson County where a water main broke and we were without water for about 24 hours. Now there are several injuries being reported. Of course the initial thought was terrorism, what with all the noise about Al Qaeda being stronger than ever and more poised to strike the US, more than likely New York City once again. A nice international city with a bull’s eye on it.

One horrible report from a man on the street was describing seeing a man walking by who didn’t have any pants on, apparently they were burned off, and his skin was ‘hanging like drapes’. A gruesome scalding from the steam. John Beck, son of Bruce, sportscaster on News Channel 4 in Manhattan was just on describing how everyone was screaming and crying and running and rumors of it being a bomb having exploded and no one could get a signal on their cell phones. It’s weird to watch the path I take being on the news with clouds of steam spewing forth onto Lexington Avenue. A matter of minutes and a few blocks made all the difference. But good looking men in suits and a Padron cigar changed my route for this evening. All this mess was because of a ruptured 20 inch steam pipe.

It’s a lot more interesting than last night, where I just sat at home, watching My Super Ex-Girlfriend which was terrible. I didn’t even get to see Jeannie Moorehead in the background, though she, like Bill, are generally in a blink and you’ll miss it situation. They’ve both been cast as extras on different films and television shows. Bill came home midway through and went right to bed, poor thing so stressed about his phone. It was insured and he got a new one, and able to transfer his contacts so it wasn’t too bad, but just bad enough.

I had a nice chat with Song in Sydney. He was tired even though it was morning there. I can relate to that. I watched the last hour of Saving Private Ryan since there was nothing else on and it was almost as intense as the first 20 minutes. Still a very good movie, one of Senor Spielbergo’s best, though not as good as A Burns for All Seasons. Es muy bueno, illegaldress. Then I drifted off to sleep to wake up hours later to have Bill asking me if I was going to work since I wasn’t stirring fast enough for his taste.

Now it’s 90 minutes and the steam is still pouring forth, releasing possibly asbestos into the air. Yes the infrastructure is falling apart underneath our feet and no one is really doing anything about until a calamity like this happens. That would cost money and money means taxes and no one wants to pay more taxes. So shit like this happens.

I interviewed for two different jobs at this intersection. Woo hoo! And in an unrelated note, the New York offices of Wanker Banker are now closed as of today. They were bought out by another company and most have been moved to new offices. Former coworker Brenda is moving with the company, former assistant Christina was let go. And my IT buddies are now part of a Canadian National Bank.

Well it’s only Tuesday. Last night was promising to be a quiet evening at home. Bill out at some acting class, Juan totally off the radar since last week and his bailing. I almost wrote our contrempts but that requires two and I was the only one. Forget about Julio and Stine, as well. They’re a couple doing couple things. I watched Big Love which I really enjoyed a lot, despite the sad ending. I watched a documentary about Rembrandt which was very good, but it was on while I was writing so it obviously didn’t have my full attention.

Bill texted me as he was on the bus home. I sat and watched TV, reading the rest of Mojo magazine when Bill walked in, so happy to be home. Kisses back and forth and I went back to reading as he unloaded his bags. A few minutes later he asked if I could call his phone, which usually means he’s misplaced his. I called, he looked. I called again, he kept looking. Eventually it dawned on him that he must have left it on the bus which sucks. He has the National Anthem to sing on Friday at Madison Square Garden and was hoping to get in touch with his contacts.

Bill left the apartment to try to get the bus he rode in on, but it was too late. He was fucked. I felt terrible for what he was going through. But there was nothing I could do except to go to bed. Didn’t fall asleep right away, more than likely that was because of all the caffeine I had in the morning when I got to the office since I barely had any when I left the apartment. Bill came in dejected and upset with himself, and I tried to make him feel better but he wasn’t having it.

He was up and out of the apartment this morning as I struggled to get out of bed. Bill made some coffee for me, this time it was safe to drink. I showered, had some cereal checked the mail and before you know it, I was almost late for the bus. I caught the comfortable bus with the usual nameless youngsters, and I passed Lou Carbone outside the coffee shop on Washington Street. I’ve known of him for years, and thought he was sexy at one time, but he’s a Lothario of sorts with the ladies. I always thought of him as the Leonard Cohen of the Hoboken artsy set. In 25 years of being in Hoboken I doubt if I said anything to him at anytime.

Work was quiet, Greg Stevens out at a golf function upstate somewhere. I chatted with Miriam online. Hadn’t seen her in ages. Her baby is getting big much to her dismay. She should have taken my gold fish advice under consideration. A fish will grow to the size of it’s environment, so why wouldn’t a baby? It was great to chat with her though.

One cool thing I did today was go to the Kwik-E Mart on w42nd Street. I read about Joe. My. God. going to the store and I almost went myself after work yesterday, but decided it would probably be less crowded in the morning. It was decidedly less crowded. Only myself and two young women in the store. I took some pics, bought two Squishee cups, two Buzz colas and two pink donuts which didn’t last though the day.

That’s it. Here are some pics of that adventure.

The Kwik-E-Mart on 42nd Street

MMmmmmm Pink Donuts…..

