Still buzzing from Wednesday night’s Special’s concert. Not surprising though, I had been waiting 30 years to see them and I definitely had a smashing time at the show.
Just reliving the event for a few minutes via You Tube was a thrill. All I’ve been listening to for the past 48 hours have been the Specials in all their incarnations. Neighbors haven’t complained.
Below me is a vacant apartment and Mike & Nicole have been away for the past few months taking care of Mike’s mom. I will have to bide my time until August 22 when the Specials play Summerstage. If it’s a free show I will be inside the play field. If not, I will more than likely be on the rock.
Today is Alexander’s birthday. He’s now 2 years old. I just saw him and Stine in the hallway. He’s even more adorable than last time. A few high fives, a kiss and a few bye byes. I’m having dinner with Stine, Alexander and Julio in a little while.
I bought a soft globe for Alexander for his birthday at Big Fun on Washington Street. They were helpful. I asked for toys for 2 year old boys and they found a few that were nicely priced. I decided to go for a quiet toy rather than a noisy toy.
Best for all concerned I think.
It’s been a beautiful day today. Yesterday I did attempt to go play by the river but after playing Do Nothing by the Specials a few rain drops fell and I sought some cover. It did eventually relent but then everything was wet so I headed home. And that’s how it’s been.
There were a flurry of job listings last week, most of which I applied for. Lately, not so much. And of course, there’s been no responses. Even sent a ‘Hello’ email to Greg Stevens, just checking in to which no reply has been received yet. No worries yet. I’ll give him a call on Monday.
Now I’m just killing time before heading downstairs for dinner, enjoying a cigar while I am at it. Bill is driving to Atlantic City tonight so he won’t be back until tomorrow morning.
I’ve been sleeping better. Been taking melatonin at night before I sleep and I’m definitely more relaxed than I’ve been. Maybe it’s actually working, maybe it’s mind over matter. Either way I can sleep restfully.
Didn’t need to take it on Wednesday since I did walk up from 42nd and 8th Avenue to 56th Street and 12th Avenue, then standing around and dancing for a few hours, a ride to 34th and 9th from Miriam and a walk over to 32nd and 6th and finally a walk home did me in pretty much that night.
But last night I did take it and felt pretty good. Sometimes messages still get through my mind as I try to sleep but I don’t dwell on them.
Perhaps after I watch the Pacific & Treme on Sunday night I’ll be able to sleep without thinking about how hand grenades work or the catastrophe that Katrina wrought.
Totally disjointed. Cohesion makes no sense. I can’t go on. I’ll go on. It’s been yet another out of the ordinary day. And yet every day is out of the ordinary since there are truly no ‘ordinary’ days. Each one is different from the one that precedes it.
Oh the depths I am plunging. Must be the white wine I have just shared with Julio and Stine. It’s been a good day.
Last night I played some songs by the Marine Girls and decided that was a band that Lily Mastro should be aware of. So I burned her a CD and made sure to meet up with her today. She was playing with the Street Corner Mourners around Pier A this afternoon.
Bill came home this morning after driving a bus to and from Atlantic City. He’s doing the same thing tonight. I went off to the bibliothèque this morning and ran into Julio and Alexander in the park across the street.
When Alexander saw me, he came running towards me with arms wide open for a hug. So sweet. He’s never done that before. And not only can he identify me, when you say ‘Where’s John?’ He points to me and says ‘there’. Now when he wants my attention he yells ‘Don’. Still needs to work on his ‘J’s’ you see.
After spending time with the father & son, I headed towards the river while Julio & Alexander went home for a nap. The Street Corner Mourners where playing near Pier A and I decided to record a few of their songs.
When I got there, Lily came running up to me. Apparently some of Tariq’s dodgy acquaintances found their way around them and it was a bit unnerving for these 16 year olds. I played the role of responsible and sober adult.
I humored Lily while Tim and Cyrus played guitars with Tariq. Tariq was only around for a little while before he headed into the city. After he was off the Mourners and I headed down a few benches, best for collecting change from passerby.
