Monthly Archives: June 2012

I Love It

Another hot day and it’s a Saturday so that means there are a few more people than usual on the sidewalks while there is more parking than usual on the street. Bill was up and out once again, driving a bus load of young Turks around the metropolitan area. And he will be sleeping in a hotel out by Hofstra University tonight since he has to drive the young Turks around again tomorrow. He asked me if I could bring his trousers and a shirt to his office building tomorrow just in case he can’t make it back home tomorrow.

I got up early this morning and was soon running around Hoboken. I had some things to get done and wanted to do them before it got too hot. This time I was on the street before high noon so it wasn’t that bad. A trip to the exotic Shop Rite to get some on sale items that the nearer supermarket charges way too much for. I decided once I got home, to cook dinner since it would be way too hot to do it later in the afternoon. A smart idea, all I would have to do is reheat the penne and chicken with the pesto. Yes, I fell back to that recipe which I hadn’t had in a while.

I started cooking it last week and it was so good I figured, why not have it again this weekend? So that’s been taken care of and I ate it about a half hour ago. I was out by the river reading again this afternoon, finally finished Maggie the Mechanic and now I have Perla La Loca to read. I also have another collection of later Love and Rockets stories and the Palomar tome. And I still feel like Hoboken is a bit like Dairytown. Lots of faux hawks and mohawks worn by young people around town. It doesn’t mean they are punk or anything like it. They’re not Travis Bickle disciples. They’re merely trendy.

And not enough people have tattoos. Of course I am being facetious. There are way too many tattoos these days. It’s a turn off. I can understand one or two discreet tattoos, but covering the whole arm, or leg, or chest or back. Not my thing, to each their own. Will they be regretted as the wearer gets older? Is it time for me to look into a career in laser tattoo removal? Is there a school or course I could take? And will I get to bring the laser home and do crazy things with it? I don’t know exactly what I could do with a laser but I did read enough comic books when I was a lad to get some ideas.

Last night, coming home from Maxwells with Bill after dinner I got a phone call from Julio. Stine and Alexander are in Denmark so Julio is feeling lonely. He wanted me to take him out for a birthday drink but when I explained I was with Bill for his birthday, he remembered. I told him we could do something tonight but I haven’t heard from him yet. It’s still early, the sun is still out, it’s the longest day of the year according to Neil DeGrasse Tyson and the ‘leap second’ which passed about a half hour ago.

The call could still come through, and if so I bet that Julio wants to go to the Biergarten near his place. Convenient to him, a bit out of the way for me. It’s been a while since we hung out like that so that could still happen. If not I will be content to stay home and just chill out. I am going out tomorrow night anyhow, seeing the Feelies with my brother Brian at Maxwells, thanks to their great drummer Stan with his pen, getting me in with a plus one.

Hello Nick Colas and Hello Bruce Horowitz. Hope you are both doing well. I am fine, you should drop a line, let me know how you guys are doing. Either or…








15 Foolish Pride

I Love College

Today is Bill’s birthday. He turned 48 and he’s having a very good day, as am I. He took the day off from work and had a head shot photo shoot planned, so he was up and out a little bit later than usual but still earlier than me. It’s also been unbearably hot. Not so much hummus, but still oppressive. I was dreading going outside and knew I had errands to run before Bill got back. So around noon, high noon I headed out. Bad timing of course since the sun was directly overhead there was very little shade to be had.

And I’m also referring to the ‘shade’ I have been told I gave. It’s been too damn hot for attitude and a cutting remark. I could have gone to the CVS that was closer but decided that the CVS by City Hall was the one I preferred. And despite the heat I did want to get out of the apartment. I did some cleaning, put away the laundry that I washed yesterday which was dry thanks to the heat and it was too hot for anything else. On the street there was no breeze at all, but quite a few people.

It felt like a holiday weekend, maybe because of Bill’s birthday or maybe because the 4th of July is less than a week away on Wednesday. No three day weekend for the working stiffs, of which I used to be a member. I didn’t see anyone I knew which of course could be that ‘they’ saw me first. I got a few birthday cards for Bill and headed home a different route, still lacking on both kinds of shade. I stopped by the Guitar Bar and chatted with Mr. Wonderful Jim Mastro for a little while. Nice and cool in the store in more ways than one.

Jim’s daughters are going to Scotland next week for two weeks which is exciting. They have a cousin that lives over there so it’s all good. I’m excited for them, someday I will do something similar with Bill, though not to Scotland. Probably London or Dublin, or both. I just hope Hoboken Daily News gets their lottery machine fixed very soon because it’s constantly giving me the wrong numbers. Maybe I should send a letter to the manufacturer, a company called Shirley Jackson Enterprises, somewhere in New England if I remember correctly.

So tonight Bill and I are going out to dinner, and not to Arthur’s Steakhouse for once. I asked Bill where he wanted to go and he suggested Maxwells. That was fine by me and could help me out a bit. Some friends are going to see the Feelies tonight and I will be able to say hello to them. I’m not going tonight obviously, I’ll be going on Sunday, thanks to Stan who is putting me on the list with a plus one, and I am taking my brother Brian. He expressed an interest so it’s all working out quite nicely.

A nice dinner with my spouse, seeing some old friends. I could live with that. And it was quite nice. Bill and I had burgers, he had a pint of Guinness and I had a Sam Adams Summer Ale, which I won’t ever have again. Not a fan of Sam Adams beer and thought this time would be different. It wasn’t. After I finished the Sam Adams I had a Stella which made all the difference in the world. For dessert we had chocolate mousse which our waitress put a candle on for Bill’s birthday but the fans kept blowing it out. Bill liked it so much he had a second. Why not, it’s his birthday.

I saw Patti Quinn, Pat Longo and Allison Lee, Alirio and his girlfriend Christine, Andy Peters- sound engineer extraordinaire, Chaz, Lois and Fred and of course Ro Da as well as Todd. They were all going to see the Feelies and I saw a few of the Feelies hanging around eating dinner before the show. Bill has to drive this weekend so we made our exit and walked home enjoying cigars. Bill had a good day and I am glad I was able to help out with that.

We hope your day was good too.

Last night with the NJ Symphony Orchestra


The birthday man and me




Birthday moon


03 Old Man Will