Tag Archives: Rick Benet

Keeping the Beat

A frustrating day, came forth from a frustrating night. Overall, a frustrating weekend. Time crawled on Saturday night when it took what felt like an hour for 10 minutes to pass.

Yesterday was more of the same though there was the distraction of the fart and mucous festival. And today has been simply ugh. Last night was so damn humid, I lay in bed sweating. And it’s been quite humid today as well.

I’ve been trying to get in touch with Greg Stevens for the past week or so. A bit of phishing for work, a bit of touching base and saying hello.

Got the voice mail and no responses to email. I was alarmed at that and went so far as to call his wife’s office to see if Greg was alive and well. He is, just spending more time out in the Hamptons was the excuse he gave me when he called back this afternoon. He has no work for me and sympathizes with my plight.

Greg did say that once again he’d be more than happy to be a reference for me. On my end, I am feeling compelled to drop McMann and Tate from the resume and editing it so that I went from Wanker Banker directly to Vivek’s company. Tired of having to explain why I left McMann and Tate.

The truth is offputting.

Also heard from Casey Chasm who is officially in the US Army and picks up his uniform this week. He’s now a GI for the next 8 years and I wish him the very best. I reconnected with another friend on Facebook, Rick Benet who I used to work with at Skyline Studios. He’s also in the army. Been in the army for the past 15 years.

Whatever works I suppose. Somebody has to protect this country and I am too moody to do it myself. It’s best for all concerned that I stay out of it, you see.

It was a strange call from Lt. Chasm. He did call the night of the Specials and midway through the call Miriam phoned in. Since she was meeting me there I had to take the call. I told Lt. Chasm that I would call him right back and when I did I got his voice mail. So today, it was an awkward catching up of sorts which was par for the course today anyhow.

Ran into Julio on the street and that was actually fun. He and the wife and kid and his in laws got back from a weekend in Boston so he was a bit out of it. He did like it though. Lot’s of unloading from Julio, work, looking for a new place to live, things like that.

I was on a hunt for compressed air. My computer just attracts so much dust that I needed to do something about it. A walk to CVS was to no avail, so a walk to Rite Aid was needed and sure enough I found it.

Wandered around Hoboken, just listening to various things on the iPod.

Came home and found a request for my resume to be sent in Word format. I only have Open Office. Bill’s Mac is presently kaput. I instant messaged Bill to see if he had a copy of it at work and he never got back to me after acknowledging my initial message.

I went to the bibliothèque and picked up a book and then went to the supermarket of the damned. The whole wheat bread that I usually get was not on sale this week, neither Friehofer nor Stroehmann and I balked at paying $4.00 for a loaf.

I found a different brand on sale, less bread, but also not $4.00. I can’t say that I go through so much bread especially when Bill tends to eat the bread when I’m not looking. I don’t mind, occasionally he’ll replace it. I also had to tell him a while back that if he’s going to eat bread, eat equal slices, not odd slices.

One slice of bread does not a sandwich make.

I did watch The Pacific last night and it was truly sad. I knew what was going to happen, the John Basilone story. Played by the wonderful John Seda, the episode focused mainly on Basilone.

And that was the heartbreaking part since I knew that it was probably the last we would see of him as he landed on Iwo Jima. Truly gut-wrenching as I watched Basilone court his girlfriend, marry and then head off to war.

It more than likely had a hand in the difficulty I had with going to sleep last night.

At least I was able to get the compressed air and tomorrow will be another day.
5.3.10 13 and Willow

Straight Lines

Well not soon after posting last night, I put Land of the Lost in the DVD player. I anticipated Bill coming home and wanting to watch it. It seemed silly enough, no thinking required. I could hear Bill climbing up the steps from the lower floors.

He was lumbering as usual and as usual I greeted him at the door with a smile, helping him with his bag. Just something nice to come home to. I know when he does it for me I have a look of ‘what the hell are you doing’ since it doesn’t happen that often.

And it doesn’t happen that often since he’s not home usually when I come home. It’s when he is home, that’s when the look comes out. Probably my father’s patented look. It’s too bad, I know- Bill tries. On the other hand I don’t mind doing it when he comes home.

So tonight he doesn’t seem as cheery and I ask what’s wrong. His knee has been acting up lately and it happened a few times today. Popping actually. And he also seems a bit subdued. He says he’ll be fine. He just wants to relax. He has his box of Cheerios, his Hershey bars.

I sit and continue watching the Office which was a good episode. The 7:30 repeat. Harpy called in the beginning. He’s getting nervous about getting his teeth removed so new choppers can go in. I did my best to reassure that it would be fine when call waiting interrupted, Nature was on the other line.