Having drunkards around doesn’t really entice young urban mommies and daddies to throw change into an open guitar case.
I recorded about 7 songs, as well as getting duct tape so Lily could do a quick repair on her accordion strap and some batteries for her flip cam.
After a while I headed home to pick up Bill’s dry cleaning while he slept the day away before heading to Atlantic City again.
Had a call from Julio who asked if I wanted to go to Ikea with him. I met up with him and went to Ikea on a weekend afternoon. Last time I was there was sometime last year with Juan on a weekday. Definitely not as crowded. Today, jam packed.
It did tire me out somewhat, Julio bought a bookshelf for Alexander’s toys and books and I dealt with the crowds. Then there was traffic coming back to Hoboken.
Stine invited me over for dinner and being the fine cook that she is I certainly couldn’t resist and nor did I want to cook dinner for myself.
It was a wonderful faux Mexican dinner, Alexander doing his best to get my attention by running back and forth showing me every book that he has. Like I said, it was a fun day but now I am tired.
And surprised I was able to write this. But here it is.
More videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/johnotoole99?feature=mhw5
Well it’s been a day unlike any other like all days are. Today, the first Saturday in March is the Fake Patrick’s Day parade, which causes a lot of youngsters to come to town and get properly shitfaced.
For some odd reason, they decided to allow the bars to open at 9:00AM instead of 11:00 like most weekends. I really couldn’t say since I am not a fan of drinking during the day. Maybe if at a barbecue that’s acceptable but otherwise it just screws up my sense of time.
Last night, Bill wore his mouth apparatus and his apnea mask so no snoring from him. We both got up around 8:00 and I found myself online outside the bagel shop at 9:00 while newly legal boys and girls were queuing up outside bars and pubs.
All these newbies on line to get green bagels. Bill was across the street waiting for his bus and by the time I made it into the store, Bill was on the bus and Rand was at the end of the queue for bagels. I hooked Rand up and got him 2 everything bagels and half a pound of tofu so he didn’t have to wait as long as I did.
I came home, and fixed myself a nice breakfast. I made plans last night with Rand to check out the parade with him and Lisa at 1:00. Bill and I were invited to a brunch next door in the building and I did have plans to check it out.
A few years ago Bill and I bought Kelly green scarves at the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Manhattan and I spent some time looking for mine to no avail. I did find a big bag of photographs which I had forgotten all about when I moved back to Hoboken 8 years ago.
Back then, before digital cameras I would have my photos developed onto a Kodak CD. This morning I found myself pouring through a bunch of photos and CD’s and decided to upload some pictures from August 2000. A party in Hillsdale with my brothers, their wives and their kids.
Annemarie wasn’t there and I hadn’t met Bill yet. I did have to resize about 15 photographs. Before I knew it, it was time to go to the parade.
Instead of just showing up at the brunch for a few minutes and leaving I opted to head for the parade instead.
I stopped off at the library and dropped off Old Boy, a Korean DVD which I was disappointed by. Perhaps it was because I chose to watch a dubbed version instead of subtitles, but I knew what was up when the lead character was in the sushi bar. I
t seemed obvious to me and by the end I didn’t care a bit.
The streets were crowded with people wearing the green. I wandered over to my usual spot at Sixth and Washington and started taking pictures of various characters and what was going on around me. Rand and Lisa eventually showed up and the parade was highly entertaining.
On the way down Rand and Lisa heard a drum and bagpipe corp playing a Lady Gaga song. By the time the drum and bagpipe corp got to me they were playing Louie Louie while all the other corps were playing When the Caissons go Rolling Along. Made for a very swingin’ difference.
All together the parade lasted for an hour. No once accosted the Guinness guy which was nice. There seemed to be a lot of watchers this year than previous years. Perhaps it was because it was 57 degrees out, whereas last weekend we were all digging ourselves out of 14 inches of snow.
