Tag Archives: Rita

More Volts

OK. Yesterday I wasn’t in the best of moods and I did feel let down by some readers. Thanks to people like my sister in law Karen, my sister Annemarie and my pal Foot Foot Harpy I was brought down to Earth. And even Juan chimed in. And Debra W, Yoga instructor. And..and…

You see, part of me wants to know how many people read this blog and another part of me doesn’t want to know. The thing is when I know who is reading this, like family members, I generally tone it down.

Not wanting to offend them or getting them upset with my usual sacrilegious views, my anti religion stances. They know about my politics and generally take them with a grain of salt. But some of them do believe in a higher power and often go to church.

Bill too, but he’s immune to my attacks on religion. His father was an atheist and his mother was evangelical. Most of my friends feel like I do towards religion, and some of them don’t.

Luckily religion hardly ever enters the picture. I’ve had the religious schooling, 13 years of it. I was agnostic until 9/11 when I decided for myself that any god that would allow such heinous acts doesn’t deserve my worship or attention.

I’m sure if I were alive during World War 2 I would say the same after seeing the horrors of the holocaust.

So occasionally I try to tailor what I write so as to not offend.

And I did think what I wrote on October 7 was pretty funny and silly. A slight return to a form that I started a few years ago, also involving a parrot I think.

So despite my feeling down yesterday about the lack of feedback or comments, I think I’d rather not know. Still since this is my blog I have license to whine and bitch and complain if no one writes anything in return.

Write your own blog and I’ll comment early and often.

No one besides Annemarie and Harpy. I do wonder where that Dave McKenzie has gone. I hope he’s alright.

Last night I slept really well, partly because Bill took the initiative and fixed his sleep apnea mask and also because of the Xanax I had taken earlier in the day.

Also gave me a very pleasant hangover, causing me to say ‘Good morning’ to various strangers as I walked to get the paper.

Today being today meant that today was laundry day and laundry is what I did. But I also had to get a new clothes rack since one of the two that I had broke last week. I balked at the first store selling one for 17.00 and walked towards the other hardware store (which is the hardware store I prefer).

On the way I saw an old friend of mine, actually an old friend of Rita’s. I smiled and I was about to say hello to her she turned and hastened her pace. That was odd so I called Rita and asked ‘What was up with Karen Bunny?’

I thought maybe she was a reader of this here blog, but no, Rita just said that Karen Bunny is a crazy person. Generally nice but a bit crazy and maybe a touch homophobic. That was oddly reassuring, it had nothing to do with me or my blog nor anything that I might have said or done.

Had a good talk with Rita anyway, the usual larfs.

I did wake up this morning to the news that our President, Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. A nice accomplishment, more for changing the climate of the world stage after eight years of the bully boys and Condoleezza, to won where Obama has said we will shake your hand if you unclench your fist.

I’m proud of Obama and this country for trying to make this world a better place. I did spend a good portion of the day posting and rebutting comments on the Yahoo/AP news.

Anyway, do what you want. Comment if you’d like, or don’t.

It’s funny, a few years ago when ill and I were seeing Philip Beansprout for our couples counseling, both Philip and Bill were pushing me to try and make money from my blog. I didn’t see it being possible then and I don’t see it now.

The only sponsors I can imagine are pharmaceutical companies with an ad that could change day to day, perhaps saying, ‘If you feel the same way John Ozed feels in this entry, maybe it’s time you had a talk with your doctor regarding Zimdon.’

That might work.

I’d be rolling in the bucks.

And once again this was written on Bill’s Mac.

and happy birthday Dr. Winston O’Boogie!

Recent Title

Well I went back to work today, on a Friday. No one was expecting me to come in, but still, I donned the suit and tie, looking rather sharp I might add. I also looked good on Wednesday morning but that ended badly. I slept ok last night though I did wake up before the alarm clock and could not get back to sleep.

So I got up earlier than usual which was ok. Puttered about, taking my time getting ready. Had a bowl of cereal which made me think, what if the cereal got me sick, not the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had the night before? I gambled and won. I didn’t get sick from the cereal.

