Bill « johnozed

Posts Tagged ‘Bill’

I Got You Train

Saturday, February 4th, 2012

A Saturday at the cigar shack and it’s been alright. Working with Bradley and Jerry Vale today and it’s been interesting to say the least. Bradley accidentally took a sale from me when I was out yesterday. A sale that I set up on Thursday, ready to go. Bradley did the right thing and gave me most of the sales to make up for the $600.00 differential.

And then on top of that I had another big sale and I also sold an item that I have been trying to sell for the past couple of weeks. Funny the people who obviously have money hemmed and hawed and always said they would think about it. The guy who doesn’t look like he has much is the one who bought it.

A sweet deal, a nice lighter and an very stylish cutter all packaged in a traveling humidor. All together the items would total about $450.00. I sold it at half price to a nice guy who saw me at the Path train last month. He saw me and waved and I had no idea who he was. I mean, I see a lot of people all week and everyone blends into a blob of DNA eventually.

He was nice and understood that evening that I was toast and couldn’t even recognize myself much less a guy who comes into the cigar shack once a month. But apparently I made a good impression on him so that was nice. And he’s quite a handsome dude so it’s odd that I wouldn’t recognize him. Now of course I recognize him ass crack that showed when he bent over.

So tomorrow is the big day, Super Bowl Sunday. The NY Giants vs the New England Patriots I think. Guys are every excited, women are very excited and I will be working the event. It shouldn’t be too taxing, in fact the main drawback is the fact that I will be getting home a lot later than usual, but I have been granted permission to take a car service home so I might just do that and start the arduous process of being reimbursed on Monday.

I already told assistant manager Bradley that I might be late on Monday morning, depending on how late the cigar shack closes after the Super Bowl. He was antagonistic of course, as if he could be any other way.

Bill drove to Atlantic City last night and expected to drive again tonight but they decided to give the job to a full timer which he understands and has no problem with. I am happy since he will be home when I come home. So I suppose we will stay up and watch Saturday Night Live together which is nice. I’m not too hungry at the moment but after I write this mess, I think I will have a banana. Good for energy, good to fight the blues.

And Harpy made an all too brief appearance at the cigar shack en route to the opera. And I forgot the banana.

11 – Since I Fell for You

Tags:Bill
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I Got You Split Enz

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

It has been a nice day off. Last night when I came home I was very tired and feeling a bit under the weather. Bill did his very best to make sure I was alright, to see if there was anything I needed. Basically he did all the things that I do for him when he is feeling unwell. I certainly appreciated it.

He stayed up for a little while making sure I was alright and I was, just a little out of it. I went to bed earlier than usual and was still a bit stuffy when my head hit the pillow. Bill of course was fast asleep and I soon joined him in the arms of Morpheus.

Last night before Bill went to bed he got all of his things together since he was driving to Atlantic City tonight and didn’t want to run around this morning. He leaned over and gave me a nice kiss as he headed off to work. I slept a little bit longer before I too got out of bed and started my day.

The only thing I had planned was a trip to the supermarket and some laundry. The supermarket was a brief visit which included seeing my girl, Isis. After that I was home and eating a nice breakfast in my slippers. I actually did go out a few times today, a trip to the bibliothèque where I ran into Mike Cecchini. He had a lot of books checked out and I was only there to pick up a CD.

And it wasn’t the CD I had hoped it would be. In the 1980’s Lou Reed took part in a salute to Kurt Weill, called Lost in the Stars. Lou sang a great version of September Song, arranged by Hal Willner I think, possibly one of the best things Lou Reed had ever done in my opinion. I had the original on vinyl after hearing it time and again on the jukebox at Maxwells back in the day.

But after moving several times and shedding a few pounds of vinyl as well as a turntable I no longer had the track available to me. After searching online I saw that Lou Reed singing September Song was available on a different compilation, a different salute to Kurt Weill. Alas, it was not the same version, this one was slower really dragging and not to my liking.

Apparently this was a new version and lacked the snappiness of the original cover version. Despite being disappointed I still listened to the whole thing and it’s not half bad, it’s just not what I wanted. I plan on dropping it off at the bibliothèque tomorrow morning when I walk to the bus stop again.

And after a day of feeling alright most of the day, the stuffiness returns to my head, though not nearly as bad as it was yesterday. I am definitely doing the right thing (and did the right thing) by doing most everything on a low flame today. I must save my resources for the upcoming weekend at the cigar shack.

16 It Doesn’t Matter Anymore

Tags:Bill
Posted in I Love Music | 3 Comments »

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

Tags:Bill, Ill
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I Got The Feelin’

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

A day back at the cigar shack. Not a bad day. I told Thomas last night that I would work the super bowl with Jerry Vale which frees him up to spend time with his fiancee on Sunday night. He was so grateful he threw a major order in my direction and he and his fiancee made me some corn bread which I will enjoy when I get home.