During all of this I got a phone call from Pedro who was asking what I was up to. He was headed into the city, had to get out of Otisville. He mentioned some art show he wanted to check out on 34th street. I told him I would give him a call when the parade was over.
Rand and Lisa walked me over to the Path train through the throngs of drunken revelers. The train was pretty crowded to 33rd street so I stood. When I got off the train I called Pedro and got his voice mail. It was OK, I had a back up plan to go up to JR Cigars and get some discounted cigars.
Spoke with Annemarie on the phone after dealing with a guy in the cigar store who didn’t know too much about cigars. I admit I was a bit gruff talking to Anne on the phone. She thought I was wrong not to go to the brunch where I didn’t think it was that big a deal. I did buy my neighbor a silk rose in the colors of the Irish flag and taped it to her door with a note.
I made it back to the Path train and git a seat for myself for the ride back to Hoboken. Had to pee so I went to the train station lavs which smelled of stomach acid. Had to pull my pea coat over my nose to mask the smell.
More drunken revelers on the way home.
Ran into Julio, Stine and Alexander who lost some weight from being so sick the past week. Julio asked who John was and once again Alexander pointed to me, which was so sweet. He also shook my hand when I decided to head upstairs.
Took over 100 photographs today which I spent time uploading to Facebook. Finally after not eating anything since breakfast, I decided to make some dinner. As I sat, about to eat my cellphone goes off. It’s my sister in law Elaine.
She’s worried about Corrine who was having a lousy time in Hoboken. She wants to come over but doesn’t remember where I live. I tell her she’s more than welcome. Corinne called Elaine from somebody else’s phone since her own phone died.
I leave my food on the table and walk downstairs where I see Corinne outside with some guy who was nice enough to see her crying and loan her his phone. She thanked the guy and came upstairs a little bit drunk.
We passed some drunken party-goers or leavers from the brunch next door on the stairs. I hooked Corrine up with some water and sat her on the couch. I offered her some food but she wasn’t hungry. I played some ambient stuff sat and ate in the kitchen while she fell asleep on the couch.
After I ate I called Elaine to let her know Corinne was alright, still breathing and asleep. We discussed getting her on a train home but decided to have Elaine and Frank come down to Hoboken to pick her up.
Corinne eventually woke up in time to watch the Office before we headed downstairs. She’s a good kid, just a little drunk, a little forlorn. Who wasn’t at age 23?
Now I’m writing this, the TAMI Show is on public television. Quite good. James Brown definitely stole the show. The Rolling Stones, so stiff compared to the Godfather.
That’s about it for a busy day. Here are some pictures from today. Enjoy.
My Bill
Out in force today
This bald dude said he received a $2000.00 summons for an open container
The day after the major snowstorm. It’s been reported that about 14 inches fell but I really couldn’t say. I’ll have to take their word for it. Just found out that NJ Transit has sent me a bus pass for the month of March.
I suspended the account last year, thinking I would be back at work by March. Well I was wrong on that count. So now when I get it, I have to return it in the blue envelope they supply. It was a good deal but obviously not needed at all these days.
I hoped they would send an email saying that the account was about to be activated again, that would be the ‘nice’ thing to do, but NJ Transit is not in the business of being ‘nice’. I won’t get a full refund, a deduction of $3.00 will be levied for all the trouble I put them through.
Nasty me, spitting in the face of NJ Transit.
Where do I get off? Next stop, please. Proxima parada, por favor.
It finally stopped snowing at some point last night. I had gone to the supermarket with Julio and never went out to shovel again after shoveling in the afternoon. I stayed in all last night, driving Bill crazy and being driven crazy by Bill.
As I wrote last night, we watched Eyewitness News at 5:00 hoping to catch Stine and Alexander. I gave up at 6:00 which is when they made the news. Julio called up and mocked me and Bill spent a good couple of minutes telling me ‘I told you so!’