Bart

Apu

Ralph Wiggum

It’s Friday. Last week at this time I had just gotten back from the beach with Annemarie, Earl and Corinne, getting ready to go to Brian’s surprise party for his upcoming 50th birthday and when you think of it, 50 birthdays is an accomplishment. Annemarie sadly reminded me of last week’s fact. And once again, I’m solo, meaning lonely. Juan blew me off last night, figuratively, not literally and I didn’t think that was too cool. Bill was at his folks. I watched Jean Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows, a film about the French resistance in World War 2.

I had the time and no distractions so I could watch a subtitled film without being bothered. Can’t really do that when anyone else is around. Someone always has questions about what happened, what will happened, or why did they do that which breaks the flow of the movie. Plus I had the film since May so it was high time I watched it. It was worth watching, though it didn’t live up to the hype that I read about last year when it was released for the first time in the US. It was made in 1968 and never made it to the States for some odd reason.

Woke up in a big bed all by my lonesome. Got out of bed and did the shower, cereal, coffee routine. Got the bus, more Andrew Loog Oldham stories. I got my fix of music mags, since both the new Mojo and Uncut came out. That’s my life. I’m excited that magazines are here. Oh I used to be exciting. I used to go out more often. But then again, I did go out the other night with Bill and Billie and that was fun. There was a time when I would do that most every night. Sometimes I’d go from West 48th Street and 7th Avenue, go down to the Lower East side for a few hours and then somehow make it home to Weehawken. Then again, I was working in the music business and partying was something that was done. Now I am done.

Thirty years ago today was the big blackout in New York City. I was 14 years old and living a relatively innocent existence. I was at the neighbor’s, the Williams’ family, watching TV with the youngest, Scott. Then all of a sudden, the screen went to static. I think we played Gnip Gnop, some silly 1970′s game or was it Othello? That would explain why Scott was in blackface.

New York City was still a terrifying concept which was reinforced the next day, looking at the newspapers and the news on TV which was being broadcast somewhere outside the city. Lot’s of looting, and Son of Sam still roaming the streets. It did back up my parent’s belief that the city was full of animals, and perhaps at that time, they were right.

This weekend, I was invited up to Otisville to visit Pedro and save him from rural boredom. That’s doable. Or I might take a bike ride, which I haven’t done in weeks. The weather might be good for that and that might be good for my doldrums. I also have to send a load of pictures taken while Annemarie, Rex and Earl were here. But it’s Friday, and I’m enjoying cocktail hour. Bill’s working overtime, Juan is MIA, Julio and Stine return from Denmark on Sunday and I just picked up their laundry, sheets and pillowcases and towels. I hope they’re bringing me some Cuban cigars, but he did that a few years ago, and it cost Julio a bundle and he regretted it I think. Maybe he’s forgotten. Maybe Stine would suggest it. Or maybe not.

It’s also Friday the 13th.

It’s Thursday and it’s a rather ho hum kind of day. Woke up once again with Bill kissing me farewell as he left for work. I couldn’t wake up this morning but the kiss certainly helped. He made coffee again to my eternal gratitude. I showered, shaved and had some coffee, not enough milk for cereal so that meant an egg sandwich from West Indian Tony at Smilers on Fifth Avenue. That was something to look forward to as I rode on the bus reading 2Stoned by Andrew Loog Oldham. It’s the sequel to his first memoir, Stoned. Witty title, no?

It’s an enjoyable read, how arrogant and fucked up he was, in the Swingin’ Sixties. I know the Swingin’ Sixties is a legend, perhaps even a cliché, but he was, if not at the epicenter of the London Pop Scene, he was very close to it, as manager of the Rolling Stones and Immediate Records. He was also wrecked on all sorts of things as well as being manic depressive before that became a fashionable term. Oldham hasn’t spoken to Mick Jagger in quite a while though quotes from Keef, Marianne Faithfull, and Bill Wyman among others are throughout this book much like the first book.

West Indian Tony was as personable as ever. Always asking about how my man is doing. He seems really excited about Bill singing the national anthem next Friday, opening up for the WNBA’s New York Liberty. Tony hooked me up big time with an nice sandwich, even threw some bacon on it. I wished Tony a good weekend and headed off to work, listening to Queen Bitch by David Bowie. It seemed oddly appropriate for some reason. It was cool enough this morning so I didn’t have to change my t shirt when I got to the office.

Last night while walking to O.W. With Billie there was a sudden downpour which was violent but broke the humidity and made everything rather pleasant. Pleasant enough for a jazz cigarette while walking through the park with Billie and Bill. The park was deserted except for a couple of tourists anyway. So all that made for a really cool day, weather-wise. Work was ok, not too stressful. Greg Stevens left early and won’t be back until Monday. I’ve also been working with Fay Victor from Wanker Banker days and that’s bringing back some fun memories. She’s cool to hang with. She sent a copy of her latest cd and a get well card to Frank. I also got a copy.

I saw Billie at Chop’T today, and had another expensive salad except this was cheaper since I found a buy 9 salads get one free in my desk at work and since I’ve been the only one sitting there for the past three months, I claimed it as mine. The salad which is usually expensive cost 2.00 and change. Nice. I finished my work with Greg Stevens early and opted to leave the office at 3:30. My work was done and it was too nice to stay in an office. I walked across midtown, listening to Young Americans and got back on the bus reading once again, 2Stoned. Bill’s at his folks tonight so I’ll be chilling out here all by myself. Quite a change from last week.