It’s been an alright day overall. It was Thomas and Bradley and myself and since Zack was off today that put Bradley in a good mood once again. I did hear from Zack via text today. He first asked if I had a passport and I replied that I did.

Then he asked if I would be interested in going to Honduras. Apparently a cigar manufacturer has tours of their fields and factory in Honduras and Zack was supposed to go but he wasn’t really feeling it, having just gotten back from two weeks of being out of town away from his family.

It would be all expenses paid and I would just have to pay for my flight which would be reimbursed by the cigar shack headquarters. I mentioned it to Bill and he looked up flight information. It was supposed to be from March 12th to the 15th, but after Bill’s research he found the best deal would mean my leaving on March 11 and coming back on March 16 and would not involve a layover that is 20 hours overnight.

Eventually we figured out that it would not be affordable. That means that Bradley might have to go. I would like to go but realistically it’s not feasible. And I would rather travel with Bill. He’s great, he loves to plan trips and all I have to do is show up. Cars, flights, hotel rooms all taken care of. I suppose I am spoiled by Bill when it comes to matters like this. It’s OK, I certainly don’t mind and neither does Bill.

The weather today has been outstanding, 60 degrees when I went on break at 3:15 this afternoon, nice enough to spend most of the break time, outdoors in the cool air. There were plenty of other people who had the same idea. So tomorrow is another day on, then another day off. And there is more laundry to do, laundry that didn’t quite make the cut the other day.

The plan is to get up early enough to get a start on that and then figure out the rest of the day. Of course by then it can all go pear shaped. Last night I watched Gosford Park again. It’s such a good movie, great script, great cast. Bill watched some of it before he went into shredding mode, meaning he sat at the kitchen table, shredding some documents and spending way too much time reading other documents.

Bjork was on the Colbert Report last night and she was very good of course. I plan on buying her new CD but as far as I know it’s only available as an app from iTunes. It could be available somewhere, somehow and I intend on finding it one way or another.

Thomas mentioned that I look like that I lost too much weight and that my suits all hang on me.I guess he is right since I can’t tell. And Jimmy Seltzer made an appearance, telling me that I should get it together and write my book. I really should, shouldn’t I?

10 Where Do I Begin
Thanks for the ride, Don Cornelius.

Tags:Bill, Gosford Park, Honduras
Posted in Cool Cold Reality | 1 Comment »

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

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I Got Soul

Saturday, January 28th, 2012

Another Saturday night at the cigar shack, me & Thomas. It’s been a good day, working with Thomas and Bradley. Not bad at all. Bradley has certainly stepped up to the plate since he became the assistant manager. He has a grip on things and is able to communicate extremely well, especially when compared to how he was just a month or so ago.

He was a nightmare to work with a lot of the time but lately he’s been great. It really makes a difference. Communicate early and often like my ex-boss Bobby Risotto was fond of saying. A problem pops up, you discuss it and hopefully it gets solved almost immediately. None of this subterfuge, the gossip that occurs from time to time.

I have come thisclose several times today with regards to humidor sales today. It would have been nice to close the deal but it’s not up to me of course, it is up to the customer. And the customers I’ve dealt with needed to think about it which is totally understandable. Bill is driving to Atlantic City tonight. He’s been doing OK with that.

A few weeks ago there was some problems that caused him to stop at every rest stop to relieve himself. It was worrisome to say the least but it was actually from his using aspartame a lot. He doesn’t drink water so he was using crystal light in his water for flavor which caused the problem.

I have cut aspartame from my diet a few years ago after having some intense headaches. I figured that was the cause and after I heard about how Donald Rumsfeld pushed aspartame onto the market without it being properly tested I knew it was the right thing to do.

And now I am home. Thomas offered to close since he would rather leave a little bit earlier tomorrow which is his sixth day of working. I have no problem with that since tomorrow we do close at 7:00 and that means I get to leave two hours earlier anyhow, so 15 minutes is really no big deal.

My numbers were actually pretty good today, especially after one of my customers came in and bought a couple of hundred dollars worth of cigars. He’s a nice guy who ran a record label after I left that label and we initially connected on that. Now he’s in Los Angeles a lot of the time, still a player in the music business and now on one of those TV shows where people sing and try to advance to some level without really paying any dues.

Of course I was glad I could get my numbers up, and though they were good, it really pales in comparison to the numbers Thomas posted yesterday, selling two humidors, totalling $9000.00. Good for Thomas and good for the store.

So now I am home, Bill is on the road, nothing on TV tonight. Saturday Night Live is a repeat and I don’t think I will watch it again, but then again I more than likely watch some of it after the 11:00 News.

Not posting tomorrow so I hope you all have a very nice day.

11. [Laid]