We watched Keith Olbermann as usual, and then at 9:00 we watched 2 hours of Lawn Hors d’œuvre SUV. I had seen both episodes before, it took Bill until the last 10 minutes to realize that he had seen the first one.
The second one he remembered since it featured Rosie Perez. I reminded Bill of the time I worked with Rosie Perez as her escort for the AIDS Dance-a-thon in the 1990′s. She was with 2 of her friends and I was pretty much wired for sound.
I’m pretty sure we all had a good time, quite a few drinks were enjoyed by the 4 of us. Madonna even stopped by. She looked weird, shaved eyebrows and dressed like a fallen Swiss Miss, hair in tight buns on the side of her head.
She stopped by our table and said hi. Rosie looked up to her and said, ‘How you are?’ Then we all laughed at Rosie’s gaffe. That’s how I remember it.
I had done the AIDS Dance-a-thon a few years, then they stopped asking me. Not because I was wired for sound. Most everyone else was. I think it was because at the end of the night I said to the other volunteers that I hoped we don’t see each other again, explaining that I had hoped there would be no need for the Dance-a-thon, that there would be a cure for AIDS.
Well, there is no cure for AIDS yet, and there is no more Dance-a-thon either.
Bill was off to work this morning, I as usual slept in. He did call later on saying that the front of the building was caked with ice and that I should be careful. By the time I had left the apartment, it had all melted away.
I took a stroll along the waterfront. Not many people around. I enjoyed that. Took some pictures which are below. Saw quite a few snowmen and took some photos of them. I did see what, from a distance was a near perfect snowman.
2 teenagers were approaching it, and one of them decided to take it down with a flying tackle. I was pissed off at that, figured that someone took the time to make the snowman, but didn’t say anything, though I did secretly wish him harm on behalf of snowmen all over the world.
I know I wrote an entry called Snowman back in February 2006. In fact it was on the 12th., almost 4 years to the day.
It’s a snow day. Most everyone had off from work. Not because the commute would be so bad in the morning, just getting home at night would be difficult. Some people did have to go into work today. They were on the news most of the day, the same story at the same train stations on Long Island.
The same woman having to go into work at JP Morgan. The same story of the guy who got on the train and suddenly asked himself, ‘What am I doing?’ before turning around and jumping off the train right before the doors closed.
I was surprised to hear from Bill, who was also home from work today, that there was a 4.3 earthquake in Chicago. That was major news in my book, since the northeast has had many snowstorms before, it really isn’t anything new. But no news on Chicago as far as I could tell.
The big news was on the snowstorm. No building crumbled, just books knocked off the shelves. No injuries reported. Still an earthquake hitting Chicago would be big news. I’m sure the right wing nuts will blame either the snowstorm or the earthquake on abortion or the rights of LGBT people becoming accepted. It’s just a matter of time and as usual they’re late.
Last night I watched Lost which was OK. Not much progress as far as I could tell. The alternative universe story was about Kate and Claire while back on the island it was mainly about Kate and Sawyer with a Jack and Sayid story thrown in. After the big season premiere last week, this was a bit of a let down.
After Lost I watched a mini series documentary on the Sundance Channel about Saville Row. Not 3 Saville Row once the home of Apple Records. Lot’s of nice looking bespoke suits which are definitely out of my price range at the moment. A few of the bespoke houses went to Florence, Italy to promote Saville Row abroad since bespoke suits are no longer the exclusive domain of Saville Row.
One representative of a Saville Row house was in Beijing trying to establish his label to the Chinese. It was quite awkward for the representative, culture clashes, communication problems and also finding out the the food in China is not the same as Chinese food in Knightsbridge.
Still it was somewhat schwing city just looking at the fine pinstriped suits. After that I watched the news which was all about the upcoming snowstorm. Then Seinfeld, the Simpsons and caught Sade on Letterman.
Bill was home a little while after that and we watched Craig Ferguson. I did make it out once or twice today. I do enjoy snowstorms, walking around, smoking a cigar and taking pictures. Walked over to Church Square Park which had kids and toddlers and their parents having fun in the snow.
