Archive for the ‘uncategorizable’ Category

I Got You Thompson Square

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Well I slept fairly well last night but I woke up feeling rather crappy. Head stuffed with snot and mucous. At least a quadrant of my skull felt that way. It took me by surprise as I lay in bed, reaching for the box of tissues nearby so I could blow my nose. I wasn’t sure if it was allergies or a head cold and I am still not sure.

I am dragging ass today that much I know. I got it together and headed out of the apartment as usual, wishing I could have taken the day off. By the time I got to the street I realized I left my hat upstairs and rather than climb four flights back up, I opted to walk to the bus stop. It was colder than I anticipated and I regretted not having a hat.

A quiet bus ride into the city, me sitting in the last seat on the bus. I was tired enough to fall asleep but I didn’t. A walk up the avenue , avoiding the subway to save some money left me cold and sweaty and quite out of it by the time I got to the cigar shack. Zack and Thomas were in the cigar shack when I got in.

I hadn’t seen Zack in a few days and he was ready to shake hands but I opted for a fist bump since I was feeling a bit ill. The day progressed nicely with Thomas grabbing big numbers and Zack behind, with me carrying up the rear. It had nothing to do with how I was feeling, it had more to do with connecting with customers and Thomas had connected with his and Zack’s people always get in touch with Zack.

Me, I took the laid back approach and obviously that was not the way to get big numbers on the board today. Throughout the day I’ve been feeling crappy and sometimes feeling alright. Not 100% but in 90% range. I had a decent lunch and felt OK after that. I even went to a few shops to buy a hat but all they had were baseball caps and the shop has a few of those as promotional items so I wasn’t about to spend $20.00 on one of those.

When I came back after lunch I was feeling alright but that didn’t last. I am pretty sure I will sleep well tonight though. And tomorrow being a day off will likely be spent in bed. No plans on going anywhere or doing anything. Probably best that I stay in and get my rest, especially since Sunday promises to be a long day what with the super bowl, more than 12 hours that day and then Monday which will be the usual day followed by a staff meeting.

Bill is in full nurse mode, getting everything ready for me when I come home so I will not have to do much of anything. All I have to do is get on the bus and then walk home. Thomas is closing the cigar shack so that gives me a 10 minute head start. And now I am home. Bill is worried about me of course which I find unnerving.

I am usually the one who worries and I am not used to being worried about though I am sure it happens from time to time with people I know and love. A blessedly uneventful ride home on the bus, listening to Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians. I climbed the four flights and there was Bill greeting me at the door. I changed out of my suit into my tracky bottoms and relaxed. Now I look forward to doing nothing at all.

Rest in peace Linda Wolfe.




03 Acid Bird

I Got Stoned And I Missed It

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Yesterday started with Bill meeting me on the bus on my way to the cigar shack It was quite nice, if only fleeting. A nice kiss was given which got a few suprised looks from other passengers. Bill rode for one stop then he was off the bus and headed home as I continued my ride into the city.

A nice- if cold, walk up the avenue, getting my egg sandwich. I walked on the sunny side of the street. I was working with Thomas and Jerry Vale and figured I would be early enough for a quiet start, thought about playing the Beatles Live at The BBC. I was dismayed to walk through the door to see Thomas in already, counting money and listening to Skrillex, dubstep at quite a loud volume.

Apparently my reaction as well as Jerry Vale’s made Thomas mention that that was how he felt, and what he hears when we play our classic rock or classic soul. Apparently yesterday morning I became an old fogie, if only for my reaction which surprised me as well. I had such animosity to dubstep for which I equated my dislike to death metal.

Obviously it was not to be played when the cigar shack opened at which point I took over the music, choosing something not as jarring as dubstep. Later in the day Kurt Russell came in followed by Goldie Hawn. He browsed and she stood by the register. She was pleasant and really gota kick out of Thomas’ compliments on her Stella McCartney handbag.

