Just had a flashback to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. I was currently walking through the fruit stand office and thought to myself that I have been up for more than 2 hours.

Then I was back in the college book department, seeing Dave Manzo and John Carroll. I looked up Manzo the other day for no particular reason. He’s not a social media person but his wife is.

Dave didn’t like me and I didn’t know. Another instance where the love for my mother saved my ass. And like I said, Dave didn’t like me and I was oblivious. So oblivious that Nick Lattanzio and I went to check in on him when Manzo was thrown to the curb in that purge in early 1982.

Rich Kovalcick was a Rankin Bass character that somehow escaped from the North Pole and wound up managing a packing line in Saddle Brook NJ. Oh he despised me very much. He looked like the foreman in the toy factory.

People like this float to the surface like bubbles of methane. Just letting my mind wander, and this is where I wind up. It is Friday, March 20, 2026. The first day of spring. Bill is off on the road until Sunday, and Mike is supposed to come by, but I haven’t heard from Mike in a few days. I tried calling but it goes to voicemail so nothing is said.

I am fine if he shows up and I am fine if he does not.

Careless wishes

Mike ordered some fetish gear and was having it sent to the fruit stand. Initially he was having it sent to my apartment but I advised him that it was not that good an idea, and to send it to my office. Well the order was supposed to be delivered yesterday and it wasn’t. I checked the delivery and it was being sent from Maspeth, Queens.

He also messed up the billing address. As I went to get my Halal lunch we spoke on the phone and I told him he should’ve checked the address. He was upset with that saying he didn’t need to head no woulda coulda shoulda. I told him I would call after I get my food and he should call the company.

Later he told me he called the company and got voicemail. I have my doubts about that. He then said he would not be coming over this weekend. It had been three weekends on a row. I told him I was thinking the same thing. That more than likely took him by surprise. I tried to call him and he didn’t answer.

He’s probably entertaining gentleman callers. He can’t do that here in Hoboken. He claims he likes being here, it’s more filled with life than his crib in a sketchy part of Jersey City. He can stay on his air mattress and watch videos all night long on his phone. He watches videos on his phone while he’s here, but we provide comfort.

On top of all that Disney+, Hulu and HBO Max have been acting up.

March 19, 2026. One day until Spring. Technically, it’s good, though it does not always make any difference whatsoever. It was cold this morning. It was cold yesterday. Today I wore thermals. Yesterday I did not. Work is as it has always been. I prefer to sleep. In fact when en route to the major fruit stand, I did fall asleep on the train. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and found I had slept through a stop. I was at the end of the line so it did not matter to me but I was surprised nonetheless.

Right now, I am listening to whatever songs I may have liked on YouTube Music. Most of these songs are fleeting, and some songs hold up weeks later, sometimes though, it’s more like ‘what was I thinking?’ I just had Yoko Ono ‘Walking on Thin Ice’ playing, and I still know most every note and nuance 46 years later. What We Got On is playing now by JID and Don Toliver. I have no idea where I heard it from, but there it is.

It’s a Thursday. Slept OK last night. Got up 3 times to pee. Every 2 hours it seemed. Each time was less than a minute. I would have preferred to have slept uninterrupted, but that’s not how it worked out, obviously. At 4:15 AM, I did think it was time to get out of bed, but I realized I had 2 more hours to go. It was an uneasy 2 hours for what it’s worth. I do hope tonight will be different. Then again, I hope that every night.

8 minutes until Noon. The dividing line of the day. Midday they call it. I knew a guy named Midday back in the day. He was popular around the ski set of Maxwell’s. Also had a big package that he would show off when wearing spandex. It looked like he had a grapefruit in his crotch.

One day when Bill and I were walking the boulevard, we crossed paths with Midday, and his reaction to Bill was upsetting to Bill. It was to me as well, but it affected Bill a lot more. I did see MIdday years later. We both cleaned up our acts, he settled down with a woman who would not tolerate his dealing in powders just like Bill and me.

Now it is 5 minutes until noon. Time flies when you’re typing, I guess. Mike says I type fast, and when compared to Mike, I do. Bill’s typing puts me to shame. Juan used to fly all over the keyboard; he was born to it, whereas Bill and I had to learn it and overcome the stigma of men typing.

Oh I just can’t wait to go to sleep tonight. Funny how that was the last thing I wanted to do growing up. And when I was going out regularly, my attitude was I will sleep when I am dead. I don’t think that way anymore.

Marcus was just here for a moment. Not in one of his conversational moods.Brusque basically which is Marcus most of the time.

I had Wedny’s for lunch today and it was mediocre. Tomorrow I am going to have Halal which was good the past couple of times.