I checked my email again, basically repeating the routine I did on Wednesday and was reminded of a chat I had with an online friend yesterday. He had mentioned that I seem to always be sick. He occasionally read this here blog you see.

I protested that I was sick in October, January and now in February. Not always sick. October and January were viruses, Wednesday was obviously food poisoning. Same symptoms as salmonella and with all the news about peanut butter or peanuts in general I think I put 2 and 2 together. Only it didn’t last that long.

We chatted online about a few things and I brought up my lack of self confidence. He was surprised to hear that. We had met once quite by chance on the street and I guess that’s where he got the idea that I exude self confidence. It must be the suit and tie. I wear a suit and tie and I don’t slouch when I walk, I have my chin up, eyes looking forward and I do feel confident.

ooh! it's Mister Confident!!!!

ooh! it's Mister Confident!!!!

In jeans and t shirt I slouch and generally look unkempt. It’s a good thing I suppose putting forth an air of confidence, it certainly has gotten me some good jobs. You want a good job, you gotta dress the part. At least thats how it used to be.

I’ll find out next March how that works out I guess.

But it weighed on my mind all day, my chat and the perception of being confident when behind the fabric I’m still the same old John, a neurotic, insecure mess at times.

It being a Friday, I planned on leaving early, and of course that didn’t work out. I was busy running around to the bank, to this place and that place errands for everyone. I don’t mind, it’s my job and it’s obvious, if I don’t do it, no one will.

I came in this morning and there was the mail from the past 2 days all over my desk. I sorted it out and delivered it to the proper people. I left around 3:00 this afternoon and made my way over to Bill’s building. It was around 50 degrees this afternoon so that afforded us some extra minutes together which of course was nice.

I got him a nice, cheap pair of cuff links for St. Patrick’s Day of 4 leaf clovers. I got the same for myself. It was a nice deal and I gave them to him this afternoon rather than wait. He loved them and we talked a bit about how we might spend March 17 which will be here before we know it.

No bars, we tried that last year and found every place jam packed with some charging an admission. We just walked around last year, smoking cigars and will likely do the same, staring at the visitors and the vomiters.

I was saddened and gobsmacked to read an email from Harpy yesterday, that Randall Bewley, guitarist for Pylon died the other day after having a heart attack at age 53. I met Randy a few times at McSwells when Pylon played.

Pylon was a band from Athens GA that I first saw with my brother Frank in August 1980, opening up for Talking Heads at the Wollman Rink in Central Park. I can’t say I was ‘ready’ for Pylon, I was definitely more into Talking Heads, plus there was so many people there that August night that Randy, Michael, Vanessa and Curtis from Pylon were swallowed up in that summer night.

Even though I was a big B-52’s fan, it didn’t register that Pylon were from Athens, unlike REM who a year or so later, I first saw opening up for Gang of Four and walked away from my prime spot near the stage saying ‘the only thing they have going for them is that they’re from Athens.’

Maybe a few months after that I was in that long lost record store on Second Avenue in the East Village, Free Being where I saw the cover for Chomp, Pylon’s 2nd album. I bought it just for the cover, vaguely remembering who they were and immediately loved it when I played it.

Played it for my friend Jet as well and he loved it too. Pylon was quitting the music biz at that time, it wasn’t fun anymore. They did get back together a few years later and played McSwells where I was able to DJ for the show and got Jet in to see them not long before Jet passed away.

I vaguely remember Rita having a problem with Pylon, Vanessa might have been off-putting with her style of singing after seeing them a few times opening up for some band Rita would rather be seeing, but I did thank Vanessa after a show and Rita was there and felt her opinion of Pylon was wrong since they were all such genuinely nice, sweet people.

And you could dance to their songs.

Now Randy is gone, and Pylon will be no more. He Left behind a wife and 2 kids. Notices from the B-52’s, REM and even members of Gang of Four among others have come in on various websites stating that they were one of the best bands ever and that Randy was certainly a one in a million guitarist.

Sad to see him go as he was one of the nice ones.