I went to lunch at my appointed time and called Annemarie. During the call I got another call from Thomas. Apparently 2 shoplifters who had hit the other cigar shack across town made an appearance in the cigar shack where I work. I flew back to the shack with my game face on but they were gone. What would I have done anyway, really?

That was taken care of and I went back to my phone call with Annemarie before heading into a diner for a Ma & Pa Special, which is Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli. I had top sales once again though it wasn’t from anything extraordinary, merely from the volume of cigar sales, being at the right place at the right time.

I made it to the bus terminal and waited with the other stiffs on line eventually finding a seat. I watched Portlandia on Netflix on my smartphone. It really is very funny and I highly recommend it. I came home, Bill happy to have me back. He was cleaning and looking for something.

I turned on the Screen Actors Guild awards which Bill enjoyed greatly, then when that ended I changed the channel to a documentary on Fishbone, a great band from the 1980’s who are still around. They came close to grabbing that brass ring but never quite got it while lesser talented bands took it and ran.

Bill was thoroughly engrossed by the whole thing but went to bed before it was over. I stayed up and watched the whole thing and would see Fishbone again if the opportunity presented itself.

Today was really nothing much at all. Brian did top sales today even though he was out. Zack is back and Bradley is back to being a schmuck again. I guess he likes being number 1 and resentful of being number 2 in every sense of the word & number. Without the responsibility of last week he is free to be the sexually ambivalent snort that he always was.

I suppose it was a vacation from all that and now he too is back. As Thomas and I discussed the other day, Bradley did make for a good manager but then again he does not have the pressure that Zack has. Things are back to ‘normal’ for what it’s worth.




2 – Spooky

I Got It From My Mama

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

AN early day, an early start. At the cigar shack, opening this morning. Been open for 25 minutes, one person came in, just to browse. George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass is playing on the cigar shack sound system. What is Life indeed. A nice day, nicer than it’s been the past few days. A balmy 40 degree range.

Last night came home, before Bill and I had the idiotic republican blowhard debate on. Quite a waste of time, watching Mitt Romney and New Gingrich speak. Both are quite heinous and the race seems to be who is actually worse than the other. Of course the only plan the candidates have is to get Obama out of the White House.

No real plan, but a lot of disinformation like Romney blaming Obama for setting a date for the withdrawal from Iraq, though it was actually announced by the idiot George Bush before he left office. I suppose Willard is hoping that Americans do have short memories, like the Neuter is doing, glad that Americans forgot that he was drummed out of Congress in the 1990’s, as well as the other bullshit that he did, like shutting down the government since he had to sit in the back of Air Force One.

Still awfully quiet in the cigar shack as well as the surrounding area. One customer just came in. A regular who bought 2 cigars and now sits in the man cave solo. I am sure other regulars will arrive soon enough and plant themselves in the chairs and around the table for most of the day. I can’t fault them for it though if it were me I doubt I would be hanging out in a man cave all day, seeing the same faces day in and day out.

Well one good thing about coming in early and opening the cigar shack is that I get to leave early. Nice change of pace, though it doesn’t happen too often. Friends are posting online about how beautiful a day it is outside. I would like to find out for myself but I will have to wait until Thomas comes in which should be in less than an hour. I

do appreciate it being so slow that I will more than likely have this entry completed by the end of the day, or even perhaps by midday. Of course there could always be something worth writing about which if that is the case, then I will simply have to include it. Not such a big deal, though I am hoping nothing happens.

Zack is in the Caribbean, Bradley has the day off, Thomas and Jerry Vale are likely en route to the cigar shack. FedEx are making their deliveries though I am not expecting anything really. UPS stops by in the afternoon and though we did get a delivery yesterday we might get more today. I am glad that Zack finally ordered my favorite, the LFD Air Bender Valiente. Last time I had to order them from our competitor.

Dubstep- what?