Harpy got off the phone and I took the other call. After that I settled in to watch Michael and Jan’s dinner party with Pam and Jim and Andy and Angela with Dwight and his former babysitter crashing. It was just the right amount of uncomfortableness to make it hilarious.

Bill asked me about Lois DiLivio’s Shakespeare Reading at McSwells next Sunday. He wasn’t sure whether or not he could make it as he has a play opening the following Monday (which is the day I am starting my new job) but asked me how I felt about the reading last time in December.

I told him I enjoyed it. It was fun, surrounded by mostly friendly faces and familiar people. I got people to laugh as I read my lines from The Merchant of Venice. Bill pulls out a script and asks me if I would read for his reading on Monday. That was surprising.

I was unprepared for it, even though I overheard him talking to the playwright on the phone saying that they needed a white actor. I thought about offering my services but didn’t think anything of it. Now here’s Bill asking me to do the same thing.

Almost immediately anxiety set in.

Yes I would be willing to do this. I explained how nervous it sounded. I would be onstage reading with people I don’t know. Bill said that since I was able to do it at McSwells, so why not again? I tried to tell him that yes I did it at McSwells but I was among people I mainly new, they were friendly and no one else would be paying attention.

Bill mentions my busking, how I can play my guitar in front of total strangers by the river. In my mind I say to myself, those people just keep moving on. No one stands there and pays any mind to what song I may be mangling. And I am basically hiding behind the guitar.

Bill says that people were paying attention to us at McSwells last month. They could hear us, they could see us and they were very interested in what we were doing. I disagreed, since we were in that fish bowl area, behind glass. It wasn’t that crowded, it was early Sunday afternoon. And I was among friends having fun.

Obviously Bill believes in me and had been thinking about it for a few days. I mention that it would have been nice to have been asked a few days ago, now I have to cram this anxiety into 36 hours instead of having the luxury of spreading that anxiety out over a number of days.

We watch Land of the Lost. Bill liked it a lot. I chuckled once or twice but my mind was elsewhere. After the movie and some of the DVD extras he starts to get ready for bed. My silence throughout most of the movie went unnoticed.

Only when he went to kiss me good night did he ask if I was alright. I told him I was really very nervous. He didn’t understand that and said well actors take that nervousness and put it in their acting. I tell him that’s all well and good but I’m not an actor.

‘Well you did it at McSwells’

‘Yes but I was among friends, it was very relaxed and fun. I don’t want to make you look like an idiot for getting me to do this.’

‘Look if you don’t want to do it, fine. I can get someone else. I just thought that this would be good for you.’

‘I said I was going to do it so I will do it. I just wish I had known about it sooner. I mean, I was fine, chilling out at home at 6:00 and now at 10:45 I’m really not so chill anymore.’

‘If you don’t want to…’

‘I said I will do it. Just very nervous. I’ll be with people I don’t know, on a stage, it’s very nerve wracking. And my part, it’s the bad guy.’

My part is the white manager of a black sculptor in 1968 Asbury Park who screws the artist. I’m going to do it, but I guess I have butterflies carrying hand grenades in my stomach. All for the experience I say to myself, all for something out of the ordinary.

And there are typos in the script.

And now I check my email and I have an invite for an interview with an application attached to fill out.

Now it’s an hour or so later. I watched Jazz on a Summer’s Day, another library DVD, disappointed that it was only 20 minutes long. Interesting to look at the jazz fans in the audience grooving to Louis Armstrong.

I also read the script that Bill wants me to read Monday night. It’s not bad, could definitely use some tweaking here and there, some tightening up, but I’m not a script doctor. I will participate though. I’ve highlighted all my lines and creased the pages where they are.

Just some stage fright to deal with.

I wrote that last night. Things are better. I am somewhat more prepared for the reading tomorrow.

I also have a phone interview for another job tomorrow afternoon. Feast or famine it seems. I didn’t take the pre-screening application too seriously. My cheekiness might have worked to my advantage.

If I post tomorrow, it will probably be later since I will be at the reading. So hang tight.

I did run into Julio & Alexander this morning in Church Square Park. While talking to Julio I notice a bird flying in to land on a tree branch. I noticed it had a wider wing span and it wasn’t a seagull. It was actually a hawk.

Julio remarked that it was probably going to eat a squirrel or pigeon. Or mice. A few weeks ago when Bill and I were headed to Chaz’ party, as we entered the park we saw a cat jump out of the bushes. In front of the cat was a mouse that desperately did not want to be dinner.

Anyway, here are some cellphone snaps of the hawk. Of all times, not to have my camera…

Hawk in the center of the photo

Hawk in the center of the photo

as close as I could get with a cellphone camera

as close as I could get with a cellphone camera

Best photo of the hawk I think

Best photo of the hawk I think

ozedBanner