Various snowmen around, huskies and other winter dogs and a makeshift igloo were spotted. I walked up to Hoboken Daily News and talked to Andy who was worried about how he was going to get home to Jersey City. He might end up walking.
Apparently I missed Julio, Stine and Alexander in the park by minutes. Stine and Alexander were also interviewed briefly by Eyewitness News. I figured they would be on for the human interest hour from 5 to 6PM.
After an hour of all these snow stories Bill and I had enough and changed the channel. Of course that meant we missed the interview which was in the half hour from 6 to 6:30. Julio called me up after it was over to see if we caught it and mocked me when I said we missed it.
We hope it will be on at the 11:00 broadcast.
I also shoveled a bit today and I am feeling it now. Pretty tired.
Well I was actually hoping for a big snowstorm. It would be fun (since I don’t drive) and those people named Brian who make money with snow plows would have the chance to make some snow dough. But the way things turned out, it was barely a dusting.
In Washington DC they received 2 feet, in Atlantic City there was quite an accumulation. Here in Hoboken it was barely noticeable. A disappointment if you ask me. I was hoping to take some photos, enjoy a cigar and walk around in the the snow.
I did go out today though and it was quite bitter. Bitter enough that one trip outside was all I needed to do. On the way back up the four flights of stairs, I did stop at the third floor. Had the Hoboken Reporter and the mail for Julio, Stine and Alexander.
Well actually for Julio & Stine since Alexander couldn’t be arsed with mail or newspapers, unless having a crayon in his hands.
I did find out that after I left Stine and Alexander on Wednesday night Alexander woke up violently ill. Projectile vomiting, pale as a ghost and with a fever of 103.
The next morning, after staying up all night with the baby they brought him to the doctor who gave him a shot of antibiotics and today he was just as good as he was when I last saw him. Leave it to Julio to blame me for getting the baby sick.
Of course it wasn’t my fault but I did think that it was for a moment. Apparently Julio’s sister’s baby was very ill and chances are that Alexander picked up whatever virus from his cousin. So blame Jake, who is on the mend himself.
Been an indoor day, after leaving the family unit on the third floor. Bill left a few hours ago after studying a script for a play he is stage managing up in Harlem in a week or so. This morning I made blueberry pancakes. I planned ahead about bought some Aunt Jemima’s on sale the other day in anticipation of the snowstorm.
Who wouldn’t want blueberry pancakes when stuck inside all day? I have to say they were very good. Perfect for a cold winter’s morning. Bill was asleep as I ate all of my nine pancakes. Washed the dishes, the utensils and the frying pan by the time he was awake.
He wasn’t hungry when he woke up but a few minutes later after I asked him if he wanted any pancakes he said that he did. And he too enjoyed the pancakes. I thought about having pancakes for dinner which is a rarity.
Once in a while, when I was growing up my mother would make pancakes for dinner. Maybe not once in a while, perhaps once or twice. Still it sticks in my mind, enough for me to consider the same menu 40 years later.
Right now watching the Led Zeppelin DVD’s, from the Hoboken Library via BCCLS. Much prefer the second DVD. Madison Square Garden (where my brother Frank and his wife Elaine are supposedly in the front row), Earl’s Court and Knebworth.
It’s astounding how many crotch shots of Robert Plant exist in the footage. You’d think with all that money he’d be able to afford a shirt that fits him properly, instead of a midriff. Then again it was the 1970′s so anything went.
Pandrogyny.
Jimmy Page did throw out the perfect rock star shapes though, so damn cool when at the Garden while playing The Ocean. Impressive 37 years later.
Don’t know if I posted these things previously, but here is a painting by a friend of mine, Andre Scot Grindle from a photo of myself, and my own playing with a computer program and attempting to Warhol my photo, but going too far as usual.
As Andy used to say, ‘Always leave them wanting less.’