Now I am home. It was quite a long day. Thomas was starting a six day stretch and was not in that good of a mood. I did my best to get him to smile or laugh but it didn’t really take. Had a few laughs with Jerry Vale though and that was fun. Overall the day crept by. Not much in sales going on. But I am home now and would rather not think of the cigar shack until tomorrow.

Bill and I are watching the President on TV tonight so that should be good.



08 Rock N’ Roll Suicide

I Get It In 50 Cent

Friday, December 30th, 2011

Having the time off from the cigar shack is quite nice. I haven’t been doiong anything extraordinary, just keeping it burning at a low flame. It works for me. Bill has been stupendous of course. Always there, always supportive and always ready to take the wheel when it needs to be taken. I suppose that could be why he enjoys being a bus driver, a big wheel to steer and Bill is happy.

We’ve been watching movies lately. Last night we watched Snatch which he had never seen before. He does like the British gangster thing and definitely made the connection between Snatch and Pulp Fiction which it so deftly resembles. Bill went to bed after that and I stayed up watching something on cable, definitely unmemorable.

Bill was up and out around 8:00 this morning and I lay in bed trying to avoid the sun streaming through the blinds. A passionate kiss and a strongly worded declaration of love was said before he headed out the door. I got out of bed a little bit earlier than the past few days and made some coffee before stepping into the shower.

After reading emails and updates I headed to the supermarket where I saw the mighty Isis once again. It was the last time for the year. She couldn’t wait until 4:15 when she gets off of work and here it was around 10:30, with a ways to go. I headed home and had a nice breakfast and read the paper which is something that gets rarer and rarer these days.

I once again headed into the city a while after that. I needed a new calendar and figured Barnes & Noble would be the way to go since I still had a Barnes & Noble gift card to use. Alas, the calendar pickings were nearly nonexistent unless I wanted a Dilbert or a Jack Russell terrier calendar. Still I wandered around a bit and mainly looked at books that I had taken out of the library.

It was certainly a nicer day weather wise, than yesterday and I had a cigar as I walked up Park Avenue South. Covering all bases, yesterday was Park Avenue itself and today was Park Avenue South. I eventually walked up to the bus terminal where there was another line like the day before.

I was a little bit earlier today so I was more up in the line, meaning that I was able to get on the bus unlike yesterday where I was turned away. Still, I had to stand for the ride back to Hoboken but I didn’t mind. I made it back home safe and sound, cleaned the apartment a bit and had a nice dinner.

That’s about it. It has been quite a mellow day and the evening promises to continue in such a manner. I did check my work email and saw the latest schedule, making sure I didn’t read any other email about so & so leaving the cigar shack corporation with an ‘Auf Wiedersehen’. Not sure if I will write tomorrow so I will wish you all the best wishes for the new year.








02 These Days Nico

I Don’t Want to Hear Anymore

Friday, November 11th, 2011

It’s a Friday from what I gathered. And so far it’s been quite alright. The day started after having a good night’s sleep. Bil was able to stay awake when I got home last night so that was very good. He stayed awake for about an hour then he turned in.

I stayed up long enough to watch Brian Eno on the Colbert Report and Brian was charming as ever. And the singing of ‘Lean On Me’ with Michael Stipe along with Eno and Stephen Colbert was priceless. I was glad I watched it and even happier that I recorded it so I can show it to Bill since he basically knows a little bit about Eno but never heard him speak. So now he can.

I had the honor of meeting with Brian Eno in the 1990’s when I was working at Skyline Studios. He was producing Laurie Anderson and I never expected to meet him but there he was. I invited him and Laurie Anderson to Weehawken for a pseudo macro-biotic dinner and they politely declined. I’m sure I have written about this before.

I did ask both Brian Eno and Laurie Anderson to sign some albums for me and they did so gladly. I still have them safely hidden away. I watched the Colbert Report again this morning as I was getting ready to head out.

Once on the street I ran into Mike C and we walked to the bus stop. He was doing some power walk thing and slowed down considerably to talk since I power walk for no man. I got on the bus after Mike power walked away and was joined by neighbor Deborah at the next stop.

She was getting ready for the weekend whereas for me it was just another day. It was a fun ride though, lots of laughs though we did wonder why after 14th Street the bus driver wasn’t stopping for anyone anymore. Once again Deborah went her way and I went my way and headed to the subway platform.

The train arrived and soon I was near the cigar shack. I had exceptional sales yesterday and that helped my spirits today. It was Zack and Jerry Vale with the return of Thomas working alongside me today. It wasn’t a home run day but I did hit a few triples.

Right now Thomas is playing Pale Blue Eyes by the Velvet Underground which I think is one of his favorite songs and I am happy to report that I turned him onto the song, but not the band. One more day of work then two days off and I can’t wait.

Plan to reconnect with Bobby Rissotto over the weekend. He contacted me about something and I responded. Now he wants me to call him and I certainly plan on doing that. I haven’t seen him in a while so perhaps it’s an invite to his swank holiday party.

26 minutes left in the store hours, then a train ride and a bus ride and I will be home to see Bill fast asleep. He has to get up at 2:30 tomorrow morning since he has to drive a bus.

Now I am home, and feeling hopeful.







Veteran's Day


I Don’t Wanna Dance

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Oh I certainly have had better days than this one. This one was one of the worst. Bad enough that I wound up having the most morbid thoughts on my lunch hour which did not prove to be relaxing. Every time I think I have a grip on the situation, it doesn’t turn out to be that way.

I am sure the gods are laughing at me. It started out this morning, with my computer monitor. I know you get what you pay for and this monitor I got for free a few years ago, maybe two or three years ago from BIO-IB. An office monitor, probably in use for a few years before I got it, and it was more than likely on all the time. So yes I got what I paid for.

It worked well for a few years and this morning it was kaput. It started acting up a few days ago, I would turn it off and hope for the best. And it worked but hope ran out and now I have a rectangular doorstop. Of course being plugged in like I am I need a monitor.

I have the computer that Bill bought for me last year for the holidays as a way to get me to not use his Mac which does not get used at all. It’s his Mac and I suppose boundaries must be maintained and it most definitely his prerogative to allow or disallow my use of his computer. I checked the cables and the connections and everything seemed to be in order.

With no computer my morning routine was cut short and I was on the street a few minutes earlier than usual. And I called Bill as I walked to the bus stop. I told him the situation with the monitor and he asked if I checked the cables and the connections.

I even texted Rand to see if he had any ideas, ideas on where to get a good monitor on the cheap. He responded that Best Buy was having a sale, but alas I am still supporting the boycott of Target/Best Buy so that would be out of the question. I decided to kill some time and head over to Radio Shack on Washington Street.

I wound up buying a monitor for a little over $100.00 which was the price Rand quoted for Best Buy. I wasn’t about to lug a monitor to work so I asked if I could buy it then and there and have someone pick it up later on, someone meaning Bill. I know I should have checked with Bill to see if he could do it and luckily for me he said he could when I asked.

The sales person was a it hesitant on the whole thing but I was fortunate to convince him that it was on the up & up. The ride to work was uneventful, I rode with neighbor Deborah who was supportive and offered hope that something might happen for me where she works and as much as I would like to believe in that I do not hold out much hope on it.

I mean, I like pets, but the ASPCA? I am not so sure, yet I do prefer pets to people. The cigar shack was moribund at best, Frank Burns assuming the role of liter while Zack went to lunch then to meetings and was gone for the rest of the day.

Just as well since Zack hasn’t been to keen on anything that I do, having replaced Thomas on the shit list since Thomas has been on vacation for the past 5 days. Overall it’s been a stone cold drag today. I do not like the situation but must bide my time until something better comes along.



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11 Road to No Regret